Hong Kong: 342 COVID-19 cases reported (To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.) The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 342 additional COVID-19 cases which are all locally infected. It added that 1,921 cases have been reported in the past 14 days and more than 320 of them have unknown sources of infection. Director of Health Dr Ronald Lam told a press briefing this afternoon that it was critically important to contain the virus. One case can spread to more than one person, representing more than one transmission chain. So the minimum (number of transmission chains) is over 320. So this is a very widespread and severe situation in terms of the spread in the community. It is essential and critically important that we continue to maintain the containment policy, especially using the most effective tools of contact tracing, quarantine and sending those detected cases for treatment in hospital. Among the epidemic measures in place are the enhancement of the testing capacities to identify infection cases, the tightening of social distancing measures and compulsory testing for residents of buildings with registered COVID-19 cases. With such a combination of measures, coupled with compulsory or voluntary testing where necessary for areas which tested positive under the sewage surveillance system, we hope that we could at least delay the transmission chains. In this connection, we can buy more time for the community to boost up the vaccination coverage and protect our public health system from collapse in terms of the isolation beds provision. Meanwhile, arrangements have been made to evacuate the residents of units 06 on all floors of Hing Tai House, Tai Hing Estate in Tuen Mun to stop the potential risk of the virus spreading further in the building block. The Government tonight made restriction-testing declarations to cover Mei Sau House, Mei King House and Mei Chi House of Mei Tin Estate in Sha Tin as well as Leung Kit House and Leung Wai House of Leung King Estate in Tuen Mun, requiring people in the restricted areas to undergo compulsory testing. In light of the positive sewage test results in Kowloon City, Tai Po, Wan Chai and Central & Western District, the Home Affairs Department distributed rapid test kits to households, cleansing workers and property management staff living and working in these districts. For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage. This story has been published on: 2022-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Bangladeshi FM rejects "debt trap" claim on China-Bangladesh cooperation Xinhua) 10:58, February 06, 2022 DHAKA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has brushed aside the claim that his country is falling into a Chinese "debt trap". China's loans to Bangladesh only comprise a small fraction of the country's external debt, said the minister while speaking to reporters after attending a program in the capital Dhaka Saturday. He said the "debt trap concern" was an apparent bid to smear China's Belt and Road Initiative and deter the cooperation between China and Bangladesh or other countries in the region and beyond. "You have to have 40 percent loan if you want to get into a debt trap," said the minister, referring to the debt-to-GDP ratio. "Bangladesh's total debt is just over 15 percent or about 16 percent." Momen said Bangladesh so far borrowed the most from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund. "The Chinese loan is not even about 5 percent of our total amount of borrowing money from foreign sources," he said. Meanwhile, he said Bangladesh has become an "eyesore" for some due to the country's geopolitical significance. "The issue of human rights is not the real purpose, the real purpose is to see whether they can reap some benefits from creating pressure on us," he noted. Momen had earlier slammed the U.S. sanctions on officials of the country's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) over alleged rights abuse, saying the move was "very unfortunate" and "not fact-based". (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) EU's decision shows Korea goes against global trends The European Commission has made a final proposal that includes nuclear energy in its taxonomy. The EU taxonomy is a classification system establishing a list of environmentally sustainable economic activities and providing financial companies with investment guidelines. The decision comes in contrast to the Korean government's exclusion of nuclear energy from its own taxonomy last year, raising concerns that the country is running counter to global trends. The European Commission pushed ahead with its proposal despite opposition from member nations including Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain and Denmark. That's because commission leaders, alarmed by the ongoing energy crisis, think atomic power generation is inevitable to attain carbon neutrality. Moves to return to nuclear power have been spreading in other countries as well. Last year, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order that specified nuclear power as a carbon pollution-free electricity. China, the world's largest carbon emitter, has also decided to build 150 nuclear power stations, with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2060. For its part, Korea excluded nuclear power generation from its taxonomy amid a controversy over hasty decision-making late last year. Such a decision could make it more difficult for the nation to create a carbon-free society and deal with the issue of climate change. Concerns are also mounting about its negative impact on Korean businesses winning overseas orders for building nuclear plants. Currently, 57 nuclear power plants are under construction across the world, and more than 400 are being planned or scheduled to be built. Notably, the global market for small modular reactors (SMRs) is estimated to grow to 400 trillion won ($333 billion) in 2050. Korea, which has secured related technology, can ill-afford to miss out on that important market. Korean builders of nuclear power plants, who are receiving poor treatment at home, are competing fiercely to win orders abroad. However, there are warnings that the collapse of the nuclear industry is imminent due to brain drain and the breakup of the parts supply network. Before it's too late, the government should reconsider its policy which treats the domestic nuclear industry poorly, and revise its taxonomy without delay. You are the owner of this article. ADAMS Xavier Jones is coming back to Adams, this time to start a restaurant at Park Streets historic Firehouse Cafe. Folks might remember the 38-year-old chef from BiggDaddys Philly Steak House, which Jones owned and operated in Adams from 2017 to 2018 and in Pittsfield from 2018 to 2019. Now, he is returning, alongside business partner Warren Dews Jr., to try something new: a Mediterranean-infused small plates restaurant with a menu that will reflect the cuisines of up to 30 countries. This building is a landmark, and we dont want to be just a restaurant we want to be a destination, Jones said. People go to Lenox for great food. People go to Williamstown for food. We want people to go to Adams and know they can get the same quality of food, even better. Jones and Dews, who co-own the business, hope to begin operating in April and are looking to hire staff, they said. They will host interviews for a sous chef, line cooks, servers, bartenders, hosts and food runners at the cafe on Feb. 11-12. The restaurant will serve dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Were going to serve food from Asia to Europe to Northern Africa, Jones said. Well also be throwing some American, New England cuisine in there. Well be throwing some Caribbean cuisine in there. Well be taking food from all over the world and presenting it in a Mediterranean style. Dews, a businessman and publisher of the Greenville Pioneer and Ravena News-Herald newspapers in the Capital Region, has a straightforward explanation for why he wanted to be a part of the restaurant: Its Xavier. Jones, a Philadelphia native, trained at Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh. He moved to the Berkshires in the early 2000s and has worked as a chef in top-level positions at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and Spice in Pittsfield, among other restaurants. When people spot him in malls and stores, Jones said, they often mention BiggDaddys and his cheesesteaks. BiggDaddys fans will be glad to hear that Jones has not cooked his last cheesesteak in the Berkshires. Maybe Tuesday night or once a month will be cheesesteak night, where we serve the cheesesteaks that Adams remembers, Jones said. Thats what they know me for. ... So, well let the town remember those good old days. Adams Select Board members expressed enthusiasm for Jones return as they approved a liquor license for the restaurant last week". Member Richard Blanchard joked that he was upset with Jones because he had to find somewhere else to go eat after BiggDaddys closed. Member Joe Nowak added that he finds it exciting to have that kind of food scene here in Adams after hearing Jones describe the menu. Living here my whole life, I dont remember anything quite like that, Nowak said. Jones said he kept in contact with Bill Kolis, who owns the 47 Park St. building, after working with Kolis for some events at the cafe around 2017. They began talking about the possibility of a new restaurant shortly before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Dews and Jones feel that they are coming to Adams at the right time and in the right place. The firehouse, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, originally housed the Alert Hose Co., Adams volunteer fire department, and later housed an ambulance service before its conversion to commercial use for restaurants. Progress on the Greylock Glen, the prospect of a reopened Adams Theater and other recent developments led Dews to believe that this is going to be the place where people are going to come to from all over. We want Adams to be the new Great Barrington, Dews said. Jones has plans to team up with local artists to hang work inside the restaurant and to use products from local farms, he said. He envisions that the building would remain available for the town to use for meetings and events. Adams has got a lot of great things going on with the theater opening up, with the Glen, and we want to be a part of that, especially with the rail trail and the amount of people that Adams is bringing in, Jones added. We want to catch that wave and be a part of that success. Its the prime time, perfect opportunity, best place in Adams to be. Dews, a member of the Berkshire Black Economic Council, added that the pair want to be a part of this growth of Black businesses in the Berkshires. The Berkshires are a beautiful place, Dews said. "Both of us love this place, and we want Black-owned businesses to survive and do well here because its going to help all of the Berkshires. Youll see young people of color see opportunities to do well in this place. Ellen Attaliades, president and CEO of ADDP, said while providers are grateful that Gov. Charlie Baker's fiscal 2023 budget proposal included a 3 percent increase for the Department of Development Services, "our service system has additional needs." 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Candidate's wife should come in for investigation Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has faced growing public outcries over his wife's alleged abuse of power. Such allegations are likely to have a negative impact on his campaign ahead of the March 9 election. Last week, Lee and his wife Kim Hye-kyung apologized over the allegations that she had ordered public officials of the Gyeonggi provincial government to run personal errands for her while her husband was governor. Those errands reportedly included an official picking up prescription drugs on behalf of her and using a government credit card for her personal purchase of foods and goods. If those allegations are verified, both Lee and Kim cannot avoid legal punishment. This could also raise questions about Lee's qualifications as a presidential candidate. The couple's apology was seen as just a lame excuse because it lacked sincerity. Many people cannot help but feel betrayed, given that Lee has repeatedly boasted of moral integrity and high ethical standards. The power abuse allegations were first reported by SBS TV late last month. According to the report, a civil servant at the provincial office had been repeatedly ordered by his superior, identified by the surname Bae, to run personal errands for Kim. The official had allegedly purchased beef, sushi and other foods, and delivered them to Kim's home on multiple occasions. More shocking is that he paid using a personal credit card and later canceled many of the transactions to repay with the provincial office's credit card. Using the office's credit cards for personal purposes is illegal. It may constitute a crime: embezzlement of taxpayer money. It is also illegal for Kim to let another person pick up her prescription drugs. Kim's reported power abuse should not be justified under any circumstances. It is dumbfounding that Lee and his wife have faced those allegations only weeks before the presidential election. What's more disappointing is that the DPK had first denied the allegations in defense of its candidate, saying neither Lee nor his wife were involved in the case directly. Bae, who has known Lee and Kim for a long time, also attempted to protect them by saying that she sent the official on errands, not at Kim's orders but out of her own desire to curry favor with the couple. Another problem is Lee's promise to request an audit by the province's inspector. However, his promise appears to be nothing but a ploy to skirt responsibility. The inspector he appointed is his close ally. It is hard to expect such an inspector to get to the bottom of the case. Now law enforcement authorities should conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations as the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) lodged a complaint with the prosecution against Lee, Kim and Bae. But it is uncertain whether the prosecution will finish its investigation before the election ends. Prosecutors have already been criticized for delaying a probe into much more serious allegations that Lee might have been deeply involved in a massive corruption scandal related to a land development project in Seongnam City. We urge the agency to speed up its investigations so that voters can have accurate information about the DPK candidate. BOISE - On January 26, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho Fish & Wildlife Foundation celebrated the official opening of their new headquarters in Boise. The building is located at 600 S. Walnut Street. During the outdoor ribbon cutting ceremony, staff members were joined by all seven Fish and Game Commissioners, as well as members of the public, former staff and commissioners, legislators and special guests. The ceremony was followed by an indoor reception. It was great to celebrate the completion of a building where Fish and Game headquarters staff can finally be together again after so long, said Hilarie Engle, Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation Executive Director. The Foundation is proud of its partnership with the department to make this happen, which reflects our shared commitment to conservation of Idahos wildlife. The new three-story building brings the headquarters staff together under one roof for the first time in more than 20 years. Fish and Game will lease the new building over a period of 25 years, before owning the building outright. The headquarters office in Boise is open to the public, and all license services are available, including buying hunting and fishing licenses and tags and applying for controlled hunts. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Biden administration policies hostile to domestic oil production coupled with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and OPEC+ policies are contributing to crude oil futures surpassing $90 a barrel in both Brent and West Texas Intermediate benchmarks for the first time since October 2014, industry advocates say. Both are expected to surpass $100 a barrel this year, with Brent reaching that mark by this summer. Gas prices are also expected to continue rising. On Thursday, the WTI U.S. benchmark rose above $90 for the first time since 2014; Brent's international benchmark surpassed $91. As demand for petroleum products surged amid a constrained supply, both benchmarks were headed for their seventh straight weekly gain. In just one month, WTI is up nearly 20% for the year, building on 2021s more than 50% gain. As oil prices push higher, a number of Wall Street analysts have forecasted $100 oil, CNBC reported. Both benchmarks rose as geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated and after OPEC+ member countries struggled to meet their production quotas in January. Last week, OPEC+ member countries agreed to increase production in March by 400,000 barrels per day, which pushed Brent above $90 a barrel. But this may or may not come to fruition since half of its members werent able to make their quotas last month, Oilprice.com reported. And theyre unlikely to do so for several reasons, with the exception of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The International Energy Agency has warned that OPEC+ spare capacity could be depleted by half by the second half of the year. A growing discrepancy between observed and calculated stock changes suggests demand could be higher or supply lower than reported or assumed, it reports. Moreover, higher output would also result in lower OPEC+ spare capacity. By the second half of the year, effective spare capacity (excluding Iranian crude shut in by sanctions) could shrink from around 5 mb/d currently to below 3 mb/d most of it held by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. If demand continues to grow strongly or supply disappoints, the low level of stocks and shrinking spare capacity mean that oil markets could be in for another volatile year in 2022. Meanwhile, tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to contribute to rising crude prices, causing the prices of gasoline at the pump to go up. Russia, an OPEC+ member country, may withhold crude oil from the global market if any sanctions are imposed against it, depending on any actions it takes against the Ukraine, a AAA report projects. At the moment, only one person knows why Russia is threatening Ukraine, and thats Russian President Vladimir Putin, AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said last week. And the tensions along the Ukrainian border have helped push crude oil prices higher almost daily. But a larger factor contributing to prices going up, at least domestically, the Western Energy Alliance, and others argue, is a result of Biden administration policies restricting domestic production of crude over the past year. If the Keystone Pipeline hadnt been halted, if granting new permits to allow drilling on federal land hadnt been halted, if domestic production hadnt been reduced due to a range of regulatory policies, more supply would be available and prices at the pump would be less, those in the industry argue. While President Biden is urging Russia and OPEC to increase production, the Interior Department is erecting roadblocks to American production, Western Energy Alliance President Kathleen Sgamma said. Oil and natural gas from federal lands is among the most sustainably produced in the world, and certainly cleaner than the oil produced in Russia. Besides the stricter environmental controls on public lands, producers agree to extra measures to protect wildlife, reduce emissions, reduce water use, and ensure stewardship of the land. Further, the Interior Department continues to ignore diverse voices who have urged the administration to move forward with developing oil and natural gas in America, she added. Democratic governors, minority community leaders, tribes, small businesses, and many others have voiced support for continued federal oil and natural gas development, but the administration prioritizes activists and environmentalists over bipartisan policymakers and a broad array of stakeholders. The U.S. Energy Information Agency reported that total domestic crude stocks decreased by 1.1 million barrels last week to 415.1 million barrels. Current U.S. stock level is roughly 13% lower than it was at the same time last year. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline also increased by five cents last week to $3.41, and prices are only expected to go up. Ten states that saw the most recent and largest increases in their average gas prices, AAA reports, are Michigan (+14 cents), Wisconsin (+13 cents), Florida (+12 cents), Kentucky (+12 cents), Ohio (+11 cents), Indiana (+10 cents), Minnesota (+10 cents), Illinois (+8 cents), South Carolina (+8 cents) and Oklahoma (+8 cents). Texas continues to have the lowest average gas price of $3.01, although in some areas in the Houston-Gulf region, regular gasoline is under $3 a gallon. OLYMPIA - Douglas County Superior Court Judge Brian Huber heard arguments from both sides on the constitutionality of Washington states capital gains income tax during a Friday morning virtual summary judgement hearing. The judge did not render an immediate decision. Last year, the Democratically-controlled state legislature passed and Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a capital-gains tax aimed at the states wealthiest residents. The measure adds a 7% tax on capital gains above $250,000 a year, such as profits from stocks or business sales. Exceptions include the sale of real estate, livestock, and small family-owned businesses. In April 2021, the Freedom Foundation, an Olympia-based think tank, filed a lawsuit against the new tax alleging it violates the state constitution, as well as the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution by taxing the sale of capital gains held out-of-state by Washington state residents. In May 2021, former state Attorney General Rob McKenna filed a second lawsuit on behalf of a coalition of farmers, business owners, investors, and the Lacey-based Washington Farm Bureau, claiming the law is unconstitutional because its really a graduated income tax and not an excise tax. The cases were subsequently consolidated in Douglas County Superior Court. State Solicitor General Noah Purcell defended the tax on the grounds that it is not an income tax, but an excise tax on the sale or exchange of certain capital assets. Under decades of binding precedent, a property tax is a tax that a person owes just because they own property and is measured by the value of the property, he said. That is not remotely how the capital gains excise tax works, your honor. The capital gains excise tax does not apply based on what property you own or its value. As such, he claimed, The capital gains excise tax does not apply just because you own capital assets. It applies when you sell or use. Purcell referenced the Washington State Supreme Courts 1952 ruling in Mahler v. Tremper that held a county tax on the sale of real estate is an excise tax and not a property tax because it is a tax on the transaction rather than merely ownership. He also pointed to the state high courts 2014 ruling in Hambleton v. Washington Department of Revenue that torpedoed the idea the estate tax violates the state constitutions mandate for uniform taxation by labeling the estate tax a transfer of wealth rather than a straight-up property tax. Rob McKenna, representing the plaintiffs, argued the state is playing word games. McKenna, a former two-term state attorney general who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2012, described the legislature as frustrated that Washington voters refused to approve a state income tax and so has come up with one of its periodic excise tax workarounds. He went on to note the excise characteristics of taxes on income have been tried and rejected before and so must this one. The lawsuit itself states, Every taxing authority in the country, including the IRS and all other state revenue departments, agrees that capital gains are income. The suit goes on to cite a long history of decisions by courts and voters rejecting income taxes in Washington state, noting each and every one went down to substantial defeat. McKenna referenced a few state Supreme Court decisions as well, including the 1936 Jensen v. Henneford case in which the justices ruled that a state tax on the privilege of receiving income violated state uniformity requirements, as well as the courts 1951 ruling in Power, Inc. v. Huntley that stated, The character of a tax is determined by its incidents, not by its name. The judge complimented both sides on the professionalism of their presentations. I have appreciated todays arguments, and I look forward to moving forward in the case, and well take it step by step, Huber said. Thank you, everyone, for appearing today. Take care. He said he expects to make a ruling on the case in about two weeks. However Huber rules, its widely anticipated that the decision will be appealed and the case will ultimately be decided by the Washington State Supreme Court. Major advances in neonatal care have helped the sickest and smallest of babies survive Neonatal babies have always required that extra care when they come into this world. The first 28 days of the babys life is the most vital and crucial stage for a childs survival. During this period, the risk of death is the highest than any other stage of the childs life. The first month of life is the foundation for your health and development for your entire life ahead. Innovations and transformations in technology have tremendously helped in providing advanced treatment and care to neonates improving their intact survival especially, these last three Decades. The major advances in neonatal care that have helped the sickest and smallest of babies survive are are as delineated below- Infant Ventilators with Volume-Targeted Ventilation With the advent of volume-targeted ventilators, it has been observed that babies have survived better and free of lung damage. These babies require ventilator assistance for shorter durations and have reduced risks of developing pneumothorax. Volume-targeted ventilators help in maintaining more stable carbon dioxide levels in the blood and reduce the brain ultrasound abnormalities. However, research is still on to understand whether volume-targeted ventilators improve the development of movement and intellect in these babies. Non-invasive Ventilators with Synchronisation These ventilators combine Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) with positive pressure during inspiration to improve the ventilation and lung health. Breaths caused by the non-invasive ventilators are triggered by the patient and hence they appear synchronised. The non-invasive ventilators give respiratory assistance that is better than CPAP and prevents intubation in most neonatal cases who would have required CPAP and got invasive ventilation. Non-invasive Administration of Surfactant Surfactant spreads easily when administered in large airways. In non-invasive administration of surfactant, a thin catheter is inserted into the trachea to push the surfactant at the exact site. The surfactant is infused at slower rates and the child continues to breathe with supported continuous positive airway pressure. This helps reduce the occurrence of pneumothorax and the possible need for mechanical ventilation. High Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation This ventilator is a promising system that provides lung protective mode in the treatment of respiratory ailments in newborns. The ventilator measures the babys tidal volume for each ventilator breath and then adjusts the peak inspiratory pressure as required to deliver the set tidal volume. Inhaled Nitric Oxide Therapy for PPHN Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) in neonates can lead to life-threatening circulatory failure. Inhaled nitric oxide helps in relaxing the smooth muscles and dilates the blood vessels in the lungs. It has proved to improve the oxygenation and reduce the need for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in the patients. Oxygen Saturation by Signal Extraction Technology Continuous monitoring of the neonate is essential in case of any lung disease. And without constantly having to prick the baby, you can monitor their oxygen saturation accurately. It is a non-invasive tool for monitoring the oxygen saturation index accurately in neonates. Even when in small babies, the pulse volume is low and signals obtained are poor using a modern pulse oximeter with Signal Extraction Technology which has revolutionized critical care for neonates. Newer Diagnostic Techniques The recent advances in technology have made it easier to diagnose host- and pathogen-centered diseases. This helps improve neonatal care in acute infections and ensures quick effective treatment. These techniques use Polymerase Chain Reaction and molecular genetics to identify microbial resistance thereby reducing the use of unnecessary antibiotics. Newer Diagnostic Genetics Advances in genetic sequencing have made it easier to screen newborns for treatable metabolic disorders. Earlier, the biochemical screening tests would sometimes miss the milder forms of treatable inborn metabolic errors in neonates. But with advanced genetic testing, it is possible to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment. New Micro Diagnostic Techniques and Point of Care diagnostic devices Neonates are too tiny and have soft, thin skin. The blood tests using the older techniques cause a lot of pain and harm to the little one. With new micro blood sampling techniques, the blood loss is reduced along with a decrease in the risk of infection. With these micro-volume blood sampling techniques, the risk of sample cross-contamination also reduces. There is no fluid leakage in the system and no possibility of air embolism. Also bedside diagnostic devices can provide valuable information critical for the care of the sick baby instantly using a few drops of blood only. Minimally Invasive Surgeries Laparoscopy has been in use since quite a few years now. And this type of surgical therapy has enabled surgeons to achieve better post-surgical outcomes. With the advances in less invasive surgeries, neonatal surgical care has become easy. You can treat the baby without causing much pain or harm to the neonate. The recovery period reduces, and the newborn baby can push through a smaller surgery at such a tender age. The 3-mm incisions for these surgeries are relatively painless and will mostly disappear after a few weeks of surgery. New Portable Diagnostics There are many portable diagnostic techniques available like bedside ultrasounds for lungs, functional 2D Echo, portable ultrasounds, etc. With the help of these techniques, the load on the baby is reduced. You do not have to constantly shift the baby from the NICU to the testing machine and back. New Scanning Techniques Technology has brought in new infant MRI machines for easy diagnosis and improving treatment plans. PET scans and radio nucleate scanners like HIDA, DMSA, and DTPA help in tracking the overall health of the neonate without causing any physical pain. You can check the status of the babys kidneys with the help of the DMSA and DTPA scans. Tele-ROP for Eye Screening ROP screening helps diagnose early retinopathy in premature babies. With the help of this technique, you can check for retinoblastoma and other eye complaints in the neonate without inserting a needle or a tube into the baby. The current healthcare system is well equipped to handle the challenges that we face in managing the health of infants. The ever-growing, rapid development in the field of neonatal care ensures optimal healthcare for infants. Technology and medicine need to work together to provide the best possible care to babies and to save millions of young lives. Remote monitoring Remote monitoring involves keeping tabs on your patients from a remote place. With the help of this type of monitoring, irrespective of the doctors place of consulting, the baby can get the best care possible. The patient can save up on travel costs and travel time. Some patients who are unable to travel can benefit from remote monitoring as well. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Medicine is incomplete without being able to diagnose the disease. With the help of artificial intelligence, you can identify the different causes of a condition as well as diagnose the exact condition. AI solutions for managing the patient data in the medical field enables keeping electronic medical records (EMRs), smart health management systems, and medical big data, for improving the accuracy and standardization of clinical decision making. AI also helps in optimising treatment plans and collecting medical information for knowledge-based systems. Telemedicine in NICU Remote Monitoring With Internet of Things (IoT) Telehealth allows for telephonic consults between the patient and the doctor. The parents of the baby can openly communicate with the doctor and the other caregivers. This helps in patient compliance after follow-up as well. Many parents are not able to follow-up due to various reasons related to their baby. With tele consults, you can relax with your baby at the comfort of your home and discuss your queries about your childs health. More importantly, Internet of Things has enabled us to connect our daily objects to the internet and track our everyday routine. Whether you wish to use a camera to see the baby or wish to monitor the neonate for their vitals, you can use IoT and make the most of it. You are connected from any part of the world, and you can easily alter treatment protocol and control the vitals remotely. Dr Karthik Nagesh, Chairman & HOD - Neonatal ICUs, Manipal Hospitals & Manipal Advanced Childrens Centre, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Bangalore Trends in Health sciences in 2021 & Prognosis for 2022 The year 2021 was a mixed bag year for the health sciences sector with substantial fund-raising activity witnessed in the healthtech side & muted activity in the traditional areas of Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Services. Thanks to COVID-19 in 2020 the earlier year had a built-in expectation from the sector which to some extent did not get fully realised in 2021. We at Candle Partners expect the traditional sectors to come back very strongly in 2022. Below are some of our thoughts on the year gone by (2021) and what we envisage to unfold in 2022 Negligible primary capital in 2021 in traditional sectors; majority of deals were secondary we expect this trend to change from 2022 onwards 2021 saw limited primary capital infusion by Private Equity Investors in Pharma &Healthcare services Sectors; a second consecutive year of a similar trend. Almost all deals done by PEs this year were secondary in nature. A similar trend was witnessed in the healthcare services (hospital) sector too over the last 2 years wherein limited primary capital has been put. The maximum primary capital was brought in the health tech space by VCs (early and late stage). 2021 saw emergence of four health-tech unicorns (there were none prior to that) - CureFit (last valuation of $1.56 Bn), Innovaccer (last valuation - $ 3.2 Bn), Pharmeasy (last valuation $ 5.6 Bn pre IPO round) and Pristyn Care (last valuation $ 1.4 Bn) We see this trend reversing from this year (2022) onwards as several capex expansions are being planned by the Pharma companies especially in the API universe and we will see more primary capital deals. Also, some of the capex done in the hospital space 5-7 years back have now matured and there will be a need for fresh capital which would mainly be driven by PE / IPO capital this year The API sector has seen a three-fold increase in investments in 2021 compared with a year ago. Three private equity-led investment platforms have been created specifically targeting the API space viz., Hong Kong-based alternative investment firm PAG Asia Capital and its consortium partners CX Partners and Samara Capital; Advent International and the API platform by Carlyle Group. The acquisitions done by these platforms were the key deals in the API sector. Hospitals stocks were rerated during covid with improving operational performance. Consolidation activity in space also witnessed positive trends with established players acquiring single location hospitals. Some notable deals were CIMS by Marengo, Vikram Hospital by Manipal. Investment/ Consolidation in E-Pharmacy space in a very early phase; we may see more deals with e-pharmacy players looking at more diagnostic players 2021 was the year of consolidation in e-pharmacy space after certain years of challenges in fund raise amidst the regulatory uncertainty. These included 1) Pharmeasys acquisition of Medlife 2) Reliances acquisition ofNetmeds 3) Tatas acquisition of 1Mg 4) Flipkarts acquisition ofSastaSundar. In an allied deal Pharmaeasy acquired Thyrocare in an effort to create a more holistic primary care healthcare aggregator. We expect similar deals in the next couple of years where select healthtech players would acquire physical world healthcare services players. MNC Pharma companies continue to rationalise their portfolios or their sites to bring them in line with global therapeutic focus areas; more portfolio shedding can be expected going forward MNC subsidiary companies in India continued to divest select businesses & assets in order to ensure that their businesses remain lean and more in line with their parent portfolios. Sanofis divestment of Soframycin and allied products to Encube and their divestment of their nutraceuticals business to Universal group demonstrates an increasing trend of global companies realigning their portfolios in India GSK India sold its greenfield Zantac site in Vemgal Karnataka to Hetero ; for which it has spent almost USD 155 million for hardly USD 25 million as part of its efforts to streamline its manufacturing operations Within healthcare, Diagnostics as a sector had the maximum consolidation in the year With 3 large M&A's (Pharmeasy/Thyrocare ,Dr Lals / Suburban and Metropolis Dr. Ganeshans Hi-Tech) & select fund raising (Tata Cap / Atulaya Healthcare ,Morgan Stanley / Sterling Accuris, Accel invested in Orange Diagnostics) diagnostics witnessed max action after a long time. While there will be select consolidation opportunities this year, there will be more fund raising as select PEs will continue to back regional players. We have seen similar cycles and trends earlier with PE funds backing then regional Pathology players LPL, Metropolis and Thyrocare (2005 to 2007). This cycle repeated between 2011 to 2013 with funds backing Medall, Suburban, SRL, Core Diagnostics, Suraksha, Medgenome. Then between 2015-2017 PE funds backed Vijaya Diagnostics, Apollo, iGenetic, Krsnaa. The difference in this cycle is the level of consolidation activities that were never seen before. The competitiveness in the sector has increased significantly, with several Hospital chains focusing on Diagnostics (viz., Manipal, Max Healthcare, Medicover, Sahyadri Hospitals) along with several deep pocket corporate houses investing heavily in Diagnostics (Pathkind by Mankind family, Unipath by Intas family, Lupin Diagnostics, Rivaara Labs by erstwhile Bharat Serums promoters, Neurberg by Dr.Velu. So far , the new age Healthtech platforms have not been able to significantly dent the market. However, we believe the consolidation in last year in e-pharmacy space would in midterm have impact on pricing for established as well neighbourhood labs. The year 2021 also saw maximum activity in several Pharma ancillary products and services space where M&A opportunities continue to be driven by inbound M&A / larger strategic partners There were several transactions in the excipients (manufacturing / distribution), nutraceuticals and CRO space & this would continue in this year too. Ideal Cures / Colorcon(excipient manufacturing) Novozymes acquisition of Synergia Lifesciences (Nutraceuticals CMO) Barentz acquisition of Gangwal Chemicals (excipient distribution) ; Azelis acquisition of S Jhaveri. Aragens (GVK Bio) acquisition of Intox Pvt Ltd (pre clinical CRO) Veeda acquired a controlling stake in Bioneeds 2021 saw several VCs investing in alternate healthcare models; some of which would scale up in the next 1-2 years to interest late stage private equity players too; ABC World Asias investment in HCAH (formerly Healthcare at Home) in Jan 2022 is one classic example. Besides some innovative models in health-tech; we also saw some several business models in the nutraceutical & allied space scaling up & raising growth capital. Oziva in nutraceuticals &Kapiva in Ayurvedic based D2C products space saw interest from several marquee investors and each of them raised around USD 12 million round. Curative wellness (Mindhouse), Diabetes Management (BeatO), Sleep Monitoring (Dozee) were some of the other interesting business models which raised Series A capital. Selectively VCs also put some capital in early-stage drug discovery with Zumutor Biologics and Ahammune Biosciences raising rounds this year. The health tech space in specific therapies is still a white space and so is alternate medical technologies area. Till date some of these spaces have not managed to attract VC interest as several investors felt that these start-ups would not be able to scale. However, post Covid some of these thesis have changed and we expect substantial pickup in these areas going forward. Over last 2 years, there has been a significant shift in general thought process with healthcare is moving from provider centricapproach to an individual centric care model. Over next few years we believe VC investments in spaces like Healthcare AI / Big Data / Block chain, mental care, virtual care, remote monitoring, chronic care management will increase. Traditionally technology adoption in Healthcare has been slow but with the overall stress and uncertainty of pandemic in traditional healthcare models, technology adoption has significantly improved. We expect this trend to continue There was traction on select IPOs in healthcare universe in 2021; 2022 has a large pipeline and we will see several quality companies getting listed Several companies listed in 2021; after a sizeable lull of earlier years. While Medplus and KIMS did extremely well post listing; the performance of Windlas Biotech, Vijaya Diagnostics, Krsnaa Diagnostics and Glenmark Lifesciences was muted and did not live upto investors expectations. Companies which have filed DRHP and which are expected to list in 2022 are from sub-sectors as varied as Hospitals (Medanta, Rainbow, GPT Healthcare,), Pharmaceuticals (Emcure) Nutrition (Hexagon), Pharmacy / Health Aggregators (API Holdings, Wellness Forever), CRO (Veeda), Medical Devices (Sahajanand Medical Technologies) & TPA (Mediassist Healthcare) (The authors are senior professionals in Candle Partners. While Ankit Poddar (R) is a Director & leads the Healthcare Practice ; Navroz Mahudawala (L) is the founder of the firm) In #FreshOnTheShelf, we round up our pick of food and beverage products that have hit the shelves recently. Cape Town Black Rhino Gin Source: Supplied Okja Chocolate Hazelnut Spread Source: Supplied The Cape Town Gin & Spirits Company has added a new varietal to its lineup of gins, this time in aid of rhino conservation.Through its new spirit, Cape Town Black Rhino Gin, the beverage company supports the ongoing fight to save the rhino by donating a portion of proceeds for every bottle sold to the Boucher Legacy, an NPO working to protect not only the endangered rhino but other dwindling species from extinction at the hands of humans with the hope of ending poaching for good across SA.Cape Town Black Rhino Gin is made in the classic style and infused with rhino bush and buchu.With its olive-green colour, which it gets from the local botanicals, and a slightly sweeter taste, the new gin is ideal for a new-style G&T.This is not the Cape Town Gin & Spirits Company's first product for a cause. Its The Pink Lady Gin supports the important work done by breast cancer community carer PinkDrive, and for its Rooibos Red Gin, the company works closely with Khoisan Gourmet, which empowers local Khoi and San farming communities.Cape Town Black Rhino Gin is available at all leading liquor outlets.Okja, the clean label plant-based food and beverage brand from Cape Town, best known for its strikingly packaged plant milks, has launched a Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.Recognising that many of the common chocolate-hazelnut spreads on shelves can contain more palm oil in them than hazelnuts, Okja's version contains none of this controversial ingredient, and also has no dairy or flavourings.The spread can be smeared on one's favourite bread or breakfast pastry, or simply scooped out of the jar by the spoonful for an indulgent treat.Okja Chocolate Hazelnut Spread is available from Takealot, selected Spar stores, Faithful to Nature, as well as popular delis such as Giovannis. It retails for between R69.99 and R74.99, it is also available from the new Okja cafe in Camps Bay. Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrives to visit Medway Aircraft Preservation Society at Rochester Airport, in Kent, Britain, Feb. 2. Reuters-Yonhap Britain's Queen Elizabeth said Saturday that she wants Prince Charles' wife Camilla to be styled "Queen Consort" when he becomes king, cementing her place at the heart of the royal family after once being judged an outsider. In a letter written to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne, Elizabeth said the occasion had given her pause to reflect upon the loyalty and affection shown to her by the British public. She said she hoped Charles and Camilla would receive the same support. "(It) is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," Elizabeth said. Charles and Camilla, long-time lovers, were married in 2005 in a civil ceremony in Windsor. Their Clarence House residence said Saturday that they were "touched and honored by Her Majesty's words." Elizabeth's move reflects a wider acceptance of Camilla's status as a royal. Tabloid newspapers no longer target her as they did in the decade following the death in 1997 of Charles' first wife, Princess Diana. Camilla whose current title is Duchess of Cornwall now regularly represents the royal family alongside Charles during official duties. Throughout British history, the wife of a king typically is given the title Queen Consort. At the time of their marriage, it had been officially decided that Camilla would use the title Princess Consort if Charles were to become king. While Elizabeth on Sunday celebrates 70 years on the British throne an unprecedented stretch the anniversary comes at a time of tumult for the royal family. From the U.S. sex abuse court case facing her son Prince Andrew to allegations by her grandson Prince Harry and his wife of racism in the royal household, rarely has the 95-year-old Elizabeth's family faced such scrutiny and damaging headlines. Last year she lost her husband of 73 years, Philip, whom she acknowledged in her letter Saturday. "I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father's reign," Elizabeth said. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, right, as they arrive by carriage on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting in Ascot, England, June 18, 2013. AP-Yonhap Earlier Saturday, Elizabeth kicked off celebrations for the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne by inviting local community groups to her Sandringham residence in the east of England. The queen, pictured smiling and wearing a light blue dress, cut a celebratory cake baked by a local resident and heard a rendition of "Congratulations" played by a concert band. "I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me," she said in her letter to the public. Ironically Elizabeth was not destined to be monarch at her birth, and became queen only because her uncle Edward VIII abdicated to be with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. But in 2015, she overtook Victoria as Britain's longest-reigning sovereign in a line that traces its origin back to Norman King William I and his 1066 conquest of England. This weekend's low-key events are a prelude to more pomp and ceremony to mark the platinum jubilee in early June, when the government will add an extra public holiday. But Elizabeth said the anniversary was to her one of reflection and poignancy. "It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign," she wrote. "As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service." (Reuters) Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. A new student-run coffee shop is here: Brewbike. The cafe, founded by students at Northwestern University, is located on the first floor of The Union after making its way to JMU. Ramsay Street, Erinsborough, is an address that echoes in the cultural history of Australia. Over the years, it has been home to Scott and Charlene, Des and Daphne, Dr Karl and Susan, Sheila and many, many more neighbours. For more than 8770 episodes and still counting Neighbours has been a staple of Australian television drama, and Australian cultural exports. It matters more as a window into a fictionalised Australia for British audiences than it does as a continuing drama on local TV. The Neighbours cast in the shows 1980s prime. Which makes British broadcaster Channel 5s decision to end its run of the series all the more significant. The network said: Its been a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade, and wed like to thank the cast, Fremantle and all of the production team for their fantastic work on this iconic series. Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force and air defense during a four-hour mission. The flight followed several similar patrols over Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the north. The mission came as the Kremlin has moved troops from Siberia and the Far East to Belarus for sweeping joint drills. The deployment added to the Russian military buildup near Ukraine, fueling Western fears of a possible invasion. Russia has denied any plans of attacking Ukraine, but urged the U.S. and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they won't accept Ukraine into NATO, won't deploy offensive weapons, and will roll back NATO deployments to Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected the demands. The West has called on Russia to pull back an estimated 100,000 troops from areas near Ukraine, but the Kremlin has responded by saying it will station troops wherever it needs to on Russian territory. As the tensions over Ukraine soared, the Russian military has launched a series of war games spreading from the Arctic to the Black Sea. The Russian troop deployment to Belarus raised concerns in the West that Moscow could stage an attack on Ukraine from the north. The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is just 75 kilometers (50 miles) from the Belarus border. In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol over Belarus, which borders NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. (AP) Supporters of the officer say he was doing his job, and they warn of mass resignations from the rank and file, who may fear pulling on the uniform lest they too get locked up as murderers while serving in hostile environments and poor conditions. To some, Constable Rolfe, the son of a prominent white Canberra family, and who was once pinned with a bravery medal by then governor-general Peter Cosgrove for rescuing tourists from floodwater, is the sacrificial lamb for progressive and political causes overreaching for a conviction in the age of Black Lives Matter. Kumanjayi Walker was 19 when he was shot in the community of Yuendumu. Credit:AAP On the other side, Kumanjayi Walker: the polite and kind adopted son of an extended Warlpiri family, and loved by the communitys children. Family say Kumanjayi, who showed signs of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, found a reputation as a petty thief, but too often wore the blame for things he did not do. Constable Rolfe, represented by David Edwardson, QC, can argue he was acting within the bounds of self-defence and the reasonable duties of police. Another option, the so-called good faith defence which could have meant the officer was immune from liability because he was exercising core police functions, some as broadly defined as maintaining social order was significantly narrowed by the High Court last year following an extraordinary last-hour intervention before the trial was set to begin. Family and supporters will again make the long trek from Yuendumu. Credit:Krystle Wright In the days following Mr Walkers death, thousands of Australians carrying the message of Black Lives Matter distilled into the localised hashtag #Justiceforwalker marched in cities around the nation. Aboriginal men and women travelled from the desert on buses to lead the local protests in Alice Springs. Our history will break this, a speaker said at the time, pointing to the police station. For many in a nation grappling with intergenerational Aboriginal disadvantage, such a life and death is emblematic of failings in white authority structures, and the ongoing erosion of language and culture. Protesters march in Melbourne in November 2019. Credit:AAP The fractious relationship between police and the Aboriginal tribes of Central Australia and more broadly between the Aboriginal and white populations has deep historical context. The police-led reprisal attacks in 1928 for the killing of white dingo trapper Fred Brooks, not far from Yuendumu, are still a source of trauma among the Warlpiri. Estimates of the deaths in what became known as the Coniston massacre range from a few dozen to 200. Reigniting race tensions half a century later, popular white pastoralist Quinton Webb was shot dead on New Years Eve in 1978 at his station, about 300 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs. Four young Aboriginal people were convicted of murder. In another case, the High Court later found that the way police obtained controversial confessional material from the suspects, aged 12 to 28, was improper. Then in a separate incident in March 1981, an Aboriginal man happened upon an almost-full bottle of cream sweet sherry left in Alice Springs Todd Mall. He wasnt to know it had been laced with strychnine, an odourless and bitter poison commonly used in pesticides. The remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. Credit:Janie Barrett While tasting odd, the bottle was passed around the following morning with immediately horrific results, according to the coronial inquest. Members of the group began to convulse and Nabbutta Abbott Nabarula was the first of them to die with the agonising death of poisoning by strychnine, Coroner Denis Barritt wrote. An Aboriginal man named David Charlie also died, while six people were taken to intensive care. My mind is open as to whether this most heinous of crimes was directed at Aborigines or whites. In any event, it appears clear it was a crime cowardly and maliciously directed at persons less fortunate than the average Australian, the coroner wrote. The Northern Territory town of Alice Springs. Credit:Peter Braig But it was the 1980 police shooting death of Anmatyerre man Jabanardi that was in many ways a turning point for race relations in the Northern Territory, according to the late Elliott Johnston, who examined the case in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In that incident, two police officers on patrol, who had consumed alcohol, stopped a car on a dirt track near the community of Ti Tree, about 180 kilometres north of Alice Springs, and took the driver into custody for drink-driving. A fight broke out while the officers were trying to apprehend occupants of the car, culminating in injured Constable Lawrence John Clifford shooting two of them. For Jabanardi, it was fatal. Constable Clifford was charged with murder but acquitted. Five of the surviving Aboriginal travellers were prosecuted for their part in the fight. Today, race relations in Alice Springs are the worst theyve been in years, according to one white local with decades-long connections through the central desert. Police still guard bottle shops to ask Aboriginal customers for proof of where they plan to take their grog. Young Aboriginal boys and girls break into businesses and damage property on an almost nightly basis. Mayor Matt Paterson recently pleaded with Territory and federal leaders for help to stem spiralling anti-social behaviour. There is no other way to describe it, our town is in crisis, he wrote. And in the background, the ongoing debate about the appropriate age of criminal responsibility, politics, and the unmet recommendations from the 2016 Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory. If [Constable Rolfe] is found not guilty, what responses have [the NT government] got in place? the local asked, referencing the inevitable anger from Aboriginal communities and supporters that would ensue. At the other end, if hes guilty, the people of Yuendumu are going to feel vindicated. Australias health watchdog has received more than 100 complaints about rapid antigen tests, with consumers raising concerns about false positives and negatives, invalid results and missing parts. It comes as the peak body for pathologists calls on health authorities to start collecting data on negative rapid antigen test results, to better monitor the pandemic. Rapid antigen tests detect about 80 per cent of infections among people with symptoms. Credit:Tanya Macheda While most health experts support the use of rapid antigen tests, concerns have been raised about their accuracy. Associate Professor David Anderson, deputy director of the Burnet Institute, said the tests were a useful screening tool that provided quick results, but they gave people a false sense of security. Mr Crusafulli said Mr Miless comments sought to trivialise what is an integrity inferno burning through the heart of the government. I want people to look at Queensland and realise that this is a modern, progressive democratic state, he said. Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has been throwing a lot of punches at the Palaszczuk government. Credit:Matt Dennien I dont want them to think of us as some sort of backwater, because were not, and the actions of the government in the past fortnight havent just damaged the Premier and her ministers, theyve damaged Queensland, and it has to stop. Anything short of a full-blown royal commission into the way government is run in this state is a deadset cover-up. Mr Crisafulli drew parallels between the current situation and the systemic corruption that plagued his own side of politics in the Bjelke-Petersen era. Right now, I think its as dark as its ever been, he said. Youve had one side of politics effectively run the state almost unbroken for the better part of the last three decades. Well, that was very similar to where we were in the late 80s. The LNP, either as a united party or a coalition, has been in power twice since Labors Wayne Goss ended 32 years of Nationals rule in 1989: the first from 1996-98 during the Borbidge years, then from 2012-15 under the Newman government. Every time this government has its back against the wall, it either tries to scare people or trivialise matters, Mr Crisafulli said. Queenslanders arent buying it anymore, and were not going to let him get away with trying to trivialise what is a really dark chapter in our history. But Mr Miles, it seemed, mixed in different circles. I think Queenslanders are confident with the governance processes, he said. When I talk to folks, this is not what they raise with me. They raise with me their concerns about whats happening in aged care and their ability to get a rapid antigen test. A lot of people came to me yesterday to tell me their chemists had them in now, which is really good news. Theyre the things that folk out in my electorate are talking to me about. Loading Mr Miles said he didnt agree with what his former employee, Mr Doorley, had to say in the media on Sunday. Many of the matters that were outlined there have been addressed in an unfair dismissal hearing, but I certainly dont agree with those claims, he said. Mr Miles repeatedly said any allegations of misconduct should be directed to the CCC. The CCC will come under the spotlight when Tony Fitzgerald, QC, oversees an investigation into its structure and practices. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size It was a highly emotional moment for Cleo Smiths parents when police called in the middle of the night to update them on the search for their missing little girl. The call could have gone either way. Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon had no idea police had hours earlier put together the final pieces of a data jigsaw which would lead detectives to storm a house a mere seven kilometres away from where they were staying. At 1am, Ms Smith woke to her phone ringing. I was asleep when the phone call came through and I was like, this is either good or bad, she told 60 Minutes on Sunday night during a paid interview with Nine which owns this masthead reportedly worth $2 million. Ellie Smith discusses the abduction of her daughter, Cleo, on 60 Minutes on Sunday night. Credit:60 Minutes Ive answered it and straight away [the police officer said], Ive got someone who wants to say hello to you, and I was swearing, I was like, oh my God, no way. Cleo got onto the phone and shes like, Hi mummy, and I was like, Hi baby, hi. Advertisement After 18 days, and a search which spanned the country, Cleo was found locked inside a house in Carnarvon, 75 kilometres from the Quobba Blowholes campsite where she had been taken. Cleo Smith is carried inside a friends house by her mother on November 4 in Carnarvon, Western Australia. Credit:Getty Images [When we arrived at the hospital], she was sitting on the bed and we just kind of ran up to her and were like, Hi! and she was like, Hi mum, like nothing had happened, Ms Smith said. Im like, I missed you, and shes like, Yeah I missed you too, and it was beautiful, and Im holding her ... cuddling her. Jakes right behind me and were trying to take turns but both dont want to let her go. Amid the tearful reunion, however, the parents noticed the first signs of what Cleo had been through. Wed seen her hair was cut, her hair was dyed, Ms Smith said. I was just angry that someone tried changing her to kind of fit what they wanted. Advertisement Signs around Carnarvon celebrate the return of four-year-old Cleo Smith. Credit:Peter de Kruijff She said she got the pink put in her hair and then it washed out, she said it didnt work, and we had to then get her hair cut again because it was basically all cut into chunks. Loading Less than an hour earlier, Cleo had been locked inside a bedroom filled with dolls at a public housing property rented by her abductor, Terence Kelly, 36. When police found Cleo, she was awake, so 1 oclock in the morning she was awake playing with cars, just little cars, so her night and day was very mixed up, Ms Smith said. [Kelly] wanted a little doll, its just so sickening and disgusting. I was going to explode, I was just so angry the things [Cleo] was saying, I just needed a second to get away so I didnt give off my anger while she was there because I didnt want her to know that was how I was feeling. Advertisement By 7 oclock that morning, Ms Smith said Cleo was home, happy and singing and dancing. That was such a beautiful moment just to see her as the old Cleo, but you could still see, for us ... shes still different and she always will be and thats just our life now, she said. Cleo Smith is getting back to a normal life at home. Credit:60 Minutes As a parent, you want to ... make sure that they stay as a child for as long as they can because you dont want them to be in this big, bad world, and she lost that, that was taken from her. After the elation of having Cleo back, Ms Smith and Mr Gliddon began to notice more changes in their daughter, with the four-year-old still becoming upset if a door in the house is closed. The first week, it was probably the worst, we had to have all the doors open, all the lights on, just for her to go to sleep and even then, she would wake up screaming. It was nightmare after nightmare after being through the nightmare, Ms Smith said. Her emotions are very up and down. She would lash out a lot. A lot of the time, she never really understood her feelings, so during our healing process thats kind of what were doing, helping her understand its OK to be angry, its OK to be sad, its OK to be happy, were just helping her along the way with her journey now. Advertisement The pair said Cleo speaks little of her abductor and they have not forced her to relive her ordeal. Kelly has since pleaded guilty to kidnapping Cleo but is still facing other charges. Were content that we didnt want her to relive that, so we didnt ask her any questions as to whats happened, why would you want to put your child back through that, Ms Smith said. Cleo Smith at home with her stepfather Jake Gliddon. Credit:60 Minutes Ms Smith said the family had decided to move away from the town they loved to make a fresh start for their two daughters. We cant go back [to the Quobba Blowholes campsite], theres no way in hell I can ever see those hills again and not think about those times I was sitting and waiting for Cleo to run down into my arms, she said. Were going to get a caravan and were going to tour WA as much as we can, we cant cross the border, so until the borders are open, we want to do all of Australia. Advertisement Victoria has recorded 7169 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths on Sunday, as public health experts call for a stronger national plan to deal with the coronavirus variant that will inevitably follow Omicron. There are now 652 people in hospital with the virus in Victoria, with 28 on ventilators and 73 in intensive care. Of the new cases reported across the state, 2703 were confirmed by PCR tests, while 4466 were self-reported from rapid antigen tests. More than 20,624 PCR tests results were returned on Saturday. The six Victorians who died from COVID-19 were in their 70s, 80s and 90s. Hundreds of firefighters spent a hellish night battling winds, showers of embers and oppressive heat as they fought against a firestorm bearing down on communities in the States southwest. Emergency warnings remain in place for blazes near Bridgetown and Denmark that are threatening lives and homes with authorities warning it is too risk for residents to try and defend their properties. A fire is threatening lives and homes near Bridgetown. Credit:Little Hill Farm Bridgetown On Saturday the Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued an urgent plea for residents in and around Bridgetown and Hester Brook to evacuate immediately. A DFES spokesperson said the bushfire has burnt through more than 2000 hectares and is moving fast in a south easterly direction. The Greens will demand a halt to new coal, gas and oil projects for at least six months in a blanket ban while they negotiate climate change policies if theres a hung Parliament, calling on Labor to back the sweeping intervention. Greens leader Adam Bandt will issue the call on Monday to heighten pressure on Labor to delay mammoth projects such as coal mines in the Galilee Basin in western Queensland, gas extraction in the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory and oil and gas platforms off the coast of Western Australia. Greens leader Adam Bandt says Australia needs to stop opening new coal and gas mines. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The demand is based on a list of 114 resources projects that could be stopped by federal authorities, including the Otway gas plant in western Victoria, the Narrabri coal seam gas field in northern NSW and metallurgical coal mines in the NSW Southern Highlands. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has ruled out a deal with the Greens on climate if he becomes prime minister. Labors climate spokesman Chris Bowen has argued that stronger climate targets would not need to go to Parliament if the Greens refused to support them. Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack has urged colleagues to focus on winning the next election after days of extraordinary political damage over a leaked text from his successor, Barnaby Joyce, in which he called Prime Minister Scott Morrison a liar and a hypocrite. With furious Nationals MPs planning to rebuke Mr Joyce at a party meeting on Monday, the former deputy prime minister said it would be wrong to try to exact revenge over the furore because the election had to take priority. The remarks came after Mr Morrison tried to calm the political uproar by saying he forgave those who displayed the human frailty shown in angry and bitter remarks like those sent by Mr Joyce in a text message when he was a backbencher last March. But Labor treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said the government was a smoking ruin of division that could not be salvaged regardless of who led the Liberal or Nationals parties. Rzeszow-Jasionka, Poland: The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in August is the commander of the US division deployed to Poland, to reassure the NATO ally amid Russias threats to neighbouring Ukraine. Major General Christopher Donahue, who on August 30 appeared in a grainy night vision image from the tarmac on the ground in Kabul, has appeared in photos on Monday AEDT in Poland near the border with Ukraine, following US President Joe Bidens orders to deploy 1700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now you see him, now you see him again: US Major General Chris Donahue in Afghanistan in August and in Poland this week. Credit:The Age Donahue was leading a few dozen US troops and equipment that landed at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, 90 kilometres from Polands border with Ukraine. A US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The head of the World Health Organization met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday for talks on COVID-19, including on the stalled investigation into the pandemic's origins. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visiting Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, posted a picture on Twitter of the pair sitting with officials in a meeting room. "Pleased to meet with Premier Li Keqiang. We discussed Covid-19 and the need for an aggressive effort on vaccine equity this year to vaccinate 70 percent of all populations," Tedros said. "We also discussed the need for stronger collaboration on COVID-19 virus origins, rooted in science and evidence. "I welcomed his support to strengthen WHO and discussion about a pandemic accord to advance global preparedness," he added. A Chinese government statement on the meeting said Li called for solidarity, cooperation and more understanding among nations to defeat the pandemic. On tracing the origins of the virus, it said Tedros adhered to scientific principles and opposed politicizing the process. (AFP) PHANTOM PLAGUE: How Shaped History Author: Vidya Krishnan Publisher: Public Affairs Price: $27 Pages: 320 If only we had been willing to pay attention, nearly everything we needed to know to get through the Covid pandemic was right there before us. A pathogen that lodges in peoples airways and damages their lungs beyond repair naturally thrives in cramped and ill-ventilated quarters where the poorest might live. Tools to fight it vaccines, drugs will be easily available in some parts of the globe, but out of reach of millions who need them elsewhere. The governments of most nations will bungle the most straightforward of public health messages and bury their heads in the sand as thousands die every day. These are the lessons learned from millions of deaths and centuries of failures in tuberculosis, among the oldest of scourges to affect humans. The bacterium that causes was identified about 150 years ago, and drugs to treat it have been available for decades. And yet TB kills more than a million people each year. It was the biggest infectious disease killer before the coronavirus came along. In 2020, deaths from TB increased for the first time in more than a decade to 1.5 million. And because of the coronavirus, fewer cases were diagnosed and treated in 2020 than in previous years, which will lead to even more deaths down the line. The coronavirus has not supplanted TB, but turned it into an even bigger threat. In Phantom Plague, Vidya Krishnan lays out the long, maddening history of tuberculosis, from the days when it was called consumption to the urgent danger it presents today, when some TB bacteria are resistant to all available drugs. We meet giants in the history of germs, like Ignaz Semmelweis, the cantankerous doctor who introduced the notion of hand washing for physicians, and more familiar names like Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister and Robert Koch, who all advanced the understanding of infectious diseases. Some of the tangents along the way are amusing. We learn, for example, that the terror of unidentifiable contagious diseases inspired tales of vampirism, including Bram Stokers Dracula, and that womens hemlines rose by several inches in the early 1900s because doctors claimed that their trailing skirts swept up and pread bacteria. But the book is, above all, a polemic against those in power who continue to neglect this well-known killer. Ms Krishnan wrote the book over seven years, and aside from the updated introduction, describes the world before the coronavirus appeared. She could not have known then how painfully familiar some of the lessons from failed TB control would be in countries divided by public health measures like mask mandates and vaccines. She writes, for example, that early-20th-century anti-spitting ordinances, which were passed to curtail the spread of TB bacteria, provoked a campaign of resistance. Far from persuading people to consider the welfare of others, the constant barrage of behavior-change messages had begun to anger some men. Even as one in seven Americans continued to die of TB, some men openly defied the rules, spitting on the very posters describing the bans. Ms Krishnan spends a considerable amount of time describing what she refers to as medical apartheid. Richer countries have mostly wiped out the TB bacteria with powerful drugs, while in places like India, scores of patients die while waiting for a diagnosis and medication. The same narrative is playing out now with vaccines and drugs for the coronavirus, so those chapters are even more relevant. But I could have done without the long forays into the intricacies of patent law. Ms Krishnans writing is most powerful toward the end, when she introduces us to patients in Mumbai whose struggles illustrate the failures of the Indian government. India had 34 per cent of the worlds TB deaths in 2020, and the city of Mumbai is the epicentre of the disease there, so her choice makes sense. I wished for a global picture of the disease early on one that included places like Eastern Europe, where drug-resistant TB is rampant, for example. A more comprehensive picture of TB might have better justified its chronological history for the first third of the book. At its best, Ms Krishnans writing is clear and compelling, and the book is a worthy read for anyone interested in public health and infectious diseases. Ports-to-energy conglomerate has incorporated a new subsidiary to set up a in Mumbai, one of the half a dozen cities that the billionaire Gautam Adani's group has identified to set up data centres initially. AdaniConnex Pvt Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture of Adani Enterprises and EdgeConnex Europe BV, on February 4 incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary Mumbai Ltd, the firm said in a stock exchange filing. The new unit will "undertake business to develop, operate, maintain, deal with data centres, information technology (IT)/ information technology-enabled services (ITES)/ cloud, providing services related thereto and to undertake activities associated with its infrastructure development including land acquisition and development for the said purpose," it said. MDCL will commence its business operations in due course, it added. In February 2021, Adani Enterprises Ltd had partnered EdgeConneX, a leading operator, to develop one gigawatt (GW) of data centre capacity over the next decade. The equal joint venture (JV), named AdaniConneX, will focus on building a network of hyperscale data centres in India, starting with Chennai, Navi Mumbai, Noida, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad. A data centre provides the necessary secured architecture wherein computing and networking equipment is concentrated for collecting, storing, processing, distributing or allowing access to large amounts of data. Gautam Adani had in November 2021 stated that he wants his conglomerate to be a world leader in green data storage, with sites run entirely on clean power, in sync with India's goal of turning carbon net-zero by 2070. The diversification comes against the backdrop of India's digital economy expected to touch USD 1 trillion by 2025. Also, the Reserve Bank of India's norm mandates data localisation, necessitating the need for setting up large data centres to store and protect information. Data localisation refers to storing data on any device physically present within the borders of a country where the data is generated. Adani and other large corporates from Reliance Jio to Bharti Airtel are also seeking to tap this opportunity. last year got land in Nodia, near here, for the data centre from the Uttar Pradesh government. Flipkart has partnered with Adani Group to set up its third data centre in Chennai. Last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget for 2022-23 proposed to classify data centres and energy storage as infrastructure assets allowing firms to access cheap and long-term credit. "As India's internet economy continues to be on a surge, as there is an increasing need to build a requisite data centre to ensure seamless uninterrupted data consumption and storage. "The growing smartphone subscribers with rising monthly mobile data traffic, coupled with rising broadband penetration and increasing digital transactions per year, will create an enormous need to collect, store, process and distribute data," Adani Group said on its website. It said Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) is the only company with inherent capabilities to build Data centres across the country. The firm has "complete ownership of large land parcels across the country, project management capabilities and resources availability, end-to-end power value chain (generation, transmission and distribution), fibre connectivity and strong network connectivity". (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) expects record bookings during this quarter, beating the previous high of Rs 2,632 crore, driven by new launches of around 10 housing projects amid the strong revival of demand. In an interview with PTI, Ltd (GPL) Executive Chairman Pirojsha Godrej said the residential market has revived strongly after the second wave of the pandemic across all major cities, including Delhi-NCR. Mumbai-based GPL reported a modest growth of four per cent in its booking at Rs 1,541 crore during the third quarter but hopes for a strong performance during the current January-March quarter of the financial year 2021-22. "We are a little disappointed with the last quarter. The market was good but we did not get the launches done," said Pirojsha. "Few of our launches got delayed. Last quarter, we were able to do only three launches whereas this quarter we are hoping to do about 10, which should make this quarter a very big quarter," he said. These 10 launches also include the new phase of development in ongoing projects. "We are hoping that this quarter will be our best ever quarter for new bookings," Pirojsha said, banking on the resurgence of housing demand especially for quality products from trusted builders. He expressed confidence in crossing Rs 2,700-crore bookings in the current quarter. Pirojsha said the company is likely to achieve an all-time-high sales bookings in the financial year 2021-22, beating the last year's record of Rs 6,725 crore. "We will have decent growth in sales bookings this fiscal," he said. In the last financial year, GPL became the country's largest listed real estate developer in terms of sales bookings. Already, the company clocked a sales booking of Rs 4,613 crore during the first nine months of this fiscal year, up 13 per cent from the year-ago period. Pirojsha said the company is excited about the upcoming launch of its luxury housing project in Ashok Vihar, Delhi, either in March or early next quarter. On the business development side, Pirojsha said the pipeline remains strong with the company continuing to look for joint development opportunities as well as outright land purchases. Last week, GPL reported that its consolidated net profit in the December 2021 quarter nearly tripled to Rs 38.95 crore. Its net profit stood at Rs 14.35 crore in the same period of 2020-21. Total income increased to Rs 466.91 crore in the quarter, from Rs 311.12 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year. Net profit jumped multifold to Rs 91.68 crore during the first nine months of 2021-22, from Rs 2.19 crore in the year-ago period. Total income rose to Rs 1,063.12 crore during the April-December 2021 period of this fiscal year, from Rs 757.01 crore a year ago. On Thursday, the company announced plans to invest Rs 700 crore in D B Realty but on Friday, the company called off the deal after its minority shareholders and other stakeholders raised concerns. "There were concerns with the structure of the investment as well as with the slum redevelopment business in general," Pirojsha told PTI on Friday. Mumbai-based is one of the leading real estate developers in India and is part of the business conglomerate Godrej group. It has a major presence in the Mumbai region, Pune, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ahead of initial public offering (IPO), (LIC) has last month appointed six independent directors on its board to meet regulatory norms of corporate governance. LIC appointed former financial services secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal, ex-Sebi member G Mahalingam, former SBI Life managing director Sanjeev Nautiyal, sources said. Besides, chartered accountant MP Vijay Kumar, Raj Kamal, and V S Parthasarathy are roped in as independent directors on LIC's board. With the appointment, the total number of independent directors goes up to 9 and all vacancies are filled. Fulfilling corporate governance norms is an important element for filing Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi). The central government is expected to file draft papers for the mega initial public offering of LIC with market regulator Sebi by this week, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey had said. The embedded value of LIC has been arrived at and it is over Rs 5 lakh crore. The size of the issue would be mentioned in the DRHP. The issue, after approval of Sebi, is likely to hit the market in March, Pandey said. Up to 10 per cent of the LIC IPO issue size would be reserved for policyholders. LIC's listing is crucial for the government to meet the lowered revenue estimates of Rs 78,000 crore for the current financial year. Till now, the Centre has raised around Rs 12,000 crore from privatisation of Air India and stake sale in other PSUs. To facilitate smooth listing of the insurance behemoth, the government last week extended the tenure of LIC chairman M R Kumar for one year. Besides, the government has also extended the tenure of one of the managing directors, Raj Kumar, for 12 months. This is the second extension for the LIC chairman. Last year in June, he was given a nine-month extension in a view of LIC's proposed initial public offering towards the end of the current financial year. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lenders to troubled retail chain Ltd (FRL) could consider any restructuring proposal from the company management under prudential framework for resolution of stressed assets put in place in June 2019 by Reserve Bank of India. This is subject to proceedings in the where the company sought 10 days time to work out a settlement. Such an option (resolution under June 2019 norms) could make room for a six-month resolution and create prospects of upgrading the account based on performance. A senior banker said the FRL case was recast under a regulatory package put in place in 2020 by the RBI to support those affected by Covid-19 (first wave). At present, the provisions of the June 7, 2019 circular are not applicable to attempt some different approach to resolution in this account. For lenders to look at this option, the company has to come up with plan detailing resolution steps. Ofcourse, this option comes with conditions, he said. Another senior with a public sector bank alluded to the option to consider FRL case under June 07, 2019 resolution framework. Lenders have done their part of the job like restructuring and treat it as a non-performing asset and begin making provisions. Lenders can look at that provided company management comes up with a proposal. That would give six months to fashion workout and implement a plan. Under this route, lenders would have to ink inter-creditor agreement, get resolution plans vetted from rating agencies for viability and a forensic audit, pointed out by an official with a private sector lender. Kishore Biyani-promoted failed to make the principal payments due on its restructured domestic bank borrowings on December 31, 2021. The 30-day review period (grace period to pay) allowed by central bank has ended. A principal repayment of about Rs 3,500 crore was due on December 31, 2021, on the company's bank borrowings as part of a one-time restructuring plan implemented by the onshore lenders in April 2021. The company was allowed a review period of 30 days to cure the default. is an India-based retailer with about 1,388 stores across more than 400 cities. On Thursday, the consortium of 27 banks have argued before the that the money lent to Future Retail belonged to the depositors. And to safeguard the public interest, the entire assets of FRL can be subjected to open bids by Amazon and Reliance with a reserve price of Rs 17,000 crore. A Bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana is hearing FRLs plea. The court adjourned the hearing at the request of the company. The IPO-bound national insurer (LIC) is not only the world's largest when it comes to home-market share with over 64.1 per cent of the total gross written premium as of 2020 but also the one that offers the highest return on equity at 82 per cent, apart from being the third largest in terms of life insurance premium, says a Crisil report. While for the market share has been steadily declining--down from 100 per cent in the pre-2000 era to 71.8 per cent in 2016 and further down to 64.1 per cent in 2020, for SBI Life, which is the second largest in the country, the same was only 5 per cent in 2016 and 8 per cent in 2020, Crisil said in a report prepared in November 2021 which is not yet made publicly available. At 64.1 per cent or with a gross written premium (GWP) of USD 56.405 billion, LIC's market share is unparalleled globally, with no other life insurer anywhere else enjoying such a high market share, says the report. It attributed this to the Corporation's enormous agent network of 1.35 million individual agents as of March 2021 accounting for 55 per cent of the total agent network in the country and was 7.2 times the numbers of agents of the second largest life insurer SBI Life has, strong track record, immense trust in the brand and its over 65 years of lineage. Market share elsewhere, the Chinese market is dominated by Ping An Insurance and China Life Insurance, with 21 per cent (GWP at USD 74.13 billion) and 20 per cent (USD 69.65 billion). The largest Japanese player Nippon Life's market share is only 16.2 per cent (USD 39.84 billion). However, nowhere else in the world is the market share gap between the largest and the second largest as stark as here, with the second largest player SBI Life having only 8 per cent market share compared to LIC's 64.1 per cent fiscal 2021, says the report. The market share distribution in the US is quite unlike elsewhere with top 15 accounting 60 per cent of the total market in 2020. NorthWestern Mutual Life tops the list with 8.4 per cent (GWP of USD 15.72 billion), followed by Metlife Inc at 7.6 per cent (USD 14.2 billion) and New York Life at 7.5 per cent (USD 14.1 billion) in 2020. Similarly, the report says has the highest RoE among its peers at 82 per cent as of March 2021. This is followed by Ping An Insurance of China, which is the world's largest at 19.5 per cent, Aviva at 14.8 per cent and China Life Insurance at 11.9 per cent. The report attributes such high RoE to LIC's large agency network, asset management capabilities, leverage and operational efficiencies, which has helped it achieve consistent revenue growth and profitability. Again globally, Allianz of Germany is the largest life insurer in terms of life insurance premium (USD 88.48 billion) and is second in terms of total assets. This is largely due to its presence in multiple geographies like Europe, the US and Asia Pacific. Amongst the top global insurers, LIC is the only Indian player and is ranked fifth globally in terms of life insurance premium and tenth in terms of total assets. LIC is ranked third in terms of gross written premium of USD 56.405 billion in fiscal 2021. While Ping An has grown 15 per cent annually over the last four years, China Life by 9 per cent, and LIC grew by 6 per cent in this period. But when it comes to profitability, LIC does not come anywhere with a paltry USD 406 million in net income in fiscal 2021 as against Ping An's USD 23.1 billion. In terms of total assets, LIC is the sixth largest with USD 522 billion clipping at 8 per cent annually between 2019 and 2021. Ping An (USD 1.38 trillion), MetLife Inc (USD795.15 billion), Nippon Life (USD 705 billion), Aviva Life of England at (USD657.34 billion), and China Life at USD 616.3 billion are the top five in terms of assets. LIC's growth comes amidst the continued decline of its peers elsewhere as in 2020, the global life insurance market contracted by 3.1 percent to USD2.79 trillion from USD2.88 trillion in 2019 due to the pandemic. The advanced markets were hit harder as they contracted by 3.9 percent compared to emerging markets, which degrew just 30 bps. Citing Swiss Re data, Crisil report said the global life premium is expected to rebound strongly from the pandemic shock, with annual growth of 3.8 per cent in 2021 and 4 per cent in 2022, led by emerging markets with a 5.7 per cent and 6.8 per cent growth in 2021 and 2022, respectively. And scope for LIC is very high given the massive USD 16.5 trillion protection gap in the country as of 2019, which was much higher compared with its Asian counterparts. This protection gap was 83 percent as of 2019, the highest amongst all countries in Asia-Pacific. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first ever auction of non-core assets through the Department of Investment and Public Asset Managements (DIPAM) asset monetisation portal has failed to garner adequate response for land assets of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) that was expected to garner at least Rs 470 crore. The has asked its property consultants to identify issues in the bidding criteria that can be resolved. In November 2021, the had listed six properties of and MTNL for sale through its new e-bidding portal for asset monetisation portal developed by state-run MSTC. Monetisation of MTNL and assets was also part of the revival package announced by the Centre in late 2019, and the Department of Telecom was expecting Rs 3,000 crore from sale of all six properties which included four land parcels of and land and residential flats owned by MTNL in Mumbai. Only some flats put up for sale by MTNL have received some response from bidders while BSNLs Hyderabad land valued at around Rs 400 crore and Rajpura land valued at nearly Rs 70 crore has got no takers, said an official. However, it is learnt that bidding for all six assets will take place again due to inadequate response from bidders for these properties. This comes even as the government-appointed property consultants, in their preliminary evaluation, had found greater interest in acquiring such assets by interested parties. The has asked its property consultants to identify specific issues that have led to unimpressive participation from the private sector. They have also been asked to determine changes in terms and conditions that are needed to be relaxed, the official said. CBRE South Asia Pvt Ltd, JLL Property Consultants (India), Cushman & Wakefield, and Knight Frank (India) Pvt Ltd are acting as consultants to the government for the sale of 6 properties of BSNL and MTNL. The minimum bid that was invited from bidders for BSNLs 11 acre land in Hyderabad was Rs 402 crore, and interested parties were required to have a minimum net worth of Rs 100 crore. Another property put up on the block that failed to garner interest was BSNLs 20 acre land in Rajpura. THe government had sought bids of at least Rs 70 crore from interested parties with net worth of Rs 17 crore. Other properties that were put up for sale were over 5 acre land in Bhavnagar, Gujarat and 11 acre land in Kolkata. The bidding is a two stage process, and the highest bid received in the tender stage becomes the floor price for the auction in the next stage which is e-auction bidding. Once the evaluation by property consultants is complete, the properties will be auctioned again through the online bidding process. Even as the first auction hasn't been a success, the centre is of the view that the process of asset monetisation through the newly launched portal with MSTC has been tested, and would help in monetising non-core assets of PSUs and government departments. DIPAM assists PSUs in selling assets through the monetisation portal if the value of assets exceed Rs 100 crore. of have risen around 180 per cent in the past one-year period evidently due to its strong investment in EV charging stations, solar infrastructure and other expansions. In early February 2021, the company's share price was Rs 90, and now it's over Rs 250, which is 183 per cent up. is an integrated power company, present across the entire power value chain of conventional and renewable energy, power services and next-generation customer solutions including solar rooftop and EV charging stations. Analysts expect the additional allocation for the solar sector as PLIs is a positive for the solar manufacturers. In a report HDFC Securities pointed out that proposals such as additional financial allocation under the PLIs for manufacturing of solar modules will boost the sector. In the Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated an additional Rs 19,500 crore in PLI incentives to manufacture solar modules. Besides, the proposal to replace existing safeguard duty with basic custom duty on solar cells being increased from 20 to 25 per cent and on solar modules from 20 to 40 per cent is expected to aid the solar industry. Also, the proposal of issuing "green bonds" for mobilising resources for setting up green infrastructure projects in the public sector will further support the sector. India aims to take the country's total non-fossil-based installed electricity capacity to 500 giga watt by 2030. --IANS ad/pgh (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the past two years of the pandemic, Indians have coughed out a stupendous Rs 74,000 crore for 74 crore Covid-19 tests from dubious private pathological labs. Finally, around 4.20 crore positive cases were detected with more than 500,000 deaths, till date. A Nagpur-based consumer rights NGO, Grahak Bharati has said that Indians have taken various Covid-19 tests like RTPCR, RAT, TrueNAT, CBNAAT and other tests through (currently) 3,255 testing labs including 1,844 private and 1,411 government. Of these 3,255, only 2,141 (764 government and 1,377 private) labs are for conducting the much-in-demand, compulsory for most purposes and universally accepted RTPCR tests., and the remaining 1,114 (647 government+467) labs offer the other tests. In the initial stages of the pandemic, a test was costing around Rs 3,500 or more, but gradually, the figures have stabilised to around Rs 600, besides cheap home-test kits available for around Rs 250 now. "Considering an average of Rs 1000/test, Indians have been compelled to spend over Rs 74,000-crore only for Covid-19 tests, with private labs netting the major portion of the loot," Grahak Bharati Founder-President Barrister Vinod Tiwari told IANS. He claimed that a majority of these tests were virtually forced on the people even though they had no initial symptoms, or, unnecessary considering the low positivity rate, and ended up spooking the country in the name of . Grahak Bharati has shot off a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the ICMR, top central and state officials and the Central Vigilance Commission, demanding a probe into the "massive unbridled dacoity" being perpetrated on gullible Indians. He warned that if the government fails to take priority cognisance of this nationwide racket, Grahak Bharati would file a PIL in the Supreme Court. Alleging that it is "a systematic mega-scam" with the connivance of government officials, unscrupulous private labs and their franchisees operating with the generous blessings of politicians, Tiwari contended that it violates provisions of the central Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and make such shady labs liable for severe penal action. Elaborating, Tiwari explained that many of the private labs are remotely located franchisees under the officially approved/recognised Advanced Laboratories (1,844) in India. Shockingly, many of these labs apparently conduct thousands of Covid-19 tests daily, ostensibly without proper approval, authority, quality control, infrastructure or qualified manpower. "The ICMR has said that on a single day on Feb. 4, there were an unbelievable 16,03,856 tests conducted Were these necessary and practical? This only points to the possibility that a majority of the Covid tests are 'concocted' to scare the masses," alleged Tiwari. The worrisome aspect is that merely based on these illegally-conducted tests, the government has been taking major policy decisions like lockdowns, restrictions, curbs on inter-district, inter-state and even international public movements, which in turn has spelled the death-knell for the economy. India ranks second globally (after the USA) in terms of the total infectees notched up till date. "The so-called franchisee labs lack infrastructure, qualified post-graduate doctors, particularly Pathologist and Microbiologist and others compulsorily required for the RTPCR tests and to determine the Covid-19 positive patients, tests are conducted in remote locations and the test results are issued indiscriminately, with the digital signatures of the medicos at Advanced Laboratories thousands of kms away," fumed Tiwari. Grahak Bharati says there is no control on the procedures for sample collection, handling, proper testing or accurate determination which often lead to contradictory results. It recently happened with two Mumbaikars who got two different results - Covid negative and Covid positive - from two labs in 24 hours (IANS report - Jan. 12) but the Aarogya Setu portal remained unfazed. Tiwari said that the country is in the grip of the mild Third Wave but "there is no guarantee" how many more 'waves' will sink Indians unless the government immediately clamps down on this "blatant, organised scam". --IANS qn/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) will hire top officials to fill various positions like CEO, CTO and CFO among others for 'India Mission' as it looks to build electronic chip and display ecosystem in the country, according to a MeitY official. The Union Cabinet in December approved India programme with a total outlay of Rs 76,000 crore for the development of and display manufacturing ecosystem in the country. According to details shared by the MeitY official, the ministry is looking for a person with over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry and more than 10 years of experience at global level to serve as chief executive officer (CEO) of India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). The applicant for CEO position should have served in a leadership position earlier at least at the position of vice-president. The CEO will head the mission. The business division of ISM will be run by a professional management including an additional chief executive officer, chief technology officer (CTO), chief strategy officer (CSO), chief financial officer (CFO), chief business development officer (CBDO), etc. These all shall be assisted by domain experts from the industry. MeitY is looking for a person with over 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry with minimum 10 years of global experience and at least 10 years experience in consulting in the semiconductor segment and related areas of electronics manufacturing for the position of chief technology officer. The CTO should have served at least at the position of vice-president or as CTO, CSO or chief operating officer, as per the details. The selection will be done through a search-cum-selection committee headed by the MeitY Secretary. The window for application is open till February 20. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Sunday that the home department has been instructed to use police training schools to provide self defence training to women. Launching the "Obavva Art of Self Defence Training' organised by the social welfare department, the Chief Minister said soon self defence training would be provided to girl students in schools and colleges and police training schools will help impart it. "Women hold venerable respect and position in the society, but perverts look at them in a cheap manner. Several laws have been passed, programmes formulated and funds have been spent to prevent harassment and atrocities against women. Yet there is a need for imparting self defence training too for them. The rogue elements could be taught a lesson if women are trained in self defence," Bommai said. He noted that an ambitious programme is being charted to provide self defence training for 50,000 girls students in Backward Classes and Social Welfare department hostels. It has been aptly named after Onake Obavva, which gives the strength to fight, Bommai said. The state government has decided to induct 7,500 more NCC cadets annually with an allocation of Rs 1,200 per cadet, and 75 more NCC units would be started in schools and colleges. The NCC Cadet strength in the state would be raised to over 50,000 by 2023. A special programme is being formulated to impart self defence training on par with military training for women, Bommai added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris is slated embark on a three-day visit to India on Sunday during which he will meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, a bilateral meeting between Peiris and Jaishankar will take place at the Hyderabad House here on Monday evening. Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankan Minister will meet Shringla at the ITC Maurya, a Ministry spokeperson said There have been regular Foreign Ministerial exchanges between the two neighbouring nations. Jaishankar visited on November 19, 2019 during which he met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had taken office just a day earlier, then Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sri Lanka's former Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena visited India in January 2020. --IANS nk/ksk (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Recently Chief Minister directed all the departments to cut down unnecessary expenditure beyond the approved budget and not to take any new project without the approval of the Chief Secretary or the finance department. This made it obvious that the government is trying to negotiate the financial burden imposed by the non-planned expenditure of the dole politics of the chief minister before the election. "The Centre owes us more than Rs 90,000 crore. However, the state finance department has released Rs 74,000 crore this year to various departments and 84 per cent of the funds disbursed have been spent already. No projects which are not approved in the budget should be taken up. The approval from the Chief Secretary and the finance department will be mandatory for any project," Banerjee had said. She added that the state's revenue collections have been hit by the Covid pandemic raging since the last two years. She made it clear that the state government will not be able to allocate Rs 100 crore for the proposal to buy land for expansion of Malda airport. "I cannot give Rs 100 crore (to the land losers). I may build houses for them, provide jobs but I cannot buy their land. I don't have that kind of money," Mamata had said. The Chief Minister had suggested several measures that will not only cut down the unnecessary expenses but also increase the state revenues. She announced that the state transport department will acquire all the truck terminals functioning along the border to increase the revenues. Banerjee had alleged that some people in nexus with some officers were taking money from the truck terminals functioning along the border. The taking over of all the truck terminals will be completed before February 7, she added. The state government's efforts to meet the huge cost of non-planned expenditure come at a time when the state revenues have plummeted because of the pandemic and the inability to design a proper revenue model that could balance the state's planned and non-planned expenditure. The financial situation is so precarious that the state had to take loans thrice from the open market in January itself. According to the statement issued by the Reserve Bank of India, the state borrowed Rs 3,000 crore from the open market on January 21 - the third time in the month taking the total borrowing to 6,500 crore in January - the second highest state after Uttar Pradesh to borrow such a huge amount from the market. Earlier the state had borrowed Rs 3,500 crores in two instalents in January. Last month, the government twice borrowed from the open market. On December 14, seven states borrowed a total of Rs 7,053 crore from the market. Of these seven states, was the highest borrower with Rs 2,500 crore. On the 24th of that month, a total of 16 states borrowed a total of Rs 22,984 crore from the market. In this case too, West Bengal had the highest debt at Rs 4,000 crores. This means that from December 14 to January 24, in these 41 days, the West Bengal government borrowed a total of Rs 13,000 crore from the open market. In the period between April 2020 to December 2020 when the state revenues plummeted to an all time low because of the pandemic situation and the consequent lockdown the state raised around Rs 35000 crores from the market but interestingly enough during the current financial year between April 2021 to December 2021 the state went for a market borrowing of Rs 52,500 crore. During the same period in 2019 the state borrowed Rs 28,000 crore via the State Development Loan. Earlier IANS wrote that if the state government is supposed to run the social schemes like Swastha Sathi or Lakshmir Bhandar announced by the chief minister before the election, market borrowing can be the only viable alternative for the government. The reason is very simple. After coming to power for the third time chief minister announced two major schemes - 'Lakshmir Bhandar' and 'Swastha Sathi' for all - that demand a huge financial involvement. 'Lakhmir Bhandar is a project where the state is supposed to give Rs 1,000 to the women belonging to SC/ST/OBC and Rs 500 to the women belonging to the general caste. The government has allocated approximately Rs 12,900 crore for around 1.8 crore women who have so far registered themselves for the scheme. Initially the government had an estimate that nearly 2 crore beneficiaries will register for 'Lakshmir Bhandar' project but so far, the government has received 1.63 crore applications of which 1.52 crore have been approved. Nearly 7 lakh applications have been rejected. The government has spent more than Rs 800 crore on the project and going by the figure the finance department estimates that the state government will have to cough up another Rs 5,600 crore which might in turn lead to a staggering figure in a full financial year. Countering the Centre's Ayushman Bharat the state launched its own scheme - 'Sasthya Sathi Prokolpo' where some citizens of the state were given an annual health coverage of five lakh rupees. After coming to power in 2021, the Chief Minister opened 'Swastha Sathi' for all the citizens of the state leading to a quantum leap in the expenditure. Even a year back the estimated budget for this project was around Rs 925 crore, but this year the allocation touched Rs 2,000 crore annually. According to experts, with declining revenues multiple market borrowings have now become the essential compulsion of the West Bengal government to meet its recurring expenses. The experts are of the opinion that the state is struggling with the non-plan expenditure mostly to meet the promises made by chief minister Mamata Banerjee during her election campaign. Incidentally, when the 34-year rule of the Left Front came to an end in 2011 and Mamata Banerjee became the Chief Minister, the accumulated debt of the state was Rs 1.93 lakh crore. But, according to the state government's budget figures, the accumulated debt is likely to go upto Rs 5.5 lakh crore by the end of the 2020-21 financial year. --IANS sbg/bg/ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded a Muslim candidate, Khwaja Shamsuddin, from the prestigious Gorakhpur Urban Assembly seat against Chief Minister who filed his nomination for the polls two days ago. Shamsuddin replaces Lalit Kumar Bihari, whose name the BSP had announced earlier for the seat. Contesting the Assembly election for the first time, he is a BSP sector in-charge who has been working for the party in Gorakhpur district for 20 years. He had earlier contested the local bodies' election as a BSP candidate. A trader by profession, he also headed the BSP Muslim Bhaichara committee to mobilise the support of the community for the party. Shamsuddin's name is among the 54 candidates that BSP chief Mayawati has announced in 10 districts of eastern that will go to polls in the sixth phase on March 3. Gorakhpur is among these seats. The previous BSP candidate from Gorakhpur Urban, Lalit Kumar Bihari, had contested the 2012 Assembly election on the Janata Dal (U) ticket. After Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad announced he would contest the polls from the Gorakhpur Urban seat, the BSP changed its candidate and decided to field Shamsuddin. In this list, the BSP has given tickets to 19 candidates belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 17 upper castes, 11 Dalits and seven Muslims. Among the other seats, the BSP has fielded Santosh Tiwari from Fazilnagar where former minister Swami Prasad Maurya is contesting the election on a (SP) ticket. Maurya, who quit the BJP and formally joined the SP on January 14, is also a former BSP state president. The BSP plans to challenge Maurya with a Dalit-Brahmin coalition in Fazilnagar. Prateek Pandey, son of former Shiv Sena MLA Pawan Pandey, has been fielded from Katehri in Ambedkar Nagar district against BSP rebel and former minister Lalji Verma, who is now with the SP. Chandra Prakash Verma, who defected to the BSP from the BJP, has been fielded from Akbarpur against former BSP national general secretary Ram Achal Rajbhar, who has also joined the SP. The BSP has fielded Deepak Agarwal, who was once a close aide of Yogi Adityanath, from Pipraich. Agarwal had contested the 2002 Assembly election on the Hindu Mahasabha ticket after Yogi Adityanath's relations with the BJP soured before the polls that year. BSP legislature party leader (Assembly) Uma Shankar Singh has been given the party ticket from his traditional seat Rasda in Ballia district. The BSP has fielded former minister Raj Kishore Singh from Harraiya in Basti district and Mohammad Tabish Khan from Mehdawal assembly seat in Sant Kabir Nagar district. Anju Singh has been fielded from Sahjanwa seat in Gorakhpur district. She is the wife of Sudhir Singh, known for muscle power. A former serviceman, Angad Mishra is the BSP candidate from Bairiya in Ballia district. The BSP has fielded Parvez Alam from Pathardewa against state agriculture minister and BJP candidate Surya Pratap Shahi. goes to polls in seven phases between February 10 and March 7 to elect 403 members of the state Assembly. The results will be declared on March 10. --IANS amita/ksk/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) He has been on protest for 26 years and now has decided to contest against Chief Minister from Gorakhpur. Vijay Singh, 59, a former school teacher, said, "I have done everything within my means to free the government land from the clutches of the mafia. In 2012, I met the then Chief Minister who set up a committee to probe my complaint but nothing happened afterwards. When Yogi became chief minister, I approached him and he assured me of an impartial inquiry, which had confirmed the authenticity of my claim in its report in 2019.I have visited Lucknow 30 times but no action has been taken to reclaim the land." Singh was 'deeply disturbed' by the grabbing of public land in his Chhudana village by the land mafia in 1996 and he quit his job and sat on a dharna at Muzaffarnagar collectorate to protest against encroachment of public land. His battle against the land mafia earned him space in several books of record but failed to spur the successive regimes in . "Now, I will go to the public. Let them see what this system has done to me. Twenty-six years is not a short time. I have given my life for a just cause," he said. During his 26-year-long protest, Singh sacrificed his family life, faced several threats and total government apathy. He saw Shamli district being carved out of Muzaffarnagar but did not budge from his protest site at Muzaffarnagar collectorate. Two years ago, when the then district magistrate got him evicted from his dharna spot, he took up a position in the city's Shiv Chowk area. In 2012, Singh even undertook a 600-km padyatra to Lucknow to meet then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, but failed to meet him. In 2019, Singh took recourse to the Right to Information Act and received the answer he always knew in November 2021 -- that one Jagat Singh and his several associates are in possession of government land in the Chhudana village by forging documents. The 17-page report also revealed that the inquiry was finished in October 2019. "I am contesting against and will also distribute pamphlets in Karhal against Akhilesh Yadav," he said. --IANS amita/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ajay Rai, the candidate from Pindra Assembly constituency in Varanasi, has been booked for sedition and for allegedly spreading hatred against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by provoking people against them while addressing a public meeting on January 31. District Election Officer, Kaushal Raj Sharma said, "A case of provocative speech by Rai had come to light after which explanation was sought from him. The Returning Officer(RO) was asked to probe the matter. After the RO submitted his report, an FIR was lodged against Rai under sections 269 (act done unlawfully or negligently which is likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 124A (sedition), 153 (provocation for offence of rioting), 153A (promoting enmity or feeling of hatred), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC and section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with election) of the Representation of The People Act." An FIR has been lodged on the complaint of a police Sub-Inspector, who was part of the four-member fact-finding team. The FIR mentions that on January 31, Rai held a public meeting in Rajit Tara village without seeking permission from any competent authority. During his speech at this public meeting, he had used undignified language against the Prime Minister and state Chief Minister which could promote hatred, enmity and disturb peace. Besides other alleged charges, the MLA has been booked for violation of the model code of conduct and Covid-19 protocol by gathering people for public meetings without seeking permission and attempting to disturb peace as mentioned in the FIR. Reacting to the FIR, Rai said, "People were complaining against salt being distributed among them with free ration kits and from fair price shops. As health hazardous particles were found in such salt packets containing the photographs of Modi and Yogi, I had asked the people to keep it for burying on March 7. However, it was given a different colour and serious charges were levelled against me by misusing power." Incidentally, the MLA had started his political career with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and had won Kolasla Assembly constituency three times in a row between 1996 and 2007 on a BJP ticket. He left the BJP after being denied ticket to contest Lok Sabha election in 2009 and unsuccessfully contested the election on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Later, he joined the Congress and won the Pindra Assembly constituency in 2012. He had also contested against PM Modi in 2019 Lok Sabha election and had voiced concern when buildings were being demolished for the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project. --IANS amita/khz/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Election Commission on Sunday extended the ban on roadshows, 'pad yatras', cycle and vehicle rallies but gave fresh relaxations for indoor and outdoor physical campaigning events for the polls citing reduction in COVID-19 cases. The new relaxations will help political parties hold bigger physical campaigning events in the run up to the polls in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur. The campaigning for phase one of Uttar Pradesh assembly election on February 10 ends on February 8 evening. The Commission allowed opening up of physical campaigning events based on inputs received by state chief secretaries, its observers and the Union Health Ministry. The Union Health Secretary told the EC on Saturday that the poll-going states are contributing a very small proportion of the total reported COVID-19 cases in the country. In a statement, the EC said restrictions regarding "outdoor meetings, indoor meetings, rallies" will be further relaxed subject to condition that the number of persons attending these events will be limited to maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by district election officer as per requirement of the social distancing norms, and whichever is less. "If the state disaster management authority has set the ceiling limits or percentage of the capacity for number of persons attending indoor hall or open ground and they are stricter, SDMA guidelines will prevail," the EC said. "Open ground rallies" can be held only in the grounds specifically designated by the district authorities and subject to compliance of all the conditions of SDMA. Allocation of these grounds will be given equitably by district administration through e-Suvidha portal on first come first serve basis, the EC pointed out. Capacities of these grounds will be fixed by the district administration well in advance and notify to all the parties. "There should be multiple entry and exit points so that there is no crowding as people are coming and leaving the venue. All entrances must have adequate hand hygiene and thermal screening provisions," it said. In the last review on January 31, the Commission had allowed political parties and candidates to hold outdoor meetings in designated open spaces with a maximum of 1000 persons (instead of earlier 500 persons) or 50 per cent of the capacity of the ground and for indoor meetings, a maximum of 500 persons (instead of earlier 300 persons) or 50 per cent of the capacity of the hall or the prescribed limit set by SDMA, whichever number is lesser, from February 1 for all phases. On other campaigning means, the EC said maximum number of persons permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will remain as before. The ban on campaign between 8 PM and 8 AM will also continue as before, the EC said. Chief Secretaries of poll-going states had apprised the EC that there has been significant improvement in the prevailing Covid situation, a considerable decrease in the number of positive cases of Coid and also decrease in cases of hospitalisation. "Most of them have recommended to the Commission to consider for relaxation and allow increased number of persons in the indoor/outdoor campaign meetings," the statement said. After receiving references from chief secretaries, the Commission took inputs and views from its special observers. Many of them said that the Covid situation has improved substantially and positivity rate has come down significantly. They have also stated that coverage of vaccination in the state is very satisfactory for the first dose, second dose and precaution dose to frontline workers and poll duty officials. "In this light, they have recommended that the Commission may consider revisiting the existing campaign guidelines and permit further relaxation in the campaign norm to ensure greater participation in the ongoing election process. Most of them recommended to increase limit the number of people attending the rallies in open and indoor space to about 50 per cent and not limiting it to a number," the statement said. On Saturday, the Union Health Secretary briefed the EC about the ground situation of COVID-19. He informed that Covid cases are fast receding in the country and even in the reported cases maximum cases are reported from non-poll going states. The poll going states are contributing a very small proportion of the total reported cases in the country, he said according to the statement. The top health ministry official said that the peak of Covid had been reached on January 21/22 after that all India's figures of Covid cases are fast receding from around 2.93 lakh to 1.72 lakh. In the poll-going states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, the total number of cases which were more than 32,000 at peak on January 22 have reduced to around 7000 on February 5. The EC said it will continue to review the situation. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Sunday released its manifesto for the upcoming Goa Assembly polls, and senior party leader P Chidambaram promised the resumption of mining activities in the coastal state if his party comes to power. He was speaking on some of the vital points of the manifesto released by the for the state Assembly polls scheduled on February 14. The mining operations, which used to be one of the main sources of revenue for Goa, came to a grinding halt in the state in March 2018 after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases. Chidambaram, who is the Congress' senior election observer for the Goa Assembly polls, said the problem for the state is not about finding resources, but the allocation of resources, Chidambaram said. There are three avenues for the state budget - government's own resources, share of central government revenue and central government grants, he said. The source of funds was never a problem, but the problem was with the allocation of funds. If wise hands and thinking minds can allocate funds, then all the issues highlighted in the manifesto can be achieved in five years, he said. Citing an example of how the state resources can increase, he said that if Goa becomes an IT and pharmaceutical hub, then the resources will multiply. If one fails to attend to the problems, revenues are depressed, he added. He assured resumption of mining in the state if his party is voted to power. We can start sustainable legal mining under the Supreme Court judgement. But, we need to attend to the problems," the leader said. To a question, Chidambaram said "disease of defection" should stop in Goa and it is only possible if people decide to defeat the defectors during by-elections. After the 2017 Goa Assembly elections, the Congress had emerged as the single-largest party by winning 17 seats in the 40-member House. However, the BJP, which had won 13 seats, quickly tied-up with some regional outfits and independents to form government in the coastal state. Later, a number of Congress MLAs quit the party and many of them joined the ruling BJP. The Congress currently has only two MLAs in the state. On Sunday, those present during the release of the Congress's manifesto included party's Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, state unit chief Girish Chodankar, former Union minister Ramakant Khalap and AICC media in-charge for Goa elections Alka Lamba. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday said he never lived for any post and hailed the decision of making as the chief minister of the state. Sidhu said this addressing the Ludhiana virtual rally, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be announcing the party's CM face for the February 20 Assembly polls. For the past several weeks, both Channi and Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case to be declared as the party's nominee for the top post. "During 17 years of political career, Sidhu never lived for any post, but always wanted Punjab's betterment and improvement in lives of its people," said Sidhu. Hailing Rahul Gandhi's leadership, he said it was he who made a Dalit the chief minister of the state last year. "It is a moment of change, Inqilab, one which can better lives of people," said Sidhu. "We don't need anything, we only need Punjab's welfare. My love for Punjab always wanted its betterment," he said. Earlier, Sidhu had tweeted that he will abide by the party's decision on the CM face, which he reiterated this during the virtual rally. Hitting out at former CM Amarinder Singh, Sidhu said he used to dance to the tune of the BJP. "Now, Amarinder Singh talks of double engine. They are the ones who looted Punjab," he alleged. Amarinder Singh had quit the Congress following his unceremonious exit as the state chief minister last year and had formed a new party, Punjab Lok Congress, which is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP in the state. In his address, Chanjit Singh Channi said 700 farmers laid down their lives during the agitation against the Centre's farm laws. "Who is responsible for this? It is the BJP government and the SAD, which was the one who cleared farm ordinances, as well as the AAP government (in Delhi) which notified farm law. Now, they seek votes here," said Channi. Channi then directed most part of his attack on the Aam Aadmi Party, saying they cannot bring any change in Punjab. Gandhi arrived in Ludhiana on Sunday to hold a virtual rally and announce the chief ministerial face of the party. Chief Minister Channi, senior party leaders K C Venugopal, Harish Chaudhary and Sunil Jakhar are also present at the virtual rally, which is underway. During his last visit to Punjab on January 27, Gandhi announced at a virtual rally that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial candidate and a decision on it will be taken after consulting party workers. Besides taking feedback from its leaders and workers, the Congress sought the opinion of the public on who should be its chief ministerial candidate through an automated call system. PTI CHS/SUN VSD. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The brokerage and investment firm JM Financial has given a 'buy' call for shares such as ITC, GAIL, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial, Welspun India, Apollo Tyres, Blue Star, V Guard Industries, JK Lakshmi Cement and Somany Ceramics. For stocks, the brokerage has set a target price at Rs 295, as against the current price of Rs Rs 233.6. "With the government maintaining a benign stance in Budget 2022, we believe the stage is well-set for ITC's FY23E to be one of the stronger years in recent times on growth fronts," the brokerage said. For and Mahindra & Mahindra Financial, the target is set at Rs 185 and Rs 200, respectively. On Friday, these two shares settled at Rs 146.65 and Rs 154.15, respectively, data showed. For Welspun India, Apollo Tyres, Blue Star, V Guard Industries, JK Lakshmi Cement, and Somany Ceramics, the targets are Rs 188, Rs 330, Rs 1,100, Rs 290, and Rs 710, and Rs 1,100, respectively. For new-age stocks such as Nykaa, Zomato and Policybazaar which declined in the recent sessions, the brokerage believes that the longer-term growth story remains intact with sound company fundamentals and strong balance sheets positioned perfectly to leverage Indian government's focus on digital inclusion. "We also postulate that the primary impact due to the policy tightening scenario from central banks would be in the form of a rise in cost of capital with growth metrics sustaining thanks to the differentiated positioning carved out by these players in their respective verticals." It believes that the valuation premiums that these stocks have traded in comparison to their traditional peers as well as global tech peers might decline marginally but will continue to subsist in the medium to longer term period as risk-reward ratio seems to be in favour at current valuations. --IANS ad/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Britain's Chancellor of Exchequer has reportedly admitted to attending Prime Minister Boris Johnson's lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room and claimed that he was in the Cabinet Room for a Covid meeting. Johnson's five aides, including longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, and communications director Jack Doyle, resigned from their posts within hours of each other on Thursday, after a damning investigation revealed that multiple parties took place at Downing Street while the rest of the United Kingdom was living under strict Covid lockdown rules. Sunak, who lives next door to the Prime Minister in Downing Street, is also reported to have attended a surprise birthday party for Johnson in No. 10's Cabinet Room in June 2020. He acknowledged that the scandal surrounding parties during lockdown at Downing Street had damaged the public's trust in the government, reports the Mirror. But, the Indian-origin Chancellor said, he believed his plans to deal with the cost of living crisis would help restore it. Officers from the Met Police are investigating a total of 12 Downing Street parties. It is believed that as many as six of those could have been attended by the Prime Minister. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister held meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and senior leadership of state-owned companies in on Saturday as Islamabad is finding out ways to overcome financial challenges. "Prime Minister concluded his second day of meetings with business leaders of mega China's top state-owned and private enterprises in Beijing on Saturday," said Prime Minister's Office in a tweet. "The executives who met the Prime Minister included Chairmen of Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), Power China, East Sea Group, China Railway Group Limited (CREC), China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC), Beijing Century Industrial Development Co. Ltd (CENTINCO) and the CHINAMEX Group," the Office added. During the meetings, the Chinese businesspersons briefed the Prime Minister on the progress of their ongoing projects in and future investment plans worth billions of US dollars in the fields of energy, Refining, Petrochemical, infrastructure development water management, information and communication technology (ICT), and housing. Appreciating the interests of Chinese companies for enhancing business ties with Pakistan, the Prime Minister highlighted that government of Pakistan had offered many incentives to foreign enterprises especially from China for investment in Pakistan Special Economic Zones, according to Pakistan Prime Minister's Office. He assured that Pakistan would continue to support and facilitate the Chinese companies for their expanded footprints in Pakistan. The Prime Minister was accompanied in the meetings by the members of the cabinet and senior officials. The meeting took place as Pakistan, with Imran's China visit, is eyeing to ease its financial burden and gain more loans from Beijing. Pakistan has set its sight on a loan to the tune of USD 3 billion from China to stabilise its dwindling foreign exchange reserves and also seeks an investment bonanza in half a dozen sectors with Imran's China visit. The government is considering requesting China to approve another loan to the tune of USD 3 billion in China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange, known as SAFE deposits, reported The Express Tribune earlier citing senior government officials in Islamabad. Beijing had already placed around USD 11 billion with Pakistan in the shape of commercial loans and foreign exchange reserves support initiatives, including USD 4 billion in SAFE deposits. The Chinese money is part of the country's current official foreign exchange reserves recorded at USD 16.1 billion. In the last fiscal year, the country had paid over PKR 26 billion in interest cost to China only for using a USD 4.5 billion Chinese trade finance facility to repay the maturing debt, according to The Express Tribune. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A series of Russian military moves and potential political steps has heightened concern within the Biden administration that Moscow could launch a major military attack in within weeks, US officials said. The officials, who discussed internal assessments of the Russian buildup on condition they not be identified, sketched out a series of indicators suggesting Putin intends an invasion in coming weeks, although the size and scale are unclear. They stressed that a diplomatic solution appears to remain possible. Among those military indicators: an exercise of Russia's strategic nuclear forces that usually is held each fall was rescheduled for mid-February to March. That coincides with what US officials see as the most likely window for invasion. The officials made no suggestion that a prospective conflict would involve the use of nuclear weapons, but the Russian exercise likely involving the test-launching of unarmed long-range missiles on Russian territory could be used as a message aimed at deterring the West from intervening in . ALSO READ: The standoff in Ukraine: Roots in history US officials have said in recent weeks that a Russian invasion could overwhelm Ukraine's military relatively quickly, although Moscow might find it difficult to sustain an occupation and cope with a potential insurgency. The ongoing Russian buildup comes as the Biden administration has been disclosing intelligence in hopes of preemptively countering Russian disinformation and blocking Putin's plans for creating a pretext for an invasion. But it has come under criticism for not providing evidence to back up many of its claims. On Saturday, The New York Times and The Washington Post said officials were warning that a full Russian invasion could lead to the quick capture of Kyiv and potentially result in as many as 50,000 casualties. A US official confirmed that estimate to The Associated Press. But it's not clear how US agencies determined those numbers, and any predictions about how an invasion would proceed and the human cost it would inflict are inherently uncertain given the vagaries of war. ALSO READ: India's Ukraine 'challenge' President Joe Biden has said he will not send US troops to to fight a war. He has, however, ordered additional forces, including combat troops, to Poland and Romania to reassure those allies that Washington would fulfill its treaty commitment to respond to Russian aggression against territory. Ukraine is not a member but receives US and allied military support and training. Army officials on Saturday announced that Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, arrived in Poland. About other 1,700 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne are deploying to Poland from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and 300 soldiers are deploying from Bragg to Germany. In addition, 1,000 Germany-based soldiers are shifting to Romania. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last week that Putin could use any portion of the force he has assembled along Ukraine's borders to seize Ukrainian cities and significant territories or to carry out coercive acts or provocative political acts like the recognition of breakaway territories inside Ukraine. More recently, other US officials provided a more detailed breakdown of Russia's continuing force buildup, of US assessments of prospects for war, and of the US view of Putin's approach to the crisis. The officials reiterated what other Biden administration officials have been saying for weeks that they don't believe Putin has made a final decision to invade Ukraine. But it appears possible that the Russian leader set his intentions and is waiting until the last moment to give the go-ahead for an invasion. US troops reach Poland to reinforce Eastern Europe A plane carrying US troops landed in Poland on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, as Washington reinforces its NATO allies in Eastern Europe amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border. US President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania, as Washington moves to reassure jittery NATO allies. The Pentagon said that around 1,700 service members, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, would deploy from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland. Sunday's arrival of the C17 aircraft followed a plane carrying the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army Major General Christopher Donahue, which landed on Saturday at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, and a few planes with US. It was not immediately clear how many troops arrived, but a C17 aircraft is "designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and their equipment", according to the US Air Force website. "Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and obviously during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together," Donahue said on Sunday. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said minutes after the plane landed that this was the first group of American soldiers "from an elite unit". "...More planes will be landing in the coming hours. The soldiers will operate in the southeastern part of our country," he added. has denied plans to invade Ukraine but has deployed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders and says it could take unspecified military measures if its demands are not met, including a promise by NATO never to admit Ukraine. More than one million Afghans have migrated over the last four months, local media reported citing the New York Times. According to Tolo News, most of the migrants crossed border areas into Iran and . The head of a private transportation industry said that around 4,000 people are heading to Iran on daily basis. Mohammad Ayoub, 52, and his family of five are traveling to Iran. "The problems are obvious to everyone. There is poverty, unemployment and there is no educational opportunity for the youth," he said, as per Tolo News. "I want to go because I want my children--two boys and two daughters--to continue their studies in a good environment," he added. He worked at the Ministry of Higher Education for 10 years. Ayoubi said life has become difficult for him and his family in Afghanistan, and, therefore, he wants to travel to Iran. Many of the travelers in Herat province, the transportation industrial's heads said, are people who seek to cross the border to Iran. They said some also travel to . "Every day, we take 3,500 to 4,000 people from here (Kabul) to Kandahar, Nimroz and Herat provinces," said Ismail Jawanmard Amerkhel, head of a transportation company. The New York Times said the mass migration has raised alarms in the region as well as Europe about a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis, when more than a million people, mostly Syrians, sought asylum in Europe, as per Tolo News. "Though many are choosing to leave because of the immediate economic crisis, the prospect of long-term governance -- including restrictions on women and fears of retribution -- has only added to their urgency, the report reads. Refugee rights defenders in Iran expressed concerns over the status of Afghan refugees in Iran. "The Afghan refugees in Iran are facing various challenges such as lack of access to work and refugee identification cards. A refugee is always at risk of being back deported," said Naqibullah Rasikh, a refugee rights activist. The Islamic Emirate said efforts are underway to tackle the economic and humanitarian crisis in . "The statistics of the Islamic Emirate show that between 1,500 to 2,000 people are going to Iran from on a daily basis," said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate. Many of the migrants entering Iran are seeking to cross the borders of Turkey and from there go on to Europe for asylum. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) II has said that she wants Prince Charles' wife Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when he becomes King, in a significant intervention that shapes the future of the monarchy and firms up the place of the Duchess of Cornwall in the royal family. . The Queen, 95, used her Platinum Jubilee message on Saturday, marking the 70th anniversary of her reign, to back 74-year-old Camilla. The Queen expressed her "sincere wish" that Camilla will be known as Queen Consort when Prince Charles becomes King. Queen Consort refers to the spouse of a ruling king. "I would like to express my thanks to you all for your support. I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me," the Queen said in her message. "And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," she said. II on Sunday became the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UK's Indian-origin Chancellor has admitted to attending Prime Minister Boris Johnson's lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room and claimed that he was there for a meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation. His comments came after Johnson's five aides, including longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds and communications director Jack Doyle, resigned from their posts within hours of each other on Thursday. They stepped down after a damning investigation revealed that multiple parties took place at Downing Street while the rest of the United Kingdom was living under strict Covid-19 lockdown rules. Sunak, who lives next door to the Prime Minister in Downing Street, is also reported to have attended a surprise birthday party for Johnson in No. 10's Cabinet Room in June 2020. He admitted to attending Johnson's lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room, the Mirror newspaper reported. The Chancellor said that he was in the Cabinet Room for Johnson's lockdown birthday party but insisted he was there for a meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation. He acknowledged that the scandal surrounding parties during lockdown at Downing Street has damaged the public's trust in the government, the BBC reported. The Chancellor, however, said that he believed his plans to deal with the cost of living crisis would help restore it. Sunak, 41, insisted that Prime Minister Johnson, who is facing growing calls for his resignation, has his full support. Dismissing talk of him replacing Johnson, the Chancellor said that the Prime Minister had always told the truth about the parties. Yes, of course he does. He is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he said. Asked whether the parties held in violation of Covid-19 lockdown rules damaged the public's confidence in the government, Sunak said: "Yes, I think it has. I can appreciate people's frustration. And I think it's now the job of all of us in government, all politicians, to restore people's trust. As an embattled Johnson faces intense pressure to step down from the opposition and Conservative MPs, some Tory MPs believe that Sunak, as one of the most powerful figures in the government, is the frontrunner to replace Johnson. But Sunak quelled such talk. "Well, that's very kind of them to suggest that. But what I think people want from me is to focus on my job. "I know a few of my colleagues have said that and they'll have their reasons for doing that. But I don't think that's the situation we're in. The prime minister has my full support, he told the BBC. Asked whether he would run to be the next Tory leader and Prime Minister, should there be a vacancy, Sunak said: "No, that's not what I'm focused on." Officers from the Met Police are investigating a total of 12 Downing Street parties. It is believed that as many as six of those could have been attended by the Prime Minister. Sunak, the UK-born son of a pharmacist mother and a National Health Service general practitioner father, is an Oxford University and Stanford graduate. The MP for Richmond in Yorkshire first entered the UK Parliament in 2015 and has quickly risen up the Tory party ranks as a staunch Brexiteer, who had backed Johnson's strategy to leave the European Union. As the first Chancellor of the Exchequer of Indian heritage, Sunak, also the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, made history in February 2020, when he was appointed to the most important UK Cabinet post. British PMs departure is inevitable, says Tory loyalist (Bloomberg) Boris Johnsons removal from office by party members is inevitable, a prominent member of the British prime ministers Conservative party told the Observer, even as some Johnson backers stepped up to defend him. It is going to end in him going, so I just want him to have some agency in that, Charles Walker told the Sunday newspaper in an interview. Walker is a former vice-chairman of the partys influential 1922 Committee. The Sunday Times said Johnson is preparing for a vote as soon as this week. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russia has in place about 70% of the combat power it believes it would need for a full-scale invasion of and is sending more battalion tactical groups to the border with its neighbor, two U.S. officials said on Saturday. In the last two weeks, the number of battalion tactical groups (BTG) in the border region has risen to 83 from 60 as of Friday and 14 more are in transit, the officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information. As to the timing of an invasion, the ground is expected to reach peak freeze around Feb. 15, the officials said, allowing for off-road mechanized transit by Russian military units. Such conditions would continue until the end of March. That timeline and the growing number and capability of Russian forces close to could suggest the window for diplomacy is shutting. The U.S. officials did not provide evidence to back up their estimates of Russia's forces. As Russia masses more than 100,000 troops near the border, it has said it is not planning an invasion but could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met. Those include a promise that will never admit Ukraine, a demand Washington and have said is unacceptable. Washington believes Russia may choose other options than a full-scale invasion, including a limited incursion, and does not believe President had made a final decision, the officials said. But they said Putin is putting in place a force that can execute all scenarios. If Russia were to invade the capital of Kyiv, it could fall within a couple of days, the U.S. officials said. A full-scale invasion would cause major casualties, one of the officials said. could suffer 5,000 to 25,000 troop casualties, while Russia's troop casualties could be between 3,000 and 10,000, and civilian casualties could range from 25,000 to 50,000, according to U.S. estimates, the official said. A full invasion would also prompt the flight of millions of refugees and internally displaced persons in Europe, Washington believes. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Mary Milliken and Daniel Wallis) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The have denied the claim made by Islamabad that was using modern military equipment against the Tehrik-i- (TTP) that was leftover from NATO's presence in Afghanistan, reported local media. Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said: "We assure and pledge that there is no threat from Afghan soil to any country." "The problem exists in Pakistan, it is their own internal problem," TOLOnews quoted Bilal as saying. The also denied the presence of any group, including the TTP on Afghan soil saying that the Afghan territory will not be used against any country. It came after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that Pakistan forces were using the military equipment remaining from forces, according to TOLOnews. "They (the Pakistan military) use military equipment remaining from forces. In my opinion, the Afghan Taliban made a large effort to dissuade the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), but they do not understand," said Rashid on Geo TV. "They (TTP) are settled in Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktia and Khost provinces, which are along the (Durand Line), and they launch attacks against Pakistan. The attacks have increased," Rashid added. Earlier, the Crisis Group maintained that Islamabad is seeking to take further benefits from the 20-year war in Afghanistan. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Twenty-four U.N. peacekeepers and one civilian working for the were killed in deliberate attacks during 2021, according to the Staff Union. Two of the peacekeepers killed were women, and for the eighth year in a row Mali was the world's most dangerous with 19 peacekeepers killed, the union's Standing Committee for the Security and Independence of the Civil Service said. Central African Republic was second on the list with four peacekeeper deaths.. Once again, staff members, especially blue helmets', serving in the world's most dangerous places paid the highest price, U.N. Staff Union President Aitor Arauz said in a statement Friday. No one was apprehended and sentenced for such crimes, he said. We call on governments to do the utmost to protect United Nations personnel and prosecute their killers. Eight peacekeepers who died in 2021 were from Togo, four from Chad, three from Ivory Coast, three from Egypt and one each from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Gabon, Malawi and Morocco, the Staff Union said. The one civilian killed was from Congo. The 25 killings in 2021 bring the death toll to at least 462 United Nations and associated personnel killed in deliberate attacks in the past 11 years from improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, artillery fire, mortar rounds, land mines, ambushes, convoy attacks, suicide attacks and targeted assassinations, the Staff Union said. Last year's death toll compares to 15 killings in 2020, 28 in 2019, 34 in 2018 and 71 in 2017. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 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More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Some of the best years of my life I miss those people. Good times and memories, but I have moved on. Not my best days, but I have made peace with them. Glad to be away from those people I dont miss the high school experience. Vote View Results Stock are expected to witness volatility this week with domestic factors such as policy decision and quarterly earnings by big players driving the investor sentiment, analysts said. Also, movement of the rupee, Brent crude and foreign institutional investors (FIIs) would be keenly watched by investors, they added. "Among important events, participants will be closely eyeing the MPC's monetary policy review meet this week and its outcome is scheduled on February 9. Besides, on the macro front, IIP data will be released on February 11," said Ajit Mishra, VP Research, Religare Broking. "We have some big names like Bharti Airtel, Jindal Steel, ACC, Hero Motocorp, Tata Power, Hindalco and M&M that will announce their numbers during the week along with several others," Mishra added. " have been witnessing volatile swings, mirroring their global counterparts and it may continue in near future. Besides, the upcoming event i.e MPC's review and earnings would further add to the choppiness," he said. Among others, TVS Motor Company, Union Bank of India, IRCTC, NMDC and SAIL will also announce their quarterly results. "This week, domestic cues will dominate where credit policy will be a key factor which is scheduled on 9th February. Q3 earning session is going on where the last batch of earnings will be another important factor. Apart from this, IIP data will be announced on Friday however that is scheduled after market hours," said Santosh Meena, Head of Research, Swastika Investmart Ltd. Meena further said that global cues are also not clear where the geopolitical situation is important while rising crude oil is a key concern for our market. FIIs are still in a selling mood and their behaviour will also play an important role in the direction of headline indices, he said. Analysts said that Indian indices had a bull run during the 1st half of the last week as the Budget was in line with market expectation. Last week, the 30-share BSE benchmark gained 1,444.59 points or 2.52 per cent. "This week, RBI's policy meeting will be the major event awaited by the domestic investors," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A survey conducted by community platform LocalCircles to understand how would benefit India, found that two out of every three Indians believe the Budget will have a positive impact on the . Taxation of digital assets was also welcomed by the people. With the government announcing that the RBI will launch its own digital currency and gains from the sale of any digital assets will be taxed along with TDS to track all digital sales transactions, the survey sought to understand if citizens supported these moves. On digital assets, 58 per cent respondents supported the proposed launch of the RBI's digital currency, whereas 54 per cent supported taxation on digital assets. However, no relief on personal tax has made some sections of the people upset, the survey revealed. Also, 48 per cent of the respondents believed that the Budget allocation on health was not sufficient to handle the pandemic. The Centre has increased the capex target by 35.4 per cent from Rs 5.54 lakh crore to Rs 7.50 lakh crore, the social media platform said quoting Budget document. The survey received more than 40,000 responses from citizens residing in 342 districts of India. Of the total responses, 66 per cent of respondents were men while 34 per cent of respondents were women. Besides, 42 per cent of respondents were from tier 1 cities, 33 per cent from tier 2 and 25 per cent respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. LocalCircles is a community social media platform which enables citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and enforcement interventions and enables the government to make policies that are citizen and small business centric. --IANS ad/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) article $100.00 / for 365 days Sponsored Content Articles Policy & Procedure Only content submissions which satisfy our conditions for publication will be published. The fee for publication via this portal is $100. This fee is non-refundable. To accomplish your publication purchase, you must be logged-in as a website user: https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/users/signup This purchase is for online publication only. 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By mutual agreement, editorial services may be provided for an additional charge; otherwise, advance payment rendered will be deemed a non-refundable service charge. Upon request to Advertise@cmcHerald.com a link to the published article will be transmitted via email. Our website is directed to a U.S.-based audience; our content may not be accessible to some international audiences due to technology restrictions. By initiating this transaction, the submitter assumes any and all liability associated with publication of the submitted content (e.g., infringement, licensing) and agrees to defend and hold the Publisher harmless. U.S. Army officers after arrival at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, coming from Wiesbaden, Germany where a U.S. Army administration garrison is based. Additional U.S. troops are arriving in Poland after President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 1,700 soldiers here amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some 4,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Poland since 2017. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) FILE - A worker at a Ukrainian gas station Volovets in western Ukraine Wednesday, in Oct. 7, 2015. Fears are rising about what would happen to Europe's energy supply if Russia were to invade Ukraine and then shut off its natural gas in retaliation for U.S. and European sanctions. The pipeline operators have told the European Union's executive commission that if there's a cold winter, the continent's gas companies will need to import more than they have in the past. (AP Photo/Pavlo Palamarchuk, File) You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Carroll, IA (51401) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. High 46F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 38F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. La nouvelle annee a bien commence pour le Bureau du Directeur des Poursuites Publiques qui a sorti sa nouvelle publication qui met a nouveau le Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Act 2021 dans lactualite avec une interrogation Whats what? Signe par Satyajit Boolell, SC , Le Directeur des Poursuites Publiques, il parle de la responsabilite dadministrator of an online account to moderate and control undesirable content that has been brought to his attention by an investigatory authority. Section 23 (1) of the Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Act 2021 provides that: It shall be the responsibility of the administrator of an online account to moderate and control undesirable content that has been brought to his attention by an investigatory authority. An investigatory authority means the police or any other body lawfully empowered to investigate any offence. Under subsection (2), any person who contravenes subsection (1) shall commit an offence and on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding one million rupees and to penal servitude for a term not exceeding 20 years. This section has the merit of being a two step process. First, what is allegedly deemed to be an undesirable content on the online account is brought to the attention of the administrator by the police. Secondly, after having received notification, the administrator of an account like a Facebook or an Instagram account will have to moderate or censor the content which has been uploaded on the platform, presumably to the satisfaction of the investigatory authority. Pour sa part Manjula Kumari Boojharut parle de la necessite pour personnes autrement capable davoir elles aussi justice. Effective communication underlies the entire legal process: ensuring that everyone involved understands and is understood. Otherwise, the legal process will be impeded or derailed. Equal Treatment Bench Book 2018, Guidance for Judges and Magistrates for England and Wales. In this global era where the term inclusion is the cheval de bataille of all democracies, there is a need to ensure that the legal world keeps its doors open to guarantee equality in access to Justice to those who are physically, mentally and otherwise challenged. At a time when neurodiversity is shifting the paradigm, it appears that our legal system has unfortunately not followed the trend and this despite the fact that Mauritius is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities since 2007. The ratification of the Convention took place in 2010. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Photo: Contributed Again, in 2021, record-breaking wildfires burned in British Columbia, fuelled by the heat dome, drought, wind and excessive forest fuels. Our homes and communities are vulnerable flammable structures surrounded by forests and mountains with limited evacuation routes made even more hazardous by thick smoke. Entire communities have burned businesses, homes and, tragically, lives lost. The cascading effects of torrential rain on burned and exposed mountainsides contributed to the catastrophic floods that severed transportation routes and further disrupted lives and livelihoods. The costs are in the billions of dollars, without accounting for the indirect price of trauma and smoke on human health or damages to drinking water and wildlife habitat. Again, we find ourselves calling for urgent transformation of forest and fire management to reconfigure our forests and communities to be resilient to wildfires fuelled by climate change and outdated forest practices. Record wildfires have also ravaged the western United States, sparking action. Last week, the U.S. Federal government announced plans to spend USD50B over the next decade on wildfire mitigation. Hundreds of millions of dollars are earmarked for forest thinning and prescribed burning on public lands, incentives for private landowners and support for Indigenous communities to enable fuel treatments, and subsidies for bioenergy products from hazardous fuels. Investments are holistic buffers around communities called the wildland-urban interface (WUI for short) supported by strategic treatments of surrounding landscapes. B.C. sits at a crossroads: do we go big and bold like the U.S.? Or, do we continue with the small-scale, individual-WUI approach that has been in place since 2004? B.C.'s approach has focused on the narrow buffer of land around communities, minimizing costs and impacts on timber supply. Not all communities benefit. Funding is prioritized on communities with high housing density and in the driest parts of the province as a result, large communities, often with expensive homes, get the lion's share of the money. And recently, some funding for proactively treating hazardous fuels has been redirected to education efforts to convince homeowners to take more responsibility to FireSmart (RT) their homes and properties. If 100 per cent of the community fully subscribed to FireSmart, and that's a very optimistic scenario, physical homes and businesses could survive a fire, but the "community" would not. B.C.'s WUI-focused strategy surrenders our landscapes to severe fire effects as we witnessed in 2017, 2018 and 2021. The costs to our society are mounting, as witnessed here in B.C. and the U.S., Australia, and other places impacted by extreme wildfires. Each year that hundreds of thousands of hectares of forests burn, B.C. residents and everyone downwind of us will suffer hundreds to thousands of premature deaths every year due to chronic smoke exposure, not to mention premature births and increased incidence of cognitive impairment. Watersheds delivering drinking water will require expensive rehabilitation and secondary water quality treatment. The timber harvesting land base will continue to shrink, resulting in mill closures, unemployment, and increased resource conflicts. Businesses such as agriculture and tourism will suffer from direct and indirect fire damage. Levels of social anxiety, depression and substance abuse will increase. Increasingly, municipal and provincial budgets will be consumed by reactive fire suppression and rehabilitation expenses. Governments avoid going "big and bold" it is politically risky. Going "small" spends less money and delivers short-term tangible results within an election cycle. Going "big and bold" requires long-term vision, but the dividends don't accrue until well into the future. But adapting to wildfire is larger than politics it is the difference between a future with options and opportunities for our children and grandchildren versus a future of very limited options and few opportunities. Going "big and bold" for B.C. does not mean spending $50B over 10 years. Instead, it requires a significant shift in wildfire and forest management objectives and a change in priorities. The Province needs to heavily invest in WUI hazard reduction and radically shift landscape management from short-term timber supply to long-term resilience of ecosystems, habitats and productivity. Going forward, we need immediate, sustained, equitable, and large-scale action; we need to go "big and bold." Robert Gray is an AFE certified wildland fire ecologist and Lori Daniels is a forest ecologist at the University of British Columbia. This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Twitter Kevin Falcon is the new leader of the BC Liberal Party. UPDATE 7:14 p.m. Kevin Falcon this evening won the B.C. Liberal leadership race on the fifth ballot, over six competitors. The format to determine the winner involved each of B.C.'s 87 ridings getting 100 points, which were distributed according to the share of the vote by each constituency's members' votes. Voters were asked to rank candidates in order of preference. Falcon received 4,121 points on the first ballot, or more than 47.3%. The announced total, however, was that Falcon received 47% of the vote. Stan Sipos finished last on the first ballot, with 104.6 points, and was therefore forced to drop out of the race. The second choices on the ballots that ranked him first were then counted. The others on the first ballot included: Ellis Ross with 26.7%; Michael Lee with 10.3%; Val Litwin with 5.8%; Gavin Dew with 5.4%; and Renee Merrifield with 3.2%. The second ballot results were: Kevin Falcon with 47.6% Ellis Ross with 27.1%; Michael Lee with 10.5%; Val Litwin with 5.95%; Gavin Dew with 5.5%; and Renee Merrifield with 3.3%. The third ballot results were: Kevin Falcon with 48.3% Ellis Ross with 28.66%; Michael Lee with 10.8%; Val Litwin with 6.16%; and Gavin Dew with 6.01%. The fourth ballot results were: Kevin Falcon with 49.63% Ellis Ross with 31.2%; Michael Lee with 11.94%; and Val Litwin with 7.21%. Litwin, who raised controversy in the past week by saying that he would not be part of a Kevin Falcon-led party, then dropped off the ballot. The point share after the fifth ballot was: Kevin Falcon with 52.19 Ellis Ross with 33.65%; and Michael Lee with 14.14%. The former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale was the most experienced candidate in the race, having served almost 12 years in the legislature up until April 2013. Falcon held various posts in Gordon Campbell's government, including about five and a half years as minister of transportation. Under former Premier Christy Clark, Falcon served as minister of finance and deputy premier. Falcon's campaign was the only one in the race that did not take issue with alleged irregularities in thousands of new memberships. Party member Vikram Bajwa brought a petition to BC Supreme Court seeking an order to force the party to delay releasing the race's results, but Justice Heather MacNaughton today ruled that he had not sufficiently proved his case. Katy Merrifield, who was communications director to former Premier Christy Clark, told BIV following the vote that her interpretation of MacNaughton's ruling was that it was an 11th-hour challenge that amounted to "sour grapes." Merrifield said she was neutral during the campaign, but in the end decided to support Falcon. She hailed Falcon's 47% support level on the first ballot as a strong indication that the party was behind him. The fact that he needed four more ballots to crawl over the 50% threshold was simply a matter of the way preferential -ballot systems play out, she said. "The last leadership race we saw go to five ballots," said Merrifield, who managed former Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson's campaign in 2018. "It's indicative of the the belt system itself." She said Falcon's move to the private sector after he left politics makes him a better candidate, with more depth. Political observer and NDP insider Bill Tieleman told BIV that Falcon is yesterday's man. "It strikes me that a leader of the BC Liberal Party who was first elected in 2001 21 years ago and talking about renewal, and talking about the bad old NDP is out of touch," Tieleman said. Tieleman then praised Falcon as a good campaigner and a shrewd political operative who could be a formidable opponent. "I don't think the NDP should be popping any Champagne corks, or feeling overconfident at all, because Kevin Falcon is a good campaigner," Tieleman said. "He's learned from his period in the private sector clearly getting out of politics for a while, I think is a good idea for any any politician in any party and he's not to be underestimated. ORIGINAL Former cabinet minister Kevin Falcon was in front as fourth ballot results were released today in the B.C. Liberal party leadership race. After four rounds, Falcon had just over 49.6 per cent of the points awarded to the candidates. His closest challenger was legislature member Ellis Ross, who had about 31 per cent, followed by his legislature colleague Michael Lee at almost 12 per cent. Val Litwin, Gavin Dew, Renee Merrifield and Stan Sipos were dropped from the field after four ballots. Falcon captured 4,121 first ballot points then stretched his point total to about 4,318 on the four ballot, just shy of the 4,351 points needed to claim victory. Earlier today, a judge rejected a bid by a party member to delay the release of the results for 15 days over concerns about the Liberals' recent audit of new members it signed up during the leadership campaign. The Canadian Press A woman at the La Quinta, 7051 McCutcheon Road, told police there were fraudulent charges on her debit card. She said her debit card had been used at least 29 times without her permission. She said the total amount of the 29 charges was $1,161.44. She said she suspects her ex-boyfriend made the charges. She said he knows her Regions bank and debit card information, including her pin number. She said he is the only person that knows that information. She also said that he has made authorized purchases with her debit card in the past. * * * Police responded to an improperly parked auto at 5208 Sunnyside Ave. Officers observed the vehicle to be underneath a very weathered car cover in the roadway. The vehicle's last registration year is 2015 and it is apparent this vehicle is not drivable. Police stickered the vehicle's cover with a tow warning sticker. * * * An employee at a business at 1300 North Holtzclaw Ave., told police his air compressor was pulled off its cement foundation in an attempt to steal it. Concrete debris was in the parking lot. The man estimated the value of the compressor at $2,000. He said the damage to his ice machine was $1,500. The front paneling to the payment box was severely damaged. It appeared like someone was trying to pry it open with a crowbar. * * * A woman told police someone broke into her vehicle while it was parked on Gadd Road. She said the driver's front door window was broken and two car batteries were taken. She said the vehicle was parked at this location due do it not being able to turn on. She said the tag was also taken. The tag was entered into NCIC. * * * Police received a call that a younger white male wearing grey sweats and a grey shirt, with blond tips in his hair, had spray painted a parking meter booth in the Republic Parking lot at 2 11th St., and he was leaving the scene. Police quickly got in the area, but were unable to locate the man. Police did observe blue paint on the Republic Parking booth which housed the self-serve parking meter. * * * Police saw a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk in a doorway of an unused business on Cherokee Boulevard. Police spoke with the man and identified him. Police asked him if he stays in this area, and he replied "no," and that he usually stays south of the river in the downtown area. Police had not seen the man in this area of town before, and wished to document it for future reference. * * * A woman on Amnicola Highway called police and said she was in possession of an ex-boyfriend's guitar and that she would like it to be turned in to Property so that she was no longer responsible for it. The ex-boyfriend's guitar was taken to Property for him to pick up. * * * Police observed a black mustang improperly parked in the Walmart Parking lot, 501 Signal Mountain Road. Police ran the license plate on the vehicle and it came back registered to a GMC Yukon. Police identified the name associated with the license plate. Police retrieved the VIN from the front dashboard and ran it. The VIN came back to that vehicle, and it was registered to another name. The owner was not on scene at that time, and due to the vehicle being on private property, nothing more was done with it. * * * An employee at River City Auto, 2179 Chapman Road, told police that someone stole two vehicle keys. The employee provided a copy of the woman's ID. He told police that the woman started a disorder, then left with two keys to a vehicle on the lot. Each key is valued at $250. The employee said they did not wish to prosecute. * * * A woman on Stone Trace Drive told police that her ex-boyfriend was posting her nudes online and texting her from an unknown number, making threats. Officers could not prove the ex-boyfriend was responsible for posting these photos. * * * A woman at 900 I-75 SB told police her rear passenger side tire had deflated, caused by an unknown object that she may have struck while driving (no object in the roadway was located despite canvassing the area multiple times). Police assisted the woman in successfully replacing the damaged tire with the spare. She requested a report for the property damage to her tire valued at $100. She was able to drive safely from the Interstate to the nearest tire store. * * * A man told police that while his vehicle was parked at the Comfort Inn parking lot, 3117 Parker Lane, someone attempted to unlawfully enter his vehicle and broke the driver's side door handle in the process. Police watched the camera footage provided by the management of the Comfort Inn and observed what appeared to be a white male approach the man's vehicle and attempt to open the mounted tool box in the bed of the truck. After he failed to gain access to the tool box, he attempted to open the driver's side door. The man was unable to gain access to the vehicle, therefore no items were taken. The vehicle owner said that he wanted a report for insurance purposes. * * * A woman on 10th Avenue told police that she was there visiting a man and he would not give her back her phone. She said she called police from her other phone. When police arrived, both the man and woman were sitting in the woman's vehicle. Police spoke with the man, who then gave the woman her phone back. The woman then left the area. * * * A man on Cummings Cove Drive told police he had found an 85" TV on Facebook Market Place that was for sale for $1,000. He had made contact with the seller and agreed to buy the TV for that price. The seller told him that she only uses Cash App and would take payment that way. The man downloaded the app, entered her phone number and this brought up an account in the name of "$prettymom423." He confirmed that this was the correct account with her by sending $1 to her account, she confirmed. The man met with the woman on Banther Road to pick up the TV. While there he paid using the app. She told him that she did not get the money. When he questioned this, she told him that he must be sending it to the wrong account. She then gave him account info for "$mommaof4423." She requested that he get $1,000 cash and bring it to her. The man went to the ATM and took cash and paid her the $1,000 in cash. The man did get the TV after paying the cash. The man then sent a request through the app to decline the transfer. This holds for a couple of days and then the transfer takes place. He did contact his bank and file a report with them. Police will be attempting to find a positive ID for the woman. Showtime put the spotlight back on Dexter Morgan in 2021 with a revival series focusing on him almost a decade after fleeing Florida to go into hiding. Dexter: New Blood found him living a normal life as sales clerk Jim Lindsay in a small town in Upstate New York. But writer Scott Buck initially had a different idea for the character. Michael C. Hall as Dexter in Dexter: New Blood | Seacia Pavao/Showtime Showtime had reportedly long wanted to bring back Dexter Dexter enjoyed an eight-season run on Showtime before concluding in 2013. In the Dexter series finale, an emotional Dexter, guilt-ridden over the death of his sister Debra, drove his boat into the ocean as a hurricane approached the city, seemingly in an attempt to end his life. But the final moments found him alive and living in Oregon as a lumberjack. The finale was widely criticized by fans and critics, many of whom had expected to see Dexter pay for all the murders hed committed over the years. But it is said that Showtime limited writers in the way that they could conclude his story with the intention to bring him back one day. RELATED: How the Dexter: New Blood Finale Mirrors the Alternate Ending for the Original Series Buck revealed his original idea for Dexters return Buck said Showtime eventually allegedly had the idea to bring Dexter back as a doctor. I was intrigued by that, but it seemed a little farfetched that, in just a few short years, he could jump through all the hoops and become a doctor, Buck told Bloody Disgusting. There was also something interesting about him faking his credentials, but theres also something a little unsatisfying about that. He came up with the option to have Dexter return as a paramedic and pitched the idea to Showtime later. In a lot of ways, it seemed to make sense, because hes still working on some level with human bodies as a scientist, he shared. And it was never that he wanted to help people, that he wanted to atone, but rather if killing was his heroin, then holding lives in the balance [as a paramedic] would sort of be his methadone. And its not that we would draw a whole lot of work-related stories. It was just the background to sort of place him in. He imagined Dexter would still be living in the Pacific Northwest when a big bad began terrorizing the area, causing Dexters dark passenger to emerge. The show would have featured a very small ensemble cast with few original actors outside of Michael C. Hall, who played Dexter Morgan. But Dexter would have used his technology skills to keep tabs on Harrison Morgan and Hannah McKay, checking in on them through cameras and street footage and banking accounts. The idea was eventually scrapped As interesting as it might sound, the plan was ultimately scrapped after Hall allegedly failed to get back to Buck. He got the script, and I never heard back from him, Buck recalled. Not that he owed it to me in any way, but it all came down through the channels that he just wasnt interested in doing it. This was like five years ago. I think, at that point, he was still pretty exhausted of Dexter. And that was the end of it. As far as I know, there were never any other potential spinoffs until [showrunner] Clyde [Phillips] did New Blood. Showbiz Cheat Sheet reached out to representatives for Hall for comment on Bucks remarks but did not immediately hear back. Dexter: New Blood would premiere in November of 2021 to instant success, rising to become Showtimes most-watched series in history. It ran for 10 episodes before concluding in January. Although Bucks idea for Dexter never saw the light of day, hes happy that a show finally came together. It would have been something fun to do, but thats the way it all worked out, he added. Im sure everyone is very happy with Dexter: New Blood. Im glad that it finally came out, because it had been very long in the works that Dexter needed to be finished in some way. RELATED: Dexter New Blood: What Michael C. Hall Really Thinks of the Finale Food Network celebrity chef, Guy Fieri credits his parents for his constant desire to lift people up and give back. He recently told Showbiz Cheat Sheet he was raised by hippie parents. But he also credits the small town he grew up in because the people were dedicated to giving back to the community and helping others. Fieri strives to use his platform to make a positive contribution in any way he can. Guy Fieris parents migrated to California because of the vibe Giving back to others comes naturally for Fieri when youre raised by hippie parents, he said. His parents, Jim and Penelope Ferry moved to California in 1968 and were following the energy out there, Fieri shared with The Wall Street Journal in 2016. Guy Fieri and Penelope Ferry |Paul Marotta/Getty Images They never did drugs or anything like that. California just fit their whole-earth lifestyle, he said. My dad, Jim, was an entrepreneur and my mom, Penelope, was a homemaker who helped my dad. Soon after they settled in Ferndale, they opened Daves Saddlerynamed for their partner Dave Clowsewhere they sold the belts and candles they made. Fieris parents were always supportive and helped to fund his first restaurant. After junior college, I worked in every facet of the food business. I had my heart set on opening my own restaurant, and eventually, I did thanks to my parents, who mortgaged their house. I paid them back in six months, he said. Hes always remembered the support he received from his parents. Last April he bought them a new car. Surprised my mom and dad with a new Kia Sportage! he shared on Instagram. They have been amazing parents and always supported me in my adventures. Outbreak filmed in the town he grew up in Fieri shared a fun fact with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about where he grew up. When I was younger, I lived in a town in Northern California called Ferndale, he said. Happy 79th to my dad, Jim My hero and the man that inspired me to go big! pic.twitter.com/3oZW9rWS0r Mayor Guy Fieri (@GuyFieri) November 19, 2021 I dont know if you ever saw that movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman, but that was filmed in my little town, he continued. Its very community-oriented. And my parents were always that way. And, you know, Im a very fortunate person. I have this great career and great family, great friends. And when you have that kind of opportunity, why not share? Guy Fieri is being honored for his generosity Fieri also started a foundation to help others. And so, my foundation, The Guy Fieri Foundation is all about supporting our veterans, he shared. We have a big veterans program, first responders, women, and children. And we have a reading advocacy program that were doing now where were inspiring kids with a reward to read. So when you get to have the platform that I have, its really a shame to waste it on just about being Guy when I can take it and share it with others. And thats what I chose to do when we started talking about charity and about involvement, he added. Today and everyday, give thanks to our vets! pic.twitter.com/YLTcKesr8C Mayor Guy Fieri (@GuyFieri) November 12, 2021 Fieri also quietly donates perishable food from Guys Grocery Games to local shelters. He prepared and distributed over 2,000 meals to first responders following the Carr Wildfire in 2018. Additionally, Fieri managed to raise $21 million for restaurant employees impacted by coronavirus (Covid-19). He created the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, funding over 43,000 $500 grants to restaurant employees. The South Beach Food and Wine Festival will hold a tribute dinner to Fieri to honor his endless charitable contributions. In addition to Fieri, the dinner will also honor Bill and Peter Deutsch of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits. The event will be held in Miami, Florida on Saturday, February 26, from 7:00 PM 11:00 PM. RELATED: Guy Fieris Horrific Horseback Riding Accident Required Emergency Surgery and Nearly Killed Him Tom Holland brought a little part of Uncharteds Nathan Drake with him to the Spider-Man: No Way Home set. The young actor filmed both movies back-to-back, which meant he had to quickly switch his persona from the confident Nathan to the quirky Peter Parker. However, he couldnt quite shake Nathans confidence when he stepped back into his Spider-Man role. Holland revealed in a recent interview that he needed to redo a No Way Home scene because he acted too much like his Uncharted character. Tom Holland | Amy Sussman/Getty Images Tom Holland went directly from filming Uncharted to Spider-Man: No Way Home Holland had an incredibly busy 2020. After a months-long shutdown due to the pandemic, Uncharted resumed filming in July of that year. Just three months later, in October, production wrapped in Barcelona, Spain. However, instead of heading home for a break, Holland flew right to Atlanta for his next project, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Spider-Man trilogys finale officially wrapped filming in March 2021. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Holland expressed how hectic it was for him to film back-to-back. I knew what a monster of a film that Spider-Man was going to be, so I was very cautious about not running out of steam. So it was tough, he said. On the other hand, as tiresome as the work might have been, Holland feels confident that it will pay off when Uncharted releases in February 2022. It was a tough nine months worth of work, but obviously, with the success of Spider-Man, it was incredibly worth it, he added. And with the excitement and hype that Uncharted is getting, it seems like both were very, very worthwhile. Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal told Tom Holland he walked like a man after Uncharted Spider-Man Nathan Drake Tom Hollandhttps://t.co/Birwt1OR4M Uncharted (@unchartedmovie) January 6, 2022 After months of playing bada** treasure hunter Nathan Drake, Holland found it somewhat challenging to become awkward teenager-turned-superhero Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Back in February 2021, Holland told Screen Daily that Spider-Man: No Way Home producer Amy Pascal noticed a difference in his walk when he returned from Uncharted filming. I was doing this scene where Im walking into this building, and there is this cool cinematic shot pushing in behind me, and Amy Pascal took me aside and said, Why are you walking like that? Youre walking like a man; you need to walk like a boy,' he explained. Although Holland felt confused at first, he noticed the change in his gait when he looked back at the footage. I could see I was walking with a swagger and confidence, he continued. Jon Watts [the director of all three of Hollands Spider-Man films] was like, Its fine, its Nathan Drake. Well iron him out and get Peter Parker back.' Holland struggled to adapt to a cool guy persona for Uncharted Show of hands, who else thinks we should go 50/50? @TomHolland1996 and @MarkWahlberg star in #UnchartedMovie, exclusively in movie theaters February 18. pic.twitter.com/HjkxJc2rrR Uncharted (@unchartedmovie) January 29, 2022 The switch from Peter Parker to Nathan Drake wasnt easy for Holland, either. The actor told THR that, before Uncharted, he had mostly played outsider characters. It took some adjusting for him to finally become the cool guy. Historically, Ive always sort of played the outsider who doesnt particularly have many friends and isnt the cool kid, Holland explained. So Nathan Drake is the complete opposite, and that was something that took me a while to get used to and feel comfortable doing. Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters. Uncharted hits theaters on Feb. 18. RELATED: Uncharted Star Mark Wahlberg Still Thinks Tom Holland Is the Best Spider-Man On Succession, Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) has had plenty of questionable actions and statements. Her marriage to Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) is fraught, as she toys with him regarding an open relationship. Succession Season 3 gave her a real doozy when she told Tom, I may not love you, but I do love you. Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen | Macall B. Polay/HBO Snook appeared on Varietys Awards Circuit podcast on Dec. 8 prior to the Succession Season 3 finale. When asked about Shivs line, even Snook was bewildered. On Succession, Shiv Roy may not even know what she means Tom spent most of Succession Season 3 expecting to go to prison as the fall guy for Logan Roy (Brian Cox). When he got off, Shiv was a little bummed that she wouldnt have the house to herself. But, even Snook was taken aback by what she told Tom in Italy. Congratulations to the cast of Succession on their five #SAGawards nominations, including Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. pic.twitter.com/d4pp2KLTof Succession (@succession) January 12, 2022 RELATED:Jeremy Strong Defied Advice Against the New Yorker Profile, Succession Co-Star Brian Cox Says I may not love you but I do love you, which is the difference? Snook said on Awards Circuit. Does she even know? Does she even see how painful that is to say to somebody? I dont know. On Succession, Shiv Roys hurtful line makes sense Snook may not know what Shiv meant, but it did fit with everything else Shivs said over Successions three seasons. Its like who is this woman whos so incapable of vulnerability? Snook said. Shes probably been able to get away with a lot of things through charm and wealth and entitlement. But theres only so far you can push someone as well, I guess. Snook also appreciated the lavish Italian setting for such a bombshell. RELATED: Succession Cast Member Brian Cox Asked Creator Jesse Armstrong if Logan Roy Loves His Kids and Found out the Truth What a setting as well for that conversation to happen in Bagno Vignoni walking around this ancient pool which sort of looked like it was some sort of gestational pool of something anyway, Snook said. Talking about fertility and babies and future in such a casual kind of way. If we freeze, thats going to be two Olympics until youre ready. And these huge conversations that I love the way Mark [Mylod] directs. These huge conversations happen in such a casual and almost nonessential kind of way but in the setting its so grand as well. Sarah Snook speculates on mommy issues One possible explanation for Shivs callousness on Succession could be her abandonment by her mother. Snook thought Shivs scene with her mother may help explain why shes not fully invested in her marriage. Being 10 or even 13, it doesnt actually matter what age you were, Snook said. You were still the child in the parent-child relationship and theres a perspective that a child will have that their parent needs to protect and look after and make sure theyre feeling worthy and loved. That scene was my favorite to do because we havent seen a lot of the maternal influence on Shiv in a direct way but that scene was great to explore. RELATED: Succession Cast Member Jeremy Strongs Dostoyevsky Chats Dont Bother Creator Jesse Armstrong Iconic Tonight Show host Johnny Carson is one of the most adored television personalities of all time. In his 30 years hosting the show, he interviewed more than 20,000 notable figures, including politicians and even some presidents. Eventually, some fans began to wonder if he would consider running for office himself. What did Carson say to the notion he would make a good politician? And what aspirations did he have other than becoming one of the most legendary entertainers of all time? Johnny Carson impersonating Abraham Lincoln | NBCU Photo Bank Johnny Carson had other careers in mind before The Tonight Show In 1967, Carson was interviewed by ROOTS author, Alex Haley, for Playboy magazine. It was a rare and relatively intimate glimpse below the surface of what he could say on The Tonight Show. He was sometimes guarded with personal details and often declined to be spotlighted for interviews. Haley noted that Carson was initially difficult to reach in their conversation, but talking about his childhood in Nebraska got him to open up. From there, Carson revealed he had other aspirations before he became a late-night hit. I just cant say I ever wanted to become an entertainer, he disclosed before explaining it was something that came naturally to him. People thought I was funny; so I kind of took entertaining for granted. After his time in the Navy, he deliberated between pursuing three careers: journalism, engineering, and psychiatry. But when he went to the University of Nebraska, he settled on radio and speech. After landing on The Tonight Show in 1962, he seemed to have found his home. But Haley wanted to know, considering what a well-liked icon Carson was within five years of accepting his famous hosting spot, if there was any possible truth to a joke about him crossing over into politics. Johnny Carson on pursuing public office: No thanks! Johnny Carson impersonating George Bush Sr. | NBCU Photo Bank During his interview with Haley, Carson spoke at length about serious issues that divided Americans at the time like the Vietnam War. He articulated an understanding of the plights of some citizens in ways that were seemingly forward-thinking for his generation. Eventually, Haley asked Carson point blank what he thought of remarks that he should run for Congress. No, thanks! Carson replied. I wouldnt have the slightest interest in running for public office. Id rather make jokes about politicians than become one of them. Johnny Carson said, Take me or leave me but dont bug me Perhaps one reason Carson wanted to stay away from a political career was because he didnt like to be bothered with certain things. He liked what he was doing at The Tonight Show and told Haley he wanted to stay where he was until the day he felt it was time to go. The public is fickle, and you can be replaced, no matter how good you are. Until that happens, Im going to go on doing my best. I like my work and I hope you do, too but if you dont, I really couldnt care less, he explained. Take me or leave me, he concluded, but dont bug me. RELATED: Why Elizabeth Taylor Only Granted Johnny Carson a Single Tonight Show Interview Demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage held at Great Hall of People in Beijing Xinhua) 11:42, February 06, 2022 A craftswoman makes handicrafts during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg watches the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) A craftsman makes paper-cutting artworks during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) The Republic of Korea National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug watches the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Singaporean President Halimah Yacob experiences the making of paper-cutting artworks during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) A craftswoman shows the Chinese opera face painting art during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Performers play the traditional Chinese musical instruments during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach experiences kite flying during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres watches the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Prince of Monaco Albert II watches the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus watches the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene watches the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni experiences kite flying during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) United Nations General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid experiences kite flying during the demonstration of China's intangible cultural heritage before attending a welcoming banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) African Development Bank Group president, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, is leading his institutions delegation to the African Unions Executive Council and Assembly meetings taking place in Addis Ababa this week. Adesina and his team will use the summit as an opportunity to promote key issues on the African Development Bank Groups agenda. This includes mobilizing financing for Africas accelerated economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the all-important topic of nutrition, which is a key component of the African Development Banks Feed Africa priority. The African Union theme for 2022 is Building resilience in nutrition on the African continent: Accelerate the human capital, social and economic development. This years summit is a landmark one, marking 20 years of the African Union. Adesina will make a presentation on Mobilizing Financing for Africas Accelerated Economic Recovery Development and Integration. In recent months, the development bank chief has championed the case for developed countries redeploying part of their allocation of the International Monetary Funds Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to poorer countries. The African Development Bank, a prescribed holder of SDRs, is strategically poised to act as a channel for a portion of the SDRs coming to the continent, which it could then lend on to help strengthen the balance sheet of African public development banks, mitigate risks associated with medium- to long-term finance and help close financing gaps. The African Development Bank estimates that African countries need $485 billion in the next three years to emerge from the current crisis. Members of the Banks delegation are also taking part in sessions and side events on smart finance, and transport, as well as infrastructure and tourism during the summit, which ends on Sunday. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires Among the functions organized by the Northeastern State University Center for Tribal Studies is the annual Symposium on the American Indian, which includes discussion panels and discussions on Native issues, a film festival and traditional activities such as stickball. This Dec. 21, 2010 photo provided by Aldaron Laird shows Tulawat, the site of the Indian Island Massacre, where members of the Wiyot Tribe were killed in 1860. The remains of 20 Native Americans massacred in the 1860s on the Northern California island have been returned to their tribe from a museum where they had been in storage. The tribe's historic preservation officer says the remains will be reunited with their families. 55 federal agencies tracking religious objection requests amid concern from conservatives As many as 55 federal departments and agencies have created 57 rule changes to keep track of employees or applicants who have sought exemptions of various kinds, including exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, a Christian conservative lobbying group reports. While some rules are limited to vaccine exemptions, others track all exemptions, such as an employee or applicant seeking accommodation from working on the Sabbath or Sunday, reports Liberty Counsel Action, the lobbying arm of the nonprofit legal organization that specializes in religious freedom cases. Some rules even track visitors to their buildings or events. For example, the Treasury Departments Office of Civil Rights and Diversity has stated its database will document all religious exemption requests and denials. The office will track and maintain information about a requestors religious beliefs as well as the informal dispute resolution of each person, the Liberty Counsel Action statement reads. It will also record correspondence, supporting notes and documentation and even records of oral conversations, on every person who requests an exemption. This database will track and record this level of information for everyone from pre-employment, during current or former employment or for [attendees at] a particular event. While there are variations in the rules across the government agencies, the group warns that all of them are causing serious concern about invasive privacy violations by the federal government recording and permanently storing religious and medical data on those seeking exemptions. The U.S. Army, for example, is going beyond recording the religious preference of their employees. The Army is pairing this religious information with biometric data, like fingerprints and digital photographs, the watchdog reveals. In a subsequent statement, the advocacy organization points out that a new Department of Homeland Security rule allows it to track employees, contractors, subcontractors, and certain private employees based on religious accommodations. The database can include personal information, audio conversations and photos and that information can be shared with any branch of our government and even foreign nations, the group contends. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., sent a letter signed by 10 Republican members of Congress to President Joe Biden, condemning his administration for keeping a list of federal employees who applied for a religious exemption for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Jan. 24 letter reads: From day one, your administration has displayed a consistent attitude of contempt towards Americans who prioritize faith in their lives. A majority of the notices do not explain how long the agency plans to store the data, why the agency needs to share the data between federal agencies or why the agency needs to keep the data beyond a decision to grant or deny an employees religious accommodation request. Your administration has offered no valid justification for these intrusive databases that will only be used to target Americans who have refused a COVID-19 vaccine because of their religious convictions. Last month, conservative think-tank the Heritage Foundation released a report saying that it found at the time at least 19 federal agencies including five cabinet-level agencies that had created or proposed a list tracking religious objectors to the COVID-19 vaccine. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., introduced HR 6502, known as the Religious Freedom Over Mandates Act, which would prohibit the use of federal funds for any system of records on religious accommodations with respect to any COVID19 vaccination requirement. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, but the list of departments and agencies tracking exemptions has grown significantly since the bill was introduced, according to Liberty Counsel Action. IBM created a database of the Jewish people in Europe, Liberty Counsel Action Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement. Using this database, Nazis were able to identify the Jews and prohibit them from public and then private employment. This database is what enabled Nazis to round up those targeted for ghettos and concentration camps. Staver contends that the federal government has started its own database. We cannot allow this to happen, he said. We cannot allow a federal database categorizing people by their religion or medical status. What possible good can be accomplished by these government lists? I cannot think of one. The Heritage Foundation commentary quoted a public comment by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who said he believes there is a chilling effect on a citizens exercise of religion due to the creation of this Database. The First Liberty Institute, a conservative law firm based in Plano, Texas, released a statement in response to The Heritage Foundations report, calling the objector lists alarming. These policies could negatively impact religious freedom for people of all faiths across the country. Its incredibly dangerous (indeed, dystopian) for the government to have a list of religious citizens at its disposal, wrote First Liberty's Jorge Gomez. Tyranny and repression arent too far away when the state begins to actively track the faithful. Religious liberty is greatly endangered once the state monitors religious citizens in order to get them to conform to the governments sanctioned viewpoint. Matt Chandler-led Acts 29 celebrates 'Church Planting Sunday': 'Critical to fulfilling the mission of Jesus' Church planting is God's primary mission strategy for expanding His work and every member of the Body of Christ has a role to play in bringing the message of Jesus Christ to people in all contexts, the head of a global church planting network has said. Church planting is critical to fulfilling the mission of Jesus. Its a myth that there are enough churches already. We need to be treating North America as a mission field in the same way that we in the West have oftentimes seen the rest of the world, Brian Howard, executive director of Acts 29, told The Christian Post. Church planting is not just the thing for pastors; it's something that we all need to be involved in, he said, adding that Acts 29 strives to take the importance of church planting beyond just pastors and seminary classrooms and into congregations. Church planting not only revitalizes older congregations, but its the best way to reach new people groups and generations and achieve diversity, he said. And we all have a role to play in that, whether we give financially or volunteer. As part of this goal, Acts 29 will celebrate this Sunday as its first-ever Church Planting Sunday and is urging other gospel-focused churches to join them in commemorating the church-planting movement. On Church Planting Sunday, were celebrating what God has done through Acts 29 and other networks, Howard said. Were just so excited about what is going on all over the country. In 2014, Village Church Pastor Matt Chandler assumed the role of president of Acts 29, and Howard became executive director of the network in May 2020 just months after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Howard revealed that despite the pandemic, the network was a part of planting 25 new churches last year. These churches, he said, are reaching their communities in new and innovative ways. The biggest thing that stands out to me is churches that are feeding people in their communities, Howard shared. These churches are coming together during COVID, looking for ways to serve and honor their communities, even during difficult times. One church the group planted, he recalled, called every person living alone in a particular community to figure out what kind of support they needed during the pandemic. It hasnt always been easy, but these churches are really sensing the needs in their communities and meeting them, he said. Theyre really stepping into this cultural moment. Founded over two decades ago, Acts 29 has nearly 700 member churches worldwide, with about 500 in the United States. This year, Acts 29 Espanol and Acts 29 Urban were launched to start and grow Gospel-centered churches in diverse contexts. Its really important for us to be planting churches for new immigrants and in difficult places like cities and rural places, Howard said. When we look at the kind of ministry we're doing, we are planting churches in places where there are new generations, new residents, new people groups, immigrants from all kinds of different countries. New churches are essential to reach people in those demographics. Earlier this year, Acts 29 also announced a new partnership with Grimke Seminary, a diverse, reformed seminary solely devoted to training pastors for church ministry. Grimke is named after Dr. Francis Grimke, a biracial man born a slave but was later freed, becoming a pastor and a leading advocate of civil rights. There is, Howard stressed, an urgency to church planting, though it might look a little different post-COVID. Church planting is not slowing down, he said. But I don't think we expect to have a completely normal year this year because church planting oftentimes is a year or two long processes before you launch a church. COVID has made that a little difficult. I still think we're going to see church planting really move forward, he added. Because despite the pandemic, weve seen the church move past tremendous barriers and impact their communities for Christ. When your faith makes you an enemy of the state Editors' note: Part 4 of The Christian Post's series on China's human rights abuses under the spotlight of the Olympic Games details the accounts of Falun Gong practitioners who fled the country following the government's crackdown on the practice. This article series will also share stories of persecution from the perspective of a Uyghur Muslim and Christians who lived under China's communist regime. While CP does not promote the religious beliefs of the individuals interviewed herein, we believe in religious freedom and the rights of these individuals to hold those views without threat of government retaliation. Read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 5, part 6 and part 7. NEW YORK It was July 20, 1999. Michael Yu, an accountant and Falun Gong practitioner, remembers well what happened in China. Then-President Jiang Zemin had declared millions of Yus fellow Falun Gong practitioners a threat to the government. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Li Hongzhi, who founded the spiritual movement only seven years earlier, in 1992. Thousands of Lis followers, including officials in the Chinese Communist Party, were arrested that day, too, while millions of Lis books and cassette tapes were destroyed, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne, the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions, explains in Bitter Winter, a magazine covering religious liberty and human rights, how the CCP branded Falun Gong an evil cult after the 1999 crackdown. Things havent improved much since then. As of September 2017, Falun Gong was listed as the No. 1 most dangerous cult by the CCP, along with a number of church groups. Criminal law in China allows persons belonging to groups branded as cults to be punished with sentences of up to life in prison. Cults and religions deemed to be cults are monitored by an office called the Public Security Anti-Xie Jiao Organization. The office is informally known as the "610 Office." One freezing afternoon in January, while sitting inside the New York Food Court in Flushing, Queens, where the cuisine of the boroughs Asian heartland collides in a lavish display, Yu told The Christian Post how his practice of Falun Gong made him an enemy of the Chinese government and forced him to flee his homeland. The 49-year-old remembered how he stumbled upon the practice in 1995 when he was a college student in Shanghai. At that time, there wasnt persecution of the practice. Since I was young, I was interested in qigong and martial arts for health and fitness and supernatural phenomenon, he said through interpreter and fellow Falun Gong practitioner Scott Li. Qigong and Falun Gong For about 20 years spanning the 1980s and 90s, qigong had grown popular among hundreds of millions of Chinese in the officially atheist country. Qigong is described as a hybrid of traditional medical and self-cultivation practices developed in the early 1950s by members of the Chinese medical establishment to promote traditional Chinese medicine. While some members of the CCP in modern China had criticized it as superstitious with links to religion and spirituality, defenders of the practice managed to make room for it and similar therapies alongside biomedicine. In his writings, Li Hongzhi, who lives in upstate New York after fleeing China, compares qigong to magic. Qigong is not exclusively a product of our country. It exists in foreign countries as well, but they dont call it qigong. Western countries, such as the United States, Great Britain, and so on, call it magic, he explained. Falun Gong is an offshoot of qigong, which Li Hongzhi describes as one of the Buddhist systems special qigong methods, which has its own distinct qualities that set it apart from the usual ways of Buddhist cultivation. This cultivation system is a special, intense cultivation method that used to require that cultivators have extremely high character and great spiritual aptitude, Li wrote. Falun Gong claimed up to 100 million followers during the 1990s, but only about 7 million to 10 million remain in China out of a population of more than 1.39 billion, according to a 2020 report from the United Kingdom's Home Office. But some sources suggest Falun Gong's population in China could be as high as 40 million. Persecution Yu, who was around 22 at the time he committed to the practice of Falun Gong, never imagined he would face a time when his faith would become a liability. The day after the mass arrests, on July 21, 1999, Yu said he went to a government office in Shanghai to ask why Falun Gong practitioners were being arrested. He said the police responded by arresting him too. Then the next day, July 22, they [the CCP] started broadcasting defamations and false things about Falun Gong to try to make it look bad. And they pretty much forced all the employees throughout the country to watch it," he recalled. "And asked them, 'Are you still going to practice?' he recalled. At the time, Yu was working as a financial manager at a company where government regulators held a position to monitor the workers' behavior to ensure they were compliant with the laws of the state. They used all kinds of tactics to try to pressure him to give up [his practice of Falun Gong], including asking his mother and family members to plead with him. They threatened him with firing and arrest, Scott Li said. When Yu resisted the pressure, he was quickly ostracized at work, which forced him to quit. A few months later, in May 2000, he went to Tiananmen Square to do Falun Gong meditation in Beijing in protest. He was arrested on the spot. It was to send a message to the Chinese government that they should stop the persecution, Yu said, noting that he also wanted them to clear the name of Falun Gong. The police released him the same day after his arrest because he had not traveled with any identification. In July that year, he was arrested in Shanghai and detained for 28 days for meditating with other Falun Gong practitioners. His refusal to give up the practice and refrain from engaging in any public display of Falun Gong landed him in a re-education camp from June 2001 until December 2002. Their intent is to make you give up the practice. If you dont give up, they put you through extreme torture where you dont want to live, he said. Even though there were times when he felt like giving up at the camp, Yu said he held on. He remembers being beaten and made to sit on a tiny chair until his underwear was stuck to his flesh. He added that he was tortured in other ways in which he could barely walk afterward. While he didnt give up Falun Gong, the experience inside the re-education camp made him more careful with his practice after he was released. In 2011, when he got the chance to come to the U.S. for a business conference for accountants, he decided not to return to China. He now enjoys practicing Falun Gong without fear. Tom Tang When Tom Tang, 45, was in high school in Guangzhou, China, he was a student leader who was so smart that everyone in his community expected him to end up at one of China's top universities. His high hopes were dashed in 1996, however, when his scores on national exams turned out to be only good enough for a lower-ranked school called Zhaoqing University. In China, explained Scott Li, performance on the college entrance exam is a huge thing, and Tangs underperformance was a big heartbreak. After suffering from depression from his poor score on the national exams, Tang was introduced to Falun Gong by a classmate and embraced it. By about May or June in 1999, Tang began hearing rumors that the Chinese government was planning to ban the practice. On July 20, 1999, he was stunned when a local coordinator for Falun Gong practitioners told him that the practice had been banned. He didnt understand why the government would ban a practice that he found helpful. So that night, he went to the capital of his province to get answers from government officials. When he got to the government office, he found a long line of Falun Gong followers looking for answers also. Local government officials told the group that there was nothing they could do to reverse the ban and rounded all of them up and took them to a school nearby, where they were detained for about half a day. Police collected their personal details. And once Tang was processed, he went back to his college. On July 22, 1999, Tang said he went outside to meditate at his college and the police quickly arrived. He said they took his identification and told him he could not practice Falun Gong. After he graduated from college, Tang went back to his hometown in Guangzhou, where he and other Falun Gong practitioners were monitored by the 610 Office. Tang said a police officer told him that as long as he practiced Falun Gong quietly and not in public, he didnt care. He was also advised not to go to Beijing. The zealous Falun Gong practitioner, however, didn't listen. In July 2000, Tang went to Tiananmen Square and held up a banner protesting the Falun Gong ban. He and other protesters were immediately swarmed by police who took them to a local precinct and locked them in steel cages. Later that night, they were rounded up and transported to another city nearby. To protect themselves, Tang and the protesters left their identification at home. But the police still managed to find out who some of them were. Five days later, someone from the 610 Office in Guangzhou took him to a detention center, where he was held for 15 days. During that time, he was beaten and told to stop practicing Falun Gong. But Tang replied that he couldnt because Falun Gong is his life. He was later released to his family and warned not to protest. A few days later, Tang was detained again and taken to a labor camp, where he spent two years, from 2001 to 2003. For a while, Tang kept up his protest by going on a hunger strike, which prevented him from working. He was eventually forced to eat and build a range of products, like Christmas lights and trinkets similar to those found at a dollar store. Its extremely painful to the point where you dont want to live, but they dont let you die, Tang recalled from the experience. Tang spent another four-and-a-half years in prison for refusing to stop practicing Falun Gong. After he was released from prison in 2008, Tang took over the management of his sisters handbag business, which became wildly successful even as he continued sharing his Falun Gong practice with clients quietly. As the government continued to monitor him, he filed a lawsuit against a former CCP leader for the persecution he suffered in 2015. That year, while he was in the U.S. on a business trip, government agents went to his business and took the machines he was using to print information about the Falun Gong. He decided it wouldnt be safe to return to China after that. He distanced himself from the business for the sake of his family still there. Judge blocks Ohio law requiring proper disposal of aborted babies A judge has issued a second preliminary injunction against an Ohio law that, among other things, requires that aborted babies be given proper disposal through burial or cremation. Judge Alison Hatheway of the Court of Common Pleas in Hamilton County entered a preliminary injunction on Monday against Ohio Senate Bill 27, also known as the Unborn Child Dignity Act. While the first preliminary injunction against the law was a temporary measure issued last year, this second injunction will remain in effect until a judgment in the case is reached. Given the breadth of the Ohio Constitutions guarantees of bodily autonomy, privacy, and freedom of choice in health care, strict scrutiny must apply to a law that infringes on this protection, ruled Hatheway. SB27 is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest the State does not require health care facilities to dispose of identical tissue after miscarriage and infertility treatments by cremation or interment, thus casting strong doubt on the States claimed purposes. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the American Civil Liberties Union, and a couple of abortion clinics issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting the ruling. Todays ruling reaffirms what we already know to be true: aggressive and cruel regulations like SB27 serve no other purpose than to impose severe burdens on abortion patients and providers, and to shame and stigmatize patients seeking essential health care, they stated. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure Ohioans have the freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies, their families, and their futures. In late December 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed SB 27 into law, which requires final disposition of fetal remains from a surgical abortion at an abortion facility (to) be by cremation or interment. Other provisions include requiring abortion facilities to document in the pregnant womans medical record the final disposition determination made and maintain evidentiary documentation demonstrating the date and method of the disposition of fetal remains from surgical abortions performed or induced in the facility. Failure to comply with these will be a misdemeanor of the first degree. Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said in a statement released at the time that the new law showed that we respect life and we bury our dead. No longer will the tiny bodies of babies whose lives have been tragically taken through abortion be treated like trash, said Gonidakis. The abortion industry, who has for decades tried to convince women that the lives of their children dont matter and should simply be thrown away, will now be unable to hide behind this blatant lie. A national charter for peaceful coexistence in Tunisia Representatives of all religious sects in Tunisia signed the National Charter for Peaceful Coexistence, the first of its kind in Tunisia, which calls for guaranteeing the right of religious minorities to differ and to show their beliefs in public. This came in a ceremony last month organized by the non-governmental organization Attalaki in the presence of representatives of religious denominations in Tunisia. They include Rabbi Daniel Cohen of the Jewish Synagogue in La Goulette; Mohamed Ben Moussa, the Bahai representative in Tunisia; Rev. Kamal Ouled Fatma and Sister Ahlam Arfaoui, representatives of the Evangelical Church in Tunisia; Hassan Bouabdallah, head of the Union of Sufi Ways; and Sheikh Ahmed Salman, representative of the Ahl al-Bayt Shiite Center in Tunis. This agreement comes from their belief, according to their press statement, that religious and sectarian diversity in human societies does not justify conflict and clash but calls for the establishment of a human bond that makes this diversity a bridge for dialogue, understanding and cooperation to serve man and the nation. Karim Chniba, the spokesman for the charter, said that in the past decade, Tunisia experienced a dangerous escalation of hate speech and violent extremism emanating from religious and intellectual currents that did not respect the sanctity of the homeland or the safety of society until the matter reached the shedding of infallible blood under a religious or political cover. He added that the deteriorating social situation in Tunisia requires urgent intervention to fortify society, consolidate the values of moderation and tolerance and prevent being drawn into hatred, extremism and violence. Chniba emphasized that the charter stipulates that combating violence, extremism and hatred begins with the criminalization of fatwas and rhetoric that calls for the exclusion of the other. Therefore, strict legislation must be enacted to prevent these phenomena. He continued: "The religious symbols of all religions and sects are respected, and it is not permissible to touch them by belittling or mocking them, and the places of worship were made for self-purification and teaching people the provisions of their religion, so it is not permissible in any way to harm their sanctity and make it a focus for political disputes or employ it in partisan conflict." For her part, the General Secretary of Attalaki Organization, Basma Maria Bakari, said that the charters signing is a result of more than three years of work and a series of direct dialogue sessions between all the various religious components and sects in Tunisia under the supervision and sponsorship of Attalaki Organization. She also clarified that this agreement is moral and ethical and monitored by the Tunisian Ministry of Religious Affairs with no legal obligations or consequences. She acknowledged that a number of religious minorities in Tunisia have been subjected to violations and great difficulties in their daily lives, even though the Tunisian citizens have the right, according to the constitution, international charters and treaties, to establish their religious rites. Bakari emphasized that some Tunisian citizens conceal their religious identity for fear of persecution and restrictions, which in itself is considered a danger to freedoms and human beings in general. She added that there is rejection within the family and society, especially towards Christians from Muslim backgrounds, which has reached the point of exhuming graves. Bakari explained: All this comes in the absence of clear legislation protecting human dignity and rights from persecution and discrimination based on religion. Years of fear and hate In his turn, Rabbi Cohen told Al-Ain News on the sidelines of the signing ceremony that the history of the Jews of Tunisia dates back 2,400 years. This covenant will contribute to ending years of fear, hatred and a feeling of isolation within the Tunisian Jewish community, he added. Cohen called on the Tunisian media to convey the voices of religious minorities and contribute to breaking the stereotypes that the majority of Tunisian societal views towards religious minorities, especially Jews and Christians. He said that the right to differ is guaranteed and that they can celebrate religious holidays and occasions and be congratulated on them, just like the majority religion. Cohen stressed that he aspires as a Jew to be able to go out or study without being worried about anyone and asking him about the kippah that he puts on his head. He does not want to feel that he is a stranger to society despite its differences, as he remains a citizen like the rest of the citizens in Tunisian society. The Tunisian state must protect all citizens, he said, and it has placed itself in a narrow framework, as the text of the Tunisian constitution affirms that it is a state whose religion is Islam, which means that it has removed the rest of the citizens from religious minorities from the framework of the state. For his part, Rev. Fatma, a representative of the Evangelical Church in Tunisia, said: God is in His loving qualities, so it is not possible to coexist in isolation from others. In statements to Al-Ain News, Fatma confirmed: We are Tunisian Christians, Tunisians, and we are not coming from Europe or America, and I did not come in my religious dress to prove that I am similar to all Tunisians. He further explained, Christ taught us that we do not condemn so as not to be condemned, and we love even people who do not love us. So I was honored to participate and sign this agreement, which expresses unity within the framework of citizenship that embraces diversity. Fatma said that as Christians, they want to participate in building their homeland and live in peace with the rest of their people on an equal footing guaranteed by the constitution and international covenants. Sister Ahlam Arfaoui, a representative of the Evangelical Church in Tunisia, thanked the Attalaki organization, which worked hard to gather the largest possible number of religious components at one table and for its strong defense of religious and Christian minorities in particular. Mohamed ben Moussa, a member of the Bahai Information Office in Tunisia, said that this charter seeks unity, diversity and difference. He acknowledged that adherents of the Bahai faith in Tunisia are subjected to violations, as fatwas of infidelity were issued against them by the grand mufti of Tunisia in December 2020. Additionally, the presidency of the Tunisian government accused them of apostasy. He affirmed that what the Bahais are experiencing is experienced by their Christian, Jewish and Shiite brothers in Tunisia and exists in the forms of fear, material and moral violence, exclusion, deprivation of most of their citizenship rights and marginalization of their role as citizens who are partners in building. This charter aroused a great uproar among Tunisian society, which responded with an extensive campaign of insults and threats of violence, reaching the point of calling for murder. Although the official authorities were satisfied with silence, the ministry of religious affairs sent a representative to attend the signing. Attalaki General Secretary Bakari said that the strong reaction was expected but did not expect this many messages of threats and insults from the general public, radical Muslim sheikhs, intellectuals and others. All comments were unanimous that Tunisia is a Muslim country and will remain so. This is evidence of the extent of extremist ideology and hatred in the community and their lack of acceptance of those who differ from them. A view of Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown, which is part of the unique Neighborhood Improvement Zone. (April Gamiz) HARRISBURG A handful of words placed deep in a 114-page legislative bill slammed the door on a two-year effort by The Morning Call to obtain information on some taxes paid in Allentowns unique Neighborhood Improvement Zone. Veteran Lehigh County Republican Sen. Pat Browne, who drafted the NIZ law enacted 12 years ago, was the architect of those words placed in the fiscal code bill. Advertisement They were cited by a Commonwealth Court judge in a Dec. 30 decision that ended the newspapers quest to get information from the state Department of Revenue on the total revenues generated by each tax collected in the NIZ for the years 2016-18. Advertisement Ten months earlier, on Feb. 19, the same court sided with the newspaper and agreed that taxes paid by three or more taxpayers in the Other taxes category should be disclosed. That category includes liquor and malt beverages, gross receipts and cigarette taxes. Then came a reargument of the case and the June fiscal code amendment, crafted by Browne. It added words including reports on taxes to a section defining confidential information. Lehigh County Republican Sen. Pat Browne says he created an amendment to the fiscal code because a Commonwealth Court ruling revealed a legal loophole in confidentiality protections for tax information held by the state. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call ) This court need look no further than the amendments inclusion of tax reports to conclude that the information sought is exempt from disclosure, Judge J. Andrew Crompton wrote in the Dec. 30 opinion. As a result, transparency suffered, according to Morning Call Editor-in-Chief Mike Miorelli. The fact that a law was changed to, in part, keep that information from the public is very troubling, Miorelli said. The NIZ law allows virtually all state taxes created by new development in the zone to be tapped by property owners to pay off debt from their building projects. An attorney for the newspaper, Joshua Bonn, said the public has a right to know specifically how much tax money is generated in the NIZ to support projects. In an interview, Browne cited two related reasons for the changes. Advertisement Browne said the initial Commonwealth Court ruling issued Feb. 19 in which it said the Department of Revenue failed to prove how disclosure of total tax revenues could be used to discover individual taxpayer liability revealed a legal loophole in confidentiality protections for tax information held by the state. That loophole opened the possibility the newspaper would be given information that would jeopardize taxpayer confidentiality, according to Browne. [ City Center grows cigarette wholesale business, key to NIZ, by acquiring downtown competitor ] Beyond that, Browne said, the same loophole mainly, the fact that tax reports were not considered confidential could have allowed the public access to every corporate tax return filed statewide, because they can be considered reports. The premise of this change obviously affected where the Morning Calls request was. But it was a lot bigger than that, Browne said. He added that it was a very big issue to face the possibility that every single tax report would possibly be available for the Department of Revenue to make public. Hence, he said, the statute needed to be changed. Two-year struggle No other municipality has played host to development sparked by a law exactly like the one that created the NIZ. Advertisement The covering of building debt with tax money has been credited with sparking $1 billion of development in the city. The program allows property owners to lower rents, which in turn has helped draw businesses into the city. Former Morning Call reporter Andy Wagaman filed the Right-to-Know request with the state Department of Revenue on July 8, 2019. A ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Gov. Tom Wolf, Sen. Pat Browne, and other state and local officials marks the opening of Five City Center in 2019. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call) It sought tax revenue totals attributable to the NIZ for things like personal income, cigarette, unemployment compensation and malt beverage taxes. The department denied the request. It said a breakdown by type would violate confidentiality provisions. Wagaman and the newspaper appealed to the state Office of Open Records. The agency in October 2019 directed the state to disclose cumulative revenue for certain tax types with three or more payers, agreeing that totals generated by fewer payers might jeopardize confidentiality. The Department of Revenue filed suit in Commonwealth Court against Wagaman and the newspaper. That suit led to the Feb. 19, 2021, order, the subsequent law change and ultimately the Dec. 30 order that ended the quest. Advertisement [ J.B. Reilly: The NIZ is working ] Wagamans request sought records for 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Browne-crafted amendment specifically said it would apply retroactively to January 1, 2016. Miorelli, the editor, said the case was a loss for more than the newspaper. I look at it as the residents of Allentown, Lehigh County and even the state of Pennsylvania lost, he said. We maintained and still maintain that the taxpayers have a right to know what amount of taxes are being used to subsidize a unique and exceptional program that has greatly benefited the city of Allentown and the region. Wagaman, who now works in the health care industry, agreed. NIZ, he said, should be as transparent a program as possible and the state should provide a breakdown of the sources of tax funds. Bonn underscored the fact the newspaper never asked for individual taxpayer information. Advertisement The Morning Call limited its request to the total amount of taxes that were paid by three or more businesses, Bonn said. If the General Assembly wanted to protect individual taxpayer information, they could have changed the law without depriving the public of the total amount of taxes paid by businesses in the NIZ. Big bill, little debate Melissa Melewsky, an attorney with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, questioned the openness of the process in which the fiscal code bill which conveys budget-implementing language was changed in a way that blocked the newspaper request. The changes cited by the judge were on page 50 of a 114-page bill. Besides adding reports to the section on confidentiality, the amendment also called for the confidentiality of correspondence and claims providing for credits administered by the department of Revenue independently or in conjunction with other agencies or revenue transfers to improvement or economic development zones. The PPL Center arena is a cornerstone of the NIZ. (MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO) It was approved by a Senate committee, the full Senate and then the full House on June 25 arguably the busiest day of 2021 for the Legislature. It was the last day before a two-month break for the Senate. On that day, the chamber took 50 roll call votes. By comparison, it only took 36 roll call votes in January. Advertisement The 300-member PNA monitors legislative action that might affect members and, according to Melewsky, did not catch the change deep in the fiscal code. We were watching the process and we have sophisticated tools to do that, she said. If this slid past us, how would the average citizen have any clue what was going on in this type of amendment? The lengthy, annual fiscal code bill has been criticized for including earmarks that use hazily worded language to direct money to specific projects. Some lawmakers have called it deceptive and nontransparent. [ After two-year drop, NIZ generates record tax revenue in 2019 ] Last Call Daily Get top headlines from The Morning Call delivered weekday afternoons. > Browne, who as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee has a large role in orchestrating fiscal code changes, rejected any notion the process is less than open. First, he said, amendments to the fiscal code are proposed, and then they are put before each caucus. Advertisement Browne said he could not say what happened in 2021 in any of the other three privately meeting caucuses the Senate Democrats, House Republicans or House Democrats. But in his Senate Republican caucus, he said, the amendments provision on taxpayer confidentiality was addressed. The caucus, he said, learned about what we are doing and why it needed to be done concerning language on tax reports particularly because the change was important to everyone. Afterward, it and other changes were voted on by both chambers, and then signed into law by Gov. Wolf, he said. This is not done in the middle of someones office, this is done in the sunshine of a law change, he said. Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com. (Ad) Its an exciting time for fans of cannabis in the Greater Boston area: Adult-use of cannabis is legal in Massachusetts, which means MA residents 21 years of age with valid identification can legally purchase and use cannabis and cannabis products recreationally. Boston is home to some of the best cannabis dispensaries in the state; and now, not only can you get the best weed from the best dispensaries in Boston, you can also get that weed delivered to your door as easily as you can get a pizza delivered. But with so many options for cannabis delivery in Boston, how do you choose the best way to shop for home delivery? By choosing Lantern. Lantern is a Cannabis Marketplace providing free, same-day cannabis delivery to the Greater Boston area from Bostons best local dispensaries. Lanterns intuitive shopping lets customers browse from multiple dispensaries at once, which allows customers not only to explore the wide variety of cannabis products offered by Boston area dispensaries but also to compare prices at the same time. With Lantern, customers With Lantern, customers can compare prices and dispensaries to find exactly what they're looking for, with delivery directly to their home -- for free! How to Shop with Lantern Shopping for cannabis delivery in Boston and the Greater Boston area is easy with Lantern. Go to lanternnow.com, enter your delivery address, and then browse the products available to you. Once youve chosen what you want, we do all the rest, delivering the best cannabis in Boston right to your front door. Lanterns system is more than just a catalog of cannabis products. Our website is interactive, which means you can shop not only for a specific product, but also for a specific experience. Lantern stocks a plethora of top-quality weed products from the best dispensaries in Boston, and weve organized them to make shopping for cannabis products an easy, fun experience as well as a chance to discover and learn about cannabis while you shop. Lantern customers can shop four ways: 1. Shop Lantern for a specific cannabis product Cannabis products come in many varieties, not only in terms of the actual product itself (so, for example, flower versus edibles vs topicals) but also in the components used to create the product itself. Cannabinoids, which are chemical substances occurring naturally within the cannabis plant, have different properties. Cannabinoids bind naturally with receptors in the human brain, which then stimulates their various effects on the brain and body. Understanding a little more about cannabinoids is helpful in curating your personal experience. Here is some basic background to get you started: Common Cannabinoids THC is a psychoactive cannabinoid most associated with feeling high, or euphoric. Meanwhile, CBD is a cannabinoid that binds to brain receptors more weakly than THC, so is milder in effect, and suggested for treating symptoms of pain, anxiety, insomnia, and more. THC and CBD are the most well known cannabinoids, but research shows there are over 100 additional cannabinoids in cannabis. Lantern delivers products that contain varying amounts of these cannabinoids, as each recipe will promote a different effect for the consumer. Strains Sativa: Sativa has higher levels of THC than indica, so is associated with an elevated mood and heightened sense of creativity. Sativa is a great option for social gatherings or on occasions when you need to increase focus. Sativa has higher levels of THC than indica, so is associated with an elevated mood and heightened sense of creativity. Sativa is a great option for social gatherings or on occasions when you need to increase focus. Indica: With a higher level of CBD than sativa, Indica lends itself to a mellower high. Indica can promote better sleep, aid in pain relief, and ease anxiety. With a higher level of CBD than sativa, Indica lends itself to a mellower high. Indica can promote better sleep, aid in pain relief, and ease anxiety. Hybrid: Any of these cannabinoid strains may be mixed in a hybrid strain, whether the indica-dominant, sativa-dominant, or evenly crossbred to create a desired effect. In fact, most of the cannabis products Lantern delivers are hybrid strains. Terpenes Terpenes are aromatic compounds found in many plants, including the cannabis plant, and along with cannabinoids, terpenes also enhance and affect cannabis products in various ways, which means they ultimately result in different experiences for the consumer. Terpenes are responsible for the smell of the plant, but research also shows that the terpenes found in cannabis also affect the body in ways not unlike cannabinoids do, but with the key difference that the body absorbs and uses terpene compounds in different ways than it uses cannabinoids. Since Lantern delivers from the best cannabis dispensaries in Greater Boston, our inventory includes the full spectrum of terpenes potential magic. You might check out Citrus Samurai Sauce, for example, with its unique terpene profile makeup that creates its sticky consistency perfect for rolling the Terpwin Station Flower for a smooth daytime high. Natural flavors and ingredients Along with the naturally occurring cannabinoids and terpenes in cannabis, todays top cannabis dispensaries in Boston also use an assortment of natural ingredients which can be added to cannabis products to enhance certain flavors, aromas, and effects. Think coconut oil, lavender, lemon oil, and mint just to get you started. Thats why a Lantern customer can choose from delectable products like the Apple Fritter Strain, Strawberry Gummies, or the soothing botanical Lemon Ginger Topical Salve. Lantern partners with the best dispensaries in Boston, dispensaries that are on the cutting-edge of cannabis science. We detail the strains used in all the products we deliver so that our customers can shop for an exact flavor, aroma, and texture as well curate the overall experience they seek. Those components create the aroma, flavor, texture, and most importantly, the overall effect of the consumer will experience. Lantern allows shoppers to choose from a variety of cannabis product categories, and within those categories, to select products that offer a spectrum of benefits and experiences. Learn more about cannabis with Lanterns blog, Cannabis 101. Which cannabis products does Lantern deliver? Lantern delivers: Flower: choose from a variety of strains and potencies in bud, single pre-roll, or pre-roll packs. Edibles: choose from gummies, chocolates, cookies, tinctures and even unflavored tabs in a wide assortment of recipes designed to produce a wide range of effects in the consumer. Concentrates: choose from rosins, tinctures, budders, butters, crumbles, shatters, and sauces for multiple purposes. Topicals: choose from lotions, salves, patches, gels, oils, and lubricants to enjoy a variety of both physical and mental effects. Accessories: choose from rolling papers, pipes, batteries, grinders, and lighters everything you need to enjoy Bostons best cannabis products in the comfort of your own home. Shop Lantern for a specific cannabis strain Lantern delivers the most sought after strains in Greater Boston. With Lantern, customers can explore the unique properties and effects each cannabis strain offers in order to curate the exact experience theyre looking for. Lanterns Strain Guide lets you learn about indica, sativa, and hybrid cannabis strains to better appreciate the potency and effects of these strains, as well as their origins, aromas, and flavor profiles. The most sought-after cannabis strains in the Greater Boston area are: Blue Dream: Blue Dream is one of the most popular hybrid strains not only in Boston, but in the world, thanks to its stimulating effects. Blue Dream is considered a great strain for beginners and experienced cannabis users as well, thanks to its appealing taste and effects. Blue Dream is popular with weed consumers seeking relaxation, energy, creativity, and focus. Blue Dream is one of the most popular hybrid strains not only in Boston, but in the world, thanks to its stimulating effects. Blue Dream is considered a great strain for beginners and experienced cannabis users as well, thanks to its appealing taste and effects. Blue Dream is popular with weed consumers seeking relaxation, energy, creativity, and focus. OG Kush: OG Kush is a marvel of modern-day cannabis genetics, wildly popular consumers for its potency and effects. OG Kush provides what is often described as a cerebral high, though it has various health benefits, both physical and psychological. With its high THC content, it is a well-known pain-reliever and powerful relaxant and may help combat symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. OG Kush is a marvel of modern-day cannabis genetics, wildly popular consumers for its potency and effects. OG Kush provides what is often described as a cerebral high, though it has various health benefits, both physical and psychological. With its high THC content, it is a well-known pain-reliever and powerful relaxant and may help combat symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Zkittles: Zkittlez is a recent and much loved addition to the cannabis mainstream menu. As the name indicates, Zkittzles buds are a vibrant combination of warm and cold tones, bright green, purple, and fluorescent orange. This award-winning hybrid has wonderful relaxation and stress relief effects, and can elevate mood as well as promote better sleep. Zkittlez is a recent and much loved addition to the cannabis mainstream menu. As the name indicates, Zkittzles buds are a vibrant combination of warm and cold tones, bright green, purple, and fluorescent orange. This award-winning hybrid has wonderful relaxation and stress relief effects, and can elevate mood as well as promote better sleep. Sour Diesel: Also known as Sour D, Sour Diesels lore tells us this strain was created at a Grateful Dead concert in the early 90s, but Sour D has become a legend in its own right. Sour D is a hybrid strain offering what consumers often describe as a mental high, a sense of euphoria. With an average THC content of 22%, Sour Diesel is sought by patients and recreational consumers seeking to alleviate stress, pain, fatigue, and depression. Sour Diesel can offer these benefits as a reliable daytime strain. Shop Lantern for a specific dispensary Weed delivery in Boston has never been easier or more custom-tailored to suit your needs. Once youve used Lanterns system to find cannabis dispensaries near you, you can start shopping. Peruse the offerings of Bostons best dispensaries using your smartphone or computer, choosing from a wide selection of flowers, edibles, concentrates, topicals, vapes and accessories. And rest easy knowing Lantern does not mark up the prices, which means that the price you see on Lantern is the same price youd see in the dispensary. Simply enter your address and begin shopping! Lantern delivers cannabis from the best dispensaries in Boston. Though we are always looking for new partnerships, weve already forged relationships with some of the most popular and high-quality weed dispensaries in Greater Boston. Dispensaries you can shop from at Lantern include: Were always adding more dispensaries, which means a constant supply of new and exciting inventory of the best cannabis products in the Greater Boston Area. Find the cannabis dispensaries near you. Shop by Mood Not sure which cannabis product you want delivered, but know how you want that product to make you feel? Lanterns unique website lets consumers shop the best cannabis in Boston by mood. Because cannabis offers so many different experiences and benefits, sometimes the sheer abundance of options can be overwhelming. Even if you are a long-time consumer, there may be new strains and products you havent heard of, and if youre new to cannabis, you might not be aware of the many ways cannabis can contribute to a sense of wellness and better living. With the Lantern website, you can shop by the mood youre seeking to enhance. Weve curated the best cannabis products from the best dispensaries in Greater Boston, and organized them in categories based on the kind of experience these products can offer. Lantern customers can: Each category includes a variety of high-quality weed products produced by the best dispensaries in Boston, with detailed descriptions of the ingredients, components, and effects. This way, you can shop for a truly custom-made feeling and experience. How Lantern delivers cannabis in Boston Consumers in Massachusetts have the option to shop legally for both medical and recreational cannabis. Lantern offers weed delivery in Boston and the Greater Boston area for both medical and recreational adult-use through a simple, streamlined process: Enter your address to be matched to the dispensaries near you. Shop for your desired mood, strain, or cannabis product. Once you find what youre looking for, complete your order with our simple checkout process. New customers will have to provide valid identification, just as you would if you were buying weed in person at any legal dispensary in Boston. The ID shown at the time of delivery has to match the verified ID from the order and expired or out-of-state IDs are not accepted. Sit back and relax: Your cannabis is on its way to you! When does Lantern deliver? LanterNow.com is available 24/7, 365 days a year for browsing and ordering, but delivery hours vary in relation to the hours of the dispensaries we partner with. (Interested in becoming a delivery driver for the best cannabis dispensaries in Boston? Connect with employers on our Driver Board). Lanterns current delivery hours are Monday-Sunday, 9:00am-9:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to work with Pakistan to advance the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday. Wang made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. China is willing to work with Pakistan to comprehensively and vigorously promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, Wang said. He said China firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereign independence and territorial integrity, achieving national prosperity, and safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests. Wang noted that after nine years of construction, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has become a leading project for the common development of the two countries and has achieved fruitful results. China stands ready to work with Pakistan to promote high-quality development of the corridor construction, help Pakistan promote agricultural modernization, and enhance its independent development capabilities, Wang added. Qureshi said Pakistan firmly adheres to the one-China principle and unreservedly supports China's position on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and all other issues involving China's core interests. Pakistan is willing to further deepen cooperation with China on industry, agriculture, science and technology, and defense, and continue to promote the construction of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, Qureshi added. Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) will launch its observation of Black History Month Thursday, Feb. 10 with a Diverse Cultures, Diverse Humanities Series virtual lecture focusing on social justice post George Floyd. Dr. Lorenzo M. Boyd, Stewart Professor of Criminal Justice and Community Policing at the University of New Haven, will present his virtual lecture titled, "Social Justice Post-George Floyd: Lessons Learned and Pathways Forward" Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. To register, visit: https://go.tamiu.edu/diversity-boyd Dr. Boyd is a nationally recognized expert in police-community relations and an authority on urban policing. Prior to his current position, he served as the University of New Haven's vice president for Diversity and Inclusion and as former director of the Center for Advanced Policing. His 14-year service as a deputy sheriff in Boston informs his 20-year career in higher education He effectively translates research and theory into practice, making him a sought-after consultant, trainer, and speaker for departments and communities across the country. Boyd conducts professional development training with a central focus on building levels of empathy, lived experience, and cultural competence among police personnel. He works with police leaders around the country to determine training needs and develops interactive professional development sessions that include real-life scenarios and role play. He also regularly appears on local, regional, national, and international media outlets to discuss policing in the aftermath of high-profile cases. He is the former president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Science and a life member of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. Boyd earned his doctorate from Northeastern University. He also holds a masters and bachelors degree from the University of Massachusetts. The Diverse Cultures, Diverse Humanities Series, funded by a Humanities Texas Grant, is a seven-part virtual speaker series sponsored by Humanities Texas and hosted by TAMIU. It aims to provide a space for ongoing conversation about issues connected to diversity and inclusion by inviting top humanists and creative writers to share their experiences and expertise with the community. TAMIU's Black History Month events also include: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 4:30-5:30 p.m. - STC 230 | Social Justice Leadership Series presents Conscious Coffee Hour presents "Voicing Afro-Latinx Histories & Identities." Guest speaker Allison C. Roman, better known as Alli, is a Black Latina educator, storyteller, and social justice advocate and will share a conversation about Afrolatinidad with the TAMIU community. Open to TAMIU community members. Wednesday, Feb. 23, 4:30-5:30 p.m. - STC 230 | Social Justice Leadership Series presents an in-person panel discussion, "Black Experiences at TAMIU." TAMIU faculty and students will share their experiences. Guest panelists include Dr. Peter Haruna, professor and director of Public Administration, Dr. Varaidzo Zvobgo, assistant professor of Public Administration, Simileoluwa Odunuga, TAMIU student, and other student leaders. Open to TAMIU community members. Thursday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. - Virtual event. Free and open to the public | The Diverse Cultures, Diverse Humanities Series will offer a virtual lecture with Dr. Gretchen Sullivan Sorin. Her lecture is titled, "Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights." Dr. Sullivan Sorin is Director and Distinguished Service Professor at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, a training program for museum curators, educators, and directors that is part of the State University of New York College at Oneonta. She is also a Fellow of the New York Academy of historians. For the past 20 years Sorin has worked to broaden representation in the museum field for underrepresented groups. To register, visit: https://go.tamiu.edu/diversity-sorin Tuesday, March 22, 7 p.m. - Virtual event. Free and open to the public | The Diverse Cultures, Diverse Humanities Series will present a Virtual Lecture with Dr. Neal Lester on "Straight Talk about the Nword." Dr. Lester is Foundation Professor of English and Founding Director of the multiple award-winning Project Humanities initiative at Arizona State University. With expertise in African American literature and culture, Dr. Lester has authored or edited seven books and myriad essays and chapters on topics ranging from the race and gender politics of hair, Black masculinities, and African American folklore, to Toni Morrisons childrens books. In addition to his publications on ntozake shange, Alice Walker, Sapphire, and Zora Neale Hurston, Dr. Lester has done pioneering work on the Nword, having created and taught the first college course on the Nword in the United States. To register, visit: https://go.tamiu.edu/diversity-lester TAMIU's Black History Month events are presented in collaboration with TAMIU's Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Committee (TIDE), TAMIU Student Orientation, Leadership and Engagement, and the Diverse Cultures, Diverse Humanities Series. For more information, please contact TAMIU's Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268. BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Assets under management of public offering funds in China climbed to 25.56 trillion yuan (4 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of last year, data from the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC) showed. China had 137 asset management companies at the end of 2021, including 45 foreign-invested companies and 92 domestic companies, according to AMAC, an industry body supervised by China's securities regulator. At the end of 2021, 12 securities firms or asset management subsidiaries under securities firms and two insurance asset management companies had qualifications for the management of public offering funds, AMAC data showed. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, left, and Sarnia Lambton MP Marilyn Gladu have dinner, unmasked, with some of the trucking convoy protesters in Ottawa. How did Conservatives come to overtly condone a demonstration in which swastikas and F-Trudeau signs are hoisted in front of the Parliament they pledge to honour? Florida, US (34429) Today Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 88F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly cloudy. Low 69F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez Sunday in Beijing, saying that China is willing to advance exchanges and cooperation in various fields and usher in another brilliant 50 years under the comprehensive strategic partnership with Argentina. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Argentina, Xi said, hailing mutual understanding and support over the past half century. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have stood together and helped each other, setting a good example of solidarity and cooperation among emerging market economies, Xi said. China is willing to share development opportunities with Argentina and help Argentina increase exports and promote industrial upgrade, he said. Calling for implementing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said the two sides should deepen cooperation in the fields including trade, agriculture, energy and mining, infrastructure, investment and financing as well as pandemic response. He also proposed to cultivate new growth points of cooperation in digital economy and green development. Noting this year marks the "Year of China-Argentina Friendship and Cooperation," Xi said the two sides will actively facilitate culture, sport, media, youth and local exchanges. China is ready to work closely with Argentina within the frameworks of the United Nations and the G20 to practice true multilateralism, improve global governance, and jointly advance the Global Development Initiative, Xi said. Hailing the great achievements in bilateral cooperation over the past 50 years, Fernandez said that Argentina is always firmly committed to the one-China policy as well as deepening the friendship between the two sides. He expressed gratitude to China for providing a large amount of medical supplies and vaccines at the critical moment of Argentina's fight against COVID-19, and expressed the hope of continuing to strengthen cooperation with China on vaccine and pharmaceutical production. Argentina will continue to actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation and welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in the country, said Fernandez, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The two sides have issued a joint statement on deepening the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a series of documents for cooperation, including a memorandum of understanding on jointly promoting the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Chinese, Argentine presidents announce launch of Year of Friendly Cooperation: joint statement China, Argentina sign MoU on Belt and Road Initiative: joint statement Canadas employment growth slows in January due to Omicron Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey results say Canada lost 200,000 jobs in January. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The surge of Omicron cases in Canada forced businesses to close in January. As a result, Canada lost 200,000 jobs and unemployment rose to 6.5%. Statistics Canadas newest Labour Force Survey captures Canadas labour data from the week of January 9 to 15. By then, public health measures included capacity limits in retail stores and closures of restaurants, bars, concert halls and gyms. Many schools also switched to online learning. Employment declines were largely driven by Ontario and Quebec. Accommodation and food services was the hardest-hit industry. Youth (ages 15 to 24) and women core-aged women (25 to 54 years old) were more likely than other demographics to work in industries affected by closures. For core-aged people identifying as belonging to groups designated as visible minorities, the employment rate declined by a similar amount in January (-1.6 percentage points to 79.8%) as for those who are not a visible minority and not Indigenous (-1.5 percentage points to 84.6%) (not seasonally adjusted). Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration Unemployment increased for the first time in nine months. Before Omicron, Canadas unemployment was at 6%, according to the December Labour Force Survey. The increase in unemployment last month was largely due to temporary lay-offs and people who were scheduled to start working in the near future. The number of people looking for work was little changed. There are numerous factors driving the larger than expected decline in Canadian jobs, including the closure of in-person schooling, indoor dining and recreation in some provinces, said Jim Mitchell, president of LHH Canada, in an email to CIC News, With one of the largest recorded unemployment rates since April 2021, we are seeing a dip in both full-time and part-time employment, yet it remains unclear whether these drops are correlated with January related seasonal cuts and voluntary resignations. RBC senior economist Nathan Janzen said the Omicron variant made a larger-than-expected dent in the Canadian economy. However, he expects the damage to be temporary as provinces relax public health measures. Although the January labour market data looks exceptionally bad, we expect the recovery to start in February with virus spread and containment measures already easing in parts of the country (including Ontario and Quebec), Janzen wrote. Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options. Sorry, no valid subscriptions were found for this Publication. Please select from an option below to start a subscription. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 24 Hour Access Oklahoma City, OK (73106) Today Windy with thunderstorms, possibly strong during the afternoon hours. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 83F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low near 45F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday said China is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in an all-round way with Kyrgyzstan, so as to bring more benefits to the people of the two countries. Xi made the remarks when meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Xi also said China stands ready to comprehensively upgrade security cooperation with Kyrgyzstan to jointly safeguard the security and stability of the two countries and the region. China and Kyrgyzstan have established high-level comprehensive strategic partnership, said Xi, adding that the Chinese side firmly supports the Kyrgyz side in independently choosing its development path and in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and security. Xi noted that China is willing to increase its import of high-quality green agricultural and sideline products from Kyrgyzstan, speed up advancing key cooperation projects, and support the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. He also voiced China's willingness to expand cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in areas such as healthcare, poverty alleviation, vocational education, women and youth affairs. Zhaparov expressed the Kyrgyz side's firm support for China in safeguarding its core interests on issues involving Xinjiang, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The Kyrgyz president noted the country is willing to work closely with China to make the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway a flagship project in the Belt and Road cooperation. He also said that Kyrgyzstan expects to enhance its coordination and cooperation with China in international and regional affairs, as well as combating terrorism and organized crime, so as to safeguard the security of the two countries and the region. The two sides have issued a joint statement between the two heads of state and signed multiple documents for cooperation in culture, green development, and translation of each other's classic works, among other areas. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Claremore, OK (74018) Today Showers and thunderstorms - possibly severe during the afternoon hours. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong during the evening will give way to mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 48F. SSW winds shifting to NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. The old saying is that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. I wonder if that is the same for beer cans? A super ugly incident occurred last weekend at Yankee Stadium when fans started throwing beer and other debris at Cleveland Guardians players following a walk-off afternoon win for New York April 23. When it comes to leaving their parents for extended periods of time, being homesick is inevitable for some kids. Summer camp staff members may encounter this from time to time and it is good for them to be prepared to comfort children when those types of situations present themselves. From rapping to dance battles, Penn States Downtown Theatre Center presents GRAFF," a hip-hop theatre piece emphasizing the message of self-expression written and directed by Penn State student Kyle Blumenthal. Blumenthal (senior-acting), who began acting in seventh grade, said he "grew more interested in writing and directing as he got older. I really like putting together the machine that is the theatre. I feel like it is best to dip into as many areas as you can to learn how to tell a story. With this passion for stories, Blumenthal began the writing process for GRAFF his senior year of high school and said it has come a long way since then. Beginning as a story on paper, GRAFF progressed into a podcast, mini series and is now finally what it is meant to be, Blumenthal said a theatre show performed on stage. Taking inspiration from graffiti and its imperfect art form, Blumenthal said ['GRAFF'] is about expression specifically for young people nowadays trying to express themselves and getting bullied very badly for it. I hope people can be less judgemental and critical of others after seeing this show, Blumenthal said, and support the idea of expression, even if it's not perfect because thats not what it's about. The theatre piece diversifies itself through structure and characters, bringing various art forms to life and ultimately creating the message of being true to your art and not sacrificing that for others, audience member Lucy Martin (freshman-acting) said. Main character Elliot, played by Justin Roldan Figueroa, struggles with self-expression and personal relationships throughout the show, reflecting on his true self as a graffiti artist and how his family and friends contribute to that. Elliot nearly succumbs to pressure by surrounding characters to change his art form in an effort to be noticed and fit in. Struggling with self-discovery, Elliot gains a piece of advice from his father, played by Shane Troxell (junior-acting): Its not about whether or not you can take the journey its about whether or not you can take the first step. Roldan Figueroa (freshman-acting), originally from Puerto Rico, related Elliot to his personal journey with self-expression. I grew up in an environment where I was very different from everyone, Roldan Figueroa said. I liked a lot of things that made it hard to fit in and relate with other kids in my age group. Back in Puerto Rico there werent many career opportunities with the arts. Especially after the coronavirus pandemic, Roldan Figueroa discussed his personal struggles. My family really helped me through the journey, Roldan Figueroa said, explaining his passion for acting and pursuing it at Penn State. They actually came to watch me tonight, which was heartwarming. Jenna Wood, who plays the character Skim, also explained how the show's meaning seeped into the cast and her personal life. All the family elements and friendship I really love, Wood (senior-acting) said. I completely adore the cast. With lights, sound and humor, GRAFF is an immersive experience for its audience, carrying forth Blumenthals aspirations beyond the final applause. At the end of the day, I love storytelling, Blumenthal said. I believe through stories, we can learn more about each other as people. Succeeding Friday and Saturday nights' shows, "GRAFF" will perform again at 2 p.m. on Sunday. With self-expression and staying true to who you are, you can really have a chance to change the world, Roldan Figueroa said. MORE LIFESTYLE CONTENT Offer a personal message of sympathy... By sharing a fond memory or writing a kind tribute, you will be providing a comforting keepsake to those in mourning. If you have an existing account with this site, you may log in with that below. Otherwise, you can create an account by clicking on the Log in button below, and then register to create your account. SHANGHAI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) --A bunch of foreign students have recently participated in an event in Shanghai to celebrate the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year. These students are mainly from the countries along the Belt and Road route, such as Tanzania and Morocco in Africa, Myanmar and Kazakhstan in Asia, and Russia. They made Chinese knots, tried Chinese tongue twisters, sang songs and wrote Chinese calligraphy. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Danville, IL (61832) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 68F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Rain. Low 57F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Former journalist Marc Lourdes dies in a road accident in Kota Baru, Malaysia Former journalist, Marc Lourdes passed on in a fatal accident yesterday. As per a New Straits Times (NST) report, Marc was involved in a head-on collision with a four-wheel drive at KM40 Jalan Kota Baru-Kuala Krai while riding a motorcycle. 40-year-old Marc left behind his wife and his mother. Machang district police chief Deputy Superintendent Ganti Jimmy reportedly said Marc was riding towards Kota Baru when his motorcycle collided with a car coming from the opposite direction. Former journalist Marc Lourdes dies in a road accident in Kota Baru, Malaysia. Photo: Marc Lourdes Instagram Page Marc had worked with leading Malaysian publications like The Star, New Straits Times, afterwards joining Yahoo Malaysia as the portals editor-in-chief. With Yahoo, he relocated to Singapore as the editor for Yahoo Southeast Asia before joining CNN as the Digital Director. He was currently serving as the Regional Digital Content Director with the Tatler Asia Group. In an article paying homage to the departed much loved and respected content creator and journalist, Michel Lamuniere, CEO and Chairman of Tatler Asia Group, said, Marc was a great person and a true professional. He was intelligent, cultured, had a great sense of humour and a love of life. We will all miss his presence greatly and offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his family, his wife Darshini and his friends all over the world. Himanshu Verma, Founder and CEO, Connected to India, said, I am devastated to read about this development. Straight shooting Marc never held back his opinion on any subject. He had his way with people and got along with everyone. He was liked and respected in equal measure." "It was while working with Marc on Malaysias first short film awards called Cili Padi, I realised his business acumen was as sharp as his journalistic abilities. It is a travesty that a person of his talent has been taken away so soon, Himanshu added. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Stein Arvid Huseby graduated high school at 24. This was a bit late, because he had by this point spent a few years in prison for a variety of offenses, most of which involved him pointing a gun at people. Now, he had a bone to pick with the nation about the way they treated ex-cons. And he figured that the best way to get an audience to air his grievances was to point a gun at people. The very day after his graduation, he bought a gun, and then he boarded a flight to Oslo. No one spotted the gun in security because there was no security. This was 1985, and though the world was gradually shifting to checking passengers for weapons, Norway had yet to see a single hijacking. If someone did hijack a plane and divert it somewhere new, that would waste a few hours of everyone's time, but checking every single passenger on every single flight for weapons might waste even more time. In the air, Huseby pulled his gun on a stewardess. He ordered the plane to land in Oslo as planned, revealing he had an objective in mind beyond reaching a new destination. He was keeping the 120 people on the plane hostage, he said, both with his gun and with explosives he'd planted in the restrooms (he was lying about the explosives). His demands? He wanted an audience with the prime minister, the minister of justice, and the press, to talk about how society deals with people after releasing them from prison. BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- China and Mongolia have agreed to strengthen cooperation on development in an all-round way in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, according to a joint statement of the two countries' governments published on Sunday. The two countries are good neighbors, good friends and good partners, and have always developed bilateral relations from a strategic long-term perspective, said the statement. Respecting each other's chosen development paths, the two sides adhere to the principles of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence. Mongolia reiterated its firm adherence to the one-China principle, and supports China's position on issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. The two sides spoke highly of the China-Mongolia cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and agreed to continue working together and supporting each other. They also called on the international community to strengthen communication and cooperation, adhere to science in the fight against COVID-19, oppose politicization of the pandemic and build a global community of health for all. The two sides agreed to strengthen development cooperation in an all-round way in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Mongolia appreciates and supports the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and both sides are willing to further synergize the China-proposed GDI and the Belt and Road Initiative with Mongolia's "Vision 2050" long-term development policy and the new revival policy, to expand cooperation in trade, investment, finance, minerals, energy, interconnectivity, infrastructure, digital economy and green development. The two countries will strengthen cooperation on ecological environment as well as prevention and control of desertification, jointly address global climate change, create a clean and beautiful ecological environment, and build a community of life for human and nature, said the statement. China appreciates Mongolia's plan to plant 1 billion trees and stands ready to actively conduct relevant exchanges and cooperation with Mongolia, it added. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation on international and regional affairs of common concern, work together to address global and regional challenges, reaffirm the pivotal role of the United Nations (UN) in maintaining international peace, security and sustainable development, uphold the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, jointly safeguard multilateralism and support the international community's efforts to promote peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom as the humanity's common values. Susan Graham signed up to get four free at-home COVID tests from the federal government a day or so after the initiative launched. A few weeks later, her tests arrived in the mail. We signed up the first or second day the website was active, and received our COVID tests on Jan 31 or Feb 1, the Bridgeport resident said. But other Connecticut residents say they havent had the same luck. I placed my order on Jan. 18 through the post office, received my confirmation number and was told that I would receive a tracking number before my tests were to be sent out, between seven and 12 days for delivery, Trumbulls Augustus Sclafani said. It is now Feb. 3 and I have not even received a tracking confirmation. Sclafani said he wasnt the only one. I have asked many other people that live in my area who ordered on the same day and nobody has received anything, he said. In an email, USPS spokesperson Dave Partenheimer said, we ship the tests out as quickly as we receive them. Weve seen 60 million households request tests, and tens of millions have received them, Partenheimer said. This is huge demand and were making incredible progress." But some Connecticut residents say they are still waiting. Christine Morace, of Preston, said she ordered tests as soon as allowed. Morace said she did not get them and did not get a tracking number. Emailed USPS, but do not expect a response. Very disappointing. Susan Maugeri, of Fairfield, said she and her sister ordered their testing kits on the day the program launched. We both ordered our tests on Jan. 18 and received a confirmation email, but have not heard or received anything since, she said. I also ordered my tests on Jan. 18, Danburys Michael Thompson said. I received the confirmation right away, but so far no tracking number and no tests. The White House said a half-billion tests would be available to Americans beginning Jan. 19, but the website went live with a soft launch a day earlier. At one point, there were about 700,000 people using the site the day before its official launch. Starting Jan. 19, Americans will be able to order their tests online at COVIDTests.gov, and tests will typically ship within seven to 12 days of ordering, according to a White House FAQ sheet. Linda Auleta, of Norwalk, said she was told something similar when she inquired. I placed my order for COVID tests on Jan 18. I told many friends and they also placed orders on the same day. All of my friends received their tests and I have not received anything. Go figure, she said. I called the phone number they provided on their website and they told me they are all being sent out as supply comes in. OK, she asked, where might mine be? 99 cent introductory offer Includes everything we offer online for 24-7 news. This option allows you to read unlimited stories at ctnewsonline.com, and access our e-Edition (digital replicate of the daily newspaper). $7.99 per month after the introductory offer. This service comes with a complimentary CT Select Card allowing for local discounts. Rates are subject to change. BRIDGEPORT The Connecticut Airport Authority is willing to pay the city up to $10 million to purchase Sikorsky Memorial Airport. We have decided it would be in our best interests to try to pursue an acquisition, Kevin Dillon, the authoritys director, said Friday. Its easier to accomplish. Its a lot cleaner. When it was publicly revealed in mid-November that the authority, which operates Bradley International and five other state-owned airports, wanted to add Bridgeports Stratford-based Sikorsky to its portfolio, leasing the facility was also on the table. But Dillon has since voiced his preference for a sale. And this week the CAA board made that option the official way forward, approving a term sheet outlining the requirements of Dillons final negotiations with Mayor Joe Ganims administration and specifying the authoritys end goal is to own Sikorsky at a sale price of $10 million. That does not mean if for some reason we cant reach an understanding on the acquisition we wont come back and revisit a long-term lease, Dillon noted. Bridgeport for the past few years has been trying to lure regular commercial passenger service back to Sikorsky after those flights ended there over two decades ago. The facility currently caters to business, charter and private planes, but the old passenger terminal there was demolished. The challenge for the Ganim administration and any interested private airlines has been that Sikorsky has an annual operating deficit of around $500,000 and it will take millions worth of infrastructure upgrades to again offer commercial passenger flights. A recently released study that the city co-commissioned with tenants Atlantic Aviation and Three Wing Aviation on the airports unrealized economic potential concluded Sikorsky could reap millions for the state from new taxes and fees, jobs, a positive impact on property values and by attracting other businesses, but a new passenger terminal alone will cost at least $15 million. Enter the CAA which, Dillon, Ganim aides, Sikorsky tenants and other airport advocates have argued, has the ability to obtain those infrastructure dollars and the expertise to take Sikorsky to the next level and make it an important part of Connecticut's transportation infrastructure and economy. Dillon said he hoped to be able to finalize a deal with Bridgeport so that the CAA will take over Sikorsky by years end. So long as it (the deal) follows the provisions of the term sheet, he emphasized. As for the $10 million sale price, Dillon noted that is contingent upon Bridgeport being able to prove under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines that the city over the years has spent that much out of its operating budget, excluding airport revenues, to keep Sikorsky running. Because the FAA has invested lots of money into Sikorsky, Bridgeport is prevented from simply selling off the facility and realizing a profit. So, for example, proceeds from current leases and fees there must be reinvested back into the site. The CAAs term sheet, which the authority provided Hearst Connecticut Media Friday following a Freedom of Information Act request, also requires the CAA to offer employment to all existing airport employees no earlier than Aug. 1 2022 and to retain the name. In December the Ganim administration, for marketing purposes, re-christened Sikorsky as the Bridgeport Sikorsky Memorial Airport, angering some who saw the change as an affront to Igor Sikorsky, the aviation engineer and icon after which the facility was named in 1972. The CAA agrees to operate the airport under the name Bridgeport-Sikorsky, specifies the term sheet. If the CAA buys the airport it would also be required to set up an advisory committee to ensure communication between the airport and the local community. Efforts over the years to improve Sikorsky and host more flights there have met intense opposition from some Stratford residents. According to the term sheet, the CAA will also undertake a study to determine if there are any environmental issues at Sikorsky that need to be addressed ahead of the infrastructure upgrades. The document notes, The existence of contamination and required remediation may affect the date of sale and, possibly, the citys ability to sell the airport. Bridgeports City Council will ultimately have to vote to sell. And as of Friday Council President Aidee Nieves said she would prefer leasing to the CAA. Im at no sale, Nieves said, arguing she believes Bridgeport would be better off continuing to own Sikorsky, particularly if the goals of upgrading the site and bringing back commercial passenger service could still be accomplished through a lease with CAA. Meanwhile Councilwoman Maria Pereira, who has frequently complained whenever the city invests dollars into the money-losing airport, on Friday held the opposite opinion. Pereira believes if the Ganim administration has a chance to get out of the airport business, it should take it. I can tell you in my 12 years in politics Ive never had a constituent talk about the airport and how much we need one, Pereira said Friday. It might be important to corporations, but its not important to the people I serve every day. David Faile, head of the Friends of Sikorsky organization representing the facility's users, said he is neutral on CAA being the owner versus versus leasing and managing the property. I dont know what would be better for the airport and users, Faile said, adding he is worried about what the future holds for small general aviation light craft at the site and is seeking assurances those planes and their pilots will still have an important role there. Its the small general aviation airplanes that do lots of takeoffs and landings and keep the traffic count up at the airport, Faile said. A lot of FAA funding is based on how active the airport is. NAIROBI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- While studying at a rural high school in western Kenyan county of Homa Bay several years ago, Terrence Omondi's resolve to plunge into technology-related fields hit the climax thanks to nudging by tutors and close family members. The 22-year-old telecommunications and information engineering major at a public university near the Kenyan capital of Nairobi believes that his youthful agility, energy and passion has placed him at a vantage position to drive his homeland's digital transformation agenda. Having emerged as top winner in the 2021-2022 edition of Huawei's ICT Competition, Omondi's quest to be at the steering wheel as Kenya's fourth industrial revolution unfolds received the much needed vitality. "It feels good to have acquired high-end skills like network security, data transmission and configuration through the Huawei ICT competition," Omondi told Xinhua recently at a ceremony to honor winners of the digital skills contest supported by Huawei. He was among over 3,000 youth drawn from dozens of local public universities who participated in the annual Huawei ICT competition that put to test their ability to navigate the digital space. Omondi and his eight colleagues who qualified for the regional contest to be held at the end of February demonstrated high-level proficiency in advanced ICT skills including networking and managing systems. The ambitious youngster learnt about the contest from a friend toward the last quarter of 2021 and decided to give it a try, even as he grappled with a busy academic calendar. "The competition itself was challenging. I had to juggle class work and rigorous study as well as visit to the labs for practical lessons which were part of the competition," said Omondi. In December, he participated in the final phase of the national contest, and at the beginning of January, he was informed about his sterling performance and eventual qualification for the regional version. Omondi credits Huawei for providing him with a platform to hone his ICT skills, adding that he looked forward to becoming a network engineer and working in any of the large telecom firms in the country. A sizable number of female university students participated in the 2021-2022 edition of Huawei ICT competition, defying culturally sanctioned limitations to prove their mettle. Stephanie Cherono, a 22-year-old electrical engineering major at Kenya's oldest university, the University of Nairobi, said that she was elated to learn that she was among the female winners of the grueling contest. "Participation in the contest was in itself a giant leap of faith in my abilities to operate networking systems, transmit and store data in the cloud," said Cherono. "I knew ICT was a male dominated field but I am determined to prove that even women and girls can excel in this space. In future, I intend to apply skills gained from the Huawei ICT competition to mentor young girls," she added. According to Cherono, it was while she was in high school at a rural hamlet in northwestern Kenya when her physics teacher encouraged her to take up a career in information technology. When an opportunity to participate at the Huawei digital skills contest came knocking her way, she took it gladly, worked hard and outshone fiercely competitive peers to emerge among the top ten winners. "It was not easy to balance class work and the competition which involved lots of reading and prepping ahead of examinations. Nevertheless, it was fulfilling to learn in early January that I was a winner," said Cherono. Thousands of Kenyan youth who have participated in the national Huawei ICT competition have gained invaluable skills besides positioning themselves to grab opportunities in the emerging digital economy. Jerome Ochieng, the principal secretary in the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, said that a strategic partnership with Huawei has boosted digital literacy in the country. "Through our partnership with Huawei, we have been able to bridge the skills gap in the ICT sector to help promote growth of the knowledge-based economy in the country," said Ochieng. He noted that Huawei ICT competition has also provided a platform to mentor and upskill the next generation of specialists in advanced fields like artificial intelligence, block chain, network security and cloud computing. Kevin Wen, the director of Enterprise Business Group at Huawei Kenya, said a partnership with Kenya's institutions of higher learning has grown stronger in order to produce a critical mass of skilled workforce that could power digital transformation in the country. MONROE The property at 10 Victoria Drive was once proposed to be a Walmart Supercenter. But the retailer pulled out of the project in 2017. After sitting vacant and unused since then, the plot has a new purpose. Its now a parking facility, leased to the new Amazon distribution center in Trumbull, according to Town Planner Richard Schultz. He said Amazon did not have enough space for its delivery vehicles on-site, so the online retailer proposed leasing the Victoria Drive land last year with the goal of being able to use the property for this past holiday season. The parking portion has been in use since November, but is set to be completed in the spring. The whole facility is scheduled to be done by the end of March, Monroe Economic Development Director Bill Holsworth said. Were looking at tying up all the loose ends now and doing all the inspections, getting all the documentation thats necessary and being able to provide certificates of completion and certificates of occupancy for those areas that can be occupied. The main building and final landscaping are all that is left to do, Schultz said. The final landscaping will be done once the weather warms up a bit. Once complete, the 24.75-acre property will feature 668 van spaces, 43 car spaces, a 10,000-square-foot building with a locker room and break room, and a 277-square-foot guard house, according to site plans. For taxation purposes, the vehicles on the property are going to be listed at the Victoria Drive address, according to the proposal. Town officials expect substatial tax revenue from the site, but wont know exactly how much until October, when the full project is included in the towns grand list. According to the proposal, vehicles will be leaving and returning during off-peak hours to maximize efficiency and minimize traffic disruption in the surrounding areas. Potential traffic issues were a concern for some residents at the time of the Walmart proposal, but Schultz and Holsworth said that same sentiment had not been shared by locals this time around. The residents that are closest to it felt overall that this land use had the least amount of impact compared to Walmart, Schultz said. The previous plan to build a Walmart had threatened some of the nearby wetlands, Schultz said, but those concerns have been addressed under this new project, he said. The Monroe Planning and Zoning Commission approved the project with the 10,000-square-foot building last April. The owners FSI DY05 LLC, according to Town Assessor Justin Feldman returned to P&Z in August to request a change to reduce the main buildings size to 2,500-square-feet. But the commission rejected the request over concerns that the site would become an empty parking lot once Amazon no longer had need of it. mike.mavredakis@hearstmediact.com We always want to know what's happening in our local community. Don't hesitate to send us a tip about any and all news relating to UCF and Orlando. SUBMIT Chip Minemyer is the editor and general manager of The Tribune-Democrat and TribDem.com, GM of The Times-News of Cumberland, Md., and CNHI regional editor for Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina. He can be reached at 814-532-5091. Follow him on Twitter @MinemyerChip. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is talking tough about halting the deluge of Russian money and influence in Britain. Last week she announced plans to give the UK the power to sanction a broader range of individuals and businesses and target anyone providing strategic support close to Vladimir Putin. Fearless Lizs officials have no doubt given a clean bill of health to every rouble donated to the Tory Party and its MPs by Russian donors and their wives. And of course none of her plans apply to the entirely above-board links to Moscow enjoyed by some next door in the House of Lords. Lord (Francis) Maude sits in the Lords while running a consulting firm that has advised the Putin-friendly Kazakh government. It didnt stop him from being made an adviser to the Cabinet Office and Treasury in 2020. Lord (Greg) Barker, a Minister in the Cameron government, took a leave of absence from the second chamber to trouser 6 million a year from a Russian energy giant linked to Putins pal Oleg Deripaska. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is talking tough about halting the deluge of Russian money and influence in Britain writes ANNA MIKHAILOVA As a result, he cannot vote or sit in the Lords but keeps his title, use of parliamentary stationery and dining facilities for up to five guests, oh, and no longer needs to register outside interests. I can reveal that Lord (Robert) Skidelsky, who since 2016 sat on the board of Russian oil company Russneft, while keeping his position in our legislature, has seen the light and quit the oil giants board last month. The former Tory and now crossbench peer tells me: On reflection, I thought it was not appropriate to serve on the board of a sanctioned entity. That didnt stop him taking Truss to task on Twitter over her decision to make public MI6 intelligence saying Russia is plotting a coup in Ukraine, comparing it to how the security services were accused of sexing up Tony Blairs dodgy Iraq dossier. But it looks like his fellow peers can keep guzzling their caviar. Untangled from Webbe Claudia Webbe MP for Leicester East A politician has resigned after being investigated by the police. No, not that one. Its Claudia Webbe, whos quit the Foreign Affairs Committee after her conviction for harassing a woman she suspected of having an affair with her partner. She still refuses to resign as MP for Leicester East though, despite losing the Labour whip. Committee members will miss her cross-examining skills, such as when she kept asking the then-Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab why he wasnt considering legal action in Belarus without saying against whom and why. Webbe, left, who threatened to throw acid at the woman she harassed, told relieved committee colleagues it had been a real pleasure working with them. Suck-up Tories in the Save Big Dog guard are coming across more Suicide Squad than Avengers. Workington MP Mark Jenkinson equated the idea of the PM resigning over a fixed penalty notice for breaking lockdown rules to a parking fine. And Peterborough MP Paul Bristow told hacks on leaving Mondays 1922 Committee meeting with Boris that he felt absolutely pumped. Thats the same Bristow banned for doing 76mph in a 50mph road after two previous speeding offences. Whats a fixed penalty notice between such upstanding politicians going nowhere fast? South Ribble MP Katherine Fletcher is another loyalist being wheeled out by Team Boris, which likes having a straight- talking Lancashire lass to parrot the party line. But a fellow Red Waller tells me that Fletcher tries a little too hard pushing the us Northerners image. When at the now-notorious Fizz with Liz dinner last year at a Mayfair private members club, she apparently necked beer, engaged in loud banter with the Foreign Secretary host before throwing a napkin at Trusss head. Liz semi-laughed, but it was a very weird moment, a source present said OTT even for Yorkshire girl Truss. Looks like Dominic Cummings eyesight has radically improved. The vengeful weirdo has managed to change the small type of his WhatsApp description from Get Brexit done then ARPA (his space/science quango idea) to... Regime Change. Starting a business may sound daunting for some, but it seems to be a breeze for 13-year-old Sienna Jovcevski. The Sydney schoolgirl is the creative mind behind Tweeny Skin - a brand selling skincare designed to help teenagers battling pre-adolescent breakouts. Sienna noticed the unique 'gap in the market' for pre-teen products after experiencing changes to her own skin at the age of 11 and invested her life savings of $15,000 to start the business. She now operates the brand from her parents' garage space that's been turned into a miniature warehouse. Organisation is key for Sienna as she runs the business while she isn't at school or dance lessons. Scroll down for video Sydney schoolgirl Sienna Jovcevski (pictured) s the creative mind behind Tweeny Skin - a brand selling skincare designed to help teenagers battling pre-adolescent breakouts The 13-year-old noticed the unique 'gap in the market' for pre-teen products after experiencing changes to her skin at the age of 11 and invested her life savings of $15,000 to start the business Before turning to making her own brand from scratch, Sienna tried store-bought products to clear her skin issues - though nothing seemed to work. Other buys on the market were either designed for acne sufferers and were too harsh on the skin or not strong enough. 'I saw a video on TikTok about how to make a homemade face mask using milk, turmeric and honey. After a week I noticed my skin looked brighter,' Sienna told FEMAIL. 'I continued to use the home mask for a few weeks and my skin became less congested and my pimples started clearing up.' She was eager to make the treatments herself to sell to friends who also had skin concerns, but her mum Sonja thought it sounded like a 'disaster waiting to happen'. Before turning to making her own brand from scratch, Sienna tried store-bought products to clear her skin issues - though nothing seemed to work. April 2020 Sienna thought the best solution would be to create her own brand with a line of skincare products After conducting some research in April 2020, Sienna thought the best solution would be to create her own brand with a line of skincare products. Despite her age, Sienna already has the mindset of a businesswoman and found Australian manufacturers and suppliers herself to produce the Tweeny Skin products. Sonja described her daughter as 'incredibly persistent' and 'academic', and that she seems far older than her age. Six months after coming up with the idea, all the while keeping on track with her schooling and participating in 15 hours of dance lessons a week, Tweeny Skin launched in May 2021. Six months later, all while keeping on track with her schooling and participating in 15 hours of dance lessons a week, Tweeny Skin launched in May 2021 Within the first 24 hours of launching, Tweeny Skin sold out of its skin essentials kit priced at $122 - turning over just above $6,000 Within the first 24 hours of launching Tweeny Skin sold out of its skin essentials kit priced at $122 - turning over just above $6,000. The kit included a face wash, serum, mask and moisturiser. In less than one year the brand has grown to attract an Instagram following of more than 11,000 people, most of which are from Australia. The 2021 Sydney lockdown, which continued for four months straight, was a blessing in disguise for the brand as Sienna had an excess amount of time at home to work on the business. Her biggest month so far was in November 2021, turning over $40,000 This year will prove to be more challenging, but she has goals to crack the six-figure revenue mark and hopefully stock on store shelves. 'It's going to be hard for me to find time but I'll make it work because I really love that I do,' she said. The welcoming brand with warm canary yellow branding also sells a variety of other products for kids, including a $25 face wash, hydrating moisturiser, soothing serum and pimple patches But the success came with a shadow of self-doubt for Sienna who often struggled with confidence to grow the brand at times The welcoming brand with warm canary yellow branding also sells a variety of other products for kids, including a $25 face wash, hydrating moisturiser, soothing serum and pimple patches. To save money, customers can purchase the buys in bundles, though some are currently out of stock. The products are suitable for all skin types and conditions from sensitive to acne-prone skin. With her penchant for sensible suits and a hairstyle that's remained unchanged for decades, Princess Anne might not seem an obvious style icon. But young TikTok users are embracing an interiors trend loved by the 71-year-old royal and giving it a new lease of life on social media. So-called #clutterecore unashamedly celebrates 'stuff' in the home, with everything from vases to animal trinkets all proudly put on show, rather than tidily tucked away in a cupboard. Think busy gallery walls, clashing fabrics and desks so full of figurines there is hardly any space left to work. 'If ever there was an interiors trend to set your inner magpie loose, #cluttercore is it,' interior designer Benji Lewis explained in an interview with FEMAIL. 'A great one for collectors of anything from ceramics to silver and glass, furniture, books, random artwork and textiles - the antithesis of minimalism, this is the moment to bring it all out and show your personality.' Unlikely style icon: Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at home in their delightfully cluttered living room. Cluttered homes, where display cabinets, sideboards and tables are full of knick-knacks, have found a new generation of fans on TikTok Bright and beautiful: A woman shared a video of her busy and vibrant #cluttercore home Who cares if it's practical? In some cases Cluttercore is about style over substance, as illustrated by this busy desk full of animal figurines and crystals from an American TikTok user The idea has proved irresistible to young TikTok users looking to express themselves on a budget. Videos tagged #cluttercore have 35million views and can rack up tens of thousands of 'likes' from fans looking for inspiration. Yet the origins of #cottagecore date back to the delightful eccentricity of the English country home and counts Princess Anne among its unlikely fashionable forerunners. The royal's living room at Gatcombe Park, in Gloucestershire, is a shrine to clutter. The walls are decorated in paintings and photographs hung in mismatched frames, while sideboards and display cabinets showcase figurines and family heirlooms. It seems part of the reason #cottagecore is so popular with young TikTok users is that it is relatively affordable. It has similarities to maximalism - the 'more is more' aesthetic currently in vogue and loved by the likes of Carrie Johnson - and has been described as it's 'cousin', but does not require the same budget. 'Maximalism, having been embraced by the world's uber decorators has an implied opulence attached to it,' Benji continued. 'Cluttercore says that with a trip to your local thrift shop and careful thought on what you buy, the look is achievable.' Teenagers living at home can use #cluttercore to personalise their bedrooms, as can university and college students, while first-time renters have an inexpensive way to make the space 'theirs' without making major changes. Always elegant: Interior designer Benji Lewis, who designed this room, shared his tips for chic #cluttercore style, explaining: 'With the artful positioning of a pair of objects in your decorative arrangement, you've got the perfect structure to clutter up as much as you like around them' Get creative: Benji explained clashing patterns and textures are key to cluttercore, as seen in this room he designed. He added: 'Pattern on pattern is going to suit a lover of Cluttercore, but get creative with how you do this. Unquestionably a bunch of mismatched scatter cushions on a sofa play to this aesthetic but explore extra ways of emphasising the trend too' TikTok makes #cluttercore seem like a new idea, but Mr Lewis points out the style is rooted in the delightful eccentricity of the English country home, which has been a source of interior design inspiration for generations. 'The love we've long had for grand country house style - crystalised by the popularity of Downton Abbey - has done heaps to assist our wish to embrace the Cluttercore mood,' he says. 'The pleasure to be found in Cluttercore has its basis in the suggestion of heritage items offering some kind of anchoring calm, the sense that a piece once belonging to Granny is going to bring reassurance. 'Events of the last two years helped to nurture the desire for the trend, none of us knowing quite where to look for stability so we sought to create it in our homes.' Putting it all on show: Fans of cluttercore love gallery walls and open bookshelves, as seen Memories: Benji explained that #cluttercore allows people to display priceless keepsakes While in some instances #cluttercore can look like all-out chaos, Benji insists this doesn't have to be the case. 'Whilst it might be assumed that Cluttercore eliminates the prospect of a sense of elegance, think again; with the artful positioning of a pair of objects in your decorative arrangement, you've got the perfect structure in place to clutter up as much as you like around them. 'Take the mantelpiece for example; position a pair of candlesticks at each end of your mantel, and then knock yourself out by including a random selection of objects in between. 'Alternatively for a cluttered yet controlled look, create a sense of sophistication by arranging your bulging bookshelves according to colours on the book sleeves.' Here, Benji shares his tips for creating a chic #cluttercore look at home. An Edinburgh restaurant has slammed customers for stealing animal ornaments on display, saying it is hurting a 'small business' already struggling amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Staff at Woodland Creatures, in Leith, which has fox and owl figurines on show, took to Facebook to call out the thieves, saying roughly five 5 ornaments go missing each week. Staff at the restaurant, which has won Best Gastro Pub in South East Scotland, said those responsible should be 'ashamed' of themselves and called for an end to the stealing. An Edinburgh restaurant has slammed customers for stealing animal ornaments (pictured) on display, saying it is hurting a 'small business' already struggling amid the Covid-19 pandemic Staff at Woodland Creatures, in Leith, which has fox and owl figurines on show, took to Facebook to call out the thieves, saying roughly five 5 ornaments go missing each week The post reads: 'Right. We've had a few laughs about these little guys going missing, but this time we are serious. 'You are stealing from a small business, who has struggled through COVID with closures, curfews, capacity limits and capitulation. 'You should be ashamed of yourselves. We are having to replace up to 5 of these a week, which is beginning to add up as a significant cost to our little business. 'We know they are cute. That's why we bought them. You can buy them too: instead of deliberately damaging a locally owned and run business; give Jeff Bezos some money instead.' It comes after two previous warnings to customers to stop stealing ornaments back in September and November of 2021. The restaurant included an Amazon link to purchase the clay animals in their post which implored customers to buy their own rather than stealing them The establishment repeatedly asked customers to refrain from stealing the ornaments and tried to keep the mood light before getting 'serious' One post read: 'We have looked at CCTV and know who took them', prompting supportive customers to call the restaurant to 'shame' the perpetrators. The posts were met with sympathy by outraged Facebook users, who called for the restaurant to name and shame the culprits. One person said: 'I would spread there face(s) all over Facebook and shame them. Bloody terrible.' While another wrote: 'Stick their pics on here.' A third person touched on how upsetting the situation was for the business, saying: 'So sad that people think its funny to steal cute foxes when they r drunk [sic]. 'You enjoy going there. Just put them back or buy your own. Do we still have to nail things down in this day and age? Honestly folks.' A harrowing new BBC drama based on the real-life accounts of warehouse workers explores the gruelling work regime and obsessive monitoring faced by factory employees. Life And Death In The Warehouse, which will air on BBC Three later this year, is based on real stories from warehouse workers around the world who are 'constantly surveilled and bullied to keep their pick-rates up'. It follows British warehouse worker Alys (Poppy Lee Friar), whose childhood friend Megan (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) joins the same distribution centre as a trainee manager. In a desperate attempt to keep her new job, Megan is forced to pressure pregnant Alys to increase her 'pick-rate' - how quickly she can prepare inventory for delivery - putting her unborn baby at risk. Life And Death In The Warehouse follows British warehouse worker Alys (Poppy Lee Friar), whose childhood friend Megan (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) joins the same distribution centre as a trainee manager While the drama echoes real life cases, and has been written based on real-life accounts - the BBC has stated characters and their experiences are fictional and not based on any single event or company. Stock image Produced by the Bafta-winning team behind Killed By My Debt and Murdered by My Father, the factual drama explores the 'customer-fixated' culture of distribution centres. It will reveal how 'idle time' like toilet breaks and conversations are measured alongside 'pick' or 'aspirational' rates with 24-hour surveillance - which can often lead to disciplinary hearings or sackings. According to the BBC, pregnant women routinely fall below their target 'pick-rate' and are subjected to even more extreme monitoring including constant CCTV and algorithmic surveillance. How Amazon has faced criticism over its 'poor' working conditions Amazon has repeatedly come under fire over working conditions in its warehouses. Staff at one of the delivery giant's warehouses were pictured sleeping on the job in Tilbury, Essex in November 2017. Workers claimed it was because they were tired from having to meet punishing warehouse targets. Some staff members were being taken away in ambulances after struggling to deal with the pressure of processing up to 300 items an hour, claimed an investigation by the Sunday Mirror. An Amazon spokesperson said after the reporting of the incident: 'Amazon provides a safe and positive workplace with competitive pay and benefits. We are proud to have created thousands of roles in our UK fulfilment centres. As with most companies, we expect a certain level of performance. 'Targets are based on previous performance achieved by our workers. Associates are evaluated over a long period of time.' And in December 2016 the Mail on Sunday went undercover at one of the company's 'fulfilment centres' at Gourock, near Glasgow, over the Black Friday period. Taking a job as a 'picker' employed to collect items from shelves before they are boxed and sent to customers the undercover reporter worked up to 11-and-a-half hours a day for nine days at one of Amazon's huge warehouses. The investigation discovered: Staff faced relentless time targets for every task, with disciplinary action taken against those who could not keep up; Workers faced disciplinary action if they were deemed to have taken too long during bathroom breaks; Handheld scanners tracked workers' whereabouts, plus CCTV cameras monitored the warehouse, and there were airport-style security checks. Staff were left with blistered feet after walking up to 14 miles a day At the time, Amazon defended its working practices, saying: 'We provide a safe and positive workplace. The safety and wellbeing of our permanent and temporary associates is our number one priority. 'One of the reasons we've been able to attract so many people is we offer great jobs and a positive work environment, with opportunities for growth.' Advertisement While the drama echoes real life cases, and has been written based on real-life accounts - the BBC has stated characters and their experiences are fictional and not based on any single event or company. A rapid increase in online shopping has led to an explosion of warehouse jobs in Britain, with around a million people working in distribution centres across the UK. An investigation in July 2020 found clothes workers in Leicester are being paid as little as 3.50 an hour, under camped and unhygienic conditions, to produce items for some of the UK's biggest fashion brands. In November last year an Amazon worker claimed employees at the warehouse she was based in Manchester worked under 'slave-like' conditions, 'mental targets' and faced 'pressure not to take bathroom breaks'. The woman in her 30s, who worked as an order picker for 9.70 an hour told The Sun that in order to hit her target, she needed to pack 360 items per hour - one every ten seconds. Amazon told the publication their targets are regularly evaluated and based on 'attainable employee history' and ensure: 'safety is a priority, that everyone is supported, treated with dignity and respect, gets regular breaks, and works at a comfortable pace.' In 2019, it was reported that a Sports Direct warehouse worker delivered her child in a cubicle at the company's Shirebrook warehouse complex, in Derbyshire in 2014. The warehouse worker reportedly told concerned colleagues she 'had to go back to work' as her baby struggled to survive, a witness said, after the woman had cut its umbilical cord herself with a box cutter. Sports Direct denied employees were made to turn up to work when they were unfit to do so. The new drama, written by screenwriter Helen Black, will also feature Craig Parkinson as Senior Manager Danny, Kimberley Nixon as manager Donna, Aled ap Steffan as warehouse worker Devon, and Sion Daniel Young as manager Sean. Fiona Campbell, Controller BBC Three, said of the drama: 'This factual-based drama will no doubt raise some questions. We know that this is what the best factual programmes do - they help people understand the world they are living in and drive conversation about stories relevant right now.' Aysha Rafaele, Executive Producer, added: 'We may not think about this, but every time we click for a next day delivery there's a person at the other end, working in a warehouse to fulfil that need. 'Our latest BBC Three drama shines a light on this terrifying new reality where workers can be constantly surveilled, bullied to keep their pick rates up, every moment of idle time calculated to the second. 'I hope this film will help raise awareness of the taxing demands many young people are facing in their workplace today.' The Royal Family have wished New Zealanders a happy 'Waitangi Day' as they celebrated the public holiday which marked the signing of a treaty between Maori chiefs and the British Crown in 1840. The Queen's Twitter account last night shared a post marking the commonwealth country's national holiday, which included a sweet black-and-white photograph from her visit to the nation in 1953 to 1954. Appearing alongside the late Duke of Edinburgh, the monarch, now 95, was pictured holding an umbrella while speaking to someone in traditional Maori wear. 'Best wishes to everyone marking New Zealands national day, #WaitangiDay', the post's caption read. Prince Charles, 73, and Camilla, 74, as well as the Duke, 39, and Duchess of Cambridge, 40, also all shared messages to celebrate the national holiday. The Queen's Twitter account last night shared a post marking the commonwealth country's national holiday, which included a sweet black-and-white photograph from her visit to the nation in 1953 to 1954 (pictured) 'Best wishes to everyone marking New Zealands national day, #WaitangiDay', the post's caption read (pictured) Prince Charles, 73, and Camilla (pictured), 74, as well as the Duke, 39, and Duchess of Cambridge, 40, also all shared messages to celebrate the national holiday The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall shared pictures on the Clarence House Instagram account yesterday of some moments of their trips to New Zealand in 2015 and 2019. In the message, they said: 'On this day 182 years ago, the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi took place in New Zealand. 'Today we send warm wishes to all New Zealanders as you mark #WaitangiDay.' They also translated their warm message into Maori. The photos included the royal couple meeting members of the community, visiting a school and performing the Hongi, a traditional Maori greeting in which people press their noses together. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also shared a heartfelt message to the people of New Zealand, in an Instagram story posted on their Instagram account The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall shared pictures on the Clarence House Instagram account yesterday of some moments of their trips to New Zealand in 2015 and 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also shared a heartfelt message to the people of New Zealand, in an Instagram story posted on their Instagram account. With the New Zealand flag on a light blue background, the couple's message read: 'Today marks New Zealand's national holiday, #WaitangiDay. Sending our best wishes to all our followers in New Zealand.' Just like Prince Charles and Camilla, they translated their message to Maori. A national day of celebration for New Zealand, Waitangi Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is considered to be the founding document of the nation. The photos included the royal couple meeting members of the community, visiting a school and performing the Hongi, a traditional Maori greeting in which people press their noses together In the message, they said: 'On this day 182 years ago, the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi took place in New Zealand' The signing happened on 6 February 1840, but was not celebrated until 1934, and was made a national public holiday in 1974. Their posts were shared ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee announcement yesterday in which she said it was her 'sincere wish' that Camilla be known as Queen Consort when Prince Charles takes the throne. In a message, the Queen said: 'It is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort.' The 'Queen Consort' refers to the spouse of a ruling king. A spokesman for Clarence House said both the Charles and Camilla were 'touched and honoured'. The Royal Family's official Twitter account has shared a stunning photograph of the young Queen to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne. The account, which has over 4.6million followers, marked the milestone by sharing one of the first portraits taken of the Queen, 95, following her accession after he death of her father, King George VI. She was proclaimed Queen throughout the UK and Commonwealth in the early hours of 6 February 1952, and just 20 days later sat for Dorothy Wilding, the first female photographer to receive a Royal Warrant, for her first official portraits as monarch. Meanwhile, royal fans gathered in Sandringham this morning in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Her Majesty, who usually spends the day privately. The Royal Family's official Twitter account has shared a stunning photograph of the young Queen to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne (pictured) The account (pictured), which has over 4.6million followers, marked the milestone by sharing one of the first portraits taken of the Queen, 95, following her accession after he death of her father, King George VI Meanwhile, royal well-wishers gathered by the Sandringham estate's entrance this morning in hopes of seeing the Queen in person Fans were not deterred by the reports that the monarch will be celebrating in private today, and gathered in Sandringham (pictured) Her Majesty (pictured yesterday) was proclaimed Queen throughout the UK and Commonwealth in the early hours of 6 February 1952, and just 20 days later sat for Dorothy Wilding, the first female photographer to receive a Royal Warrant, for her first official portraits as monarch It was reported the Queen would celebrate the historic moment privately today, but well-wishers were still spotted in Sandringham, hoping to catch a glimpse of her on her special day. Elsewhere, the Twitter post shared by the Royal Family's official account showed a portrait of the Queen taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding in 1952. In it, Her Majesty wears the Queen Mary's Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. The first official photographic sitting with the new Queen was granted to the society photographer Dorothy Wilding. It took place on 26 February 1952, just 20 days after the accession, followed by a second sitting on 15 April. A group of fans stayed, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen on her special day to congratulate her A total of 59 photographs were taken by Wilding, showing the Queen dressed in a variety of gowns designed by Norman Hartnell and wearing jewellery including the Diamond Diadem. 'Today marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne, following the death of her father, King George VI,' the social media post read. 'Her Majesty was proclaimed Queen throughout the UK and Commonwealth in the early hours of 6 February 1952,' it added. The post went on to share a picture of members of the public gathering around Buckingham Palace in the hours following the announcement that their Princess Elizabeth would become Queen. 'The young Queen was informed of the news while standing in for The King, who was suffering from ill health, on an official Commonwealth visit to Kenya. In an instant, she had ceased to be Princess Elizabeth and became Queen Elizabeth II,' the Twitter post continued. Elsewhere, the Royal Family's Twitter account also explained that the Queen acceded the throne after the passing of King George VI and shared archive pictures of royal well-wishers gathering in front of Buckingham Palace after hearing the news The Accession Council proclaimed the Queen's accession to the public on February 6, pictured. The Queen was on a Commonwealth visit to Kenya and immediately set off for Britain The account also shared a pictures of the Accession Council who met at St James' Palace upon the Queen's Accession. 'The Council made a formal proclamation of the Accession. However, a new Monarch comes to the throne at the moment of death, hence the phrase, "The King is dead, long live The Queen!".' it explained. A short video showed the original copy of the announcement, while elsewhere on social media, royal fans voiced their good wishes. 'Absolutely amazing woman, so proud to have Elizabeth as our Queen and to be alive to witness this extraordinarily occasion is an honour. God Bless you your Majesty , god save the Queen,' one said. 'Your reign Elizabeth ll has been class from the beginning. Celebrating your 70 years. Your father would be immensely proud of you, as are we,' another enthused. The Royal Family Twitter account shared a clip showing the official proclamation of the Queen's accession to the throne A row of royal fans waiting quietly in the cold, hoping to congratulate the Queen in person in Sandringham Two beaming fans excitedly waiting in hopes that the Monarch would show, with two bouquets of flowers Xi meets Serbian president, hails ironclad friendship between China, Serbia Xinhua) 13:04, February 06, 2022 Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia when meeting with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Beijing on Saturday. Xi said that the two countries enjoy high-level political mutual trust, and bilateral relations have withstood test and become even stronger, setting a model of international relations. The Serbian president has come to China to attend the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony. Hailing the leapfrog development of bilateral ties in recent years, Xi said that the two sides have implemented a number of cooperation projects covering multiple fields including infrastructure, energy and production capacity. He added that cooperation with Serbia is at the forefront of China's cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries. In the face of changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, the two sides should view bilateral ties from the strategic and long-term perspective, maintain and develop their friendship, and firmly support each other's fundamental and long-term interests, Xi said. Xi noted that the Chinese side firmly supports the people of Serbia in pursuing a development path they have chosen independently. The two sides should seek greater synergy between development strategies, and continue advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, said Xi, adding the two should also work toward greater progress in cooperation projects including the Hungary-Serbia railway. Xi also said that the Chinese side will continue to provide support for Serbia's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, enhance vaccine co-production and cooperation in the resumption of work and production. In terms of multilateral international cooperation, Xi said China is willing to work jointly with Serbia in defending the international system with the United Nations (UN) at its core and the international order based on international law. The two countries should also speed up implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. Vucic said that Serbia is a true friend of China, and the Serbian side respects China and admires its leadership, adding that no matter what pressure or hardships lie ahead, the ironclad friendship between the two will stay strong. He also noted that on issues such as Xinjiang and Taiwan that involve China's core interests, the Serbian side will stand on the Chinese people's side as always. Vucic said that the Serbian side expects to further enhance cooperation with China in areas including trade, commerce, investment, and people-to-people exchanges. Vucic also expressed the hope for Xi to visit Serbia at an early date after the pandemic. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Stone lasts. Sentiment doesnt. Its a problem millions of Americans have been grappling with. To some, the countrys marble memorials honor long-gone heroes. To others, they validate villains. Whose history is it anyway, and how should it be depicted? Advertisement Erin L. Thompsons new Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of Americas Public Monuments puts the ongoing controversy in a new light. "Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments," by Erin L. Thompson. (Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.) She explains how Civil War statues were erected, not just to celebrate the Confederacy or intimidate Blacks but to keep working-class whites in their place. And Thompson shows that the battles are diverse, including fights over celebrations of Abraham Lincoln and early feminists. Advertisement Its an old war. Even before there was a United States of America, Americans were fighting over who should be honored with statuary. In 1770, the colonies received their first statue of an important man on a horse. It was a likeness of King George III, lobbied for by loyalists in the State Assembly, and it cost New Yorkers 1,000 pounds. Imported from England, it showed the king sporting a laurel wreath, like some Caesar, and was erected in Manhattans Bowling Green. The statue was a constant reminder of the authority of the king over his colony, Thompson writes. By connecting George III with a revered ancient emperor, the statue also claimed that the king was the colonists proper ruler, not just because of who he was in himself, but because the whole history of the world had led up to his birth. No images of Joseph Wiltons statue of George III IN New York survive, but it probably looked very similar to the portrait of the king he made at the same time for London, shown here in a 1773 illustration for Town and Country Magazine. The golden statue didnt last the decade. Six years later, when George Washington ordered the Declaration of Independence read to his troops stationed in Manhattan, a crowd of soldiers and civilians marched to Bowling Green, threw ropes around the statue, and pulled it down. Swinging axes, angry New Yorkers smashed the likeness of the former ruler into pieces. The expensive statue, it turned out, was merely gilded lead. Gleefully, Americans sent the royal remains to a Connecticut foundry, where they were melted down and turned into musket balls. The statue was later returned to Britain, piecemeal, on the battlefield. Statues dont just memorialize history. They rewrite it and try to influence the future. During the two decades after the Civil War, defeated Southerners erected 90 monuments invoking the Confederacy. More than two-thirds of them were in cemeteries. But it was in the two decades after Reconstruction ended that Southerners got very busy. They erected over 400 monuments, almost all in public spaces. Rather than mourn fallen veterans, these honored the war and promoted white supremacy. Advertisement The Brattleboro Soldiers Monument, showing emancipation and the reunion of Northern and Southern soldiers. (Erin Thompson) The statues of generals on horseback, fiercely waving their swords, were meant to intimidate Blacks. But, Thompson writes, the statues of nameless infantrymen, standing, waiting for orders, were intended for poor whites. In both cases, the lesson was clear: Know your place. Listen to your betters. As these monuments went up in the late 19th century, Thompson notes, unions were trying vainly to gain a foothold in the Souths mines and mills. The Southern elite didnt want working-class whites getting ideas about making common cause with each other or with working-class Blacks. Statues told people who was in charge. As Southerners accustomed way of life dissolved, a group of writers and orators began to reinvent the memory of the Civil War, Thompson writes. They made the low-ranked soldier into the central figure of their account of Confederate history. And they celebrated that soldier with statues. Advertisement Some Civil War monuments also existed to recruit new racists. Postcard celebrating the 1915 revival of the Klan at Stone Mountain. (Courtesy Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries) On Thanksgiving 1915, Samuel Hoyt Venable and 15 other men climbed to the top of Venables Stone Mountain quarry. Then they burned a cross and announced the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, dormant for more than 40 years. The face of his mountain, Venable decided, would make an excellent advertisement for their efforts. The anti-Semitic sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who later sculpted Mount Rushmore, drew up a design saluting heroes of the Confederacy. The U.S. Government even helped with the mint, striking special commemorative half-dollars. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association then re-sold them at double the price. The actual work a gigantic bas-relief of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson dragged on forever. Borglum was eventually fired. Costs ran wild, funds were misused, and work stopped for years at a time. Finally, in 1958, Georgia declared it a state park. Convict labor erected buildings for tourists. The park officially opened on April 14, 1965 the 100th anniversary of Lincolns assassination. It is the states most popular tourist destination, advertising family-friendly attractions. Two months after white supremacist Dylann Roof murdered nine Black worshippers in a South Carolina church in 2015, the park was the site of a Confederate rally. Advertisement Thomas Ball's Freedmens Memorial, dedicated in 1876. (Library of Congress) History is complicated, which is why attempts to reduce any event to simple, heroic sculptures often end up being neither simple nor heroic. Points of view matter. In 1876, the Freedmens Memorial was erected a mile from the Capitol. Begun in 1865, financed by Black Americans, it was intended to honor the late Abraham Lincoln and commemorate the Emancipation. But the project was quickly taken over by whites. Blacks werent allowed any say in the design, which showed a terrified, nearly naked Black man kneeling before a godlike president. The memorial drew criticism from the start. What I want to see before I die, Frederick Douglass declared, is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man. Despite continued protests, the monument still stands in Lincoln Park. In 1974 it was rotated east, so it now looks to a statue honoring the Black civil rights leader, Mary McLeod Bethune. The Womens Rights Pioneers Monument by Meredith Bergmann in Central Park was dedicated in 2020. (Erin Thompson) And that alone is unusual because statues of women are rare in America. When females appear in public sculpture, its usually as some barely clothed symbol of liberty or justice. The organization Monumental Women was founded in 2014 to redress that imbalance. In 2020, it presented New York with a statue honoring feminists Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. Even that well-intentioned act was controversial. Early designs for the statue excluded Truth as if feminism were solely a white affair. Even amended, the design seemed too polite to some. The monument leaves out the pain and struggle of the womens movement, Thompson writes. Its calm, emotionless honorees seem triumphant, as if their fight was over. Advertisement Certainly, the fight for honest history, and honorable heroes, continues. After the murder of George Floyd, about 100 Confederate statues were taken down, Thompson says. Protestors took down 13 of them. The rest were removed, peacefully and legally, by communities that decided these monuments were too painful and reminded them of a past too ugly to be part of the present. Some disagree over removing any work of art. In Texas, the Houston Museum of African American Culture even took in a loathed statue of a sword-wielding naked white man, The Spirit of the Confederacy. Trucked over from the citys Sam Houston Park, it now stands in the museums courtyard. Its still offensive. But its also still history. I like to keep the evidence, explains museum CEO John Guess Jr. (Because) down the road, people might suggest there was never a crime. Advertisement A studio flat which is smaller than the average parking space is going up for auction next week - with bids starting at 50,000. The 75 sq ft (7sq metre) flat, in Clapton, east London, is located on the first floor of a Victorian terraced house and comes with a 994 years lease. It consists of a studio living space with a built-in bed - complete with a microwave underneath it - as well as a fold-out table, a tiny cooking space, and a separate toilet with sink, shower and heated towel rail. The auction is set to start on 15 February, and will close the next day, with the highest bidder becoming the owner of one of London's smallest flats. A studio flat (pictured left and right) which is smaller than the average parking space is going up for auction next week - with bids starting at 50,000 The 75 sq ft (7sq metre) flat (pictured), in Clapton, east London, is located on the first floor of a Victorian terraced house and comes with a 994 years lease London house property auctioning house My Auction, who is representing the flat, describes it as 'investment opportunity producing 9,600 per annum.' The tiny property is located between Homerton, Hackney Downs and Overground stations and is located close to Homerton University Hospital. Stuart Collar-Brown, a director of My Auction, said: 'The flat is small but then again, you also cant buy a long-leasehold property in central London for 50,000 so its a great opportunity for someone to get on the ladder.' He added that due to the square footage of the flat, buyers won't be able to obtain a mortgage on it, and will have to pay cash. He went on to say that the flat was a great investment opportunity, due to the fact it's yearly rent will pay back the cost of the sale back in just a few years. 'You can never predict what these properties will achieve at auction but since the new year we have seen no slowdown of interest from professional and first-time auction buyers with our last sale producing 95 bids,' he added. 'This property wont be short of potential tenants. Were seeing a wide disparity of good quality stock in the rental market and the number of potential tenants,' he added. Optimising space: Storage is located under the bed, as well as a microwave for cooking. There is a sink on the other end of the room in this tiny studio flat The auction for the flat (pictured) is set to start on 15 February, and will close the next day, with the highest bidder becoming the owner of one of London's smallest flats 'This is driving up rental rates in the capital and offering landlords yields that havent been seen since 2016. This is a good solid asset for the right buyer in a well maintained building and a popular location,' he went on. However, Chris Sykes, a mortgage consultant with brokerage Private Finance told the Times that buyers would not qualify for a loan, due to the fact only a few number of people would like to live in a property like this. He added buying the flat to rent it was a risky wager and went on to say the flat's value may even be too low to meat the minimum loans. History has shown that small spaces are as in demand as their bigger counterparts in London. In January, a tiny one-bed flat went on the market for the 'mad' price of 430,000 - despite being so small it looks like a shed. In 2019, a 9.1 sq metre flat in Hackney, east London, sold for about 200,000 and a year later, a 7.3sq metre studio in Kensington and Chelsea also sold for about 200,000. Nearly half the people who undergo teeth-whitening mistakenly believe it is good for oral health, a survey suggests. The treatment, using bleaching gel, carries risks of burning gums, ulcers and increased sensitivity. For these reasons, only qualified dentists are permitted to carry out the cosmetic treatment. A poll of 2,000 Britons by Bupa Dental Care found 40 per cent of those who underwent whitening did so to improve oral health. However, teeth colour gives little indication of gum disease the top cause of tooth loss. Nearly half the people who undergo teeth-whitening mistakenly believe it is good for oral health, a survey suggests Failing to crush fake Covid news Explaining why the false claims being made about Covid are wrong may not help change peoples minds, research suggests. Scientists at Dartmouth College in the US looked into fact-checking services set up by media organisations that were dedicated to countering misinformation and conspiracy theories being spread during the pandemic. They found that while these services can temporarily reduce misconceptions, they do not permanently change peoples opinions. Explaining why the false claims being made about Covid are wrong may not help change peoples minds, research suggests Researchers asked respondents from the UK and US about four claims being made about the pandemic including one that a group funded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates patented the virus and it was then explained why they were incorrect. They found those who had believed the claims, and then changed their minds, switched back to their previous view within months. More than two-fifths of NHS patients with suspected kidney cancer wait at least 84 days almost three months for a diagnosis, a study has found. And according to the research by the charity Kidney Cancer UK, more than 40 per cent of kidney tumours have reached stage three or four by the time they are diagnosed, so patients are far less likely to survive. It comes despite NHS promises that a cancer diagnosis would be offered within 28 days of the patients initial referral. Nick Turkentine, of Kidney Cancer UK, said: We hope that our latest patient report findings will shine a light on the importance of early diagnosis, to both patients and medical professionals, so that survival rates improve. Smoking in old age can damage the brain, scientists have found. According to research presented at the American Stroke Association conference, the more cigarettes people over 60 smoke, the worse they perform on tests that measure memory, attention and word recognition. Nearly a quarter of the 3,000 participants smoked. Author Dr Neal Parikh, of Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, said: Smoking is bad for brain health even in people who dont have other health conditions typically linked with poor brain health. I am about to be the most unfiltered I have ever been. I often send texts to myself. Things to do. Shopping lists. Ideas. In advance of the gallery and lunch date with the photographer, whom I have never met, I sent myself this. I am ashamed. I am deeply ashamed Being perfect and having nice things just makes men resent you Start M2 eyelash serum when it arrives. Visit Ana, the Queen of Youth, for Botox and filler. Have an eyebrow transplant. [I read Chrissy Teigen had one in order to look more natural; I usually ink mine in. Which is fine until you lie face down on a massage table with your face through the little hole, are late for a date with your famous boyfriend at Pastis in New York, and he suggests you look in the mirror, as you have a David Bowie-style jagged line across your forehead, due to smudging.] Book treatments extreme bikini, facial threading, nostril waxing, deluxe pedicure, hair tint Urban Retreat two days before. The reason for the text to self was that I finished my column last week with the sentence, Let the renovations begin! You can see I wasnt kidding. I was planning to ask my colourist: Do you think Im going bald? I keep studying my scalp in the mirror, and a couple of months after my hair fell out in hanks, I now have baby fluff growing in its place. The weird thing is that this new hair is jet black. A medical miracle, and really useful now Valentines Day is looming. But I never learn, do I? Im planning a tranche of expensive procedures, which will involve not just injectables and bruising, but being asked very personal questions by women barely out of their teens, such as, Do you want the lips waxed as well? All for a man I have never met, who will probably just iron a T-shirt and hopefully brush all his teeth before we meet. I feel stupid, frankly. I have just opened the February issue of Vogue, wondering if I can afford anything new to wear, and there, on page 110, is a model with a full Maria Schneider bush. I cant be fussier than a Vogue model, surely? And such is the influence of Vogue over my psyche I once saw supermodel Janice Dickinsons sister photographed eating a watermelon and spent the next decade peeling difficult fruit I cancelled the Queen of Youth. Being perfect and having nice things just makes men resent you. I remember when I had my mini mansion, lawn sloping down to the river, a staff cottage, staff, a Land Rover Defender and a new Mercedes convertible, my then boyfriend came for the weekend. This must cost a fortune, was all he said. A stark contrast to the time he took me to a bonfire party at the house of a friend of his and I had whispered, Why are they building an extension when its just the two of them, and he had said gravely, You can never have too much space. He never once remarked on the beauty of my home, the wildlife, the views. All he said, of the triple-aspect drawing room with two marble fireplaces, was, What is it with women and floorboards? When he cracked a rib falling down my stone staircase, he moaned, Should have got fitted carpets! So, you see, anything nice about your person, any lovely possessions merely make men chippy. They prefer women who buy self-waxing strips from Boots, because they dont intimidate them. I should know better. Ive been around magazines long enough to know that models arent perfect, that no one is. I did a cover shoot once with the Brazilian supermodel Fernanda Tavares. Her roots had grown out and she had a dirty hairbrush. Im quite certain she is now married to a very rich man. The old me never felt good enough. Before one man came for dinner, I bought wheelie-bin liners and had my lawn returfed. It was pitch black, and he never went outside. He refused to take out any rubbish. So my lawn, for want of a better word, isnt going to be mown. Im re-wilding it. Monty Don will be thrilled. Did Linda McCartney ever use eyelash serum that costs 85? No, she did not. And Paul still loved her. Most importantly, she loved herself. Contact Liz at lizjonesgoddess.com and stalk her @lizjonesgoddess She stole the show and our hearts in Peaky Blinders as the unsurpassable Aunt Polly. Cole Moreton pays homage to the late, great HELEN McCRORY Cillian Murphy: She was so funny, dry and self-deprecating, he said after her death from breast cancer last April at 52. If I was worried about anything, Id go to see her. Helen McCrory was my closest pal on the set.' Aunt Polly dresses to kill. Literally. In series two of Peaky Blinders, she gets all glammed up in a hat, gloves and lace choker plus hidden revolver. Its a scene that reveals her ruthlessness as she seeks out a police chief who has raped her. Polly gets close enough to kiss him, then shoots the devil through the heart. And as he dies, Polly spits out a line that has come to define the show: Dont f*** with the Peaky Blinders. As the camera lingers on her wild eyes and drying tears, we see again why Helen McCrory was hailed as one of the best actors of her generation, even before she agreed to play a leading role in this brutal family drama set in the slums of Birmingham just after the First World War. Helen turned it down at first, for fear of being asked to play a cliche. My own grandparents grew up in the slums of Glasgow and were miners kids in Cardiff and I thought I was going to be there with a mangle saying things like: Gotta get up early to get a wash on in the back yard. That reluctance was understandable. Helen had worked with Martin Scorsese on Hugo and with Daniel Craig in Skyfall. She had nailed Cherie Blair in the movie The Queen and had a blast as the evil Narcissa Malfoy in three Harry Potter movies. Theatre critics saw her as the successor to Dame Judi Dench after thrilling performances in plays by Ibsen, Chekhov, Pinter and Shakespeare. So she didnt need a new television show if it was going to be rubbish. The writer Steven Knight promised Peaky Blinders would be shot with the flair and tension of a Western but also feel completely new. Together they created Aunt Polly as a spellbinding woman defying the rules of her time, deadly as a bullet but mystical and compassionate too. We first meet her when she has already brought up the Shelby kids, running the razor gang while the boys were at war, and the heart and soul of their operation. Yes, she prays in church and manages the money for the Shelby business empire, but weve also seen Polly get off her head on opium, sleep with men half her age and fall in love with a contract killer. And since she was spared the noose for murdering that copper, Polly has been afraid of nothing and nobody. Her wardrobe is incredible, too. Over the years her clothes became more dramatic. Series five started with Polly sweeping back to Birmingham from the high life in Monte Carlo in a spectacular three-piece suit, leather gloves, sunglasses and fedora (below). As Polly in series five of Peaky Blinders Cillian Murphy says the complex relationship between Aunt Polly and his character Tommy Shelby, the leader of the gang, has been central to the whole story. She was his aunt, but sometimes his mother and sometimes his sister. At times, they were almost a husband and wife team. The two actors became close, too. She was so funny, dry and self-deprecating, he said after her death from breast cancer last April at 52. If I was worried about anything, Id go to see her. Helen was my closest pal on the set. Helen was born in London, but as the daughter of a diplomat she was raised in Cameroon, Tanzania, Norway and France before returning to England. She was turned down for a place at the Drama Centre in London but told the director she would apply again every year until he let her in. A year later, he did. Helen met her husband Damian Lewis when they both appeared in the play Five Gold Rings at Londons Almeida Theatre in 2003 and the attraction was immediate. The director Michael Attenborough said working with them was like directing a fire. They married in 2007 and lived in Los Angeles for a while, but chose to raise their children Manon, now 15, and Gulliver, 14, in North London. Just like Aunt Polly, Helen had a way of talking that was playful but also warned you not to mess. I met her when she took the lead in the big-budget BBC drama MotherFatherSon in 2019 opposite Richard Gere. She was funny, bright and confident. I asked whether shed been in love with him as a teenager (An Officer and a Gentleman came out when Helen was 14). I was a naughty girl, said Helen, shaking her head. I was a Jimi Hendrix girl. I liked my rock n roll. I liked the naughty boys. I knew who Richard was but I had a crush on Adam and the Ants back then. It was all London, it was all edgy, protest marches and Doc Martens. We talked about the charity work she did in the area around her home. We take art to kids that are struggling at school. Theres a lot to do other than acting. Her striving to help others continued even while she was sick. During lockdown, she and Damian with comedian Matt Lucas and John Vincent of the Leon chain of restaurants raised more than 1.5 million to feed the pressurised NHS. Helen was reportedly so busy that she missed an envelope offering her an OBE in 2017 for services to drama: I thought my OBE was Damians parking ticket. So I threw it to one side. The mistake was only realised when the palace rang up asking if she wanted the honour or not: I squealed! Helen was a very private person who told only her closest friends that she was ill. The breast cancer took her away just as the final series of Peaky Blinders was shooting. The creator Steven Knight said: The loss of such an incredible human being is the main thing. The loss of such an incredible actor is awful. She was right at the heart of the series. And its a challenge to keep going with the story without her. But we knew that she would have wanted that to continue. So thats what we did. Well have to wait and see what happens to Aunt Polly, but there will surely be tears as we remember the remarkable woman who brought her to life. Theres been a dramatic rise in young women donating their eggs to couples desperate to have children. So what drives someone to share their most precious resource for no personal gain? Jo Macfarlane investigates Any healthy woman aged between 18 and 35 (when egg quality naturally starts to decline) can donate. But the upward trend is being driven almost entirely by younger women and the statistics are striking It took Alice Bisset three days to find the right words to say to her future children. The heartfelt letter, penned over the summer, now sits in a locked file at the London Egg Bank. I wanted to do it properly, she recalls today. I realised how much those words could mean to my children. It took several days of crossing out, rewriting bits. In the end, I went for wisdom. I wrote that they should be confident about being a nice person. That if everything was going wrong, as long as they were a good person they would have something to be really proud of. And I told them that if they wanted to, theyd be more than welcome to try to find me. It isnt a typical letter from a mother to their child, but Alice is not a typical mother. She has no idea if anyone will ever read those carefully planned words. And she knows that, even if they do, she may never get to meet them. The bright, articulate 22-year-old is part of a growing army of very young women volunteering to become egg donors giving their most precious resource for no personal gain, to help infertile couples have children. Most donor eggs available in the UK used to be left over from fertility treatment cycles and donated by women in exchange for a reduction in IVF fees. But the latest data from the UKs fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), suggests that the number of altruistic egg donors women like Alice is soaring. Unlike in the US (where donors can earn thousands of dollars), its illegal in the UK for women to be paid for their eggs. They are, however, allowed up to 750 compensation. It took Alice three days to find the right words to say to her future children. Any healthy woman aged between 18 and 35 (when egg quality naturally starts to decline) can donate. But the upward trend is being driven almost entirely by younger women and the statistics are striking. Donors between the ages of 21 and 24 doubled between 2012 and 2018 from 166 to 332, while those aged 20 and under increased more than four-fold from just 17 to 71. And while the HFEA cannot separate the figures for altruistic donors from IVF donors, experts acknowledge that these younger women are less likely to be donating eggs from treatment most will be altruistic. More recent official figures arent yet available. But reports from clinics suggest the pandemic may have had an even more galvanising effect. Altrui, a company which matches donors to couples going through fertility treatment, says the number of 20- and 21-year-olds keen to donate has risen by one third since the start of the Covid outbreak. In 2020, the average age of its donors was 26.6 it is now 24.3. It was being a young mother herself that led Jaya Chingen to donate. The 26-year-old from North London, who is studying to be a counsellor, says her two young children mean everything to her. I wanted to give other people the chance to have what Ive got, she says. I have a brother and a sister, but we all have different mums, so the idea of a mixed family feels normal. 'Ive considered scenarios where its not ideal maybe the child is angry theyve been born in these circumstances. But the fact that most people using donor eggs will have been through so much to have a baby gives me hope that any resulting child would be loved in the same way I love my own children. Jaya has since recommended donating to her friends. Jaya has since recommended donating to her friends. Search for #egg donor on Instagram or TikTok and there are thousands of videos and photographs charting young womens journeys. Alices one-minute video of her experience was liked more than 20,000 times, and Jaya has written a blog post. The invasive procedure, performed under sedation, is not without risk. Would-be donors must inject themselves with hormones in a rigid daily routine, and travel to hospitals for regular scans. There is discomfort, bloating and the emotional side effects from administering huge doses of hormones. But most significantly, there is no anonymity. The law in the UK means any children born from donation have the right to contact the donor when they turn 18. One British 18-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, says several of her friends all of whom have only recently finished school have discussed donating their eggs. They want to give something back after the pandemic, she says. Were young, fit and healthy and were not planning to use our eggs for a very long time. There are adverts for clinics seeking donors on social media so its definitely something women my age are considering. For Alice, who is training to be a chartered surveyor, the reasons were equally simple. Ive got lots of friends and family who have either had miscarriages or struggled to conceive, she says. Ive got a cousin whos had cancer and had her ovaries removed, so she could carry a baby but cant use her own eggs. There are people out there who are so desperate to have a child theyll do anything. Im not using my eggs in fact, I take them for granted, which seems really unfair. Receiving a thank you card from the family was so emotional Charles Kingsland, clinical director of the Care Fertility group which has seen an influx of young volunteers over the pandemic, says: Some of these girls are just brilliant. You ask, Why are you doing this? and theyll say, Ive got a neighbour whos going through IVF and I felt so sorry for them. We had a whole chamber of barristers who came in wanting to donate because they thought it was a nice thing to do. There has always been a shortage of donor eggs in the UK and demand is still increasing. Women are starting families later the average age of first-time mothers is now nearly 31, compared with 27 in 1991 and many over-40s using IVF need donor eggs to boost their chances of success. There is also demand from male couples hoping to use a surrogate. But waiting lists for an egg, particularly for those having fertility treatment on the NHS, can be long so organisations such as the London Egg Bank and Altrui now advertise to encourage more women to donate in the UK. Sarah Pallett, egg donation lead at Altrui, says: We advertise a lot on social media and our young donors post about their donation journeys which, from a marketing perspective, is useful. If young women see someone doing it, theyre more likely to want to do it themselves. Celebrities speaking out about their IVF journeys and needing donor eggs or surrogacy to have a child has also helped make this more acceptable. Clinics make a profit from the eggs, too. Altrui gets a referral fee for matching a donor to a potential couple at one of its partnered fertility clinics, while the London Egg Bank, which has its own IVF unit at the London Womens Clinic, charges 4,800 for six frozen donor eggs. For Alice, knowing couples were paying huge fees to use donated eggs was hard but she says, Ive spoken to people since whove told me they have a baby from a donor egg and it was the best thing that had ever happened to them. That makes it worthwhile. I could pass my daughter in the street and not know. Obviously thats strange Kamal Ahuja, scientific and managing director at the London Egg Bank, acknowledges that it does make some profit but adds, The rest we invest in research. You may save money going abroad, but treatment here is among the most tightly regulated in the world so its far better. Its a rigorous process to become an egg donor in this country. Women must be aged between 18 and 35 and in good health. Their medical histories are checked and they have a battery of blood and urine tests, ultrasound scans of the ovaries and counselling to make sure they fully understand the implications. Menstrual cycles are tracked and, on day three of their period, donors start injecting with hormones to prompt egg follicles to produce eggs. In a normal cycle, only one egg usually the most viable will mature and travel down the fallopian tubes into the uterus where it will either be fertilised or dissolved. In a donation cycle, many eggs will mature. When they reach around 20mm in size, women are given a trigger injection of a hormone which releases them, and the eggs are collected, under sedation, 36 hours later. I felt completely normal throughout, Alice says, although I did get a bit emotional over the last few days agitated and bloated. A day before the surgery its a bit gnarly, with a lot of cramping. But it wasnt unbearable. Jaya also says it was worth all the discomfort and inconvenience: Walking out, having left 22 eggs for someone else to have a baby with, was a great feeling. The information couples get about their donor is basic: their racial profile, hair and eye colour and details about their interests and education. And the donors themselves can only find out the sex of any children born and the year of their birth. Hollie was inspired to donate because her grandmother couldnt have children so adopted Hollies father Neither Alice nor Jaya is aware of any successful pregnancies yet. But for Hollie Bennett, finding out a girl had been born from her first donation arranged through Altrui when she was 20 was amazing. Now 25, the Formula One team coordinator from Rochester, Kent, says: I could pass her in the street and not know. Obviously thats strange. But I dont really feel like shes part of me. I just feel really happy that I could help. Hollie was inspired to donate because her grandmother couldnt have children so adopted Hollies father. Shes so proud my whole family are, Hollie says. My nan cries every time its mentioned. The same family are now using eggs Hollie donated a second time to have another child. Both times they have sent her gifts cards and jewellery to say thank you. It was so emotional receiving those, she says. Donors have no legal responsibility for children conceived through treatment. But all know that when any child turns 18 they have the right to seek contact details for their donor. Id welcome them with open arms, says Alice. Not as a mother but as a friend or an auntie. Im convinced that if theyre my egg, theyll be a good egg. Advertisement British luxury car firm Rolls-Royce has redesigned its iconic 'Spirit of Ecstasy' figurine to fly at the prow of its first ever battery-powered model, the 2023 Spectre limousine. Bosses say the iconic brand's debut EV is currently undergoing testing around the globe ahead of being 'launched under a light disguise' in September. It will be the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever and has merited an even more streamlined and dynamically graceful Flying Lady. The timing of the announcement was made to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the date on which the original Spirit of Ecstasy figurine with her rather racy origins that draw on an illicit love affair between an aristocrat and an artist's muse - was officially registered as the intellectual property of Rolls-Royce. The new zero-emissions Spectre will be on sale by the end of next year and the entire Rolls-Royce range will be battery powered by 2030, said the firm - owned by BMW - with its boutique factory headquarters at Goodwood in West Sussex. A new spirit: This is the redesigned Spirit of Ecstasy emblem that will grace its cars as the iconic British marque moves into the world of electric vehicles in 2023 The figurine will debut on the forthcoming Spectre EV, which is currently undergoing testing around the globe ahead of being 'launched under a light disguise' in September Rolls-Royce said it had 'reimagined' its iconic figurine 'to grace the bonnet of its new all-electric motor car, Spectre, 111 years to the day the Spirit of Ecstasy was first registered as intellectual property of Rolls-Royce on 6 February 1911'. It explained that the figurine has been remodelled with 'a lower, more dynamic stance' that brings her much closer to the drawings made by her original creator, the illustrator and sculptor Charles Sykes who used Eleanor Thornton as his 'muse', in the early years of the 20th century. The new Spirit of Ecstasy stands 82.73mm tall, compared to her predecessor's 100.01mm. The company said: 'Her robes, which flow behind her in the slipstream often but erroneously characterised as 'wings' have been subtly reshaped to make them more aerodynamic and realistic.' Rolls-Royce said it had 'reimagined' its iconic figurine 'to grace the bonnet of its new all-electric motor car, Spectre, 111 years to the day the Spirit of Ecstasy was first registered as intellectual property of Rolls-Royce on 6 February 1911' The Spectre, which was previewed late last year, will be the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever and has merited an even more streamlined and dynamically graceful Flying Lady The new Spirit of Ecstasy stands 82.73mm tall, compared to her predecessor's 100.01mm. The figurine has been remodelled with 'a lower, more dynamic stance' that brings her much closer to the drawings made by her original creator Rolls-Royce says: 'Her robes, which flow behind her in the slipstream often but erroneously characterised as 'wings' have been subtly reshaped to make them more aerodynamic and realistic' But the most visible change is her stance, it said: 'Previously, she has stood with her feet together, legs straight and tilting at the waist. Now, she is a true goddess of speed, braced for the wind, one leg forward, body tucked low, her eyes focused eagerly ahead.' Rolls-Royce said the changes provided both practical and stylistic benefits by contributing to the new all-electric Spectre's 'remarkable aerodynamic properties'. Early Spectre prototypes have a drag coefficient of just 0.26, which will make it the 'most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever created', said the company. Rolls-Royce said: 'This new expression captures the essence of Charles Sykes' original drawings, but rather than simply being 'redrawn' or 'redesigned', her new shape has been digitally sculpted by a computer modeller, working at the home of Rolls-Royce, who has a passion for life drawing and sculpture. It explained: 'Their experience in this field was invaluable in developing the figurine's elegant lifelike facial features as well as her expression, which deftly combines focus and serenity.' The designers also consulted stylists at Goodwood for their perspective on her hair, clothes, posture, and expression to add 'an authentically contemporary aura to her dynamism and commanding presence'. All Spirit of Ecstasy figurines are made by specialists in Southampton using a traditional technique called 'lost wax casting' or 'cire-perdue'. Each is then finished individually by hand, so will be minutely different from all others. Rolls-Royce said: 'As well as continuing a long Rolls-Royce tradition until 1939, the mascots were made and polished by Charles Sykes himself this subtle, ephemeral human element creates an intriguing contrast to the precise, highly engineered motor car she sits atop.' The Spirit of Ecstasy that was banned by the EU The illuminating Spirit of Ecstasy that was banned by the EU for breaching light pollution rules Not everything runs as smoothly as a Rolls-Royce, even when it comes to meeting EU regulations. Back in 2020, we revealed how Rolls-Royce was forced to withdraw an illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy option costing 3,500 'extra' for anyone buying a Rolls-Royce limousine after the glow-in-the-dark version fell foul of EU light pollution rules. Rolls-Royce confirmed it would have to disconnect the figurines but would be offering customers a full refund and a replacement mascot. One angry driver said: 'I paid 3,500 for this option, and it's being switched off like a light bulb.' Another said: 'It's a tragedy more Spirit of Lunacy than Spirit of Ecstasy.' The luxury car-maker quietly withdrawn the option from sale but, contacted by the Daily Mail, confirmed that the 'very popular and much cherished' illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy was withdrawn as a customer option at the beginning of 2019 because of a change in European Union regulations relating to lighting on cars, believed to be part to a much wider crackdown against 'light pollution'. It was 'a little saddened' to be doing so but felt it had a 'moral obligation' to comply with the EU directive. A Rolls-Royce spokesman said at the time: 'In February 2019 we sent our dealers a bulletin saying we were removing the option of an unlit Spirit of Ecstasy. It was no longer to be sold to customers. It came off the options list.' Regarding existing cars which already have it, the spokesman said: 'Sadly, we are telling our customers that we will by law have to disconnect their Spirit of Ecstasy. 'We are in the process of putting a package together. We shall write to make an offer of a full refund, a replacement silver-plated Spirit of Ecstasy, or another option from our list.' 'We felt it our moral obligation. We sold this option in very good faith. We are forced to retract it now through no fault of our own.' Spirit of Ecstasy hasn't always been fitted to every Roller The Spirit of Ecstasy was introduced in 1920 and sold as an optional ectra until 1939 In 1920, Rolls-Royce entered the Spirit of Ecstasy in a competition in Paris to find the world's best motor car mascot. She won, of course, and Sykes received a gold medal. It was sold as an 'optional extra' for all Rolls-Royce cars until 1939 gracing only about 40 per cent of the 20,000 or so cars delivered during this period, though many were later retrofitted with the bonnet figure. Today, it's a factory fitting, with the latest models - such as the brand's Phantom - having a safety feature that makes the graceful lady disappear into a hidden compartment when cars are not in use. And this reimagined sculpture it's not the first redesign as the Spirit has been 'subtly reshaped' through its history. In her original 1911 form, she was a statuesque 6 7/8 inches (18cm) in her bare feet; by the 1960s, she had passed through eight iterations and stood a more petite 4 5/16 inches tall (11cm). The distance from her nose to the tip of her outstretched robes had also shrunk proportionally, from five inches to three. There have also been subtle variations in her base shape, stance and precise inclination of her 'wings' over the decades. From 1934 until 1959 owners had the option of a kneeling figure. In the 1970s, some countries tried to ban the mascot on safety grounds. In Switzerland clients weren't allowed to display her at all and received their cars with it languishing in the glove compartment. Rolls-Royce's solution was to mount the mascot on a spring-loaded base, allowing her to sink into the radiator out of harm's way: ' This retraction mechanism has evolved into a smooth, graceful movement known as 'the rise' and is a standard feature on every Rolls-Royce motor car hand-built at Goodwood.' Only around 40% of Rolls-Royces produced between 1920 and 1930 - approx 20,000 cars - featured the flying emblem. However, many were later retrofitted with the bonnet figure There have also been subtle variations in the Spirit of Ecstasy's base shape, stance and precise inclination of her 'wings' over the decades Rolls-Royce said the new version created for Spectre will appear 'on all future models though current design will continue to be used on Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, Dawn and Cullinan and their Black Badge variants where applicable. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos said: 'The Spirit of Ecstasy is the most famous and desirable automotive mascot in the world. 'Like our brand, she has always moved with the times while staying true to her nature and character. In her new form she is more streamlined and graceful than ever before the perfect emblem for the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce ever created, and for gracing the prow of our bold electric future.' Australia's ban on nicotine-based vapes has been exposed as a 'laughing stock' as Uber drivers cash in by selling e-cigarettes in blinged-up cars. Daily Mail Australia can reveal how ride share drivers have been exploiting services like Uber to make a quick buck out of passengers - in some cases making $50 per stick. Images taken from inside vehicles in Sydney and Brisbane show ads for e-cigarettes openly displayed in the back of vehicles next to Covid QR codes, with drivers opening glove boxes to show dozens of vapes of all different strengths, flavours and puff counts. Instagram and TikTok accounts have also been set up calling themselves 'UberVapes', offering customers 'free delivery' for the purchase of illegal devices. A black market for vapes and e-cigarettes took off after the federal government announced in October it was banning the importation and sale of nicotine-based vapes over concerns about the chemicals used in the products. Since October 1 a prescription from a GP has been required to legally import and purchase e-cigarettes. The decision was widely scrutinised at the time, with experts suggesting it will do little to stop the extensive use of vapes in Australia. Theo Foukkare, the CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACC), said the government policy had become a 'laughing stock' with the banned items now easily available for sale in Ubers and online. An Uber driver displays a catalogue of illegal vapes for sale next to a Covid QR check-in code A TikTok account advertises for free delivery of illegal vapes throughout Sydney An Uber user revealed he recently got into a ride share where the driver immediately offered him a range of nicotine-based vapes. 'He had a light on saying vapes available here, they just store them in the glove box,' the man, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia. 'He opened it up - it's happened to me a few times in Ubers - and they've got 30 odd vapes or so.' An Uber passenger, who took photos of two separate drivers selling vapes, said one produced fraudulent documentation while promising the e-cigarettes were nicotine-based. 'Some carry a customs important letter from whoever they get it from, which says they don't contain nicotine,' the passenger said. 'But the driver tells you they absolutely do. They're just covering themselves.' People are importing high quantities of illegal vapes into Australia which are being sold through ride sharing services and social media A TIkTok account that sells illegal vapes through Uber opens boxes to reveal dozens of nicotine-based e-cigarettes Black market vendors are also harnessing the power of social media to connect with customers, with Instagram, Facebook Marketplace and TikTok the platforms of choice. Daily Mail Australia has seen dozens of pages that offer free delivery around Australia's capital cities of illegal vapes. One page, called UberVapes, has ripped off the ride share company's logo, showing smoke coming out of a truck with similar font and colouring. TikTok videos show hundreds of vapes available for free delivery, with warning labels clearly displayed on the products. An Instagram account called UberVapes has ripped off the ride share company's logo, showing smoke coming out of a truck with similar font and colouring Illegal vapes are being advertised for delivery across Australian cities displaying large warning labels Foukkare said the illegal sale of nicotine-based vapes is a 'catastrophic failure by the government'. 'The federal government may think it's being tough on vaping but just looking around on the streets and on the internet, the government's policy is a laughing stock,' Mr Foukkare said. 'This is a catastrophic failure of regulation. Dodgy retailers are selling vapes all over the place, including places where it's easy for kids to buy them. You can go online and find a whole universe of vaping products on offer, many of them containing nicotine and clearly marketed at young people. 'And now Uber drivers are selling them on the side. I've seen a lot of things in my retailing career but seeing a cab driver advertising vapes with a neon sign on the dashboard is taking things to a new level of chaos.' The AACC chairman said vapes are being sold in everything from fruit shops to butchers, with vendors looking to fill the void left by the new laws. 'These are the people selling to kids. Uber is just another example of the accessibility which we feel shouldn't be happening,' Mr Foukkare said. 'You can't buy cigarettes on Uber Eats so you shouldn't be able to buy a nicotine vape when you're driving in the car.' The AACC are calling on the government to provide a heavily regulated model to allow for nicotine-based vapes to be sold legally in Australia There are about 700,000 vapers in Australia, making it one of the most lucrative markets for manufacturers and distributors in the world. Mr Foukkare is calling on the federal government to allow the products to be sold legally under a 'heavily regulated model' that will ensure black market vendors are unable to distribute the products to teenagers. 'It is our strong view that this is a result of the federal government's heavy-handed, prescription-only regime for buying nicotine vaping products. Excessive regulation drives things underground,' he said. 'The black market is exploding as a result of the prescription policy. And a thriving black market makes it easy for kids to access the products the suppliers are clever marketers and they sell them in lots of different ways, including now it seems in Ubers. He said convenience store owners are constantly telling him they have customers entering looking for the nicotine-based vapes, saying they are easily available via black market means. 'Responsible retailers around Australia are ready to play their part in this. Kids should not be vaping. But adults want to, often instead of smoking cigarettes,' the AACC chairman told Daily Mail Australia.' 'The black market genie is out of the bottle. It's too big to police already. If you want to get rid of it you need to make nicotine vaping products available for sale in normal shops, and people should need to show ID. That way any selling of nicotine vaping products will be clearly illegal. 'Customers are walking into our members' stores and asking about nicotine vaping products. Where do you think they are going when we have to turn them away? They're going straight to the internet, or maybe jumping into an Uber.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted Uber for comment on its service being abused for illegal vape sales. Health Minister Greg Hunt's office has also been contacted over the emergence of Australia's black market for e-cigarettes. The crazed gunman who shot and killed four people while wearing only a jacket at a Nashville Waffle House in 2018 was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Travis Reinking, 33, who was found guilty Friday of all 16 counts, including first-degree murder, was sentenced after the jury heard two hours of emotional testimony from the victims' family members before deciding his fate. Families sobbed and trembled as they talked about their loved ones and how losing them continues to fracture their lives more than three years later. Jurors had the option of giving Reinking the chance for parole after serving 51 years in prison. 'Our lives were completely destroyed,' said Patricia Perez, whose 20-year-old son Joe Perez Jr. was the youngest person killed in the massacre. 'This man took away my future grandchildren, he took away an uncle to my granddaughters and to any other future grandchildren I may have.' Naked save for a green jacket, Reinking opened fire inside the restaurant just after 3:20 a.m. on April 22, 2018, killing Taurean Sanderlin, 29; Joey Perez, 20; Akilah Dasilva, 23; and DeEbony Groves, 21. Travis Reinking, 33, (middle) was found guilty on all 16 charges, including four counts each of pre-mediated and first-degree murder, in court on Friday On Saturday, Reinking was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after jurors heard from the victims' families in court Reinking shot four dead inside a Waffle House in Nashville in April 2018 He fled after restaurant patron James Shaw Jr. wrestled his assault-style rifle away from him, triggering a manhunt. 'I've always been somebody that they say is unbreakable, because no matter what our family has been through, I will always be the one to bring our family up,' Patricia Perez said through tears about losing her son Joey. 'This has broken me.' Jurors on Friday rejected Reinkings insanity defense as they found him guilty on 16 charges, including four counts of first-degree murder. The trial opened Monday after jury selection the previous week. Prosecutors in 2020 indicated they would not seek the death penalty and would seek life without parole. Reinking's defense team, which didn't put on any sentencing witnesses Saturday, argued for the possibility of parole, saying he was mentally untethered. Prosecutors argued the evidence shows Reinking planned out the attack and wanted to kill everyone at the restaurant. Patricia Perez, whose son Joe Perez Jr. was killed in the 2018 Waffle House shooting, begins to weep while giving a victim impact statement Saturday Shaundelle Brooks weeps while listening to victim impact statements on Saturday Shaundelle Brooks said her son Akilah Dasilva was a gifted artist, a brilliant student and a talented musician who built his own computer to work on his music, which he used to urge people to turn away from gun violence Prosecutors also directed jurors' attention back to heart-wrenching testimony from family members. Shaundelle Brooks said her son Akilah Dasilva was a gifted artist, a brilliant student and a talented musician who built his own computer to work on his music, which he used to urge people to turn away from gun violence. 'He loved his family, but most of all Akilah wanted to live,' Brooks said, crying. 'He wanted to create positive change in this world. He showed compassion, not anger. He spread love, not hate.' Evidence at trial showed Reinking had schizophrenia and had suffered delusions for years, believing unknown people were tormenting him. He contacted law enforcement several times to report that he was being threatened, stalked and harassed. In July 2017, he was detained by the Secret Service after he ventured unarmed into a restricted area on the White House grounds and demanded to meet with then-President Donald Trump. State police in Illinois, where he lived at the time, revoked Reinkings state firearms owner identification. But that only meant he had to turn over his guns to someone else with valid identification. Reinking surrendered the guns to his father, who later returned them to his son. Akilah DaSilva, 23, (left) and DeEbony Groves, 21, (right) were among the victims who were shot and killed by Reinking Joe Perez, 20, (left) and Taurean Sanderlin, 29, were also shot dead The assault-style weapon Reinking used in the Waffle House shooting Since law enforcement declined to take his delusions seriously, Reinking began to feel that they and other random people were part of a conspiracy against him, psychologists testified. Shortly before the attack, he believed someone had drugged him, broken into his apartment and raped him. Reinking told psychologists that while praying about what to do, he received a command from God to go to the Waffle House and shoot three people. To prove Reinking was not guilty by reason of insanity, defense attorneys had to show not only that he suffered from severe mental illness that left him unable to understand the wrongfulness of his actions. Prosecutors presented evidence that Reinking was calm and cooperative after his arrest, able to understand and respond to commands. Although Reinking was naked when he walked from the crime scene, when he was captured nearly two days later, he was dressed and carrying a backpack loaded with water bottles, sunscreen, a pistol, ammunition, Bible and several silver bars. And they mentioned he had asked to talk to an attorney after his arrest. Prosecutors suggested Reinking was acting out of revenge. He noted that days before the shooting, Reinking stole a BMW from a dealership. Reinking wrote in a journal about plans to drive to Colorado, describing a life in which he would hang out with friends, smoke marijuana, hike in the mountains and 'repossess' cars and houses so that he would not have to work, a prosecutor said. After police took the BMW back the next day, he wrote, 'This time I would have to punish them by taking something they couldn't take back, some of their own lives,' the prosecutor said. Prosecutors also emphasized Reinking's own account of the shooting: He said that after killing Perez, 'I felt like I was going to throw up because this was something God told me to do but it felt evil.' The jury also convicted Reinking on four counts of attempted first-degree murder and four counts of unlawful employment of a firearm during commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony. In addition to the four people he killed, he seriously wounded Sharita Henderson and Shantia Waggoner. Kayla Shaw and James Shaw Jr., who are not related, suffered lesser injuries. Taurean Sanderlin's photo appears on a screen during the victim impact statements at Justice A.A. Birch Building in Nashville on Saturday Patricia Perez begins to weep while giving a victim impact statement at Justice A.A. Birch Building on Saturday Travis Reinking listens during the victim impact statements at Justice A.A. Birch Building in Nashville on Saturday Texans say trees are literally exploding due to the freezing temperatures throughout the state, courtesy of winter storm Landon, with some residents describing the phenomena as 'sounding like gunshots going off.' Residents across the Lone Star State claim they have been hearing loud snapping and popping noises from outside their homes, as cold temperatures freeze the water in the tree's sap causing excess weight along its limbs. 'We listened to them all night,' Texas resident Lauren Reber told KXAS-TV. 'Sounds like gunshots going off.' Photos of the storm's immediate aftermath shows felled trees and tree limbs all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with some pictured falling onto cars and others collapsing onto homes. Other photos show branches coated in a thick layer of ice, creating added weight that leads to the loud 'exploding' sounds that Texans have heard in recent days. The icing caused by storm Landon this week was the worst in decades in Texas state history. Photos of the storm's immediate aftermath show felled trees and tree limbs, pictured, all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area Some trees were pictured falling onto cars, pictured above Fallen branches weighed down by frozen water within the tree's sap, along with heavy snowfall, caused some structures to collapse Other photos show branches coated in a thick layer of ice, pictured, creating added weight that leads to the loud 'exploding' phenomena that Texans have undergone in recent days The news of exploding trees comes just a day after hundreds of drivers were freed after being stranded in Texas for 15 hours in -5 Fahrenheit chill after an 18-wheeler crash on Friday. Reber added that she had lost power to her home due to the storm, with temperatures dropping so low that even the firewood has become frozen. 'Our only means of heat right now is our propane heater because all of our firewood's frozen,' Reber said. Earlier this week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott had warned residents that power outages and other disruptions were likely over 'widespread freezing rain, ice and snow.' On Thursday, Abbott issued a disaster declaration in response to winter storm Landon's path of destruction across the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott provides an update on the severe winter weather impacting the state during a press conference Friday 'No one can guarantee that there won't be a low shed event,' Abbott said on Tuesday. A 'low shed event' is a weather condition where grid managers are forced to signal utility companies to reduce power as frequency - or the rate at which current changes direction per second - continues to drop below normal levels. 'But what we will work and strive to achieve, and what we're prepared to achieve, is that the power is gonna stay on across the entire state,' he added. The storm continued to blanket much of the country with snow while covering roads in dangerous ice. Hundreds of thousands of people in the South and Midwest lost power due to winter storm Landon, according to the Weather Channel. On Friday, plane tracking website FlightAware showed that the weather in Texas also impacted air travel throughout the state, with hundreds of flights being cancelled at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The massive winter storm could be seen coving nearly the entire Northeast of the US Meanwhile, hundreds of drivers trapped in their cars were finally freed late Friday morning after icy conditions and two major truck wrecks on a Texas interstate left them stranded for more than 15 hours in below-freezing weather. Officials said the accidents happened on Thursday night and early Friday on Interstate 10 as an 18-wheeler traveling westbound jackknifed across the interstate near Kerrville, blocking the highway on both sides and backing up the road for miles. A second truck also swerved off the highway and lost control on the icy road. Kerville Police Department said the Thursday night accident occurred at around 9:30 p.m. after the tractor trailer attempted to break as it approached the slow traffic. The icy weather caused the vehicle to flip on its side and collide with a Ford F-350 pick-up, killing one of the occupants and seriously injuring the other. A Navy SEAL candidate died after completing 'Hell Week,' while a second was hospitalized in San Diego. The SEAL candidate, whose name is being withheld for 24 hours to notify the family, was taken to Sharp Coronado Hospital in Coronado, California, after displaying 'symptoms' following his completion of the brutal training. His cause of death was not released. Another candidate, whose name was also not released, was hospitalized in San Diego at the Navy Medical Center. 'The Sailors were not actively training when they reported symptoms and were transported to receive emergency care,' the Navy said in a press release. It is unclear what 'symptoms' the pair displayed. They had both reportedly completed Hell Week, which takes place during the fourth week of part of Phase 1 of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. It is a grueling 'five-and-a-half days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep,' the Navy says, and candidates 'run more than 200 miles and do physical training for more than 20 hours per day.' The Navy produces around 200 to 250 SEALs a year. In the last two decades, 17 have died during training, NBC News reported. SEAL candidates go through 24 weeks of training throughout five phases, including a physical training test, obstacle courses, extensive swimming and running, combat diving, land warfare training and other physically difficult tests. Many candidates do not make it pasted Phase 1, also known as Stage 3, and a 'significant' number begin to drop out. Hell Week, which takes place in the fourth week of Phase 1 of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, is a grueling 'five-and-a-half days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep,' the Navy described, and candidates 'run more than 200 miles and do physical training for more than 20 hours per day' A Navy SEAL candidate died on Friday at Sharp Coronado Hospital (pictured) after completing Hell Week - a physically extensive week during training where trainees only get four hours of sleep. Another trainee was also hospitalized in San Diego Several trainees have died throughout the years during the pool exercise (pictured), including Derek Lovelace in 2016, who died after becoming unconscious 'Hell Week is the ultimate test of a mans will and the classs teamwork,' the Navy said. Although the exact number of candidates who have died during BUD/S is unknown, it is not unheard of for there to be fatalities during training. The last big known case was Derek Lovelace in 2016, who drowned during the pool exercise. He was struggling to tread water in full gear and was reportedly pushed underwater at least twice. He lost consciousness and died. Most of Navy SEAL training takes place at the naval base in Coronado, California. The injured solider was taken to the Naval Medical Center (top), while the the soldier who passed was taken to the Sharp Coronado Hospital (middle) The Navy released a statement on Saturday, saying the men's name will not be released for 24 hours and that they were not 'actively training' when they displayed 'symptoms' At the time, he was the fifth candidate to lose consciousness in four months during the pool exercise. His death was initially ruled a homicide by the San Diego Medical Examiner, but after a year-long investigation, the Navy decided not the pursue criminal charges. An autopsy report showed he had an enlarged heart and an abnormal coronary artery that could have contributed to his death, The Washington Post reported. His abnormal artery is associated with sudden cardiac death. A Navy SEAL commander recently died after he suffered injuries during training in Virginia. Brian Bourgeois, 43, died after he fast-roped down from a helicopter. He passed away several days later from his injuries, according to The Post. The Navy SEALs came into existence after World World II and there are currently 10 Seal Teams. The Navy SEALS, was notoriously all men until 2021 when the first woman completed the training. The most notorious team is SEAL Team 6, which killed Osama Bin Laden, is known as the most highly trained and elite force in the US military. To be a part of SEAL Team 6, a candidate must be selected from the existing SEAL teams. DailyMail.com has reached out to the Navy for comment. Derek Lovelace, 21, (right) died in 2016 during SEAL training after he became unconscious during the pool exercised and drown. Commander Brian Bourgeois, 43, (left) died after he fast-roped down from a helicopter. He died several days later from his injuries Parents at a Brooklyn elementary school say theyre locked in a months-long battle with neighborhood vandals who keep tearing down Black Lives Matter and Pride flags they hang outside the school. Weve lost at least two or three Pride flags, and at this point were on our sixth or seventh Black Lives Matter flag, said Shannon Roop, one of the Parent Teacher Association presidents at Public School 110 on Monitor St. in Greenpoint. Advertisement Parents hung the flags on a fence outside the school in September to broadcast the schools commitment to anti-racism and LGBTQ rights, Roop said. Within a day, they were gone, she explained. Advertisement The flags that were stolen outside Public School 110 in Brookyn. (Courtesy PS 110 PTA) After that, the PTA decided to be more careful soliciting the help of a parent who works in construction to build a flagpole of sorts to make the banners harder to reach. It didnt help, the flag stealing continued. Just last week, the vandals knocked over the flag pole, took the two flags, and hung an All Lives Matter flag and American flag over the fence in their place. The latest theft came just days before the start of national Black Lives Matter at school week, a national effort embraced by many city schools to bring racial justice teaching to classrooms. Roop said the serial flag stealing first reported by the Greenpointers website has been a reminder that not everyone in the surrounding neighborhood supports that idea. Youre in Brooklyn, you kind of forget, and all of the sudden this happens, and its like how did we get here? she remarked. Roop said shes not sure whos behind the vandalism but that parents have had several tense run-ins with neighborhood residents, including an older woman and a group of kids in nearby McGoldrick park, who criticized the flags. This All Lives Matter flag and American flag were hung in place of the ones that were stolen. (Courtesy PS 110 PTA) Parents filed a police report after the initial theft but havent contacted authorities since. The P.S. 110 flag incident isnt the first clash over the politics of Black Lives Matter and racial justice curriculum in District 14, which encompasses Williamsburg, Greenpoint and parts of Bushwick. Advertisement In 2020, parents at P.S. 132 in Williamsburg organized to demand changes and started a petition after administrators allegedly expressed concerns over a Black Lives Matter message parents planned to post on the PTAs Instagram page during the George Floyd racial justice protests. Danielle Marchant, whos a member of that group of P.S. 132 parents said the school has made some progress since then, but the environment is still not where it needs to be. As recently as last year, during a virtual meeting to discuss teaching about Black Lives Matter at the school, an adult yelled into why do you have to learn about Black people? Marchant said. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > Parents at P.S. 147 in Bushwick have also described hostile encounters and backlash from parents and community members opposed to efforts to introduce Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ curriculum. The districts Community Education Council an elected advisory panel of parents has criticized school and district leaders for failing to respond decisively enough to the clashes, and called on district officials to give a public response, create an action plan to hold space for PS 110, give an acknowledgment of ongoing racism &homophobia in D14, and assemble an accountability team. Longtime District 14 superintendent Alicja Winnicki stepped down over the summer and was replaced by interim district chief Nyree Dawn Dixon. Dixon wrote to parents Friday saying we are saddened by the P.S. 110 flag flap and condemn in the strongest terms all racism, bias, inequity, and social injustice within our society. Advertisement She said the district is working with a consultant to develop an equity plan, and plans to work with education scholars to help school staff develop racial literacy, and engage in personal reflection about racial beliefs and practices while teaching our students to do the same. Roop said the P.S. 110 parents behind the Black Lives Matter and Pride flags are hoping for more support from school officials and other city agencies to keep their banners hanging, but dont plan on giving up. Its really for us like, this is who our school is and making that a point of pride, she said. The level of hate crimes in the U.S. shot up in 2021 across a dozen of the nation's biggest cities, and Asian Americans were among those being targeted most often amid the coronavirus pandemic as crimes against them skyrocketed 339 percent. Data from metropolitan police departments in 14 cities found hate crimes were up by 46 percent in 2021 from 2020. The disturbing findings come from data that has been collected as part of an as yet unpublished study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University. An analysis of the data shows Washington, D.C., saw the highest level of hate crimes per 100,000 members of the population with 21.6 hate crimes reported, followed by Los Angeles with 15.5 and San Francisco with 12.8. The level of hate crimes in the U.S. shot up in 2021 across a dozen of the nation's biggest cities. An analysis of the data shows Washington D.C. saw the highest level of hate crimes per 100,000 members of the population with 21.6 hate crimes reported The nation's second biggest city, Los Angeles, came next with 15.5 crimes per 100,000 of population. San Francisco clocked in at 12.8 crimes per 100,000 residents followed by the far smaller cities of Columbus, Ohio, at 12.6 hate crimes and San Jose, California, at 11.4 crimes per 100,000. New York City had 6.1 crimes reported per 100,000 while America's third biggest city, Chicago, reported 2.9 hate crimes per 100,000 people. Although black Americans were the group targeted in most cities, the level of hate crimes directed toward Asian Americans went up by 339% as people blamed them for the coronavirus pandemic. Anti-Semitic hate crime also went up in major cities in 2021 after declining for most of 2020. Virtually all types of crime are up in the Big Apple. In terms of hate crime, New York City had 6.1 crimes reported per 100,000 The nation's second biggest city, Los Angeles, came next with 15.5 crimes per 100,000 people Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State University, told Axios that the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 may have had the effect of artificially suppressing hate crimes for a year. Levin explained how the center tracked a rise in anti-Asian violence after former President Donald Trump started calling COVID-19 the 'China virus' and 'kung flu.' 'New York, L.A. and Chicago hit century highs,' Levin said. The increase in reported hate crimes is partly because cities have created more streamlined ways to report hate, Levin explained. 'But the bottom line is when you're seeing these kinds of increases across the best reporting agencies, that is a scary proposition,' he said. Looking at the data across years, Levin believes that 2020 was a significant turning point. 'Stereotypes and bigotry that are directed against various groups, particularly racial groups, really get anchored in 2020,' he said. 'Anti-Asian with respect to COVID-19 and anti-black with respect to the George Floyd lynching and the social justice protests.' In one of the most shocking hate crimes of 2021, a mass shooting at a series of Atlanta spas saw eight people killed, including six Asian women. The majority of all U.S. hate crimes are committed by white people, according to available data, and the majority of all hate crimes are motivated by racial or ethnic bias. In one of the most shocking hate crimes of 2021, a mass shooting at a series of Atlanta spas saw eight people killed, including six Asian women. Pictured, Jami Webb, the daughter of Xiaojie Tan, who was killed in the shooting, is consoled by her father Michael Webb outside Young's Asian Massage following the deadly shootings in Acworth, Georgia But data also shows that hate crimes reported by state law enforcement to the FBI disproportionately list black Americans as the perpetrators. According to the report, in at least 13 states, law enforcement-recorded hate crimes listed black offenders at a rate roughly 1.6 to 3.6 times greater than the size of the state's black population. 'These repeated disparities show that - despite the fact that people of color are far more likely to be the victims of hate violence the instances of hate violence that are actually documented by police are disproportionately those alleged to have been committed by black people,' the report states. As racist attacks on Asian Americans and Asian immigrants gained widespread attention in recent months, so did a false perception that black Americans were the main culprits of such attacks. 'We don't have a true and accurate understanding of what anti-Asian hate during the pandemic has looked like,' said Marita Etcubanez, senior director for strategic initiatives at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC in Washington D.C. 'But we do know that these commonly discussed perceptions that the perpetrators of anti-Asian hate are mainly black or African American are not accurate,' she said. The U.S. Justice Department has also previously warned that white supremacist groups represent a rising security threat after the deadly January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. The was a marked rise in anti-Asian violence after former President Donald Trump started calling COVID-19 the 'China virus' and 'kung flu A hate crimes bill proposed by President Biden to combat violence against Asian Americans passed the U.S. Senate last May with overwhelming bipartisan support. The new law expedited Justice Department reviews of hate crimes by putting an official in charge of the effort. Federal grants will be available to help local law enforcement agencies improve their investigation, identification and reporting of bias-driven incidents, which often go unreported. Last month an Asian American hate crime shook the cores of New Yorkers as Michelle Alyssa Go, 40, was violently pushed to her death onto subway tracks in a Times Squares station. Police, who are still investigating the attack, said her alleged attacker Simon Martial, 61, was inside the subway for nine minutes before he shoved Go. Many New Yorkers traveled to Times Square to honor her life, where a photo of her was displayed across a giant billboard, which Mayor Eric Adams - who also started his term in office on New Years, alongside Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg - attended. Two recent Asian hate crimes have gripped the heartstrings of New Yorkers. Yao Pan Ma, 61, a Chinese immigrant, (left) was recently taken off life support after he was attacked eight months ago while collecting cans in East Harlem. Michelle Alyssa Go, 40, (right) was thrown to her death on subway tracks in a Times Square station January 16 A 65-year-old Asian woman was brutally beaten on her way to church last March One of the most shocking hate crimes in 2021 occurred in March, where a 65-year-old Asian woman was brutally assaulted in Hell's Kitchen on her way to church. The victim was pushed to floor and kicked in the head by an unidentified passer-by during the vicious daylight attack. He reportedly told her: 'F*** you, you don't belong here.' Out of the 436 hate crimes that occurred throughout the first three quarters of last year, only 185 assailants were arrested, according to NYPD data. The nation's earliest protections against hate-motivated violence were passed after the Civil War, amid a rise in white supremacist violence against formerly enslaved Africans. Modernization of federal hate crime legislation happened in 1968, and has since expanded to 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming are the only states without hate crime statutes. Police are looking for a teenaged suspect accused of punching a 15-year-old transgender girl outside a Brooklyn high school. On January 18, a young man approached the teen outside W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn and punched her while making anti-transgender statements, police say. The 15-year-old, who has not been identified, suffered minor injuries to her face, including a bruise and a headache, but refused medical attention. The girl told detectives from the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force that she did not know her attacker but according to police, after the brutal attack, the suspect continued to harass the girl for being transgender on Snapchat. Police released a photo of the teen suspect and asked that anyone who recognizes him please contact police. In a report, the NYPD said hate crimes are up a 72 percent. Police released a photo of the teen suspect and asked that anyone who recognizes him contact police The suspect approached the teen outside W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn and punched her while making anti-transgender statements, police said But that is not the only rising crime in the city, according to the newest statistics released by the NYPD this week. The seven 'major crimes' tracked by the NYPD - murder, rape, robbery, burglary, felony assault, grand larceny and grand larceny of a vehicle - are up 37.66% year to date. The NYPD data reports a 26.5% increase in rape, a 32.9% increase in robbery, an 11.5% increase in felony assault, a 6.2% increase in burglary, a 56.6% increase in grand larceny, and a 92.5% increase in grand larceny of a vehicle. However, it also shows an 18.8% decrease in murder over the past year. Overall, there were 102,741 major crimes reported in 2021, compared to 162,064 in 2001, 212,913 in 1998, 430,460 in 1993, and 527,257 in 1990 The crime rate has been slowly rising in recent years, with 100,000 incidents reported in 2021 - the most since 2016, according to The City. The number of murders in New York City has increased overall since 2018, bucking a downward trend that had begun in 2011 - with 479 homicides recorded in 2021. The murder rate had been dropping through the first years of former mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, starting at 515 in his 2011 and dropping to 419 in 2012 before reaching a low of 292 murders in 2017. The rising number is still a massive improvement from the early '90s, when there were about 2,000 murders every year. New York's rising homicide rate - 5.5 killings per 100,000 people in 2021 - is also still lower than the next five most populous cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Arizona, and Philadelphia. It is also lower than several smaller cities like Jacksonville, Florida and Fort Worth, Texas. In November, the NYPD touted an 11% decrease in the overall crime index since 2013, and a 46% drop since 2000. Overall, there were 102,741 major crimes reported in 2021, compared to 162,064 in 2001; 212,913 in 1998; 430,460 in 1993, and 527,257 in 1990. Since Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was sworn in, there have been several other high-profile crimes. In the Bronx, an 11-month-old girl was shot in the face by stray bullets. A 19-year-old Burger King worker was fatally shot during a robbery at the fast food spot in Harlem. Meanwhile, a woman was shoved in front of a subway in Times Square and was killed on impact. A New York City woman recently recorded the scary moment a homeless man followed her through Union Square Park, threatening to 'knock her out' and 'slit her throat.' The woman, who goes by @shamsiaaaa on TikTok, said that the man was making her uncomfortable by staring at her while she sat on a bench. When he stood up, she felt 'paranoid' and got up to leave, walking away briskly - before noticing that he was following behind her. In the clip, the woman immediately alerts viewers to her concerns about her safety. 'I dont feel safe because this grown man keeps following me and I got you on camera that you keep following me and if you do something' @shamsiaaaa says at the beginning of the video as she films a close-up of her face. Behind her, a man in dark clothes with a bag, a hat, and a Styrofoam container of food is keeping pace, several feet away. The woman gets silent, allowing her phone to capture what the man is saying as he speeds up and gets closer. 'B****, Ill knock you out. B****, Ill knock you out,' he says. 'How about that? B****, I'll knock your f***ing teeth out. B****, I'll knock your f***ing teeth out. Ill slit your f***ing throat. How about that?' Over the past week, the NYPD held funerals for officer Jason Rivera and his partner Wilbert Mora who were both shot and killed in East Harlem on January 21. Mora's funeral took place on February 2 at the same Roman Catholic cathedral where Rivera was eulogized and posthumously promoted to detective last week. Cardinal Timothy Dolan presided over the service, as he did at Rivera's funeral. Both officers were fatally shot on while responding to a call from a woman about a domestic dispute with her grown son, a career criminal, in an apartment. Mora's funeral was taking place hours after an off-duty police officer was shot and wounded as he drove to work in Queens. Police said the officer was shot by one of two men who approached him when he was stopped at a traffic light shortly before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. The officer, whose name was not immediately released, was in stable condition at a hospital Wednesday and two men were arrested. A convicted murderer is on the run tonight after disappearing from his prison cell, police have warned. Christopher Mortimer, 37, escaped from Hollesley Bay prison on Saturday morning, where he was serving a life sentence for murder. The tattooed killer was last seen in the lock-up at around 8am. Suffolk Police have now launched appeal to track him down after their initial enquiries failed to locate him. People have been warned not to approach the criminal, but to contact police on 101 if they see him or have information about where he is. The force, who said he has connections to the Manchester area, described Mortimer as white, 174cm tall, of slim build and balding. He has distinctive tattoos of Chinese symbols on his upper back and across his shoulders. Hollesley Bay, in Woodbridge, is a prison and young offender institution for men aged over 18. It is rated Category D, meaning it has 'minimum security', and is home to almost 500 inmates housed in nine residential units. Christopher Mortimer (pictured), 37, escaped from Hollesley Bay prison on Saturday morning, where he was serving a life sentence for murder Hollesley Bay, in Woodbridge, is a prison and young offender institution for men aged over 18. The prion's security was set to be reviewed last year following reports that an inmate had managed to smuggle in a prostitute. The inmate, who was serving time at HMP Hollesley Bay for drugs offences, reportedly took photographs of the scantily dressed woman while inside the prison. An insider said at the time: 'It shows what a joke the security is there. You've got a serving prisoner bringing a girl into jail, then bragging about it on an illegal mobile to all his mates. 'Apart from that, the girl put herself at serious risk of harm. She went into a prison full of sex-starved men, some of them serving time for violent and sexual offences. 'She could have easily been attacked before staff knew she was even there.' In a statement last July, the Prison Service dubbed the inmate's behaviour 'unacceptable' and said the person in question had been 'punished.' Labour MP Andy Slaughter, for Hammersmith, said the incident was an 'extraordinary breach and breakdown of security.' It was understood that the prisoner was moved into a closed prison, while Hollesley Bay's perimeter fencing was being reviewed. A Labour MP has been suspended from House of Commons bars after he allegedly launched a foul-mouthed anti-Brexit rant in Westminster's famous Strangers' Bar last week, it was claimed last night. Staunch Remainer Neil Coyle is accused of bawling 'f**k you' at a Labour aide who insisted that Brexit had worked out 'fine' for the UK. And when a Tory MP tried to intervene to calm the row, Mr Coyle allegedly replied: 'F**k off and lose some weight.' Mr Coyle, 43, was accused of a separate row in the Strangers' Bar the following day. Now sources say that after a complaint to the Commons authorities, Mr Coyle, has been temporarily barred from all bars in both the Commons and the Lords pending an inquiry. Staunch Remainer and Labour MP Neil Coyle (pictured) is accused of bawling 'f**k you' at a Labour aide who insisted that Brexit had worked out 'fine' for the UK The row erupted on the very first day of the reopening of Strangers' Westminster's famous Thames-side watering hole for MPs and staffers after it was closed during the Covid pandemic. Witnesses say that Mr Coyle, known for his pungent anti-Brexit views, brought the bar to a standstill on Monday evening with an expletive-laden rant at a young Labour aide who suggested the party had got it wrong on Brexit. They say the MP erupted after the researcher, who works for another Labour MP, suggested that Brexit had not been a disaster for Britain. The aide is said to have added that Labour could have been spared its disastrous 2019 General Election where it argued for a second referendum if only it had taken a different position. Mr Coyle then allegedly startled everyone in the bar by yelling: 'F**k you! What are the benefits of Brexit?' He was also said to have shouted: 'Are you f**king insane?' And when a backbench Tory MP attempted to defuse the row, Mr Coyle is said to have retorted with 'f**k off' , followed by a dig at the MP's weight. But just 24 hours later, Mr Coyle MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark since 2015 was apparently embroiled in another row in the same bar. Sources said the two incidents led to a complaint being lodged, followed by a decision by the Sergeant at Arms the Commons' senior official to issue the temporary bar ban on the MP. Asked to comment last night, the House of Commons would only say that there was 'zero tolerance for abuse or harassment' at Parliament. They say the MP erupted after the researcher, who works for another Labour MP, suggested that Brexit had not been a disaster for Britain In 2020 Mr Coyle was forced to apologise over a now-deleted tweet which effectively branded Tory Brexiteers 'fat old racists' and 'absolute sh**bag racist w*****s' The spokesperson said: 'Parliament's Behaviour Code makes clear the standards of behaviour expected of everyone in Parliament, whether staff, members of the House of Lords, MPs or visitors. He added: 'The Behaviour Code is supported by the Independent Complaints and Grievances Scheme (ICGS), which provides for the investigation of complaints of bullying, harassment or sexual misconduct.' Mr Coyle could not be reached for comment. But in 2020, he was forced to apologise over a now-deleted tweet which effectively branded Tory Brexiteers 'fat old racists' and 'absolute sh**bag racist w*****s'. He had launched the tirade after wading into the row over the BBC's plan to play only instrumental versions of Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory, and omit the lyrics, at the Last Night Of The Proms. Mr Coyle later apologised, saying his tweet 'fell below standards I set myself as well as those expected of me by constituents and Keir Starmer's Labour Party'. A Labour spokesperson said last night that the party 'expects the highest standards of behaviour from all of our MPs and takes any allegations of this nature very seriously'. The Queen laughed and joked with guests at a Sandringham tea party yesterday to mark the start of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. In her first public engagement for more than three months, Her Majesty met estate workers, volunteers and members of the local Womens Institute and plunged a knife into a celebratory cake. Ill put the knife in, see if it works, she joked, before leaving the cutting to an aide. Somebody else can finish it off. Today she celebrates a landmark 70 years on the Throne. Although yesterday was a joyful occasion, the Queen paid a discreet tribute to her late husband Prince Philip by wearing two Nizam of Hyderabad rose brooches, which had been wedding presents. She was also seen carrying Philips trusty wooden walking stick but, despite recent health fears, was largely walking unaided. The Queen laughed and joked with guests at a Sandringham tea party yesterday to mark the start of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations Queen Elizabeth, 95, made cuts a cake to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee during a reception at Sandringham House in Norfolk Shaun Mason (left) a junior sous chef created small tartlets filled with coronation chicken - which he offered to Angela Wood (far left), who helped create the original coronation chicken recipe in the 50s Her Majesty quipped that she could read the decorative writing even though the cake was facing the wrong way for her, and instead was the right way round for the assembled press The Queen was on sparkling form according to Yvonne Browne, vice-president of the Sandringham branch of the Womens Institute, which has counted Her Majesty as a member since 1943. The Monarch was introduced to one cook who helped create the original recipe for Coronation Chicken, devised to mark the day she was crowned in 1953. The Queen laughed as Angela Wood, 88, told her that it took days and days to perfect the dish that includes chicken, freshly-ground curry spices, apricot puree and mayonnaise. She told the Queen: Its probably changed because in those days we did some things quite differently. Yesterday guests were invited to try a modern variation in the form of bite-sized Coronation Chicken tartlets. The Queen raised a laugh when she told guests: Ill go away. You can tell me [what you think] when I come back. 'Sparkling': Her Majesty, who was wearing a powder blue dress, appeared in good spirits as she hosted the special event The Jubilee is the Queen's first without her consort Philip - her 'strength and stay'- who died just 10 months ago at the age of 99 Her Majesty will spend today in a sombre mood, remembering her beloved father, George VI, who died in Sandringham at the age of just 56. She has been staying at Wood Farm, the cottage on the edge of the Norfolk estate that Prince Philip called home. Yesterday, the Queen stopped to chat to a group of former estate workers about the cottage, saying that the Duke had loved it because the sea was so close. Reminiscing about the devastating floods that hit Norfolk and the surrounding counties in 1953 she said: I remember sitting at dinner, the fire alarm went off no fire, the sea was coming in. Its a very nasty experience, you go to the top of the [sea] wall and its there. She then raised her hand to her face as if indicating the level of the sea. Despite the bracing temperatures, the monarch look stoic in her green winter coat. She wrapped one of her trademark headscarves around the top of her walking cane Photographs were released yesterday of Her Majesty looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle Teresa Thompson, 70, a former housekeeper of Wood Farm, said after chatting to the Queen: All the Royal Family love Wood Farm, because its out of the way, its small, Its intimate. You havent got lots of officials and household, its just the close staff. And they can relax in the family house. Its wonderful. I had a wonderful 22 years down there. It was the best time of my life without a doubt. The Queen was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a written loyal address from primary school children from West Norfolk, which read: You have shown a caring manner, determination, and dedication to help other people. We think youre doing a great job! We are very lucky to have had you as our Queen for so long. After reading it, the Queen gave her candid verdict: Most addresses are usually pompous, she observed. This is so much nicer. Hollywood movies may portray women as the more emotional sex but it is actually men who say 'I love you' first. An international study into those three little words found that men confessed their ardour after an average of 108 days compared with 123 for women. Academics found men made the move first in six out of seven of the countries they analysed, including the UK. The only exception was France, with both men and women equally likely to be the first to proclaim their passion. An international study into those three little words found that men confessed their ardour after an average of 108 days compared with 123 for women Academics, led by Dr Christopher Watkins from Abertay University in Dundee, questioned 1,092 women and 336 men about a current or recent relationship. The respondents were asked when they began thinking about declaring their love, which partner went first, how long it had actually taken and how it had been received. The study found that men were more likely to think they are in love about 70 days into a new relationship, a full week ahead of a female partner. It then took a further month to pluck up the courage to say 'I love you', with both sexes equally happy to hear the words. The study found that men were more likely to think they are in love about 70 days into a new relationship, a full week ahead of a female partner Scientists suggested there were subconscious factors at play dependent on the ratio of men to women in the countries studied Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Poland and the UK. In places where there are more men than women, those men lucky enough to be in a relationship were likely to say 'I love you' to stop a competing male moving in. However, if an area had more women than men, a declaration was likely to be made to speed up intimacy, the study found. 'The escalation of sexual intimacy (via love confession) is more likely in environments where men have greater mating opportunities and female promiscuity is relatively more common,' the researchers said. An astonishing 761 companies have been registered by Chinese companies in the past year at this modest flat above a takeaway shop in Somerset, a Mail on Sunday investigation has revealed. Chinese fraudsters are suspected of registering more than 11,000 new companies in the UK in the past year by exploiting a soft touch system that lets anyone create a new business without proof of identity. Our investigation has found that Chinese nationals have been registering an average of more than 30 new companies every day over the past 12 months on the Governments Companies House website. Most of the firms are registered to only 18 addresses, including the flat above the Canton Chef takeaway in Weston-super-Mare, a derelict shop, a 1 million flat and houses on a surburban street in South London. Most of the firms are registered to only 18 addresses, including the flat above the Canton Chef takeaway in Weston-super-Mare Furious property owners who have no link to the companies or their activities usually discover their premises have been registered as the headquarters of a newly formed Chinese company only when a letter arrives from Companies House. While it can take weeks of form filling to get the bogus company removed, it takes less than 15 minutes and costs just 12 to register the company and needs neither proof of address, passport nor driving licence. Billions of pounds has been laundered in Britain in recent years by Russian criminals, leading London to be dubbed Londongrad by fraud experts. Now there are fears that Chinese fraudsters are taking advantage of the lax system to launder money out of China to avoid high taxes and the communist regimes currency controls. The soft-touch system for registering companies in the UK is a fraudsters paradise, said Graham Barrow, a former investigator for HSBC and Deutsche Bank, who uncovered the scandal. Mr Barrow, who hosts The Dark Money Files podcast, added: Once they have a UK company registered, these crooks will use it to get an online bank account that they can use to funnel money before anyone challenges the new company or Companies House finally gets round to striking it off. South Bank Tower London where just one apartment has over 1500 businesses registered An empty 291 Brighton Rd. Croydon, where over 2000 businesses have been registered In the meantime, homeowners have to deal with the shocking situation. When an MoS reporter visited the flat in Weston-super-Mare last week, its owner Jin Lin said: I know nothing about these companies. I have never heard of this. Chinese nationals also set up six companies at six different homes in the same street in Sidcup, South-East London last month. Resident Karen Weeks, 34, only found out when an accountancy firm sent a letter offering its services to the new firm registered to her 600,000 semi-detached home. It has been a complete nightmare, she said. I rang up Companies House straight away and they said it will take them three to four weeks to even look into it. They said it was happening all the time and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Then, ridiculously, she told me I would have to send my proof of address to them. Bizarrely, Companies House will send a letter to Mrs Weekss address to inform the Chinese director of the new firm that the registration is being contested. The firm will have 28 days to reply or be struck off. In South Croydon, South London, a vacant shop is the registered headquarters of 2,608 companies set up by Chinese nationals in the past year. Neighbours said the premises had been rented by a Chinese couple last summer and they came to collect mountains of post. Brett Tomlinson, who works in a printing shop next door, said: We had a couple of people come into the shop trying to track down whoever owns the business, saying they had been scammed. One of them suggested he had lost 20,000. A 1 million flat in Southbank Tower overlooking the River Thames in Central London is home to 1,790 companies registered by Chinese nationals. A letterbox for the flat in the reception was stuffed full of unopened letters. Karen Weeks only found out when an accountancy firm sent a letter offering its services to the new firm registered to her 600,000 semi-detached home in Sidcup According to the National Crime Agency, these types of shell companies which have no staff and do not trade but move assets on behalf of individuals or other businesses are being used to launder 100 billion of stolen and illicit money through Britain each year. Darren Jones, chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said the MoS investigation highlights yet again the case for overhauling the checks and powers at Companies House. Last night, a Government spokesman said: We have announced plans for a broad package of reforms to give Companies House a strengthened role in tackling economic crime by increasing the transparency of company ownership and management while offering businesses greater protection. International tourists will be back in Australia by March with the government to announce a date for opening the international border as early as Monday. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said allowing the return of vaccinated holidaymakers and business visitors was a 'priority' and the federal government was 'very close' to announcing the re-opening. 'We are going through the process of preparing to open, and we will continue to talk to the health professionals, so as soon as they say yes, we will work with the states and territories and we will re-open our international borders to tourists,' she said. A meeting of cabinet's National Security Committee on Monday will discuss the re-opening with a senior government source reportedly confirming this would likely be within the next three weeks. International visitors could be back in Australia as soon as March with the government expected to announced an easing of international border restrictions this week (file image) Vaccinated Australian citizens have been able to travel through the country's international border since November 1, while skilled migrants and foreign students were welcomed back in mid-December. But with case numbers in Australia and abroad falling, focus is now shifting to non-essential travel such as holidays. Covid cases and hospitalisations have been on a downward trend in recent weeks in almost all states except Western Australia. More than 90 per cent of the country is vaccinated and 8.8 million booster doses have been administered. 'It's encouraging to see how our health system is responding to Omicron,' Ms Andrews said. 'We know parts of our economy continue to be under pressure, including our important tourism sector. Like tourism operators across the country, we want to see visitors return as soon as it's safe to do so.' On Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed the return of international visitors would be addressed 'very early on' this week. 'We have already opened up our borders to skilled migrants and backpackers and to international students, that has been happening now for some months.' Mr Morrison said. 'We are considering further opening of the borders to international visitors as many of our states now move through and past their peaks.' The nation's international border was shut to non-Australians in March 2020 (pictured: Australians wait to board a flight to Sydney at LAX in November) 'The key issue that we have been examining... is how that decision could impact on our hospitals.' Mr Morrison added. 'The previous opening up of the borders has gone very well. We are looking forward to... welcome visitors back to Australia again as soon as we safely and possibly can.' Australia's international border was slammed shut to non-Australians in March 2020 and - after 23 months - struggling tourism operators are keen to see a return of foreign cash. While domestic travel enjoyed brief boom periods in the last two years, intermittent lockdowns, state border restrictions and most recently the Omicron wave have weighed down on the industry. The first tourists will arrive by plane with the return of cruise ships likely to be much later as agreements with state governments that control ports need to be reached. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews (pictured) said she wants to see international tourists return to support businesses in Australia that have had foreign cash dry up The government also recently relaxed testing requirements for those flying into Australia with negative rapid antigen tests within the previous 24 hours now accepted along with PCR tests within the previous three days. Ms Andrews said she could not guarantee the international border would not close again but the government would make every effort to ensure it stayed open. 'I was very keen to reopen our borders to the economic cohorts and also to international students on December 1, but then we were hit with Omicron and that was delayed by two weeks,' she said. 'We are prepared to deal with what comes our way, and hopefully once the borders are open, they remain open.' Golden Globe winner Awkwafina finally addressed criticism of her use of 'blaccent' and announced that she is retiring from 'the ingrown toenail that is Twitter.' There was outcry two weeks ago over her 'Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance' nomination for an NAACP Image Award, which historically honors black performers. Awkwafina, whose real name is Nora Lum, was nominated for her work as Sisudatu, or Sisu the dragon, in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. The actress has also come under fire over the years for using a 'blaccent' when portraying most of her characters in TV shows and movies that have led to her rise in Hollywood. The 33-year-old found fame in 2012 after her music video for 'My Vag' went viral on YouTube, and she has since been accused of cultural appropriation for her use of a 'blaccent' in her early online rap career and in comedic roles such as in the film Ocean's Eight and Crazy Rich Asians. 'Blaccent' is defined as a combination of the words 'black' and 'accent' and is when a non-black person imitates black English. The actress and comedian took to social media on Saturday and issued a statement about her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also referred to as a 'blaccent,' over the years. In her statement, Awkwafina wrote that 'as a non-Black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group.' Awkwafina also drew negative attention for a 2017 VICE interview where she said: 'I've walked out of auditions where the casting director all of a sudden changed her mind and asked for accents. I refuse to do accents. And I think like - so far, like a lot of the parts Ive gone out for have been really real characters and being Asian is not part of their plotline.' The award-winning actress has starred in the hit films such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. She was born to a Chinese-American father and a Korean mother and raised in Forest Hills, Queens. Golden Globe winner Awkwafina (pictured) finally addressed criticism of her use of 'blaccent' and announced that she was retiring from 'the ingrown toenail that is Twitter' There was outcry two weeks ago over her 'Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance' nomination for an NAACP Image Award for her work as Sisudatu, or Sisu the dragon (pictured), in the Disney animated film Raya and the Last Dragon. The actress and comedian took to social media on Saturday and issued a statement about her use of African American Vernacular English, also referred to as a 'blaccent,' over the years In September 2021, the actress offered a short response when she was asked about her use of AAVE and a blaccent in an interview with Reuters Showbiz. 'Um, you know, I'm open to the conversation,' she said at the time. 'I think it, you know, it's really something that is a little bit multi-faceted and layered.' In her statement Saturday, she began: 'There is a sociopolitical context to everything, especially the historical context of the African American community in this country 'It is a group that is disproportionately affected by institutionalized policies and law enforcement policies all while having historically and routinely seen their culture stolen, exploited, and appropriated by the *dominant* culture for monetary gain without any acknowledgement nor respect for where those roots come from, the pioneers of its beginnings, and the artists that perfected and mastered the craft.' 'But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply. Not. My. Nature. It never has, and it never was,' Awkwafina said. 'I think as a group, Asian Americans are still trying to figure out what that journey means for them what is correct and where they don't belong,' she continued. 'And though I'm still learning and doing that personal work, I know for sure that I want to spend the rest of my career doing nothing but uplifting our communities. We do this first by failing, learning, acknowledging, hearing and empathizing And I will continue, tirelessly, to do just that.' In a separate post she announced she was leaving Twitter, although she said she'll remain on her other social media sites. The award-winning actress, whose real name is Nora Lum (right), has starred in the hit films Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, pictured with castmates 'I am retiring from the ingrown toenail that is Twitter,' she tweeted. 'Not retiring from anything else, even if I wanted to, and I didn't drunkenly hit someone with a shoehorn and now escaping as a fugitive. Also am avail on all other socials that don't tell you to kill yourself!' 'Well, I'll see you in a few years, Twitter per my therapist,' she continued. 'To my fans, thank you for continuing to love and support someone who wishes they could be a better person for you. I apologize if I ever fell short, in anything I did. You're in my heart always.' But not everyone was impressed with the actress' non-apology. 'Awkwafina my immigrant background allowed me to carve an American identity off the movies and tv shows I watched, the children I went to public school with, and my undying love and respect for hip hop culture. It is possible to enjoy elements of someone else's culture w/out imitation,' one person replied to her tweet. Another person tweeted: 'This is not a good apology. Why can't people simply say 'I'm so sorry. I promise to keep learning and not do this awful thing again.' And then don't do it again.' While another person replied, 'Gurl [sic], this is not a apology. It's an excuse' A Canadian man has been criminally charged after he drove an SUV through the Freedom Truckers protest of COVID-19 regulations on Friday evening. Police in Winnipeg said the driver, who was not immediately named, use his Jeep Patriot to plow through the crowd for coronavirus mandate protesters at the Legislative grounds before fleeing the scene at high speeds. The driver was eventually caught by police and arrested after a brief struggle, according to authorities. 'A 42yr old male is facing charges after driving through a group of protesters that were part of the Freedom Convoy at the Legislative grounds,' the Winnipeg Police tweeted Saturday. 'Four adult males were struck.' Video of the horrific incident has since circulated on social media, showing a group of protesters as several are struck by the Jeep, with many chasing the vehicle as it sped from the scene. A 42-year-old male from Headingly, Manitoba, faces charges of four counts of assault with weapon, two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance, two counts of failure to stop after accident, and two counts of failure to stop at the scene of an accident. The attack comes as GoFundMe reversed its decision not to redistribute millions of dollars to other charities and instead will refund donors who collectively gave $8 million USD to the cause, amid widespread backlash and a potential fraud investigation SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO One of four injured parties, pictured above, being struck by the Jeep SUV on Friday night during the Freedom Convoy at the Legislative grounds Pictured: the white SUV, center, as it plows through the crowd of protesters on Friday night in Ottowa, injuring four people total Video of the incident has since circulated on social media, showing a group of protesters as several are struck by the Jeep, with many chasing the vehicle as it sped from the scene After the SUV crash, one person was taken to a nearby hospital before being released, while three others sustained only minor injures, which did not require medical attention. The Freedom Truckers convoy began on January 23, and made its way to Canada's capital in Ottawa on January 29. The convoy of demonstrators were there to protest COVID-19 mandates and regulations. Now, GoFundMe has partially backtracked on its refusal to redistribute money from those who donated to the convoy's cause, and will now refund the $8 million to donors after facing backlash from the likes of Elon Musk and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who threatened a potential fraud investigation. The website had initially froze the crowdfunding campaign as it approached nearly $10 million CAD, or $8 million USD, stating authorities had convinced the company that the convoy had recently become unlawful and violent. Truckers refuel their trucks in the cold during the Freedom Convoy truck protest on Saturday A freedom supporter holds a sign in support of the convoy in Ottawa Counter protester also holds a sign as truckers and supporters protest against mandates and restrictions related to Covid-19 vaccines The company had additionally noted the convoy's evolution from moving demonstration to stationary protest in Ottawa as another reason for terminating the campaign. However, just hours later, GoFundMe reversed its decision after widespread criticism of the move, while backtracking on their claims of violence and noting that the protests have been peaceful. 'GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created,' GoFundMe announced. 'We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.' The fundraising website added that donors can expect to see refunds within seven to ten business days. 'To simplify the process for our users, we will be refunding all donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser. This refund will happen automatically - you do not need to submit a request,' the website tweeted. DeSantis took aim at the website for refusing to return money donated by supporters of the Freedom Trucker convoy, saying he would work with Attorney General Ashley Moody to help donors get their money back. 'It is a fraud for @GoFundMe to commandeer $9M in donations sent to support truckers and give it to causes of their own choosing. I will work with @AGAshleyMoody to investigate these deceptive practices - these donors should be given a refund.' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also applied pressure to the website, while stating on social media that he would similarly launch a fraud investigation of his own. 'Patriotic Texans donated to Canadian truckers worthy cause using GoFundMe. This BLM-backing company went woke, froze the funds, & failed to deliver Texans money,' Paxton wrote. 'Today I assembled a team to investigate their potential fraud & deception. Texas donors will get Justice!' Meanwhile, Tesla CEO Elon Musk questioned whether there is a 'double-standard,' and cited past fundraisers for legal funds in defense of the likes of Antifa members and other protesters who had broken the law while demonstrating. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association the organizer of the colorful, end-of-summer New York Caribbean Carnival, and a growing number of year-round community programs and events is hiring for several key staff positions, including executive director. The West Indian American Day Carnival Association which presents the annual New York Caribbean Carnival (left) and many year-round community activities is hiring. (WIADCA) The job of WIADCA executive director the person who responsible for the overall strategic and operational responsibility for WIADCAs staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission is one of four openings the organizations board of directors is seeking to fill. Advertisement Con Edison Regional Community Affair Managers Juliet Lewis (l.) and Kimberly Williams flank (l. to r.) 2019/2020 WIADCA student scholarship winners Eslam Hussein and Matthew Gregoire, who majored in engineering when they entered college. (WIADCA) The other positions are director of finance and administration, director of programs, director of marketing and communications, and administrative assistant. Coordinating and running the annual New York Caribbean Carnival has always been a monumental task bringing together masquerade groups, steel orchestras, miles of street vendors, and volunteers for the parade along Brooklyn Eastern Parkway and pre-parade events outside the Brooklyn Museum. Advertisement Exercise and yoga classes are among the West Indian American Day Carnival Association's community programs and activities. (WIADCA) But wait, theres more! WIADCAs list of programs has now evolved to include the WIADCA Yoga Series and, the WIADCA Cares supporting youth and adult community activities, and the WIADCA Scholarship Program. Click the Were Hiring banner on the WIADCA website to get more information in the job openings, and other WIADCA activities. The association is asking applicants to email a cover letter and resume to jobs@wiadcacarnival.org, with the sought-after job title and the applicants name in the subject line. For information on the organization, call (718) 467-1797. A NEW GLOBAL NEWS SOURCE The Black World Media Network a new multimedia platform serving the global Black community launched in conjunction with Black History Month on Thursday, presented by the Institute of the The Institute of the Black World 21st Century's Facebook page announced the launch of the comprehensive Black World Media Network. (HANDOUT) Black World 21st Century. Veteran Caribbean journalist and author Don Rojas, the IBWs director of Communications and International Relations, is the mind behind the initiative, which will be aggregating and offering video and audio live streams, in addition to on-demand content from an international array of Black publications, websites, and news agencies. Among the contributors are Dr. Julius Garvey, son of Jamaica national hero Marcus Garvey and founder/CEO of Garvey Television; vice chancellor Hilary Beckles of University of the West Indies; Rev. Dennis Dillon of the New York Christian Times; journalist and political commentator Herb Boyd; and Milton Allimadi, editor/publisher of Black Star News. Advertisement For more information, visit blackworldmedia.net and send email to editors@ibw21.org Institute. FERRY TO ANGUILLA IS BACK Hey, the daily, public ferry service from Anguilla to St. Martin is back! There are protocols in effect to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the ferry service between the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal in Anguilla and the Marigot Ferry Terminal on the French side of St. Martin resumed on Jan. 10, according to the Anguilla Tourist Board. The flags of Anguilla (left) and nearby St. Martin, a French territory. (HANDOUT) The generations-old connection was halted due to the pandemic. The restoration of this essential service is the result of a collective effort between the authorities in Anguilla, ferry owners, operators, relevant stakeholders and the Prefecture of Saint-Martin, The Collectivite de Saint-Martin and the Saint-Martin Port Authority, said the tourism authority in a statement. The mandatory health protocols are: Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to travel; proof of vaccination status must be presented to the booking agent; passengers must submit evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 2 days prior to their arrival date; and patrons are encouraged to exercise caution and practice mask wearing, frequent hand-washing and social distancing. Advertisement The service resumes with three departures daily from each port. Departures from Blowing Point Port-Anguilla will be at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., and 3:45 p.m. Departures from Marigot Port-Saint Martin will be at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > For more on the ferry service, visit How to Get Here on the Anguilla Tourist Board website at ivisitanguilla.com/getting-to-anguilla, send email to info@ivisitanguilla.com, or call (264) 497-2759. HARD BEATS COMCAST BIZ BOOST Comcast RISE a program from the U.S. telecommunications giant to assist critical businesses owned by women and people of color, is benefitting the digital Caribbean public relations and advertising agency Hard Beat Communications, founded by Guyana-born Felicia Persaud. The Hard Beat Communications advertisement prepared by Comcast RISE, an initiative aiding businesses owned by women and people of color. (HARD BEAT COMMUNICATIONS ) Hard Beat is among the 700 awardees of the recent edition of Comcast RISE (which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment). RISE recipients will receive consulting, media, and creative production services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, or technology upgrades from Comcast Business, based on the specific needs. Our #hardbeat ad has made its TV debut thanks to #ComcastRise, the company tweeted last month. Advertisement Hard Beat is part of the ICN Group of companies, that includes CaribPR Wire, Invest Caribbean, The Ritzury Group and News Americas News Network. Visit Hard Beat Communications at hardbeatcommunications.com. Lifesavers threw a boozy surf club party the night before resuming a search for a missing man swept out to sea as his devastated family sat on the beach hoping he'd return. The gathering, held in March last year, has since resulted in an attendee facing assault charges from a late-night brawl. Andrew Johnson, 48, allegedly attacked another lifesaver at the Coolum Beach club, which was caught on CCTV. The party was criticised by officials and members of the missing swimmer's family as being in poor taste after it raged into the early hours of the next morning. Lifesavers threw a boozy party at Coolum Surf Club (pictured) the night before resuming a search for a missing man swept out to sea as his devastated family sat on the beach A number of volunteers attended the March 27 party in the middle of the search for 21-year-old Kyle Schroduer (pictured) The March 27 party was held in the middle of the search for 21-year-old Kyle Schroduer, with lifesavers arriving from other clubs to assist. A 41-year-old man from Peregian Springs was among those helping out, arriving at the club just before midnight while the gathering was in full swing. He was planning to help the search efforts at first light the next morning. It was then he allegedly had a disagreement with Johnson, before the altercation turned physical. Family members of Mr Schrouder were deeply upset by the boozy shindig being thrown hours before looking for the lost 21-year-old. The party is also being investigated by Liquor and Gaming. The body Mr Schrouder (pictured left) was found two days after his disappearance, 200m from a rip where he got himself into trouble The body of the young Brisbane man was found two days after his disappearance, about 200m away from where he got caught in a rip. An internal grievance hearing at Coolum Surf Club saw both Johnson and the 41-year-old man suspended for several months and Johnson was later charged with common assault. The case was mentioned at Maroochydore Magistrates Court on January 17 with Johnson due to reappear on February 14. Surf Life Saving Queensland said in a statement it was 'aware of the matter' and was 'working with the club'. One of the finest clippers to sail the open seas, the Henriqueta made impressive work of its terrible job. Fast and manoeuvrable, the slave ship, or slaver, transported thousands of men and women to Brazil and the Americas and a life of unimaginable misery. Yet when the Henriqueta was caught in 1827 by the Royal Navy as Britain worked to abolish the wicked trade a remarkable transformation took place. She was renamed the Black Joke and employed to hunt down slave vessels in the very same waters she once plied to deadly effect. By the time she finally met her end in 1832, the Black Joke had seized 11 slave ships on behalf of the Crown. And thanks to this ship and its crew of 50, some 3,000 liberated Africans were resettled in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the capital of British West Africa, rather than being transported across the Atlantic. The Black Jokes captains and sailors discovered secret slave trade routes, cracked codes used by the slavers and navigated dangerous waters The Black Jokes captains and sailors discovered secret slave trade routes, cracked codes used by the slavers and navigated dangerous waters real and political whether off the coast of West Africa or in Admiralty House, London. Although Britain had abolished the slave trade in 1807, the battle had been divisive. A great deal of the British economy and its empire depended upon either the enslavement of Africans or the cotton and sugar that the enslaved produced. But in some ways it was slaverys impact on the Royal Navy, rather than moral concern for Africans, that opened the legislative door to the abolition movement. So brutal were conditions aboard the slavers that a staggering 40 per cent of all crew some of them working to supplement their Naval wages would die or be left unable to serve His Majesty, usually through disability or disease. THIS was something the Navy could ill afford, particularly as another war with France loomed. The loss of manpower had to stop. At the same time, however, Britain risked huge commercial damage if it abandoned slavery while its competitors continued. Spain and Portugal, in particular, were only too eager to continue exploiting human misery. Britains shift in outlook was to be enforced by the Navys West Africa Squadron (WAS). Yet its warships were achingly slow compared with the slavers. Ships intended for the slave trade were nimble, better-suited to the geography and engineered with evasion in mind. They often successfully outran the WAS. Faster ships were key. It was Francis Collier, Commodore of the Squadron and captain of HMS Sybille who would ultimately show the difference they could make. In 1827, cruising off the Bight of Benin at midnight, the Sybille spotted a low-slung brig in the darkness. This was the Henriqueta. Recently laden with more than 500 shackled people in an impossibly small space, it had just left harbour in Lagos bound for Bahia ,a sugar-cultivating region of northeastern Brazil. With the easy practice born of veterans of the Napoleonic Wars, the Sybilles crew drew close enough to fire heavy balls of cast iron into the slave ships rigging, destroying sails and masts while (they hoped) sparing the lives of those trapped below decks. With no hope of flight, the smaller vessel was forced to surrender. One of the slave trades most notorious ships was on its way to a new identity as the Black Joke. She was quickly put to good use. Within seven days, she captured Gertrudis, a Spanish schooner laden with human cargo bound for Cuba. Gertrudis tried everything to shake off the British patrol, even tossing its own guns overboard to drop weight. But the Black Joke was much faster than any slave trader had come to expect from the WAS. After a 24-hour chase, the Gertrudis was taken with little fuss. Recently laden with more than 500 shackled people in an impossibly small space, it had just left harbour in Lagos bound for Bahia ,a sugar-cultivating region of northeastern Brazil. Slave ships could be economically life-changing for those who had helped to capture them. The crews were supposed to receive one-quarter of the proceeds from the sale of the ship and its stores, as well as a flat-rate bounty for each enslaved person recovered and liberated, although they often had to fight to get this extra cash. The slave ships were escorted to Freetown, where a Court of Mixed Commission would adjudicate on their fate, sending them to auction if condemned. In 1829, the Black Joke engaged in a battle with the notorious slaver El Almirante one that would eventually inspire paintings. El Almirante had been boarded several times by the WAS before. But no slaves had been found on board. No slaves meant no crime. In mid-January 1829, a rumour reached the Black Joke, while patrolling near Lagos, that El Almirante was preparing to set sail nearby and head for the Antilles the long chain of islands that stretches across the Caribbean sea. Rumours travelled both ways across the open waters: El Almirante had also been warned of the arrival of the Black Joke. Its captain, Damaso Forgannes, scoffed at the notion the Black Joke could capture his heavily armed, purpose-built vessel. The captain of the Black Joke, Lieutenant Henry Downes, spent every idle hour charting El Almirantes likely route, accounting for location, currents and season. On January 31, El Almirante appeared at first light. But in the vital moment, the wind died. Undeterred, Downes ordered his crew to row, catching the slaver nine hours and 30 gruelling miles later. El Almirante started firing upon them. But as it was sunset Downes resolved to wait until morning, evading the slaver by paddling just out of reach of its guns. When the breeze returned the following day, Forgannes made his move, aiming another broadside which the Black Joke returned with two double-shotted cannons aimed at the slavers deck. Then Downes switched tactics, giving the order to bring the Black Joke alongside. For 20 minutes without respite the Black Joke raked the quarters and stern of the slaver with cannon fire. One black seaman on board Black Joke, a free African named Joseph Francis, had been determined to strike a personal blow against the infamous slaver. During the battle aboard El Amirante, hed got 12 ft of chain into one of the ships guns as it was being loaded. When it was fired, the rigging which held up El Amirantes mast was cut off as if by the single blow of an axe. When El Almirante surrendered, Black Jokes sailors found 11 slaves and 15 crew had been killed. Even damaged, the captured El Almirante remained a valuable prize. More valuable still was the discovery aboard of cryptic letters in some kind of cipher. When matched with those from another captured slaver, Unaio, the Navy was able to identify the location of secret slave-trade routes to Havana, then one of the worlds busiest slaving ports. The coded messages warned other slavers that the WAS had become an effective force and that only fast, well-armed ships had a chance of escaping capture. Even El Almirante, which fitted that description, had tried and failed. Black Joke was now the ship to avoid. The captain of the Black Joke, Lieutenant Henry Downes, spent every idle hour charting El Almirantes likely route, accounting for location, currents and season. And no one was better to prove that than its ambitious new captain, Lieutenant William Castle. In February 1831, Black Joke had just been through an extensive refit when it encountered Spanish schooner Primero. The chase lasted all day and as night came, Primeros captain relaxed, assuming it would stop. He had underestimated Castle, who had chased pirates across the Caribbean. Under the cover of darkness, the crew caught up with Primero and cut off any viable means of escape. Once aboard, they found the conditions were even more appalling than usual. The slave deck, just 26 inches in height, was packed with 311 people as well as a number of monkeys. More than half the captives were children. Four were babies, including a newborn. Most accounts of slave ships note the smell, near uniformly described as an unrelenting stench. That April, there were further horrors. The crew of the Black Joke were told of a heavily-armed slave ship, Marinerito, flying Spanish colours and nearing departure from Duke Town, Nigeria. The Black Joke intercepted the ship at the mouth of the Calabar River, the crew steadily rowing towards Marinerito under cover of night and a barrage of grapeshot. Bringing the Black Joke alongside, the captain gave the command to board but, at the crucial moment, the wind turned, causing the Black Joke to ricochet off the Marinerito before the ships could be lashed together. Only 12 men, including its then-captain, Lieutenant William Ramsay, made it to the enemy deck, where they faced 77 armed men. As every gun on both ships fired, all hell broke loose until the day was saved by a second boarding party. Only with the battle won did the crew of the Black Joke notice that the slave hatches were still battened down. What they concealed was horrific. The hatches had been shut since the chase began 24 hours earlier and the enslaved were suffocating and dying of thirst. The living were sitting on the dead and dying. Treaties dictated that the crew of a slave ship should either be dropped at the nearest port to be tried and punished, placed on another ship or brought to Freetown as witnesses. Given what they had witnessed, Ramsay and the crew chose a fourth option, much discussed by naval officers but rarely used. They agreed to set the crew of the Marinerito adrift abandoning them on Anabona, an island off West Africa. A notable feature of the island was a native government extremely hostile to Spaniards, whom the residents had successfully ousted as overlords. It was not slaver cannons that would sink the Black Joke, but an apparent political vendetta. In April 1832, the new WAS commodore, Rear Admiral Frederick Warren, wanted Black Joke put through its paces against the newly-built Brisk and Charybdis. These were Warrens pet ships, representing the Navys efforts to build rather than buy an effective squadron. The Black Joke, presumed to be run down, sailed rings around them, something Warren was loath to report. So he didnt and the Black Joke was declared unfit for service. And so, 52 months after it had been rechristened into service of the Navy, the terror of the high seas met its end, set ablaze off Freetown. The fire made for a beautiful sunset in the still Atlantic waters as the Royal Navy reduced the Black Joke to ashes. The Black Joke, by A. E. Rooks, is published by Icon Books, priced 25. To order a copy for 22.50, with free UK delivery, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937 before February 14. Lawyers for Bellfield have submitted a grim four-page statement detailing how he carried out the attack and attempted to kill sister Josie Brutal killings of mother and six-year-old daughter in 1996 shocked the nation Levi Bellfield has made a formal confession to murders of Lin and Megan Russell Levi Bellfield has admitted to murdering mother and daughter Lin and Megan Russell in 1996, it was reported last night. In a harrowing four-page statement, the serial killer has formally confessed to the murders, providing chilling details of the attack. Lin, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan and nine-year-old Josie, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived, sustaining horrific injuries. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent 26 years ago shocked the nation. In a harrowing four-page statement, convicted serial killer Levi Bellfield has formally confessed to the murders of Lin and Megan Russell, providing chilling details of the attack Amelie Delagrange, 22 whose body was found Thursday August 19 2004, with a serious head injury lying on Twickenham Green, south west London Levi Bellfield is currently serving life in prison for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler Bellfield is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler. He has also been convicted of murdering Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, and will never be considered for parole. However, Michael Stone is currently imprisoned after twice being convicted of the Russell murders. He has consistently insisted his innocence, and Bellfield's statement could mean he has suffered a miscarriage of justice. The document, seen by The Sun, goes into appalling detailing about how Bellfield brutally attacked the family and even killed the family dog after it bit him. Lin, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan and nine-year-old Josie, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent in 1996 shocked the nation Marsha McDonnell, 19, with a friend before her murder in February 2003 in Hampton Lin Russell, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan (above with her mother) and nine-year-old Josie, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack in 1996 Bellfield's statement says that he was wearing a 'pair of marigold washing up gloves' and had the hammer in his right hand as he stopped the Russell family walking along a lane. He claims that his intention was 'to just attack Lin', but quickly changed his mind on hearing the screams, presumably of Megan and Josie Russell. The 14-paragraph statement then goes into detail about how he led the Russell off of a track before killing them, and then driving back to his Twickenham home before heading off to work. He claims that the following day he threw the hammer he used to carry out the attacks into the Thames near Walton, Surrey. The publication reports that Bellfield made the statement to solicitor Paul Bacon, who represents Michael Stone. He ends the statement by saying it was the first time he had 'committed a crime and another person has been arrested for it', before apologising to Stone and the Russell family 'for my heinous acts'. Michael Stone (pictured) is currently imprisoned after twice being convicted of the Russell murders. He has consistently insisted his innocence, and Bellfield's statement could mean he has suffered a miscarriage of justice Stone has twice been found guilty of their murders and is serving three life sentences, but no scientific or identification evidence links him to the scene. Pictured: Police revisiting the scene in 2001 It is believed the document has been sent to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) which has the power to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice. Last year it was reported that police had found a piece of evidence which had been lost for 14 years, that lawyers for Stone believe could be used to clear his name. The item, a long bootlace, was used to tie up one of the victims and was dropped by the killer and later found at the scene by detectives. A small part of the lace was tested for DNA at the time. But, with the processes still in their infancy, the tests came back inconclusive. Lawyers for Stone have argued since 2007 for the whole lace to be tested. However, police have insisted that a large section of the lace no longer exists, having never been returned to police after forensic testing. Police then reportedly said the lace had been tested to the point of destruction 1998. According to the Sun, the larger lace section was recently found again - supposedly at a police station. The lace is reportedly being tested by the CCRC. All 800 staff at a firm that makes drugs to treat female health problems will get the day off for International Womens Day next month. Organon will give its male and female workers in Britain an extra days holiday on Tuesday, March 8, to give women a chance to put their health needs first. International Womens Day (IWD) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and calls for gender parity. The 6.2 billion US firm, which has British sites in Shoreditch, East London, and Cramlington, Northumberland, hopes female staff will use the day for activities related to their health from attending medical appointments to exercising. International Womens Day (IWD) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and calls for gender parity Its UK boss, Simon Nicholson, said male employees were being encouraged to support the women in their lives on the day. Mr Nicholson, a father of three, will walk with his wife as she completes a challenge to walk the equivalent of Lands End to John OGroats. He told The Mail on Sunday: Women often put themselves at the back of the queue when it comes to looking after their health. The pandemic has just exacerbated this. A thriving woman supports not only herself but her family, community and wider society. Organon, which has 9,500 staff worldwide, is drawing up policies to support women, thought to include help for those going through the menopause and two weeks paid leave for women and men after pregnancy loss from abortion, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Mr Nicholson hopes other firms will also mark IWD by introducing female-friendly policies, including support for employees struggling with symptoms of the menopause. But City businessman and pundit David Buik said: This has a slight tinge of woke about it. To highlight one section of the workforce and not another seems divisive. But if you do not move with the times companies can get caught out. Embattled Scotland Yard chief Dame Cressida Dick has warned her officers about appalling behaviour, saying: Enough is enough. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner wrote to 43,000 officers and staff to say the forces reputation had been battered by repeated cases of poor conduct and nasty and inappropriate behaviour. Prejudice, homophobia, racism and sexism would not be tolerated, she said, adding: If this is you, I have a message: the Met does not want you. Leave now. Embattled Scotland Yard chief Dame Cressida Dick has warned her officers about appalling behaviour Dame Cressida conceded that Scotland Yards reputation had been tarnished and public confidence in the force had fallen. She said: This is serious and it is urgent. To lose public consent would be unthinkable. Action is needed now. Enough is enough. Her warning comes in the wake of an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) which found that Met officers had shared vile messages featuring so-called jokes about rape and killing black children. Liz Truss will this week fly to Russia to try to broker a deal with Vladimir Putins government which defuses diplomatic tensions over Ukraine. Amid mounting fears of a Russian invasion, a source said the Foreign Secretary will tell Moscow to de-escalate and desist its unprovoked aggression. In a further sign of the Governments determination to play a central role in resolving the crisis, Boris Johnson who made a flying visit to Ukraine last week held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron in which they agreed that countries on Natos eastern flank must be fully defended against malicious Russian activity. Amid mounting fears of a Russian invasion, a source said the Foreign Secretary will tell Moscow to de-escalate and desist its unprovoked aggression. Russia has denied it is planning to invade, despite deploying 100,000 troops to the border and building a field hospital. It came as German media reports said Mr Putin who objects to the idea of the Ukraine being admitted as a Nato member had a three-step plan to bring Ukraine under a new union state including Russia and Belarus, with Moscow as the centre of control. The report, attributed by the Bild newspaper to a foreign secret service source, said Ukrainian activists will be rounded up and put into camps once a pro-Russian government had been installed. It warned that an invasion was currently the most likely scenario adding that it could happen as early as this month. In the first visit to Russia by a British Foreign Secretary for four years, Ms Truss will warn Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that any incursion into Ukraine would harm ordinary Russians, according to a Foreign Office source. She will say the UKs issue is with the Kremlin, not the Russian people and Russia risks creating a drawn-out quagmire should it invade Ukraine, incurring a high human and economic cost. The source said: The Foreign Secretary will deliver the clear message that the only way forward is for Russia to de-escalate and desist from its aggressive behaviour. By urging the Russians to resolve this through diplomacy, the Foreign Secretary is advocating for the interests of not just the UK, Nato and Ukraine, but the Russian people themselves. Russia has denied it is planning to invade, despite deploying 100,000 troops to the border and building a field hospital Ultimately, our quarrel is with the policies Russias leaders are pursuing, not with the Russian people. Any further Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a tragic miscalculation. It is ordinary people who would incur the highest cost of any invasion of Ukraine, including countless lives lost and serious economic damage. The Foreign Secretary will argue there is potential for better ties in the future if the Kremlin changes its behaviour, but we need to see that Russia is willing to de-escalate first. A source close to Ms Truss said: Liz will deliver a direct message to the Kremlin that diplomacy is the only way through this crisis. Shell warn any invasion of Ukraine will take an appalling toll on the Russian people many ordinary Russians will die and risk another Soviet-Afghan war or Chechnya. She wants Britain to be front-footed and lead on this issue. In a separate development, US troops arrived at an air base in south-eastern Poland after President Joe Biden ordered that 3,000 troops be sent to support Nato allies. Mr Johnson and Mr Macron said solving the dispute through diplomatic means must remain the over-riding priority, and agreed to work together to develop a package of sanctions which would come into force immediately should Russia further invade Ukraine. The leaders of Germany, France and Poland will meet in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss ways of resolving the tensions. Russia would be able to overrun Ukraine in just two days in an invasion that could kill 50,000 civilians, according to US intelligence. Western intelligence assessments also believe Kyiv's government would fall within that timeframe, and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees. The likelihood of a diplomatic resolution of the crisis appears to be increasingly slim, the analysis concluded. Referring to an earlier build-up last year, one European official - speaking on condition of anonymity - told the Washington Post: 'Our worry would be that you don't park battle groups on the border of another country twice and do nothing. 'I think that's the real fear that I have. [Putin's] now put them all out there. If he does nothing again what does that say to the wider international community about the might of Russia?' It comes as US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Putin invading Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. Russia would be able to overrun Ukraine in just two days in an invasion that could kill 50,000 civilians, according to US intelligence. (Above, a picture released by the Russian Defence Ministry on February 4 shows rocket launchers during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of an inspection of the Union State's Response Force, at a firing range in Belarus) Western intelligence assessments also believe Kyiv's government would fall within that timeframe, and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees. (Pictured: Military helicopters take part in the Belarusian and Russian joint military drills at Brestsky firing range on Friday) The likelihood of a diplomatic resolution of the crisis appears to be increasingly slim, the intelligence analysis concluded. (Above, a photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday shows a tank engaging in a military exercise) US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine General Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs, and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, said on Thursday that Putin was planning to begin the exercises in mid-February, according to a Congressional aide. Russia usually holds its annual nuclear exercises in the autumn but the US believes Putin has decided to hold them earlier this year as a show of strength. Meanwhile, NATO has warned that Russia is massing nuclear-capable missiles along with 30,000 troops in Belarus. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO general secretary, said earlier this week that Russia has already deployed thousands of troops including Spetsnaz special forces, along with Iskander missiles that can be tipped with nukes, fighter jets, and S-400 anti-aircraft systems. Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. (Above, ground attack aircraft at Luninets airfield in Belarus on Friday) Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. He also wants them to roll back the alliance deployments to Eastern Europe - all demands which have been flatly rejected. The West has called on Russia to pull back an estimated 100,000 troops from areas near Ukraine, but the Kremlin has responded by saying it will station troops wherever it needs to on the Russian territory. In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over its neighbour, which borders Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has increasingly relied on the Kremlin's political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions triggered by his crackdown on domestic protests, has called for closer defence ties with Moscow and recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion. In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over its neighbour, which borders Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. (Above, a Russian soldier taking part in a military exercise on Saturday) Charles Darwin is credited with transforming the understanding of natural history but a new book claims to have found evidence that he stole his Theory of Evolution. Written by an experienced criminologist, it argues there are overwhelming similarities between Darwins seminal On The Origin Of Species and an earlier work by a naturalist called Patrick Matthew. Darwin revolutionised the understanding of the natural world, explaining that, rather than being the result of divine creation, life developed from a common ancestor by gradual evolution. In 1859, having observed such creatures as the giant Galapagos tortoise, he published On The Origin Of Species, spelling out the theory of a Process of Natural Selection. However, 28 years earlier Matthew had published On Naval Timber And Arboriculture, which expounded similar findings through his theory of the Natural Process of Selection. Nearly 30 years earlier Matthew had published On Naval Timber And Arboriculture, which expounded similar findings through his theory of the Natural Process of Selection. Dr Mike Sutton, whose book Science Fraud: Darwins Plagiarism Of Patrick Matthews Theory is published by Curtis next Saturday, said: This is the biggest science fraud in history. He highlights similarities between key phrases and explanations and cites letters apparently showing Darwin knew Matthews work and covered up his debt to his rival. In one, Darwins wife admitted to Matthew that evolution was his original child, but her husband had nurtured it like his own. Dr Sutton said: In 1859 Darwin replicated the theory of evolution by natural selection in Patrick Matthews 1831 prior publication. Matthew was the first to coin that phrase to explain the theory, which he called the Natural Process of Selection. Darwin realised he had no choice but to use the same words so he called it the Process of Natural Selection. He shuffled the words and hoped nobody would notice. A grain merchant and landowner from Perthshire, Matthew had travelled widely in Europe studying agriculture and forestry. While claims that Darwin borrowed from Matthew have been aired before, the book contains new evidence, including that when Matthew confronted him, Darwin claimed no one had heard of Matthew or his theory. In fact, according to Dr Sutton, Matthews book had been cited and reviewed by Darwins friends, colleagues and even his mentors in 30 leading publications. In his own journals, Darwin admits to having read at least five publications in which Matthews work featured. Darwin revolutionised the understanding of the natural world, explaining that life developed from a common ancestor by gradual evolution Perhaps most damning is a letter from Darwins wife, Emma, written on behalf of her husband. Dr Sutton said: She wrote claiming Darwin was too ill to write, with a telling line to Matthew. She says, Darwin is more loyal to your own original child than you were yourself. If you want an admission, there it is Your own original child. Dr Sutton, a winner of the British Journal of Criminality prize as well as chief editor of the Internet Journal Of Criminology, added: All the top Darwinists admit Matthew got there first, but claim nobody read it. Actually, they did. Weve got Darwins lies, replications of text and ideas, independent verifiable facts which, I think, come down in favour of deliberate, knowing fraud. Professor Mark Griffiths, of Nottingham Trent University, said: This conclusively shows the theory of evolution was first proposed by Patrick Matthew in 1831, 28 years before Darwin published his own version. There is no good reason for Matthew not to be credited with being the originator of the theory. Tens of millions of safety goggles ordered at a cost of 178 million at the height of the pandemic could go to waste, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. A deal for 90 million pairs of goggles was struck with Worldlink, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, in June 2020 following a referral from former Minister Lord Agnew, who resigned last month in protest at the Governments failure to tackle Covid fraud. But according to an official document released under Freedom of Information rules, only 1.3 per cent of the goggles have so far been sent to NHS and social care workers. A deal for 90 million pairs of goggles was struck with Worldlink, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate, in June 2020 following a referral from former Minister Lord Agnew (pictured) The revelation follows the disclosure in the Department of Healths annual report that it incurred 8.7 billion worth of losses on 12.1 billion worth of PPE, driven in the main by defective equipment, excess purchases and inflated prices. Worldlink was the eighth largest supplier of PPE between March and July 2020 after landing two government contracts worth 258 million, including one contract for nine million gowns. It was one of 40 companies that was given a place on the Governments controversial VIP high priority lane for suppliers. Last night, a Department for Health and Social Care spokesman said: Our absolute priority throughout this unprecedented global pandemic has always been saving lives. Worldlink was the eighth largest supplier of PPE between March and July 2020 after landing two government contracts worth 258 million At its height, we acted swiftly in a highly competitive global market to secure sufficient PPE to address potential worst case scenarios. A spokesman for the non-profit Good Law Project, which obtained the document, said: The way we procured PPE, including the illegal VIP lane, meant that of every 13 Government spent, 10 was wasted 10 billion in total. How long must hard-pressed, hard-working taxpayers carry the heavy burden of waste and sleaze? Lord Agnew could not be reached for comment. Few had heard of Zoom before the pandemic struck, but it seems weve been quick to learn how to use the video-conferencing tool to our advantage. Researchers have discovered that staff working from home are using clever ruses to make themselves look good in front of their bosses. Two-thirds of Britons surveyed admit setting their laptop camera at an angle to make them look more domineering in business meetings. Researchers have discovered that staff working from home are using clever ruses to make themselves look good in front of their bosses Almost a quarter (23 per cent) have joined Zoom calls while on an indoor exercise bike to appear disciplined, healthy and dynamic, while 82 per cent try to make a good impression by wearing formal office attire on the upper body, while dressing casually below the waist. Even more (86 per cent) admit to thinking carefully about their onscreen backdrop and decor, and just over half (54 per cent) said they had developed the habit of saying something in Zoom meetings just to look more involved. Meanwhile, 56 per cent try to make themselves look busier than they are by regularly leaving Zoom calls to attend another work meeting that doesnt actually exist. One in three people have tried to appear more committed by claiming to be ill while on Zoom even though they were perfectly fine. More than two-thirds have scheduled meetings in their office online diary to make themselves appear busier. And six in ten say they post positive statements about their company on social media to look like a loyal member of staff. Two-thirds of Britons surveyed admit setting their laptop camera at an angle to make them look more domineering in business meetings Other findings show that 45 per cent schedule emails to go out late at night to make it look as if they are working longer. In a similar vein, 22 per cent use the same ruse to schedule emails to be sent early the next day to make it seem they start work first thing. But the survey also found that people working from home use Zoom and online tools to have an easier life. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) said they worked a seven- or eight-hour day from home, while 20 per cent work just five to six hours, 15 per cent for four to five hours and eight per cent for three to four hours. Only two per cent say they put in a day lasting longer than eight hours. The survey of 2,000 people was commissioned by online marketing specialist XLMedia plc. Spokesman Dominic Celica said: We were astonished at how far people will go to create a false impression to their boss and their colleagues. A 99-year-old man in a motorized wheelchair died Saturday after a car struck him in a Brooklyn intersection, police said. The nonagenarian was wheeling along Coleridge St. at Oriental Blvd. in Manhattan Beach about 5 p.m. when a SUV on the boulevard struck him, said cops. Advertisement A BMW SUV collided with a 99-year-old an riding a motorized wheelchair of Oriental Blvd. and Coleridge St. in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. The wheelchair user was killed, said police. (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News) Photos from the scene show the SUV was a BMW. Medics rushed the man to Coney Island Hospital, but he could not be saved. Advertisement The driver stayed on the scene and was not immediately charged, said police. Officers from the NYPD Highway Patrol Collision Investigation Squad investigate a crash Saturday that killed a man in a motorized wheelchair in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn. (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News) The wheelchair itself seemed to suffer little damage, said police. The mans identity was withheld pending family notification. The crash was still under investigation Saturday night. An MP has accused the BBC of creating a 'news blackout' by failing to report that it is being sued by Gerry Adams for defamation. The former leader of Sinn Fein has launched legal proceedings in the High Court in Dublin after the BBC broadcast allegations he had sanctioned the killing of ex-Sinn Fein official and double agent Denis Donaldson. The allegations were made by an anonymous source in a 2016 Spotlight documentary. Mr Adams has always denied having any involvement in Mr Donaldson's death. An MP has accused the BBC of creating a 'news blackout' by failing to report that it is being sued by Gerry Adams (pictured) for defamation DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr (pictured) has questioned why the BBC has not once reported the case, or the pre-trial motion hearing in December, while Irish publications have covered it Donaldson was shot dead in 2006 in his cottage in Co Donegal. DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr has questioned why the BBC has not once reported the case, or the pre-trial motion hearing in December, while Irish publications have covered it. In a letter last week to Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, Mr Paisley also questioned the BBC's use of licence-fee money to fund the case, and warned the broadcaster against using taxpayer funds to settle it. The MP told The Mail on Sunday: 'It would be shameful if they were to settle the case and licence-fee money were to exchange hands to Gerry Adams.' The BBC has also received complaints from a member of the public over its lack of coverage of proceedings. Irish papers first reported the case in February 2020, and covered the pre-trial hearing in December, in which the BBC sought materials from Mr Adams which it claims are relevant to its defence. Mr Adams (right) pictured with Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness (centre) made the announcement about Mr Donaldson's (left) MI5 involvement at a press conference in December 2005 In a response to the complaint, seen by this newspaper, the broadcaster said: 'The court case hasn't started yet and no date has been set. 'When the case gets under way, we will of course be reporting on it.' The member of the public, who has now escalated the complaint to the BBC's executive complaints unit, said: 'The licence-fee-payers in the UK have the right to know that a senior member of a political party is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with the national broadcaster. 'Licence-fee-payers have a right to know what their money is being spent on.' The former leader of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams has launched legal proceedings in the High Court in Dublin after the BBC broadcast allegations he had sanctioned the killing of ex-Sinn Fein official and double agent Denis Donaldson Mr Paisley's letter to Ms Dorries, seen by this newspaper, said: 'The state broadcaster is currently engaged in what can only be described as a news blackout and editorial cover-up about a story involving themselves and Gerry Adams, the former leader of Sinn Fein.' He adds: 'One would have thought a case so significant, and one I hope that the BBC does not lose or throw in the towel on, is worthy of not only mention, but significant campaigning journalism. But silence is all we have.' The BBC has denied defamation and claimed its programme was put out in good faith and during discussion on a subject of public interest. The BBC declined to comment when approached by The Mail on Sunday. Whoopi Goldberg's co-host Sara Haines is slamming fans who think suspending the star for two weeks wasn't enough. Haines, 44, posted an endearing throwback photo to Instagram showing her and Goldberg, 66, smiling on The View set as they snapped a selfie, saying the memory 'warmed my heart,' despite the ongoing controversy. 'This just popped up and warmed my heart. Thats my Whoops!!!!' she captioned the shot on Friday. While many fans said commented that they missed the controversial host on the show, some called out Whoopi's suspension as being disappointing and slammed the two stars for it. But Haines wasn't having it, as she responded on her own post: 'I'd like to invite people trolling the post to go play somewhere else. 'To learn from a moment is all we can ask of anyone. And prioritizing punitive measures at the expense of the message/issue (and teaching moment) are misguided.' Goldberg was suspended from the show for two weeks following her insensitive comments stating that the 'Holocaust is not about race' because it involved 'two groups of white people.' The star, who is quite known for having strong opinions, said one of the world's biggest genocides was an example of 'man's inhumanity to man.' She later tried to roll back her comments in an apology on Twitter on January 31, writing: 'On today's show, I said the Holocaust "is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man." I should have said it was about both.' The View co-host Sara Haines, 44, (right) posted an endearing photo (pictured) to Instagram showing her and Whoopi Goldberg, 66, (left) smiling on set as they snapped a selfie, saying the memory 'warmed my heart,' despite the ongoing controversy In the comment section, she asked fans to 'go play somewhere else' and to look at this 'issue' as a 'teaching moment' Besties: The pair (pictured in 2021) are quite close and have been seen on multiple occasions showing affection on the show and on the red carpet Whoopi apologized on January 31 for her insensitive comments, stating that she should have said the Holocaust was about both race and man's inhumanity to man Despite correcting her on the show, her other View co-hosts are also reportedly 'furious' by Goldberg's suspension, with Ana Navarro saying: 'This was an incredibly unfortunate incident. Whoopi is a lifelong ally to the Jewish community. She is not an anti-Semite. Period. I am sad. And I have nothing else to say.' However - despite apologizing on Monday - Goldberg went on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday and claimed that, to her, race was something she could 'see.' 'I feel, being black, when we talk about race it's a very different thing to me,' she told Colbert. 'So I said I thought the Holocaust wasn't about race. And it made people very angry. I'm getting a lot of mail from folks and a lot of anger. 'But I thought it was a salient discussion because as a black person I think of race as being something that I can see.' Her suspension from The View this week is also the pinnacle of a years-long habit of making off-color remarks about Jewish people that includes a recipe she wrote for a celebrity cookbook in the 1990s called 'Jewish American Princess Fried Chicken', DailyMail.com exclusively revealed. In 1993, Goldberg - whose real name is Caryn Johnson - submitted the recipe to Cooking in The Litchfield Hills, a charity cookbook comprised of recipes from the well-heeled residents of the leafy Connecticut suburb. DailyMail.com exclusively obtained a copy of the long-forgotten cookbook, where Whoopi's recipe mocking Jewish-American women glaringly stands out among friendlier submissions like legend Diane Sawyer's 'roasted potato skins with scallion dip', the late Eartha Kitt's 'summer zucchini soup with nasturtium blossoms' and Oscar de la Renta's 'fresh pumpkin and crab soup.' She went on Steven Colbert the following night and claimed that race, to her, was something that she could 'see' Earlier this week, DailyMail.com exclusive revealed a controversial cookbook recipe Goldberg that mock Jewish-American women Whoopi's recipe reads: 'Send chauffeur to your favorite butcher shop for the chicken (save the brown paper bag). Have your cook 1) Melt equal parts oil and butter 3/4 deep in skillet over moderate heat. '2) Put flour, seasoned with remaining ingredients, into brown paper bag. 3) Rinse chicken parts and place in bag. 'Then you tightly close top of bag (watch your nails) and shake 10 times. 'Hand bag to Cook, go dress for dinner. While you dress, have Cook preheat oven to 350 degrees and brown chicken slowly in skillet. When evenly browned, have Cook place chicken in dish in oven. Have Cook prepare rest of meal while you touch up your makeup. 'In about half an hour, voila! Dinner is served! You must be exhausted.' At the time, the recipe was slammed by none other than The Anti-Defamation League, whose current CEO went on The View on Tuesday to tell Whoopi why she'd been so offensive earlier this week, before she was suspended. They called the recipe 'insulting' and 'anti-Semitic'. 'Its a lousy recipe with insensitive and anti-Semitic ingredients. Whoopi should know better. 'She needs some sensitivity training, unfortunately. The good people who published it need some sensitivity training too,' Abraham Foxman, the National Director of the ADL at the time, said. In response to the outrage, Whoopi's agent at the time - Brad Cafarelli - offered a quick explanation: she is Jewish. 'Maybe (the critics) are not aware that Whoopi is Jewish, so she is certainly not anti-Semitic,' he said. It was one of many ambiguous statements about her faith. She has also released a range of holiday sweaters in the past, including one that featured an Octopus on the front holding a Menorah. Critics are now demanding that Goldberg be fired from the show. They pointed to other talk show hosts and TV personalities like Sharon Osborne and Roseanne Barr who were fired over making controversial remarks. Her other co-hosts (pictured) are reportedly 'furious' about her two-week suspension and Ava Navarro (far right) saying 'this was an incredibly unfortunate incident and Whoopi is a lifelong ally to the Jewish community' TV industry insiders say it is about time Whoopi is held accountable what they described as a 'clear pattern of anti-Semitism.' 'This is a clear pattern of anti-Semitism, it wasnt a one-off. 'Hard to see how ABC News tolerates this and claims they are changing their wretched culture with a straight face. 'Just when you thought Whoopi should send Jeff Zucker a fruit basket, another ABC grenade hits,' one TV veteran told DailyMail.com. Noa Tishby, an Israeli activist, writer and actress, told DailyMail.com that Whoopi's recipe upholds a deeply-rooted desire to mock Jewish women and their families for being successful. 'The term Jewish American Princess or JAP was created as a microaggression to bash and suppress Jewish upward mobility. That's what it was used for: to mock Jewish women for their families' success. 'In the world we live in today in which every minority can scream and complain about microaggressions, we need to be extra careful and acknowledge Jewish microaggressions, which exist everywhere. 'JAP is a term that needs to go away and never return. I hope Whoopi has not used it since the 90s and I sure hope that this is a matter of [having] a bad sense of humor, that is outdated, and not taken alongside her recent horrific remarks to indicate her belief system.' Tishby added that Whoopi's ambiguity on whether or not she is Jewish is 'confusing'. 'I am very confused by Whoopi Goldberg's position on her Jewishness I'm excited to hear her clear that up.' Music industry bosses are pushing their stars to make millions performing as digital clones in virtual-reality worlds. Some of the biggest names in music including Cardi B, Michael Buble, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande are embracing the vast earning potential of hosting concerts in the metaverse, online digital worlds where people are represented virtually by specially designed avatars. Young fans can buy tickets and even virtual merchandise such as T-shirts, posters and bags for these events and attend concerts without leaving their bedrooms. Some of the biggest names in music including Cardi B, Michael Buble, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande are embracing the vast earning potential of hosting concerts in the metaverse Young fans can buy tickets and even virtual merchandise such as T-shirts, posters and bags With only limited overheads, the shows represent a crucial new income stream for the ailing music industry, which has struggled from the loss of touring income during the pandemic and from the decline in music sales as records are increasingly streamed online. There are huge sums to be made because metaverse users are prepared to pay for limited edition branded bags and clothes, virtual artwork and supercars even though they only exist online. Music fans have already shown they are keen to pay to attend online events and to buy virtual merchandise for their favourite artists. While it may not yet signal the end for real-life world tours, music industry experts say that the opportunities the technology offers could enable more people to see their favourite stars live, as well as provide a blank canvas for artists to create shows and meet and greet events which could not be staged in the real world. Warner Music Group, which represents Ed Sheeran, Madonna and Rita Ora, is already creating an online concert venue in a metaverse called The Sandbox. With only limited overheads, the shows represent a crucial new income stream for the ailing music industry Half musical theme park, half concert venue, it will feature gigs and musical experiences from the labels roster of leading artists. Set to be the first ever permanent music space in the metaverse, it was created after numerous requests directly from artists for a virtual platform, according to Warner Music. Performers like Justin Bieber, Zara Larsson and Cardi B already have personalised avatars as music labels sign major deals with online platforms to hold virtual concerts and sell millions of pounds worth of digital wearables, like virtual clothing and accessories, to young fans. Sony Music has recently gone into partnership with Roblox, which specialises in creating online worlds and selling virtual merchandise or verch using its digital currency Robux. And Universal has partnered with digital avatar company Genies to bring its stars, including Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Abba, into the metaverse. Over time we will clone everybody under the Universal Music Group (UMG) roster as a Genies avatar, said Genies CEO Akash Nigam. Universal has partnered with digital avatar company Genies to bring its stars, including Billie Eilish (pictured) Taylor Swift and Abba, into the metaverse Jonathan Vlassopulos is vice president and head of music at one metaverse platform, Roblox, which attracts nearly 50 million users a day. He said: One hundred per cent, labels are encouraging artists to look at the metaverse. If you look at the heads of digital at all the major music labels they are always talking about the opportunities for artists. He said the technology meant artists could now sustain successful careers virtually and added that the line between the physical and virtual worlds was increasingly blurred. This represents a major opportunity for artists, labels and fans alike, regardless of whether in-person shows are possible, he said. Emerging young stars could see their careers entirely shaped by virtual concerts, with Mr Vlassopulos suggesting that up-and-coming performers could launch their stardom without ever having to play a real-world show. Some 36 million users tuned in to Robloxs first virtual concert with rapper Lil Nas X, who has earned almost 7.4 million from digital merchandise. A metaverse launch party for Swedish pop star Zara Larsson was attended by more than 1.6 million users who spent money on outfits, hairstyles and dance moves. Larsson has pocketed more than 740,000 since joining the platform in May, which she branded freaking insane. She said it made her consider what touring could look like in the future, and that more money was to be made on virtual concerts and merchandise than on streaming platforms such as Spotify. Streaming services dont pay the most, she said. To make a seven-figure sum from Spotify or YouTube would take a long, long time and hundreds and millions of streams, she added. Other stars are similarly cashing in. The four members of Swedish group Abba will appear as custom-built digital Abbatars for their new Voyage tour, which begins next month in real-life venues. Bieber has made a music video with his avatar, Shawn Mendes has sold digital goods, including a virtual version of his guitar, and Rihanna has used her clone to promote her company Fenty. An imam who expressed support for an al-Qaeda terror attacker has been given the green light to open a nursery by the education regulator. Imam Muhammad Asim Hussain urged followers at the Al-Hikam mosque in Bradford to attend an event in 2015 in support of Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year prison term in the US for attempting to kill soldiers in a machine gun attack. In a recorded video, Mr Hussain said the event would highlight the 'injustice and most importantly the oppression that has been given and meted out to our sister Dr Aafia Siddiqui who is currently in imprisonment'. Siddiqui hit the headlines last month when Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, demanded her release after taking four people hostage at a synagogue in Texas. He was shot dead by police after his captives escaped. Mr Hussain left his role at the mosque in 2019 following claims of misconduct but was re-appointed last year. Another founder of the Al-Hikam mosque, Muhammad Adil Shahzad, last year used the racially derogatory term 'coconuts' to describe 18 Muslim MPs who backed a Yorkshire teacher who had been suspended for showing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad to pupils. Pictured: Imam Muhammad Asim Hussain urged followers at the Al-Hikam mosque in Bradford to attend an event in 2015 in support of Aafia Siddiqui (pictured right), who is serving an 86-year prison term in the US for attempting to kill soldiers in a machine gun attack Despite the controversies, Ofsted gave the go-ahead for plans for the nursery (pictured) Enrolment is currently open for Mr Hussain's Little Wisdom Nursery in Bradford (pictured) Mr Shahzad also called for the teacher to be sacked and said he and his followers were 'fighting an academic war' against the enemies of Islam. Despite the controversies, Ofsted gave the go-ahead for the nursery plans last month. Celebrating the news on social media, Mr Hussain, a trustee at the mosque which is a registered charity, said Ofsted's agreement represented a 'huge milestone' and posted pictures of the nursery. However, the regulator said it would re-examine the case after The Mail on Sunday brought the imams' previous comments to its attention. Celebrating the green light, Mr Hussain said a year's work had gone into the nursery's creation Mr Hussain says it will host three and four year olds with plans to allow two year olds eventually David Ibsen, executive director at the Counter Extremism Project, said: 'Al-Hikam should not be permitted to educate young British citizens in its nursery when there is a track record of espousing objectionable and oppressive beliefs.' An Ofsted spokeswoman said: 'We have been alerted to these concerns and are looking into them. 'While we are unable to share information about individual providers, we take safeguarding concerns very seriously and consider all the information we receive.' Mr Hussain said: 'The observations and comments which have been made previously have been made with the intention of alerting the Islamic Community to the injustices which are taking place around them.' The funeral of Akram took place in Blackburn on Friday after his body was flown back from the US. Around 50 friends and relatives paid their last respects before his family released a statement apologising for his actions and speaking out against hatred. Scott Morrison says he couldn't care less about text messages that have been leaked in the past week describing him as a 'liar', 'horrible, horrible person', and a 'complete psycho'. As politicians converge on Canberra for one of the last sitting weeks before a federal election in May, the heat will be on the Prime Minister and his government after the text message scandals and a slump in popularity. 'What people send around in texts, I, frankly, could not care less about,' Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney after attending an 'I4Give' service at the King's School Chapel. 'And frankly, Australians are far more interested in their jobs and their lives than what people are sending in text messages to each other.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison appeared at community church service at Sydney's The Kings School on Sunday Mr Morrison hugs Danny Abdallah who lost three children when a drugged-up driver ploughed into them as they were walking to get icecream with their cousin. His wife Jenny hugs one of the surviving children The Abdallah family offered a glowing tribute to the PM in a press conference last week Mr Morrison and Dominic Perrottet attended the I4Give service on Sunday morning Mr Morrison supported Danny and Leila Abdallah on Sunday morning at the emotional community church service. The couple lost their children Antony, Angelina, and Sienna Abdallah in February last year when a drugged-up driver ploughed into the trio as they walked to get ice cream. Their niece Veronique Sakr was also killed. Mrs Abdallah, who is expecting her seventh child in March, paid tribute to the Prime Minister and his wife Jenny at a memorial mass last week. 'Scott and his amazing wife Jenny Morrison, we love you from the bottom of our hearts,' she said, looking straight at the camera. 'Thank you for your leadership, humility, faith and love. We really appreciate what you do for us. You haven't left us for the last two years. We love you and we thank you for it. 'Australia is so blessed. We have the best leader in the world, a man and woman of faith.' Mr and Mrs Morrison appeared at the service on Sunday alongside NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, embracing the Abdallah's on arrival and sitting with them in the chapel. Mr Morrison supported Danny and Leila Abdallah and their daughter on Sunday morning at an emotional community church service More hugs at the service 'Scott and his amazing wife Jenny Morrison, we love you from the bottom of our hearts,' Mrs Abdallah said, as she speaks to Mr Morrison on Sunday Mr Morrison and wife Jenny at the service Mr Morrison spoke to reporters after the service, again being asked about unflattering leaked text messages from within his own party. 'Politics is a brutal business. Anyone who pretends it's not, and anybody who pretends that from time to time people don't get angry or bitter,' he said. 'If you can't accept and understand each other's frailties and be forgiving in those circumstances, then, frankly, that says a lot more about you than it does about others. 'What people send around in texts, I, frankly, could not care less about. 'I'm focused on what [the Australian public] need[s]. I'm focused on their hurts. I'm focused on their frustrations. 'And focused on continuing to lead this country through this pandemic and to the strong economy and to the strong society I know that we'll have on the other side.' NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet attended alongside Mr Morrison on Sunday Mr Morrison and Mr Perrottet pose alongside the Abdallah family at The King's School Members of Mr Morrison's cabinet have been quick to back their leader. Environment Minister Sussan Ley agreed it had been a tough week for the government but insisted it's the most united cabinet she has sat in. 'As a minister that has sat in three cabinets with three prime ministers... this is the most united cabinet table I have sat at,' she told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program. In one of the texts, Barnaby Joyce, prior to returning to the role of deputy prime minister and nationals leader, called Mr Morrison 'a hypocrite and a liar'. 'It wasn't Barnaby's finest hour by a long stretch,' Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday, an interview she agreed to at late notice after Mr Joyce pulled out. 'He apologised, the Prime Minister accepted that apology. He offered to resign, the Prime Minister declined that offer, and they've indicated that they will work together.' Another text revealed former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian labelled Mr Morrison a 'horrible, horrible person' during the 2019/20 bushfire crisis. In the exchange, a unnamed federal cabinet minister branded Mr Morrison a 'complete psycho' as well as 'desperate and jealous'. Asked whether there was any prospect of Mr Morrison or My Joyce being rolled as leader of their respective parties, Ms Ley said: 'Not at all, absolutely none.' Mr Morrison spoke to reporters after the appearance, again being asked about the string of leaked text messages from within his own party But Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers said there was no salvaging the Morrison Government. 'A change in the Liberal leader or Nationals leader won't do it,' he told Sky News on Sunday. 'This government is a smoking ruin of division and disunity and dysfunction and ordinary Australians are paying the price of that. The government seems to spend all of its time dishing out free character assessments of each other.' Mr Morrison continues to be defiant as a string of senior Liberal officials have text messages leaked revealing their disdain for the PM Mr Joyce's text was sent to an unnamed party on March 22, and passed on to former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, who in the previous month had gone public with allegations she was raped in a parliamentary office in 2019, sparking a national conversation about treatment of women in the workplace. 'Tell BH (Brittany Higgins) I and Scott, he is Scott to me until I have to recognise his office, don't get along,' a screenshot of the text reads. 'He is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time. I have never trusted him and I dislike how he earnestly rearranges the truth to a lie.' Mr Joyce returned to the Nationals leadership three months later. 'My view from the backbench about the prime minister was based on assumption and commentary, not from a one on one working relationship,' Mr Joyce told reporters on Saturday. 'From a one on one working relationship, I found a man who has honoured every agreement that he's made with me.' An art gallery that receives millions of pounds of public funding is staging an exhibition devoted to celebrating sex workers. The event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) will feature 13 artists, including sex workers, a porn actress and strippers, alongside art featuring sex, nudity and violence. Publicity for the Decriminalising Futures exhibition says it will highlight the history of the sex worker rights movement and its links to issues of racial and social justice, migrant rights, labour rights, anti-austerity work, and queer and trans liberation. The event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) will feature 13 artists, including sex workers, a porn actress and strippers Accounts for the ICA, based on The Mall in London, show it received 2.7 million in five Government grants last year. During the pandemic it was awarded 789,000 from the 1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund and two of its executives are paid more than 100,000 a year. Exhibition curators Elio Sea and Yves Sanglante say in publicity material that full decriminalisation of sex work is the rallying cry that unites the sex worker rights movement across the world. But the event, which begins later this month, with a 5 entry fee for those who are not ICA members, has sparked controversy. John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said: Families facing a record tax burden are fed up with funding such cultural indulgences. Ministers must get a grip on grants for the arts and ensure taxpayers money is not being wasted. Another seven aged care residents have died of Covid-19 in Queensland with the deputy premier saying they're suffering disproportionately because not enough have had a booster vaccine. The state recorded nine virus deaths and 5,746 new cases after 14,490 tests in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Sunday taking the total number of active cases to 48,447. There are 726 patients being treated for Covid-19 in hospital and another 47 people are in intensive care. 'Staff and the residents [in aged care] should all be double vaccinated and boosted,' Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters on Sunday. Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles (pictured) said on Sunday the booster program in the aged care sector was not where it should be Mr Miles says seven of the nine deaths were aged care residents and only four had received two doses of a vaccine, and none had had a booster. 'They're not [boosted], we know they're not because it's coming through in the death figures. 'We can't get data though to tell us how many residents have been boosted, which aged care facilities are all boosted, which are below targets, where the Commonwealth has been and where they haven't been, and so it's very difficult to see where we can assist. 'We've requested that data, it hasn't been provided to us and as you've seen over recent days, in particular, if more people were boosted, then less people would be dying.' The deputy premier said the impact of staff shortages due to isolation requirements and supply chain issues were worsening the situation in the state's aged care homes. 'We've got people now who have been isolating or feeling very isolated - the impact on their mental health is significant,' he said. 'They're not getting the regularity of care that they used to, whether that's bathing or other assistance. 'They're not getting in some cases the medication and medical care that they would normally receive because their facility has staff off with Covid, or because they've been exposed, potentially exposed to Covid.' There have been another 5,476 new Covid cases in Queensland on Sunday which is a large drop from Saturday but there are still 726 people in hospital (pictured: a Queensland health care worker at a popup testing clinic in 2021) Meanwhile, Mr Miles said rapid antigen tests have arrived ahead of the return of children to schools on Monday after it was delayed two weeks due to the states outbreak. He said the delay had helped relieve pressure on the state's health system, but said the return of class would increase the spread of Covid-19. Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said some children will get sick enough from the virus to be admitted to hospital after schools return on Monday. 'Hospitalisations associated with the children themselves I would not expect to be in very large numbers,' Dr Gerrard said. 'There will be some, but not large numbers.' The chief health officer also refused to comment on any trigger point for potentially shutting down individual schools, saying that was 'very unlikely' and only a 'last resort'. The Associated Press has aired its grievances with President Biden's administration after reporters were accused of being 'disloyal' for asking probing questions. During several encounters last week, when the administration was asked for evidence to back up dramatic claims about national security developments, it simply retorted: 'You'll have to trust us on that.' The Biden administration appears to be becoming more hostile and wary of reporters that in the past were 'friendly' toward Democratic administrations. Last week, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price sparred with an AP reporter at a State Department briefing after U.S. officials said Russia was preparing a 'false flag' operation as the opening act for an invasion of Ukraine. The alleged scheme included a staged explosion and enlisting actors to portray people mourning the dead. 'You say that they have taken but you have shown no evidence to confirm that and I'm gonna get to the next question here, which is, what is the evidence that they plan ... I mean, this is like crisis actors? Really?' asked Matthew Lee of The Associated Press. 'This is like Alex Jones territory you're getting into there,' he said referring to a well-known conspiracy theorist. 'What evidence do you have to support the idea that there is some propaganda film in the making?' Price said it was intelligence that had been declassified in order to share it publicly. 'Where is the declassified information?' asked Lee of The AP. 'I just delivered it,' Price said. 'No, you made a series of allegations,' Lee responded. 'I would like to see some proof that shows that the Russians are doing that,' Lee said. With the State Department offering no further evidence and Lee continuing to probe, Price suggested he was siding with Russia. 'I'm sorry, you don't like the content,' Price responded. 'I'm sorry you are doubting the information that is in the possession of the U.S. government.' Price said U.S. officials needed to protect 'sources and methods' and ended their testy five-minute exchange by telling Lee: 'If you doubt the credibility of the U.S. government, of the British government, of other governments, and want to find solace in information that the Russians are putting out that is for you to do.' The contentious discussion took place between Ned Price of the State Department and Matthew Lee, pictured, of The AP He later walked back his comments. 'The renowned @APDiploWriter and I have had our fair share of sparring sessions, and I have the scars to prove it. Clearly, he's no one's dupe, and I'd never want to suggest otherwise. Nothing but respect for him, which I underscored in a call to him after the briefing,' he wrote on Twitter. It was not the only encounter of the week to have a reporter receive such a testy response from the administration. Also on Thursday aboard Air Force One en route to New York, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki fielded questions about a U.S. special forces raid in Syria, which resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. U.S. officials said al-Qurayshi killed himself and his family with a suicide bomb, but NPRs Ayesha Rascoe said there 'may be people that are skeptical of the events that took place and what happened to the civilians.' Psaki asked whether the reporter was suggesting that 'ISIS is providing accurate information' as opposed to the U.S. military. 'I mean, the U.S. has not always been straightforward about what happens with civilians,' Rascoe responded. 'And I mean, that is a fact.' Asked about her comments, Psaki said on Friday that 'we welcome tough questions and good faith scrutiny.' She said officials were committed to providing as much detail as possible about the Syria raid and she was relying on 'firsthand reports from our elite servicemembers' to describe the incident. Nevertheless, the administration would also not explain their confidence that civilian casualties were caused by a suicide bombing rather than U.S. Special Forces during the Syrian raid. The administration's response took a particularly caustic turn as spokespeople suggested that reporters were buying into foreign propaganda by even asking such questions. The Associated Press has aired its grievances with President Biden's administration after reporters were accused of being 'disloyal' for asking probing questions Generally, the press briefings held by the White House and State Department are supposed to be designed for clarity and openness. Yet in both instances regarding Syria and Russia, the administration refused to reveal what background information they had. In a piece published on Friday, The Associated Press wrote: 'Biden promised to restore truth in Washington after defeating Trump, but trust appears to be in short supply one year after taking office.' 'Not only did the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan undermine his administration's credibility, Americans have grown exasperated with shifting public health guidance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.' Like the Monmouth University poll, a Harvard CAPS/Harris survey this week found that Biden's approval rating had dropped to 39 percent More than one in every three Americans think Biden should flunk out of the White House in a poll conducted by Politico on the anniversary of him taking office According to a CNN/SSRS poll conducted in December, only 34% of Americans said Biden 'is a leader you can trust.' Another 66% said they 'have some doubts and reservations.' The lack of transparency strained already depleted reserves of credibility in Washington, a critical resource diminished over the decades by instances of lies, falsehoods and mistakes on everything from extramarital affairs to the lack of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The exchanges were also a sign of increased skepticism of the Biden administration when it comes to intelligence and military matters, particularly after officials failed to anticipate how swiftly the Afghan government would fall to the Taliban last year and initially defended a U.S. missile attack in Kabul as a 'righteous strike' before the Pentagon confirmed the action had killed several civilians but no terrorists. It comes as Biden's poll numbers continue to fall. January polls showed found that Biden's approval rating had dropped to 39 percent. 'This administration has made statements in the past that have not proven accurate,' said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. 'Kabul wasn't secure. The drone strike did kill civilians. The press is doing its job when it asks, 'How do you know that?'' President Biden's administration has refused to share evidence for consequential national security claims in recent days, and officials have even accused reporters of siding with foreign propaganda Journalists defended the questions put to Psaki and said her answers were not good enough Al-Qurayshi, also known as Abdullah Qardash, was nicknamed The Professor or The Destroyer because of his reputation as a brutal legislator The latest scrutiny seemed to have struck a nerve, resulting in barbed interactions with White House press secretary Jen Psaki and State Department spokesman Ned Price that stood out even amid the typically contentious relationship between the government and the press. Jamieson described the responses, which included insinuations that reporters were being disloyal, as 'completely inappropriate.' 'These are cases in which the reporters' role is even more consequential because the matters' - the use of lethal force by the U.S. military and a potential war in Europe - 'are so important,' she said. A coverup by the U.S. military is not without precedent snd suggests the fallout from an intelligence failure in Kabul, during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, includes an erosion of trust in the administration. Initially, officials claimed the Aug. 29 strike in Kabul killed two fighters in the ISIS-K terror group who were believed to be plotting an imminent attack on U.S. forces in the city. 'Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material,' said Capt. Bill Urban, U.S. Central Command spokesman But reporters on the scene quickly said that civilians, including seven children, had died. The driver turned out to be Zemari Ahmadi, who worked for the aid group Nutrition & Education International. And by December officials were forced to recant their initial defense of the operation and admit they simply got it wrong. The botched drone strike killed 10 civilians, including seven children, in the final hours of the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan last year In 2019, the military also covered up airstrikes in Syria that killed up to 64 women and children, a possible war crime, during the battle against Islamic State. Two back-to-back airstrikes near the town of Baghuz were ordered by a classified American special operations unit tasked with ground operations in Syria. 'We just dropped on 50 women and children,' a shocked analyst watching drone footage of the strike in real time told colleagues on a secure chat system. In reality, the death toll in the March 19, 2019 was even higher, an assessment found, making the incident potentially one of the largest civilian casualty events in the US war against ISIS. 'Where is the declassified information?' asked Matthew Lee of The Associated Press. 'I just delivered it,' Price, pictured, said. 'No, you made a series of allegations,' Lee responded. Rep. Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the administration hoped to prevent Russia from following through on a false flag plot by publicly airing the allegations. 'This really isnt a question of winning over the public,' said Himes, D-Conn. 'This is about altering Vladimir Putins behavior.' Richard Stengel, a former editor of Time magazine and onetime senior State Department official, said the government frequently has to make difficult decisions about balancing sensitive information and the need to be transparent. 'There's a cost benefit analysis,' he said. 'That's the judgment they're making every day.' But there are long-percolating concerns that the scales have tipped too far toward secrecy. Even Biden's director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, said the government classifies too much information. In a January 5 letter to Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Haines said that 'deficiencies in the current classification system undermine our national security, as well as critical democratic objectives, by impeding our ability to share information in a timely manner.' An aerial image released by the Pentagon shows the compound where ISIS emir al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi lived. He ran his terror network through a lieutenant living on the second floor She added that this 'erodes the basic trust that our citizens have in their government,' especially as 'the volume of classified material produced continues to grow exponentially.' Politicians have routinely promised to restore trust in Washington, but it remains a scarce commodity ever since the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. Soon afterward, President Jimmy Carter won office by telling voters 'Ill never tell a lie.' He was voted out after one term. Scandals have tarnished subsequent administrations, from secretly funding the Contras in Nicaragua by selling weapons to Iran under President Ronald Reagan to President Bill Clinton covering up an affair with a White House intern. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush claimed the U.S. needed to invade Iraq to eliminate Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, but no such weapons were found and American troops spent years wrestling with a bloody insurgency. President Donald Trump routinely misrepresented basic facts about his administration throughout his term and continues to spread falsehoods about the last election. A man who tried to burn down a high school during the Black Lives Matter riots in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death was sentenced to just five years of probation alongside a hefty fine for restitution of the partially burnt building. Mohamed Hussein Abdi pleaded guilty in a St. Paul, Minnesota courtroom on Thursday to conspiracy to commit arson in relation to the May 28, 2020 fire, which occurred just three days after Floyd's death on May 25, according to court documents obtained by Fox News. The 20-year-old will also have to pay over $34,000 to Gordon Parks High School, court documents state. Abdi was arrested one month after attempting to burn the high school down in June 2020. During the Black Lives Matter riots in the wake of Floyd's death, there was $500 million worth of damage done and more than 1,500 business damaged or destroyed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area alone. Pictured: The 2020 mugshot of Mohamed Hussein Abdi, who was sentenced to five years probation as well as $34,000 in restitution after trying to burn down a high school during a BLM riot Gordon Parks High School, pictured, in Minneapolis, the site of Abdi's arson efforts back on May, 28, 2020, during riots following the death of George Floyd An unnamed protester stands in front of a burning building set on fire during a demonstration in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 29, 2020, after the death of George Floyd Abdi allegedly gained entry to the building through a glass door that had been broken amid the BLM riots, with security footage showing him pouring liquid from a container onto the school's cafeteria floor and a nearby trash can. Abdi then reportedly used a piece of fabric that had been doused in the flammable substance before setting the trash can on fire, which subsequently spread throughout part of the high school. Authorities filed federal arson charges against Abdi following a joint investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the St. Paul Police Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal Division. Abdi's act of arson contributed to over $1 billion worth of damaged property that occurred during nationwide riots in the wake of Floyd's death. Abdi's sentencing comes just a week after charity auditors expressed alarm at the management of Black Lives Matter's $60 million in donations, after it emerged that people announced as leading the organization never took up the role, and no one seemed able to say who was handling the finances. Flames from a separate fire illuminate protesters standing on a barricade in front of the Third Police Precinct on May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota The most recent tax filing for the charity, from 2019, gives an address in Los Angeles that does not exist, and the two remaining BLM directors identified by The Washington Examiner were not able to assist - with one even scrubbing BLM associations from his social media after he was contacted by the paper. They are yet to file a 2020 return, a Form 990, as required - which could see BLM fined by the IRS. BLM was founded in July 2013, after a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. In the summer of 2020, leaders sought nonprofit status with the IRS, which was granted in December 2020 - allowing the organization to receive tax-deductible donations directly. Australian snowboarder Tess Coady has won Australia's first medal of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, claiming bronze in the women's slopestyle. Coady, 21, recorded her best score of 84.15 points in the third and final run of Sunday's final. It was the 16th medal won by Australia at a Winter Olympics and the fifth in a snowboarding discipline. Coady was selected to make her Games debut four years ago in PyeongChang, but was unable to compete after tearing her ACL in a practice run. Australian Tess Coady has claimed bronze in the women's slopestyle event at the Beijing Winter Olympics with Zoi Sadowski-Synnott from NZ getting the gold and Julia Marino from the US the silver (pictured) The 21-year-old Australian injured her ACL during her last Olympics in South Korea (pictured after her event in Beijing) Sydney-born Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed New Zealand's first-ever Winter Games gold medal on Sunday with a score of 92.88 and American Julia Marino (87.68) pocketed the silver. Sadowski-Synnott trailed Marino going into the final round but pulled out an incredible performance to take the title with the last run of the competition. The 20-year-old launched into a massive jump with her final trick to earn a winning score of 92.88, before being mobbed at the finish by Marino and Coady. A large New Zealand flag and another bearing the country's black fern symbol could be seen among the crowd. Coady during her bronze medal winning run on the Genting Snow Park course (pictured) The event held at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou on February 6 has delivered Australia's first medal of the 2022 Games (pictured) New Zealand had previously won one silver and two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics -- including a third-place finish for Sadowski Synnott in the Big Air competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Sadowski-Synnott dazzled the judges by grinding along rails, leaping off huge jumps and sliding along the roof of a traditional Chinese house made from snow en route to the gold. Two-time defending champion Jamie Anderson from the United States was ninth. NYCHA is criminal. That was the message from a Queens Housing Court judge outraged by the agencys failure to provide hot water to as many as 300 tenants in a Rockaway apartment building since November, the Daily News has learned. Advertisement If this was a private small landlord he [the landlord] would be in jail by now, Judge Kimon Thermos said during a Jan. 20 hearing. He would have been in jail by now and the fines would have been $500 per day, per apartment. So he would have been in jail and he would have been losing his building too. As a city-run agency, the New York City Housing Authority is not eligible for the same penalties as a private landlord who neglects its properties and tenants. Advertisement Why is your crime shielded this way? Thermos asked a NYCHA lawyer. NYCHA is dropping the ball big time here. Tenants in Carleton Manor say NYCHA did little for months to fix the water problem that makes taking a shower a major undertaking. Dozens of tenants have filed a petition in Housing Court seeking to force NYCHA to make repairs at the 174-unit building on Beach Channel Dr. and Beach 74th St. in Arverne. This is the dead of winter, said Alisha Robinson, 42. We need this corrected. We need some attention on fixing this. It doesnt make any sense to me, she said. I have to go to a hotel to take a decent shower. Tenant leaders, from left, LaWanda Gainey-Johnson, Uronda Jones, Alisha Robinson, and Vernell Robinson, say that there has been no hot water at the NYCHA Carleton Manor apartments in Arverne since November. (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News) But some tenants cant afford a hotel room, dont have other homes to visit for a warm shower or are disabled, said LaWanda Johnson-Gainey, 62, the president of the resident council. They heat water on a stove, carry it to the tub and use it to bathe. Its been affecting us really bad, she said. Vernell Robinson, a 30-year resident of the building who is disabled, said she relies on others to bring her pots of hot water to the bathroom from the kitchen. I have to do that five times to wash my legs, she said. Its disgusting. Its degrading. Advertisement I dont have any place to go. FILE - The Carleton Manor on Beach Channel Drive in Queens. (Alex Rud/for New York Daily News) Vernell said that hot water issues at the building have persisted since at least 2005, but have been particularly pronounced this winter. Cold water comes out of many of the faucets without pressure and has a red tinge due to rusted pipes. Tenants must run the water for minutes at a time before it is clear, they say. The legal fight began Nov. 29, when one tenant, Shaniya Callender, filed a petition to get the water problem fixed. That yielded no progress, so on Dec. 28, 45 tenants signed a petition threatening housing court action if no repairs were made by Jan. 10. That deadline came and went, so the tenants took NYCHA to court. At the Jan. 20 hearing, Judge Thermos was outraged that NYCHAs work on the building was being overseen by an unlicensed plumber. The judge said he was considering issuing a subpoena demanding NYCHA Chairman Gregory Russ appear in court. But before he could, Thermos was replaced on the case by a different judge, for unclear reasons. NYCHA needs to stop stalling and get these tenants and their families the justice they deserve, said Robert Sanderman, an attorney at Legal Services NYC. These tenants, who pay rent just like everyone else, have suffered for too long and are tired of waiting on NYCHA to do the right thing. Advertisement Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > Tenant leaders, from left, Alisha Robinson, Vernell Robinson, LaWanda Gainey-Johnson, and Uronda Jones say that there has been no hot water at the NYCHA Carleton Manor apartments in Arverne since November. (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News) A NYCHA spokesman says the agency is working to restore hot water. Plumbing teams have been working over the past month to ensure consistent hot water service for residents of this development and are still determining the root cause, said Nekoro Gomes, a spokesman for the authority, on Jan. 28. Replacing the shower valves in resident bathrooms has helped alleviate the issue. We expect to complete these repairs for all units by the end of next week. Advertisement A Legal Services spokesman said that while nearly all units were without hot water at the Jan. 20 hearing, NYCHA has since fixed the issue in about 110 units. But as of Friday, the struggle continued. At least 60 units still didnt have hot water and it was not clear when the service would be restored, the spokesman said. They always have excuses, said tenant Alisha Robinson. Pamela Moses, 44, has been sentenced to six years in prison for voter fraud. Pictured: Moses in an undated mugshot The founder of Black Lives Matter Memphis has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally registering to vote after pleading guilty to felonies in 2015. Pamela Moses, 44, voted illegally six times since she pleaded guilty to evidence tampering, forgery, perjury, stalking and theft under $500, seven years ago. The activist is now claiming she was unaware she was still on probation, which lasted seven years, and believed her voting rights were reinstated in 2019. 'I did not falsify anything. All I did was try to get my rights to vote back the way the people at the election commission told me and the way the clerk did,' she said at her sentencing hearing on January 26. Judge Mark Ward accused Moses of 'tricking the probation department' to illegally obtain the right to vote. He said: 'You tricked the probation department into giving you documents saying you were off probation. After you were convicted of a felony in 2015, you voted six times as a convicted felon.' However, Moses argued that when she pleaded guilty in 2015, no one told her she didn't have the right to vote. The University of Tennessee graduate, who received a degree in political science from the school, found out she was still on probation in 2019 and after trying to run for mayor. After a judge confirmed it, she visited a probations officer to make sure the her probation was correct. The officer then provided the activist with a certification of completion, which she turned in to receive her right to vote. The found of Black Lives Matter Memphis, pictured in 2019, pleaded guilty to evidence tampering, forgery, perjury, stalking, and theft under $500, seven years ago and claimed she didn't realize she was still on probation. She thought she had completed her probation in 2019 after a corrections official gave her a certificate saying she did, despite a judge her otherwise The mother-of-two told the Guardian last year: 'They never mentioned anything about voting. They never mentioned anything about not voting, being able to votenone of that.' At the time, Tennessee authorities should have taken her off the rolls, but Memphis officials never received the paperwork, the Guardian reported. She became aware of the problem in 2019 when she tried to run mayor in Memphis and was told she would be unable to due to her felonies. But then officials realized she had never been taken off the registered voter list. The activist and musician then went to court to see if she was still on probation. Afterward, she went to the probation office to have her sentence confirmed, as she believed it was too long, and an officer signed a certificate saying her probation had ended. However, days later, a corrections officer wrote an email to an election official saying Moses had not completed her probation and therefore was ineligible to vote, the Guardian reported. During her trial, prosecutors said Moses knew she was ineligible when she submitted the certificate, as a judge had recently told her she was still on probation. 'Even knowing that order denied her expiration of sentence, Pamela Moses submitted that form with her application for voter registration and signed an oath as to the accuracy of the information submitted,' prosecutors wrote. 'Pamela Moses knowingly made or consented to a false entry on her permanent registration.' Judge Mark Ward said she 'tricked the probation department into giving you documents saying you were off probation' She is now saying that she was 'convicted of altering a document that I didn't even sign,' the Grio reported. 'I did not falsify anything. All I did was try to get my rights to vote back the way the people at the election commission told me and the way the clerk did,' she said in January. Moses was charged with falsely asserting that her probation ended. Now, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund is fighting for her, saying there are 'two sentencing systems' in the U.S., as others with similar stories only received probation for voter fraud. 'Those who intentionally committed voter fraud, they are sentenced to probation,' Janai Nelson of the Legal Defense Fund said on MSNBC on Saturday. 'There are two criminal justice systems, two sentencing systems when it comes to these issues and you could not ask for a more stark contrast about justice in our country.' Moses, who has been in custody since December 10, is expected to appeal the decision. This is one quick-thinking police officer. A Maryland crossing guard is being a hailed a hero for saving a young girl by throwing her out of the way of an oncoming car before taking a hit and being struck herself. Surveillance footage captured the moment Corporal Annette Goodyear, a 13-year veteran of the North East Police Department in Cecil County, Maryland, helped a middle school student cross a street Friday morning near North East Middle School, officials said. Wearing an orange poncho on what appears to be a rainy day, Goodyear is seen giving an approaching vehicle the 'stop' signal with her hand as a child begins to cross the street. Scroll Down For Video Corporal Annette Goodyear is seen giving an approaching vehicle the 'stop' signal with her hand as a child crosses the street When the car doesn't stop, Goodyear acts swiftly and grabs the girl by the shoulders and shoves her out of the way before she herself is struck by the vehicle Goodyear is then seen laying on her back in the street while the young girl, onlookers and the female driver of the sedan come to her aid Surveillance footage captured the moment Corporal Annette Goodyear of the North East Police Department (pictured) helped a middle school student cross a street Friday morning Despite her 'stop' signal, a black sedan comes into frame at full speed toward Goodyear and the young girl. Acting swiftly, Goodyear grabs the girl by the shoulders and shoves her out of the way before she herself is struck by the vehicle. Goodyear is then seen laying on her back in the street while the young girl, onlookers and the female driver of the sedan come to her aid. Goodyear suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital and released shortly after. Police have not said whether the driver will face charges, NBC Washington reported. Goodyear is a 13-year veteran of the North East Police Department in Cecil County, Maryland Goodyear (pictured) suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital and released shortly after As she recovers from her injuries, Goodyear is being lauded for her actions. 'We want to take a moment to recognize Officer Annette Goodyear of the North East Police Department for her heroic actions today,' Cecil County Public Schools posted on Facebook. 'We are thankful that Officer Goodyear was treated and released from the hospital after she pushed a student out of the way of an oncoming car. We are forever grateful for the selfless response of this hero.' 'Gratitude and prayers to Corporal Annette Goodyear from the North East Police Department for her heroism in saving this NEMS student this morning' the Town of North East, Maryland - Government also posted. 'The Town of North East commends her bravery and swift action!' Advertisement A substitute teacher was caught on camera as he berated a teenage student who is the son of two California police officers for wearing a Blue Lives Matter American flag face mask in support of cops. Lucas Lillar, 13, who is in the eighth grade at Lyman Gilmore Middle School in Grass Valley, near Sacramento, was filmed by another pupil as the unidentified substitute teacher reprimanded him in front of the class for wearing the cloth mask, which features a thin blue line. 'That's not the American flag, that's the new confederacy flag,' the teacher can be heard yelling while Lucas attempts to defend himself last Monday. 'It's the thin blue line,' the teen tries to explain. 'No, it's black, white with some blue line in it,' the teacher goes on. 'It's the thin blue line,' Lucas repeats once again. 'Yeah, but it's not American!' the substitute teacher argues back. The classroom confrontation came on the heels of several high-profile killings of police officers from coast to coast. In California, LAPD cop Fernando Arroyo was shot dead during an armed robbery last month, while New York City has been mourning two cops who were killed while responding to a domestic violence call. The Fraternal Order of Police argues violence directed at law enforcement officers is skyrocketing, with 27 police officers injured and four killed in shootings in January 2022. Lucas Lillar, 13, was yelled at by a substitute teacher in front of his class for wearing a thin blue line face mask at a middle school near Sacramento. The teacher crossed his arms describing it as the 'new Confederacy flag' 'I was confused at that time because I didn't know what he was talking about,' Lucas explained The teacher scolded him telling him it was the 'new Confederacy flag!' The interaction was all caught on camera by other students who recorded on their phones The encounter in the classroom was all caught on cellphone video, which Lucas then showed to his father and mother, who are both police officers. 'I was extremely angry and heartbroken, that this that he had to deal with it,' his mother Amanda McCallum told CBS News. 'These topics need to be left at the door. The school is meant to educate our children in a safe environment and I don't feel like this was a safe environment, but it needs to be. We are entrusting these people of authority, these teachers with our children,' McCallum said. 'We are in a time where we are so divided that we need to learn to be kind and respect each other.' Lucas was similarly shaken up by the incident, saying: 'I never had someone talk to me like that, yell at me in my face, especially a teacher. Lucas was similarly shaken up by the incident: 'I never had someone talk to me like that, yell at me in my face, especially a teacher. Lucas wears the mask because his dad and mom are both police officers 'I was confused at that time because I didn't know what he was talking about.' His parents went to the school principal to demand an explanation. The substitute teacher has been let go and will not be teaching any further classes at the school. Lucas said he wore the mask to support law enforcement in general, but also for his family members who both work in law enforcement. Grass Valley School District Superintendent Andrew Withers says the school's board is now looking further into the incident. 'The California Education Code 44953 allows for the immediate dismissal of a substitute teacher. Our district expects all educators to perform their duties with utmost respect and professionalism.' Lucas and his mother shared their story with local Sacramento television station The thin blue line flag has been around since 1922 when New York Police Commissioner Richard Enright used it as part of a public relations effort. Recently, the symbol has come to represent opposition to the racial justice movement. The symbol gradually gained popularity particularly by those in law enforcement and supporters of the police. But in recent times, white supremacist groups have hijacked the symbol and began flying the thin blue line flag, agitating those it was supposed to promote. 'The blue line represents police who are holding the line between chaos, crime, civil unrest, and the peace of the public. The symbol has never been one of hate, white supremacy, or any other form of criminality,' explains Law Enforcement Today. 'Sadly, political activists' groups, like Black Lives Matter, equate the symbol as one of hate and racism. They and those with their line of thinking demand that the symbol be wiped out of existence which has led even some police department's banning the thin blue line.' The thin blue line flag has been around since 1922 as part of a PR effort by police but the flag was hijacked by white supremacists who flew it after George Floyd's death in 2020 Last year, 346 officers were shot and 63 killed in the line of duty, according to a report from the National Fraternal Order of Police. In 2020, 312 were shot and 47 killed, in comparison to 293 shot and 50 killed in 2019 January 2022 saw 27 officer shootings, compared to 15 reported in January 2021 and 17 in January 2020 Patrick Yoes, the President of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), said in a statement last month that the nationwide crime surge has caused an increase in violence targeted at officers. 'As crime rates continue to rise, the violence directed at law enforcement officers is skyrocketing,' he said. 'I have worked in law enforcement for 36 years, and the current level of violence targeted at our law enforcement officers is the worst I have ever seen.' Last year, 346 officers were shot and 63 killed in the line of duty, according to a FOP report. In 2020, 312 were shot and 47 killed, in comparison to 293 shot and 50 killed in 2019. Texas reported the highest number of officer shootings in 2021, at 43, followed by Illinois, California, and Georgia with 29, 23 and 19, respectively. Yoes argued the 'alarming rise' in violent crimes and violence targeting police needs to be addressed immediately by all levels of government and society as a whole or 'we will all suffer the consequences.' 'The Fraternal Order of Police is committed to meaningful criminal justice reform, and we will keep working with our partners in Congress and the Administration to this end,' he stated. 'It is imperative, however, that any reform proposal must have the safety of the public and the officers sworn to protect them as its top priority.' 'Now is the time for our elected officials at every level of government to recommit to community-oriented policing and providing public safety agencies with the resources they need to keep our communities safe from violence and crime.' He continued: 'We need to find strategies that work to reduce crime and be prepared to reject policies which do not prioritize public safety. This is something that communities and the police who protect them must do together. Unless we help each other and come together, there will be more victimsmore loved ones lost and more fallen officers.' Los Angeles Police Department officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, was shot and killed Monday night while house hunting with his girlfriend off-duty on LA's south side in an attempted armed robbery. Twenty-four officers were shot and four killed in January year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. Among those was Los Angeles Police Department officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, who was shot and killed in an attempted armed robbery in early January. He was found by LA County sheriff's deputies in an alley in the city's south side after they responded to a call on the shooting. Deputies bundled him into the back of a patrol car and rushed him to hospital, but he died later that evening from the multiple gunshot wounds. Arroyos had just finished several days on patrol and - on his day off - had joined his girlfriend 'on a hunt for a house, a place to live, a place to buy and invest in the city and in the future of this region.' The couple had just crossed the street to attend a house viewing when three armed suspects drove up. The off-duty officer, who was wearing plain clothes, yelled for his girlfriend to leave to run to go back to the car, before exchanging gunfire with the suspects. Despite his young age, Arroyo was a said to be a 'promising officer' and had already served with the LAPD for three years prior to his death. 'He had a promising future. A bright future that was taken away viscously over a street robbery,' LAPD Chief Michael Moore said. LAPD Lieutenant Rex Ingram, who was responsible for supervising the fallen officer, said that Arroyo - who graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in legal studies - was 'the humblest and happiest guy I know on the job'. 'He could have gone to law school or FBI like his peers with that education, but he wanted to serve his community and give back,' Ingram told the LA Times. 'He loved his community. He was very close to his family.' Members of the New York Police Department are also mourning the death of 22-year-old Jason Rivera was killed last month as he and his partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, were both shot by convicted felon Lashawn McNeil, 47, as they visited a Harlem address to investigate a domestic-violence call. McNeil is said to have ran from a back bedroom of the Harlem apartment and opened fire. The medical examiner ruled Rivera's death a homicide after an autopsy found he died from gunshot wounds to the head and torso. Mora, 27, was hospitalized and was fighting for his life after having undergone two surgeries to remove a bullet that had become stuck in his brain. He died 12 days after the shooting. Officers Jason Rivera, 22, (left) and Wilbert Mora, 27, (right) were shot and killed in January. They had been responding to a Harlem address to investigate a domestic-violence call when they were shot New York City police officers and firemen stand at attention on Jan. 23 as they await the remains of Police Officer Jason Rivera to be brought to a funeral home on Sunday in New York City Thousands of officers gather outside the St Patrick's Cathedral for Rivera's funeral Slain NYPD officer Wilbert Mora casket is carried at the completion of a funeral service at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Mora was shot and killed after responding to a domestic dispute call in the Harlem neighborhood of New York on Jan. 21 with his partner Jason Rivera, who was also fatally wounded. Rivera was laid to rest last week Half a dozen NYPD officers have been shot two of them fatally since Eric Adams and Alvin Bragg took office on January 1 The suspect, McNeil, was confronted by a third officer at the shooting scene after he tried to flee. The 47-year-old was struck by two bullets and was critically injured. He was taken to an area hospital where he later died. Six cops have been shot since Mayor Eric Adams and District Attorney Alvin Bragg took office at the start of the year. Rivera and Mora were the only officers killed. In wake of the shootings, Adams has stressed the urgency 'to deal with the underlying issues that are impacting crime in our city and has become a stain on the inner cities across our country.' Adams said his police force would revamp a plainclothes anti-crime unit aimed at getting guns off the streets. The unit had been disbanded in 2020 over concerns it accounted for a disproportionate number of shootings and complaints. Bragg also said that violence against cops would not be tolerated, saying in a memo: 'We will prosecute any person who harms or attempts to harm a police officer.' Scott Morrison's home affairs minister said 'we need to get him out' in an awkward slip of the tongue when asked about the prime minister. Karen Andrews quickly clarified that she meant getting Mr Morrison out talking to voters on the campaign trail before the election, not out of a job. She was asked in an interview with ABC's Insiders on Sunday whether Mr Morrison was the asset for the party he was three years ago going into the 2019 election. 'Circumstances are different now, he is a great campaigner and he was in 2019 and he connected very well with Australians. He has been very focused on the job,' Ms Andrews replied. 'It's different now, is that what you're saying?' interviewer David Speers pushed. Scott Morrison (pictured) has has a rough couple of weeks with two unflattering text exchanges from party members leaked and polls showing him well behind Labor 'We need to get him out,' Ms Andrews said in an awkward moment before quickly continuing. 'Out talking to people out in the community - out in Queensland, NSW, Victoria. We all have to be doing that, we all have to make sure we are properly connecting,' she said. When asked again if Mr Morrison was an asset Ms Andrews said: 'It's a different set of circumstances but the Scott Morrison from 2019 is the same as we have now'. The PM had a shocking few days with two separate leaked text exchanges in which he was variously called a 'horrible person,' a 'psycho' and a 'liar' by former and current senior politicians in the Coalition. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce offered to resign last week over his leaked text exchange written in March 2021. He wrote to a colleague that from his observations Mr Morrison was a 'hypocrite and liar' and he disliked 'how earnestly [he] rearranges the truth to a lie'. Mr Joyce was supposed to appear on Insiders on Sunday morning but cancelled at the last minute over the texts with Ms Andrews having to step up. Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews (pictured) said the Scott Morrison who won the election in 2019 was the same one leading the party into the current election Speers asked Ms Andrews if that was her view of the prime minister. 'That's not been my experience of him at all. We've had a few robust discussions as you would expect but I've always found him to be respectful and listen to what I had to say,' she said. Speers pointed out that Mr Joyce, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, and French President Emmanuel Macron have called Scott Morrison a liar. 'Does all of this along with where you are in the polls and managing the issues of the pandemic make it harder to campaign with [him] at this election?' he asked. 'We always knew that we would have our work cut out for us,' Ms Andrews responded. 'This is a particularly difficult time in Australia and globally so we knew that would be the case. Could we do without distractions? Absolutely. 'But it's predictable the Opposition are going to go for a personal attack on the prime minister.' A brutal Mexican gang clash left 16 people dead after a violent dispute, with 10 of the bodies wrapped in blankets and left strewn in the streets and six others found 'suspended' in a nearby warehouse. State prosecutor Francisco Murillo said the 10 bodies found on the streets were discovered in the Fresnillo municipality in the Central Mexican state of Zacatecas on Saturday. Meanwhile, the other six were found hanging inside a warehouse in the nearby community of Panfilo Natera. Authorities have already arrested two people who were caught transporting a separate corpse the day beforehand, with Murillo adding that the pair are now under investigation into the 16 other murders. None of the 16 bodies have been identified as of Saturday, but police described the victims as all males. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO A forensic technician walks at a crime scene where unknown assailants left the bodies of 10 men wrapped in blankets in Fresnillo, in Zacatecas state, Mexico, on Saturday The body of a man is pictured at a crime scene where unknown assailants left the bodies of men wrapped in blankets Forensic experts remove corpses left in the street in Fresnillo Police officers stand guard at a crime scene where unknown assailants left the bodies of ten men wrapped in blankets Meanwhile, homicides in the region continue to increase; as of last year, the state of Zacatecas alone recorded 1,050 murders in 2021, roughly 200 more than in 2020. The gruesome discovery comes just a month after Mexican authorities uncovered the bodies of 10 people inside an abandoned vehicle in the historic state capital center in January, just a few feet away from government offices. That same month, a Mexican organized crime gang said it killed a city's mayor just 10 days after he was inaugurated - and warned that it now plans to carry out further political assassinations. Mayor Benjamin Lopez Palacios was gunned down at his home in the municipality of Xoxocotla on January 11. Local media reported that three men visited his home to seek aid for a bogus project when they opened fire and fled. Lopez Palacios, who was sworn in on January 1 as mayor of the indigenous city of Xoxocotla, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. No arrests had been reported in that case as of yet, and a motive has yet to be shared. Benjamin Lopez Palacios mayor of Xoxocotla was assassinated by three men at his home on January 11. A criminal organization came forward and took responsibility for the murder Authorities guard the entrance to the home of Benjamin Lopez Palacios, the mayor of Xoxocotla, Mexico, who was killed on January 11 In September, a Mexican cartel released disturbing video footage of the moment 20 of its rivals were lined up side-by-side before they being executed in southwestern Mexico In September, a Mexican cartel released disturbing video footage of the moment 20 of its rivals were lined up side-by-side before being executed in Southwestern Mexico. Los Tlacos henchmen accused members of the rival La Bandera cartel of 'extorting and killing innocent people' before forcing them to kneel and interrogating them at gunpoint in the middle of a forest in the state of Guerrero. The La Bandera gang is reportedly an armed wing of Guerreros Unidos, the cartel connected to the 2014 kidnapping of 43 students in Ayotzinapa. At least four of the victims' bodies were found dumped in the trunk of a car that was left abandoned in front of the campaign office of Iguala mayor David Gama Perez earlier that month. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake has hit the coast of Far North Queensland leaving dozens of homeowners and their pets shaken. The quake was detected about 66 kilometres southeast of Cairns and hit at about 12:15pm on Sunday, according to GeoScience Australia. By the afternoon, at least 84 people had reported feeling the tremors with one resident describing the sound like a 'freight train'. One resident recalled their home beginning to shake with floors vibrating 'like someone had a heavy road roller rolling the ground under my house'. A 3.9 magnitude earthquake has been recorded off the coast of Far North Queensland at about 12:15pm on Sunday It's estimated the quake had a depth of 10 kilometres with residents 49km from the epicentre experiencing some weak shaking It's estimated the quake had a depth of 10 kilometres with the town of Bramston Beach about 40 kilometres from the epicentre experiencing some weak shaking. Residents in Innisfail Estate and Geraldton about 49 kilometres away may also have experienced some light tremors. GeoScience Australia explained shallow earthquakes such as this one are felt more strongly than deeper ones due to their proximity to the surface. Other shaken residents reported hearing a sound like a 'truck or army helicopter' above their homes as the quake hit. The large quake was detected about 66 kilometres southeast of Cairns (pictured) 'Dogs sensed the noise was different and started barking,' a Geraldton resident said. 'Shaking movement wasn't very fast, came up like a rumble that got stronger as it progressed,' another from the same area reported. On Sunday afternoon, the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre had not issued any tsunami warnings for the surrounding areas. Cairns is known as being the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, the worlds largest reef system made up of over 2,900 individual reefs. A Sydney tradesman who was awarded almost $100,000 from a cruise ship company is now facing a $500,000 legal bill after his payout was overturned. The NSW Court of Appeal heard Daniel Rawlings was detained for five days in an Explorer of the Seas cabin after allegations he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old girl, known as Ms A. Rawlings has always denied any wrongdoing over the November 2016 incident and has never been charged by police. Daniel Rawlings (pictured) is facing legal costs thought to amount to around $500,000 In 2020 NSW District Court Judge John Hatzistergos ruled the air conditioning technician's continued detention in the cabin beyond noon on the third day was not reasonable and awarded him $97,344 in damages. Rawlings, 33, was later also awarded legal costs - said to amount to around $300,000 at the time - from the Miami-based Royal Caribbean, the world's second largest cruise company. But Royal Caribbean appealed and won, meaning Rawlings will not get the damages he was awarded and will also have to pay the company's and his own legal costs, which is likely to be at least $500,000 between the initial case and the appeal. The court heard that on the third day of his detention, the ship's master, Captain Rick Sullivan, was contacted by the company's security department which recommended Rawlings be released on the condition he have no contact with Ms A or her family, the Sunday Telegraph reported. Justice Anthony Meagher of the NSW Court of Appeal said Captain Sullivan had decided to keep Rawlings locked up to avoid conflict after Ms A's mother threatened to throw him overboard if he was freed from the cabin. The captain thought detaining Rawlings until the ship got back to Sydney was needed for the safety Ms A, her family, other passengers and Rawlings himself, the court heard. Daniel Rawlings (pictured with a friend who was not involved in the incident) is an air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic Justice Meagher also said Judge Hatzistergos' view keeping Rawlings, who is from Sydney's north, locked in a cabin was 'akin to solitary confinement' was not supported. 'His welfare was regularly checked, both by security officers and the ship's medical staff,' Justice Meagher said. 'He was given the opportunity to make twice daily visits to the crew deck, where he had access to the open air and the opportunity to smoke. Daniel Rawlings (pictured) suggested a threesome with another teenage girl 'He also had 24-hour access to food and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as the opportunity to acquire necessary clothing from the ship's gift shop.' At the initial 2020 hearing, the court heard that Mr Rawlings met an 18-year-old woman on the dancefloor at the ship's Dizzy's Nightclub on November 13, 2016 and they had sex in his cabin. The next evening, at the same venue, Rawlings suggested they have a threesome with a second passenger, Ms A, also 18. The court heard evidence that after a moment on the dancefloor they stumbled back to Rawlings' cabin. There, the trio began kissing, touching and undressing each other, before taking turns having sex. The court heard it wasn't long before Rawlings' roommate Matthew Champion stormed out with a blanket and sought out a deck chair to sleep on. 'Not again,' he said. Rawlings told the court he pushed the two single beds together and the trio 'had sex for several hours which he later refined to more than an hour, possibly two,' Judge Hatzistergos recounted in his judgment. But the court heard Ms A fell ill. Rawlings told the court he helped Ms A into the bathroom so she could vomit and have a shower. Later that night, ship security was called when Ms A was found naked in another guest's room after 5am. A guard reported the young woman said: 'I don't know what happened. All I know is I am dancing in Dizzy's and am looking for a bathroom.' Tradesman Daniel Rawlings, left with his best mate Matthew Champion, right, prior to the cruise ship incident In his judgment, Judge Hatzistergos recalled the ship's crew members were concerned the confused young woman was too intoxicated to be able to consent to sex, with one categorising the incident as 'sexual assault - rape' based upon that. Ms A's mother was also worried her daughter may have been drugged during the episode. An onboard drug screening test recorded a negative result. The other woman involved in the encounter told the NSW District Court that Ms A 'knew exactly what she was doing' during a consensual sex session. The tradesman was on board the Explorer of the Seas in November 2016, holidaying with a pal Rawlings told the court on the fourth day of his confinement, he heard Ms A's mother outside his room. She was furious, insisting Rawlings could escape and should be bound and restrained. 'He is in there. He raped my daughter,' she said, Rawlings told the court. Rawlings was reduced to tears by this, telling the court it left him 'destroyed' and the accusation still affected him. He said he would be the first person to assist, help and comfort a woman who he felt was being mistreated. Police boarded the Explorer of the Seas cruise ship when it docked at Circular Quay in November 2016 and questioned Rawlings over the incident. No charges were laid Rawlings was interviewed by NSW Police upon arrival in Sydney Harbour on November 20, 2016. Officers had no jurisdiction and referred the matter to the Federal Police, the court heard. The AFP did not press charges against Rawlings for several reasons, including that Ms A hadn't provided an account of what happened during three critical hours, the other woman had given an account that the sex by all three members was consensual, and a lack of evidence from the crime scene or Rawlings' phone. Cleo Smith will not be appearing in Channel Nine's highly-anticipated 60 Minutes interview, where her mother will reveal how a single footprint helped bring the little girl home. The four-year-old was not included in the $2million deal ultimately won by Nine after an intense bidding war with competitor Seven News, with her mother Ellie and stepfather Jake Giddon fronting the cameras. The ground-breaking interview is set to air on Sunday with Ms Smith in a preview confirming a footprint was found inside the tent Cleo was taken from during a family trip near their hometown of Carnarvon, WA. Cleo was found 18 days later inside local man Terence Kelly's house after he abducted her. 'You know, so close, same tent. Like, it was the same tent, grabbed our child, he's taken a step in there, and we're sleeping right next to it all,' she said. Ellie Smith (pictured with her partner Jake Gliddon) in a preview confirmed a single footprint was found inside the family tent Cleo was allegedly taken from In a segment teased to audiences on Friday, the resilient mother revealed the moment she realised her daughter was missing. 'I felt like my heart, it told me, she's not here, she's not going to run into my arms today,' Ms Smith said. 'She's not going to run down a sand dune. 'She was basically nowhere near me. And that was the second I realised someone had her. Someone has her, someone has my baby.' Ms Smith said Cleo was thriving when asked by reporter Tara Brown, who conducted the interview, how her daughter was coping with the extra attention. Ms Smith said Cleo (pictured) was thriving when asked by reporter Tara Brown, who conducted the $2million interview, how her daughter was coping with the attention 'She loves it,' she responded with a laugh. 'We were in Perth and someone went up to her and said "hi Cleo" and she's like "hi". We walked away and she's like "Mum how does she know my name?". She described the 'beautiful' moment she first heard her daughter's voice after detectives discovered the little girl in captivity 18 excruciating days later. 'Cleo got on the phone and she's like "hi mummy" and I said "hi baby",' she said. Brown spoke more about the upcoming segment revealing that Cleo experienced moments of 'sadness and anger'. Reporter Tara Brown, who conducted the interview, spoke more about the upcoming segment revealing that Cleo experienced moments of 'sadness and anger' 'You know, I think it's a matter of still coming to terms with what they've been through and what their daughter has been through,' she told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon. Cleo, 4, was allegedly abducted from her family's holiday campsite in Carnarvon, WA, on October 16 and found 18 days later just 3km from her family home. Brown said the family had a 'huge amount' of gratitude for the detectives and search party who helped to find the missing girl. 'I mean, remember also for that 18 days, the police were working away, but the family was getting nothing,' she said. 'So, you know, it is all tinged by frustration and fear, but they're very grateful for their own community, the community of Carnarvon who, you know, stood by them so strongly. Cleo, four, was allegedly abducted from her family's holiday campsite in Carnarvon, WA, but was miraculously found 18 days later just 3km from her family home 'They're really grateful towards the police and very grateful for all the well wishes they got from around the country.' Cleo's parents were forced to do their $2million interview with 60 Minutes over video chat due to Western Australia's hard border. But due to WA's closed border, Brown was unable to enter the state to sit with the family so instead talked to them over Zoom while film crews recorded both sides of the interview. An ad for the interview tried to make it look like Brown was in the same room as the room she sat in had similar colours and what appeared to be photos on a mantlepiece in the background as she spoke. Nine confirmed the interview was done remotely and said it became standard procedure during the Covid pandemic. 'We had a crew in WA who filmed the story and Tara spoke to them via Zoom,' it said. 'It is how very many TV stories have been done for the past two years of the pandemic.' Due to WA's harsh border restriction interviewer Tara Brown was unable to enter the state to sit with Cleo's family so instead chatted with them over a video call while film crews filmed both ends of the discussion Journalist Neil McMahon called Nine's interview a 'costly video call' in a tweet alongside a screenshot of The Australian's Media Diary. 'Nine's very expensive interview with Cleo Smith's family? It was done via Zoom due to WA border restrictions! That's one helluva costly video call,' he wrote. Pearman Media director of strategy and research Steve Allen told News Corp he was shocked at the interview's steep price. 'For the family at the reported amount, even under the distressing circumstances, they are now rich beyond their wildest dreams,' he said. 'There must have been more than one media outlet chasing this exclusive to go that high. [It] must have been fierce competition.' The previous record for amount paid for an interview in Australian history went to two survivors of the Beaconsfield mine disaster, Brant Webb and Todd Russell Doing the interview remotely upset Nine employees as WA-based reporters were snubbed and the company recently had a series of budget cuts. 'This kind of money could employ not only dozens of journalists but is also enough to run multiple programs,' one senior television executive told The Australian. The previous record for amount paid for an interview in Australian history went to two survivors of the Beaconsfield mine disaster, Brant Webb and Todd Russell. The miners were each paid $1million by Nine for recounting how they survived trapped underground for two weeks in 2006. Industry sources said the large sum is due to Nine boss Mike Sneesby's determination to boost ratings after being beat by Seven last year. Western Australia has suffered its highest Covid caseload since the start of the pandemic, on the day the state had been due to reopen. The state's health department confirmed on Sunday 46 new cases had been recorded on Saturday, of which 31 were local and the source of six unknown. The highest number of cases previously detected in WA was 44 on March 30, 2020, with the state now reporting 249 active infections. The new record ironically lands on the day the state was due to reopen before state premier Mark McGowan backflipped on his decision, as the premier continues to impose restrictions to hold the virus back. WA recorded 46 new cases on Sunday, including six where the source of the infection remains unknown (pictured, premier Mark McGowan) The highest number of cases previously detected was 44 on March 30, 2020, with WA now reporting a total of 249 active infections (pictured, a woman is tested in Perth) On January 20, the hardline premier announced WA would not be opening its border to the rest of the country on February 5 as planned. He said a new reopening date, which was initially scheduled to align with WA's 90 per cent double-dose vaccination target, would not be considered until next month. Mr McGowan has repeatedly claimed one of the main reasons behind his border delay is to give people more time to receive a third dose. He also claimed if the border opened as planned, Omicron cases would pour into WA, citing the rise in cases and virus-related deaths seen in the eastern states. Of Sunday's cases, a cluster numbering at least seven infections has been traced back to the North Beach Bowling Club in Perth. 'At this stage, cases have been linked to the North Beach Bowling Club exposure site, and contact tracing and testing continues,' a WA Health spokesperson said. The new record ironically lands on the day the state was due to reopen to the rest of Australia before the premier backflipped on his decision (pictured, passengers arrive in Perth) In a desperate bid to curb rising case numbers the premier has introduced a suite of new restrictions including mandatory masks in all indoor settings (pictured, a testing site in Perth) People who attended the bowling club at the listed times have been recommended to get tested immediately and isolate until a negative result is received. Of the 31 local cases, an unknown number were infectious in the community with the North Beach bowling club the only new exposure site listed on Sunday. In a desperate bid to curb rising case numbers the premier has introduced a suite of new restrictions including mandatory masks in all indoor settings. 'Its clear the number of cases of the Omicron variant is growing, and so is the risk to the community,' Mr McGowan said as he announced the new mandate over Twitter. The premier has urged residents to treat the virus as if it is spreading as dozens of miners are forced into isolation - threatening to plunge the sector into chaos. On Tuesday, Mr McGowan announced international students had until midnight on Friday to arrive in Australia to enter the state. Unlike the rest of the country, international students cannot fly into Perth directly, and must transit via other states (pictured, a couple walk their dog in Perth) Unlike the rest of the country, international students cannot fly into Perth directly, and must transit via other states. The WA government told education providers that only students who arrive in Australia before 12.01am on February 5 will be allowed to enter into the state. Returning international students who arrive by the February 5 cut-off must be fully vaccinated, must self-isolate for 14 days in a suitable premises within 200km of their entry point into WA and get tested on the first and 12th day of quarantine. Since January 31, proof of vaccination is required to visit public and private hospitals, aged care facilities, all hospitality venues including restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, clubs, nightclubs, and dine-in fast food. Mr McGowan confirmed the new rules targeting the unvaccinated could be in place 'for years' as he continues his ardent 'Covid-zero' stance. Advertisement Prince Charles has congratulated his mother on her 70-year reign and says he is 'deeply conscious of the honour' given to his darling wife Camilla after Her Majesty announced she would become Queen Consort when he takes the throne. The Queen assured the Duchess of Cornwall will be made Queen Consort when Charles becomes King in an historic Platinum Jubilee statement issued late last night, ending years of uncertainty over the issue. Charles and Camilla were 'touched and honoured' by the Queen's gesture, Clarence House said. In a statement issued today, the Prince of Wales said: 'On this historic day, my wife and I join you all in congratulating Her Majesty The Queen on the remarkable achievement of serving this nation, the Realms and Commonwealth for seventy years. The Queen's devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year. 'We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother's wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout. 'The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings an opportunity for us all to come together in celebrating the service of The Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come.' The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have not commented publicly on the Queen's statement but did retweet the Royal Family's post, which included the Queen's announcement. They also shared a news story on their joint Instagram account. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had no public comment since the announcement that Camilla would become Queen Consort at 10pm on Saturday. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, leave St George's Chapel, Windsor, following the blessing of their wedding The Queen has been photographed working from her red boxes in an image released on the day she passes the historic milestone of 70 years on the throne. The smiling 95-year-old monarch is pictured with her papers of state on a table in front of her and poignantly nearby is an image of her father King George VI Royal Family's official Twitter account marks the Queen's Platinum Jubilee with one of the first portraits taken of her as monarch By CLAIRE TOUREILLE FOR MAILONLINE The Royal Family's official Twitter account has shared a stunning photograph of the young Queen to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne. The account, which has over 4.6million followers, marked the milestone by sharing one of the first portraits taken of the Queen, 95, following her accession after he death of her father, King George VI. She was proclaimed Queen throughout the UK and Commonwealth in the early hours of 6 February 1952, and just 20 days later sat for Dorothy Wilding, the first female photographer to receive a Royal Warrant, for her first official portraits as monarch. Meanwhile, royal fans gathered in Sandringham this morning in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Her Majesty, who usually spends the day privately. The Royal Family's official Twitter account has shared a stunning photograph of the young Queen to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne (pictured) It was reported the Queen would celebrate the historic moment privately today, but well-wishers were still spotted in Sandringham, hoping to catch a glimpse of her on her special day. Elsewhere, the Twitter post shared by the Royal Family's official account showed a portrait of the Queen taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding in 1952. In it, Her Majesty wears the Queen Mary's Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. The first official photographic sitting with the new Queen was granted to the society photographer Dorothy Wilding. It took place on 26 February 1952, just 20 days after the accession, followed by a second sitting on 15 April. A total of 59 photographs were taken by Wilding, showing the Queen dressed in a variety of gowns designed by Norman Hartnell and wearing jewellery including the Diamond Diadem. 'Today marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne, following the death of her father, King George VI,' the social media post read. 'Her Majesty was proclaimed Queen throughout the UK and Commonwealth in the early hours of 6 February 1952,' it added. The post went on to share a picture of members of the public gathering around Buckingham Palace in the hours following the announcement that their Princess Elizabeth would become Queen. 'The young Queen was informed of the news while standing in for The King, who was suffering from ill health, on an official Commonwealth visit to Kenya. In an instant, she had ceased to be Princess Elizabeth and became Queen Elizabeth II,' the Twitter post continued. Advertisement Royal experts have been responding to the Queen's statement, saying there was 'no finer vote of confidence in Camilla' than making her Queen Consort. Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent said: 'The Queen is ensuring the transition, when it comes, to her son as king is as seamless and trouble free as possible. 'She's future-proofing an institution she's served for seventy years. 'And for Camilla, the journey from being the third person in a marriage to queen-in-waiting, is complete.' Royal biographer Ingrid Seward said Camilla becoming Queen is the 'ultimate royal stamp of approval' Prince Charles has always craved. 'Its a remarkable rehabilitation for the woman who a large proportion of the public blamed for the end of a royal fairytale', she wrote in the Sun. 'Far from being the other woman, Camilla has cemented her place at the heart of the Royal Family. 'It is the ultimate royal stamp of approval he has always craved and in the fullness of time when he becomes King it is something he will always cherish.' In her surprise announcement, Her Majesty declared it was her 'sincere wish' for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds her. The Queen issued the message, shoring up her support for her heir and his wife, as she today marks a milestone 70 years on the Throne. It is the clearest sign yet not just of the Queen's unswerving support for her daughter-in-law but proof of her enduring affection for the woman who has secured her eldest son's happiness. Earlier today, Boris Johnson - the 14th British Prime Minister to occupy No10 during her reign - paid tribute to the Queen for her many years of service, and said he looked forward to 'coming together as a country to celebrate her historic reign in the summer'. Former Prime Minister Theresa May described the Queen as 'an extraordinary woman, who has dedicated her life to the service of her people & our family of nations'. David Cameron thanked the Queen, adding 'there can be no finer example of dignified public duty and service'. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also issued a statement expressing his 'deepest thanks' to the Queen for 'seven decades of unparalleled public service'. The Queen's statement also quashed speculation that the 95-year-old Monarch might abdicate, as she reiterated her Coronation pledge. She told her subjects 'my life will always be devoted to your service' and that she would continue to honour that 'with all my heart'. In her message to the nation signed 'Your Servant, Elizabeth R' the Queen said: 'When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.' Dickie Arbiter, the Queen's former press secretary, said the announcement showed the Queen was 'tying up loose ends', aware of her own vulnerability and by acknowledging the work Camilla has done. Writing in the Mirror , she said: '[Camilla] has been absolutely marvellous in everything shes done proving to be an incredibly good support not only for the Prince of Wales but also for the Queen, who she has become very close to. She will be good for the King and good for the country. 'And she is good for the country even now. If you go anywhere in the United Kingdom where Camilla has visited, you will find they have welcomed her with open arms and have gone away very light-headed and thankful that shes been there.' Camilla's biographer Penny Junor said the Queen's endorsement was 'a hugely significant moment' for the Duchess. 'This is brilliant news because if this is the Queen's wish, then I don't think people will question it,' she said. 'The Duchess of Cornwall thoroughly deserves the title. She will not overshadow Charles when he becomes King but she will be the strength behind the throne, giving him the confidence and courage he needs.' And Royal historian Hugo Vickers said: 'Making it clear that Camilla should be Queen is not just a wise and generous decision, it is a masterstroke and typical of a thoughtful sovereign. The timing has great symbolism. This is an important moment for the Monarchy.' Images of Queen Elizabeth II are displayed on the lights in London's Piccadilly Circus to mark her Platinum Jubilee Royal fans waiting to see if the Queen goes to church near Sandringham House in Norfolk as she marks her 70 year reign on Sunday The Queen's Guard: F Company Scots Guards take part in the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, London, on the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II Well-wishers hoping for a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II, on Accession Day which marks 70 years since the death of her father King George VI, and when she was proclaimed Queen The Queen assured Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort when Charles becomes King in a statement issued late last night, ending years of uncertainty over the issue With the Queen setting out her wishes and calling for people to support Charles and Camilla, the duchess will undoubtedly be crowned alongside the prince at his coronation when the time comes. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Rothesay share a laugh during a visit to Dumfries House, Scotland In a statement that ends years of uncertainty, Elizabeth II has expressed her 'sincere wish' that Camilla be given the title when Charles ascends to the throne, telling the public 'I know you will give them the same support you have given me' Pictured: The Queen, the Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall attend a state banquet for the King of the Netherlands A Clarence House spokesperson said Charles and Camilla were 'touched and honoured' by the Queen's gesture, which ends years of uncertainty over the Duchess of Cornwall's role in the future of the monarchy. Pictured: The Prince of Wales and Camilla at The Prince's Foundation at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London on Thursday The Queen has used her Platinum Jubilee message to the nation to back Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to become Queen Consort in a significant move to shape the future of the monarchy on her historic milestone. Pictured: Her Majesty smiles as she leaves a reception at Sandringham House earlier today The Duchess of Cornwall as she leaves after the State Opening of Parliament, at the Houses of Parliament in London in May 2013 Camilla's journey from royal mistress to Queen Consort The Duchess of Cornwall is the former royal mistress who will now stand shoulder to shoulder as Queen with the Prince of Wales when he becomes King. Camilla's public image has been transformed after she was initially cast as the 'third' person in the Prince and Diana, Princess of Wales' marriage, before becoming a campaigning member of the monarchy prepared to serve the nation. Underneath, she was the down-to-earth Sussex girl who grew up with a love of horses and happened to fall in love with a prince. Prince Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005 During the 17 years she has been married to Charles, the duchess has grown into her role and is now an assured royal host when staging events at Clarence House and a confident representative of the Queen when invited to foreign lands. She is patron or supporter of a number of literacy charities, speaks out in support of victims of domestic violence and champions several animal welfare organisations. But her most significant role is supporting the prince and being the comforting presence at home that enables him to take on the role of heir to the throne. After Charles and Camilla both divorced - and Diana died in 1997 - the duchess' emergence as the prince's long-term partner was part of a carefully planned PR campaign masterminded by the heir to the throne's spin doctor Mark Bolland. Their first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in London in 1999, dubbed Operation Ritz, where the mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off. The culmination of the romance was a marriage between the long-time lovers who wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005. With Camilla by his side, Charles appears more relaxed and many times during royal events she has cajoled and encouraged him to try something new or have some fun. Now the Queen's wishes have bestowed upon Camilla the ultimate accolade in recognition of her importance to Charles and the monarchy. Advertisement Royal biographer Robert Johnson said there should have been a law change for Camilla to be made Queen Consort, but added there was 'no appetite for changing the law given how well Camilla has committed herself to the cause'. In the Evening Standard, he wrote: 'I believe the duchess since her marriage to the Prince of Wales has shown herself to be a dedicated public servant and loving supporter and adviser to the heir to the throne. 'In 2016 Her Majesty elevated Camilla to her most senior advisory body, the Privy Council. She has also been made a Lady Member of the Order of the Garter. These were clear signs that the Queen backed her daughter-in-law for the official Queen Consort role.' Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said: 'Using an address released in honour of her Platinum Jubilee the Queen has rededicated herself to the nation once again and expressed her wish for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when the time comes. There could be no finer vote of confidence.' She added: 'The sanctimonious tweets reducing Camilla to little more than Charles's "mistress" are pretty laden with ignorance and sexism. People would do well to read up on Britain's future "Queen Consort." She's a pretty remarkable lady.' The Queen's official statement, written in Sandringham, overturns previous Palace guidance that Camilla would only ever be known as 'Princess Consort'. Announcing the Prince of Wales's engagement in February 2005, two months before their wedding in Windsor's Guildhall, a Palace statement said: 'It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to the Throne.' Princess Diana would have automatically been granted the title Queen Consort had she lived and the couple stayed married. But it was never certain that, as his second wife, Camilla would receive the same title. The Queen has always been keen to sanction the union and gave a warm speech on Charles and Camilla's wedding day, telling guests: 'My son is home and dry with the woman he loves.' The Queen is said to have been impressed by the hard work shown by her daughter-in-law and the support she has shown Prince Charles. Similarly, as she remembers her father, she recognises the role her mother played in supporting him as King. Her statement noted: 'I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family. I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father's reign.' She also thanked all those people who had shown her goodwill and support over the years, writing: 'I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me.' Due to her age, the Queen has increasingly relied on Charles and Camilla to shoulder some of the burden of the head of state. In recognition of this, Buckingham Palace last year announced that Camilla was to be made a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior order of chivalry in Britain. But there have been other signs of Camilla's elevation in status. In 2016 she was promoted to the Privy Council, a role which will ensure that she is by Charles's side when he is officially sworn in as King. On social media, there was a mixed reaction to the Queen's statement, with some saying she was 'removing the stigma around divorce', while others called it a 'terrible decision'. Elsewhere, the Royal Family's Twitter account also explained that the Queen acceded the throne after the passing of King George VI and shared archive pictures of royal well-wishers gathering in front of Buckingham Palace after hearing the news While others criticised the decision due to the age of Charles, 73, and Camilla, 74. One social media user wrote: 'I hope they both do the right thing; abdicate and pass the baton to William and Kate. They are too old, plus they must realise they are not popular by virtue of extra marital affair they had. 'Except they are tone deaf, and the royal family is normalising extra marital affairs and adultery... They may have forgotten, we have not.' However, Ian Bray, on Twitter, wrote: 'Shes removing the stigma around divorce, nothing more. Same rules would have hurt Meghan even further had her and Harry stayed in public life. As for Camilla- only William and Harrys opinion matters.' Marie Griffeth said Camilla should be Queen Consort when the time comes as 'she has earned that title'. While other social media users questioned why people were getting outraged by the decision surrounding Camilla when Prince Andrew is facing civil charges of sexual assault. However, some questioned their support for the Monarchy, adding: 'I've always preferred a royal family over republic, until now. I have to assume our elderly Queen has been coerced into this. The public don't even want Charles as king, let alone Camilla as queen. A terrible decision.' Camilla's public image has been transformed after she was initially cast as the 'third' person in the Prince and Diana, Princess of Wales' marriage, before becoming a campaigning member of the monarchy prepared to serve the nation. During the 17 years she has been married to Charles, the duchess has grown into her role and is now an assured royal host when staging events at Clarence House and a confident representative of the Queen when invited to foreign lands. The Queen's Platinum Jubilee message in full 'Tomorrow, 6th February, marks the 70th anniversary of my Accession in 1952. It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign. As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service. As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my Platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for. These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all; and I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth. I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family. I was blessed that in Prince Philip I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my father's reign. This anniversary also affords me a time to reflect on the goodwill shown to me by people of all nationalities, faiths and ages in this country and around the world over these years. I would like to express my thanks to you all for your support. I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me. And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service. And so as I look forward to continuing to serve you with all my heart, I hope this Jubilee will bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities - after some difficult times for so many of us - in order to enjoy the celebrations and to reflect on the positive developments in our day-to-day lives that have so happily coincided with my reign.' Your Servant Elizabeth R. Advertisement She is patron or supporter of a number of literacy charities, speaks out in support of victims of domestic violence and champions several animal welfare organisations. But her most significant role is supporting the prince and being the comforting presence at home that enables him to take on the role of heir to the throne. After Charles and Camilla both divorced - and Diana died in 1997 - the duchess' emergence as the prince's long-term partner was part of a carefully planned PR campaign masterminded by the heir to the throne's spin doctor Mark Bolland. Their first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in London in 1999, dubbed Operation Ritz, where the mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off. The culmination of the romance was a marriage between the long-time lovers who wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005. Yesterday's message was released after the Queen appeared at her first public event since October. She laughed and chatted to guests as she hosted a tea party in the ballroom at Sandringham for community groups. Today, however, will be a moment of 'private reflection', according to Palace sources. She will remember not only her father, George VI, who died at Sandringham on this day in 1952, but also mourn the Duke of Edinburgh, who died last April, in the 74th year of their marriage. Earlier today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to the Queen's service, saying: 'Today marks a truly historic moment as Her Majesty The Queen becomes the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. I pay tribute to her many years of service and look forward to coming together as a country to celebrate her historic reign in the summer.' The Queen famously referred to Prince Philip as her 'strength and stay' and is now said to feel that it is only right for her son's wife to receive the proper recognition for Camilla's future role as Consort to the King. In vowing her continued service, the Queen was echoing sentiments she expressed on her 21st birthday. Four years before she became Queen, she said: 'I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.' Her message last night concluded with the hope her Jubilee celebrations might bring people together 'after some difficult times for so many of us... to reflect on the positive developments in our day-to-day lives that have so happily coincided with my reign'. On the eve of her Platinum Jubilee, The Queen made guests laugh as she joked about cutting a cake during a special reception for the historic milestone - with attendees saying she was on 'sparkling' form. The monarch joined members of the local community in the ballroom of Sandringham House in Norfolk as she just hours away from becoming the first British sovereign to reach a historic 70 years on the throne. She cut a Jubilee cake, met members of the local Women's Institute and chatted to former cookery school student Angela Wood who helped to perfect the famous coronation chicken dish served to guests after her 1953 Coronation ceremony. Wearing an Angela Kelly wedgwood blue crepe with white brocade dress, the Queen, who beamed with delight throughout, used a wooden walking stick to rest on and also carried her trademark black handbag. The Queen was aptly wearing glittering platinum jewellery - The Nizam of Hyderabad Rose brooches - given to her as part of a diamond tiara set when she married Philip in 1947. During the event, her Majesty was presented with a locally-baked cake and a large knife and was invited to cut the first slice. Plunging the blade in, she made guests laugh when she joked: 'I think I might just put the knife in it... someone else can do the rest.' Yvonne Browne, vice-president and chairman of the Sandringham WI, described the Queen as being on 'sparkling' form. In her message, the Queen also reflected on the sad anniversary of the death of her father. 'It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign,' she said. The Queen, who signed the message 'Your servant Elizabeth R', pledged to continue to 'serve you with all my heart'. She spoke of looking forward to the rest of her Jubilee year, writing: 'As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my Platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for. 'These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all; and I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth.' In her message, the Queen also reflected on the sad anniversary of the death of her father. 'It is a day that, even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign,' she said On visits to Sandringham, the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret would cycle around the estate and join their mother and father overseeing the harvest. (Above, Elizabeth with her father, George VI, at Sandringham in 1943) Pictured: King George VI and his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother (right) pose with their daughter, then-Princess Elizabeth, as they celebrate her 18th birthday at Windsor Castle in 1944 Elizabeth II was in Kenya on a Royal Tour of the Commonwealth when her father King George VI died aged 56, making her Queen. This photo of Elizabeth, accompanied by Prince Philip, was taken the day before she learnt she was to become Queen She acknowledged the challenges faced by the nation during the pandemic, saying she hoped the Jubilee would 'bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities - after some difficult times for so many of us'. The Jubilee is the Queen's first without her consort Philip - her 'strength and stay'- who died just 10 months ago at the age of 99. Today's celebration followed the release of official photos yesterday, kicking off a series of Jubilee celebrations. The images showed the Queen looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty made sure to pay a touching tribute to her beloved 'Papa', George VI, wearing the aquamarine and diamond clip brooches he gifted her for her 18th birthday in April 1944. National celebrations to mark the Jubilee are being held on a special four-day bank holiday weekend in June, with festivities including a pop concert at the Palace, a service of thanksgiving and a pageant on The Mall. There have also been calls to make the extra public holiday permanent, as a 'Thank Holiday' in recognition of the Queen's extraordinary 70 years of service. It is understood Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie are 'highly supportive of the idea', which would require a change in the law. It started at the Ritz: Charles' 22-year campaign to win the public over to the 'non-negotiable' woman in his life ByIan Gallagher Chief Reporter For The Mail On Sunday How different it all was on that cold Thursday night outside The Ritz more than 20 years ago. It was Charles and Camilla's coming out, a fleeting but scrupulously choreographed appearance before the world's press. Charles's natural inclination had been to go public with Camilla at a royal event which, in his eyes, would have lent a certain dignity, but the Queen yet to be won over by Mrs Parker Bowles was having none of it. And so here they were, this middle-aged man and woman, in a dark side street in Mayfair at just before midnight. The couple had spent the evening at a 50th birthday party and as they stepped from the hotel on to the pavement Charles sheepish, Camilla petrified a blizzard of camera flashes froze them in time. Later the British Epilepsy Association would urge broadcasters not to use the footage on TV, lest it trigger seizures. How different it all was on that cold Thursday night outside The Ritz more than 20 years ago. It was Charles and Camilla's coming out, a fleeting but scrupulously choreographed appearance before the world's press This appearance in 1999 was the apex of the finely tuned strategy to win the British people round to the idea of the 'non-negotiable' woman in Prince Charles's life. Everyone knew about Camilla at this juncture of course, but she had always remained out of sight and for good reason. Princess Diana was universally adored and cast a long shadow. For many, when Charles confessed to adultery, Camilla was public enemy No 1, irredeemably the other woman. Now the couple were dipping their toes into uncharted water and while it wasn't exactly warm, neither was it icy. Still, there was a long road ahead. She was public enemy No 1... but began to find a place in Britains heart In truth, Campaign Camilla the name given to the operation to endear her to the public had begun 18 months earlier. In June 1997 invitations started appearing: come and join Camilla Parker Bowles for a party in aid of her charity, the National Osteoporosis Society. Newspaper editors and a sprinkling of celebrities and publishers were sure to attend. The idea was to present Camilla in a new, softer light. But then Diana died, and the party was abandoned. The campaign was led by Mark Bolland, the controversial PR executive hired by Prince Charles in 1996 as an assistant private secretary. From then on, he took every opportunity to show Charles as a loving father and concerned single parent, while trying to win public acceptance for Mrs Parker Bowles. Nine months after the crash in Paris that claimed Diana's life, Camilla met Prince William at St James's Palace. Charles's natural inclination had been to go public with Camilla at a royal event which, in his eyes, would have lent a certain dignity, but the Queen yet to be won over by Mrs Parker Bowles was having none of it. Pictured: A bracelet Charles gave Camilla bearing the letters G and F for their pet names Gladys and Fred At first, it was said to be a chance meeting, but this was untrue. In fact, William requested the meeting so he could ask her personally to help him organise a surprise early 50th birthday party for his father. After the Ritz appearance, the campaign gained fresh momentum. Suddenly Camilla was everywhere. She and Charles were together on the yacht of a Greek businessman with four close friends. Warm and witty, with an infectious laugh, she connects effortlessly Then came the series of parties to mark the Prince's half century, the highlight of which was the one Camilla arranged for 300 guests at Charles's Gloucestershire home, Highgrove. By this time it was being quietly leaked that she was spending more and more nights with Charles both at Highgrove and at St James's Palace. Nothing, though, could alter the perception that the relationship between the Queen and Camilla was as frosty as ever. Yet behind the scenes, Mr Bolland was working tirelessly and still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Charles and Camilla had taken an official trip to Scotland, staying at the Queen's Edinburgh residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The key moment came in 2000 when the Queen met Camilla at Highgrove during a party thrown to mark the 60th birthday of former King Constantine of Greece. After the Ritz appearance, the campaign gained fresh momentum. Suddenly Camilla was everywhere. She and Charles were together on the yacht of a Greek businessman with four close friends It was their first 'public' meeting and, chiefly due to the efforts of Mr Bolland, could scarcely have been more high-profile. Sometimes, though, his ploys mischievously spreading stories detrimental to senior royals to make Camilla look good in comparison backfired. But, as the years passed, Camilla learned to go her own way and quietly, steadily, it paid off and she began to find a place in Britain's heart. If there were any lingering doubts about her acceptance by the court of public opinion, they were dispelled by the Queen's ringing endorsement yesterday. These days Camilla is admired for her charity work, taking on issues such as rape and sexual abuse, domestic violence, literacy and medical issues including juvenile diabetes and muscular dystrophy. Detractors have accused her of laziness, but even if she does not pack in as many engagements as some royals, she connects effortlessly with the public. Warm and witty with an infectiously throaty laugh, she does so without sacrificing dignity or upstaging her husband. Which is why, it seems, that the Queen is confident that she'll make the perfect consort when her husband ascends the throne. 'I'll just put a knife in it...someone else can do the rest!': The Queen marks 70 years on the throne with cake, flowers and lots of laughs ByKate Mansey Assistant Editor For The Mail On Sunday The Queen laughed and joked with guests at a Sandringham tea party yesterday to mark the start of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations. In her first public engagement for more than three months, Her Majesty met estate workers, volunteers and members of the local Womens Institute and plunged a knife into a celebratory cake. Ill put the knife in, see if it works, she joked, before leaving the cutting to an aide. Somebody else can finish it off. Today she celebrates a landmark 70 years on the Throne. Although yesterday was a joyful occasion, the Queen paid a discreet tribute to her late husband Prince Philip by wearing two Nizam of Hyderabad rose brooches, which had been wedding presents. She was also seen carrying Philips trusty wooden walking stick but, despite recent health fears, was largely walking unaided. Queen Elizabeth, 95, made cuts a cake to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee during a reception at Sandringham House in Norfolk Shaun Mason (left) a junior sous chef created small tartlets filled with coronation chicken - which he offered to Angela Wood (far left), who helped create the original coronation chicken recipe in the 50s Her Majesty quipped that she could read the decorative writing even though the cake was facing the wrong way for her, and instead was the right way round for the assembled press The Queen was on sparkling form according to Yvonne Browne, vice-president of the Sandringham branch of the Womens Institute, which has counted Her Majesty as a member since 1943. The Monarch was introduced to one cook who helped create the original recipe for Coronation Chicken, devised to mark the day she was crowned in 1953. The Queen laughed as Angela Wood, 88, told her that it took days and days to perfect the dish that includes chicken, freshly-ground curry spices, apricot puree and mayonnaise. She told the Queen: Its probably changed because in those days we did some things quite differently. Yesterday guests were invited to try a modern variation in the form of bite-sized Coronation Chicken tartlets. The Queen raised a laugh when she told guests: Ill go away. You can tell me [what you think] when I come back. 'Sparkling': Her Majesty, who was wearing a powder blue dress, appeared in good spirits as she hosted the special event The Jubilee is the Queen's first without her consort Philip - her 'strength and stay'- who died just 10 months ago at the age of 99 Her Majesty will spend today in a sombre mood, remembering her beloved father, George VI, who died in Sandringham at the age of just 56. She has been staying at Wood Farm, the cottage on the edge of the Norfolk estate that Prince Philip called home. Yesterday, the Queen stopped to chat to a group of former estate workers about the cottage, saying that the Duke had loved it because the sea was so close. Reminiscing about the devastating floods that hit Norfolk and the surrounding counties in 1953 she said: I remember sitting at dinner, the fire alarm went off no fire, the sea was coming in. Its a very nasty experience, you go to the top of the [sea] wall and its there. She then raised her hand to her face as if indicating the level of the sea. Despite the bracing temperatures, the monarch look stoic in her green winter coat. She wrapped one of her trademark headscarves around the top of her walking cane Photographs were released yesterday of Her Majesty looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle Teresa Thompson, 70, a former housekeeper of Wood Farm, said after chatting to the Queen: All the Royal Family love Wood Farm, because its out of the way, its small, Its intimate. You havent got lots of officials and household, its just the close staff. And they can relax in the family house. Its wonderful. I had a wonderful 22 years down there. It was the best time of my life without a doubt. The Queen was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a written loyal address from primary school children from West Norfolk, which read: You have shown a caring manner, determination, and dedication to help other people. We think youre doing a great job! We are very lucky to have had you as our Queen for so long. After reading it, the Queen gave her candid verdict: Most addresses are usually pompous, she observed. This is so much nicer. William Toler, reflecting on his memories of a long and unprecedented career in New York medicine, cant forget this one: The faces of the first Black patients who laid eyes on him. When they came in and saw a Black man with a white uniform on, they were ecstatic, he told the Daily News about those initial 1977 encounters at Manhattans Beth Israel Medical Center. That was interesting. By the time I left, there were black doctors, interns, residents and administrators, all over the place. Advertisement Toler didnt leave for a long time, spending 32 years at the hospital during his celebrated career. Born in Florida but built for New York City, the Black man became the states first physician assistant a full half-century ago in a program launched by Gov. Rockefeller, receiving license No. 0000001-1 while opening the door for other Black medical aspirants. People noticed his efforts including President Carter, who once cold-called Toler at work with an offer that he couldnt refuse. Advertisement William Toler at his Queens home on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) I thought, Somebody paid this person to call and pretend to be the president, recalled Toler, chuckling at the memory. But medical costs were spiraling out of control, and he wanted to create a commission to make recommendations in cost-cutting. He accepted Carters offer for a spot on the presidents Council of Hospital Cost Containment, just one line on the impressive resume of a humble man who rose from modest southern roots to become a revered New York City figure. His Queens apartment is adorned with photos and awards collected across the decades. Among his achievements: Toler served as chair of the New Professions Committee of the American Public Health Association, worked with the states health departments Office of Addiction and Substance abuse from 1999-2008, and holds a continuing role as a board member of the Alliance for Positive Change. William Toler next to mementos from his long career. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) Sharen Duke, executive director of the Alliance, recalled meeting Toler in the early 90s as her agency treated HIV-positive patients, many of them active or recovering substance abusers or members of the LGBTQ community. The two were soon working side by side after his 1993 arrival, and she remains one of Tolers biggest boosters. Everywhere he went, he made the place better, she recalled. Whatever he touched, he brought to it his wisdom, his insight, his humanity. What is so amazing about Bill is that for all the remarkable experiences in his life, he is profoundly humble. Honestly, I adore him, said Duke. I respect, admire and look up to him. But mostly hes my friend. Toler, now 76, shrugs off such acclaim: I was the kind of guy who wanted to work at age 2. I knew what I wanted to do. Advertisement Toler found his calling as a young Army surgical technician treating wounded GIs in Hawaii during the Vietnam War, while also spending time in burn units, general surgery and orthopedics during stops in Texas and New Jersey. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > Toler, a father of four, eventually bore witness to everything from the Vietnam War to the AIDS crisis to the explosion of crack cocaine to the ongoing pandemic across his career. But his hands-on experience did little to impress one interviewer when he tried to land a job in New York. William Toler holds a photo of himself in Alabama in 1965, that he sent to his then-girlfriend Miranda, who became his wife. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) I was told, We can hire you to work in surgery, but without a title, said Toler. And I said, Well, what title would I have? They said orderly. I know what an orderly does, and thats not what I do. He recalled another meeting where the interviewer asked Toler in for a conversation, then tore up his resume once the Army veteran arrived. Im from Florida, I was raised with people who had issues with Black people all my life, said Toler. I ignored them and just tried to do what I had to do. Advertisement Toler gently shrugs off any suggestion that he was a trailblazer despite his impressive legacy. I think I was in the right place at the right time, he finally allowed. I knew somebody had to get out there and beat the bushes ... It was a nice run for me. And I think it was the beginning of things changing. The Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has sent officials to investigate Brighton and Hove Council over reports that 'concerning' race theories are being taught in schools run by the Green-led local authority. It comes after 4,700 people signed a petition, slamming Brighton and Hove Council for allegedly teaching primary school children they are 'racists' or 'victims of their classmates'. Children as young as seven are being taught that they are not 'racially innocent', because they view 'white at the top of the hierarchy', according to the Sunday Telegraph, who were leaked slides from race training given to teachers in Brighton and Hove schools. Mr Zahawi said: 'Every day in schools across the country, brilliant teachers are teaching sensitive issues in a balanced and inclusive way - which is why reports like this one are so concerning. 'These issues can be divisive if covered the wrong way, and I am clear - as is the law in the country - that any contested theories and opinions must not be presented to young people as facts.' Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has sent officials to investigate a Brighton and Hove Council teacher training course, which propounds the idea that children as young as seven are not 'racially innocent' 'My officials are in contact with Brighton and Hove to understand the exact nature of these materials. 'I know as well as anyone that race can be a tricky issue to cover, but we should strive to show young people that those things that we have in common are much greater than anything that might separate us.' The training has not been fully rolled out across Brighton and Hove, with only around 300 school staff having completed the Racial Literacy 101 course. According to the Sunday Telegraph, the course propounds critical race theory and white privilege, racial ideologies which have attracted criticism for sowing the seeds of inter-race resentment and division. The Racial Literacy 101 course materials informed teachers that 'between the ages of three and five, children learn to attach value to skin colour: white at the top of the hierarchy and black at the bottom'. Over 4,700 people have signed a petition in Brighton and Hove entitled, 'Stop the council teaching our kids that they are racists or victims of their classmates'. The petition accuses the council of teaching a 'warped ideology' and alleges that the council has refused to release the training materials under the Freedom of Information Act, citing the commercial interests of the training providers. At the same time, the councils 'Anti-Racist Schools' strategy document calls parents who object to critical race theory, a controversial racial ideology, as 'potential barriers to implementation'. Former education minister Sir John Hayes told the Telegraph: 'This echoes the kind of indoctrination used by Maoists and Marxists there is nothing more cruel than those with duty of care warping the minds of young children. 'I will be raising this as a matter of urgency in the House of Commons and expect the Secretary of State for Education, in defence of Brighton's children, to crack down on these militant extremists.' Brighton and Hove council is under fire after unveiling plans to make its schools 'anti-racist' (pictured above is Brighton's Royal Pavilion) Meanwhile, two dozen parliamentarians have written to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to investigate whether Brighton and Hove Council may have fallen foul of the 2010 Equality Act and the public sector equality duty, requiring taxpayer-funded bodies to promote positive relations between people of different races. Brighton council launched its plans in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, when protests swept across the US, UK and many other Western countries. Its chair of children, young people and skills, Hannah Clare, said training has been 'co-developed with people affected by racism, and addresses the urgent need to tackle issues that have historically led to inequalities for people of colour'. She added: 'Education settings have confirmed that there is a need for this strategy and commitment to the work. It includes behaviour management, recruitment and retention of staff and helping young people understand the complex issues of race.' Ms Clare said feedback on the programme had been 'overwhelmingly positive'. A mugging victim who was sexually harassed by a detective over 10 years ago is pursuing a legal claim against the Metropolitan Police after he kept his job following a misconduct hearing. Kristina O'Connor, now 33, called police when a group of men attacked her and attempted to steal her mobile phone near her London home in 2011. She was interviewed by Detective Chief Inspector James Mason, 43, who was a DS at the time and is now an aide to Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Miss O'Connor said the officer asked her 'invasive' questions with 'sexual overtones' and later followed these up with inappropriate messages, calling her 'amazingly hot' and asking her out for a drink. In a misconduct hearing on October 5 last year, DCI Mason was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour and was given a final written warning to last three years. He will remain on the force despite the allegations being proven against him. Miss O'Connor, the daughter of late entertainer Des O'Connor, is now launching a Judicial Review against the Met for 'enabling and normalising' misogyny, The Sunday Times reports. Kristina O'Connor, 33, is pursuing a legal claim against the Met Police over its handling of DCI James Mason's misconduct investigation after the officer kept his job DCI James Mason has been described as an aide to Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, who is under fire to improve professional standards and vetting procedures in the force She said: 'By speaking out now I want to encourage more women to come forward about their negative experiences with the police. It's difficult and takes courage, I know, but if enough women speak out, the Met won't be able to dismiss them as 'one-offs.' Miss O'Connor's Judicial Review accuses both the Met and the head of the police conduct panel of leading a flawed investigation and failing to deal with her complaint adequately. She said: 'The first step would be the Met acknowledging there's a culture of misogyny. Even in the tiny minority of cases like mine, where the perpetrator is brought before a panel, charged and finally convicted of misconduct, my experience tells me that they are still protected, their jobs considered more important than my safety and my faith in the police. 'If what I have seen is the process by which the Met is held to account ... it is woefully inadequate, and something needs to change.' Miss O'Connor is the daughter of late entertainer Des O'Connor (pictured together), who died in 2020; and she is a musician in her own right Emails between DCI Mason and Kristina O'Connor The day after she reported her attack, Miss O'Connor got back in touch with DCI Mason to check on the progress of the investigation. Below are some of the messages they exchanged between them. MASON: 'Please look after yourself while youre out in Camden. 'Hopefully you will not be a victim of crime again but if you ever fancy having a drink with a very discreet police officer just let me know, it would be my pleasure. 'If you have any visible injuries that you would like me to record then I am happy to take a picture for you and save it in case we manage to get any further in the investigation. I hope it doesnt hurt too much and I am sure you still look amazingly hot. O'CONNOR: 'Youre presuming that Im unaffected enough by the crime to come on to me? Isnt there some kind of code of practice that you are breaking right now?' MASON: 'Kristina, have faith in my detective ability and experience. Actually, coming on to victims is positively encouraged, its all part of the friendly and accessible face of the Met Police. Its the rejection thats frowned upon.' O'CONNOR: 'You have no shame! You could get fired for this!' MASON: 'You are probably right on both counts. I can assure that I am as determined in my pursuit of criminals as I am of beautiful women if that helps. You know where I am if you ever change your mind or need a friendly police officer.' Advertisement In an interview with the Today programme last October, Miss O'Connor claimed that DCI Mason asked her whether she had a boyfriend at home, what she wore to work, and whether he could take her out for dinner. She had been attacked while buying groceries on her way home. After rejecting his advances, DCI Mason gave the woman his police email address. The next day, the mugging victim followed up on the case by asking if they could take fingerprints from her phone. Instead, he allegedly replied that he could take photographs of her injuries. When Miss O'Connor told him that he had 'no shame', DCI Mason allegedly told her that 'coming on to victims is positively encouraged', before adding: 'It's all part of the friendly and accessible face of the Met Police.' She told the Today programme that she didn't report the detective for ten years, during which time she sank into a depression and suffered such a crisis of trust in the authorities that she didn't report an abusive partner to the police for fear it would invite 'unwanted behaviour' from serving officers. A Met Police spokesman said: 'We recognise there is a need for real change in the Met. We are committed to creating an environment that is intolerant to those who do not uphold the high values and standards expected of us. 'This work has been ongoing in recent months and will continue with the independent, far-reaching review led by Baroness Casey of Blackstock. 'The review will ask difficult questions of us to ensure there are lasting improvements to the service we provide for all Londoners.' He added that victims of crime should have the 'confidence and trust' to come to the police and receive 'support and professionalism'. The case comes amid growing pressure on under-fire Met chief Cressida Dick to improve vetting procedures in Scotland Yard following the shocking rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens. Baroness Casey will lead a review into Scotland Yard's culture and vetting processes which will re-examine historical sexual misconduct allegations involving officers still serving in the force. A separate independent inquiry announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel last week will investigate the 'systemic' failures that allowed Couzens to be employed as a police officer despite reports of indecent exposure and other signs he could be dangerous. Advertisement Tributes have flooded in for the five-year-old Moroccan boy who died after being trapped more than 100ft underground for four days after rescue teams confirmed the tragic end to a search that had gripped the world. Rayan Awram fell into a 105ft (32-metre) well outside his home in Ighran village, in the northern province of Chefchaouen, on Tuesday evening - sparking a race-against-the-clock rescue mission. After digging vertically and then horizontally - all while risking a landslide - rescuers and resuscitation experts finally reached the boy last night, offering a faint glimmer of optimism that he might have survived the ordeal. But the anxious wait for news of five-year-old Rayan ended in tragedy for his family, after government officials confirmed the young boy could not be resuscitated, adding that he had died before rescuers could reach him. Speaking after Rayan's death was confirmed on Saturday his aunt, Atiqua Awram told local media: 'My nephew, my heart is aching for him, too much. May God be with him, just like how God stood with us.' The boy's body was seen wrapped in a gold blanket after he emerged from a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue operation. Morocco's King Mohammed VI sent his condolences to the Awram family and praised both the rescue crews and local community for their valiant efforts over the past week. Supportive messages were also shared online as the hashtag #SaveRayan trended on Twitter. French President Emmanuel Macron added his voice to the tributes, writing in a Facebook message late on Saturday: 'Tonight, I want to tell the family of little Rayan and the Moroccan people that we share their pain.' Heartbreaking: The body of five-year-old Rayan Awram is placed into the back of an ambulance, but he could not be resuscitated Tragic: Little Rayan Awram, aged five, was found dead on Saturday night following a four-day rescue mission to save him after he fell down a well Heartbreaking: A beaming Rayan Awram, whose body was recovered on Saturday evening Morocco's King Mohammed VI (pictured in 2019) sent his condolences to the Awram family and praised both the rescue crews and local community for their valiant efforts over the past week Dozens nervously watch as Rayan is transferred from the rescue site to an ambulance Devastated: Rayan's parents walk to ambulance after their son's body was recovered Heart-stopping moment little Rayan is rushed to an ambulance underneath a gold blanket Dramatic moment rescuers huddle as the body of little Rayan is brought to the surface Little Rayan was swiftly removed from the scene by rescue teams donning red helmets Security had to be increased at the site after thousands of villagers gathered to watch the dig reach its final stage Dramatic moment Rayan is rushed to an ambulance after being discovered by rescue teams An ambulance carries 5-year-old child, Rayan Awram, who has been trapped for five days in a well, to a helicopter Parents of 5-year-old Rayan walk towards the tunnel as their son's body was being retrieved - his father had said he would hold out hope until the end The parents of 5-year-old Rayan walk toward an ambulance after seeing their son's retrieved body Rescue workers carry tragic Rayan to an ambulance on Saturday night People gather during the rescue operation of 5-year-old child, Rayan Awram, who has been trapped for five days in a well, near Chefchaouen, northern Morocco Locals could be heard shouting 'Allahu akbar' or 'God is greatest' as rescuers began to remove the boy (pictured) The moment little Rayan was pulled from the hole on a stretcher on Saturday night Rayan is hoisted into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher in the hopes he can be resuscitated. He was later confirmed to have died. News cameras capture the moment Rayan is hoisted into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher in the hopes he can be resuscitated. He was later confirmed to have died. People look on as an ambulance drives away from the scene where rescue crews worked to pull five-year-old Rayan A family watches a televised statement as it announces the death of 5-year-old Rayan and a call between King Mohammed VI and his parents Rescue workers carry the body of 5-year-old Rayan and place it in an ambulance after it was recovered from a well in which he was stuck for several days Rescue workers line up after the body of 5-year-old Rayan was placed in an ambulance Rescue workers carry the body of 5-year-old Rayan and place it in an ambulance An ambulance (pictured) was waiting to rush Rayan to the hospital It came after a medical team were seen entering the tunnel with a stretcher, where they remained for over an hour on Saturday evening. The boy's anxious - and now devastated - parents had been escorted to an ambulance before he was pulled to the surface. King Mohammed has since sent them his condolences, state media reported. Meanwhile tributes to the boy have been pouring in on social media next to the SaveRayan hashtag. One wrote: 'Rayan may you rest with the angels... I wish you knew you were not alone all those days and that everyone around the world was praying for your safe return. Morocco did you proud.' Another said: 'Rest in peace, tears stream around the world for Rayan tonight - no regrets please from his rescuers because they honestly did everything they could to save that little boy!' The world had watched on with bated breath as fears persisted that the cave could collapse at any moment during the tense four-day dig. Moroccan media earlier reported that resuscitation specialists entered the tunnel alongside rescue crews, fuelling fears that the five-year-old required life-saving medical care. Experts had warned that it was 'impossible' to confirm if the youngster was still alive, having fallen into the well five days ago, as the rescue team finally reached the stranded boy on Saturday afternoon. Oxygen and water had earlier been given to the child, but it is not known if he was able to use them. Onlookers applauded, sang religious songs and prayed. At one stage, they chanted in unison 'Allahu akbar' or 'God is greatest' as rescuers prepared to finally enter the cave for the final push Saturday. Earlier on Saturday morning, the head of the rescue committee, Abdelhadi Temrani, said: 'It is not possible to determine the child's condition at all at this time. But we hope to God that the child is alive.' Pictured: The site where rescuers were working to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco, in this still image taken from a video and obtained by Reuters on February 5, 2022 Tractors dig through a mountain as they take part in a rescue mission of a 5-year-old boy who fell into a hole in the northern village of Ighran in Morocco's Chefchaouen province, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 Bystanders watch as Moroccan emergency teams work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 4, 2022 Rescuers start to horizontal drilling operation as they continue to work to save 5-year-old boy trapped in a well in Chefchaouen, Morocco on February 5, 2022 A view shows a well into which a five-year-old boy fell in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 Rescuers stand near the hole of a well into which a five-year-old boy fell in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 Rescuers work to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco Moroccan emergency services teams work on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 5, 2022 The complex, slow and risky earth-moving operation gripped residents of the North African kingdom and even sparked sympathy in neighbouring Algeria, a regional rival. Pictured: Rescue workers prepare large piping to create a tunnel People gather as rescuers work to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 A general view shows the site where rescuers are working to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well (pictured bottom-right) in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 A massive trench was dug into the hill next to the well, leaving a gaping hole in the reddish earth. By Saturday morning they were digging horizontally towards the well, and installing PVC tubes to protect against landslides and get the boy out. A glacial cold has gripped this mountainous and impoverished region of Rif, which is at an elevation of about 700 metres. As time went on, fears persisted over whether Rayan would have been recovered alive. 'We're almost there,' said one of the operation's leaders, Abdesalam Makoudi, earlier on Saturday, adding: 'Tiredness is kicking in, but the whole rescue team is hanging on.' On Saturday, experts used a rope to send oxygen and water down to the boy as well as a camera to monitor him, but did not provide information about his condition. On Friday, camera footage from the frantic rescue operation showed the boy lying at the bottom of the shaft, and he appeared to be breathing. 'I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe,' his mother Wassima Kharchich told local television station 2M. 'Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust. The whole family went out to look for him then we realised that he'd fallen down the well,' she added, with tears in her eyes. His father, who said he was repairing the well when the boy fell into it, was pictured nervously watching the rescue mission late on Friday night and into today. 'I keep up hope that my child will get out of the well alive,' Rayan's father told 2M on Friday evening. 'I thank everyone involved and those supporting us in Morocco and elsewhere.' Scores of townspeople and others gathered to help and watch the rescue efforts. Nationwide, Moroccans took to social media to offer their hopes for the boy's survival, using the hashtag #SaveRayan which has brought global attention to the rescue efforts. Thousands of people gathered around the site, surrounded by olive trees, where AFP reporters said the tension was palpable. Some applauded to encourage the rescuers. The shaft, just 45 centimetres (18 inches) across, was too narrow to reach Rayan, and widening it was deemed too risky - so earth-movers dug a wide slope into the hill to reach him from the side. The operation made the landscape resemble a construction site. It involved engineers and topographers, and was made more complex by the mix of rocky and sandy soils. Red-helmeted Civil Defence personnel were at times suspended by rope, as if on a cliff face. Pictured: Emergency service teams above the large pit watch on as their colleague continue their work. Behind them, a large crowd also watches over as the rescuers inch closer to the boy at the bottom of the well People watch as Moroccan emergency services teams work on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 5, 2022 A member of the Moroccan emergency services teams works on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan His father (pictured), who said he was repairing the well when the boy fell into it, was pictured nervously watching the rescue mission late on Friday night The rescue mission was said to be entering its final stages in the early hours of Saturday morning A member of the Moroccan emergency services gestures as teams work on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 5 Working non-stop through the darkness overnight, under powerful floodlights that gave a gloomy air to the scene, workers dug a horizontal tunnel to reach the pocket where Rayan was situated. Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres, according to Morocco's official MAP news agency. Then on Friday, they started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped boy as experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help. Work had to be temporarily halted over fears the ground surrounding the well could collapse, but it was later resumed. Medical staff, including specialists in resuscitation, are on site to attend to the boy once he is pulled out, with a helicopter on standby to transport him to the nearest hospital. The Moroccan government previously said all efforts were being made to help save the boy. The drama has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan trending across North Africa. 'Rescuers are literally in the process of moving a mountain to save little #Rayan. I hope that their efforts will not be in vain and that those who prayed for him will see their prayers answered,' one internet user wrote. The boy's fate attracted crowds of people to the site, where parked cars lined the roads around the village and supporters are camping. Police reinforcements had to be sent, and the swarm of onlookers sometimes impeded the rescuers' efforts. Authorities called on the public to 'let the rescuers do their job and save this child.' But one volunteer said he was there to help. 'We've been here for three days. Rayan is a child of our region. We won't leave until he's out of the well,' he said. The accident echoes a tragedy in Spain in early 2019 when a two-year-old child died after falling into an abandoned well 25 centimetres wide and more than 70 metres deep. Julen Rosello's body was recovered after a search and rescue operation that lasted 13 days. Rescuers continue to work to free 5-year-old boy trapped in a well in Chefchaouen, Morocco, early on Saturday morning Horizontal drilling was carried out in attempts to save the five-year-old boy, who has been stuck since midday on Tuesday Rescue teams have continued efforts to extricate the boy for 76 hours in Chefchaouen, Morocco (pictured Saturday morning) The rush to save the boy was reaching a critical stage on Friday. Pictured: rescuers continuing to work to free the five-year-old Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan, who is trapped in a deep well for over two days, near Bab Berred in Morocco's rural northern province of Chefchaoue. Diggers continued working overnight in an attempt to free the boy Authorities said the mission was nearing its end overnight, with spokespeople reporting around 3am GMT that there was less than 20ft of earth left to dig to reach him. Pictures from the scene overnight showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan, who is trapped in a deep well for over two days, near Bab Berred in Morocco's rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 3, 2022 Pictured: Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to get five-year-old child Rayan out of a well into which he fell on Tuesday, in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred Rescuers prepare part of a tunnel that will be used to access little Rayan as the search reached a critical stage on Friday night Residents watch civil defense workers and local authorities attempting to rescue Rayan as search entered third day Friday Moroccan emergency service climbers work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1 Emergency workers are pictured preparing a tunnel which will be used to access the boy horizontally Hundreds of villagers gathered on Friday as they anxiously watched the rescue mission unfold The rescue attempt has captivated the entire North African nation (Pictured: Nervous villagers watch the mission from the sidelines) The rescue effort has captivated the nation with the hashtag #SaveRayan trending across social media (Pictured: Bystanders watch as Moroccan emergency teams work to rescue the five-year-old boy) Pictures from the scene showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit. Meanwhile, footage showed rescuers sending cameras down the well's shaft to monitor the boy's situation, as the rescuers turned on floodlights to continue their efforts overnight. On Thursday local media reported that he had taken food and water that was dropped down to him using a rope. On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that 'only nine metres' (30 foot) remained to be dug 'that will allow rescuers to reach the boy'. The MAP news agency said rescuers had been able to send him oxygen and water via pipes. Pictured: The hole of a well is seen in the foreground where the boy is said to have fallen 100ft, while in the background diggers work from multiple angles in an attempt to rescue him Residents watch in concern as civil defence and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 Pictured: Video showing rescue workers sending cables down into the well in an attempt to reach the boy Moroccans were still waiting anxiously on Thursday evening after authorities and firefighters launched the dramatic operation to save the boy from the deep well. Authorities tonight said the mission was nearing its end Pictures and video from the scene today showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit The shaft that the boy fell down on Tuesday was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy diggers were dispatched to dig a hole alongside it. It has been over 40 hours since the boy fell Rayan's father told Le360 he had been repairing the well when the boy fell into it. Lead rescuer Abdelhabi Temrani told Al Oula television that the diameter of the well was less than 45 centimetres. Baitas said the nature of the soil meant it was too dangerous to try to widen the hole, meaning major excavations around it were the only solution. The drama has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan going viral across the North African region, including in neighbouring Algeria. 'The heart of every Moroccan is with this angel,' one person wrote on Twitter. The boy's fate also attracted crowds of people to the site of the operation, putting pressure on rescuers operating in 'difficult conditions', Baitas said. 'We call on citizens to let the rescuers do their job and save this child,' he said. Authorities have also prepared a helicopter to take the child to hospital once he is extracted, national news channel 2M said. Pictured: Video captured of a screen showing a camera's footage as it was lowered down into the well where the boy fell 100ft. The shaft was too narrow for rescuers to go down themselves, so they were forced to dig down the side of the well in an attempt to reach the boy On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that 'only nine metres' (30 foot) remained to be dug 'that will allow rescuers to reach the boy' Residents watch in concern as civil defense and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 Rescue operations are underway by Moroccan authorities and firefighters to get five-year-old child Reyan out of a well into which he fell some two days earlier, in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred, Morocco, 03 February 2022 Comedian David Baddiel has slammed Jimmy Carr's joke about gypsies being murdered by the Nazis as 'racist' and 'inhumane'. Carr, known for his stand-up and roles on shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, issued a 'trigger warning' to the audience at the beginning of his one-hour Netflix special His Dark Material, admitting his performance contained 'terrible things'. In a widely-shared clip from the show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and 'six million Jewish lives being lost'. As a punchline, the 49-year-old then made a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis. 'But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives,' Carr quipped to a laughing audience. Baddiel, 57, stated: 'You can obviously tell a Holocaust joke that is cruel and inhumane and mean-spirited and racist. Pictured: Comedian Jimmy Carr has been criticised for a 'truly disturbing' joke made about the travelling community and the Holocaust in his latest show the Netflix special His Dark Material Jewish comedian David Baddiel slammed Carr for joking about the Holocaust on stage 'Or you can tell one that targets the oppressors, or draws attention to the fundamental evil of it, or shines and light on the humanity of the victims. 'It's not the subject matter of the joke that counts, it's the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr's was the former.' Elsewhere, Irish traveller and bare-knuckle boxer Paddy Doherty said the 'disgusting' joke was an insult to the 1.5million gypsies exterminated in death camps. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty has called for police to probe Carr's joke about gypsies killed in the Holocaust He told the Sunday Mirror yesterday: 'He should be investigated by the police. 'That wasn't a joke. He's talking about mass murder being a positive would he be allowed to say this about black people killed by the Ku Klux Klan? 'There's a level you don't go to. More than a million of my people were killed.' The joke was condemned Labour MPs including Labours Nadia Whittome and David Lammy who described it as 'despicable'. Conservative MP and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told BBC News yesterday that the joke was 'abhorrent'. During the show, Carr said: 'When people talk about the Holocaust' at which the audience gasped and he looked down at them, nodding. The 49-year-old continued: 'When people talk about the Holocaust, they talk about the tragedy and horror of six million Jewish lives being lost to the Nazi war machine. 'But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives.' In spite of the outrage the joke prompted elsewhere, the audience reacted with hoots of laughter. Carr then explained why he thought it was a 'good joke', saying that it was 'f**king funny', 'edgy as all hell' and because it had an 'educational quality'. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 500,000 Roma and Sinti people were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The joke sparked outrage from various traveller charities and anti-hate groups after a clip was shared on social media. In a tweet referencing the joke, The Traveller Movement - a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK, said: 'This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour. We need all your support in calling this out #StopTravellerHate @StopFundingHate.' The charity have now launched a petition to Netflix calling for the 'removal of the segments of His Dark Material which celebrates the Romani genocide'. Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, added: 'We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carrs comment about persecution suffered by Roma and Sinti people under Nazi oppression, and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks. 'Hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti people suffered prejudice, slave labour, sterilisation and mass murder simply because of their identity these are not experiences for mockery. 'The widespread ignorance of this recent history needs to be addressed and we urge everyone to learn more about the past and the experiences of Roma people today. 'Roma and Sinti people still face dreadful prejudice as this incident shows. Please show your support by learning more, challenging hateful comments like these, and following accounts such as Roma Support Group, The Traveller Movement, and Friends, Families and Travellers.' A former Page 3 model was left horrified after a creepy Iceland delivery driver texted her to ask her out after dropping off her shopping. Angelica Harte, 44, answered the door to her flat that she lives in alone with her door in her pajamas to take in her 60 shop. Two hours after the delivery, Angelica got a text from the driver who asked her to meet him in the park the next day. Angelica Harte is a former Page 3 model and was left stunned by the creepy delivery driver The Iceland driver had Angelica's phone number which she said left her scared Angelica is vulnerable to Covid and now has to put herself at greater risk by physically visiting a supermarket He added: 'I'm not working so anytime that suits you.' The ex-model told the Daily Star: 'I was in my pyjamas with no make-up on, but even like that I still got that type of attention from a man who was prepared to lose his job over asking me out. 'I was scared that not only did he have my phone number but he had my address also and could appear at any time. I was really distraught over it. I didn't see the funny side of it at all.' She explained: 'He seemed like a normal middle-aged man. 'He was staring at me and seemed to want to engage in conversation whereas I'm really shy and just wanted my groceries and to shut the door. 'About two hours later I got the text. I was shocked and angry. Angelica pictured with the late Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine 'Within a week I think I complained to Iceland. 'Now my friend takes me food shopping which isn't ideal as I'm in the vulnerable group so I'd rather stay away from people to avoid catching Covid.' Angelica, from Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, added: 'I felt vulnerable and I didn't expect that type of nonsense just getting my shopping delivered.' The text from the driver read: 'Hi this is the Iceland driver from earlier didn't get chance to say what I wanted because your neighbour came out, do you fancy a walk in the park tomorrow I'm not working so anytime that suits you.' An Iceland spokesman told the Star that the driver has been fired. An SAS canine handler who ran into the line of fire to save a dog is being lined up for a gallantry medal. The unnamed sergeant carried the wounded Belgian shepherd dog 50 yards through territory in Afghanistan that was under fire. After getting to a helicopter, he then saved the dog by stemming the blood loss from its wounds. Dogs are commonly used by the SAS to flush out enemy snipers from behind cover (file photo) A source told the Sunday Mirror: 'This was as heroic as it gets. There is an unbreakable bond between handlers and their dogs.' The gallantry came while the SAS was targeting 14 Taliban militants south of Kabul last year before coalition forces exited Afghanistan. The militants were reported to be executing locals who helped government troops in a fortified compound. Helicopters carrying SAS and Afghan commandos landed and were immediately attacked by the Taliban. The dog had been sent to flush out a sniper by following laser dots projected by the handler. The sniper that the dog was sent to flush out was successfully killed by SAS commandos The dog successfully got the Taliban sniper out from his cover where the militant was shot dead. The animal was reportedly seeking out another target when it was hit. The source added: 'It was badly injured and bleeding profusely. 'The handler ran across, picked up the dog and carried him to a safe area. 'Once the target had been neutralised, the SAS withdrew and were picked up by the choppers. 'The dog was in a bad way, bleeding from gunshot or blast injuries. But he survived and was sent back to the UK.' The Ministry of Defence said it does not comment on the SAS. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Governor-General David Hurley have paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth upon her reaching her 70th year as monarch. The then 25-year-old became queen regent of seven Commonwealth countries including Australia when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952. The governor-general said Queen Elizabeth has a 'deep, genuine and warm connection' to the country and its people. 'She is a symbol of our history, represents our modern links to the commonwealth and is an exemplar of service and dedication - characteristics that are important to our national identity.' The governor-general has written to the queen conveying his congratulations 'and Australia's ongoing affection and loyalty'. The then 25-year-old became queen regent of seven Commonwealth countries including Australia when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952 (pictured on Saturday) Scott Morrison (pictured om Friday) praised the Queen's 'wisdom, kindness and sense of duty' Mr Morrison says the queen's length of service has been extraordinary. 'I have had the great privilege to meet Her Majesty on several occasions and I have never met anyone more impressive, more remarkable,' he told reporters on Sunday. 'Her wisdom, her kindness, her sense of duty, is something that I think all of us here in Australia can be very grateful for. 'And so, to you, Her Majesty, from Australia - thank you for all your many years of service and may God save the queen.' The prime minister said it was understandable that Elizabeth did not traditionally mark February 6 with joy, it also being the anniversary of the passing of her father. 'Still, today marks an extraordinary milestone,' he said. Australia's governor general David Hurley (pictured) said Queen Elizabeth has a 'deep, genuine and warm connection' to the country and its people. 'For over half of our history as a federation, the queen has been our monarch. Most Australians have known no other sovereign. She has been a constant presence in a changing world.' Mr Morrison said appropriate Australian celebrations to mark the platinum jubilee would be staged later this year. The queen's reign has spanned 15 Australian prime ministers, Sir Robert Menzies being the first. Iconic buildings and monuments in many parts of Australia will be lit up in royal purple on Sunday evening. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has thanked the public for their support and urged them to get behind the Duchess of Cornwall as Queen Camilla once Charles is crowned king. Multiple fires are burning out of control around Western Australia as specialist firefighters are called in from other states. At least three fires that have prompted emergency warnings and evacuations since Friday are continuing to burn out of control, with thousands of hectares being burned. Two of the fires are stationary but uncontained, while firefighters are chasing another that is moving quickly as they seek to contain it. An emergency warning is in place for Bilbarin, Babakin, Corrigin and Shackleton about 200 kilometres east of Perth, with residents warned it is too late to leave. Those in surrounding areas have been told to get out now if they can, or else make their final preparations to actively defend their property by monitoring for spot fires. Firefighters are seen at the blaze at Bridgetown, WA, on Sunday (pictured) as the fire threatened the small railway town of Hester in the state's southwest The bushfire burning near the Bruce Rock shire was moving southwest quickly about 4.30pm on Sunday local time, burning out of control and unpredictably. About 140 firefighters are battling the blaze, working to strengthen containment lines in a bid to bring the fire under control. In Hester, 100 or so residents were warned it was too late to flee homes and they were urged to take shelter inside on Saturday evening. About 2.45pm on Sunday the town of Hester was no longer under direct threat, but was still in an emergency area as the uncontained but stationary fire burned out of control. An emergency warning had already been issued for the South West region, including Hester, Hester Brook, Bridgetown, Greenbushes, Catterick, and Kangaroo Gully in the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes. Firefighters have been drafted in from across WA and as well as interstate (pictured, the fire at Bridgetown on Sunday) 'You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes,' it said. Emergency WA says 150 firefighters are battling the blaze with firefighters actively protecting properties from the fire that has burned about 2200 hectares already. Aerial support has been sent to assist ground crews and police. SES officers and ambulance personnel are also in attendance. The Bridgetown Hospital emergency department has reopened. An emergency warning remains for the coastal shire of Denmark, after residents were told to evacuate on Friday. People in Shadforth and Scottsdale have been told to leave and seek safety if the way is clear, with westerly winds expected to increase on Sunday afternoon. Residents have been told it's too late to leave their homes safely as the fire continues spreading out-of-control (pictured at Bridgetown on Sunday) Firefighters are working to consolidate boundaries around the fire, with 190 firefighters in attendance. The fire has burned through about 2150 hectares and there have been 'unconfirmed reports of property damage and loss' from the fire, EmergencyWA says. WA Premier Mark McGowan on Saturday said multiple areas in the state continued to face 'dangerous bushfire conditions with more hot weather forecast today and tomorrow'. The premier thanked firefighters for their efforts over the week and urged the public to follow advice from Emergency WA. Four specialists from NSW Fire and Rescue are on there way to WA on Sunday afternoon to assist local authorities battling the out-of-control fires, along with members of the Rural Fire Service, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Corporation, following a request from WA's Fire and Emergency Services department. Cleo Smith's abductor preyed on her family tent after seeing her bright pink bike outside, with her mother telling a bombshell 60 Minutes interview her daughter's hair was later cut and dyed by her abductor. The four-year-old was snatched from a tent as her family slept just metres away at the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon, Western Australia on October 16. Cleo's disappearance sparked a desperate 18-day manhunt before the little girl was found inside the house of local man, Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, on November 3. The exclusive interview , which cost Channel 9 $2million, aired on 60 Minutes on Sunday night, with Cleo's parents Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon fronting the cameras. In a bombshell new detail Ms Smith revealed it was Cleo's bright pink bike parked outside the tent which had first indicated to Kelly a small child was inside. 'Cleo had a bike at the front which indicated we had a child in that tent and that was all he needed to know' she told Nine reporter Tara Brown. She also disclosed the four-year-old's hair had been cut and dyed by her abductor in a detail missed by many but noticed almost immediately by her parents. In a bombshell new detail Ms Smith revealed Cleo's bright pink bike (pictured) parked outside the family tent had first indicated to Kelly that a small child was inside The ground-breaking interview aired on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes on Sunday night, with Cleo's parents Ellie Smith and her partner Jake Gliddon fronting the cameras (pictured) She said the little girl's abduction had been 'random' with Kelly first unzipping her side of the tent before walking around to Cleo's side and snatching her. 'Apparently we weren't a target, it was just the time and the place that he could do it,' she said, adding it was 'gut-wrenching' that someone could so easily take her child. 'He obviously didn't know what side of the tent she was in. He must have looked in ours ... might have put his head through and realised, 'Yep, she's not on this side', and gone on the other side and that's where she was.' Ms Smith said officers when later inspecting the tent found a large footprint next to where Cleo had been sleeping, as well as unidentified DNA. The couple described the agonising days and nights spent waiting for Cleo to come home, adding they never gave up home the four-year-old would return. In a bombshell new detail Ms Smith (pictured with Jake Gliddon) revealed it was Cleo's bright pink bike parked outside the tent which had first indicated to Kelly a small child was inside Mr Gliddon said police reminded them on a daily basis that as time went on the odds of little Cleo coming home alive and well were dropping. 'They didn't want to give any false hope to us,' Cleo's stepfather explained. The couple confirmed they had seen photos of the inside of the 36-year-old's home as well as his large collection of Bratz dolls that lined the walls of one room. When asked if they knew if Cleo had been locked in that particular room the couple said they were still seeking answers on exactly where she had stayed. 'That's what he wanted, he wanted a little doll. It's just so sickening and disgusting,' Ms Smith said. She also dropped the bombshell detail that Kelly had been following her on Facebook, and had therefore seen her desperate pleas for her daughter. 'It's so heartless, I was begging for my daughter and someone had her and was reading me begging for her back,' the 24-year-old said. Cleo's disappearance sparked a desperate 18-day manhunt before the little girl was found inside the house of local man, Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, on November 3 (pictured, complete with the new haircut he gave her) Cleo told her mother she had been 'scared' and 'locked in a room' during the 18 days she was separated from her family. Ms Smith believes her daughter has blocked out most of the experience but admitted Cleo had been forced to grow up and had been irrevocably changed. She said the four-year-old could only sleep with all the lights on and needed all the doors in the home to stay open at all times. Cleo also woke up screaming multiple times during her first week back with family and was still coming to terms with the time she spent in captivity. 'She's going to be dealing with this for the rest of her life,' Ms Smith said, explaining they had to be careful not to push the four-year-old to talk. 'We're going to eventually have to find out everything that's happened and we're going to have to carry that as well.' The couple revealed Kelly had convinced Cleo he took her from the tent so her parents could tend to her baby sister who he said was sick. The brave four-year-old is currently struggles with mood swings and can be happy one moment but then angry the next, her mother said. 'Every day is a new day, every day and night is different, but she's OK. She's happy, she's bubbly, she's sad, she's angry, but she's getting there,' Ms Smith said. However, when asked how Cleo was coping with the extra attention after quickly becoming a household name, she said the little girl was thriving. The couple revealed Kelly had convinced Cleo (pictured on November 4) he had to take her from the tent so her parents could tend to her baby sister who he said was sick 'She loves it,' she responded with a laugh. 'We were in Perth and someone went up to her and said 'hi Cleo' and she's like 'hi'. We walked away and she's like 'Mum how does she know my name?'. She said the four-year-old sometimes reminds her that her necklace - which was taken from her in captivity - is still 'at that place'. When asked what they thought Kelly's intentions were in taking the little girl the couple appeared visibly uncomfortable and seemed to search for the right words. 'I don't know if even he knew what his intentions were,' Ms Smith finally answered. She described the sickening moment she first realised little Cleo was missing. Ms Smith said Cleo (pictured) told her she had been scared and locked in a room and sometimes reminded her that her missing necklace is still 'at that place' 'I felt like my heart, it told me, she's not here, she's not going to run into my arms today,' Ms Smith said. 'She's not going to run down a sand dune. 'She was basically nowhere near me. And that was the second I realised someone had her. Someone has her, someone has my baby.' The couple revealed they planned to move away from Carnarvon and would never visit the Blowholes campsite again, and would soon hit the road in a caravan. '[The girls] are going to have such an amazing life and we're going to stay positive about that,' Ms Smith said. Last year, an extensive land, air and sea search failed to find any trace of Cleo with WA Police announcing a $1million reward five days after she went missing. Cleo quickly became perhaps the most recognisable four-year-old in Australia and within two weeks her smiling face would become famous around the world. On November 3, a team of specialist detectives discovered the four-year-old alive and well inside a locked house just 7km from her family home. Kelly was arrested on a nearby street around the same time. He is alleged to have acted alone with police stating he had no connection to Cleo's family. He was shackled and accompanied by armed riot squad guards on a charter flight from Carnarvon to Perth after his first court appearance. News outlets ran audio of the stunning moment the missing child told detectives 'My name is Cleo' and images of the blonde-haired girl in one of her rescuer's arms. On January 24, Terrence Kelly (pictured) pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking Cleo from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite On January 24, Terrence Kelly pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking Cleo from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite. The 36-year-old admitted to the abduction during a brief court appearance in Carnarvon in a video link from a prison 900km south of the town. He faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison on a conviction of forcibly taking a child aged under 16. Kelly will next appear in a Western Australian state District Court in Perth on March 20, where he will eventually be sentenced but ultimately avoid a criminal trial. He has not entered a plea to other criminal charges he faces, including assaulting a public officer the day after his arrest which have been adjourned to a later date. US intelligence officials have warned of Russia being '70 per cent ready' to invade Ukraine as German politicians are set for crunch talks with Washington over troop deployment in the region. New reports say Moscow has assembled almost three quarters of the necessary military firepower it would need for a full-scale February invasion of Ukraine. An estimated 100,000 troops have amassed near Ukraine in recent months, but despite repeated calls to pull back, the Kremlin has responded by saying it will station troops wherever it needs to on the Russian territory. in recent months. It comes as Germany was accused of being 'missing in action' by allies as international tensions continue to mount over Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border. While other NATO members deploy battlegroups, send tactical supplies and offer more vocal support, the Germans have appeared to draw a line in the sand and refused to offer tangible support. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to the White House next week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine. Scholz has said that Moscow would pay a 'high price' in the event of an attack, but has so far failed to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster its troop numbers in the region or elaborate on any planned sanctions he would take against Vladimir Putin. 'The Germans are right now missing in action. They are doing far less than they need to do,' Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat and member of the Armed Services Committee, recently told an audience of Ukrainian Americans in his state, Connecticut. US intelligence officials have warned of Russia being '70 per cent ready' to invade Ukraine. Above: Satellite images show a large build up of Russian troops and logistics support units just north-west of Yelsk, Belarus on January 19 The likelihood of a diplomatic resolution of the crisis appears to be increasingly slim, the intelligence analysis concluded. (Above, a photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday shows a tank engaging in a military exercise) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) will travel to the White House next week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine Ukraine is holding military exercises in Chernobyl, with troops firing at abandoned buildings and launching grenades in the deserted exclusion zone as Russian troops continue to amass on the border Western intelligence assessments believe Kyiv's government could fall within two days of an invasion and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees and more than 50,000 civilian casualties. Germany's Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht again ruled out supplying Kyiv with arms, after Ukraine's embassy in Germany sent a list with specific requests to the foreign and defence ministries in Berlin. The list included missile defence systems, tools for electronic warfare, night vision goggles, digital radios, radar stations and military ambulances - equipment which, in part, is already in short supply. Referring to an earlier build-up last year, one European official - speaking on condition of anonymity - told the Washington Post: 'Our worry would be that you don't park battle groups on the border of another country twice and do nothing. 'I think that's the real fear that I have. [Putin's] now put them all out there. If he does nothing again what does that say to the wider international community about the might of Russia?' Russia would be able to overrun Ukraine in just two days in an invasion that could kill 50,000 civilians, according to US intelligence. (Above, a picture released by the Russian Defence Ministry on February 4 shows rocket launchers during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of an inspection of the Union State's Response Force, at a firing range in Belarus) Western intelligence assessments also believe Kyiv's government would fall within that timeframe, and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees. (Pictured: Military helicopters take part in the Belarusian and Russian joint military drills at Brestsky firing range on Friday) US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. He also wants them to roll back the alliance deployments to Eastern Europe - all demands which have been flatly rejected by the international community. It came as German media reports said Mr Putin who objects to the idea of the Ukraine being admitted as a Nato member had a three-step plan to bring Ukraine under a new union state including Russia and Belarus, with Moscow as the centre of control. The report, attributed by the Bild newspaper to a foreign secret service source, said Ukrainian activists will be rounded up and put into camps once a pro-Russian government had been installed. Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. (Above, ground attack aircraft at Luninets airfield in Belarus on Friday) It warned that an invasion was currently the most likely scenario adding that it could happen as early as this month as temperatures plummet and allow heavy ordnance and machinery to more easily traverse Ukrainian territory. In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over its neighbour, which borders Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has increasingly relied on the Kremlin's political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions triggered by his crackdown on domestic protests, has called for closer defence ties with Moscow and recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion. It comes as US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Putin invading Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. General Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs, and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, said on Thursday that Putin was planning to begin the exercises in mid-February, according to a Congressional aide. Russia usually holds its annual nuclear exercises in the autumn but the US believes Putin has decided to hold them earlier this year as a show of strength. Meanwhile, NATO has warned that Russia is massing nuclear-capable missiles along with 30,000 troops in Belarus. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO general secretary, said earlier this week that Russia has already deployed thousands of troops including Spetsnaz special forces, along with Iskander missiles that can be tipped with nukes, fighter jets, and S-400 anti-aircraft systems. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion The Rev. Al Sharpton is slated to lend his support Tuesday behind two bills intended to allow older prisoners to more easily win release and streamline the parole system. The bills are pending before Assembly and Senate committees in Albany that deal with corrections issues. Each have broad support in both houses, and are also backed by some 300 state community organizations, advocates said. Advertisement Today, we are working toward breaking the chains of oppression for our brothers and sisters and cousins behind the wall, Sharpton said in a statement, noting it is Black History Month. Rev. Al Sharpton (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images) We must pass the Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole bills to help end death-by-incarceration and the inexcusable racial disparities in parole releases in New York State. Advertisement In December, the Vera Institute of Justice reported its review of 168 Parole Board hearing transcripts showed that most people who come before the board show significant signs of rehabilitation. A vast majority were low risk for violence, rearrest or failing to make meetings with parole officers, the review found. Roughly 10,000 people a year appear before the Parole Board. About 60% of those people are denied parole. In roughly 90% of those denials, the Vera report said, the board refuses parole at least in part based on the original crime or vague concerns about public safety. New York State must stop this pattern of holding peoples original crimes against them even after they have served their minimum sentences and where there is compelling evidence that they are not dangerous, the report concluded. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > The Elder Parole bill would allow incarcerated people over 55 who have already served at least 15 years in prison to go before the Parole Board. Fair and Timely Parole focuses release on a persons rehabilitation while in prison, not on the original crime. I think [Sharpton] coming forward is really important, said TeAna Taylor of Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. For so long, the prison system in general has been racially biased and affecting communities of color. His support adds support to our support. The average age of death in New York prisons is 56 to 59, and every three days, on average, someone dies behind bars, Taylor said. A report by Columbia Universitys Center for Justice found 1,278 people died in state prison in the last decade, more than the total number who died by execution during the more than 350 years in which capital punishment was permitted in the state 1,130 people. Advertisement The Columbia report concluded that passage of the two bills would save the state $522 million annually. A spokesman for the state prisons declined comment on proposed legislation. Sharptons endorsement will be part of Tuesdays Parole Justice is Racial Justice event. Hazel Dukes, President of the New York State NAACP previously lent her support to the bills. Britain's daily Covid figures continued to plunge across the UK today as infections fell by 21.6 per cent in a week. Department of Health bosses reported a further cases 54,095 cases today, a decrease from the 69,007 cases that were reported last Sunday. Meanwhile there were another 75 deaths registered today - a 17.9 per cent fall from the 91 deaths reported on January 30. The latest vaccination figures show that 13,929 first dose jabs, 27,148 second doses and 36,338 booster jabs were delivered on Saturday. It brings the total number of people to have received at least two doses of a vaccine to 48,576,227 whilst 37,529,824 have received a booster jab. The figures come after data from the Care National Audit and Research Centre revealed that number of patients being admitted to intensive care units for Covid in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell to as little as two in one day last month. Although the figures may be slightly higher after being revised for a time lag, the centre's head statistician said towards the end of January, admissions would still be 'in the region of 20-30 per day'. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Sir David Spiegelhalter, said: 'The Omicron wave saw a huge rise in cases, and a moderate rise in hospitalisations. 'And yet ICU admissions showed no rise whatsoever, and now are rapidly falling. 'Since more than half of ICU admissions have not been vaccinated, this suggests an intrinsically milder virus rather than just increased protection from vaccination.' The new report from ICNARC also found that the percentage of unvaccinated patients admitted to critical care with confirmed Covid-19 decreased from 75 per cent in May 2021 to 47 per cent in October 2021 but increased to 61 per cent in December. The figures come after Wales announced it was planting three woodlands in memory of the people who had died from the virus in the nation. The first two woodlands will be planted on part of the National Trust Cymru's Erddig Estate in Wrexham, and at a site at Brownhill in the Tywi Valley in Carmarthenshire. A memorial woodland is also expected to be grown in South East Wales, however a location has not yet been chosen. Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said: 'It has been almost two years since the coronavirus pandemic hit Wales. Too many people have been taken too soon by this awful virus. We will remember all of them and keep them in our hearts and our minds. 'These woodlands will be a permanent and living memorial to all those who have died. They will also be a symbol of the strength the people of Wales have shown over the past two years.' A range of tree species will be planted to make the woodlands resilient to the changing environment, the Welsh Government said. The sites are to become part of the National Forest for Wales in the future. Natural Resources Wales chief executive Clare Pillman said: 'Our ambition for this commemorative woodland is for it to become a living, growing area for all the community to enjoy, as well as a quiet space for contemplation as we continue to navigate this most challenging of times. 'As part of the journey, we want to engage with local communities and our partners to plan and design the woodland, shaping with them safe and accessible spaces, where people of all ages can come to remember and reflect for years to come.' The latest vaccination figures show that 13,929 first dose jabs, 27,148 second doses and 36,338 booster jabs were delivered on Saturday. (Stock image) Justin Albert, director of National Trust Cymru, said: 'The woodland will be for remembrance and reflection, but also to provide a future green space for everyone to continue that much needed, beneficial connection with the natural world for ever.' This month it was claimed that daily Covid statistics are set to be dropped in April under the Government's plan to live with the virus like the flu. Boris Johnson has already laid out his intention to scrap all remaining Covid laws including the legal requirement for infected people to self-isolate by March 24. And a senior Whitehall source claimed daily updates on cases, deaths and hospitalisations will be axed just weeks later. Health chiefs extend shelf-life of Pfizer Covid vaccines by TWO WEEKS Health chiefs extended the shelf life of Pfizer's Covid jabs over fears millions of injections would have to be binned in mid-January. A slowdown in the booster drive prompted concerns that life-saving doses would end up being wasted. But NHS bosses were given permission to push back the expiry date of 20 batches of Pfizer's vaccines by two weeks. The batches which are transported and stored in ultra-cold freezers saw the time they could be kept in the fridge extended to 45 days after they are thawed. Previously, they were no longer usable after 31 days. Officials said the move, which was approved by both Pfizer and the UK's drug safety watchdog, would allow more patients to be vaccinated over the coming days. NHS England did not confirm how many doses were affected, but Pfizer confirmed only the specified batches now have a 45-day shelf life. But both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Pfizer said the extension does not affect the 'safety, quality or efficacy' of the jabs. Advertisement The reports came just weeks after Dr Mike Tildesley, who sits on an influential modelling sub-group of SAGE, said Britain could have a 'flu-type' relationship with Covid by the end of 2022. Dr Tildesley predicted even milder variants than Omicron would emerge over the course of the year, bolstering the UK's wall of immunity and creating an even bigger disconnect between infection numbers and hospitalisations and deaths. He said the data suggested the pandemic was 'turning around' following the Omicron wave, meaning ministers could start discussing what 'living with' Covid would be like. But he warned the country 'was not there yet' because hospitalisation levels from the virus are still 'relatively high'. It came as Education Secretary and former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi described the figures as 'promising'. Discussing the current situation, Dr Tildesley said another variant expected to emerge over the coming months would likely be more transmissible than Omicron but 'generally also milder'. He told BBC Breakfast: 'My hope is that as we get further into this year and next year, we are dealing with milder versions of Covid. 'Hopefully we [will] have more of a flu-type relationship with Covid where potentially we protect the vulnerable as we get into the colder weather, but we don't see a return of restrictions.' Dr Tildesley added: 'Say we get into a situation where the virus becomes very, very mild and we are living alongside it we're not there yet, but hopefully we will be at some point this year then we do need to talk about not just cases but also hospital admissions and the number of people who are dying with the disease. 'If we can get those numbers as low as possible then hopefully we can see restrictions removed and we can live alongside the virus.' Omicron initially sparked panic in Whitehall when the variant emerged in mid-November because it spread much faster than its predecessors. But studies quickly began to mount showing the mutant strain was causing less severe disease, partly due to the strain being inherently less lethal and the build-up of immunity through vaccines and prior infection. Asked about the current wave, Dr Tildesley said the figures were 'cautiously good news' which could indicate the virus was 'turning around'. He said: 'We have had very, very high case numbers throughout late December and early January we peaked about 200,000 at one point. We do now seem to be a little bit beyond that.' But he warned that children returning to schools could still send Covid cases back up, with 'another week of data' needed before the impact was clear. Bombshell new claims suggest Carrie Johnson forced out a rising star within the Tory party who was working with her then-fiance Boris Johnson over fears she was 'too attractive and intelligent'. Downing Street insiders, quoted in an explosive new biography written by Lord Ashcroft, have suggested that Ms Johnson wields huge power within Whitehall and warned that 'if she doesn't like you, there can be big consequences'. Among her alleged scalps include Ellie Lyons, a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, who was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by a handful of people in Westminster. Cambridge graduate Ms Lyons, who is friends with Made in Chelsea star Kimberly Garner, had impressed advisors during Mr Johnson's leadership campaign in 2019. But one campaign source, quoted in Lord Ashcroft's biography, said that Mr Johnson suddenly changed tack on her, urging his inner circle to 'get rid' at the behest of his then-fiance Carrie because Ms Lyons was 'too attractive and intelligent'. The source alleges the-then Tory leadership favourite was 'being used by Carrie to do her dirty work' and brought Ms Lyons' political career to an abrupt end. Ms Johnson's orders allegedly came because she did 'not want Ellie in No 10 because she's too attractive', another Tory source explained. Ms Lyons moved to private sector after the ordeal, but returned to the civil service last summer. A spokesman for Carrie Johnson has said that Lord Ashcroft's book is full of 'vile fabrications', while the Prime Minister has said Lord Ashcroft has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. Reacting to the claims in Lord Ashcroft's book today, friends of Mrs Johnson have described the claims as 'misogynistic and cruel'. Mr Johnson is said to be furious at the perceived 'hit job.' And business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today dismissed fears that Mrs Johnson holds any 'undue influence' within Downing Street, saying the Prime Minister has his own 'strong set of ideas' after spending 25 years in politics. Bombshell new claims suggest Carrie Johnson forced out a rising star within the Tory party in 2019 over fears she was becoming too close to Boris Johnson. Among Ms Johnson's alleged scalps include Ellie Lyons, (centre) a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, who was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by some in Westminster In her private life, Miss Lyons is a close friend of Made In Chelsea star Kimberley Garner. Previously, the two have holidayed in St Tropez, where Miss Lyons posted a photograph of a bikini-clad Miss Garner on Instagram. She was a 'policy adviser' during Mr Johnson's successful leadership bid in 2019, and he was said to have been 'greatly impressed' by her at the time. But Miss Lyons's friends were reportedly stunned to hear she would not be offered a role within Downing Street after Mr Johnson won the Tory leadership contest in 2019. She had spent four months working alongside and impressing his closest staff, but was sidelined at the request of Mrs Johnson, insiders claim. The Prime Minister is alleged to have said that 'Upstairs' - meaning Carrie Johnson - had 'strong views on Ellie' in the summer months of 2019. In Lord Ashcroft's book, Mr Johnson is quoted as having said at the time: 'Let's get rid of Ellie'. He said, 'Ellie is bad news.' 'He had to be told that, in fact, Ellie had made a brilliant contribution to the campaign and he was lucky to have her. He was just being used by Carrie to do her dirty work.' A second source says: 'She doesn't like people who are more intelligent or attractive than her around her. Ellie's problem was that she is both attractive and intelligent.' '[Boris] said Carrie was hostile to Ellie so she couldn't work in Downing Street,' added another source. Miss Lyons left shortly afterwards and worked in the private sector. She has since returned to the civil service and works as a senior advisor and deputy to the Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza. 'Completely mesmerised': Carrie embraces Boris after his speech to the Conservative Party conference in 2019 The Prime Minister is alleged to have said that 'Upstairs' - meaning his-then fiance Carrie Johnson - had 'strong views' on Ellie Lyons during his leadership bid in 2019 Other campaign insiders suggested that Mrs Johnson was also dictating some texts being sent by her then fiance because there would be noticeable differences within messages. 'A text message would appear saying, for example, that there was a particular MP whose support we didn't need or want,' one explained. 'We realised Boris couldn't have written the message because, the next day, Boris would contradict this. 'We'd spot the different ways things were written, because the style would change. We'd learn to spot when it was her writing the message.' Furthermore, one of Mr Johnson's closest Cabinet allies is said to have privately said that Mrs Johnson is the 'the number one problem' within the Prime Minister's administration. Reacting to these claims on Sunday, one Johnson ally told the Sun: 'This is just a misogynistic attack on someone who isn't able to fight back. It's just a way of damaging the PM by attacking her. 'This is the mother of Boris's children. I find this whole episode tawdry and despicable.' Another ally has said: 'To say Carrie is running the country is almost laughable - if it wasn't so serious. It's nothing but a hit job.' The developments come as the Sunday Times today reported the PM's wife has privately said that Mr Johnson should step down 'for the sake of his family'. A friend of Mrs Johnson told the newspaper that she does not want him to resign, bur rather she 'just wants to focus on her children'. FRIENDS APPOINTED TO TOP GOVERNMENT JOBS: From far left: Best friend Henry Newman, appointed an aide to Boris: Allegra Stratton who became Boris's No 10 press spokesman; and Josh Grimstone who now works for Michael Gove ... AND OTHERS WHO WERE FROZEN OUT. Discarded: From far left: Ellie Lyons, labelled as 'bad news'; James Wharton, liked by Boris but rejected as 'untrustworthy' by Carrie; and Mimi Macejkova, replaced by a friend of Carrie Another source adds: 'We learned pretty quickly there was a culture of fear around touching anything that Carrie didn't like. There was a nervousness. 'I think the people who are close to her and align with her get great benefits. Those who idolise her might get a fantastic job out of it. 'If she doesn't like you, there can be big consequences.' But others believe such allegations and accusations to be unfair, among them Carrie's ex-boss John Whittingdale. 'The influence [Carrie is] claimed to have [is inaccurate],' he says. 'Yes, I'm sure Boris and Carrie discuss things in a way that previous spouses would not, because they were much less political. Samantha Cameron had little interest in politics. Philip May didn't have a great knowledge of politics. 'This is the first time the PM's wife has been a committed political activist and had knowledge and experience of working in politics, so of course it's going to be talked about. But she's very good. She advised me for 15 months, so I know she's good.' It comes as ministers continued to defend the Prime Minister and his wife during their round of media interviews on Sunday morning. On criticism of Carrie Johnson and whether or not she is influencing the policy decisions of her husband, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today said: 'The reportage that somehow she's got undue influence, I don't think that's true, the Prime Minister has been in politics for 25 years and has a pretty strong set of ideas.' Asked if there was an element of sexism in the treatment of Mrs Johnson compared to spouses of former prime ministers, Mr Kwarteng replied: 'I wouldn't say that but I do think it's interesting when the spouse is someone in their 30s and has got open positions that are well known, people feel free to criticise - I think that's interesting.' Pressed on what he meant by 'interesting', the minister replied: 'I don't think it's sexist, I'm not going to go down the route of saying it's sexist but I'm saying her views are under scrutiny in a way that perhaps other prime ministers' spouses weren't.' Mr Johnson's survival battle is set to be dealt another blow by the publication of an explosive biography portraying him as little more than the puppet of his wife Carrie The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft (pictured at Tory Party Conference) has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers Tory peer Lord Ashcroft claims Mr Johnson, 57, is 'completely mesmerised' by his 33-year-old wife and cuts a 'lonely' figure surrounded by her close friends who are now among his most influential aides. The biography of Mrs Johnson advances the theory that faultlines in her relationship with the Prime Minister have had an impact on No 10, with one source describing it as 'a Greek tragedy'. The Prime Minister has told friends he is furious about the book, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday. A spokesman for his wife described the claims as 'cruel allegations' which were part of a 'calculated attempt by bitter ex-officials to attack Mrs Johnson'. They added: 'She is a private individual who plays no role in government.' The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. But Ashcroft also refers admiringly to Carrie's, 'courage and determination,' as evidenced in her instrumental role ensuring sex-offender Warboys stayed behind bars, in speaking openly of her own experience of a 2021 miscarriage and her work for animal protection, saying the complaints against her are about use of power without electoral accountability. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson today demanded a 'firm commitment' from Boris Johnson to unilaterally tear up post-Brexit border rules in Northern Ireland if the UK cannot strike a compromise deal with the EU. The leader of the DUP suggested Mr Johnson is currently distracted by the Partygate scandal and claimed problems in Northern Ireland 'are not getting the attention they deserve'. Sir Jeffrey warned 'we can't go on like this' as he sought a cast iron guarantee from the premier that the UK will act on its own to remove border checks if Brussels refuses to give ground during negotiations. His comments came after the resignation of the DUP's Paul Givan as First Minister last week in a move which effectively collapsed Stormont's Executive ahead of Northern Ireland Assembly elections in May. The resignation was in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol, with the DUP having threatened not to return to powersharing unless issues around the border are resolved. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson today demanded a 'firm commitment' from Boris Johnson to unilaterally tear up post-Brexit border rules in Northern Ireland if the UK cannot strike a compromise deal with the EU The protocol was negotiated as part of the Brexit deal to avoid a hard border with Ireland, by effectively keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods. But unionists have been pressuring for it to be scrapped because of the trade barriers it has created on products crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain. The UK and EU remain locked in talks as they try to agree solutions to smooth the operation of the protocol but a breakthrough remains elusive. The UK has repeatedly threatened to trigger Article 16 of the protocol to unilaterally tear up the border rules if the two sides cannot strike an agreement. But Sir Jeffrey said he needs a 'firm commitment' that Article 16 will soon be triggered if Britain and Brussels cannot agree a deal. He told Sky News that Mr Johnson did let us down and let us down badly over Brexit. He said: I would say this to the Prime Minister: Northern Ireland is an important part of the United Kingdom, you are our Prime Minister and if you want to build confidence then do what other prime ministers did in the past. 'Recognise that we have a serious problem here and instead of being focused on what is going on in Downing Street, be the Prime Minister the people need, reach out to Northern Ireland, help us to resolve these issues, make this a priority, lets get our political institutions restored on the basis of sound foundations. That means dealing with the protocol, making these issues a priority so that the people of Northern Ireland can enjoy strong, stable government. That is what we expect of a prime minister. We cant go on like this. We cant go on with the situation where serious problems like we have here in Northern Ireland are not getting the attention they deserve. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic are set to meet again in London next week to continue negotiations aimed at reducing the red tape associated with the protocol. Sir Jeffrey said: Whilst I welcome very much the commitment of Liz Truss to drive forward the negotiations, it disappoints me that our Prime Minister cannot give a firm commitment today that if there is not agreement reached with the European Union he will take the steps that are necessary to restore Northern Irelands place within the UK internal market. That means triggering Article 16. That is the commitment I need to get from this Prime Minister. The number of patients being admitted to intensive care units for Covid in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fell to as little as two in one day last month, according to data from the Care National Audit and Research Centre. Although the figures may be slightly higher after being revised for a time lag, the centre's head statistician said towards the end of January, admissions would still be 'in the region of 20-30 per day'. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Sir David Spiegelhalter, said: 'The Omicron wave saw a huge rise in cases, and a moderate rise in hospitalisations. A patient being treated for Covid in the Intensive Care Unit at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth last March 'And yet ICU admissions showed no rise whatsoever, and now are rapidly falling. 'Since more than half of ICU admissions have not been vaccinated, this suggests an intrinsically milder virus rather than just increased protection from vaccination.' In contrast to January last year, when more than 400 patients were admitted into ICU for Covid in one day at a peak of the new wave, recent figures seem to suggest that Omicron, in most cases, is a milder strain. The new report from ICNARC also found that the 'percentage of patients admitted to critical care with confirmed Covid-19 that were unvaccinated decreased from 75% in May 2021 to 47% in October 2021' but increased to 61% in December. A Covid patient recovers in a step-down ward from the intensive care Unit at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge last year in January According to the latest ONS data, the risk of death involving coronavirus, when age-adjusted, is consistently lower for those who have had at least three vaccine doses compared with unvaccinated people. On February 3 there were 478 patients in mechanically ventilated beds; this figure was above 4,000 in January last year. This comes as it was yesterday reported that Britain's Omicron Covid wave continued to recede as statistics showed cases and deaths both falling for the third day in a row. Government dashboard data showed there were 60,578 positive tests recorded over the last 24 hours, down 20.4 per cent on last Saturday's figure of 76,069. A medical worker cares for a Covid patient at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge in May 2020 It was the fourth day in a row that confirmed infections fell, after the downward trend briefly plateaued earlier in the week. The number of people dying with virus also fell 12.5 per cent to 259 yesterday, down from the 296 recorded last week. Meanwhile, 35,469 more people got their booster jabs on Friday, taking the UK's total number of fully protected adults to 37.5million. However intensive care specialist Dr Budoor Al Budoor told the Sunday Times that while Covid may not be 'actively overwhelming the system' patients admitted weeks ago may still be in a hospital bed. He said: 'Whatever few patients we admit with Covid, or for other reasons and who happen to have Covid, cause logistic problems.' The Tate has removed a plaque inscribed with the Sackler name, due to the billionaire family's link to the opioid crisis that has killed more than 500,000 people. Alongside the removal of the plaque, marking the Sackler escalator at Tate Modern in London, plans are also in place to remove a sign next to the Sackler lifts as well as to rename the Sackler Octagon at Tate Britain. The Sackler family earned 9.6 billion from Purdue Pharma, which produced and sold the highly addictive painkiller Oxycodone under the brand name OxyContin. Detractors allege that the Sacklers knowingly misled doctors and regulators through a barrage of marketing activities about the addictiveness of OxyContin, a prescription drug used to treat moderate to severe pain - an accusation that the Sacklers deny. The Sackler family have backed the arts to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds, with 170million handed out to galleries in Britain alone since 2009. Critics have accused the billionaire family of 'art-washing' their money, as their money has in some cases been given out on the condition that their name be celebrated in the exhibit. The billionaire Sackler family have had their name removed from a plaque marking an escalator at the Tate Modern. Pictured: Kathe Sackler, former Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of Purdue Pharma, swearing in before testifying via video link before the US House Oversight Committee A plaque marking the Sackler escalator at Tate Modern in London was removed last week The Tate Modern has removed a Sackler plaque by an elevator and plans to remove a sign by the Sackler lifts; meanwhile, the Tate Britain will rename the Sackler Octagon The Tate's decision makes it the first British institution to cut ties with the Sackler family, following in the footsteps of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, which expunged their name from seven galleries in December 2021 following protests. The opioid crisis and the involvement of pharmaceutical companies, including the Sackler family's Purdue Pharma, has been put under a magnifying glass in recent months due to the October 2021 release (on Disney+ in the UK and Hulu in the US) of Dopesick, a drama series that takes viewers from the boardrooms of pharma companies to the broken, addiction-riddled lives of people in a Virginia mining community. Based on the 2018 book by Beth Macy titled Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America, the series recounts the history of how Purdue Pharma's sales team marketed OxyContin under the claim that 'less than one percent' of users would become addicted. The Sackler Octagon, at Tate Modern, will be renamed in an effort at scrubbing away all associations with the billionaire family, who have donated hundreds of millions of pounds galleries over the last two decades OxyContin, a brand name for the highly addictive opioid Oxycodone, was prescribed to people suffering only from mild pain, under the false belief that fewer than one percent of people would become addicted to it - a fake statistic promulgated by Purdue Pharma's marketers Startling statistics show more than 13 million Americans currently abuse Oxycodone, which is a gateway drug to Heroin, including some children aged just 12, according to the United States Department of Justice. Critics claim that false data about the addictiveness of the medication led to it being prescribed for the treatment of mild pain. Since learning of the drug's highly addictive nature, doctors have stopped prescribing the drug for mild pain, as the benefits do not outweigh the high risk of developing dependency. Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever, uses fictional characters to represent the struggle of Americans living with opioid addiction, but it does not shy away from using the Sackler name in its production - with members of the billionaire family, who own Purdue Pharma, depicted in behind-the-scenes segments at the pharmaceutical company. The Sackler family maintain they have always 'acted lawfully and ethically', although their company Purdue Pharma has now been dissolved, after confessing it had 'knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with others to aid and abet' doctors prescribing OxyContin 'without a legitimate medical purpose' More than 13 million Americans currently abuse Oxycodone, which is a gateway drug to Heroin, including some children aged just 12, according to the United States Department of Justice The US Justice Department's investigation into OxyContin and Purdue Pharma is also dramatised in the series. Although the Sackler family deny involvement in promulgating false statistics regarding the addictiveness of OxyContin, saying they have always 'acted lawfully and ethically', Purdue Pharma accepted liability and has been dissolved and restructured as a public benefit organisation to fight the opioid crisis. A statement on their website late last year read: 'Purdues Plan of Reorganisation (Plan) received bankruptcy court approval. 'The Plan will deliver billions in value to communities across the country to fund programs specifically for abatement of the opioid crisis. 'Substantially all of Purdues assets will be transferred to a new company with a public-minded mission.' Before its dissolution, Purdue Pharma accepted it had 'knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with others to aid and abet' doctors prescribing the drug 'without a legitimate medical purpose' - after being exposed by a US Justice Department investigation. Advertisement The American-born Chinese figure skater who gave up her US citizenship and changed her name to compete for the Communist country at the Winter Olympic in Beijing fell twice during the women's short program team event - to the scorn of many her adopted country. Beverly Zu, 19, who changed her name to Zhu Yi, finished with the lowest score of the event at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium after she failed to land a jump and fell on the opening combination, and botched another jump later in her short program. Skating to Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones, Zhu scored 47.03 after she tumbled on her first combination triple flip-triple toe-loop jump, crashed into the wall, and bungled her triple loop later in the set. Her performance knocked China from third to fifth place in the team event. Zhu decided in 2018 to compete for China in the Olympics. She changed her name and gave up her American citizenship, however, she is still facing criticism for not being fluent in Chinese. Her poor debutant performance also now has some questioning why the California-born skater was picked to represent China instead of a figure skater who was born in the country. China's American-born figure skater Zhu Yi was blasted on Chinese social media after she fell twice during her Olympic debut at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium on Sunday Zhu, skating to Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones, scored 47.03 after she tumbled on her first combination triple flip-triple toeloop jump, crashed into the wall, and bungled her triple loop later in the set Her performance knocked China from third to fifth place in the team event Zhu was born in Los Angeles to Chinese parents and given the name Beverly, and grew up with a privileged background. Her father, Zhu Songchun, is an award-winning scientist who joined the staff at Beijing's Peking University in 2020. He previously worked at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Olympian started figure skating when she was seven years old. In 2018, she won the novice division while competing at the United States Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California. Later that year, she made the decision to represent China in the Olympics, a move that followed the nation's efforts to attract top athletes to their team. She surrendered her American citizenship so she could compete for China and subsequently changed her name to Zhu Yi. Zhu, during her first season skating for China, finished fourth at the 2019 Chinese Figure Skating Championships in Harbin. She then won bronze at the Sofia Trophy. The young skater also took 11th place on her ISU Grand Prix debut at the 2019 Cup of China. Zhu was born in 2002 in Los Angeles to Chinese parents and given the name Beverly. She allegedly came from a privileged background with family ties Her father, Zhu Songchun, is an award-winning scientist who joined the staff at Beijing's Peking University in 2020. He previously worked at the University of California, Los Angeles. (Zhu Yo is pictured during infancy) She started figure skating when she was seven years old and in 2018 won the novice division while competing at the United States Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California. Later that year, she made the decision to represent China in the Olympics, a move that followed the nation's efforts to attract top athletes to their team While analysts argued it was unlikely that Zhu would be in medal contention during the Winter Olympic games, she faced a lot of pressure ahead of her debut. After her last-place performance, the skater was reportedly inconsolable. 'I'm upset and a little embarrassed,' Zhu told the media. 'I counted over and over again last night to see how many points I need to collect today to help my team advance.' 'I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies' singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do but unfortunately I didn't,' she added. Despite her failed performance, Chinese figure skater and two-time world bronze medalist Jin Boyang, 24, has asked that people grace Zhu with kindness. 'Zhu is a hard-working girl, and should not be blamed for her first performance on the Olympic stage, whether it's good or bad,' he told Xinhua News. Jin, who argued it's understandable for an Olympic debutant to fumble in their performance, believed the young skater was likely under a lot of pressure. 'I fully understand her position. I was there too,' he explained. 'She's under huge pressure as China's last performer in the team event short program and the sole skater in women's figure skating, especially after her selection over the two other girls. While analysts argued it was unlikely that Zhu would be in medal contention during the Winter Olympic games, she faced a lot of pressure ahead of her debut China has recruited at least a dozen foreign-born athletes, including Zhu, in recent years to compete on its Olympic teams, a move which was part of the country's bid to bring home more medals After her last place performance (pictured), the skater was reportedly inconsolable. 'I'm upset and a little embarrassed,' Zhu told the media. 'I counted over and over again last night to see how many points I need to collect today to help my team advance' He added: 'The Olympic Winter Games is a lifetime opportunity for every competitor. Hopefully we can gain more strength from the fact that we've gone all out and made history and leave the frustration of past errors behind us.' However, many Chinese citizens did not take well to Zhu's fumble with sympathy and instead blasted her on social media. 'Zhu Yi has fallen' was trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with some users slamming her for alleged false patriotism. 'Please let her learn Chinese first, before she talks about patriotism,' one Weibo user wrote. 'This is such a disgrace,' another commented, gaining 11,000 likes from other users. 'Anyone would question how she was chosen to the team. Is it because she has a scientist father?' echoed another. One Weibo user added: 'Zhu Yi, how ridiculous your performance is! How dare you skate for China? You cannot even hold a candle to an amateur!' echoed another. 'Waiting for a storm that belongs to Zhu Yi, but really. What is this slipping?' a different user stated. Many Chinese citizens did not take well to Zhu's fumble with sympathy and instead blasted her on social media Although the 19-year-old was mostly met with derision, a few Weibo users offered her some kindness. 'I hope people don't say this (insults) to Zhu,' one wrote. 'The level of our team is still far behind Russia and the US. It already showed courage by coming to the stage. No one who competes for the first time can perform perfectly. It's okay if she can adjust her condition in the next competition,' said another. China has recruited at least a dozen foreign-born athletes in recent years to compete on its Olympic teams, CNN reported, with Zhu being one of them. Analysts allege the social media attack on the performer highlights the pressure naturalized athletes face while competing under the Chinese flag. California-born athlete, freestyle ski star Ailing Gu, also joined China's team. She announced her intent to switch in June 2019. However, unlike Zhu, 18-year-old Gu has allegedly charmed the China's public by speaking fluent Mandarin and being well versed in Chinese culture. The teen had grown up spending summers in Bejing. Some argue Gu has become China's unofficial face of the Winter Olympics. She has been heavily featured in state media coverage and advertisements for Chinese brands. Sir Iain Duncan Smith today told Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to 'temper your ambition' as he warned against ousting Boris Johnson and triggering a damaging Tory leadership contest. The former leader of the Conservative Party said it is up to Mr Johnson to restore public confidence in the Government in the wake of the Partygate scandal. He said 'ambition is a thing that exists in all of us, but it is ambition at the right time' as he argued the 'number one priority' for the Tories should be tackling the cost of living crisis rather than descending into 'internecine warfare'. He also delivered a direct boost to the Prime Minister as he said he believes Mr Johnson is the right person to lead the Tories into the next general election. Sir Iain's comments came after Kwasi Kwarteng insisted Mr Johnson can stay in Downing Street for the long term and dismissed claims from Tory MPs that the PM's exit from Number 10 is now 'inevitable'. The Business Secretary said that 'lots and lots of people have said things are inevitable and they never happened over the last few years and I just want to wait and see'. Meanwhile, Mr Kwarteng also sought to downplay claims of a rift between Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak as he said the Chancellor is '100 per cent behind the Prime Minister'. Mr Johnson is said to have told aides that he is determined to cling onto power amid mounting fury over the Partygate scandal. One senior adviser told The Sunday Times: 'He's making very clear that they'll have to send a Panzer division to get him out of there.' Sir Iain Duncan Smith today told Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss to 'temper your ambition' as he warned against ousting Boris Johnson and triggering a damaging Tory leadership contest Cabinet colleagues have accused the Chancellor of 'blatantly plotting' to be the next Tory leader More than a dozen Tories have now publicly called for Mr Johnson to go but it is unknown how many letters formally requesting a vote on the PM's leadership have been submitted to 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady. Many Tory MPs now believe it is 'inevitable' that the 54-letter threshold will be breached. Should that happen and should Mr Johnson then lose the ensuing confidence vote, a leadership contest would be triggered. Mr Sunak and Ms Truss have been widely tipped as the favourites. Cabinet colleagues have accused the Chancellor of 'blatantly plotting' to be the next Tory leader while there have also been reports of Ms Truss holding 'fizz with Liz' events to secure the backing of MPs ahead of a potential contest. Sir Iain today cautioned his Tory colleagues against triggering a vote of no confidence which could lead to a bruising leadership battle. Asked if he knew of groups of Conservative MPs actively working to oust Mr Johnson, the former Cabinet minister told the BBC: Youll forgive me because for the last week I have been locked down because of Covid so I havent really been in discussions with lots of colleagues. But my instinct at the moment is that most colleagues still take the view that we have got to sort this out and sort it out in structural terms and get on and deliver. Asked if he was aware of any plotting by the likes of Mr Sunak or Ms Truss to take over from Mr Johnson, he replied: I must say that the sooner we get this thing into order, structured and actually delivering with Downing Street really at the centre of things and driving Cabinet ministers to deliver, there are huge amounts of things that this Government after two years of being buffeted to be fair by the most desperate pandemic and the Prime Minister taking some pretty tough and some of them very big decisions which he has got right, but that notwithstanding we have got to get on and do it. If, and I say only if because I am not close to it, if there are certain individuals who think that they have a right now to make a claim on that title of prime minister, well, fine, ambition is a thing that exists in all of us, but it is ambition at the right time. I would say to people: Temper your ambition. The most important ambition for us right now is the ambition of the British people to come out from Covid, to avoid the most terrible economic crisis that is hitting them, for us to be able to deal with the poorest in society who will face that the worst. That means things like seriously entertaining lifting VAT for the moment. There have also been reports of Ms Truss holding 'fizz with Liz' events to secure the backing of MPs ahead of a potential contest Asked if he believes Mr Johnson is the right person to lead the Conservative Party into the next general election, he said: Well I do at the moment. That is why I said that as far as I am concerned the Prime Minister is the one that has to sort this out. Sir Iain said Mr Johnson 'has to be' the person who rebuilds trust in the Government 'because he is the Prime Minister'. He said Tory MPs should not 'plunge ourselves into a leadership election' which will result in 'internecine warfare'. He said the Government's 'number one priority' must be tackling the cost of living crisis. Pressure continues to mount on Mr Johnson, with 15 Conservative MPs having publicly called for him to go. Not all of them have confirmed sending letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, but Downing Street is said to believe at least 35 have now gone in and they fear the number could be as high as 45. That would put the Conservative Party less than ten letters short of the 54 needed to trigger a vote on the PM's leadership. Senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker told The Observer he believes the PM's exit from Number 10 is now 'inevitable' and urged him to go of his own accord. He said: 'It is an inevitable tragedy. He is a student of Greek and Roman tragedy. It is going to end in him going, so I just want him to have some agency in that.' But one source close to Mr Johnson told The Sunday Express that the PM is 'in a bullish mood' and has set out a plan to backbenchers to stabilise his premiership. Mr Johnson is said to have promised a major overhaul of Number 10 and to ditch 'Lefty policies' in order to 'warm the cockles of Tory hearts'. The shake-up of Downing Street is already well-underway after Mr Johnson appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office Steve Barclay as his new chief of staff following an exodus of aides last week. Number 10 is braced for more resignations, potentially even from ministers, with Penny Mordaunt the latest to be put on 'resignation watch'. One minister told The Mail on Sunday that allies of Mr Johnson are increasingly worried the trade minister could quit over Partygate. However, a source close to the former defence secretary dismissed the suggestion, saying that 'she is doing her job and calling for calm heads'. Mr Johnson last night announced Mr Barclay's appointment, as well as the appointment of a new director of communications, former journalist Guto Harri. Number 10 is braced for more resignations, potentially even from ministers, with Penny Mordaunt the latest to be put on 'resignation watch' The PM was rocked by the resignation of five senior aides on Thursday and Friday as more MPs sent letters in calling for a vote of no confidence in their leader. The most painful departure was that of Munira Mirza, who had worked for Mr Johnson for more than a decade. The policy chief quit on Thursday with a damning letter criticising Mr Johnson for his use of a 'scurrilous' smear against Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, over the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile. Resignations followed from director of communications Jack Doyle, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, and special adviser in the policy unit Elena Narozanski. The Sunday Times also reported that special adviser Henry Newman, a friend of the PM's wife Carrie, would leave No 10 and would likely return to work with his old boss Michael Gove. Mr Kwarteng was grilled about Sir Charles' 'inevitable' comment during an interview this morning on Sky News as it was suggested to the Cabinet minister that the 'game is up' for Mr Johnson. But the Business Secretary said: 'I don't know where Charles Walker is coming from. I don't see what he is seeing. 'I think he is a good vice chair of the 1922. He is entitled to his view as I am entitled to mine. 'I have to say, you know this, lots and lots of people have said things are inevitable and they never happened over the last few years and I just want to wait and see. 'I am very focused on delivering the agenda, as is the Prime Minister, I spoke to him earlier in the weekend, and we are very focused on making sure that we have a strong economic recovery, that we have dealt with the Omicron virus and also with the Covid pandemic, that we are creating jobs, bringing in investment into the UK. Those are the things we are focused on as well as dealing with international challenges as we are seeing in Ukraine and with Russia.' Meanwhile, Mr Kwarteng insisted Mr Sunak is still backing Mr Johnson. Told that the Chancellor has appeared to have been 'distancing himself' from the PM, Mr Kwarteng said: 'I was with Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons for nearly an hour and a half last week and he unveiled a really good set of measures to help people why I am mentioning that is that we are working together, we are 100 per cent behind the Prime Minister and we want to deliver on the mandate that we were elected on successfully in 2019.' Chilling texts reveal a murdered mother-of-two feared her stalker ex-husband would attack her just weeks before he stabbed her to death. Yasmin Wafah Chkaifi, 43, died after the 'terrifying' attack by ex-husband Leon McCaskie, 41, in Maida Vale, West London, on January 24. McCaskie was then killed when a motorist - 'Abraham' - intervened by ploughing into him. Yesterday, Ms Chkaifi's husband Joseph Salmon, 44, told the Sun about texts they sent each other after one occasion when McCaskie had tried to hug him outside their flat. Mr Salmon wrote to his wife: 'Just imagine he got a knife one day and decided he wants to stab any of us.' In response, Ms Chkaifi said: 'Exactly hun. Hes more than capable too, thats why I dont like it when he puts his arm around you. 'Its to bring you closer to his body. Hes an animal.' Yasmin Wafah Chkaifi and her husband Joseph Salmon. Mr Salmon yesterday revealed text messages they sent showing she feared her ex husband Yasmin Wafah Chkaifi (left), 43, died after the horrific attack by Leon McCaskie (right), 41, in Maida Vale, West London Ms Chkaifi's message to her husband Joseph Salmon just weeks before she was killed by her ex husband Westminster Coroner's Court heard last week that McCaskie was already wanted by police for breaching a restraining order which Ms Chkaifi had taken out against him for being abusive. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson of the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command, said there had been 'allegations of domestic abuse' and a Stalking Prevention Order was issued against McCaskie, adding: 'Leon had been arrested and charged for breaching this order, but failed to appear for his first hearing at court. A warrant was issued for his arrest on the January 4, 2022. The two parties lived very close to one another in the Maida Vale area. 'On Monday, January 24, 2022 at about 9am, Leon accosted Yasmin in the street, and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife. A member of public in a passing car, saw this and used his vehicle to drive into Leon in an attempt to stop the assault. Both Leon and Yasmin were declared deceased at the scene.' Ms Chkaifi's cause of death was multiple stab wounds. Abraham, the 26-year-old Chechen electrician who drove his Renault Clio at McCaskie to try to stop the carnage, was arrested on suspicion of murder but was last week told he will face no further action. Scotland Yard said the decision came after officers studied CCTV footage, spoke to witnesses and detectives and looked at the legal position on 'self-defence and defence of another'. Abraham said he was 'grateful that they have taken this sensible course of action' and that he wanted to 'express my gratitude to the British public who supported me so vocally at this most stressful and trying time'. Mr Salmon told the Sun he wants to 'shake this guy's hand', adding: 'He did me a favour.' The Metropolitan Police said the driver had been 'fully co-operative' after he was arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident. He had been bailed until a date in late February while evidence was evaluated. The Met is also now facing an investigation itself into the attack after it emerged that the force was repeatedly warned about former company director McCaskie's abusive behaviour. A friend said last week how Ms Chkaifi grew concerned that her ex-husband would try to kill her in April 2020 after she learned that he was spying on her. In messages to Adele-Sara Richards, Miss Chkaifi said: 'He's had cameras in my house recording me for months. He's stolen my mail, my phone, has access to all my personal data. I think he will kill me.' Ms Chkaifi, who had two sons aged 16 and 18, told friends that she had gone to police about the incident and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest. The mature student secured a restraining order against McCaskie after the breakdown of their two-year marriage and even had a panic alarm fitted in her flat. Forensic officers stand near a blue Renault Clio as they carry out investigations in Maida Vale, West London, on January 24 Miss Chkaifi's relatives place flowers at the scene of the killing in Maida Vale, West London, on Tuesday, January 25 A warrant for his arrest was issued just four weeks ago after he failed to turn up for a court hearing relating to a breach of the stalking order. One of Ms Chkaifi's sons accused the Met of doing too little to protect his mother and said that officers had been contacted numerous times about McCaskie's harassment. McCaskie was convicted of obstructing a police officer and driving without insurance in 2017. The Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog is now deciding if it will open an investigation into Scotland Yard's handling of the case after the force referred itself. A spokesman said: 'We can confirm that we have received a referral from the Metropolitan Police regarding their contact with Yasmin Chkaifi prior to her tragic death in Maida Vale, London on January 24. 'We are currently assessing the available information, and have requested more, to determine what further action may be required from us.' New footage of Cleo Smith shows the four-year-old playing happily just hours after she was rescued from her 18-day kidnapping hell, as her parents reveal how the little girl's life has been irrevocably changed by her 'heartless' abductor. Cleo was snatched from a tent as her family slept just metres away at the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon, in Western Australia on October 16. Nearly three weeks passed before detectives finally forced their way into a locked room just 7km from Cleo's family home and found the little girl playing with toys. Cleo's story has captured hearts both in Australia and worldwide with her parents Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon revealing never-before-heard details of her ordeal. The pair were interviewed exclusively by Channel Nine reporter Tara Brown on Sunday night after the network secured a $2million deal, following a tough bidding war with Seven News. In heartwarming footage of the four-year-old, she is seen blowing bubbles, cradling her baby sister Isla, playing on a waterslide and even painting her dad's toenails. In a never-before-seen home video Cleo is seen dancing and singing the morning after she was discovered by detectives in a locked room 18 days after she disappeared (pictured) Indications the 'old Cleo' still existed came just hours after her miraculous rescue when she happily danced on camera the very next morning, however her mother said she could sense something had shifted. Despite the heartwarming scenes, the harrowing 18 days Cleo spent imprisoned at the mercy of a stranger has changed the little girl's life forever. Local man Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, has since pleaded guilty to her abduction. 'That was such a beautiful moment just to see her as the old Cleo, but you could still see, for us ... she's still different and she always will be and that's just our life now,' Ms Smith said. 'As a parent, you want to ... make sure that they stay as a child for as long as they can because you don't want them to be in this big, bad world, and she lost that, that was taken from her.' Ms Smith revealed her small daughter still needs all the lights on in the house to fall asleep and has developed an aversion to locked doors - having been locked in a room in Kelly's house. She said the four-year-old woke up screaming during her first days back at home and admitted the 'nightmare' experience had been tough on both Cleo and the family. Ms Smith revealed her small daughter (pictured soon after she was rescued) still needs all the lights on in the house to fall asleep and has developed an aversion to locked doors. Her hair was also cut and coloured from her usual blonde locks 'Her emotions are very up and down .. she's blocked out a lot as to what's happened, she kind of went into survivor mode and pushed it very far away,' she said. 'We've got a long way to go and so does she, she's probably going to have to be dealing with this for the rest of her life and we're going to eventually have to find out everything that's happened and we're going to have to carry that as well.' Of her time in captivity, Cleo has disclosed she was scared and locked in a room, however speaks little of her captor with her parents careful not to push too hard. Ms Smith said receiving the 1am phone call that Cleo had been found alive had been one of the scariest but most beautiful moments of her life. 'I was asleep when the phone call came through and I was like, "this is either good or bad",' the 24-year-old revealed. 'I've answered it and straight away [the police officer said], "I've got someone who wants to say hello to you", and I was swearing, I was like, oh my God, no way. Of her time in captivity, Cleo (pictured with her baby sister Isla) told her family she was scared and locked in a room, however speaks little of her captor with her parents careful not to push too hard Cleo's disappearance sparked a desperate 18-day manhunt before the little girl was found inside the house of local man, Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, on November 3 'Cleo got onto the phone and she's like, "hi mummy", and I was like, "hi baby".' The couple rushed to the hospital and found Cleo sitting on a bed. Ms Smith said she immediately noticed her daughter's blonde hair had been cut and dyed. 'I was just angry that someone tried changing her to kind of fit what they wanted,' she said. 'She said she got the pink put in her hair and then it washed out, she said it didn't work, and we had to then get her hair cut again because it was basically all cut into chunks.' Cleo's disappearance sparked a desperate land, sea and air search before the little girl was found in the house of local man, Kelly, on November 3. Detectives found the four-year-old awake and playing with small toy cars and have been captured asking the little girl for her name, before she replies: 'My name is Cleo'. Ms Smith said although Kelly's future intentions for Cleo remain unclear it was obvious he was obsessed with dolls and had collected dozens of the Bratz variety (pictured) Ms Smith (pictured) said receiving the 1am phone call that Cleo had been found alive had been one of the scariest but most beautiful moments of her life In a bombshell new detail it was revealed Cleo's bright pink bike (pictured) parked outside the family tent had first indicated to Kelly a small child was inside Ms Smith said although Kelly's future intentions for Cleo are unclear it was obvious he was obsessed with dolls and had collected dozens of the Bratz variety. 'That's what he wanted, he wanted a little doll. It's just so sickening and disgusting,' she said. In a bombshell new detail it was revealed Cleo's bright pink bike parked outside the family tent had indicated to Kelly a small child was inside. 'Cleo had a bike at the front which indicated we had a child in that tent and that was all he needed to know' Ms Smith said. She also revealed Kelly had been following her on Facebook and had therefore seen her desperate pleas for her daughter to be returned safe and sound. The couple said Kelly had convinced Cleo he took her from the tent so her parents could tend to her baby sister who he said was sick (pictured, forensics at the crime scene) 'It's so heartless, I was begging for my daughter and someone had her and was reading me begging for her back,' the 24-year-old said. The couple said Kelly had convinced Cleo he had taken her from the tent so her parents could tend to her baby sister who he said was sick. The young couple now plan to move away from Carnarvon and said they would never visit the Blowholes campsite again, planning to soon hit the road in a caravan for a family trip around the state. '[The girls] are going to have such an amazing life and we're going to stay positive about that,' Ms Smith said. On January 24, Terrence Kelly (pictured) pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking Cleo from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite On January 24, Kelly pleaded guilty to a single charge of taking Cleo from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite. The 36-year-old admitted to the abduction during a brief court appearance in Carnarvon in a video link from a prison 900km south of the town. He faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison on a conviction of forcibly taking a child aged under 16. Kelly will next appear in a Western Australian state District Court in Perth on March 20, where he will eventually be sentenced but ultimately avoid a criminal trial. He has not entered a plea to other criminal charges he faces, including assaulting a public officer the day after his arrest which have been adjourned to a later date. More than 3million of taxpayer money was spent by NHS trusts for more than 750 overseas recruitment trips, new figures have revealed. Data from 88 NHS acute trusts in England shows that between 2016-17 and 2018-19 at least 3.347million was spent on 762 expenses-paid trips abroad in an effort to hire more doctors and nurses. Teams were sent to a total of 15 countries, including Italy, Australia, Spain and the Philippines, to help recruit more staff and fill up vacant NHS posts. The findings were discovered under a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the TaxPayers' Alliance, The Telegraph reports. The latest figures come just weeks after it was revealed hospitals were calling back staff from holiday or days off to keep hospitals running amid a rise in the Omicron variant and a shortage in staff. More than 3million was spent by NHS trusts between 2016-17 and 2018-19 in an effort to hire more doctors and nurses. (Stock image) According to the latest figures, Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spent 166,170 to fund a total of 107 overseas trips. The trips abroad included six visits to India, two to Australia and eight to the Philippines. The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust spent 415,184 and hired 107 nurses over a three year period while George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in Warwickshire spent 243,524 and hired 26 workers employees. Elsewhere the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust spent 8,610 for each of the four members of staff recruited. However figures also revealed that Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn NHS Foundation Trust only spent 126 per recruit. The findings by the TaxPayers' Alliance also found that among the most popular countries to fly to was the Philippines, followed by India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Research director at the TaxPayers' Alliance Duncan Simpson told The Telegraph: 'These figures raise questions about the huge spending disparities when it comes to overseas recruitment. 'Taxpayers pay huge amounts for a comprehensive health service and expect to get the vital services they need, not funding expensive excursions. 'Trusts must ensure they are providing value for money, especially when it comes to foreign jaunts for NHS staff.' An NHS spokesperson told MailOnline: 'International recruits have always formed an invaluable part of the NHS workforce. However, we expect individual trusts to conduct recruitment in a cost effective manner.' Data from 88 NHS acute trusts showed 3.347million was spent on 762 expenses-paid trips abroad. (Stock image) Last month NHS Confederation chief Matthew Taylor said the system was in a 'state of crisis' as hospitals called back staff from holidays amid a shortage in staff. Mr Taylor said: 'In many parts of the health service, we are currently in a state of crisis. In the face of high levels of demand and staff absence some hospitals are having to declare a ''critical incident''. 'Some hospitals are making urgent calls to exhausted staff to give up rest days and leave to enable them to sustain core services. Many more hospitals are having to ban visitors to try to reduce the spread of infection. 'NHS England is continuing to plan for surge capacity. Community and social care services, which were already massively overstretched, are at breaking point. 'In many areas, ambulance services are unable to meet their target response times. 'Primary care is having to add caring for Covid-19 patients and trying to keep them out of hospitals to driving the booster programme and dealing with unprecedented underlying demand which is driven in part by the millions of unwell people waiting for appointments and operations.' It came as Boris Johnson pledged to 'make sure that we look after our NHS any way that we can'. In September last year the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned that health services will still need more money in three years' time. The think-tank said that investment into the health service to help deal with Covid-19 over the next two years was at the right level, matching their estimates of what would be required. But it said that another 5billion which was not included in the Government's announcements will be needed in 2024/25 to cope with pandemic-related pressures. An off-duty NYPD officer struck in the foot outside a Harlem NYCHA development was released from the hospital early Sunday, just hours after he was wounded by the stray bullet, police said. The cop identified by police sources as Robert Manley, a 15-year veteran assigned to a public housing patrol unit in the Bronx is the seventh NYPD officer shot this year. Advertisement Manley was leaving the Manhattanville Houses community center on Broadway near W. 130th St. when he came across two men armed with a gun about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, police said. The officer was at the community center for a memorial for a beloved community member. One of the men opened fire, and Manley dived for cover, NYPD Housing Bureau Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said. Advertisement NYPD officers and detectives investigate after an off-duty cop is shot in the foot near the entrance to a building in the Manhattanville Houses Saturday. (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News) The shooter and accomplice, who police sources said were wearing ski masks, ran off and have not been caught. There was a dispute in the Manhattanville Houses community center two hours earlier and police believe the shooting is connected to that incident. Manley at first didnt realize hed been shot. He was describing what he saw to officers responding to the scene when he started feeling pain in his left foot, Maddrey said. An ambulance took Manley to Mount Sinai Morningside. He was released early Sunday, around midnight, cops said. Id like to stress that a foot injury any gunshot wound is potentially life or limb threatening, Eli Kleinman, the NYPDs chief surgeon, said Saturday. This bullet traversed critical vessels and nerves and tendons, but we expect him to make a full recovery. The seven NYPD officers hit by bullets this year include two who were fatally shot in Harlem Jan. 21. Officers Jason Rivera, 22, and Wilbert Mora, 27, who were shot as they responded to a domestic disturbance call. Cinderella cast members railed against Lloyd Webber on social media yesterday after he announced that the show - which is being staged at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in Covent Garden and has suffered Covid-related disruption right from the start - will close on June 12. Last July, Lloyd Webber - whose musical hits include The Phantom Of The Opera, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar - said he was determined to open his Cinderella in London's West End, and had at that stage ignored 'siren voices' suggesting he moves it to Broadway. However, it has emerged that the composer, 74, intends to launch the musical in Broadway instead, with previews for the show beginning in February next year. Lloyd Webber is now facing claims that he announced the decision to scrap the London production less than a year after it opened without telling his staff. Deadline reported the cast were told of the closure before going on stage on Sunday night.Actress Summer Strallen said in a long video on Instagram that she had had a wig fitting recently ahead of her taking over the role of The Queen from Rebecca Trehearn, and claimed she had only found out the show was cancelled when a friend sent her an article on Sunday. The theatre star, whose parents Sandy Strallen and Cherida Langford both performed in the original London production of Cats, and whose aunt is Bonnie Langford, also said that she had turned down a 'big job' elsewhere for the role in Cinderella. Hundreds of people filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis on Saturday to demand justice for Amir Locke, after body cam footage released by the Minneapolis Police Department showed an officer shoot and kill Locke during a no-knock warrant earlier this week. More than 1,000 protesters, who gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center around 3 p.m., also called for the resignation of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and officer Mark Hanneman. Hanneman, who was named in public records as the officer who shot Locke, was hired by the department in 2015. 'No officer goes into a dangerous setting like this wanting to use a weapon,' the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis said in a statement Saturday. 'That decision was not taken lightly, and the impact of the use of deadly force will affect these officers, their families, and the family of Mr. Locke for the rest of their lives.' The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said the police's practices called for the immediate termination of Hanneman. 'A life was taken, which demands transparency, but perhaps more importantly, accountability,' the association said Saturday. Hundreds of people filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis on Saturday to demand justice for Amir Locke, after body cam footage released by the Minneapolis Police Department showed an officer shoot and kill Locke during a no-knock warrant A demonstrator holds a 'Justice for Amir Locke' sign during a rally in protest of the killing of Amir Locke, outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota On Friday, the National Guard was activated in the state of Minnesota in order to help the Twin Cities in case of any civil unrest following the death of Locke in Minneapolis Graphic bodycam footage shows Minneapolis police enter 22-year-old Amir Locke's (pictured) apartment while executing a search warrant in a homicide investigation On Friday, the National Guard was activated in the state of Minnesota in order to help the Twin Cities in case of any civil unrest following the death of Locke in Minneapolis and the ongoing federal trial in St. Paul involving three officers in the George Floyd's death. Locke, 22, was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer on Wednesday, as cops executed a no-knock search warrant. Locke's father, Andre, spoke to a crowd Saturday, 'This is not easy, to have to bury your son,' according to video posted to Twitter. He said Locke's mother was 'so overwhelmed with grief, disbelief, sorrow, everything that you could imagine that a mother feels when she loses her baby.' Protesters also called for Hanneman, the officer who shot Locke, to be prosecuted. Protesters march for justice for all stolen lives outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Saturday Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (pictured here in 2021) who was named in public records as the officer who shot Locke last week, was hired by the department in 2015. Crowds held signs calling for the resignation of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and officer Mark Hanneman, who shot Locke The city of St. Paul has also requested help from the National Guard in advance of the federal civil rights trial verdict against three former officers for allegedly violating George Floyd's civil rights The city of St. Paul had also requested help in advance of a verdict against three former officers for allegedly violating George Floyd's civil rights. The federal trial of the former MPD officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, will enter its third week on Monday in St. Paul. The three face federal civil rights charges stemming from their involvement in Floyd's 2020 death. Floyd is among several black men to die in confrontations with Minneapolis police in recent years, and his death spurred widespread protests and drive to remake the department. Cellphone video shows George Floyd on the ground. From left, with three officers kneeling on him: Officer Tou Thao, standing, Officer Derek Chauvin, with knee on Floyd's neck, Officer J. Alexander Kueng and Officer Thomas Lane The federal trial of the former MPD officers J. Alexander Kueng, left, Thomas Lane, center, and Tou Thao, will enter its third week on Monday in St. Paul Demonstrators march past a police precinct during a rally for Amir Locke on Saturday Protesters gather ahead of a racial justice march for Amir Locke on February 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community leaders called for reform in the city after Locke was killed On Thursday, the mayor of Minneapolis released body camera footage showing the police shoot and kill Locke who was curled up on his couch. The 54-second clip shows a SWAT officer use a key to enter the apartment followed by at least four others in uniform and protective vests, time-stamped at about 6:48am. As they enter, they repeatedly shouted, 'Police, search warrant!' They also shout 'Hands!' and 'Get on the ground!' The video shows an officer kick a sectional sofa, and Locke begins to emerge from under a blanket, holding a pistol. Three shots are heard, and the video ends. The city also included a still from the video showing Locke holding the gun, his trigger finger laid aside the barrel. The top of Locke's head is barely visible. The footage was released after more than 36 hours of unanswered questions and calls for transparency over the shooting. The Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that Locke pointed a loaded gun 'in the direction of officers.' Bodycam footage shows an officer using a key to unlock the door and enter, followed by at least four officers in uniform and protective vests Locke was seen wrapped in a blanket on a couch when SWAT officers entered the apartment, and displayed a handgun as they shouted at him to show his hands and get on the ground Footage shows 22-year-old Amir Locke wrapped in a blanket on a couch holding a gun moments before he was fatally shot by Minneapolis police as they were executing a warrant An incident report said he had two wounds in the chest and one in the right wrist. On Friday, Locke's parents said their son was 'executed' by a Minneapolis SWAT team that woke him from a deep sleep, and that he reached in confusion for a legal firearm to protect himself. Andre Locke and Karen Wells, described him as respectful, including to police, and said some of their relatives work in law enforcement. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who said Locke's family was 'just flabbergasted at the fact that Amir was killed in this way' and disgusted at how the Wednesday morning raid was conducted. They said he was law-abiding, with no criminal record, and had a permit to carry a gun. 'They didn't even give him a chance,' Crump said, adding that it was shocking that Minneapolis police had not learned from the death of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in a botched raid at her home in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2020, leading to calls for an end to no-knock warrants nationwide. Interim Chief Amelia Huffman confirmed in a news conference after the video was released that Locke isn't named in the warrants. She said it isn't clear how or whether Locke is connected to the homicide investigation, which she said is under the control of the St. Paul Police Department. She said that the city had both knock and no-knock warrants. Andre Locke and Karen Wells, parents of Amir Locke, address the media at a news conference regarding the death of Locke, who was shot and killed by Minneapolis police's SWAT team Amir Locke's mother Karen Wells (R), speaks flanked by his father Andre Locke, during a press conference at City Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday Mayor Jacob Frey said the video 'raises about as many questions as it does answers' and said the city was pursuing answers 'as quickly as possible and in transparent fashion' through investigations, including one by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The officer who shot Locke was identified as Mark Hanneman, who was hired by the department in 2015. Records released by the city showed three complaints, all closed without discipline, but gave no details. Data on the website of the citizen group Communities United Against Police Brutality showed a fourth complaint, in 2018, that remains open. No details were given. Following Wednesday's incident, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey imposed an immediate moratorium on the request and execution of no-knock warrants in the city. People hold placards during a rally in protest of the killing of Amir Locke, outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis Protesters carry 'Justice for Amir Locke' as they march outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Saturday This moratorium makes an exception for instances where there is 'an imminent threat of harm to an individual or the public,' Frey's office stated Friday. U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, who represents Minneapolis, called Locke's death a murder, and criticized local police and officials for their handling of the incident. 'Amir Locke had barely opened his eyes when he was executed by a Minneapolis police officer,' Omar tweeted Friday, blaming his death on the 'violent, unchecked, and unreformed behavior of our city's police.' Once again were left only with the empty words of police and the Mayor. Words that, at best, are meant to mislead the people of Minneapolis, and at worst are quite simply lies aimed at portraying Amir as a criminal. Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) February 4, 2022 The killing is the latest that has angered activists angry as they question the credibility of a department that was widely criticized for its initial portrayal of George Floyd's death. Amir Locke, 22, was shot just before 7 a.m. Wednesday after officers quietly entered a downtown apartment with a key, then loudly announced their presence, kicked a sofa where Locke had been under a comforter, then shot him when he showed a gun - all in the span of a few seconds. Activists were angered at a police department statement that evening that called Locke a 'suspect' - even though police later said a search warrant didn't name Locke as such. They questioned the same statement for saying the gun was 'pointed in the direction of officers' when police body camera video was less than clear. They denounced police for releasing photos of a gun and bullets, calling that a character assassination of Locke, who they said had a license for the gun And they highlighted an officer kicking the couch just seconds after entry, which they said likely awoke a deep-sleeping Locke to a confusing assault from men with guns. His parents, Andre Locke and Karen Wells, called it an 'execution.' The department took similar criticism for its initial representation of Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, when its first statement said Floyd died after a 'medical incident during a police interaction.' Bystander video quickly told another story - Floyd died while facedown in handcuffs with a police officer's knee on his neck - and a spokesman said that the first report relied on a briefing from supervisors who weren't on the scene. After the body camera video showing the Locke shooting was released Thursday night, activists angrily confronted Mayor Jacob Frey and Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman at a news conference. 'This is what I would call the anatomy of a cover-up,' said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a prominent civil rights attorney whom Frey appointed last year to a community safety work group. 'This is unacceptable.' On Friday, Locke's aunt, Linda Tyler, attacked parts of the initial police statement. 'He didn't point the gun,' she told reporters in a news conference at City Hall. 'So change the narrative. You guys need to get the story right. You will not smear my nephew's name.' Lockes uncle, Andrew Tyler, said officers clearly startled Locke awake when they kicked the couch. 'You can't kick nothing under me and then expect me to act right,' Tyler said. 'What are you looking for? You'e looking to incite someone, you're looking for a reaction. Not only are you looking for a reaction, you're looking for time to kill. That's what he did.' Tyler also dismissed the police warnings, saying they were already effectively inside the apartment when they shouted out. 'It's a lie,' he said. 'It's a lie from the get-go.' Late Friday, Frey announced an immediate moratorium on no-knock warrants, as well as a plan to consult with national experts to review the department's policy. Mistrust within the Black community of the police department goes back well beyond Floyd's death. The unrest that followed the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 fueled the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was behind protests that followed the 2015 police killing of Jamar Clark, including an 18-day siege at the police station on the heavily Black north side of Minneapolis. Other police killings of Black men followed in Minnesota, including the deaths of Philando Castile in 2016 and Daunte Wright last year. In this image taken from Minneapolis Police Department body camera video and released by the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis police enter an apartment on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 moments before shooting 22-year-old Amir Locke. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has imposed a moratorium on no-knock warrants after Locke was killed as a SWAT team carried out a search warrant in a downtown apartment Donald Trump released a statement celebrating Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger's censures on Saturday night, criticizing them as Republican In Name Only Donald Trump heaped praise on the Republican National Committee on Saturday night after it voted to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their work on the Democrat-led January 6 select committee. The former president denounced the lawmakers, who have been vocal with their anti-Trump criticism despite voting with him more than 90 percent of the time while he was in office, as 'horrible RINOS.' 'RINO' is a pejorative term meaning 'Republican In Name Only.' 'Congratulations to the Republican National Committee (RNC) and its Chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, on their great ruling in censuring Liz Cheney and Cryin Adam Kinzinger, two horrible RINOs who put themselves ahead of our Country,' Trump said in a statement through his Save America PAC. 'They have almost no approval ratings, and the Republican Party would be far better off without them!' The Republican National Committee passed a resolution Friday to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their involvement in the January 6 select committee. But the more critical reaction from other elected GOP officials is emblematic of the growing divisions within the party over the 2020 election and other issues being pushed by Trump. Republican Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson on Saturday said the vote undermines 'respect for the rule of law.' 'The censure resolution by the RNC is wrong; undermines respect for our rule of law; and divides our party unnecessarily. I am grateful for those courageous dissenters in the RNC vote,' Hutchinson said according to the Arkansas Times. Trump said the Republican Party 'would be far better off' without his two vocal GOP critics Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, one of the Republicans in the upper chamber who voted to convict Trump following his second impeachment trial, also condemned Cheney and Kinzinger's censure. 'We must not legitimize those actions which resulted in loss of life and we must learn from that horrible event so history does not repeat itself,' the GOP senator wrote on Twitter. 'As Americans we must acknowledge those tragic events, and we cannot allow a false narrative to be created. We cannot deny the truthto suggest it was legitimate political discourse is just wrong.' The measure was adopted by voice vote by the committee's membership at the RNC's winter meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. Several RNC members voted nay, but they were in the minority. 'Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger crossed a line. They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol. That's why Republican National Committee members and myself overwhelmingly support this resolution,' RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said in a statement Friday. Cheney tweeted shortly after the vote: 'This was January 6th. This is not "legitimate political discourse,"' she said, sharing video of members of the MAGA mob attacking the U.S. Capitol. The resolution claims that Cheney and Kinzinger are helping the Democrats maintain their Congressional majority. The Republican National Committee passed a resolution Friday to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney (left) and Adam Kinzinger (right) for their involvement in the January 6 select committee. A copy of the resolution passed Friday by the Republican National Committee to censure Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger and pull their party support RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel sent out a statement saying she supported the membership's decision. She's pictured addressing the winter meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the vote took place 'The Conference must not be sabotaged by Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger who have demonstrated, with actions and words, that they support Democrat efforts to destroy President Trump more than they support winning back a Republican majority in 2022,' the resolution said. It said the RNC will 'immediately cease any and all support' of Cheney and Kinzinger, adding that the party denounces 'those who deliberately jeopardize victory in November.' Kinzinger isn't running for re-election, but Cheney has attracted a pro-Trump challenger. The initial draft, obtained by the AP, accused Cheney and Kinzinger of serving as 'pawns to parrot Democrat talking points' on the House select committee. It also chided them for 'pursuing what amounts to a third political impeachment of President Trump.' The RNC, the political arm of the Republican Party, can't compel the House GOP, under the leadership of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to punish Cheney and Kinzinger. On Thursday, the defiant duo vowed to fight former President Donald Trump's lies after the resolution passed out of committee. 'The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants, some of whome have been charged with seditious conspiracy,' Cheney said. In a series of tweets, Rep. Liz Cheney said the leaders of the Republican Party 'have made themselves willing hostages' to former President Donald Trump Rep. Adam Kinzinger sang a similar tune saying members of the GOP 'allowed conspiracies and toxic tribalism hinder their ability to see clear-eyed' 'I'm a constitutional conservative and I do not recognize those in my party who have abandoned the Constitution to embrace Donald Trump,' the Wyoming lawmaker added. 'History will be their judge. I will never stop fighting for our constitutional republic. No matter what.' Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who will retire at the end of this term in lieu of facing a MAGA-backed primary opponent, echoed the sentiment. 'I've been a member of the Repubilcan Party long before Donald Trump entered the field,' he said, adding that his 'core beliefs' have not changed. 'Rather than focus their efforts on how to help the American people, my fellow Republicans have chosen to censure to lifelong Members of their party for simply upholding their oaths of office,' Kinzinger continued. 'They've allowed conspiracies and toxic tribalism hinder their ability to see clear-eyed.' 'My efforts will continue to be focused on standing up for truth and working to fight the political matrix that's led us to this point,' Kinzinger added. The resolution that passed Thursday through an RNC subcommittee is a watered-down version, according to the Associated Press. The original version would have called on the House Republican Conference to oust Cheney and Kinzinger, the only two Republicans serving on the January 6 House select committee, which was formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top House Democrat, after the Senate Republican Leader MitchMcConnell tanked a bill that formed a 9/11-style bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol attack. The subcommittee debated the censure motion for hours. 'We want to send a message that we're disapproving of their conduct. Its a middle ground,' RNC member Harmeet Dhillon told the Associated Press, noting that the vote was unanimous. 'This is not about being anti-Trump. There are many anti-Trump Republicans that are not included in this resolution. These two took a specific action to defy party leadership,' she added. Sen. Mitt Romney, one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial, suggested the RNC's actions were shameful in a Friday tweet Sen. Bill Cassidy, who also voted to convict Trump, was dismayed at the RNC's decision to censure the two Republican lawmakers Two Republicans who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment, over inciting the January 6 insurrection, lambasted the party for making the move. Sen. Mitt Romney tweeted, 'Shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol.' 'Honor attaches to Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for seeking truth even when doing so comes at great personal cost,' the Utah Republican said. Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy indicated he was perplexed by the committee's decision. 'The RNC is censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger because they are trying to find out what happened on January 6th - HUH?' Cassidy tweeted. Additionally, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw told The New York Times he thought the censure was 'dumb stuff.' The phrase 'legitimate political discourse' rattled Republican Sen. Ben Sasse. 'January 6th was not "legitimate political discourse" and I'll say it again: It was shameful mob violence to disrupt a constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress to affirm the peaceful transfer of power,' he said, according to the National Review. McCarthy, the House's GOP leader, was asked about the decision Friday afternoon on Fox. 'Look, there is a reason why Adam is quitting. There's a reason why Liz Cheney is no longer in leadership and has very low poll rating in Wyoming,' McCarthy replied. He said the January 6 panel was a 'pure political committee,' bringing up how several Congressional Democrats who served on the committee were upset Jeff Zucker resigned from CNN. 'I think those two individuals would have a hard time ever coming back to Congress,' McCarthy again said of Kinzinger and Cheney. GoFundMe cancelled a fundraiser for truckers protesting Canada's vaccine mandates despite promoting money-raising efforts for the deadly Capital Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP). The Freedom Convoy campaign, which raised nearly $8 million USD for truckers, was nixed Friday by GoFundMe for violating its terms of service 'which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment.' Conversely, it actively endorsed a campaign in 2020 for a CHOP participant despite active riots in Seattle. GoFundMe retweeted a Bloomberg article featuring farmer Marcus Henderson, who started a garden to feed the protestors. 'In a community with no police, this farmer is feeding people & bringing them closer together,' the tweet said with a link to the fundraiser. 'Learn how you can support Marcus' mission within the CHOP'. GoFundMe also allowed numerous BLM-related fundraisers, some of which still remain active, that strived to raise funds for protective gear and medical supplies for protesters in the Pacific Northwest. As well as missing out on donations to support their efforts, Canadian truckers were also hit with an $8.9 million lawsuit by an Ottawa resident who claims their protests are affecting the quality of life in the nation's capital. GoFundMe is refusing to host Canada's Freedom Convoy money-raising efforts despite doling out cash to protestors at the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest in Seattle, pictured on June 16, 2020 Seattle city workers are pictured cleaning graffiti from boarded-up buildings on July 1, 2020 following looting and vandalism by CHOP protestors GoFundMe actively promoting the fundraising efforts of a participant in the 2020 Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, where participants looted and vandalized businesses During the Seattle protest, GoFundMe allowed a number of BLM-related fundraisers, some of which still remain active, that strived to raise funds for protective gear and medical supplies for protesters in the Pacific Northwest. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk called the fundraising platform out last week for its perceived hypocrisy. 'Double-standard?' Musk questioned on Twitter Friday night, sharing a screenshot of a tweet the crowdfunding platform published in 2020, amid active riots in Seattle. 19-year-old Horace Lorenzo Anderson (pictured) died after he was shot within Seattle's CHOP zone in 2020 During the 2020 gathering, Lorenzo Anderson, 19, was shot dead on June 20 while visiting the protests. Just days later on June 29, two teenage boys were shot - one fatally - near the protest zone. Meanwhile, an Ottawa resident unable to sleep from the constant honking of horns by Freedom Convoy truckers who have shut down the Canadian capital for more than a week is suing the protest's organizers - as GoFundMe said it will refund the $8 million donated to group. Zexi Li filed a $9.8million lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court on Friday, seeking damages for 'emotional and mental distress', citing ongoing headaches, sleeping difficulties, difficulty concentrating and interference with quiet enjoyment of her home. 'The Class Members are living in daily torment caused by the incessant blasting of truck horns,' reads the statement of claim. The lawsuit, filed by lawyer Paul Champ, categorizes two types of damages: the first, worth $4.8 million, for 'private nuisance', while the second is for 'punitive damages,' worth $5 million. The suit accuses convoy organizers Chris Barber, Benjamin Dichter, Tamara Lich, Patrick King and other unknown semi-trucker drivers, thought to be up to 60, who have honked their horns in protest on a daily basis. The truckers convoy has parked itself in the city for more than a week, but officially started across other parts of Canada on January 22, protesting COVID-19 restrictions in particular vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border. Since then, protesters have blocked access to the city's core near Parliament Hill, and have blared truck, car and train horns. The lawsuit claims the constant honking, up to 12 to 16 hours per day, has affected Li. 'When the Plaintiff ventures outside, she is almost immediately subjected to heckling by members of the Freedom Convoy, yelling at her to remove the mask she wears to protect herself and others from contracting COVID-19,' the lawsuit reads. 'When she ignores the heckles, members of the Convoy respond by honking their horns which invariably causes the Plaintiff to flinch. When the Plaintiff flinches, the hecklers cheer loudly.' It also mentions Ottawa police's lack of action, who has previously told Li that it can't do much about the constant noise, which has contributed to her anxiety, indicating that she has contacted the department at least 14 times. The lawsuit, classified as class action, remains open to any residents in Ottawa who live within an area of the city overwhelmed by the protest. Supporters against vaccines mandates continue to party into the night on February 5, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada. Truckers continue their rally over the weekend near Parliament Hill in hopes of pressuring the government to roll back COVID-19 public health regulations and mandates Dear Freedom Convoy Truckers, my client Ms Li is making an offer to settle the proposed class action against those who have been blaring their air horns in downtown Ottawa. Depart in peace, and ye shall be released. See videomore details to come with the release. pic.twitter.com/n5rgrxz1TQ Paul Champ (@PaulChampLaw) February 5, 2022 Semi-truck drivers blowing their horns have caused distressed to Ottawa's residents after a woman filed a lawsuit against the 'Freedom convoy' on Friday. Pictured: A supporter thanks a trucker on February 5, 2022 in Ottawa, Canada The lawsuit's filing comes after Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly on Friday labelled the protest now as an 'occupation.' Canadian Transport minister, Omar Alghabra, also didn't hold back against the protesters, calling the removal of mandates as 'quite unreasonable.' 'I understand people are frustrated and we want to hear all points of view and I ask that they all engage with their officials,' Alghabra said. 'But occupying downtown, Ottawa downtown, or other cities is not going to advance their cause and its going to cause all kinds of destructions that are unnecessary and unaccepted. Roughly 5,000 people took part in demonstrations in Ottawa this weekend, police said, while crowds of a few hundreds of people gathered in Toronto, and Quebec City, which was also hosting its annual winter carnival. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has come out in support of the truckers against 'the harsh policies of far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates.' Alghabra says removing mandates, as Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Switzerland have done, is quite unreasonable. pic.twitter.com/a7xVAHvurA Roberto Wakerell-Cruz (@Robertopedia) February 4, 2022 The truckers' 'Freedom convoy' has parked itself in downtown Ottawa for more than a week, but officially started across other parts of Canada on January 22. Pictured: A truck convoy in downtown Toronto this weekend Protesters near Parliament Hill hold signs condemning the vaccine mandates imposed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on February 5, in Ottawa, Canada in an effort to help truckers with pressuring the government to roll back COVID-19 public health regulations and mandates Truckers, farmers and cowboys have been blocking the US - Canada border for nine days. An epochal protest for freedom. They wrote history. pic.twitter.com/WMazQHb9Bl RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) February 6, 2022 Canada, 300 cawboys arrived in Coutts to support the protest of truckers and farmers. Awesome. pic.twitter.com/I9CY0onKx4 RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) February 5, 2022 GoFundMe also took action after consulting with Canadian authorities, effectively removing the fundraiser that collected more than $8 million due to a violation of the terms of the service. The website also decided not to redistribute the amount to charities, instead giving donors a refund for their contributions to the cause, amid widespread backlash and a potential fraud investigation. 'GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created,' GoFundMe announced. 'We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.' The fundraising website added that donors can expect to see refunds within seven to ten business days. 'To simplify the process for our users, we will be refunding all donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser. This refund will happen automatically - you do not need to submit a request,' the website tweeted. Meanwhile, the likes of Elon Musk and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have voiced their support for the protest and took aim at GoFundMe for freezing the money raised in support of the demonstrators. 'It is a fraud for @GoFundMe to commandeer $9M in donations sent to support truckers and give it to causes of their own choosing. I will work with @AGAshleyMoody to investigate these deceptive practices - these donors should be given a refund.' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also applied pressure to the website, while stating on social media that he would similarly launch a fraud investigation of his own. 'Patriotic Texans donated to Canadian truckers' worthy cause using GoFundMe. This BLM-backing company went woke, froze the funds, & failed to deliver Texans' money,' Paxton wrote. 'Today I assembled a team to investigate their potential fraud & deception. Texas donors will get Justice!' Tesla CEO Elon Musk questioned whether there is a 'double-standard,' and cited past fundraisers for legal funds in defense of the likes of Antifa members and other protesters who had broken the law while demonstrating. Video of the incident has since circulated on social media, showing a group of protesters as several are struck by the Jeep, with many chasing the vehicle as it sped from the scene Pictured: the white SUV, center, as it plows through the crowd of protesters on Friday night in Ottowa, injuring four people total One of four injured parties, pictured above, being struck by the Jeep SUV on Friday night during the Freedom Convoy at the Legislative grounds A Canadian man has also been criminally charged after he drove an SUV through the Freedom Truckers protest of COVID-19 regulations on Friday evening. Police in Winnipeg said the driver, who was not immediately named, use his Jeep Patriot to plow through the crowd for coronavirus mandate protesters at the Legislative grounds before fleeing the scene at high speeds. The driver was eventually caught by police and arrested after a brief struggle, according to authorities. 'A 42yr old male is facing charges after driving through a group of protesters that were part of the Freedom Convoy at the Legislative grounds,' the Winnipeg Police tweeted Saturday. 'Four adult males were struck.' Video of the horrific incident has since circulated on social media, showing a group of protesters as several are struck by the Jeep, with many chasing the vehicle as it sped from the scene. A 42-year-old male from Headingly, Manitoba, faces charges of four counts of assault with weapon, two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance, two counts of failure to stop after accident, and two counts of failure to stop at the scene of an accident. After the SUV crash, one person was taken to a nearby hospital before being released, while three others sustained only minor injures, which did not require medical attention. Advertisement Joe Biden seemed to suggest Sunday that Russia will not choose diplomacy because they are requesting compromises that the U.S. and NATO are not willing to make. When returning from the White House, President Biden briefly stopped to speak with reporters on the South Lawn and was asked what factors Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering when making his decision whether to invade Ukraine or deescalate tensions in the region. 'I think things he cannot get,' Biden responded. This likely references the demands the Kremlin has put forth, including that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ban Ukraine and other former Soviet bloc countries from entering the military alliance. In response to rising tensions, Biden has approved the deployment and movement of 3,000 troops in Europe and has put another 8,500 on heightened alert to stand by for deployment should NATO initiative its Response Force. 'I'm not going to speculate,' the president said Sunday when he was asked if he would consider sending more U.S. troops to NATO countries if Putin doesn't deescalate. He also claimed it's 'nothing new' that Russia and China are becoming more friendly. Biden made the comment while returning from a weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware and the world waits to see if Russia attacks Ukraine. On Sunday, the president spoke with French leader Emmanuel Macron, who committed to deploying troops to Romania to bulk up security at the NATO flank closest to Russia. 'The leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia's continued military build-up on Ukraine's borders, and affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,' according to a White House readout of their phone call. 'They agreed their teams will remain in touch and continue consulting with our Allies and partners, including Ukraine,' the statement added. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan issued a warning on Sunday that 'we are in the window' where Russia could invade 'any day now'. Meanwhile, U.S. paratroopers landed near Poland's border with Ukraine on Sunday after Biden ordered last week the deployment of 1,700 soldiers to the country's southeastern region amid rising tensions with Russia. President Joe Biden said Sunday that Russia wants what it 'cannot get' in diplomatic talks, suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin will not deescalate tensions with Ukraine Biden stopped Sunday afternoon to briefly speak with reporters on the South Lawn when returning to the White House from from a weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware on February 6, 2022 An elite group of U.S. paratrooper disembark from a C-17 at Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Poland on Sunday, February 6, 2022 Arrival comes after Biden approved this month the deployment of 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg to Poland and Germany to bolster forces as Russia moves closer to invading Ukraine. The forces arrived on an Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III on Sunday 'We're in the window where something could happen that is a military escalation and invasion of Ukraine can happen at any time,' Sullivan told NBC's Meet the Press host Chuck Todd on Sunday morning. 'We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine and we have been working hard to prepare a response,' he continued. 'President Biden has rallied our allies, he's reinforced and reassured our partners on the eastern flank, he's provided material support to the Ukrainians and he's offered the Russians a diplomatic path if that's what they choose instead.' Sullivan concluded: 'Either way, we are ready, our allies are ready and we're trying to help the Ukrainian people get ready as well.' Elite troops part of the 82nd Airborne Division departed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and arrived this weekend in a U.S. Army Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeast Poland. Their commander is Major General Christopher Donahue, who on August 30, 2021 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan. He arrived in Poland on Saturday. Along with Donahue's arrival were a few planes full of U.S. military equipment and an 'advance group' arriving at the airport 56 miles from Poland's border with Ukraine. It was not immediately clear how many troops arrived Sunday, but a C-17 aircraft is 'designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and their equipment', according to the U.S. Air Force website. Biden disembarked Marine One with first lady Jill Biden on Sunday as Russia continues to up tensions with Ukraine and U.S. troops arrived for deployment in Poland Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Russia could invade any day now. 'We're in the window where something could happen that is a military escalation and invasion of Ukraine can happen at any time,' Sullivan told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday WATCH: U.S. believes Russia is ready to launch a "significant military operation" into Ukraine, @JakeSullivan46 says. "We are ready, our allies are ready and we're trying to help the Ukrainian people get ready as well." pic.twitter.com/xnYGtUxvNj Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 6, 2022 U.S. Army soldiers speak to each other in front of the Jasionka Rzeszow Airport on February 06, 2022 in southeastern Poland as the U.S. and NATO prepare for potential Russia invasion of Ukraine. The airport is just 56 miles from Poland's border with Ukraine The troops arriving in Poland are part of the 82nd Airborne Division stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was not immediately clear how many troops arrived Sunday, but a C-17 is 'designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and their equipment', according to the Air Force website Major General Christopher Donahue, who on August 30, 2021 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan, arrived in Poland on Saturday 'Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and obviously during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together,' Donahue said Sunday, according to Reuters. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed minutes after the plane landed that this was the first group of American soldiers 'from an elite unit'. 'More planes will be landing in the coming hours,' he added. 'The soldiers will operate in the southeastern part of our country. The Pentagon announced last week that Biden approved the deployment and movement for 3,000 troops in Europe to help bolster forces amid fears of Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine insisted on Sunday that the chance of resolving tensions with Russia through diplomacy is still a greater chance than attack. But this comes as U.S. intelligence warns Russia is at 70 per cent capability to successfully invade and take Kyiv's government within two days. Two thousand of U.S. troops deployed were stationed at Fort Bragg and included the 1,700 forces in the 82nd sent to Poland and another 300 from the 18th Airborne Corps sent to Germany to create a joint task force capable headquarters to provide mission command. The 1,000 remaining forces part of an infantry Stryker squadron were already stationed in Germany, but are being repositioned to Romania at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) closest flank to Russia. They will add to the 900 U.S. forces already in Romania. General Donahue (left) and Polish Army General Wojciech Marchwica (right) walk and talk after a press briefing on the arrival of 82nd paratroopers and equipment following unloading of vehicles from the transport plane Pictured: U.S. Army officers arrived at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland on Saturday from Wiesbaden, Germany where a U.S. Army administration garrison is based The troop arrival comes after another shipment of U.S. military aid arrived at Kyiv's Boryspil airport on Saturday, February 5, 2022 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, 1,000 in the Stryker squadron moving from Germany to Romania and thousands more ready: The U.S. troop plan for Eastern Europe Department of Defense Spokesperson John Kirby detailed on Wednesday the latest U.S. troop movements approved by President Joe Biden. He said that plan was laid out to the president in three parts: 1 1,000 U.S. troops part of the Germany-based infantry Stryker squadron will reposition to Romania 'in the coming days.' This mounted cavalry unit is designed to deploy in short order and move quickly once in place. The movement to Romania will add to the 900 U.S. forces already in that country to help deter aggression from Russia and enhance defensive capabilities in frontline NATO allied states. Kirby said Pentagon Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed reposition with Romania last week and the movement there is coming at the invitations of the Romanian government. France also intends to deploy to Romania under NATO command. 2 Approximately 2,000 troops stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina will deploy to Europe this week. The majority of those deployments, approximately 1,700, will comes from the 82nd Airborne Division's infantry brigade combat team, which will go to Poland. The 82nd specializes in parachute assault operations and is a rapid ready team prepared to response anywhere in the world within 18 hours. Another 300 or so are coming from the 18th Airborne Corps, which will create a joint task force capable headquarters in Germany. The corps provides mission command and is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world. Kirby said the Pentagon worked with Poland and Germany and have support for deployment. He assured: 'Again, these are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions. We will adjust our posture as those conditions evolve.' 3 All of these troop movements and deployments are 'separate and in addition' to the 8,500 U.S. military personnel put on heightened alert posture last week. Kirby said: 'Those 8,500 are not currently being deployed but remain ready to move, if called, for the NATO Response Force (NRF) or as needed for other contingencies as directed by the Secretary of by President Biden.' Advertisement The 82nd can rapidly deploy within 18 hours to anywhere in the world and conducts parachute assaults. U.S. intelligence officials warned Russia is '70 per cent ready' to invade Ukraine as German politicians are set for crunch talks with Washington over troop deployment in the region. New reports say Moscow has assembled almost three quarters of the necessary military firepower it would need for a full-scale February invasion of Ukraine. An estimated 100,000 troops have amassed near Ukraine in recent months, but despite repeated calls to pull back, the Kremlin has responded by saying it will station troops wherever it needs to on the Russian territory. in recent months. It comes as Germany was accused of being 'missing in action' by allies as international tensions continue to mount over Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border. While other NATO members deploy battlegroups, send tactical supplies and offer more vocal support, the Germans have appeared to draw a line in the sand and refused to offer tangible support. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to the White House next week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine. Scholz has said that Moscow would pay a 'high price' in the event of an attack, but has so far failed to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster its troop numbers in the region or elaborate on any planned sanctions he would take against Vladimir Putin. 'The Germans are right now missing in action. They are doing far less than they need to do,' Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat and member of the Armed Services Committee, recently told an audience of Ukrainian Americans in his state, Connecticut. Western intelligence assessments believe Kyiv's government could fall within two days of an invasion and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees and more than 50,000 civilian casualties. 'If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine,' Sullivan said in an interview with Fox News Sunday. He assured: 'But we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well.' Germany's Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht again ruled out supplying Kyiv with arms, after Ukraine's embassy in Germany sent a list with specific requests to the foreign and defense ministries in Berlin. The list included missile defense systems, tools for electronic warfare, night vision goggles, digital radios, radar stations and military ambulances - equipment which, in part, is already in short supply. Referring to an earlier build-up last year, one European official - speaking on condition of anonymity - told the Washington Post: 'Our worry would be that you don't park battle groups on the border of another country twice and do nothing. 'I think that's the real fear that I have. [Putin's] now put them all out there. If he does nothing again what does that say to the wider international community about the might of Russia?' Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. US intelligence officials have warned of Russia being '70 per cent ready' to invade Ukraine and an intelligence report indicates Russia would be able to overrun Ukraine in just two days in an invasion that could kill 50,000 civilians. Above: Satellite images show a large build up of Russian troops and logistics support units just north-west of Yelsk, Belarus on January 19 The intelligence analysis concluded that the likelihood of a diplomatic resolution of the crisis appears to be increasingly slim, Despite this, Ukraine believes diplomacy is still more likely than invasion. A photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday shows a tank engaging in a military exercise German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) will travel to the White House next week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine Ukraine is holding military exercises in Chernobyl, with troops firing at abandoned buildings and launching grenades in the deserted exclusion zone as Russian troops continue to amass on the border He also wants them to roll back the alliance deployments to Eastern Europe - all demands which have been flatly rejected by the international community. It came as German media reports said Mr Putin who objects to the idea of the Ukraine being admitted as a Nato member had a three-step plan to bring Ukraine under a new 'union state' including Russia and Belarus, with Moscow as the center of control. The report, attributed by the Bild newspaper to a foreign secret service source, said Ukrainian activists will be rounded up and put into camps once a pro-Russian government had been installed. It warned that an invasion was currently 'the most likely scenario' adding that it could happen as early as this month as temperatures plummet and allow heavy ordnance and machinery to more easily traverse Ukrainian territory. Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. (Above, ground attack aircraft at Luninets airfield in Belarus on Friday) In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over its neighbour, which borders Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has increasingly relied on the Kremlin's political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions triggered by his crackdown on domestic protests, has called for closer defense ties with Moscow and recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion. It comes as US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Putin invading Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. General Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs, and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, said on Thursday that Putin was planning to begin the exercises in mid-February, according to a Congressional aide. Russia usually holds its annual nuclear exercises in the autumn but the US believes Putin has decided to hold them earlier this year as a show of strength. Meanwhile, NATO has warned that Russia is massing nuclear-capable missiles along with 30,000 troops in Belarus. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO general secretary, said earlier this week that Russia has already deployed thousands of troops including Spetsnaz special forces, along with Iskander missiles that can be tipped with nukes, fighter jets, and S-400 anti-aircraft systems. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion The British Army has confirmed a soldier has died at Catterick Garrison. An investigation has been launched into the death at the military base in North Yorkshire on Saturday. The soldier's identity, gender, rank or regiment have not been released. The British Army has confirmed a soldier has died at Catterick Garrison In a statement, an Army spokesperson said: 'We can confirm the death of a soldier on February 5, 2022. 'The circumstances surrounding this death are being investigated and it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time. 'Our thoughts are with the soldier's family and friends.' Catterick Garrison is home to several Army units, including the 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment and the Royal Lancers. Brutal killings of mother and six-year-old daughter in 1996 shocked the nation Levi Bellfield has made a formal confession to murders of Lin and Megan Russell Solicitors for Michael Stone say serial killer Levi Bellfield's confession to the murders of Lin and Megan Russell in Kent in 1996 is an 'astonishing breakthrough' that could free their client. In a harrowing four-page statement, Bellfield has formally confessed to the murders, providing chilling details of the attack. Lin, 45, her two daughters, nine-year-old Josie and Megan, six, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived, sustaining horrific injuries. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent, 26 years ago shocked the nation. Michael Stone is currently serving three life sentences for the murders of Mrs Russell and her daughter Megan, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996. Stone's solicitor said he has received a 'genuine' four-page statement from Bellfield in which he details his involvement in the killings, which would mean his client had suffered a miscarriage of justice. Solicitor Paul Bacon said: 'I can say I have received a four-page statement from Bellfield, which is a genuine confession, it's an absolutely astonishing breakthrough. 'I will now meet with colleagues following this remarkable development to finally, after many years, get freedom for Michael Stone. This is the evidence that will prove he is innocent.' Lawyers for Michael Stone, who is serving three life sentences for the murders of Mrs Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan, claim he could be a victim of a miscarriage of justice In a harrowing four-page statement, convicted serial killer Levi Bellfield has formally confessed to the murders of Lin and Megan Russell, providing chilling details of the attack Amelie Delagrange, 22 whose body was found Thursday August 19 2004, with a serious head injury lying on Twickenham Green, south west London Levi Bellfield is currently serving life in prison for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler Bellfield is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler. He has also been convicted of murdering Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, and will never be considered for parole. Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders. Michael Stone has consistently insisted his innocence, and Bellfield's statement could mean he has suffered a miscarriage of justice. Stone was jailed in 1998 after being convicted of the murders of Ms Russell and her six-year-old daughter, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996. However, his police record dates back to 1971 when he was 12 years old and continued into his adult life, serving three prison sentences in the 1980s and 1990s. Stone has previous convictions for crimes including ABH, robbery, burglary and GBH and was known to carry weapons. Lin Russell, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan (above with her mother) and nine-year-old Josie, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack in 1996 Michael Stone (pictured) is currently imprisoned after twice being convicted of the Russell murders. He has consistently insisted his innocence, and Bellfield's statement could mean he has suffered a miscarriage of justice He was sentenced to two years' in prison in 1981 for attacking a man with a hammer during a robbery. He then received a four-and-a-half year sentence for stabbing a friend while he slept in 1983, an attack that penetrated the friend's lung and nearly killed him, and he tried to wound a police officer in the eye after this arrest. Stone was jailed for a third time and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for two armed robberies in Maidstone and Brighton respectively during the same week in 1986. He was released from prison in 1993. The confession document, seen by The Sun, goes into appalling detailing about how Bellfield brutally attacked the family and even killed the family dog after it bit him. Barrister Mark McDonald said on Twitter yesterday: 'For over 21 years I have represented Michael Stone who was wrongly convicted of the Chillenden murders. Lin, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan and nine-year-old Josie, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent in 1996 shocked the nation Marsha McDonnell, 19, with a friend before her murder in February 2003 in Hampton 'Levi Belfield has made a full written confession to the crimes. 'Michael Stone is innocent and must be immediately released from prison. 'Stone has been in prison for 26 years despite plenty of evidence that this is a miscarriage of justice.' Bellfield's statement says that he was wearing a 'pair of marigold washing up gloves' and had the hammer in his right hand as he stopped the Russell family walking along a lane. He claims that his intention was 'to just attack Lin', but quickly changed his mind on hearing the screams, presumably of Megan and Josie Russell. The 14-paragraph statement then goes into detail about how he led the Russell off of a track before killing them, and then driving back to his Twickenham home before heading off to work. He claims that the following day he threw the hammer he used to carry out the attacks into the Thames near Walton, Surrey. Stone has twice been found guilty of their murders and is serving three life sentences, but no scientific or identification evidence links him to the scene. Pictured: Police at scene in 2001 The publication reports that Bellfield made the statement to solicitor Paul Bacon, who represents Michael Stone. He ends the statement by saying it was the first time he had 'committed a crime and another person has been arrested for it', before apologising to Stone and the Russell family 'for my heinous acts'. It is believed the document has been sent to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) which has the power to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice. Last year, Mr McDonald said a bootlace found at the scene could be an 'absolutely huge' and crucial piece of evidence. He said there is 'no forensic, no identification evidence at all' against Stone, and said the bootlace could yield DNA that would 'undoubtedly point away' from his client. Kent Police said its position on Stone's conviction remains unchanged. Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Fotheringham of Kent Police said: 'Following two trials at which Stone was found guilty by a jury on both occasions, and an appeal to the High Court, Michael Stone remains convicted of the murders of Lin and Megan Russell, and the attempted murder of Josie Russell in 1996. 'Michael Stone made an application to apply for a Judicial Review in respect of his conviction in September 2012. The Honourable Mr Justice Blake ordered that permission for the application should be refused. 'The Criminal Case Review Commission commenced an extensive re-examination of the murder investigation in 2017 and has had access to all forensic evidence, documentation and exhibits from the original investigation, the review by Hampshire Police, details of the two Crown Court trials and appeals to the High Court. 'The shoelace which was seized as part of the original investigation was made available to the CCRC. All evidence from the examinations on the shoelace were recorded and disclosed to the CCRC.' West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin defended his opposition to President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, stating in a Sunday television interview that the progressive $1.75 trillion spending package 'no longer will exist' in its current form. The key centrist insisted he has his constituents interests' in mind, as criticism from fellow Democrats continues to pour in over his role in stalling key parts of Biden's agenda. 'I'm not a Washington Democrat, I'm a good old West Virginia Democrat,' Manchin said on State of the Union. 'Never forget where you came from, never forget your purpose for being here. I'm an American before I'm anything.' He made the comments during a rare bipartisan joint interview on CNN with GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski, where the two centrists stressed the need to work across the aisle. They also endorsed each others' re-election bids, as calls to find a primary challenger for both of their seats swell from the extreme wings of their parties. Manchin has been grappling with numerous protests over his opposition to Biden's voting rights reform push and BBB, that recently escalated to fellow elected Democrats threatening to endorse a left-wing primary challenge in West Virginia. In Alaska, Murkowski is facing a Donald Trump-endorsed Republican opponent. She's one of seven Republican senators to vote for Trump's conviction following his second impeachment trial. But Manchin insisted he and Murkowski weren't feeling the heat, and suggested that neither Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer nor Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell would support primary challenges against them. Manchin and Murkowski appeared on CNN this Sunday for a lengthy joint interview where they stressed the need for bipartisanship "I'm endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski. Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them," says Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski's bid for reelection. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/k9dI6XNwci State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 6, 2022 'No way shape or form, will Mitch McConnell or Chuck Schumer not support their caucus. It's just not going to be happen,' Manchin said, adding: 'I don't put any stock in that.' In a separate CNN interview last week Schumer would not say whether or not he would back a primary challenge against Manchin in 2024, insisting he was more focused on the upcoming midterms. Manchin said he'd support Murkowski's re-election bid, adding: 'It's hypocritical to basically work with a person day-in, day-out, and then when they're in cycle, you're supposed to be against them because they have an R or a D by their name.' 'If these are good people I've worked with, had accomplished a lot, why in the world wouldn't I want to work with them and continue to work with them?' 'There used to be a time when we did that,' Murkowski lamented. Alaska's primary election will be held in August. Meanwhile Manchin angered members of his own party when he announced he couldn't support BBB late last year after months of high-level negotiations with the White House. With a 50-50 split in the Senate and uniform Republican opposition, Democrats needed every member of their caucus to vote in favor of the legislation for it to pass. Despite Democrat leaders insisting it will still pass, Manchin delivered another death blow to Biden's agenda last week when he told reporters BBB was 'dead.' Manchin also reiterated that Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan is dead in the water, at least in its current form He told CNN on Sunday that he took issue with the lack of traditional procedure in the bill's handling. 'My biggest concern and my biggest opposition is it did not go through the process,' Manchin said. 'It should have gone through the committee.' One of Biden's biggest accomplishments in office so far, the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law, also notably bypassed committee and went straight to the Senate floor. Manchin and Murkowski were among the core group of lawmakers deeply involved in getting that bill passed. During the interview Murkowski attributed the package's success to 'a commitment to getting to yes.' 'There was a good faith effort to work through the hard things,' Murkowski said. 'I think there was recognition that the country needed something. The country needed a step towards healing.' "I think sometimes when the going gets tough, we just say, 'that's too hard,' and we retreat to the party messages. But I think there was a recognition that... the country needed a step towards healing." - GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/PwKjy168EU State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 6, 2022 The two lawmaker pledged those bipartisan efforts would continue in trying to reform the Electoral Count Act. Manchin blamed 'ambiguity' in the 1887 law outlining how electoral votes following a presidential race are counted for fueling the January 6 Capitol riot. 'What really caused the insurrection, they felt there was a -- kind of an ambiguity, if you will, and there was an avenue they could go through and maybe overturn the election. Because there was -- it was not clear,' Manchin said. 'And when one congressman, one senator can bring a state's authentic count to a halt, it's wrong.' He added that there was a group of 15 to 20 legislators who 'want to be part of' fixing election laws. Asked if there was more in the way of voting reform that can be done, Murkowski said that was what the group was currently 'exploring.' 'I know for one, we want to make sure that if you're going to be an election worker, you're gonna be there at the polling booth, you don't feel intimidated or threatened or harassed,' Murkowski said. Carrie Johnson has been accused of 'impersonating' Boris Johnson by sending texts on his behalf to allies and even briefing him as he spoke on the phone during his successful Tory leadership bid. Those quoted in an explosive new biography written by Lord Ashcroft have suggested that Ms Johnson wields huge power within Whitehall and warned that 'if she doesn't like you, there can be big consequences'. Campaign insiders claim the PM's wife, then known as Carrie Symonds, used Mr Johnson's phone in a bid to 'direct and control events' as his leadership bid was building steam during 2019. They claim, in Lord Ashcroft's First Lady: Intrigue At The Court Of Carrie And Boris Johnson, that they would 'learn to spot when she [Carrie] was writing a message' from Mr Johnson's phone. Others paint an extraordinary picture and allege that Mrs Johnson had Mr Johnson so under her thumb she was at times directly briefing the Prime Minister during his phone calls. A spokesman for Carrie Johnson has said that Lord Ashcroft's book is full of 'vile fabrications', while the Prime Minister has said he had been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. Reacting to the claims in Lord Ashcroft's book today, friends of Mrs Johnson have described the claims as 'misogynistic and cruel'. Mr Johnson is said to be furious at the perceived 'hit job.' And business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today dismissed fears that Mrs Johnson holds any 'undue influence' within Downing Street, saying the Prime Minister has his own 'strong set of ideas' after spending 25 years in politics. Campaign insiders claim Carrie Johnson used her-then boyfriend Boris Johnson's phone in a bid to 'direct and control events' as his leadership bid was building steam during 2019 Mr Johnson's survival battle is set to be dealt another blow by the publication of a biography portraying him as little more than the puppet of his wife Carrie Campaign insiders from 2019 portray a picture of chaos, and said Mrs Johnson's continued involvement was a 'nightmare'. One, who worked directly on Mr Johnson's leadership bid, said: 'We'd spot the different ways things were written, because the style would change. We'd learn to spot when it was her writing the message. 'So a text message would appear saying, for example, that there was a particular MP whose support we didn't need or want. 'We realised Boris couldn't have written the message because, the next day, Boris would contradict this.' 'It was a nightmare,' reports a separate source of Carrie's involvement. 'She had no ideas. She wasn't prepared to roll her sleeves up and work hard, and yet she interfered all the time. This caused many problems and wasted a lot of very valuable time.' It was even alleged that, on occasion, Mrs Johnson could be heard whispering prompts to Johnson while these phone calls were in progress. Mr Johnson responded to criticism of a chaotic, dysfunctional No 10 by establishing a new Office of the Prime Minister, which will be integrated with the Cabinet Office under a powerful new Chief of Staff, Cabinet Office Minister Steve Barclay. The PM has also lured back Guto Harri, an adviser from his days as London Mayor, to be his new Director of Communications. The developments emerged alongside bombshell new claims that suggest Carrie Johnson forced out a rising star within the Tory party who was working with her then-fiance Boris Johnson over fears she was 'too attractive and intelligent'. Cambridge graduate Ellie Lyons, a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by a handful of people in Westminster and had impressed Mr Johnson during his campaign bid. But one campaign source, quoted in Lord Ashcroft's biography, said that Mr Johnson suddenly changed tack on her, urging his inner circle to 'get rid' at the behest of Carrie because Ms Lyons was 'too attractive and intelligent'. FRIENDS APPOINTED TO TOP GOVERNMENT JOBS: From far left: Best friend Henry Newman, appointed an aide to Boris: Allegra Stratton who became Boris's No 10 press spokesman; and Josh Grimstone who now works for Michael Gove ... AND OTHERS WHO WERE FROZEN OUT. Discarded: From far left: Ellie Lyons, labelled as 'bad news'; James Wharton, liked by Boris but rejected as 'untrustworthy' by Carrie; and Mimi Macejkova, replaced by a friend of Carrie The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft (pictured at Tory Party Conference) has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers 'Completely mesmerised': Carrie embraces Boris after his speech to the Conservative Party conference in 2019 The source alleges the-then Tory leadership favourite was 'being used by Carrie to do her dirty work' and brought Ms Lyons' political career to an abrupt end. Ms Johnson's orders allegedly came because she did 'not want Ellie in No 10 because she's too attractive', another Tory source explained. Ms Lyons moved to private sector after the ordeal, but returned to the civil service last summer. In his new biography, Tory peer Lord Ashcroft claims Mr Johnson, 57, is 'completely mesmerised' by his 33-year-old wife and cuts a 'lonely' figure surrounded by her close friends who are now among his most influential aides. The biography of Mrs Johnson advances the theory that faultlines in her relationship with the Prime Minister have had an impact on No 10, with one source describing it as 'a Greek tragedy'. Among Ms Johnson's alleged scalps include Ellie Lyons, (centre) a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, who was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by some in Westminster Reacting to these claims on Sunday, one Johnson ally told the Sun: 'This is just a misogynistic attack on someone who isn't able to fight back. It's just a way of damaging the PM by attacking her. 'This is the mother of Boris's children. I find this whole episode tawdry and despicable.' Another ally has said: 'To say Carrie is running the country is almost laughable - if it wasn't so serious. It's nothing but a hit job.' The developments come as the Sunday Times today reported the PM's wife has privately said that Mr Johnson should step down 'for the sake of his family'. A friend of Mrs Johnson told the newspaper that she does not want him to resign, bur rather she 'just wants to focus on her children'. The Prime Minister has told friends he is furious about the book, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday. A spokesman for his wife described the claims as 'cruel allegations' which were part of a 'calculated attempt by bitter ex-officials to attack Mrs Johnson'. They added: 'She is a private individual who plays no role in government.' The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. But Ashcroft also refers admiringly to Carrie's, 'courage and determination,' as evidenced in her instrumental role ensuring sex-offender Warboys stayed behind bars, in speaking openly of her own experience of a 2021 miscarriage and her work for animal protection, saying the complaints against her are about use of power without electoral accountability. The teenage sister of a 20-year-old mother who was last month gang-raped by a mob after she rejected the advances of a teenage boy has today opened up about the harrowing experience. Speaking to CNN, the 18-year-old said her married sister was targeted by the relatives of a boy who took his own life in November after she rejected him. To the teenage girl's horror, footage captured the neighbourhood joining in a hateful mob and cheering on as her sister, who head was shaved with soot on her face, was paraded through the streets. WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT A 20-year-old mother-of-one (centre, in pink) was gang raped and tortured before she was dragged through a crowd in Delhi, India People were seen filming the attack on their phones as she was struck and jeered at At the time it was reported four men abducted the woman, but the sister said she cannot recall how many there were, just that there were 'a lot of them'. At least twelve people, including nine women and two minors, were arrested after the terrifying incident. She said: 'I couldn't believe no one in the neighbourhood spoke up or tried to help, they only cheered.' Police arrived 15 minutes after the victim's sister was able to borrow a mobile phone to call for help. Swati Maliwal, the chairperson of the Delhi Commission of Women, told CNN the victim told her she had been raped by three men as other women were present in the room. Ms Maliwal added they were encouraging the men 'to be more brutal with her'. Swati Maliwal (pictured), the chairperson of the Delhi Commission of Women, told CNN the victim told her she had been raped by three men as other women were present in the room 'When I saw that video and I saw these women attacking this girl...it just makes you feel so angry and sad that you have such women who can do something like that,' she said. The 18-year-old said she saw her sister be taken from her own home in Delhi's Shahdara district on January 26 as she dropped off a bag of wheat for her. The teenager described feeling 'frozen with fear' as the victim was hit and beaten. She managed to fend off a group wrangling to grab her sister's two-and-a-half-year-old son and protect him as the toddler's mother was taken into an autorickshaw. The teenage girl followed them to the alleged perpetrators house less than two miles away, near her and her father's home. Unable to see her sister, the young girl rushed home and latched the door but heard noises outside, where she then saw her sister being hit with rods and led through the street. The 18-year-old said she saw her sister be taken from her own home in Delhi's Shahdara district (pictured in a file photo) on January 26 as she dropped off a bag of wheat for her Her head was shaved and her face blackened with soot before she was paraded on foot as the crowd jeered her. The hateful commotion went on for at least half an hour, the victim's sister said, before she was able to get hep. At the police station the teenager said her sister revealed she had been sexually assaulted before the mob paraded her in the street. No charges have been brough forward over the attack, but police have said an investigation is underway, although did not confirm what the alleged perpetrators had been arrested for, according to CNN. The chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal has spoken out about the incident on social media last month. On January 27 he according to India Today in Hindi tweeted: 'This is very shameful. How did the criminals get so much courage? 'I urge the Union Home Minister and the Lieutenant Governor to instruct the police to take strict action and pay attention to the law and order situation. 'Delhiites will not tolerate such heinous crimes and criminals at any cost.' Earlier this week NDTV reported that one million rupees, which is equivalent to just over 9,800 was offered in financial assistance to the victim and Mr Kejriwal insisted the government will appoint her with 'a good lawyer'. Ms Maliwal in a statement said the Delhi government has also 'helped her file an application in the court for interim compensation'. She added: 'Our team is there with her round the clock. We will also rehabilitate the girl. 'The strictest punishment must be given to the culprits so that no one will dare to do such a crime again.' Police increased security outside the victim's sister's home, where she still resides in Kasturba Nagar and according to NDTV a sister of the victim complained that the same alleged perpetrators harassed her on January 19 - one week before the incident. Delhi's Shahdara neighbourhood, where the incident took place, pictured earlier last year in April The boy's family had reportedly threatened the victim before, forcing her to move home. The victim's sister said the teenage boy had fallen in love with her and his family blamed the 20-year-old woman for his death. '[He] fell in love with her,' she told NewsLaundry. 'He used to keep calling and asking her to leave her husband and be with him. She would always refuse.' Footage went viral of the victim being hauled through the streets while being hit and jeered. Responding to the video, women's rights activist Yogita Bhayana said: 'The incident in Delhi's Kasturbanagar left me speechless. 'Some women kept walking her around for two hours! All the women involved must be arrested and severely punished.' Just after the attack it was reported that the victim was thought to be in a stable condition and was being guarded by police in a safe house in Delhi. India is known for having an endemic issue around sexual violence, particularly rape, which gained prominence after the horrific 2012 Delhi gang rape on board a bus during which a female student was killed. Though the issue frequently makes headlines in India following that attack, tens of thousands of rapes are still reported each year - with many tens of thousands more suspected to go un-reported. Despite pledges by politicians and police chiefs to take offences more seriously, the conviction rate for reported rapes in India remains below 30 per cent and has done for at least the last decade. India also has a particular problem with sexual violence against minors, with around a fifth of victims in any given year being under the age of 18. A pair of beer bandits were caught on video menacing workers inside a Queens convenience store with a gun and a knife all so they could get away with four cases of Corona, cops said. The crooks walked into the Shell gas station store on Myrtle Ave. near Woodhaven Blvd. in Glendale at about 1:25 a.m. Jan. 30 and made a bee-line for the booze. Advertisement Surveillance video from inside the store shows one of the robbers carrying two cases of beer, then placing them on the ground by the counter as he looks back to his buddy. Instead of paying, he picked up the beer again, gestured toward a clerk with his head,and walked out the door. Advertisement Two store employees followed him, with the second bandit trailing behind them, carrying two more cases of beer. Beer robbery (NYPD/DCPI) Video shows the second crook shove past the store workers. Cops said one of the crooks brandished a gun while the other flashed a knife before fleeing together in a black 2022 Ford Explorer. Cops describe both men as between 20 and 25 with a light complexion. One of them is 5-foot-4 and wore a brown construction coat, black sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes while the other is described as 5-foot-8 and wore all black clothing including black gloves and a black mask. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. Carrie Johnson was sent on long and meandering taxi journeys to keep her from key meetings during her then-boyfriend Boris Johnson's 2019 campaign, an extraordinary new book has claimed. Campaign insiders are said to have attempted to sideline the then Carrie Symonds during Mr Johnson's successful Tory leadership bid. They claim, in Lord Ashcroft's First Lady: Intrigue At The Court Of Carrie And Boris Johnson, that she would be booked taxis that were instructed to take 'the longest route possible'. One recalls: 'It got to the point where members of the team booked taxis for her if there was a meeting that she was supposed to attend. 'The driver would be instructed to take the longest route possible to wherever the meeting was being held so that she would miss it. It sometimes worked.' The bombshell claims were revealed on the same day that Mrs Johnson was accused of wielding huge power within Whitehall, having at points directly used her husband's phone in a bid to 'direct and control events'. Others paint an extraordinary picture and allege that Mrs Johnson had Mr Johnson so under her thumb she was at times directly briefing the Prime Minister during his phone calls. A spokesman for Carrie Johnson has said that Lord Ashcroft's book is full of 'vile fabrications', while the Prime Minister has said he had been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. Reacting to the claims in Lord Ashcroft's book today, friends of Mrs Johnson have described the claims as 'misogynistic and cruel'. Mr Johnson is said to be furious at the perceived 'hit job.' And business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today dismissed fears that Mrs Johnson holds any 'undue influence' within Downing Street, saying the Prime Minister has his own 'strong set of ideas' after spending 25 years in politics. Carrie Johnson was sent on long and meandering taxi journeys to keep her from key meetings during her then-boyfriend Boris Johnson's 2019 campaign, an extraordinary new book has claimed The bombshell claims were revealed on the same day that Mrs Johnson (right) was accused of wielding huge power within Whitehall, having at points directly used her husband's phone in a bid to 'direct and control events' Campaign insiders from 2019 portray a picture of chaos, and said Mrs Johnson's continued involvement was a 'nightmare'. One, who worked directly on Mr Johnson's leadership bid, said: 'We'd spot the different ways things were written, because the style would change. We'd learn to spot when it was her writing the message. 'So a text message would appear saying, for example, that there was a particular MP whose support we didn't need or want. 'We realised Boris couldn't have written the message because, the next day, Boris would contradict this.' 'It was a nightmare,' reports a separate source of Carrie's involvement. 'She had no ideas. She wasn't prepared to roll her sleeves up and work hard, and yet she interfered all the time. This caused many problems and wasted a lot of very valuable time.' It was even alleged that, on occasion, Mrs Johnson could be heard whispering prompts to Johnson while these phone calls were in progress. The developments emerged alongside bombshell new claims that suggest Carrie Johnson forced out a rising star within the Tory party who was working with her then-fiance Boris Johnson over fears she was 'too attractive and intelligent'. Cambridge graduate Ellie Lyons, a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by a handful of people in Westminster and had impressed Mr Johnson during his campaign bid. But one campaign source, quoted in Lord Ashcroft's biography, said that Mr Johnson suddenly changed tack on her, urging his inner circle to 'get rid' at the behest of Carrie because Ms Lyons was 'too attractive and intelligent'. FRIENDS APPOINTED TO TOP GOVERNMENT JOBS: From far left: Best friend Henry Newman, appointed an aide to Boris: Allegra Stratton who became Boris's No 10 press spokesman; and Josh Grimstone who now works for Michael Gove ... AND OTHERS WHO WERE FROZEN OUT. Discarded: From far left: Ellie Lyons, labelled as 'bad news'; James Wharton, liked by Boris but rejected as 'untrustworthy' by Carrie; and Mimi Macejkova, replaced by a friend of Carrie The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft (pictured at Tory Party Conference) has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers 'Completely mesmerised': Carrie embraces Boris after his speech to the Conservative Party conference in 2019 The source alleges the-then Tory leadership favourite was 'being used by Carrie to do her dirty work' and brought Ms Lyons' political career to an abrupt end. Ms Johnson's orders allegedly came because she did 'not want Ellie in No 10 because she's too attractive', another Tory source explained. Ms Lyons moved to private sector after the ordeal, but returned to the civil service last summer. In his new biography, Tory peer Lord Ashcroft claims Mr Johnson, 57, is 'completely mesmerised' by his 33-year-old wife and cuts a 'lonely' figure surrounded by her close friends who are now among his most influential aides. The biography of Mrs Johnson advances the theory that faultlines in her relationship with the Prime Minister have had an impact on No 10, with one source describing it as 'a Greek tragedy'. Among Ms Johnson's alleged scalps include Ellie Lyons, (centre) a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, who was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by some in Westminster Reacting to these claims on Sunday, one Johnson ally told the Sun: 'This is just a misogynistic attack on someone who isn't able to fight back. It's just a way of damaging the PM by attacking her. 'This is the mother of Boris's children. I find this whole episode tawdry and despicable.' Another ally has said: 'To say Carrie is running the country is almost laughable - if it wasn't so serious. It's nothing but a hit job.' The developments come as the Sunday Times today reported the PM's wife has privately said that Mr Johnson should step down 'for the sake of his family'. A friend of Mrs Johnson told the newspaper that she does not want him to resign, bur rather she 'just wants to focus on her children'. The Prime Minister has told friends he is furious about the book, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday. A spokesman for his wife described the claims as 'cruel allegations' which were part of a 'calculated attempt by bitter ex-officials to attack Mrs Johnson'. They added: 'She is a private individual who plays no role in government.' The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. But Ashcroft also refers admiringly to Carrie's, 'courage and determination,' as evidenced in her instrumental role ensuring sex-offender Warboys stayed behind bars, in speaking openly of her own experience of a 2021 miscarriage and her work for animal protection, saying the complaints against her are about use of power without electoral accountability. This MoS mock-up shows how Carrie may have used a gold-coloured iPad Carrie Johnson 'tried to get a taxpayer-funded 538 gold-coloured iPad' while she was an advisor in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, according to claims in Lord Ashcroft's new biography. Bombshell claims suggest Ms Johnson spent her six months as Sajid Javid's adviser in the Department for Communities and Local Government 'trying to get the department to buy her a gold-coloured iPad'. This purchase, at public expense, was 'eventually approved by email from the Secretary of State's private office,' according to a source quoted in Lord Ashcroft's biography First Lady: Intrigue At The Court Of Carrie And Boris Johnson. A Freedom of Information request about the purchase was not answered for three months, even though such requests should normally be dealt with in 20 working days. The delay was attributed to 'public interest' reasons. The response confirmed that 'one iPad with case was purchased for a Special Adviser at a price of 538'. A spokesman for Carrie Johnson has said that Lord Ashcroft's book is full of 'vile fabrications', while the Prime Minister has said he had been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. Reacting to the claims in Lord Ashcroft's book today, friends of Mrs Johnson have described the claims as 'misogynistic and cruel'. Mr Johnson is said to be furious at the perceived 'hit job.' Carrie Johnson 'tried to get a taxpayer-funded 538 gold-coloured iPad' while she was an advisor in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, according to claims Bombshell new claims in the book have also suggested that Carrie Johnson forced out a rising star within the Tory party who was working with her then-fiance Boris Johnson over fears she was 'too attractive and intelligent'. Downing Street insiders, quoted in the explosive new biography written by Lord Ashcroft, suggested that Ms Johnson wielded huge power within Whitehall and warned that 'if she doesn't like you, there can be big consequences'. The extraordinary new book also claimed Carrie Johnson was sent on long and meandering taxi journeys to keep her from key meetings during her then-boyfriend Boris Johnson's 2019 campaign and included quotes accusing her of 'impersonating' Boris Johnson by sending texts on his behalf to allies and even briefing him as he spoke on the phone during his successful Tory leadership bid. Sources quoted in the book claim that they would 'learn to spot when she [Carrie] was writing a message' from Mr Johnson's phone. Others paint an extraordinary picture and allege that Mrs Johnson had Mr Johnson so under her thumb she was at times directly briefing the Prime Minister during his phone calls. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today dismissed fears that Mrs Johnson holds any 'undue influence' within Downing Street, saying the Prime Minister has his own 'strong set of ideas' after spending 25 years in politics. Campaign insiders claim Carrie Johnson used her-then boyfriend Boris Johnson's phone in a bid to 'direct and control events' as his leadership bid was building steam during 2019 Mr Johnson's survival battle is set to be dealt another blow by the publication of a biography portraying him as little more than the puppet of his wife Carrie Campaign insiders from 2019 portray a picture of chaos, and said Mrs Johnson's continued involvement was a 'nightmare'. One, who worked directly on Mr Johnson's leadership bid, said: 'We'd spot the different ways things were written, because the style would change. We'd learn to spot when it was her writing the message. 'So a text message would appear saying, for example, that there was a particular MP whose support we didn't need or want. 'We realised Boris couldn't have written the message because, the next day, Boris would contradict this.' 'It was a nightmare,' reports a separate source of Carrie's involvement. 'She had no ideas. She wasn't prepared to roll her sleeves up and work hard, and yet she interfered all the time. This caused many problems and wasted a lot of very valuable time.' It was even alleged that, on occasion, Mrs Johnson could be heard whispering prompts to Johnson while these phone calls were in progress. The developments emerged alongside bombshell new claims that suggest Carrie Johnson forced out a rising star within the Tory party who was working with her then-fiance Boris Johnson over fears she was 'too attractive and intelligent'. Cambridge graduate Ellie Lyons, a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by a handful of people in Westminster and had impressed Mr Johnson during his campaign bid. But one campaign source, quoted in Lord Ashcroft's biography, said that Mr Johnson suddenly changed tack on her, urging his inner circle to 'get rid' at the behest of Carrie because Ms Lyons was 'too attractive and intelligent'. FRIENDS APPOINTED TO TOP GOVERNMENT JOBS: From far left: Best friend Henry Newman, appointed an aide to Boris: Allegra Stratton who became Boris's No 10 press spokesman; and Josh Grimstone who now works for Michael Gove ... AND OTHERS WHO WERE FROZEN OUT. Discarded: From far left: Ellie Lyons, labelled as 'bad news'; James Wharton, liked by Boris but rejected as 'untrustworthy' by Carrie; and Mimi Macejkova, replaced by a friend of Carrie The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft (pictured at Tory Party Conference) has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers 'Completely mesmerised': Carrie embraces Boris after his speech to the Conservative Party conference in 2019 The source alleges the-then Tory leadership favourite was 'being used by Carrie to do her dirty work' and brought Ms Lyons' political career to an abrupt end. Ms Johnson's orders allegedly came because she did 'not want Ellie in No 10 because she's too attractive', another Tory source explained. Ms Lyons moved to private sector after the ordeal, but returned to the civil service last summer. In his new biography, Tory peer Lord Ashcroft claims Mr Johnson, 57, is 'completely mesmerised' by his 33-year-old wife and cuts a 'lonely' figure surrounded by her close friends who are now among his most influential aides. The biography of Mrs Johnson advances the theory that faultlines in her relationship with the Prime Minister have had an impact on No 10, with one source describing it as 'a Greek tragedy'. Among Ms Johnson's alleged scalps include Ellie Lyons, (centre) a one-time advisor to Boris Johnson during his leadership campaign, who was reportedly dubbed 'the sexy spad' by some in Westminster Reacting to these claims on Sunday, one Johnson ally told the Sun: 'This is just a misogynistic attack on someone who isn't able to fight back. It's just a way of damaging the PM by attacking her. 'This is the mother of Boris's children. I find this whole episode tawdry and despicable.' Another ally has said: 'To say Carrie is running the country is almost laughable - if it wasn't so serious. It's nothing but a hit job.' The developments come as the Sunday Times today reported the PM's wife has privately said that Mr Johnson should step down 'for the sake of his family'. A friend of Mrs Johnson told the newspaper that she does not want him to resign, bur rather she 'just wants to focus on her children'. The Prime Minister has told friends he is furious about the book, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, which is being serialised in the Mail on Sunday. A spokesman for his wife described the claims as 'cruel allegations' which were part of a 'calculated attempt by bitter ex-officials to attack Mrs Johnson'. They added: 'She is a private individual who plays no role in government.' The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. But Ashcroft also refers admiringly to Carrie's, 'courage and determination,' as evidenced in her instrumental role ensuring sex-offender Warboys stayed behind bars, in speaking openly of her own experience of a 2021 miscarriage and her work for animal protection, saying the complaints against her are about use of power without electoral accountability. Chocolate brand Tonys Chocolonely has revealed some 1,701 child labourers helped make its sweets last year, in spite of its goal to help root out exploitation in chocolate production. The chocolatier investigated its supply chain and found a steep rise in child labour in 2021 compared to the previous year, when 387 underage workers were found. Child labour is increasingly recognised as a problem in west African countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast, where 70% of the worlds chocolate is sourced. Those affected are often subjected to dangerous and demeaning work while being deprived of an education. It comes a month after Tony's released three new bars in association with Waitrose, emblazoned with the words 'injustice', 'inequality' and 'inhuman'. The number of child labourers linked to Tonys was identified in the companys annual fair report, according to The Times. Young people sort cocoa beans at a cocoa exporter's in Abidjan on the southern Atlantic coast of Cote d'Ivoire in 2019 Tony's Chocolonely has built a public reputation as a chocolate firm which fights against injustice in the chocolate trade The 'inequality' bar is made up of milk chocolate, caramel, almonds, nougat, pretzels and sea salt. 'Inhuman' is a vegan dark chocolate bar with lemony caramel and cocoa biscuit . Thirdly, is 'injustice' - a white chocolate bar with raspberry biscuit sprinkles The fair report stated: While weve never found any cases of modern slavery in our supply chain, we do find cases of child labour. But before your alarm bells go off, know this: finding cases of child labour in the supply chain mean change is happening. We want to find the children performing illegal labour. Only then can we work with the families to address the problems. Tonys cocoa beans are sourced in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, and then transformed into liquid chocolate by Swiss firm Barry Callebaut - a major world chocolate manufacturer - using a separate production line to help source the chocolate. Ayn Riggs, founder of Slave Free Chocolate (SFC), said Tony's was 'completely dependent' on it's relationship with Barry Callebaut. Last year, Tony's was removed from SFC's list of ethical companies, which includes rivals such as Montezuma's and Divine. Paul Schoenmakers, head of impact at Toney's said: 'We pay more to ensure our fully traceable cocoa beans are kept separate from Barry Callebauts. This full visibility means we can state that we have never found any cases of modern slavery in our supply chain.' A spokesman for Barry Callebaut said: 'We strongly condemn forced labour, slavery and all practices that exploit both adults and children or expose them to harmful or hazardous conditions. Barry Callebaut has committed to eradicate child labour from its supply chain by 2025.' Marc Short explained Sunday that bad advisers are to blame for Donald Trump getting the idea that Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the 2020 presidential elections as Marco Rubio warned of setting precedent that could allow Kamala Harris to influence 2024 results. 'Unfortunately the president had many bad advisers who were basically snake-oil salesmen giving him really random and novel ideas as to what the vice president could do,' Short said to NBC's Meet the Press host Chuck Todd on Sunday. 'But our office researched that and recognized that was never an option.' 'Are you chalking this up to bad advisers, or was the former president seeking the bad advice?' Todd posed to the former chief of staff to ex-Vice President Mike Pence. 'I don't know the answer to that question,' he responded. Short continued: 'I think that, honestly, he did get a lot of bad advice, but I think that it was not something that the vice president from the very beginning he counseled the president, 'I don't think I have that authority, always willing to look at something that you want to send our way,' but never thought he had that authority.' Republican Senator Rubio from Florida said he stands by his comments about Pence and vice presidents in general not having the power to overturn election results. Rubio said Americans should not be under the impression that the current administration can do anything to change the results of the Electoral College and impact the will of the voters. He especially noted that he doesn't want current Vice President Kamala Harris to think she can somehow stop the results of 2024 should Trump win in another bid for the White House. 'If President Trump runs for re-election, I believe he would defeat Joe Biden, and I don't want Kamala Harris to have the power as vice president to overturn that election,' Rubio told CBS's Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on Sunday. Mike Pence's former Chief of Staff Marc Short explained that bad advisers are to blame for Donald Trump getting the idea that his VP could overturn the 2020 elections. 'Unfortunately the president had many bad advisers who were basically snake-oil salesmen giving him really random and novel ideas as to what the vice president could do,' Short said to NBC's Meet the Press host Chuck Todd on Sunday WATCH: Former President Trump "got a lot of bad advice," former Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence @marctshort says. "Unfortunately the president had many bad advisers who were basically snake-oil salesmen." pic.twitter.com/9zpenebQT6 Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) February 6, 2022 'That's the same thing that I concluded back in January of 2021,' he continued. 'You know, when that issue was raised, I looked at it, had analyzed it and came to the same conclusion that vice presidents can't simply decide not to certify an election.' 'So Donald Trump was wrong?' Brennan pushed. Rubio repeated: 'Well, as I said, I just don't think a vice president has that power because if the vice president has that power, Donald Trump would defeat Joe Biden in four years or two years, and then Kamala Harris can decide to overturn the election. I don't want to wind up there.' Short assured on Sunday that Pence had never considered delaying or adjourning the session to delay certification. He also said that Trump and Pence did not have any conversations on January 6, 2021 while the then-vice president was at the Capitol for certification of the election before the infamous riot broke out. Reports recently revealed that Short has complied with the House select committee probing the January 6 attack. It is not clear if Pence will also provide testimony. 'If the vice president is subpoenaed by the January 6th Committee is he going to cooperate?' Todd asked Short. He responded: 'I think that would be a pretty unprecedented step for the committee to take. It would be, I think, very difficult for me to see that scenario unfolding.' Trump has made several comments recently insisting that his No. 2 had the power to stop Congress from certifying Biden's election win, claiming the attack would have never happened if he took that route. Republican Senator Marco Rubio also said he stands by his stance that Trump was wrong that Pence could have influenced the results. 'If President Trump runs for re-election, I believe he would defeat Joe Biden, and I don't want Kamala Harris to have the power as vice president to overturn that,' he said Sunday Marco Rubio is so unbelievably cowardly. Get a load of him repeatedly refusing to say Trump was wrong to pressure Pence to overturn the presidential election. pic.twitter.com/INFgt6lSgs Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 6, 2022 Pence delivered his most direct and public rebuke of Trump on Friday saying he had 'no right' to overturn the 2020 election as Trump demanded. Pence made the statement in a defiant speech Friday to the Federalist Society in Lake Buena Vista, Florida after Trump voiced in an extraordinary statement the Sunday prior that Pence had the authority to 'overturn' the election. 'But there are those in our party who believe that as the presiding officer of the Joint Session of Congress, that I possessed unilateral authority to reject Electoral College votes,' Pence said, speaking to his own constitutional role overseeing the vote count on January 6th, 2021. 'And I heard this week that President Trump said I had the right to overturn the election. President Trump is wrong,' Pence said. 'I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone.' Trump lashed out claiming he is 'right and everyone knows it' about Pence's powers as VP. 'Just saw Mike Pence's statement on the fact that he had no right to do anything with respect to the Electoral Vote Count, other than being an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected President as quickly as possible,' Trump wrote in a statement. Even Trump's former National Security Advisor H.R. McMcaster said Pence is right. 'Do you agree with the former Vice President Mike Pence, that Donald Trump was wrong in what he claims about the 2020 election?' Brennan asked during a Sunday interview. 'Absolutely, and all Americans should agree with Vice President Pence,' he responded. 'It's time, I think, to demand more from our political leaders, demand that they stop compromising confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes to score partisan political points,' he continued. 'And as you know, this happens across both political parties and it's just time to stop.' 'And do you believe January 6th was in any way legitimate political discourse?' Brennan asked. McMaster replied: 'No, it was illegitimate political discourse because it was an assault on the first branch of government. And so I think it's really important for us to come together now.' Short also said Sunday he did not see 'legitimate political discourse' from his 'front-row seat' during the Capitol attack. Bizarre video shows the moment a Canadian woman discovered a naked homeless man had been hiding in the trunk of her car for three days. Bethany Coker, who documented the incident on TikTok, claims she had no clue the man had been living in the trunk of her Subaru sedan as she went to work and conducted errands. He had never uttered a single word before she found him. 'Why are you in my trunk and are you naked?' Coker, of Nanaimo, British Columbia, asked when she found the man. He replied: 'Yeah, it's a rite of passage.' She questioned how he got into the vehicle, to which he answered: 'I'm the son of the pope.' The video then shows police surrounding her vehicle as the man's legs hang out of the trunk. He can he heard asking the cops if he can put his pants on, before an officer says they 'would appreciate that.' Coker claimed the man was a missing person and is 'currently in a psych ward.' 'We've been to the grocery store together, we've got sushi together, gas together. We've been to work twice. Not a single word,' she explained. Bethany Coker, of Nanaimo, British Columbia, discovered a naked homeless man had been living in the trunk of her car for three days Bethany Coker (pictured), a Red Seal diesel mechanic, claims the man accompanied her on several errands while he was in her trunk When she found the man - who is pictured hiding behind her backseat - he told her that him being in her trunk was a 'rite of passage' and alleged he was 'the son of the pope' Coker saw the first sign of the man's presence six days ago when she found the driver's seat of her vehicle covered in mud. 'My car was home all night while we were out wheeling til 2am and I started it up this morning not paying attention, only to come back to get in it, and notice the MUD,' she posted on TikTok. The Red Seal diesel mechanic, as she steam cleans her upholstery, deduces that someone had broken into the car and slept in the vehicle overnight. 'The only logical explanation is that a muddy-a** homeless man slept in my f***ing car last night,' she told her followers. Although he was reportedly in her trunk while she cleaned the seats, Coker did not discover the man until three days later. Coker saw the first sign of the man's presence six days ago when she found the driver's seat of her vehicle covered in mud. Coker did not discover the man until three days later After deducing that someone had broken into her car, Coker steam cleaned her upholstery. The man was in her trunk at that time The young woman claims she finally got suspicious that someone was in her vehicle when she noticed her car windows had fogged up. When she got in the car she heard a voice say 'hey' and saw the man in her vehicle. 'At first I thought someone was playing a prank on me, and then when I realized what was happening, I just kept my phone recording because I wasn't too sure what was going to happen,' Coker told Global News. 'I didn't know who this guy was. I didn't know if he was dangerous. And he'd been in my trunk for three days and didn't say a single word.' She had driven him all over town on her countless errands. After finding the man, Coker called police, and said the dispatcher did not believe her at first. 'It was probably the most hysterical call Ive ever been on, she said. 'Theyre like, "What do you mean hes been in your trunk for three days?" And Im like, "Hes been in my trunk for three days, please hurry up."' In her TikTok video, one of the responding officers can be heard saying: 'I'll tell you, in my whole career, I've never come across anything like that.' Police in the picturesque city located on Vancouver Island told Coker the man has 'significant health issues' and he is now receiving the help he needs. Disturbing video captured shoppers at a Louis Vuitton store in the New York suburbs try to prevent a crew of thieves from ransacking the luxury retailer - only for the brazen bandits to escape when mall security guards sat back and watched. In the video, the suspects are seen fleeing the store at the Westchester Mall in White Plains, as other people nearby attempted to stop them. But as the chaotic scene unfolds, an apparent mall security guard hangs back and watches, but does nothing. This is the second time in recent weeks that thefts at high-end stores have been carried out at the mall just north of New York City, after robbers targeted a Burberry store. During the Louis Vuitton store theft, which White Plains police say happened last month, one man is seen running from the store, stolen purses in hand. The other suspect was almost stopped by other people in the store, but managed to escape with stolen purses, right past the security guard. During the Louis Vuitton store theft, which White Plains police say happened last month, one man is seen running from the store, stolen purses in hand As the chaotic scene unfolds, an apparent mall security guard hangs back and watches, but does nothing as the thieves sprint from the store with the stolen merchandise The other suspect was almost stopped by other people in the store, but managed to escape with stolen purses, right past the security guard The theft at Louis Vuitton is the second time in recent weeks that thefts at high-end stores have been carried out at the Westchester Mall in White Plains, New York, with the other being grand larceny at the Burberry store The video began circulating Friday after it was posted to TikTok by user mcloud.9 - and now Republicans are blasting Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul's revolving-door no-bail system. GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino tweeted about the robbery on Friday, accompanied by the video. 'The pro-criminal policies of @GovKathyHochul (ie. No cash bail) have made communities all across NY less safe. This brazen robbery of a @LouisVuitton occurred at my local mall @TheWestchester in White Plains.' In a response to the video, a spokesperson for the Westchester mall told the New York Post: 'The crime depicted in this video is unacceptable and we are fully cooperating with the White Plains Police Department in their investigation.' 'We have taken a number of additional steps to further enhance the security program at The Westchester, including adding White Plains police officers to patrol the property, increasing additional private security patrol, deploying specially trained K-9 patrols, among other measures.' Astorino posted another video on Saturday from the same mall showing a separate theft incident at a Burberry store. 'Same @TheWestchester mall, different day, different men. This time @Burberry was hit. Crime doesn't just happen 'in the city' or 'somewhere else.' It's getting worse everywhere in NY and everyone is affected when criminals are emboldened by soft-on-crime laws.' Same @TheWestchester mall, different day, different men. This time @Burberry was hit. Crime doesnt just happen in the city or somewhere else. Its getting worse everywhere in NY and everyone is affected when criminals are emboldened by soft-on-crime laws. https://t.co/qqfsMiXsSn pic.twitter.com/K8eX0Jmjpv Rob Astorino (@RobAstorino) February 5, 2022 The Westchester Mall in White Plains, New York The White Plains police department said it is aware of both incidents and investigating, according to a statement posted to Facebook on Saturday. They confirmed no weapons were used in either incident and no one was injured. 'We take these incidents and the greater public safety concerns seriously,' the post read. 'We continuously work and collaborate with the property management and security as well as individual stores to assist in crime prevention and security inside and outside the mall.' The brazen thefts are just the latest in a string of smash-and-grabs reported at a multitude of high-end retail stores across the nation, most notably in California. Many people have blamed the thefts on soft-on-crime prosecutors and recent law changes, such as New York lawmakers passing sweeping changes to the state's bail laws in 2019 that restricted crimes where judges can set bail. A Burberry store on Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile has been repeatedly targeted by smash-and-grab robbers in recent weeks. A purported makeshift barricade, made up of an SUV and a pickup truck blocking the door at 633 North Michigan Avenue after hours, first appeared earlier this week, CBS Chicago reported. The same store has been ransacked by criminals three times since late November, including twice during the first week of 2022. The Burberry store on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago appears to have created a makeshift barricade made up of two vehicles parked in front of its entrance to thwart would-be thieves It comes after the luxury store has been repeatedly targeted by thieves, most recently on January 6 The Second City's busy shopping district around the area of North Michigan Avenue has become the epicenter of smash-and-grab robberies, with roving bands of youths swarming luxury stores, grabbing merchandise and fleeing. Burberry is not the only business in Chicago to have been robbed by reportedly organized smash-and-grab gangs. In November, more than a dozen people rushed into a Louis Vuitton store in the Chicago suburb of Oakbrook and stole $120,000 worth of items, which they were seen on surveillance video hauling away in garbage bags. In December, a pair of thieves entered Gold Coast Auto Gallery, smashed display cases and made out with a $1million worth of high-end watches. Days later, police said a 16-year-old girl robbed the Niketown and Zara stores on North Michigan Avenue and used a Taser on a security guard. She was later arrested. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in September that large-scale store thefts orchestrated by organized crime rings are costing retailers across the US an estimated $45billion in annual losses. Raoul has formed the Organized Retail Crime Task Force comprised of public and private entities to tackle the problem head on. 'These brazen, violent crimes are committed by sophisticated criminal organizations that are involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking and other serious crimes,' Raoul said at the time. An intruder reportedly broke into Kat Von D's $15 million Hancock Park residence on Saturday night while she and her three-year-old son were asleep. The celebrity tattoo artist was woken up around 10.15pm as a 'beam a light' moved across her house, TMZ reported. She rushed out of the mansion holding her son, Leafar Von Drachenberg Reyes, and called 911. Police found the burglar wandering around the upper level of them home. He told authorities he needed to use the restroom and also claimed he was buying the property. He was taken into custody and booked for residential burglary. It's unclear if he knew specifically who the home belonged to. Unwelcome guest: An intruder reportedly broke into Kat Von D's $15 million Hancock Park residence on Saturday night while she and her son were asleep, according to TMZ The story: Authorities told the gossip site that the burglar was found wandering around the upstairs level and said he needed to use the restroom Kat, 39 whose real name is Katherine Von Drachenberg appeared on social media Saturday night as she documented putting Leafar to bed. A short while later, after she'd gone to sleep as well, her Hancock Park home was entered by the burglar. Police allege the burglar, believed to be in his 30s, got onto the property by jumping the fence. It's unknown whether he entered the mansion via a door or window, however reports indicate there was no evidence of forced entry. Although it is not clear if the intruder actually had intentions to purchase the home, Kat recently listed the luxurious, gothic Los Angeles mansion for $15million. The TV personality plans to move to rural Indiana after having purchased a $1,525,000 home in Vevay - located on the Kentucky border about 70 miles north of Louisville - last year. 'As some of you know, we recently purchased a beautiful home on a bit of land in rural Indiana, and the more time we spend out there we realize we feel more at home there than we do here in LA,' Kat, who shares son Leafar with husband Rafael Reyes, announced on Instagram in October. 'After much thought, we have decided we will permanently be moving to Indiana at the end of this year,' she said. 'We plan on selling our beautiful home here.' Doting mom: Kat, 39, appeared on social media Saturday night as she documented putting her son Leafar Von Drachenberg Reyes to bed Sound asleep: After she'd gone to sleep, her Hancock Park home was entered by the burglar Kat purchased her Los Angeles home in 2016 for $6.5 million and restored it with the addition of a hidden bar, library and seven fireplaces. Among the unique amenities is a red pool located in her backyard. The exterior of the property was painted a deep burgundy shade, and statues were erected poolside. The Victorian property features resplendent rooms anchored in dark hardwood floors, indented walls, and elegant chandeliers hanging from the gold tint ceilings. The kitchen is just as jaw-dropping with intricate carvings hovering above the stove, a massive island counter, and candle style chandelier. Several of the rooms are dripping in gold with metallic touches embedded into the walls, giving the space a royal energy. A few of the rooms resemble an actual palace with gold infused into mint green walls and a beautifully painted ceiling. Even the bathrooms are breathtaking with sleek tile floors, an opulent bath tub, and plenty of gold. All of the bedrooms have their own distinct personalities. Alibi: The man who trespassed also said he was buying the home, which is currently up for sale Cool feature: Among the unique amenities is a red pool located in her backyard Incredible: The exterior of the property was painted a deep burgundy shade, and statues were erected poolside Kat also closed her tattoo parlor High Voltage after purchasing the mansion in Vevey, Indiana. In October, she said she was planning on closing her 'beloved tattoo shop' December 1 in the wake of the move. 'I didn't think it would make sense to keep it open if I wasn't present,' she said, 'and aside from coming back to work on music with my band, we don't plan on returning to LA very often.' 'I will most likely open a private studio in Indiana once we are done with the house remodel there,' she added. Kat said she does plan to go back to LA to work on music with her band. High Voltage had been in business for over 14 years and was the setting for the TLC reality series LA Ink, which aired from 2007 to 2011. When she closed the shop last December, Kat posted a tribute to Instagram reading: 'There will never be enough words to express the love I have for my @highvoltagetat family. I cant believe after 14 years of working side by side, this chapter of our lives has come to and end, and we all move onwards and upwards!' 'Im going to miss my beautiful shop, the thousands of people Ive tattooed there over the years, my loving fans who traveled and came from all over the world, but most importantly my fellow tattoo artists who I was lucky enough to tattoo in the same room with over the last 14 years.' North Korean authorities reportedly arrested a dance teacher and several students for using foreign media to teach 'capitalist' dance moves. The dance instructor in the northwestern city of Pyongsong had been using a USB drive containing foreign songs and dance videos to teach teenagers. The flash drive was seized and the teacher arrested. The secretive Asian country passed the Elimination of Reactionary Thought and Culture Act in late 2020 in order to crack down on the distribution and watching of foreign media - particularly from capitalist countries like the US and South Korea. Moves from capitalist countries like South Korea are prohibited for North Koreans The law carries a penalty of death for the most serious offences. The draconian legislation has been used to punish drivers for tinting their car windows and using South Korean-style speech and slang. A resident of North Korea told RFA's Korean Service: 'The Anti-Socialism Inspection Group caught a dance instructor in her 30s who was teaching foreign-style disco dances to teenage students in Yangji-dong, Pyongsong City. 'The Anti-Socialism Inspection Group, a joint operation of the State Security Department and the police, has been intensively cracking down on people for watching South Korean movies and distributing foreign media. The source claimed that while there is usually more lax enforcement around Seollal, a Lunar New Year holiday, this year has seen a sharp crackdown. The law was passed by North Korea's ruling communist party to curb the influence of foreign culture RFA sources said that the woman had a degree in choreography at the Pyongsong University of the Arts and that she was assigned to teach at Okchon high school in Pyongsong. She had reportedly been running the private dance academy to supplement her 3000 won ($0.60) salary for her assigned job and was charging $10 for an hour's session. A second source said: 'They preferred to learn to dance like they do in South Korea, China and America, rather than in the North Korean style. So, she taught them how.' Another resident of Pyongsong told RFA: 'The granddaughter of a provincial party official was caught with an SD card installed on her smartphone, and it contained South Korean movies. In the investigation, she revealed how and where she bought the SD card,' the third source said on condition of anonymity. 'The rich class usually buy USB flash drives smuggled in by sea from China. In the end, those who have been illegally selling or lending these flash drives and SD cards to teenagers get caught, one after another, including a relative of an official at the prosecutor's' office.' The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have failed to publicly congratulate the Queen as she celebrates her platinum jubilee a day after requesting that Camilla becomes Queen consort when Prince Charles is made King. The monarch ended years of uncertainty in an historic Platinum Jubilee statement last night by declaring it was her 'sincere wish' for the Duchess of Cornwall to be fully acknowledged when her son takes the throne. Charles and Camilla were 'touched and honoured' by her gesture, Clarence House said today. And in a statement, Charles added that he was 'deeply conscious of the honour' given to his darling wife' as he congratulated his mother on her 70-year reign. However, Harry and Meghan are yet to provide any public comment nearly a day on from the Queen's announcement at 10pm on Saturday. The couple, who are currently residing in a $14million mansion in California, stepped back from royal duties last year. The Sussexes abandoned social media as they focused on their new roles in the US, having reportedly become disillusioned by 'hate' they received online. Updates regarding their activities are regularly posted through the Archewell website instead, but the Queen's grandson is yet to give any reaction to her announcement. Meghan's close friend and media ally Omid Scobie has also remained silent. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, pictured together at Kensington Palace in 2017, are yet to give any reaction to the Queen's announcement on Saturday Prince Charles and Camilla pictured following the blessing of their wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor in 2005 The Queen smiles during a reception in the Ballroom of Sandringham House on Saturday. The monarch became the first to reign for seven decades on Sunday It comes despite a source claiming Harry had extended an olive branch to his father last month in a bid to heal their rift ahead of the today's celebrations. He is expected to return to the UK for the Platinum Jubilee, which will see the country enjoy a four day bank holiday from June 2 to 5. It is not known if Meghan Markle, 40, and their children Archie, two, and eight-month-old Lilibet, will be joining him. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also not commented publicly on the Queen's statement, but did retweet the Royal Family's post, which included the Queen's announcement. They also shared a news story on their joint Instagram account. In a statement issued today, Charles praised his mother's 'devotion to the welfare of all her people'. He said: 'On this historic day, my wife and I join you all in congratulating Her Majesty The Queen on the remarkable achievement of serving this nation, the Realms and Commonwealth for seventy years. The Queen's devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year. 'We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother's wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout. 'The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings an opportunity for us all to come together in celebrating the service of The Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come.' Royal experts have said there is 'no finer vote of confidence in Camilla' than the Queen's statement. Peter Hunt, a former BBC royal correspondent said: 'The Queen is ensuring the transition, when it comes, to her son as king is as seamless and trouble free as possible. 'She's future-proofing an institution she's served for seventy years. 'And for Camilla, the journey from being the third person in a marriage to queen-in-waiting, is complete.' Royal biographer Ingrid Seward said Camilla becoming Queen is the 'ultimate royal stamp of approval' Prince Charles has always craved. Images of Queen Elizabeth II are displayed on the lights in London's Piccadilly Circus to mark her Platinum Jubilee Royal fans waiting to see if the Queen goes to church near Sandringham House in Norfolk as she marks her 70 year reign on Sunday The Queen's Guard: F Company Scots Guards take part in the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, London, on the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II The announcement is the clearest sign yet of the Queen's unswerving and enduring affection for the woman who has secured her eldest son's happiness. Earlier today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid tribute to her many years of service and said he looked forward to 'coming together as a country to celebrate her historic reign in the summer'. Former Prime Minister Theresa May also described the Queen as 'an extraordinary woman, who has dedicated her life to the service of her people & our family of nations'. David Cameron thanked the monarch, adding 'there can be no finer example of dignified public duty and service'. And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer expressed his 'deepest thanks' for 'seven decades of unparalleled public service'. The Queen's statement also quashed speculation that the 95-year-old might abdicate, as she reiterated her Coronation pledge. She told her subjects 'my life will always be devoted to your service' and that she would continue to honour that 'with all my heart'. In her message to the nation signed 'Your Servant, Elizabeth R' the Queen said: 'When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.' The architects of Marble Arch Mound have slammed Westminster council's 'loveless execution' of the 6million hill they 'left to rot'. The Dutch practice whose design ended up a controversial eyesore told their 'side of the story' while 'publicly acknowledging our mistakes'. Contractors started tearing down London's 'disastrous' Marble Arch Mound last month after the pile was widely panned. The Mound has been scathingly nicknamed 'S**t Hill' by pundits, and is being dismantled after it was branded the 'capital's worst tourist attraction' and a 'waste of money' following six months of relentless mockery and ridicule. The architects of Marble Arch Mound have slammed Westminster council's 'loveless execution' of the 6million hill they 'left to rot' Dutch architects MVRDV said: 'As a practice, we have rarely seen such a loveless execution of our designs.' It said there was error after error in the construction of the Mound. 'Some planting was not completed at all, with the sad low point being on the west side, where plastic sheeting offered a pitiful stand-in, as if we'd run out of plants.' 'The elevator at the crest of the mound was unfinished and stuck out like a sore thumb above the hill. 'The vegetation's irrigation system was flawed, spilling water into the street. Dutch architects MVRDV said: 'As a practice, we have rarely seen such a loveless execution of our designs 'The overall impression of it was that it had been left to rot in the middle of London's most important shopping district.' 'When we were finally able to travel and see the project for ourselves, the deception was obvious: there had been virtually no maintenance, making the waste of money complete. 'What should have been a celebration of London became a loveless installation that, with a few nice green plants here and there, provides a glimpse of what might have been. Contractors started tearing down London's controversial Marble Arch Mound last month after the eyesore was widely panned The 6million pile, nicknamed 'S**t Hill', is being dismantled after it was branded the 'capital's worst tourist attraction' and a 'waste of money' following six months of mockery and ridicule It was erected next to Marble Arch in July last year as a way of luring shoppers back to Oxford Street following the Covid lockdowns 'In our thirty years of practice, MVRDV has never before experienced such nonchalance and laxity with our design work.' The architects also accused Westminster Council of a 'lack of communication' and a refusal to heed warnings from MVRDV about a possible premature opening. The architects added they had no clue why so much ended up being spent on the project. Much of the view into neighbouring Hyde Park was obstructed by trees and surrounding buildings, while many visitors found the vantage point 'bland' and obstructed by safety wires Refunds were offered to members of the public days after it opened, following what the authority called 'teething problems' It was designed by world-renowned Dutch architect MVRDV, and built by construction firms NRP and FM Conway MailOnline understands Marble Arch Mound has been visited more than 250,000 times since it opened. It was built for a staggering 6million triple the 2million initially set aside for the project next to Marble Arch in July last year in a bid to lure shoppers back to Oxford Street to help give London's economy a boost after the Covid shutdown. But reviews for the 82ft mound of scaffolding, wooden boards and turf were so bad that Westminster City Council scrapped the 8 entrance fee out of embarrassment. Much of the view into neighbouring Hyde Park was obstructed by trees, while many visitors found the vantage point 'bland' and obstructed by metal safety wires. Refunds were offered just days after it opened, following what the authority called 'teething problems'. One council chief even quit after Labour's Adam Hug claimed the 'slag heap' had 'brought shame on Westminster across the world'. A teenager died after the driver of the car in which she was passenger T-boned a vehicle at a Brooklyn intersection after fleeing a car stop early Sunday, cops said. The 18-year-old victim was riding in the rear of a 2015 Hyundai Sonata going west on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights when the driver slammed into a 2007 Toyota Solara headed north on Rogers Ave. about 2:05 a.m., police said. Advertisement The victim, identified by family as Jada Rollins, lived less than two blocks away from the scene of the crash and was on her way home from a birthday party. Her devastated mother told the Daily News that said shed been waiting up for Jada to come home. The 18-year-old victim was riding in the rear of a 2015 Hyundai Sonata going west on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights when the driver, an 18-year-old man, slammed into a 2007 Toyota Solara headed north on Rogers Ave. about 2:05 a.m., police said. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) At some point before the crash, police tried to stop the Sonata but the 18-year-old driver peeled off. An NYPD spokesman said the officers did not pursue the Sonata. Advertisement Medics rushed the two teens to Kings County Hospital where Rollins died and the driver was in critical condition. Two 19-year-old men riding with them in the Sonata were taken to the same hospital in stable condition authorities said. Rollins mother had texted her just minutes before the crash to remind her of a quickly approaching curfew. Her curfew was 2 a.m, Rollins mother Toshana Williams said. She said, Im 10 minutes away. Minutes later, Williams received a phone call from one of her daughters friends who was in the crash. The woman hung up and raced to the scene of the crash. There was like three or four ambulances and I was running to each one to see which one she was in and then I found her, Williams said. When I came upon her they were doing chest compressions. Williams, shocked, began to rub her daughters cold, bare feet. They wouldnt let me ride with them (to the hospital ) and I think thats when I knew, Williams said. Even when I got to the hospital they were back there. I was like, its taking too long. Rollins lived with her mother and stepfather. Rollins had two older brothers, one of whom lives out of state and the other is away at college. Advertisement Theyre not doing well, Williams said of her sons. Theyre really, really sad. Rollins stepfather referred to the crash as a horrible accident, saying they havent yet spoken to the other friends or their parents, nor placed blame on anyone involved. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > (Its) surreal, but you know, from what we understand it was almost instantaneous so she didnt suffer, Santos Souffront said. It seemed like they tried to revive her. And I think they mightve even known that she was gone but they tried. Here (in the city) you dont worry so much about car accidents, you worry about violence, said Souffront, 53. The proliferation of guns violence, that stuffs out of control. This wasnt that, thank god. I think that would destroy me. The NYPDs Force Investigation Division, which probes police use-of-force cases, is investigating the crash, cops said. The 18-year-old victim was riding in the rear of a 2015 Hyundai Sonata going west on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights when the driver, an 18-year-old man, slammed into a 2007 Toyota Solara headed north on Rogers Ave. about 2:05 a.m., police said. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News) At some point the Sonata also crashed into a light pole, said Elis Trotman, 54, who lives nearby. Advertisement I heard the impact. It was crazy. I thought it hit my (car), he said, adding the crash woke him up. They hit the pole. And then the ambulance was there. The 61-year-old woman driving the Solara was also taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition. Charges are pending against the critically injured Sonata driver, police said. A drug-addled Michigan mother charged with killing her own three-year-old daughter has claimed that SpongeBob ordered her to commit the unthinkable act or that she would face death herself. Justine Johnson, 22, is accused of stabbing Sutton Mosser several times on September 16, two days after the toddler's third birthday, before placing her body into a black trash bag following weeks of heroin consumption. The young mom from Oscada Township, about 200 miles north of Detroit, was charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse. Sutton's body was found by the suspect's 17-year-old brother, who was told to 'mind your own f***ing business,' when he asked about his niece's whereabouts, according to a court hearing from September. 'She told me that she didn't remember the specifics of what happened at the time of what happened to Sutton, that she was experiencing hallucinations due to heroin withdrawal and not sleeping for approximately two weeks,' said Ryan Eberline, an investigator with Child Protective Services. 'She was getting hallucinations from the TV that had instructed her to take her daughter's life or they would kill her. 'It was SpongeBob who was saying these things on the TV,' Eberline added. 'If she didn't do what she did to her daughter they would kill her. She said she was afraid for her life and she had lost her mind.' Johnson, who was deemed fit to stand trial, is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on February 28. She remains in jail without bail until then. Justine Johnson, 22, was arrested after allegedly stabbing her three-year-old daughter Sutton Mosser on September 16, hours after her teen brother said she had seen her do drugs Johnson (left) and her daughter Sutton Mosser (right) Mosser was found by her 17-year-old uncle in a trash bag after he noticed that her leg was sticking out of it when looking for her Johnson had reportedly left her apartment to go to her mother's house, before passing out at a local graveyard. She then went back to her place, contemplating suicide before killing Mosser (right) On the night of Sutton's death, Johnson had left her home that she shared with her two brothers. Her teen sibling also went out before returning to an empty home at around 10 p.m. Her older brother, Knelsey, who had left for work earlier in the day at around 2:30 p.m., returned home at 3:30 a.m., and had asked his younger brother where Sutton and his sister were. The teen, who remains anonymous for legal reasons, said he had seen Johnson taking drugs earlier in the day. He then went outside to look and found the trash bag with what seemed to be a child's foot sticking out, he testified in court last year. 'There was like a foot sticking out of the bag,' he said. 'I ran up and told Knesley, "'There's a foot in a bag." He didn't believe me. He thought I was joking.' The two brothers proceeded to call police after the shocking discovery. Investigators found blood stains on a hallway closet door, and on couches in the living room and in a bedroom at the crime scene. Three knives were also found in the same bedroom. The infant had stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen. She was wrapped in a comforter inside the trash bag that also had a pair of jeans with blood stains on them. Eberline testified that Johnson had told him on October 1 that she had left her home to go to her mother's house, before passing out at a nearby graveyard. Later, she went back to her own apartment, on Cedar Lake Road, and attempted to commit suicide before killing her child. The infant was found with multiple stab wounds to her chest. Her body had been found in a trash bag along with a pair of bloody jeans Chris Christie said Sunday that Donald Trump inadvertently admitted that he lost the 2020 election and wanted Mike Pence to unconstitutionally overturn it. 'He actually told the truth by accident,' the former New Jersey governor said during a panel on ABC's This Week program. 'He wanted the election to be overturned.' While Trump has repeatedly said that the election was 'rigged' and Joe Biden's win is due to massive fraud, the former president's recent comments admitting he wanted Pence to overturn the election pulled the curtain back to suggest he actually thinks the results were legitimate. 'Let's face it. Let's call it what it is. Jan. 6 was a riot that was incited by Donald Trump in an effort to intimidate Mike Pence and the Congress into doing exactly what he said in his own words last week: Overturn the election,' Christie explained. Trump said in a statement last week: 'Unfortunately, he [Pence] didn't exercise that power, he could have overturned the Election!' Former New Jersey GOP Governor Chris Christie said Sunday that Trump 'accidentally' admitted that the 2020 election was actually legitimate by claiming last week for the first time that Mike Pence had the power to 'overturn' the results and not just claiming they were rigged .@GovChristie says Jan. 6 was a riot that was incited by Donald Trump in an effort to intimidate then-Vice Pres. Pence and Congress. He wanted the election to be overturned. https://t.co/qmLuLMVGh9 pic.twitter.com/LD8AOA7l7O ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 6, 2022 Christie says that Trump is now trying to do a 'clean up on aisle one' by releasing a slew of statements explaining that Pence had the power to delay the certification so Congress could verify there was no fraud. All of the lawsuits and investigations into the 2020 election have either been shut down or resulted in the contrary of Trump's claims. Pence delivered his most direct and public rebuke of Trump on Friday saying he had 'no right' to overturn the 2020 election as Trump demanded. 'There are those in our party who believe that as the presiding officer of the Joint Session of Congress, that I possessed unilateral authority to reject Electoral College votes,' Pence said in a defiant speech to the Federalist Society in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 'And I heard this week that President Trump said I had the right to overturn the election. President Trump is wrong,' Pence continued. 'I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone.' Trump responded by lashing out at Pence claiming he is 'right and everyone knows it' that a vice president can overturn elections. Trump claimed last week for the first time that Mike Pence had the power to 'overturn' the results instead of just claiming the outcome was rigged. Pence pushed back against those claims 'Just saw Mike Pence's statement on the fact that he had no right to do anything with respect to the Electoral Vote Count, other than being an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected President as quickly as possible,' Trump wrote in a statement. Christie lauded Pence's comments against the former president. 'I think that the actions the vice president took on January 6 spoke loudly and I'm glad he's finally put words to it. I don't know why it took him so long but I'm glad that he did,' he said on ABC Sunday morning 'Donald Trump did respond to what the vice president said and I think it's kind of akin to the kid standing in the corner holding its breath it's immature and it's beneath the office that he held,' Christie added. Advertisement Bear Grylls has joined the Royal Marines for training in severe conditions as they battle the cold in Norway, plunging into freezing cold waters and hiking through snowy mountains. Bear, 47, who is an Honorary Colonel with the regiment, joined the troops as they honed their crucial Artic warfare skills on the frozen mountains and fjords of the Arctic Circle. Images show the adventurer and TV presenter join the troops on an ice-breaking drill, where they were plunged into freezing water to test their reactions to cold shock, despite temperatures plummeting to below -35C. Ice breaking drills are an essential part of all cold weather courses during Winter Deployments, and helps Commando Forces to gain the confidence and training they need to recover and stay alive if they break through the ice. Bear grabs onto the ski sticks buried in the snow as he lifts himself out of the freezing cold waters in Norway Bear takes a run and leaps into the freezing water while members of the Royal Marines Commando Forces look on Pictures taken during the training show Bear standing in the snow dressed in camouflage preparing to drive into the dark water below with a rope firmly tied around him. He then takes a run and leaps into the freezing water, with the aim of surviving the cold shock he will have undoubtedly felt when diving in. Cold shock can be deadly. The immediate shock of cold water causes involuntary inhalation which, if underwater, can lead to death by drowning. People may also begin to hyperventilate, which can lead to the inhalation of water. Cold water can also cause a heart attack due to vasoconstriction, meaning the heart works harder to pump the same volume of blood through the body. It can also cause a huge reduction in a person's ability to think clearly and function. Bear was handed a heavy backpack before plunging into the freezing water to mimic a real and unexpected fall through ice Bear also met up with the Basic Ski Instructors Course at Malselv and assisted Commando Logistics Regiment with vehicle recovery during his three week stint on the Cold Weather Warfare Course Bear, who spent three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces as part of 21 SAS Regiment, also met up with the Basic Ski Instructors Course at Malselv and assisted Commando Logistics Regiment with vehicle recovery during his three week stint on the Cold Weather Warfare Course. 'It's always inspiring to spend time with the commandos - seeing them demonstrate their unique winter survival combat skill set in such challenging conditions is a reminder of what heroes they are,' Bear said. 'For me it's a humbling reminder of why the Royal Marines are so special.' Bear joined the commandos, who are experts in operating in extreme environments. Every winter, the Royal Marines travel to the Artic Circle to hone their survival skills, and train them in fighting in cold conditions. There, they practice emergency shelter building, ice-breaking, and travelling in snow wearing skis and snow shoes. Ice breaking drills are an essential part of all cold weather courses during Winter Deployments, and helps Commando Forces to gain the confidence and training they need to recover if they fall through the ice Bear pictured with members of the Commandos regiment. During the three week training course, members took part in training in vehicle recovery in wintery conditions, and learned to manoeuvre effectively while wearing cold weather gear Before they head north, commandos are required to undertake an intensive course run by the Royal Marines Mountain Leaders, who train them up in readiness for the extreme cold weather, teaching them vital survival skills. Lance Corporal Jack Cooper of 40 Commando, who joined Bear on his trip to Norway, said: 'This is my fourth Norway experience. 'Just surviving here presents unique challenges, but if you can operate here, you can operate anywhere.' Jimmy Carr has claimed he will be cancelled over his joke that the 'thousands of gypsies killed by the Nazis' was a 'positive' effect of the Holocaust. Carr, known for his stand-up and roles on shows like 8 Out Of 10 Cats, issued a 'trigger warning' to the audience at the beginning of his one-hour Netflix special His Dark Material, admitting his performance contained 'terrible things'. In a widely-shared clip from the show, Carr joked about the horror of the Holocaust and 'six million Jewish lives being lost'. As a punchline, the 49-year-old then made a disparaging remark about the deaths of thousands of gypsies at the hands of the Nazis. 'But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives,' Carr quipped to a laughing audience. During a gig in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, he told his audience 'The joke that ends my career is already out there'. Pictured: Comedian Jimmy Carr has been criticised for a 'truly disturbing' joke made about the travelling community and the Holocaust in his latest show the Netflix special His Dark Material A woman in the audience heckled Carr by saying, 'Are we going to talk about the Holocaust?' the Mirror reported. Carr replied: 'We are going to talk about cancel culture, the whole thing. 'We are going to talk about f***ing everything people. Relax.' He later said: 'We are speaking my friends in the last chance saloon. What I am saying on stage this evening is barely acceptable now. 'In ten years f***ing forget about it. You are going to be able to tell your grandchildren about seeing this show tonight.' Celebrities and campaigning groups have hit out at Carr's joke on his Netflix show. Comedian David Baddiel, 57, slammed the joke as 'racist' and 'inhumane'. He said: 'You can obviously tell a Holocaust joke that is cruel and inhumane and mean-spirited and racist. Jewish comedian David Baddiel slammed Carr for joking about the Holocaust on stage 'Or you can tell one that targets the oppressors, or draws attention to the fundamental evil of it, or shines and light on the humanity of the victims. 'It's not the subject matter of the joke that counts, it's the specifics of the individual joke. Clearly, Jimmy Carr's was the former.' Elsewhere, Irish traveller and bare-knuckle boxer Paddy Doherty said the 'disgusting' joke was an insult to the 1.5million gypsies exterminated in death camps. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star Paddy Doherty has called for police to probe Carr's joke about gypsies killed in the Holocaust He told the Sunday Mirror: 'He should be investigated by the police. 'That wasn't a joke. He's talking about mass murder being a positive would he be allowed to say this about black people killed by the Ku Klux Klan? 'There's a level you don't go to. More than a million of my people were killed.' The joke was condemned Labour MPs including Labour's Nadia Whittome and David Lammy who described it as 'despicable'. Conservative MP and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told BBC News that the joke was 'abhorrent'. During the show, Carr said: 'When people talk about the Holocaust' at which the audience gasped and he looked down at them, nodding. The 49-year-old continued: 'When people talk about the Holocaust, they talk about the tragedy and horror of six million Jewish lives being lost to the Nazi war machine. 'But they never mention the thousands of gypsies that were killed by the Nazis. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives.' In spite of the outrage the joke prompted elsewhere, the audience reacted with hoots of laughter. Carr then explained why he thought it was a 'good joke', saying that it was 'f**king funny', 'edgy as all hell' and because it had an 'educational quality'. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 500,000 Roma and Sinti people were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The joke sparked outrage from various traveller charities and anti-hate groups after a clip was shared on social media. In a tweet referencing the joke, The Traveller Movement - a charity supporting the traveller community in the UK, said: 'This is truly disturbing and goes way beyond humour. We need all your support in calling this out #StopTravellerHate @StopFundingHate.' The charity have now launched a petition to Netflix calling for the 'removal of the segments of His Dark Material which celebrates the Romani genocide'. Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, added: 'We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carr's comment about persecution suffered by Roma and Sinti people under Nazi oppression, and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks. 'Hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti people suffered prejudice, slave labour, sterilisation and mass murder simply because of their identity these are not experiences for mockery. 'The widespread ignorance of this recent history needs to be addressed and we urge everyone to learn more about the past and the experiences of Roma people today. 'Roma and Sinti people still face dreadful prejudice as this incident shows. Please show your support by learning more, challenging hateful comments like these, and following accounts such as Roma Support Group, The Traveller Movement, and Friends, Families and Travellers.' Senator Ted Cruz on Sunday demanded that the Federal Trade Commission open an investigation into GoFundMe after the crowdfunding site shut pages raising money for truck drivers protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates at the U.S.-Canada border. The Texas Republican appeared on Fox News where he revealed he sent a letter to the FTC urging the agency to probe GoFundMe for potential 'deceptive trade practices' and accused the website of 'theft.' He also accused the site of removing the page because it didn't line up with Silicon Valley 'politics.' GoFundMe removed the fundraising page for the Freedom Convoy on Friday and gave donors two weeks to ask for a refund. It said the remaining funds would be disbursed to charities. A statement released that evening explained: 'GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created. We now have evidence from law enforcement that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity.' After swift backlash for trying to redistribute the funds, the charity site updated users on Twitter that all donors to the convoy would automatically receive refunds. 'Listen, it is theft on the part of GoFundMe. Let me say -- the Canadian truckers are heroes. They are patriots marching for your freedom and for my freedom,' Cruz told Fox host Maria Bartiromo. Texas Senator Ted Cruz praised the Canada truckers as 'heroes' and accused GoFundMe of taking the crowdfunding page down for political reasons 'Those truck drivers that -- God blessed them -- they're defending Canada, but they are defending America as well.' The protest began as an Ottawa-bound convoy of drivers demonstrating against a recent mandate requiring truckers entering Canada to either be fully vaccinated or submit to COVID testing and quarantine measures. Similar demonstrations have since been held in Toronto and Quebec City, with demands ranging from an end to all COVID mandates to the removal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Truckers and their rigs blocked traffic in Canada's capital city and at key border crossings. Life for Ottawa residents was disrupted with persistent honking. Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly told reporters on Friday, before hundreds more were expected to arrive over the weekend, that it was 'an increasingly volatile and increasingly dangerous demonstration.' But on Sunday Cruz praised the truckers for 'standing up' to the dismay of 'big government.' A truck remains parked on Metcalfe Street with a message condemning the mandates imposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Freedom Convoy truck protest on February 5 Demonstrators stage a counter-protest at city hall as truckers and supporters continue to protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 5 'That is courage on display, that the government doesn't have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates. And they're standing up for freedom, and of course, big government hates it and is trying to crush them,' he said. He went on to accuse GoFundMe of shutting down the crowdfunding page, which had raised north of $10 million, for political reasons rather than for violating its terms of use. 'The corporate media hates it and is trying to silence them, and big tech -- look at what GoFundMe did, people gave $10 million to support the Freedom Convoy because they were so proud of the courage of these truck drivers, and the thieves in Silicon Valley decided "We don't like your politics, so A, We will take your money and then B, we're going to give it to people we like",' Cruz alleged. 'Listen, if anyone else did that, that is called theft. And so today I sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking that the FTC open an investigation into GoFundMe, into whether they have committed deceptive trade practices because when people gave money, they gave money under the promise it would go to the Freedom Convoy, not to whatever left-wing political ideology GoFundMe and other Silicon Valley companies support.' Police officers walk past parked tractors, as truckers and supporters continue to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 6 People carry signs, as truckers and supporters continue to protest COVID vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 6 What began as a blockade in Ottawa and at key border checkpoints has since spread to cities and towns across Canada He added: 'They are deceiving consumers and it is wrong.' DailyMail.com has reached out to Cruz's office to request a copy of the letter. The FTC enforces federal consumer protection laws that prevent fraud, deception and unfair business practices, according to the agency's site. It makes recommendations to Congress, issues reports and is able to sue companies or individuals accused of engaging in shady business practices. Ottawa's police department thanked GoFundMe for removing the page on Friday. 'We want to thank GoFundMe for listening to our concerns as a City and a police service,' the department wrote on Twitter. 'The decision to withhold funding for these unlawful demonstrations is an important step and we call on all crowdfunding sites to follow.' GoFundMe issued a statement Friday night saying the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser violated its terms of service 'which prohibits the promotion of violence and harassment Following backlash from their decision, the company said it will issue full refunds to donors In the recent past GoFundMe removed campaigns that it claimed spread misinformation about COVID vaccine safety, on top of reserving the right to remove pages violating its explicit terms. However, those terms of service also give it the right to prohibit 'any other activity that GoFundMe may deem, in its sole discretion, to be unacceptable.' Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Saturday that he would open an investigation into GoFundMe shutting the Freedom Convoy's page. It is a fraud for [GoFundMe] to commandeer $9M in donations sent to support truckers and give it to causes of their own choosing,' DeSantis wrote on Twitter. 'I will work with [Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody] to investigate these deceptive practices these donors should be given a refund.' Advertisement A labourer who dug with his hands for three days in an attempt to rescue a five-year-old Morrocan boy trapped in a well has been lauded as a hero. Rayan Awram fell into a 105ft (32-metre) well outside his home in Ighran village, in the northern province of Chefchaouen, on Tuesday evening - sparking a race-against-the-clock rescue mission. After digging vertically and then horizontally - all while risking a landslide - rescuers and resuscitation experts finally reached the boy last night, offering a faint glimmer of optimism that he might have survived the ordeal. Yet the anxious wait for news of five-year-old Rayan ended in tragedy for his family, after government officials confirmed the young boy could not be resuscitated, adding that he had died before rescuers could reach him. Workman Bwa Sahraoui was praised for using his bare hands to dig frantically for three days in the hope of saving the youngster in scenes that gripped the world. One Twitter user said: 'For more than 20 hours he dug tirelessly to get Rayan out of the ground. Huge respect.' Bwa Sahraoui (pictured) was praised for using his bare hands to dig frantically for three days in the hope of saving the youngster in scenes that gripped the world The worker tried to rescue five-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Awram, who trapped in a well, and was been lauded as a hero for his efforts Another social media user added: 'May God reward this man and grant him a place in paradise. 'He has done an amazing job since last night, he digs by hand.' A third said: 'Bwa Sahraoui is one of the volunteers who, for three days, dug by hand to save little Rayan! A real hero!' Tributes have flooded in for the five-year-old Moroccan boy who died after being trapped more than 100ft underground for four days after rescue teams confirmed the tragic end to a search that had gripped the world. Speaking after Rayan's death was confirmed on Saturday his aunt, Atiqua Awram told local media: 'My nephew, my heart is aching for him, too much. May God be with him, just like how God stood with us.' The boy's body was seen wrapped in a gold blanket after he emerged from a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue operation. Mr Sahraoui was dressed in navy joggers and a sky blue top as he endeavoured to free the child from the well Tragic: Little Rayan Awram, aged five, was found dead on Saturday night following a four-day rescue mission to save him after he fell down a well Heartbreaking: The body of five-year-old Rayan Awram is placed into the back of an ambulance, but he could not be resuscitated Morocco's King Mohammed VI sent his condolences to the Awram family and praised both the rescue crews and local community for their valiant efforts over the past week. Supportive messages were also shared online as the hashtag #SaveRayan trended on Twitter. French President Emmanuel Macron added his voice to the tributes, writing in a Facebook message late on Saturday: 'Tonight, I want to tell the family of little Rayan and the Moroccan people that we share their pain.' It came after a medical team were seen entering the tunnel with a stretcher, where they remained for over an hour on Saturday evening. The boy's anxious - and now devastated - parents had been escorted to an ambulance before he was pulled to the surface. Heartbreaking: A beaming Rayan Awram, whose body was recovered on Saturday evening Morocco's King Mohammed VI (pictured in 2019) sent his condolences to the Awram family and praised both the rescue crews and local community for their valiant efforts over the past week Dozens nervously watch as Rayan is transferred from the rescue site to an ambulance Devastated: Rayan's parents walk to ambulance after their son's body was recovered Heart-stopping moment little Rayan is rushed to an ambulance underneath a gold blanket Dramatic moment rescuers huddle as the body of little Rayan is brought to the surface Little Rayan was swiftly removed from the scene by rescue teams donning red helmets Security had to be increased at the site after thousands of villagers gathered to watch the dig reach its final stage Dramatic moment Rayan is rushed to an ambulance after being discovered by rescue teams An ambulance carries 5-year-old child, Rayan Awram, who has been trapped for five days in a well, to a helicopter Parents of 5-year-old Rayan walk towards the tunnel as their son's body was being retrieved - his father had said he would hold out hope until the end The parents of 5-year-old Rayan walk toward an ambulance after seeing their son's retrieved body Rescue workers carry tragic Rayan to an ambulance on Saturday night People gather during the rescue operation of 5-year-old child, Rayan Awram, who has been trapped for five days in a well, near Chefchaouen, northern Morocco Locals could be heard shouting 'Allahu akbar' or 'God is greatest' as rescuers began to remove the boy (pictured) The moment little Rayan was pulled from the hole on a stretcher on Saturday night Rayan is hoisted into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher in the hopes he can be resuscitated. He was later confirmed to have died. News cameras capture the moment Rayan is hoisted into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher in the hopes he can be resuscitated. He was later confirmed to have died. People look on as an ambulance drives away from the scene where rescue crews worked to pull five-year-old Rayan A family watches a televised statement as it announces the death of 5-year-old Rayan and a call between King Mohammed VI and his parents Rescue workers carry the body of 5-year-old Rayan and place it in an ambulance after it was recovered from a well in which he was stuck for several days Rescue workers line up after the body of 5-year-old Rayan was placed in an ambulance Rescue workers carry the body of 5-year-old Rayan and place it in an ambulance An ambulance (pictured) was waiting to rush Rayan to the hospital King Mohammed has since sent them his condolences, state media reported. Meanwhile tributes to the boy have been pouring in on social media next to the SaveRayan hashtag. One wrote: 'Rayan may you rest with the angels... I wish you knew you were not alone all those days and that everyone around the world was praying for your safe return. Morocco did you proud.' Another said: 'Rest in peace, tears stream around the world for Rayan tonight - no regrets please from his rescuers because they honestly did everything they could to save that little boy!' The world had watched on with bated breath as fears persisted that the cave could collapse at any moment during the tense four-day dig. Moroccan media earlier reported that resuscitation specialists entered the tunnel alongside rescue crews, fuelling fears that the five-year-old required life-saving medical care. Experts had warned that it was 'impossible' to confirm if the youngster was still alive, having fallen into the well five days ago, as the rescue team finally reached the stranded boy on Saturday afternoon. Oxygen and water had earlier been given to the child, but it is not known if he was able to use them. Onlookers applauded, sang religious songs and prayed. At one stage, they chanted in unison 'Allahu akbar' or 'God is greatest' as rescuers prepared to finally enter the cave for the final push Saturday. Earlier on Saturday morning, the head of the rescue committee, Abdelhadi Temrani, said: 'It is not possible to determine the child's condition at all at this time. But we hope to God that the child is alive.' Pictured: The site where rescuers were working to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco, in this still image taken from a video and obtained by Reuters on February 5, 2022 Tractors dig through a mountain as they take part in a rescue mission of a 5-year-old boy who fell into a hole in the northern village of Ighran in Morocco's Chefchaouen province, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 Bystanders watch as Moroccan emergency teams work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 4, 2022 Rescuers start to horizontal drilling operation as they continue to work to save 5-year-old boy trapped in a well in Chefchaouen, Morocco on February 5, 2022 A view shows a well into which a five-year-old boy fell in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 Rescuers stand near the hole of a well into which a five-year-old boy fell in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 Rescuers work to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco Moroccan emergency services teams work on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 5, 2022 The complex, slow and risky earth-moving operation gripped residents of the North African kingdom and even sparked sympathy in neighbouring Algeria, a regional rival. Pictured: Rescue workers prepare large piping to create a tunnel People gather as rescuers work to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 A general view shows the site where rescuers are working to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a well (pictured bottom-right) in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen, Morocco February 5, 2022 A massive trench was dug into the hill next to the well, leaving a gaping hole in the reddish earth. By Saturday morning they were digging horizontally towards the well, and installing PVC tubes to protect against landslides and get the boy out. A glacial cold has gripped this mountainous and impoverished region of Rif, which is at an elevation of about 700 metres. As time went on, fears persisted over whether Rayan would have been recovered alive. 'We're almost there,' said one of the operation's leaders, Abdesalam Makoudi, earlier on Saturday, adding: 'Tiredness is kicking in, but the whole rescue team is hanging on.' On Saturday, experts used a rope to send oxygen and water down to the boy as well as a camera to monitor him, but did not provide information about his condition. On Friday, camera footage from the frantic rescue operation showed the boy lying at the bottom of the shaft, and he appeared to be breathing. 'I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe,' his mother Wassima Kharchich told local television station 2M. 'Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust. The whole family went out to look for him then we realised that he'd fallen down the well,' she added, with tears in her eyes. His father, who said he was repairing the well when the boy fell into it, was pictured nervously watching the rescue mission late on Friday night and into today. 'I keep up hope that my child will get out of the well alive,' Rayan's father told 2M on Friday evening. 'I thank everyone involved and those supporting us in Morocco and elsewhere.' Scores of townspeople and others gathered to help and watch the rescue efforts. Nationwide, Moroccans took to social media to offer their hopes for the boy's survival, using the hashtag #SaveRayan which has brought global attention to the rescue efforts. Thousands of people gathered around the site, surrounded by olive trees, where AFP reporters said the tension was palpable. Some applauded to encourage the rescuers. The shaft, just 45 centimetres (18 inches) across, was too narrow to reach Rayan, and widening it was deemed too risky - so earth-movers dug a wide slope into the hill to reach him from the side. The operation made the landscape resemble a construction site. It involved engineers and topographers, and was made more complex by the mix of rocky and sandy soils. Red-helmeted Civil Defence personnel were at times suspended by rope, as if on a cliff face. Pictured: Emergency service teams above the large pit watch on as their colleague continue their work. Behind them, a large crowd also watches over as the rescuers inch closer to the boy at the bottom of the well People watch as Moroccan emergency services teams work on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 5, 2022 A member of the Moroccan emergency services teams works on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan His father (pictured), who said he was repairing the well when the boy fell into it, was pictured nervously watching the rescue mission late on Friday night The rescue mission was said to be entering its final stages in the early hours of Saturday morning A member of the Moroccan emergency services gestures as teams work on the rescue of five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1, in the remote village of Ighrane in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 5 Working non-stop through the darkness overnight, under powerful floodlights that gave a gloomy air to the scene, workers dug a horizontal tunnel to reach the pocket where Rayan was situated. Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres, according to Morocco's official MAP news agency. Then on Friday, they started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped boy as experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help. Work had to be temporarily halted over fears the ground surrounding the well could collapse, but it was later resumed. Medical staff, including specialists in resuscitation, are on site to attend to the boy once he is pulled out, with a helicopter on standby to transport him to the nearest hospital. The Moroccan government previously said all efforts were being made to help save the boy. The drama has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan trending across North Africa. 'Rescuers are literally in the process of moving a mountain to save little #Rayan. I hope that their efforts will not be in vain and that those who prayed for him will see their prayers answered,' one internet user wrote. The boy's fate attracted crowds of people to the site, where parked cars lined the roads around the village and supporters are camping. Police reinforcements had to be sent, and the swarm of onlookers sometimes impeded the rescuers' efforts. Authorities called on the public to 'let the rescuers do their job and save this child.' But one volunteer said he was there to help. 'We've been here for three days. Rayan is a child of our region. We won't leave until he's out of the well,' he said. The accident echoes a tragedy in Spain in early 2019 when a two-year-old child died after falling into an abandoned well 25 centimetres wide and more than 70 metres deep. Julen Rosello's body was recovered after a search and rescue operation that lasted 13 days. Rescuers continue to work to free 5-year-old boy trapped in a well in Chefchaouen, Morocco, early on Saturday morning Horizontal drilling was carried out in attempts to save the five-year-old boy, who has been stuck since midday on Tuesday Rescue teams have continued efforts to extricate the boy for 76 hours in Chefchaouen, Morocco (pictured Saturday morning) The rush to save the boy was reaching a critical stage on Friday. Pictured: rescuers continuing to work to free the five-year-old Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan, who is trapped in a deep well for over two days, near Bab Berred in Morocco's rural northern province of Chefchaoue. Diggers continued working overnight in an attempt to free the boy Authorities said the mission was nearing its end overnight, with spokespeople reporting around 3am GMT that there was less than 20ft of earth left to dig to reach him. Pictures from the scene overnight showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan, who is trapped in a deep well for over two days, near Bab Berred in Morocco's rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 3, 2022 Pictured: Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to get five-year-old child Rayan out of a well into which he fell on Tuesday, in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred Rescuers prepare part of a tunnel that will be used to access little Rayan as the search reached a critical stage on Friday night Residents watch civil defense workers and local authorities attempting to rescue Rayan as search entered third day Friday Moroccan emergency service climbers work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan from a well shaft he fell into on February 1 Emergency workers are pictured preparing a tunnel which will be used to access the boy horizontally Hundreds of villagers gathered on Friday as they anxiously watched the rescue mission unfold The rescue attempt has captivated the entire North African nation (Pictured: Nervous villagers watch the mission from the sidelines) The rescue effort has captivated the nation with the hashtag #SaveRayan trending across social media (Pictured: Bystanders watch as Moroccan emergency teams work to rescue the five-year-old boy) Pictures from the scene showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit. Meanwhile, footage showed rescuers sending cameras down the well's shaft to monitor the boy's situation, as the rescuers turned on floodlights to continue their efforts overnight. On Thursday local media reported that he had taken food and water that was dropped down to him using a rope. On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that 'only nine metres' (30 foot) remained to be dug 'that will allow rescuers to reach the boy'. The MAP news agency said rescuers had been able to send him oxygen and water via pipes. Pictured: The hole of a well is seen in the foreground where the boy is said to have fallen 100ft, while in the background diggers work from multiple angles in an attempt to rescue him Residents watch in concern as civil defence and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 Pictured: Video showing rescue workers sending cables down into the well in an attempt to reach the boy Moroccans were still waiting anxiously on Thursday evening after authorities and firefighters launched the dramatic operation to save the boy from the deep well. Authorities tonight said the mission was nearing its end Pictures and video from the scene today showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit The shaft that the boy fell down on Tuesday was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy diggers were dispatched to dig a hole alongside it. It has been over 40 hours since the boy fell Rayan's father told Le360 he had been repairing the well when the boy fell into it. Lead rescuer Abdelhabi Temrani told Al Oula television that the diameter of the well was less than 45 centimetres. Baitas said the nature of the soil meant it was too dangerous to try to widen the hole, meaning major excavations around it were the only solution. The drama has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan going viral across the North African region, including in neighbouring Algeria. 'The heart of every Moroccan is with this angel,' one person wrote on Twitter. The boy's fate also attracted crowds of people to the site of the operation, putting pressure on rescuers operating in 'difficult conditions', Baitas said. 'We call on citizens to let the rescuers do their job and save this child,' he said. Authorities have also prepared a helicopter to take the child to hospital once he is extracted, national news channel 2M said. Pictured: Video captured of a screen showing a camera's footage as it was lowered down into the well where the boy fell 100ft. The shaft was too narrow for rescuers to go down themselves, so they were forced to dig down the side of the well in an attempt to reach the boy On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that 'only nine metres' (30 foot) remained to be dug 'that will allow rescuers to reach the boy' Residents watch in concern as civil defense and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 Rescue operations are underway by Moroccan authorities and firefighters to get five-year-old child Reyan out of a well into which he fell some two days earlier, in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred, Morocco, 03 February 2022 The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring hospital systems to report daily COVID-19 deaths to the federal government. The policy change, which was announced in January, went into effect last Wednesday, just days ahead of the US death toll surpassing 900,000. Some health officials are calling the move 'incomprehensible,' alleging the hospital data has, over the last two years, 'changed the response to the pandemic for the better'. 'The hospitals have been doing this for going on two years,' a federal health official told WSWS, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 'It is the only consistent, reliable and actionable dataset at the federal level. Ninety-nine percent of hospitals report one hundred percent of the data every day.' Although hospitals will no longer need to report the previous day's COVID-19 deaths to the federal government each day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to collect and report COVID data from official death certificates. The CDC also notes the death data reported by hospitals to the HHS 'is not a CDC-owned data source and does not impact our reporting'. The organization instead compiles its numbers from death certificate reports sent to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), with officials reiterating 'there have been no changes to CDC data sources.' The same day the HHS stopped collecting figures, the UK government announced plans to end its death toll reporting by April. The US Department of Health and Human Services (pictured) is no longer requiring hospital systems to report daily COVID-19 deaths to the federal government On Sunday, the US reported 902,266 coronavirus deaths, an increase of 875, and a seven-day average of 2,455, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins. The US tally marks an increase of more than 100,000 fatalities nationwide since Dec. 12, coinciding with a surge of infections and hospitalizations driven by the Omicron variant. The country also reported 104,104 new cases, bringing the total to 76,458,144. The US seven-day average case average was 313,028. Nationally, the average daily confirmed COVID cases is half of what was reported less than two weeks ago and down from the peak of nearly 806,000 infections a day on Jan. 15. Analysts with Reuters allege the US death tally is the highest number of COVID fatalities reported by any nation, followed by Russia, Brazil and India with more than 1.8 million deaths combined. In terms of coronavirus fatalities per capita, the United States ranks 20th, well below the top two - Peru and Russia. Approximately 212,657,682 Americans are fully vaccinated against the virus, which accounts for 64.79 percent of the population. On Sunday, the US reported 902,266 coronavirus deaths, an increase of 875, and a seven-day average of 2,455, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins The country also reported 104,104 new cases, bringing the total to 76,458,144. The US seven-day average case average was 313,028 The US death tally is the highest number of COVID fatalities reported by any nation, according to analysts Although CDC death data collection will continue, some health officials argue the information provided by America's hospitals is more reliable and most beneficial to researchers. 'The CDC has never really counted cases for things that a lot of people get like the flu,' the health official said. 'They get data from sentinel sites and then extrapolate what is happening.' 'The hospitalization data coming out of HHS is now the best and most granular publicly available data on the pandemic. This information has changed the response to the pandemic for the better,' echoed Alexis C. Madrigal, a co-founder of the COVID Tracking Project. 'There was no hospital data at the federal level and even at many states. We had no idea who has capacity, who was in trouble, who had supply shortages, who was getting admissions so fast that they would need supplemental meds, who has staffing issues, etc. We also didn't know anything about the people admitted in a timely manner, such as age.' Although hospitals will no longer need to report the previous day's COVID-19 deaths to the federal government each day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to collect COVID data from official death certificates Some health officials are calling the move 'incomprehensible,' alleging the hospital data has, over the last two years, ' changed the response to the pandemic for the better' However, American Hospital Association Vice President Nancy Foster claims the CDC's reports are actually than the hospital data because it accounts for deaths that occurred outside of the hospital setting. 'While it is likely that most individuals who die of COVID do so in the hospital, some die at home, in a nursing home, or elsewhere,' Foster told KXTV. 'We believe CDC looked at the conflicting sources of data on COVID deaths, chose the one that was most accurate, and moved to reduce the burden on hospitals to collect data that were less complete and, to the best of our knowledge, not being used.' Nevertheless, the official who spoke to WSWS claimed the HHS dataset 'is normalized to a specific hospital and can he compared to other data like capacity, number of admissions, ages of admissions, number in ICU, number of ventilated and a death countnot just for COVID but also influenza (which we have never had good insight into at this scale).' The CDC has claimed the initial daily death counts are 'provisional' and 'slowly updated over time,' with death reports often being one to two weeks behind other data collected. The health authority attributed the delay to the time it takes for death certificates to be filled out, the differing rates at which states report death certificate data and the time it takes extra time for the NCHS to code COVID-19 deaths. Peter Dutton has angrily denied claims by former foreign minister Bob Carr that he was the cabinet minister who leaked a series of text messages branding Prime Minister Scott Morrison a 'complete psycho'. Mr Carr, a former Labor NSW premier, alleged in a tweet on Sunday night that it was the defence minister who shared the text exchange with then NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian during the 2019-20 bushfire crisis. According to the texts, Ms Berejiklian, who has now left politics, branded Mr Morrison a 'horrible, horrible person'. Peter Dutton has denied he's was the minister who leaked text messages attacking the PM 'The minister who shared the text with (Network Ten's Peter) van Onselen and gave permission to use it was Peter Dutton,' Mr Carr posted on Twitter. 'If PM Morrison has one more week in free fall the prospect of a leadership change pre-election is real. Party rules don't count if most MPs think you will lead them to defeat.' Mr Dutton responded soon after with his own tweet to strongly reject Mr Carr's claim. 'Bob Carr's tweet is baseless, untrue and should be deleted,' Mr Dutton said. Mr Carr's tweet was still up on the social media platform on Monday morning. It comes as federal MPs converge on Canberra for one of the last sitting weeks before an expected federal election in May. According to Ten, Ms Berejiklian labelled the prime minister a 'horrible, horrible person' who was 'actively spreading lies' during the text exchange with an unnamed cabinet minister. 'Lives are at stake today and he's just obsessed with petty political point scoring,' she reportedly said in the texts exchanged during the Black Summer bushfires. The unnamed minister called Mr Morrison a 'complete psycho' and also described him as 'desperate and jealous'. 'The mob have worked him out and think he's a fraud.' Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack said Mr Carr was just second-guessing. 'I appreciate Peter Dutton's denied doing it. Let's leave it at that,' he told the Nine Network. Mr Morrison on Sunday shrugged off the text messages. 'What people send around in texts, I, frankly, could not care less about,' Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney after attending an 'I4Give' service at the King's School Chapel. 'And frankly, Australians are far more interested in their jobs and their lives than what people are sending in text messages to each other.' White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine 'any day,' launching a conflict that would come at an 'enormous human cost' with up to 50,000 civilian casualties. The senior adviser to President Joe Biden offered another stark warning the day after U.S. officials confirmed that Russia has assembled at least 70 percent of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 'If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well,' Sullivan said Sunday. Sullivan did not directly address reports that the White House has briefed lawmakers that a full Russian invasion could lead to the quick capture of Kyiv and potentially result in as many as 50,000 casualties as he made appearances on a trio of Sunday talk shows. U.S. officials, who discussed internal assessments of the Russian buildup on the condition that they not be identified, sketched out a series of indicators suggesting that Putin intends to start an invasion in the coming weeks, although the size and scale are unclear. They stressed that a diplomatic solution appears to remain possible. An estimated 100,000 troops have amassed near Ukraine in recent months, but despite repeated calls to pull back, the Kremlin has responded by saying it will station troops wherever it needs to on the Russian territory. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine 'any day,' launching a conflict that would come at an 'enormous human cost' with up to 50,000 civilian casualties. Above: Satellite images show a large build up of Russian troops and logistics support units just north-west of Yelsk, Belarus on January 19 The stark warning from Sullivan (pictured) comes a day after US intelligence officials warned of Russia being '70 per cent ready' to invade Ukraine The likelihood of a diplomatic resolution of the crisis appears to be increasingly slim, the intelligence analysis concluded. (Above, a photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday shows a tank engaging in a military exercise) It comes as Germany was accused of being 'missing in action' by allies as international tensions continue to mount over Russia's military build-up on the Ukrainian border. While other NATO members deploy battlegroups, send tactical supplies and offer more vocal support, the Germans have appeared to draw a line in the sand and refused to offer tangible support. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to the White House next week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine. Scholz has said that Moscow would pay a 'high price' in the event of an attack, but has so far failed to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster its troop numbers in the region or elaborate on any planned sanctions he would take against Vladimir Putin. 'The Germans are right now missing in action. They are doing far less than they need to do,' Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat and member of the Armed Services Committee, recently told an audience of Ukrainian Americans in his state, Connecticut. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured) will travel to the White House next week to reassure Americans that his country stands alongside the United States and other NATO partners in opposing any Russian aggression against Ukraine Ukraine is holding military exercises in Chernobyl, with troops firing at abandoned buildings and launching grenades in the deserted exclusion zone as Russian troops continue to amass on the border Western intelligence assessments believe Kyiv's government could fall within two days of an invasion and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees and more than 50,000 civilian casualties. Germany's Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht again ruled out supplying Kyiv with arms, after Ukraine's embassy in Germany sent a list with specific requests to the foreign and defence ministries in Berlin. The list included missile defence systems, tools for electronic warfare, night vision goggles, digital radios, radar stations and military ambulances - equipment which, in part, is already in short supply. Referring to an earlier build-up last year, one European official - speaking on condition of anonymity - told the Washington Post: 'Our worry would be that you don't park battle groups on the border of another country twice and do nothing. 'I think that's the real fear that I have. [Putin's] now put them all out there. If he does nothing again what does that say to the wider international community about the might of Russia?' Russia would be able to overrun Ukraine in just two days in an invasion that could kill 50,000 civilians, according to US intelligence. (Above, a picture released by the Russian Defence Ministry on February 4 shows rocket launchers during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of an inspection of the Union State's Response Force, at a firing range in Belarus) Western intelligence assessments also believe Kyiv's government would fall within that timeframe, and lead to a humanitarian crisis involving around 5million refugees. (Pictured: Military helicopters take part in the Belarusian and Russian joint military drills at Brestsky firing range on Friday) US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. He also wants them to roll back the alliance deployments to Eastern Europe - all demands which have been flatly rejected by the international community. It came as German media reports said Mr Putin who objects to the idea of the Ukraine being admitted as a Nato member had a three-step plan to bring Ukraine under a new 'union state' including Russia and Belarus, with Moscow as the centre of control. The report, attributed by the Bild newspaper to a foreign secret service source, said Ukrainian activists will be rounded up and put into camps once a pro-Russian government had been installed. Putin has continued to deny plans to attack Ukraine but urged the US and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they do not accept the former Soviet state into NATO or deploy offensive weapons. (Above, ground attack aircraft at Luninets airfield in Belarus on Friday) It warned that an invasion was currently 'the most likely scenario' adding that it could happen as early as this month as temperatures plummet and allow heavy ordnance and machinery to more easily traverse Ukrainian territory. In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus and repeatedly sent its nuclear-capable long-range bombers to patrol the skies over its neighbour, which borders Nato members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has increasingly relied on the Kremlin's political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions triggered by his crackdown on domestic protests, has called for closer defence ties with Moscow and recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion. It comes as US military and intelligence officials believe Russia is set to run a major nuclear weapons exercise in the coming weeks as a warning to Nato not to intervene in the event of Putin invading Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. General Mark Milley, chair of the joint chiefs, and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, said on Thursday that Putin was planning to begin the exercises in mid-February, according to a Congressional aide. Russia usually holds its annual nuclear exercises in the autumn but the US believes Putin has decided to hold them earlier this year as a show of strength. Meanwhile, NATO has warned that Russia is massing nuclear-capable missiles along with 30,000 troops in Belarus. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO general secretary, said earlier this week that Russia has already deployed thousands of troops including Spetsnaz special forces, along with Iskander missiles that can be tipped with nukes, fighter jets, and S-400 anti-aircraft systems. As war fears mounted, Ukrainian authorities launched a series of drills for civilians to prepare for a possible Russian invasion Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is providing tax breaks for business and individuals who need a negative rapid antigen test to go to work. In a speech on Monday, the treasurer will tell the Australian Industry Group the government is taking action to remove uncertainty around the tax treatments of these tests. 'Today, I'm announcing that we will ensure that Covid-19 testing expenses are tax deductible for testing taken to attend a place of work, giving businesses and individuals more clarity and assurance,' Mr Frydenberg will say. Rapid antigen tests for workers will be tax deductible, the treasurer is set to announce 'We will also ensure that fringe benefits tax will not be incurred by employers where Covid-19 tests are provided to employees for this purpose.' Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is keen to open up Australia's international border to tourists after the success of partial openings to students, backpackers and skilled migrants. Mr Morrison said many of the states have now passed their peaks in Covid-19 infections. He said the government over recent weeks has asked for advice from health officials how reopening the borders could impact on the nation's hospitals. 'But I really do not believe that is far away. As people will know, we have already opened up our borders to skilled migrants and backpackers and students,' he told reporters in Sydney on Sunday. Labor's home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said the lack of information was concerning. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will make Covid-19 testing expenses tax deductible for business and individuals when they are being used to attend work 'Until Mr Morrison stops constantly prioritising headlines over developing a clear and safe plan to reopen our borders, Australian families and businesses won't be able to plan for a better future,' she said. NSW posted 7893 Covid-19 cases and a further 28 virus-related deaths on Sunday, while there were 7169 new infections in Victoria and six deaths. Queensland recorded 5746 infections and nine deaths and in Tasmania there were 471 cases and one death, while the ACT reported 323 cases. Taiwan reports 72 new COVID-19 cases Xinhua) 13:11, February 06, 2022 TAIPEI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan on Saturday reported 72 new COVID-19 cases, including 40 locally-transmitted infections and 32 imported ones, the island's disease-monitoring agency said. The latest local infections include ten in Kaohsiung City and 30 in Taoyuan City. The two cities announced all the kindergartens in Kaohsiung and Taoyuan will delay the start of the new school semester until Feb. 14 to avoid more infections. To date, Taiwan has reported 19,101 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 15,183 were local infections. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) A brutal murder-suicide in Texas left the gunmans parents, son and his ex-girlfriends 4-year-old son dead, police said Saturday. Kevin Milazzo, 41, was identified late Saturday as the suspect in the deadly rampage at two different locations before turning the gun on himself. Advertisement The Corsicana Police Department responded to the first location just after midnight Saturday and found Milazzos stepfather, 68-year-old William Mimms, and his mother, 61-year-old Connie Mimms, dead inside, according to officials. Further investigation turned up two more victims, who were taken by air ambulance to a Dallas area trauma center. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News) A short time later, deputies from the Navarro County Sheriffs Department responded to a home in Frost and found the bodies of Milazzos son, 21-year-old Joshua Milazzo, and the 4-year-old son of his ex-girlfriend, Hunter Freeman. Advertisement An adult woman was found alive with multiple gunshot wounds was rushed to the hospital. Investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies were able to trace Milazzos car using his GPS and used remotely shut off the vehicle. When SWAT officers approached, they found Milazzo critically injured inside with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Milazzo was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital, where he died. None of the victims who survived have been publicly identified and their conditions are unknown. Florida Senator Marco Rubio avoided weighing in on whether he supported the Republican National Committee's censure of Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger despite being pressed on the matter multiple times during a tense TV interview exchange on Sunday. The GOP lawmaker instead directed his fury at the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot, calling the Democrat-led panel a 'partisan scam.' Cheney and Kinzinger, both longtime Republicans who voted with Donald Trump's policies more than 90 percent of the time when he was in office, were formally rebuked by the RNC on Friday for their work on the January 6 committee. They're the only two GOP lawmakers on the panel assembled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. During an appearance on CBS News' Face The Nation, Rubio was asked whether he shared the RNC's majority sentiment. He began by declaring that 'anybody who committed crimes on January 6th should be prosecuted.' 'If you entered the Capitol and you committed acts of violence and you were there to hurt people, you should be prosecuted and they are being prosecuted. But the January 6th commission is not the place to do this,' Rubio said. 'This commission is a partisan scam. They're going after- theyre- the purpose of that commission is to try to embarrass and smear and- and harass as many Republicans as they can get their hands on.' Host Margaret Brennan asked more directly: 'That's what you believe your two Republican colleagues are doing? Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger?' Rubio, unlike many national Republican figures over the weekend, resisted taking a side on whether to support or oppose the censure against Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger .@SenRubioPress tells @margbrennan that those who entered the Capitol and committed crimes on January 6 should be prosecuted but calls the House committee investigating the attack a partisan scam." pic.twitter.com/NbypKecQRo Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 6, 2022 Rubio resisted referring to them by name throughout the duration of the interview. 'Thats what the commission is doing,' he insisted. 'Well, let me tell you, I know thats what the commission is doing because theyre focused well beyond January 6th.' The Florida Republican recalled an account of a recently widowed RNC member who supposedly is 'being harassed by this commission' despite not being in Washington, DC on January 6. 'But that's not what the censure said,' Brennan insisted. Rubio pressed ahead. 'This commission is nothing but a partisan tool designed to go out and smear and attack and get their hands on as many people as they can, including people that weren't in Washington on January 6th,' he claimed. The CBS anchor attempted to settle the matter before moving on to a different topic, telling him: 'OK, sounds like you say they do speak for you.' Rubio interrupted again, seemingly attempting to correct her without suggesting support for two of House GOP's most vocal Trump critics. 'Well, no I told you where I stand on that commission. I think that commission is a scam. I think it's a complete partisan scam. And I think anyone who committed a crime on January 6th should be prosecuted and if convicted, put in jail,' he maintained. The Republican National Committee passed a resolution Friday to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney (left) and Adam Kinzinger (right) for their involvement in the January 6 select committee. 'I do not believe that we need a congressional committee to harass Americans that weren't even in Washington on January 6th, that were not in favor of what happened on that day, have condemned what happened on that day, but they want to smear them anyway. I'm against that, yes.' The RNC passed a resolution to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for their involvement in the January 6 select committee during the group's winter meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday. Other national Republican figures aside from Rubio took firmer stances. Trump released a statement on Saturday night praising the RNC for censuring 'horrible RINOs' Cheney and Kinzinger. Senators Mitt Romney, Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski -- three of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump following his second impeachment -- were among those critical of the RNC's rebuke. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel sparked outrage that day for claiming the violent Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6 last year were taking part in 'legitimate political discourse.' McDaniel said in a statement after the vote: 'Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger crossed a line. They chose to join Nancy Pelosi in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens who engaged in legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol.' 'That's why Republican National Committee members and myself overwhelmingly support this resolution.' RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was torched for depicting the violent events of January 6, 2021 as 'legitimate political discourse' Senator Rob Portman is pictured surrounded by fellow Republican lawmakers. The Republican Party's formal rebuke of two conservative House officials is unprecedented Cheney took aim at McDaniel's statement shortly afterwards. 'This was January 6th. This is not "legitimate political discourse,"' she said on Twitter, sharing video of members of the MAGA mob attacking the U.S. Capitol. Kinzinger wrote in a statement responding to the censure, 'Rather than focus their efforts on how to help the American people, my fellow Republicans have chosen to censure two lifelong Members of their party for simply upholding their oaths of office.' 'They've allowed conspiracies and toxic tribalism hinder their ability to see clear-eyed.' Republicans accused Cheney and Kinzinger of helping the Democrats maintain their Congressional majority in their formal rebuke. It said the RNC will 'immediately cease any and all support' of the two conservatives, and that the party condemns 'those who deliberately jeopardize victory in November.' Kinzinger isn't running for re-election, but Cheney has attracted a pro-Trump challenger in the form of former ally Harriet Hageman. Wyoming's lone House representative was also ousted from her own state's GOP for her work as vice chair of the Capitol riot committee. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is urging Australians to take advantage of a 'great reshuffle' in the labour market to score a better paying job. Despite the Covid pandemic causing the greatest economic shock since the Great Depression, the Reserve Bank believes Australia is already on track to see the unemployment rate drop from 4.2 per cent now to 3.75 per cent later this year - for the first time since 1974. Treasury analysis also shows that unlike some other countries, Australia is enjoying a 'great reshuffle' rather than a 'great resignation'. Addressing the Australian Industry Group on Monday, just weeks out from his pre-election March budget, Mr Frydenberg will call on Aussies to join the trend to make the most of the hot job market. The new figures show that over one million workers started new jobs in the three months to November 2021, almost 10 per cent higher than the pre-Covid average. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured) is urging Australians to take advantage of a 'great reshuffle' in the labour market In the last three months, a record number of around 300,000 workers say they left a job because they were looking for better opportunities, and that has occurred across all industries. 'Switching jobs allows workers to move up the job ladder for better pay, Mr Frydenberg will say. 'Treasury's latest analysis using 'single touch payroll' data has shown that workers that moved jobs typically experienced pay increase of between eight and 10 per cent.' 'When workers are in high demand, businesses are more likely to invest in capital, making workers more productive and businesses more efficient.' 'It also leads to better job matching, moving higher skilled workers into higher skilled jobs. All of this helps to lift productivity.' He said the pandemic has brought about fundamental changes across the economy, providing a unique opportunity to assess Australia's productivity challenges and opportunities. As such, Mr Frydenberg has asked the Productivity Commission to commence its second five yearly productivity review. 'With a post-pandemic economy as the backdrop, the PC is being tasked with developing an actionable roadmap to assist governments to make productivity enhancing reforms,' the treasurer will say. In the last three months, a record number of around 300,000 workers say they left a job because they were looking for better opportunities. Pictured: A worker loads a still used to make gin at Four Pillars Distillery in Healesville in Victoria 'It will identify priority sectors for reform, including data and digital innovation and workforce skills.' The review will be completed over the next 12 months. Mr Frydenberg is also expected to warn that unprecedented levels of economic support can't continue forever. The treasurer will say the level of government intervention must not become entrenched and a permanent feature. 'Continued support at crisis levels would do more economic harm than good,' he will say. However, Mr Frydenberg is set to provide tax breaks for business and individuals who use rapid antigen tests to be able to attend work. In his speech on Monday, he will tell the AI Group the government is taking action to remove uncertainty around the tax treatments of these tests. 'Today, I'm announcing that we will ensure that Covid-19 testing expenses are tax deductible for testing taken to attend a place of work, giving businesses and individuals more clarity and assurance,' Mr Frydenberg will say. Mr Frydenberg will make the announcement on Monday while addressing the Australian Industry Group 'We will also ensure that fringe benefits tax will not be incurred by employers where Covid-19 tests are provided to employees for this purpose.' Meanwhile the Australian Bureau of Statistics will update its December retail trade report on Monday to include the quarterly spending result. While the ABS has already reported a 4.4 per cent drop in sales for the month of December, economists' forecasts point to a 8.1 per cent increase over the quarter. Household spending makes up a large proportion of the quarterly economic growth result, which will be contained in the December quarter national accounts due on March 2. A leading indicator to future employment will also come on Monday with the release of the ANZ job advertisement series for January. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Republicans will take a tougher stance on China if the party were to regain the majority after the upcoming midterm elections. The California Republican, 57, stressed that a bipartisan committee on China would be eventually created and one of the major talking points would be to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. In January, Republicans filed a joint letter to President Joe Biden asking for greater transparency and more activity in the cooperation to investigate the emergence of COVID-19 from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, in 2019. Furthermore, GOP members are saying that officials within the federal government and military have failed to respond regarding information on the pandemic. The letter, signed by Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Frank Lucas, (R-Okla.), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) raises concerns on the lack of public knowledge from military research and governmental intelligence. House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans published the report of their inquiry in August of last year, which dug into the possible origins of COVID-19, with member of congress, Michael McCaul, accusing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of creating the 'greatest cover-up in human history.' The report heavily focused on activities within the Chinese region of Wuhan, suggesting that the virus may have been spreading in the country as early as September 2019. The claim proceeds the World Health Organization's Country Office in the People's Republic of China press statement from December 31, 2019, saying there had been emerging cases of 'viral pneumonia' in the region , identified by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission. Minority leader of the House, Kevin McCarthy, shared his plan along with four other GOP members to hold China hold more accountable, starting with an investigation into COVID's origins from the city of Wuhan Wuhan (pictured) is where COVID-19 broke in 2019, but its exact date of outbreak remains questioned The Chinese government released a statement notifying the the World Health Organization about the outbreak of the virus in 2019, but there are some suggestions that cases were found in Wuhan as early as September of that year. Pictured: General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping 'When we take the majority, we will create that committee on China and it will be a bipartisan committee, so you will have one American voice on how we can compete where China comes in and captures the critical minerals, when they come in and capture our medical supply and others,' McCarthy said on Fox's 'Sunday Morning Futures.' He then implied that the committee will look into COVID's origins. McCarthy added that the committee would also investigate another point of concerns: the Afghanistan military withdrawal. The last month of America's longest war was full of controversy, eventually leading to a chaotic plan of evacuation from Kabul's International Airport while the Taliban were planning an invasion on Afghanistan's capital, right after taking over much of the country. The frantic evacuation effort cost the lives of 13 American service members after a suicide-bomb exploded near an airport checkpoint they were controlling in Kabul. A new report by Republicans on the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that came out earlier this month provided insight on the failures of the Biden administration during the last day of U.S. military operations to pull out of Afghanistan. 'It is clear the senior leadership of the Biden Administration failed to effectively plan, coordinate, and execute an orderly withdrawal and evacuation' from Afghanistan, the report reads. 'The Biden Administration squandered precious time, ignored intelligence and recommendations from people on the ground, and refused bipartisan support to give them the resources to succeed. In the process, the botched withdrawal has tarnished America's reputation and credibility.' On Sunday, McCarthy said that there are 'a lot of places' that 'we [Republicans] can hold them [Democrats] accountable.' McCarthy added that if Republicans were to retake control of the House of Representatives, then they would also look into the chaotic withdraw of American troops from Afghanistan from September of last year Allegations surrounding the Bidens' business in China would also be looked into, as the President's has continually rejected claims that he is involved in Hunter's business deals in the Far East McCarthy also cited allegations coming from Government Accountability Institute President Peter Schweizer, expanding on the author's claims on Hunter Biden needing to be investigated by the committee due to his well-document business in China. Prior to Biden's inauguration in 2020, there have been constant refuted claims that the president's son holds a strong relationship with a Chinese businessman who has close ties to Xi Jinping's party, according to Schweizer, who is also the author of the new book 'Red Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win.' Referring to his work, Schweizer said the Biden family has taken full advantage of working with businessmen and politicians in China, to the tune of millions of dollars in recent years. President Biden has repeatedly denied taking part in Hunter's deals. In his latest appearance on Fox News on Sunday, McCarthy concluded his plan by saying that Schweizers book 'raises a lot of questions that need answered.' Seven of Sandhursts most senior officers investigated over the suicide of a female officer cadet will no longer face disciplinary charges, the Daily Mail can reveal. A colonel, two lieutenant colonels and four other officers had been duty-bound to provide support to Olivia Perks, 21, who was known to be a suicide risk before her death in 2019. An Army investigation found the seven commanders failed to make allowances for Miss Perks vulnerability and that welfare provisions at the world famous military academy were inadequate. Files recommending charges against them for negligent discharge of their duties were sent to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) last autumn. A colonel, two lieutenant colonels and four other officers had been duty-bound to provide support to Olivia Perks, 21, who was known to be a suicide risk before her death in 2019 But, after six months of legal deliberations, Miss Perks family have been told the officers will not face a military court. However, the seven may be called as witnesses at a forthcoming inquest into her death where two male instructors remain interested parties. As the Mail has previously reported, one instructor allegedly had an affair with Miss Perks while the other is accused of inviting her to his room after a night of drinking in a breach of Sandhurst rules. The SPAs controversial decision to drop the case comes amid scrutiny over the Armys alleged failures to protect personnel. One source said: Their behaviour amounted to a box-ticking exercise. While these officers put her on the [suicide risk] register, they were not sufficiently engaged with Miss Perks to realise how bad she was feeling. As the Mail has previously reported, one instructor allegedly had an affair with Miss Perks while the other is accused of inviting her to his room after a night of drinking in a breach of Sandhurst rules. Sandhurst is pictured above Individually their failings fell short of the SPAs threshold for disciplinary charges but collectively there was a major failure in welfare and provision of support. They all assumed she was somebody elses responsibility. The Army will publish the conclusions of a service inquiry into Miss Perks death, which came just weeks before she was due to complete the gruelling officer cadets course, later this year. Her parents may also challenge the SPAs decision but were unavailable for comment last night. An Army spokesman said the decision had been made following an in-depth review of the evidence. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit samaritans.org A decorated former Army general now aged 92 could be questioned by police over a notorious Troubles flashpoint in Northern Ireland more than half a century ago. General Sir Geoffrey Howlett, who rose to become commander-in-chief of Allied Forces in Northern Europe, was leading paratroopers in Ballymurphy, west Belfast, in August 1971 when ten people were shot dead during a controversial operation to arrest suspected IRA members. Among those killed were a priest, Father Mullan, and a mother of eight. An inquest last year found that those killed were innocent of wrongdoing and last month the coroner passed her findings to prosecutors in Northern Ireland potentially paving the way for action against soldiers involved. Sir Geoffrey, was commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment in August 1971. Family members have been protesting the deaths for many years. Sir Geoffrey, who as lieutenant colonel was commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment at the time, told the Daily Mail of his fear of being called to a criminal trial to give evidence in cases where veterans in their 70s and 80s face the threat of jail. Sir Geoffrey said: Its very daunting. I dont enjoy being interrogated by lawyers. It has been more than 50 years. It is starting to become absurd. Any further prosecutions of troops who served in Ulster would infuriate Tory MPs. Prosecutions involving five soldiers accused of alleged offences including murder during the Troubles collapsed because of evidential issues or they resulted in acquittals. Sir Geoffrey backs calls for a statute of limitations. Bringing an end to the vexatious prosecutions of Troubles veterans was part of the Conservative Partys 2019 manifesto. However, the party has been accused of breaking repeated promises to introduce legislation. Proposals, announced last summer, have yet to be introduced to the Commons. The victims, pictured, were shot between August 9 and August 11, 1971, during The Troubles, following the launch of a new policy of arrest and internment of suspected IRA members Sir Geoffrey was called to give evidence at the inquest into the Ballymurphy deaths in 2019 aged 89. Beginning in 2018 and concluding last year, the inquest heard from more than 150 witnesses, including 60 former soldiers. Sir Geoffrey added: I felt like I was in the dock. Frightening is not the word. But the counsel for the families was a tough guy. It was hard work. He was very aggressive. He said he agreed to be questioned without anonymity which soldiers are typically granted because he had nothing to hide. He told the families he had enormous sympathy for them. Commenting on the prospect of prosecutions, Sir Geoffrey said: I didnt know what would happen at the end of the inquest. The families said they just wanted to find out what happened. But there are two things: I think they are targeted by outsiders in terms of legal advisers with strong Republican links or sympathies. Pictured family members of the victims arriving at the inquest in 2021 Secondly, there can be financial benefit in terms of compensation. Northern Irelands Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has confirmed it is examining coroner Lady Justice Keegans findings. Legislation states that, where a coroner is examining a death where an offence may have been committed they must send a written report to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The inquest found that nine of the ten victims were killed by the Army. But there was not enough evidence to say who shot the tenth man. Soldiers were deployed to the streets of Ballymurphy on August 9, 1971 to begin the process of internment arrest and detention without trial. Sir Geoffrey recalls commanding officers believing the internment policy to be a mistake and it provoked widespread disorder across Belfast. After the coroner revealed that she had passed her findings to prosecutors, John Teggart, whose father Danny was killed at Ballymurphy, said he hoped soldiers doors will be knocked and they have a lot of sleepless nights. He added: Somebody murdered our loved ones it didnt come out in the inquest who. So we want it to come out in this investigation. Northern Irelands PPS has confirmed it is examining the shootings to decide whether to refer soldiers to a police investigation. Carrie Johnson has slammed 'bitter ex-officials' she has claimed are behind a 'brutal briefing campaign' in a bombshell new biography by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft. Downing Street insiders in the biography, serialised in the Mail on Sunday, have suggested Mrs Johnson, 33, wields huge power within Whitehall and have warned that 'if she doesn't like you, there can be big consequences'. The book, First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, says the Prime Minister enrages advisers by allowing his wife to influence policies and appointments. However, a spokesperson for Ms Johnson hit out today, saying the 'cruel' allegations were 'just the latest attempt by bitter ex-officials' to discredit her. They added: 'She is a private individual who plays no role in government.' The Prime Minister, who is said in the book to be 'completely mesmerised' by his wife, is understood to also be furious. Lord Ashcroft's biography says Mr Johnson cuts a 'lonely' figure and is surrounded by Carrie's close friends, who are now among his most influential aides. The book advances the theory that faultlines in her relationship with the Prime Minister have had an impact on No 10, with one source describing it as 'a Greek tragedy'. It follows allegations over her involvement in 'Wallpapergate', the redecoration of their No11 flat, and her role in the evacuation of animals from the Nowzad charity in Afghanistan. Boris Johnson's survival battle is set to be dealt another blow by the publication of a biography by Lord Ashcroft portraying him as little more than the puppet of his 33-year-old wife Carrie The Prime Minister is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft (pictured at Tory Party Conference) has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers On the claims that Mr Johnson was unhappy in his relationship, the spokesman added: 'Yet more deliberately hurtful smears which are far removed from reality. The opposite is in fact the truth. Mr and Mrs Johnson have a very emotionally supportive relationship.' Pictured: The Johnsons at Conservative Party Conference, Manchester Central The biography also comes as Mr Johnson fights to stay in No 10 following the resignation of five aides in 24 hours and the growing drumbeat of speculation that he could face a vote of no confidence in his leadership. The Prime Minister, though, is understood to believe that Lord Ashcroft has been spun a tissue of lies by disgruntled former No 10 advisers. And in a series of strongly-worded rebuttals earlier this week, a spokesperson for Mrs Johnson claimed the book contained 'vile fabrications' which were 'designed to humiliate and discredit Mrs Johnson', while other stories amounted to 'baseless tittle tattle' and 'offensive nonsense'. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said today that Mrs Johnson was 'under scrutiny in a way He told Times Radio: 'The reportage that somehow she's got undue influence, I don't think that's true. 'The Prime Minister has been in politics for 25 years and has a pretty strong set of ideas.' The front cover of Lord Ashcroft's biography, which is being serialised in The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday Lord Ashcroft's book gives a vivid insider story of in-fighting over Mrs Johnson's influence, and the rows over the appointment of Allegra Stratton to lead No 10 press conferences. The conflict culminated in the dramatic resignation of chief aide Dominic Cummings in 2020. According to Lord Ashcroft's account, the frustrations at Mr Johnson's then girlfriend's apparent influence first emerged during his six-week campaign for the Tory leadership in 2019. It includes claims that Mrs Johnson would use her husband's mobile phone 'to try to direct and control events'. But reacting to the claims in Lord Ashcroft's book today, friends of Mrs Johnson have described the claims as 'misogynistic and cruel', while Mr Johnson is said to be angry at the perceived 'hit job.' Despite the allegations, Lord Ashcroft does refer admiringly to Carrie's 'courage and determination,' as evidenced in her instrumental role ensuring sex-offender Warboys stayed behind bars, in speaking openly of her own experience of a 2021 miscarriage and her work for animal protection, saying the complaints against her are about use of power without electoral accountability. A few weeks after I started working as the Daily Mails royal correspondent, I was invited to tea with a senior courtier. As he stoked a roaring log fire, he told me with unexpected candour: The Prince of Wales is a man who has made mistakes. But he is also a very good man, who has devoted his life to do the best for his country. Should he really be flagellated for the errors he has made in his personal life for the rest of his days? The answer, according to the Queen at least, is clearly no. Her masterful statement on Saturday night expressing her sincere wish for Camilla to be Queen one day cleverly dovetailed her own lifetime of service to the nation with the unwavering support she received from her late husband, as her father had from her mother. Camilla Duchess of Cornwall with Rebecca English - Daily Mail Royal Reporter It was a move long in the planning, I can reveal, but only recent in execution: Her statement was finalised personally at Sandringham on Friday. In contrast to Harry and Meghans departure from Britain and royal duties, there was no great family summit on the issue. The deal on the Duchess of Cornwalls future title of Queen Consort if indeed it can be called that was done by the Queen and her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, along with Charles and his right-hand man, Clive Alderton. Not even Camilla herself was involved. The prince, I am told, spoke to both his sons personally. But, again, there was no debate on the issue. It was a fait accompli the Queen had spoken, once and for all. And there is certainly no sense of jubilation at Clarence House, the Prince of Waless household. This was never about that. From the dozen or so people I have spoken to, all of whom have been involved in discussions on the subject at one point or another over the last 20 years, there is simply a quiet sense of finally tying up ends. The issue of whether Camilla would become Queen was a running sore for the Royal Family from day one because of Dianas legacy. The issue of whether Camilla would become Queen was a running sore for the Royal Family from day one because of Dianas legacy. It is why, when her engagement to Charles was announced in 2005, the princes then-private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, made a point of stating she would not take on the title of Princess of Wales, even though she was perfectly entitled to do so. Furthermore, he said, she would become known as Princess Consort when Charles acceded to the throne. One source who was intimately involved in events at the time says now: I know there are some who will say it was all a lie and there was some grand master plan to make the duchess Queen Consort all along. But frankly everyone was so relieved to have got through the wedding without any public demonstrations or eggs being thrown that people were very happy to park the issue to one side and just see what happened. A few years after the couples marriage at Windsor Guildhall in April 2005, the words intends to be known as were inserted into the Princess Consort phraseology in any pronouncement on the subject. And then in 2018 the issue was erased in its entirety from the Clarence House website, with officials (rather inexplicably) saying people werent interested in it as an issue any more. Change was definitely coming. The couple wed at Windsor Guildhall in April 2005 On a visit to a Wiltshire childrens centre 11 years ago, Camilla was asked by an eight-year-old girl if she would be Queen. You never know, she quickly replied. And in 2010, when the prince was put on the spot by an interviewer and asked if his wife would rule by his side, Charles said: Well see, wont we? That could be. Its worth making clear that, according to every single one of my sources, the title of Queen Consort is not an honour the Duchess of Cornwall has ever pressed for, or even proffered an opinion on. One long-term staffer says: I can honestly say, hand on heart, in all the years I have known her she has never once raised this as an issue or asked, How can we create the environment in which this can happen? If anyone raised it in her presence, because there had been a poll they thought she should be aware of, she was utterly sphinx-like. Inscrutable. At a push she might raise an eyebrow and nod her head in acknowledgement. But you would never know what she thought about it. Never. Another agrees, adding: I never discussed it with her once in all the time I worked for her. And I never heard it being discussed. It was parked as an issue until nearer the time [of Charless accession]. The duchess has always approached her job as to do what is asked of you, when you are asked to do it. You dont try to shape the role to your advantage. Its about duty and service. Thats how the prince looks at things and how she does too. She follows the Duke of Edinburghs approach to the role, which is to be unselfish and supportive. This was always an issue for others to decide. But if it wasnt an issue for Camilla, there is no doubt that it was for Charles. The title of Queen Consort is not an honour the Duchess of Cornwall has ever pressed for, or even proffered an opinion on. Camilla's journey from royal mistress to Queen Consort The Duchess of Cornwall is the former royal mistress who will now stand shoulder to shoulder as Queen with the Prince of Wales when he becomes King. Camilla's public image has been transformed after she was initially cast as the 'third' person in the Prince and Diana, Princess of Wales' marriage, before becoming a campaigning member of the monarchy prepared to serve the nation. Underneath, she was the down-to-earth Sussex girl who grew up with a love of horses and happened to fall in love with a prince. Prince Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005 During the 17 years she has been married to Charles, the duchess has grown into her role and is now an assured royal host when staging events at Clarence House and a confident representative of the Queen when invited to foreign lands. She is patron or supporter of a number of literacy charities, speaks out in support of victims of domestic violence and champions several animal welfare organisations. But her most significant role is supporting the prince and being the comforting presence at home that enables him to take on the role of heir to the throne. After Charles and Camilla both divorced - and Diana died in 1997 - the duchess' emergence as the prince's long-term partner was part of a carefully planned PR campaign masterminded by the heir to the throne's spin doctor Mark Bolland. Their first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in London in 1999, dubbed Operation Ritz, where the mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off. The culmination of the romance was a marriage between the long-time lovers who wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005. With Camilla by his side, Charles appears more relaxed and many times during royal events she has cajoled and encouraged him to try something new or have some fun. Now the Queen's wishes have bestowed upon Camilla the ultimate accolade in recognition of her importance to Charles and the monarchy. Advertisement For the prince, it is less about the role itself and more about respect, one source close to the prince tells me. He feels she deserves to be treated as any other second wife. What other woman isnt allowed to be called Mrs X and have the same rights and privileges as a first wife? The truth is, to deny her of it would be punitive. And if you feel like that about the future Queen Consort, then what does it say about every other woman in the country? It feels out of the step with the time. Another friend of the prince adds: He loves his wife, he adores her. He calls her his mehbooba my beloved [in Urdu]. How could he be a true husband and endorse a situation when she was asked to be a second-class citizen? I am told by several impeccably placed sources that around 2017-2018, Charles and his team had made up their minds that Camilla should become Queen Consort. It was absolutely a done deal as far as Clarence House were concerned, said one. Indeed, in 2019 they were on the verge of actually announcing it to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Charles becoming Prince of Wales. But at the last minute they bottled it, feeling the occasion wasnt entirely right as it was more about him than the Queen. People were still nervous of how it would be received without her endorsement, they said. So what has now changed? There is no doubt over the past few months the Queen has not been shy of talking about the future, explains one senior courtier. Most poignantly, the monarch, who will celebrate her 96th birthday in April, told the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year of how none of us will live for ever and how proud she was of her family. And her Christmas address was littered with references to traditions being passed down the generations and how it is a source of comfort to her. While most people dont want to think of the Queens passing, she does, says one senior royal aide. And she feels it is time to tie up the loose ends. We have never had a Platinum Jubilee before and the Queen sees it as an opportunity to pass her wisdom on Ive done this job for 70 years, I know the importance of the role my husband played in it. I saw it in my father and mother. She honestly believes that [Camilla] deserves the title. This is the Queen looking forward and addressing an issue that she thinks really needs to be addressed. Nobody puts words in the Queens mouth. And she believes that you cant do this sort of role without support, which requires sacrifice. Its a partnership and the title should go with it. Last month, the Queen made Camilla a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in England, in the New Year Honours. The writing was on the wall. And after discussing the matter with Charles and her advisers again, she decided to use her Accession Day address to make her sincere wish clear. Other members of the Royal Family including Dianas sons were told of her decision in advance. William is sanguine. Its a decision above his head and he loves his father and wants him to be happy. Harrys response can only be guessed at maybe we will read about it in his book later this year? The Queen wants to protect her legacy, she wants a smooth transition of power and it makes sense from her perspective, another insider adds. There will, of course, be the steadfast Diana camp who will never ever accept it. Other members of the Royal Family including Dianas sons were told of the Queen's decision in advance But I think they are in the minority now. And, crucially, the whole family supports this. Just because they said something different at the time they got married, doesnt make that a lie. There was no master plan to crown Queen Camilla. This has come about because of 17 years of loyal and faultless service by the duchess, thousands of engagements and hundreds of overseas visits. Shes been a fantastic consort to the Prince of Wales, who has never tried to overshadow him and has embraced everything that has been thrown at her. Shes also gone on to campaign about some really brave issues of her own, such as domestic abuse and violence against women. Shes not played it safe. Another, who has known all of those involved for almost two decades, adds: We are very, very lucky in our Royal Family to have some fantastically strong and dedicated women. And Camilla is now firmly one of those. As far as the Queen is concerned, this is the last piece of the jigsaw. It is time. Camilla has earned her place by Charless side. Advertisement Prince Charles changed his coronation vows several years ago to include Queen Camilla with his mothers blessing, the Daily Mail can reveal. The insertion of his wifes title was included as part of a general reworking of plans for the Westminster Abbey ceremony up to five years ago, a senior palace source said. On Saturday, the Queen announced that the Duchess of Cornwall will become Queen Consort when her husband accedes to the throne. It can also be revealed that Camilla will have the Queen Mothers priceless platinum and diamond crown placed on her head when Charles is made king. It was created for King George VIs coronation in 1937. Yesterday the Prince of Wales made clear his gratitude to the Queen for her support, saying that he and Camilla who he described as his darling wife were deeply conscious of the honour represented by his mothers wish. He marked the Queens historic Accession Day, heralding the start of her Platinum Jubilee year, by saying her devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year. Buckingham Palace issued a glorious new photograph of the 95-year-old monarch sitting in an armchair at Sandringham with her ever-present red despatch box of official papers to mark her historic 70 years on the throne. Her father, King George VI, died at the Norfolk residence on February 6, 1952, at the age of 56, leaving his elder daughter as Queen at the age of just 25. In a highly significant announcement at the weekend, Her Majesty used her unprecedented milestone anniversary to express her desire for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds her. She wrote: When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me, and it is my sincere wish that, when the time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service. Prince Charles changed his coronation vows several years ago to include Queen Camilla with his mothers blessing (pictured: The Queen and Camilla in 2019) Charles and Camilla smile as they visit local shops and businesses during a short walk through Ballater, Scotland, in August last year Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall pictured together during a visit to Ebony Horse Club & Community Riding Centre in London in 2013 Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, pictured as she leaves the State Opening of Parliament in 2013. The Queen has used her Platinum Jubilee message to the nation to back the Duchess of Cornwall as Queen Camilla Charles and Camilla stand together during the official ceremonial welcome for the Chinese State Visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to London in 2015 Charles and Camilla pictured leaving St George's Chapel, Windsor, following the blessing of their wedding in 2005 Poignant history of the crown shell wear THE Duchess of Cornwall will wear a crown made for the Queen Mother when Prince Charles becomes king. It boasts a platinum frame set with 2,800 diamonds, many of which came from Queen Victorias Regal Circlet, and contains the Koh-i-Noor (meaning Mountain of Light) diamond, one of the worlds largest and most controversial jewels. Queen Elizabeth, as she was then, wore the crown to the coronation of her husband George VI in 1937. It now forms part of the Crown Jewels on display at the Tower of London. The 105.6-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond came into British hands in the mid-19th century as a gift for Victoria. However, many in India believe it was stolen and have demanded it is handed back. The crown contains a second large diamond, given in 1856 to Victoria by Sultan Abdulmedjid, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, as a gesture of gratitude for British support during the Crimean War. Made by royal jewellers Garrard & Co, Queen Elizabeth wore the crown but without its arches to the state openings of Parliament during her husbands reign, and at the coronation of her daughter Elizabeth II in 1953. Advertisement The Mail can reveal today that plans to crown Camilla as Queen Consort as opposed to Princess Consort, as originally planned have been under way for some time, and Charles came close to announcing it in 2019. A royal source said: This is something that has been on the Prince of Wales mind for some time, but the timing had to be right. There was a nervousness, they wanted to get it right. Its been a done deal for some time, but the question has been how best to execute it. You are not going to please everyone. They understand that some people still wont be happy, but the family believe it is the right thing to do. The change was made clear when Clarence House and palace officials embarked on an overhaul of the plans for Charless coronation several years ago. Key national events are regularly the subject of planning reviews and, as the previous coronation took place in 1953, officials wanted to make the ceremony more streamlined and up-to-date. It is understood to have been shortened from the Queens three-hour long event and, while still spectacular, is designed to better reflect the times, with more religious, cultural and ethnic diversity. It also included the duchess crowned Queen Consort, a household insider said. Any changes would have taken place with the Queens blessing and the knowledge of Buckingham Palace. The Queen Mothers crown features 2,800 diamonds with a large stone given to Queen Victoria in 1856 by the Sultan of Turkey as a gesture of gratitude for British support during the Crimean War. The front cross holds the famous 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, which originated in India, in a detachable platinum mount. Charles yesterday made clear his gratitude to his mother for her support, issuing a statement which said: On this historic day, my wife and I join you all in congratulating Her Majesty The Queen on the remarkable achievement of serving this nation, the realms and Commonwealth for seventy years. The Queens devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year. We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mothers wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout. The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings an opportunity for us all to come together in celebrating the service of the Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come. Charles and Camilla pictured together at the Great Pyramids of Giza on the third day of their tour of the Middle East in November last year The couple pose together in front of the Sphinx, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, on November 18 last year A statement issued by Clarence House on Sunday as Charles paid tribute to his mother's 'devotion to the welfare of all her people' One senior royal source told the Mail yesterday that the Queen felt Camilla deserved to get the proper title that comes with the job. They said: Shes never once tried to overshadow her husband, shes always played a supportive role to the Prince of Wales. He is her top priority. But she has also carved a role out for herself, has travelled hundreds of thousands of miles on thousands of engagements, taken on some really powerful causes such as violence against women, but is still cheerfully willing to go to the back-end of beyond to cut ribbons and shake hands. She is warm, friendly and hasnt put a foot wrong. The transition to a new monarch after such a remarkable head of state, whose sense of humility and duty is an example to us all, is going to be so monumental that you dont want any own goals in the middle of it all. 'The Queen has always led by example and she continues to do so now. No-one should be under any illusion that this was something Camilla wanted or sought. Shell be doing it because its what the prince wants, and its good for the institution in the long run. Tributes were paid to the Queens 70 years of duty by political leaders in the UK and abroad yesterday, with Boris Johnson acknowledging her unwavering dedication to this nation. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised her unparalleled public service and for being a global symbol of grace and dignity. A tweet from the US White Houses official account praised the monarch for having strengthened the ties of friendship, shared ideals, and faith in democracy that forever unite our countries. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau hailed the Queen for offering steadfast leadership in times of change, hardship, or uncertainty. Some 1.3 million coins are being made available on limited release at UK post offices. A maximum mintage has been fixed at 5,000,070 coins in a further nod to the Queens 70 years on the throne. Post offices in Windsor and close to Sandringham were among the first branches to receive the coin. Postmaster Umesh Sanghani, who has run Dedworth Green Post Office in Windsor with wife Rashmita for 23 years, said: We have had many customers coming in to check that we are going to get the special coin. They dont want to miss out on this souvenir. I am a royalist. It is amazing the Queen has reached her 70th anniversary. I am really looking forward to the celebrations. Charles's Queen Mehbooba: That's Urdu for 'my beloved' and his pet name for Camilla... REBECCA ENGLISH's inside story of why the prince could never allow the duchess to be a second class citizen - and how the Queen finally moved to heal a 20-year issue Rebecca English, Royal Editor for The Daily Mail A few weeks after I started working as the Daily Mails royal correspondent, I was invited to tea with a senior courtier. As he stoked a roaring log fire, he told me with unexpected candour: The Prince of Wales is a man who has made mistakes. But he is also a very good man, who has devoted his life to do the best for his country. Should he really be flagellated for the errors he has made in his personal life for the rest of his days? The answer, according to the Queen at least, is clearly no. Her masterful statement on Saturday night expressing her sincere wish for Camilla to be Queen one day cleverly dovetailed her own lifetime of service to the nation with the unwavering support she received from her late husband, as her father had from her mother. Camilla Duchess of Cornwall with Rebecca English - Daily Mail Royal Reporter It was a move long in the planning, I can reveal, but only recent in execution: Her statement was finalised personally at Sandringham on Friday. In contrast to Harry and Meghans departure from Britain and royal duties, there was no great family summit on the issue. The deal on the Duchess of Cornwalls future title of Queen Consort if indeed it can be called that was done by the Queen and her private secretary, Sir Edward Young, along with Charles and his right-hand man, Clive Alderton. Not even Camilla herself was involved. The prince, I am told, spoke to both his sons personally. But, again, there was no debate on the issue. It was a fait accompli the Queen had spoken, once and for all. And there is certainly no sense of jubilation at Clarence House, the Prince of Waless household. This was never about that. From the dozen or so people I have spoken to, all of whom have been involved in discussions on the subject at one point or another over the last 20 years, there is simply a quiet sense of finally tying up ends. The issue of whether Camilla would become Queen was a running sore for the Royal Family from day one because of Dianas legacy. It is why, when her engagement to Charles was announced in 2005, the princes then-private secretary, Sir Michael Peat, made a point of stating she would not take on the title of Princess of Wales, even though she was perfectly entitled to do so. Furthermore, he said, she would become known as Princess Consort when Charles acceded to the throne. One source who was intimately involved in events at the time says now: I know there are some who will say it was all a lie and there was some grand master plan to make the duchess Queen Consort all along. But frankly everyone was so relieved to have got through the wedding without any public demonstrations or eggs being thrown that people were very happy to park the issue to one side and just see what happened. A few years after the couples marriage at Windsor Guildhall in April 2005, the words intends to be known as were inserted into the Princess Consort phraseology in any pronouncement on the subject. And then in 2018 the issue was erased in its entirety from the Clarence House website, with officials (rather inexplicably) saying people werent interested in it as an issue any more. Change was definitely coming. On a visit to a Wiltshire childrens centre 11 years ago, Camilla was asked by an eight-year-old girl if she would be Queen. You never know, she quickly replied. And in 2010, when the prince was put on the spot by an interviewer and asked if his wife would rule by his side, Charles said: Well see, wont we? That could be. Its worth making clear that, according to every single one of my sources, the title of Queen Consort is not an honour the Duchess of Cornwall has ever pressed for, or even proffered an opinion on. One long-term staffer says: I can honestly say, hand on heart, in all the years I have known her she has never once raised this as an issue or asked, How can we create the environment in which this can happen? If anyone raised it in her presence, because there had been a poll they thought she should be aware of, she was utterly sphinx-like. Inscrutable. At a push she might raise an eyebrow and nod her head in acknowledgement. But you would never know what she thought about it. Never. Another agrees, adding: I never discussed it with her once in all the time I worked for her. And I never heard it being discussed. It was parked as an issue until nearer the time [of Charless accession]. The duchess has always approached her job as to do what is asked of you, when you are asked to do it. You dont try to shape the role to your advantage. Its about duty and service. Thats how the prince looks at things and how she does too. She follows the Duke of Edinburghs approach to the role, which is to be unselfish and supportive. This was always an issue for others to decide. But if it wasnt an issue for Camilla, there is no doubt that it was for Charles. The title of Queen Consort is not an honour the Duchess of Cornwall has ever pressed for, or even proffered an opinion on. Camilla's journey from royal mistress to Queen Consort The Duchess of Cornwall is the former royal mistress who will now stand shoulder to shoulder as Queen with the Prince of Wales when he becomes King. Camilla's public image has been transformed after she was initially cast as the 'third' person in the Prince and Diana, Princess of Wales' marriage, before becoming a campaigning member of the monarchy prepared to serve the nation. Underneath, she was the down-to-earth Sussex girl who grew up with a love of horses and happened to fall in love with a prince. Prince Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005 During the 17 years she has been married to Charles, the duchess has grown into her role and is now an assured royal host when staging events at Clarence House and a confident representative of the Queen when invited to foreign lands. She is patron or supporter of a number of literacy charities, speaks out in support of victims of domestic violence and champions several animal welfare organisations. But her most significant role is supporting the prince and being the comforting presence at home that enables him to take on the role of heir to the throne. After Charles and Camilla both divorced - and Diana died in 1997 - the duchess' emergence as the prince's long-term partner was part of a carefully planned PR campaign masterminded by the heir to the throne's spin doctor Mark Bolland. Their first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in London in 1999, dubbed Operation Ritz, where the mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off. The culmination of the romance was a marriage between the long-time lovers who wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005. With Camilla by his side, Charles appears more relaxed and many times during royal events she has cajoled and encouraged him to try something new or have some fun. Now the Queen's wishes have bestowed upon Camilla the ultimate accolade in recognition of her importance to Charles and the monarchy. Advertisement For the prince, it is less about the role itself and more about respect, one source close to the prince tells me. He feels she deserves to be treated as any other second wife. What other woman isnt allowed to be called Mrs X and have the same rights and privileges as a first wife? The truth is, to deny her of it would be punitive. And if you feel like that about the future Queen Consort, then what does it say about every other woman in the country? It feels out of the step with the time. Another friend of the prince adds: He loves his wife, he adores her. He calls her his mehbooba my beloved [in Urdu]. How could he be a true husband and endorse a situation when she was asked to be a second-class citizen? I am told by several impeccably placed sources that around 2017-2018, Charles and his team had made up their minds that Camilla should become Queen Consort. It was absolutely a done deal as far as Clarence House were concerned, said one. Indeed, in 2019 they were on the verge of actually announcing it to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Charles becoming Prince of Wales. But at the last minute they bottled it, feeling the occasion wasnt entirely right as it was more about him than the Queen. People were still nervous of how it would be received without her endorsement, they said. So what has now changed? There is no doubt over the past few months the Queen has not been shy of talking about the future, explains one senior courtier. Most poignantly, the monarch, who will celebrate her 96th birthday in April, told the Cop26 summit in Glasgow last year of how none of us will live for ever and how proud she was of her family. And her Christmas address was littered with references to traditions being passed down the generations and how it is a source of comfort to her. While most people dont want to think of the Queens passing, she does, says one senior royal aide. And she feels it is time to tie up the loose ends. We have never had a Platinum Jubilee before and the Queen sees it as an opportunity to pass her wisdom on Ive done this job for 70 years, I know the importance of the role my husband played in it. I saw it in my father and mother. She honestly believes that [Camilla] deserves the title. This is the Queen looking forward and addressing an issue that she thinks really needs to be addressed. Nobody puts words in the Queens mouth. And she believes that you cant do this sort of role without support, which requires sacrifice. Its a partnership and the title should go with it. Last month, the Queen made Camilla a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in England, in the New Year Honours. The writing was on the wall. And after discussing the matter with Charles and her advisers again, she decided to use her Accession Day address to make her sincere wish clear. Other members of the Royal Family including Dianas sons were told of her decision in advance. William is sanguine. Its a decision above his head and he loves his father and wants him to be happy. Harrys response can only be guessed at maybe we will read about it in his book later this year? The Queen wants to protect her legacy, she wants a smooth transition of power and it makes sense from her perspective, another insider adds. There will, of course, be the steadfast Diana camp who will never ever accept it. Other members of the Royal Family including Dianas sons were told of the Queen's decision in advance But I think they are in the minority now. And, crucially, the whole family supports this. Just because they said something different at the time they got married, doesnt make that a lie. There was no master plan to crown Queen Camilla. This has come about because of 17 years of loyal and faultless service by the duchess, thousands of engagements and hundreds of overseas visits. Shes been a fantastic consort to the Prince of Wales, who has never tried to overshadow him and has embraced everything that has been thrown at her. Shes also gone on to campaign about some really brave issues of her own, such as domestic abuse and violence against women. Shes not played it safe. Another, who has known all of those involved for almost two decades, adds: We are very, very lucky in our Royal Family to have some fantastically strong and dedicated women. And Camilla is now firmly one of those. As far as the Queen is concerned, this is the last piece of the jigsaw. It is time. Camilla has earned her place by Charless side. Princess Diana called her the 'third person' in her marriage - but the woman once seen as the problem is now the solution by making herself indispensable to Prince Charles and transforming him into a more relaxed kind of prince, writes RICHARD KAY The journey that has taken the former Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles from mistress to Queen-in-waiting has been long, bumpy and exhausting. On the way, she has been vilified to a degree that would have sent many women into the bleakest spiral of depression. At times, her very presence in Prince Charless life was said to have imperilled the existence of the throne. Now she is endorsed as its saviour for her calming influence that will allow her husband to become the King he wants to be. Never has that old saying that time changes everything been more appropriate. 'Indeed, so smooth has been Camillas transition from wicked woman to the gracious Duchess of Cornwall that, for many, the role she will occupy as the wife of the future King Charles had ceased to have much meaning', writes RICHARD KAY. Pictured: Prince Charles and Camilla in 1975 Princess Diana (left) and Camilla (right) at Ludlow Races where Prince Charles was competing in 1980 Some 23 years ago, just 12 months after the crash in Paris in which Princess Diana was killed, Charles went to see the Queen. He was looking for his mothers approval and support for his relationship with Mrs Parker Bowles, which ever since his ex-wifes death had continued to be conducted in the shadows. It was not a happy meeting. The Queen told her son she did not want to talk about that wicked woman. Those were the days, of course, when memories of Diana, accompanied by considerable public anger at the way she was perceived to have been treated, were still fresh in the nations mind. Today, the woman memorably described by the princess as the third person in her marriage, has not merely been accepted into the Royal Family, she has turned into its most central female figure after the Queen herself, a trusted and reassuring lynchpin between the young and the old. Her support for the Queen as she coped with the death of Prince Philip and the isolation of the Covid pandemic has been vital. But then so too has been the way she has helped Prince Williams wife Kate, who has struggled at times with the increased scrutiny that has come with the self-imposed exile of Prince Harry and his family. At the same time, the nervousness that used to characterise her own public engagements has long since vanished, replaced by an easy warmth that has shifted many of the prejudices that had been held against her. Indeed, so smooth has been Camillas transition from wicked woman to the gracious Duchess of Cornwall that, for many, the role she will occupy as the wife of the future King Charles had ceased to have much meaning. For several years polls have suggested that most British people would not object if, rather than the title Princess Consort aides said she would use when the Prince of Wales becomes monarch, she is crowned Queen Consort. But even so, Palace officials remained nervous about changing a policy that had been formulated at the time of the couples engagement in 2005. In part, this was to ensure she did not take the title that would automatically have been Dianas had she lived and the couple remained married. Charles, however, was confident that the British tradition of forgiveness and fair play would ultimately allow his wife to be anointed Queen at his side. Increasingly so too were courtiers. Camillas New Year elevation to the Order of the Garter was not just a reward for the loyalty and discretion she has shown since her marriage, but also a clear sign that attitudes were softening. The Queens weekend intervention declaring that it is her sincere wish for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds to the throne is a game-changer. By making it such a personal announcement almost certainly means there will be far fewer critical voices. It also demonstrates the Queens long-held view that the role of monarch is a two-person job. Throughout her reign she lavished praise on Philip for his unquestioning support. Knowing both the demands of the position and the character of her son, she has long felt Charles would be better served with a consort who can share the responsibilities just as Philip did. Indeed, she feared that Charles might even fail as King unless Camilla was allowed to be his strength and stay just as she famously proclaimed Prince Philip had been to her. The Queen has been photographed working from her red boxes in an image released on the day she passes the historic milestone of 70 years on the throne. The smiling 95-year-old monarch is pictured with her papers of state on a table in front of her and poignantly nearby is an image of her father King George VI All the same, making the decision at a time of political instability was a bold one and has also revealed the paradox of Camilla herself. The woman once seen as the problem for the monarchy is now seen as the solution. When the Queen first learned her son was sleeping with the wife of a brother officer in the Brigade of Guards, she regarded Camilla as an adulteress who had led her bachelor son astray. Instructions were issued that Mrs Parker Bowles was never to be on the guest list for any formal event at which the Queen was to be present. Fast forward to 2005 and the words the Queen spoke at Charles and Camillas Windsor Castle wedding reception: My son is home and dry with the woman he loves, she said, adding: Welcome to the winners enclosure. Her pragmatic private view had become: Since Camilla isnt going anywhere she may as well be welcomed. As for the special nugget of Welsh gold kept for royal wedding rings, the Queen is said to have drily observed: There is very little of it left there wont be enough for a third wedding. Camilla will doubtless adjust to the new realities of her life just as she has to every other change since first dallying with the Prince of Wales when both were unmarried in the 1970s, with a rueful smile and that distinctive earthy chuckle.Her story is not one of ambition but it is one of determination. Friends believe her success has been based on making herself indispensable to those to whom she wishes to be close. When Charles failed to propose to her in 1973, the then Camilla Shand agreed to marry the dashing Andrew Parker Bowles, a well-connected young officer in the glamorous Blues and Royals. His parents were long-time friends of Charles grandmother Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and at 13 Andrew was a pageboy at Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation. The two had been dating off and on for several years after meeting at a coming-out ball. Camilla herself came out in 1965 with a Knightsbridge cocktail party when she was 17. Jennifer, the austere diarist of Queen magazine, described her as attractive, not exactly a ringing endorsement of her looks. It meant average. Average or not, the young Miss Shand was hugely popular with debs delights as the well-born sons of the aristocracy and landed gentry were known. She, of course, had an eligible pedigree. Her father Major Bruce, who won a double MC in World War II, was a wealthy wine merchant and master of foxhounds in East Sussex. Her mother Rosalind, meanwhile, was the daughter of Lord Ashcombe and a member of the exceedingly rich Cubitt family who built Belgravia. Old loves have haunted many a marriage but few have rocked a throne. That Charles had been smitten by Camilla from their very first meeting is beyond question. Where he was awkward and shy, she was vivacious, confident and outgoing. She was sexy and men found her attractive. With the Queen setting out her wishes and calling for people to support Charles and Camilla, the duchess will undoubtedly be crowned alongside the prince at his coronation when the time comes. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Rothesay share a laugh during a visit to Dumfries House, Scotland Charles was deeply upset by his rejection but hardly in a position to complain. It was his own reluctance to commit himself to a woman with a past an unforgiveable blemish in a prospective queen in the eyes of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who advised the prince on such matters which had made it all but inevitable that Camilla would find someone who would. The story of their affair and the break-up of the royal marriage has never gone away. Anniversaries of Dianas death and this year marks the 25th have ensured that it (and Camillas role) remain in the headlines. What is remarkable is how the couple have weathered the attention, matched only by the speed of Camillas transformation from pariah to duchess to future Queen consort. At times it was painfully slow; Camilla was the non-negotiable part of his life. Their appearance together on the steps of the Ritz Hotel in front of a battery of photographers seemed at the time to be the peak of their ambitions. In fact, it was only the start. Step by careful step, Camilla assumed a wifely role for the prince meeting his sons, running his homes and organising his social life. But she was also responsible for a new kind of prince, more relaxed, less cranky. When they were together laughter was often heard. Terms of endearment too darling from him, dear from her.There were setbacks aplenty, of course. The publication of Prince Philips private letters to Diana, which revealed that he and the Queen never dreamed Charles might leave the princess for Camilla, was one. Nor was Camilla invited to Prince Philips 80th birthday celebrations and she was absent from the Golden Jubilee extravaganza. In thanking his mother and in paying tribute to his darling wife, Prince Charless response does provoke a question: what about your other wife, mother of your sons and grandmother to your five grandchildren? By the time of the Queens next landmark in 2012, the Diamond Jubilee, she was centre stage just as she will be for this years Platinum jamboree. From the moment they were declared man and wife almost 17 years ago, Charles and Camilla have looked like a couple who want to grow old together. She also showed a generosity of spirit to rise above the vicious backbiting and envy that is so much a part of royal life. It is hard to reconcile the prince of whom Diana said on Panorama that the top job, i.e. King would be emotionally beyond him, with the heir to the throne who today, thanks to Camilla, is a contented co-monarch with his mother. How much is Camilla responsible? The only conclusion is completely. Doubtless there will be more hitches in the time ahead. It is sensible that the Queen informed William and Harry of her position before making it public. Prince Harrys soon-to-be-published memoir may make difficult reading for Camilla another potential reason for the Queen revealing her wishes now. When both boys set out in 2017 to gently question their mothers friends it was the 20th anniversary of her death about her, Camillas name came up. Not in a good way, says one friend. Harry in particular had some strong words about her. In thanking his mother and in paying tribute to his darling wife, Prince Charless response does provoke a question: what about your other wife, mother of your sons and grandmother to your five grandchildren? Camillas elevation to Queen might also be a lot less bumpy if the prince can find it in himself to make an acknowledgement of the debt he also owes Diana. Disgraced former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has been spotted running errands with his estranged wife after he was released on licence from prison. The self-proclaimed naughty Tory was dramatically dumped on Twitter by Natalie, his wife of 25 years who took over from him as the MP for Dover, after he was convicted of three counts of sexual assault in 2020. But since his release from jail in September, the former couple have been forced to navigate the difficulties of bringing up their teenage son together. Disgraced former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has been spotted running errands with his estranged wife after he was released on licence from prison Elphicke, who admitted to cheating on his wife during his trial, was freed on licence after serving half of his two-year prison sentence. Last week he was pictured driving a 4x4 with a stony-faced Mrs Elphicke in the passenger seat near her 1.6 million home in Fulham, west London. It is the first time the pair have been pictured together since they arrived hand-in-hand at court throughout his trial, which culminated in Mrs Elphicke storming out after the verdict. She later backed a failed appeal against his prison sentence, saying she wanted him to co-parent their teenage son while he was growing up. Last night, Mrs Elphicke said: Charlie has his own place and I have mine. We co-parent our son who lives with me. Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke, with MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke, arriving at Southwark Crown Court in London in July 2020 Like many thousands of other separated families, we work together to minimise the impact of divorce on our child and to sort out the last bits and bobs of our previous life as we finalise matters. Mrs Elphickes mother Julia Pears has expressed her dismay that toxic Elphicke is still in her daughters life. Mrs Pears said: Its a difficult situation but its not what I would do because I think Charless behaviour is absolutely disgusting. Natalie is a very strong, competent and good person and shes in a very difficult situation and will want to do whats best for her son. Elphicke, a former Government whip, is due to face judges next month over 35,000 of unpaid court costs from his 2020 trial. He has claimed he has been left broke after spending what little money he has left on six months rent for a 475,000 one-bedroom flat in Fulham, having split from his wife. He told Uxbridge Magistrates Court in November: I have no job, I have no career, I am long-term unemployed. The ex-MP for Dover, who was jailed for sexual assault, was released in September having served half of his two-year sentence for three sexual assaults on two women Disgraced former MP Charlie Elphicke, who was jailed for sexual assault, has been pictured for the first time following his release from prison I am separated from my wife who has filed for divorce. I have had to find a new place to live. The Elphickes recently sold their marital home in St Margarets Bay, Dover, for 1,525,000 almost double what they paid for it. But Elphicke said he received only 51,000 from the proceeds of the sale, which went on legal fees and his rent. He said he had considerable debts, including a 100,000 loan from his estranged wife which was used to fund his trial defence fees. Elphicke, who has been given until the end of his licence in September to clear his bills, will be in court next month for a review of his progress. During his trial, the jury heard that he forced himself on two young women in similar attacks, kissing them open-mouthed and groping their breasts. In one attack, Elphicke chased his victim around his home as his two children slept upstairs, chanting: Im a naughty Tory. The journey that has taken the former Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles from mistress to Queen-in-waiting has been long, bumpy and exhausting. On the way, she has been vilified to a degree that would have sent many women into the bleakest spiral of depression. At times, her very presence in Prince Charless life was said to have imperilled the existence of the throne. Now she is endorsed as its saviour for her calming influence that will allow her husband to become the King he wants to be. Never has that old saying that time changes everything been more appropriate. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, leave St George's Chapel, Windsor, following the blessing of their wedding in 2005 'Indeed, so smooth has been Camillas transition from wicked woman to the gracious Duchess of Cornwall that, for many, the role she will occupy as the wife of the future King Charles had ceased to have much meaning', writes RICHARD KAY. Pictured: Prince Charles and Camilla in 1975 Princess Diana (left) and Camilla (right) at Ludlow Races where Prince Charles was competing in 1980 Some 23 years ago, just 12 months after the crash in Paris in which Princess Diana was killed, Charles went to see the Queen. He was looking for his mothers approval and support for his relationship with Mrs Parker Bowles, which ever since his ex-wifes death had continued to be conducted in the shadows. It was not a happy meeting. The Queen told her son she did not want to talk about that wicked woman. Those were the days, of course, when memories of Diana, accompanied by considerable public anger at the way she was perceived to have been treated, were still fresh in the nations mind. Today, the woman memorably described by the princess as the third person in her marriage, has not merely been accepted into the Royal Family, she has turned into its most central female figure after the Queen herself, a trusted and reassuring lynchpin between the young and the old. Her support for the Queen as she coped with the death of Prince Philip and the isolation of the Covid pandemic has been vital. But then so too has been the way she has helped Prince Williams wife Kate, who has struggled at times with the increased scrutiny that has come with the self-imposed exile of Prince Harry and his family. At the same time, the nervousness that used to characterise her own public engagements has long since vanished, replaced by an easy warmth that has shifted many of the prejudices that had been held against her. Indeed, so smooth has been Camillas transition from wicked woman to the gracious Duchess of Cornwall that, for many, the role she will occupy as the wife of the future King Charles had ceased to have much meaning. Some 23 years ago, just 12 months after the crash in Paris in which Princess Diana was killed, Charles went to see the Queen The Queen assured the Duchess of Cornwall (pictured) will be made Queen Consort when Charles becomes King in an historic Platinum Jubilee statement, ending years of uncertainty over the issue For several years polls have suggested that most British people would not object if, rather than the title Princess Consort aides said she would use when the Prince of Wales becomes monarch, she is crowned Queen Consort. But even so, Palace officials remained nervous about changing a policy that had been formulated at the time of the couples engagement in 2005. In part, this was to ensure she did not take the title that would automatically have been Dianas had she lived and the couple remained married. Charles, however, was confident that the British tradition of forgiveness and fair play would ultimately allow his wife to be anointed Queen at his side. Increasingly so too were courtiers. Camillas New Year elevation to the Order of the Garter was not just a reward for the loyalty and discretion she has shown since her marriage, but also a clear sign that attitudes were softening. The Queens weekend intervention declaring that it is her sincere wish for her daughter-in-law to be fully acknowledged when Charles succeeds to the throne is a game-changer. By making it such a personal announcement almost certainly means there will be far fewer critical voices. It also demonstrates the Queens long-held view that the role of monarch is a two-person job. Throughout her reign she lavished praise on Philip for his unquestioning support. Knowing both the demands of the position and the character of her son, she has long felt Charles would be better served with a consort who can share the responsibilities just as Philip did. Indeed, she feared that Charles might even fail as King unless Camilla was allowed to be his strength and stay just as she famously proclaimed Prince Philip had been to her. The Queen has been photographed working from her red boxes in an image released on the day she passes the historic milestone of 70 years on the throne. The smiling 95-year-old monarch is pictured with her papers of state on a table in front of her and poignantly nearby is an image of her father King George VI All the same, making the decision at a time of political instability was a bold one and has also revealed the paradox of Camilla herself. The woman once seen as the problem for the monarchy is now seen as the solution. When the Queen first learned her son was sleeping with the wife of a brother officer in the Brigade of Guards, she regarded Camilla as an adulteress who had led her bachelor son astray. Instructions were issued that Mrs Parker Bowles was never to be on the guest list for any formal event at which the Queen was to be present. Fast forward to 2005 and the words the Queen spoke at Charles and Camillas Windsor Castle wedding reception: My son is home and dry with the woman he loves, she said, adding: Welcome to the winners enclosure. Her pragmatic private view had become: Since Camilla isnt going anywhere she may as well be welcomed. As for the special nugget of Welsh gold kept for royal wedding rings, the Queen is said to have drily observed: There is very little of it left there wont be enough for a third wedding. Camilla will doubtless adjust to the new realities of her life just as she has to every other change since first dallying with the Prince of Wales when both were unmarried in the 1970s, with a rueful smile and that distinctive earthy chuckle.Her story is not one of ambition but it is one of determination. Friends believe her success has been based on making herself indispensable to those to whom she wishes to be close. When Charles failed to propose to her in 1973, the then Camilla Shand agreed to marry the dashing Andrew Parker Bowles, a well-connected young officer in the glamorous Blues and Royals. His parents were long-time friends of Charles grandmother Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and at 13 Andrew was a pageboy at Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation. The two had been dating off and on for several years after meeting at a coming-out ball. Camilla herself came out in 1965 with a Knightsbridge cocktail party when she was 17. Jennifer, the austere diarist of Queen magazine, described her as attractive, not exactly a ringing endorsement of her looks. It meant average. Average or not, the young Miss Shand was hugely popular with debs delights as the well-born sons of the aristocracy and landed gentry were known. She, of course, had an eligible pedigree. Her father Major Bruce, who won a double MC in World War II, was a wealthy wine merchant and master of foxhounds in East Sussex. Her mother Rosalind, meanwhile, was the daughter of Lord Ashcombe and a member of the exceedingly rich Cubitt family who built Belgravia. Old loves have haunted many a marriage but few have rocked a throne. That Charles had been smitten by Camilla from their very first meeting is beyond question. Where he was awkward and shy, she was vivacious, confident and outgoing. She was sexy and men found her attractive. With the Queen setting out her wishes and calling for people to support Charles and Camilla, the duchess will undoubtedly be crowned alongside the prince at his coronation when the time comes. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Rothesay share a laugh during a visit to Dumfries House, Scotland Charles was deeply upset by his rejection but hardly in a position to complain. It was his own reluctance to commit himself to a woman with a past an unforgiveable blemish in a prospective queen in the eyes of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who advised the prince on such matters which had made it all but inevitable that Camilla would find someone who would. The story of their affair and the break-up of the royal marriage has never gone away. Anniversaries of Dianas death and this year marks the 25th have ensured that it (and Camillas role) remain in the headlines. What is remarkable is how the couple have weathered the attention, matched only by the speed of Camillas transformation from pariah to duchess to future Queen consort. At times it was painfully slow; Camilla was the non-negotiable part of his life. Their appearance together on the steps of the Ritz Hotel in front of a battery of photographers seemed at the time to be the peak of their ambitions. In fact, it was only the start. Step by careful step, Camilla assumed a wifely role for the prince meeting his sons, running his homes and organising his social life. But she was also responsible for a new kind of prince, more relaxed, less cranky. When they were together laughter was often heard. Terms of endearment too darling from him, dear from her.There were setbacks aplenty, of course. The publication of Prince Philips private letters to Diana, which revealed that he and the Queen never dreamed Charles might leave the princess for Camilla, was one. Nor was Camilla invited to Prince Philips 80th birthday celebrations and she was absent from the Golden Jubilee extravaganza. In thanking his mother and in paying tribute to his darling wife, Prince Charless response does provoke a question: what about your other wife, mother of your sons and grandmother to your five grandchildren? By the time of the Queens next landmark in 2012, the Diamond Jubilee, she was centre stage just as she will be for this years Platinum jamboree. From the moment they were declared man and wife almost 17 years ago, Charles and Camilla have looked like a couple who want to grow old together. She also showed a generosity of spirit to rise above the vicious backbiting and envy that is so much a part of royal life. It is hard to reconcile the prince of whom Diana said on Panorama that the top job, i.e. King would be emotionally beyond him, with the heir to the throne who today, thanks to Camilla, is a contented co-monarch with his mother. How much is Camilla responsible? The only conclusion is completely. Doubtless there will be more hitches in the time ahead. It is sensible that the Queen informed William and Harry of her position before making it public. Prince Harrys soon-to-be-published memoir may make difficult reading for Camilla another potential reason for the Queen revealing her wishes now. When both boys set out in 2017 to gently question their mothers friends it was the 20th anniversary of her death about her, Camillas name came up. Not in a good way, says one friend. Harry in particular had some strong words about her. In thanking his mother and in paying tribute to his darling wife, Prince Charless response does provoke a question: what about your other wife, mother of your sons and grandmother to your five grandchildren? Camillas elevation to Queen might also be a lot less bumpy if the prince can find it in himself to make an acknowledgement of the debt he also owes Diana. A 25-year-old Florida realtor has been charged with the murder of two homeless men and tied to another attack in what officials have called a serial spree. Willy Suarez Maceo was charged Friday with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, more than a month after he was arrested. Advertisement These types of homicides are best known as serial killings. Its a series of chances like detached killings that can defy a communitys perception of danger and safety, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at a press conference Friday. The first murder, on Oct. 16, was captured on surveillance footage, which showed a man, identified by police as Maceo, getting out of his black Dodge Charger, walking toward 59-year-old homeless man Manuel Perez, then running back to his car and driving off. Advertisement Perez was found stabbed to death. [ Florida real estate agent labeled suspected serial killer, accused of targeting homeless men ] Willy Suarez Maceo On Dec. 21, Jorge Jardines was shot in the face and was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition. He survived. Hours later, a man inside the same Dodge Charger opened fire in Wynwood, killing 56-year-old homeless man Jerome Antonio Price while he was asleep on the sidewalk. Maceo was originally charged with just the attempted murder of Jardines after the partial license plate was matched to him. Since then, detectives have traced his cell phone to the sites of the two murders and his shoe print to the first crime scene, according to investigators. These types of anonymous, seemingly haphazard killings can create a real sense of fear and unease, so we are all here today to let our community know that these seemingly random killings have been solved, and they were committed by Willy Suarez Maceo, Fernandez Rundle said Friday. The United States Coast Guard tweeted on Sunday that it was conducting a 'mass rescue' after 18 snowmobilers were trapped on a slab of ice that broke off a heavily frozen Lake Erie. The U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes announced on Sunday that an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Detroit noticed nearly 20 people on an ice floe near Catawba Island, Ohio in Lake Erie at around 1pm. The stranded snowmobilers 'were looking for a route back to land' after the ice floe they were standing on broke apart from the rest of the ice on Lake Erie. At that point, the Coast Guard reports, the helicopter 'lowered its rescue swimmer and began hoisting operations' while an airboat from Station Marblehead prepared to rescue the crew. The US Coast Guard rescue stranded snowmobilers (circled) on Lake Erie on February 2 An aerial view of people trapped near Catawba island after they got stranded by an ice break in Lake Erie The ice the snowmobilers were standing on broke apart from the rest of the ice on Lake Erie Video posted to social media showed the crews working against the heavily-iced lake to try to get to the stranded snowmobilers. In the end, the Coast Guard helicopter hoisted seven people from the floe and four others were rescued by the Coast Guard airboat. Another seven people were rescued and transported to shore by an unnamed Good Samaritan, who brought his airboat to the scene. None of the 18 people rescued from the ice floe required medical attention, the Coast Guard said in a statement following the rescue at around 4pm. None of the 18 people rescued from the ice floe required medical attention, the Coast Guard said in a statement following the rescue at around 4pm The stranded snowmobilers 'were looking for a route back to land' after the ice floe they were standing on broke apart from the rest of the ice on Lake Erie Sunday's rescue comes just one day after the National Weather Service also issued a warning or people to stay off the ice on Lake Erie Coast Guard crews were spotted braving the ice to rescue the trapped snowmobilers The US Coast Guard Great Lakes called it a 'mass rescue' in a tweet Sunday's rescue comes just one day after the National Weather Service also issued a warning or people to stay off the ice on Lake Erie, saying heavy winds would make it likely tat the ice floes would break away from the shore. Coast Guard had previously crews aided Catawba Island volunteer firefighters in rescuing seven people from another ice floe west of the peninsula, jutting out into the lake, CBS Pittsburgh reports. It is now urging anyone who wants to play on the ice to take precautions, including wearing a life jacket and carrying a reliable form of communication, as well as ice picks or screwdrivers to break up ice in case of an emergency. 'There's no such thing as safe ice, but people can mitigate their risks,' Lt j.g. Jeremiah Schiessel said in a statement. 'Always be sure to tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back. 'Great Lakes ice is unpredictable and conditions can change fast,' he added. Jurgen Klopp has included Luis Diaz in his squad for Liverpool's FA Cup clash with Cardiff just 48 hours after the Colombian arrived in Merseyside following his January transfer. Diaz, who Liverpool signed from Porto on deadline day for an initial 37.5million, only arrived on Merseyside at 10am on Friday after waiting for work permit forms in Paris. He started the week in Argentina, where he played in Colombias 1-0 defeat. It has been a hectic time for the 25-year-old, who only met Klopp in person for the first time on Friday. Now, Sportsmail understands that he is in the squad for the fourth-round tie with the Bluebirds. Jurgen Klopp has included Luis Diaz in his Liverpool squad to face Cardiff in the FA Cup 37.5m signing Diaz arrived at Anfield on Friday after finishing his Colombia international duty Its not easy to sit around in Paris waiting for the papers, said Klopp. It is not the best time in your life and doesnt help with recovery. Lets have a look. I wouldnt say no because I would be excited as well about giving him a few minutes at a sold-out Anfield. Liverpool gazumped Tottenham and Manchester United to land Diaz and Klopp believes he will bring the best out of the clubs current strikers. We need options, he said. Fresh blood as well and thats what we did with Diogo Jota when he came here and now when we signed Luis. A club has to be ready for pretty much all scenarios. We feel in a good place. Alessandra Ambrosio put her model-body on display on Saturday as she enjoyed a drink poolside in a baby blue bikini in Rio de Janeiro. The 40-year-old Brazil native was seen in nothing-but her bikini, with her hair slicked back in a bun and a pair of sunglasses. The former Victoria Secret's angel held a tropical drink as she walked around the rooftop pool on her latest vacation. In Brazil: Alessandra Ambrosio put her model-body on display on Saturday while vacationing in Rio On Friday, Alessandra was in full model mode as she partook in a photoshoot for the luxury coffee/espresso brand Nespresso on the white sand beach in Brazil. Giving the day's shoot a 'surfer girl' vibe, the runway model posed in a one-piece swimsuit and held bright yellow surfboard that featured the Nespresso logo and several brightly colored floral decals. The supermodel's minimal bikini was likely part of her Gal Floripa line that she co-founded with her sister Aline Ambrosio and best friend Gisele Coria in 2019. Off-duty: The supermodel enjoyed a drink poolside in a baby blue bikini in Rio de Janeiro Tiny bikini: The 40-year-old Brazil native was seen in nothing-but her bikini, with her hair slicked back in a bun and a pair of sunglasses Being a veteran of the modeling industry since she was teenager for 23-years and counting, Ambrosio flashed an array of looks for the Nespresso team. She went from seductive to the classic beaming smile, while the cameras snapped away. 'Growing up in Brazil, Gisele, Aline and I spent most of our summers together by the beach, immersed in the natural beauty of Florianopolis, known as 'The Magic Island', and spending almost every moment of the day in our swimwear,' Ambrosio reveals on her Gal Floripa webpage, adding, 'It makes sense that swimwear became like a second skin.' Vacation mode: The former Victoria Secret's angel held a tropical drink as she walked around the rooftop pool on her latest vacation Alessandra is internationally known for her work as a Victoria's Secret Angel and she was also chosen to be the first spokesmodel for the company's PINK line. Now she spends a lot of her time on her swimsuit line GAL Floripa. The supermodel has two children with Jamie Mazur, Anja, 13, and Noah, nine. Jamie is a business man from California who co-founded the iconic denim brand Re/Done. The couple went separate ways in 2018, after trying to keep their relationship out of the public eye. Kaia Gerber mastered the off-duty model look in a grey crewneck as she stocked up on groceries in Santa Monica, California on Friday afternoon. While maintaining her status as a casual style icon on and off the runway, the 20-year-old Vogue cover girl kept her look simple in a pair of ripped, light-wash jeans and white Converse sneakers on Friday afternoon. As she arrived to the high-end organic shop Erewhon with several of her own reusable bags, the brunette beauty chatted away on her cellphone. Casual chic: Kaia Gerber mastered the off-duty model look in a grey crewneck as she stocked up on groceries in Santa Monica on Friday After picking up some essentials, the youngest child of Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber pushed a full shopping cart to her car. During her laid-back outing, the rumored girlfriend of Austin Butler wore a black face mask over her mouth and nose amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, she shared photos of herself embracing a new rocker chic style for a sultry new campaign for the luxury fashion house Ports 1961. Stocking up: While maintaining her status as a casual style icon on and off the runway, the 20-year-old Vogue cover girl kept her look simple in a pair of ripped jeans and white Converse sneakers on Friday Grocery shopping: As she emerged from the high-end organic shop Erewhon, the beauty pushed a shopping cart full of at least three bags of food While modeling a number of stunning pieces from the Canadian-founded brand's latest collection, the 20-year-old catwalk queen turned up the heat in a black leather jacket with nothing underneath and a matching miniskirt. In one shot, the model's chestnut brown hair fell over most of her face as she stared at the camera. Another image showed the American Horror Story actress tugging her hair as she curtsied in a sequined black tank top, studded skirt and boots. Sexy: Kaia Gerber posed topless as she embraced a new rock chic style for a sultry new campaign for the luxury fashion house Ports 1961 In the chic same outfit, a photographer snapped a few polaroids of Kaia as she held a zebra-striped purse above her head. '@ports1961 by #stevenmeisel,' the actress captioned her latest Instagram post. Ports 1961 shared a few additional photos of Kaia, who had her light brown locks roughed up to perfection by hairdresser Guido Palau. Outfit changes: Another image showed the American Horror Story star tugging her hair as she curtsied sporting a sequined black tank top, studded skirt and combat boots Playful: In the same look, a photographer snapped a few polaroids of Kaia as she held her zebra-striped purse above her head Makeup artist Pat McGrath gave her a thick winged eyeliner and smokey eye to compliment her rebellious and edgy ensembles. Since December, she has been sparking romance rumors with Vanessa Hudgens' ex-boyfriend, 30, after her split from Euphoria star Jacob Elordi. A source told People that the model 'seems really happy' with her new romance with Butler and 'all of her friends think he's really cute.' Edgy: Ports 1961 shared a few additional photos of Kaia, who had her light brown locks roughed up to perfection by hairdresser Guido Palau 'All of her friends think they are so adorable and it's a total step up from her last relationship and she knows it too,' the insider reported. She previously dated Jacob for over a year before their eventual split, which Page Six reported was 'amicable.' Jacob remarked in a recent Men's Health profile that Kaia had taught him how to cope with fame through her own example. Styled to perfection: Makeup artist Pat McGrath gave her a thick winged eyeliner and smokey eye to compliment her rebellious ensembles 'She handles herself wonderfully publicly and I've learned so much from her about how to handle it, how to deal with it and just kind of be whatever about it, you know?' said Jacob, who was once linked to Zendaya. Meanwhile over the summer, while dating Jacob, Kaia gushed: 'Being able to be with someone I trust, where we don't want anything from each other, having a safe, steady relationship like that, has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of love and what it feels like to love without conditions.' She explained her reasoning to Vogue: 'Lust is touching other people or wanting them, but love is really seeing someone.' She's rumoured to have recently moved in with her TV 'husband'. And Married At First Sight bride Domenica Calarco, 28, all but confirmed she's still married to Jack Millar as she stepped out wearing her wedding ring recently. The makeup artist was spotted wearing the silver band late last month as she took her beloved dog for a walk near her home in Sydney. Still going strong with Jack? Married At First Sight's Domenica Calarco, 28, (pictured) all but confirmed she's still married to Jack Millar as she stepped out in Sydney wearing her wedding ring late last month The reality star, whose website describes her as a part-time model, showed off her trim frame in a tiny Calvin Klein crop top and Vegemite-print pyjama shorts. She went makeup free and tied her blonde locks into a messy up-do, while completing her look with a pair of quirky plastic sandals. As she made her way down the footpath, Domenica was seen strolling through her phone - perhaps checking up on the latest Married At First Sight headlines. Ring-a-ding-ding! The makeup artist was spotted wearing the silver band late last month as she took her beloved dog for a walk near her home Not an inch to pinch! The reality star, whose website describes her as a part-time model , showed off her trim frame in a tiny Calvin Klein crop top and Vegemite-print pyjama shorts Unusual look: She went makeup free and tied her blonde locks into a messy up-do, while completing her look with a pair of quirky plastic sandals Domenica exchanged vows on Tuesday's episode of MAFS with Jack Millar, 26, who hasn't had a girlfriend in several years. The Sydney-based couple are set to become fan-favourites thanks to their down-to-earth personalities. Their connection carried over into the bedroom, with the pair consummating their marriage on their wedding night. Headlines: As she made her way down the footpath, Domenica was seen strolling through her phone - perhaps checking up on the latest Married At First Sight headlines I do: Domenica exchanged vows on Tuesday's episode of MAFS with Jack Millar, 26, who hasn't had a girlfriend in several years Affable: The Sydney-based couple are set to become fan-favourites thanks to their down-to-earth personalities 'We got a little bit excited last night': Their connection carried over into the bedroom, with the pair consummating their marriage on their wedding night Waking up together in bed, Domenica said: 'We got a little bit excited last night'. Speaking to producers, she admitted that she hadn't planned on things getting steamy between herself and her new husband so soon. 'I definitely went into yesterday thinking that I was gonna hold out on the intimacy,' she said. 'I definitely went into yesterday thinking that I was gonna hold out on the intimacy': Speaking to producers, she admitted that she hadn't planned on things getting steamy between herself and her new husband so soon Frisky: 'The timing felt right, I don't know what more I can say,' she added with a giggle 'The timing felt right, I don't know what more I can say,' she added with a giggle. On Wednesday, Domenica and Jack looked extremely loved-up during an interview on Today Extra. The pair all but confirmed they were now living together, doing a live cross from their lounge room with their pet dogs sitting in their laps. Even host Sylvia Jeffreys was shocked that they seemed so smitten after filming MAFS months ago. 'Looking very loved up I must say!' she said. 'I knew from the moment I saw Jack, he was kind straight away. We bonded over our love of dogs and I felt the vibe from him, he's kind and sweet,' Domenica sweetly said. Still in bed? Not joining Demenica for her outing was TV groom Jack - who is rumoured to be living with the blonde Her constituents may struggle to pay their heating costs in the coming weeks but Labour frontbencher Jess Phillips is likely to have few concerns about her own bills. The MP for Yardley in Birmingham received an astonishing 15,000 to present a single edition of BBC1s Have I Got News For You. The 40-year-old, who has lamented that its awful to hear people on the doorstep saying, You politicians are all in it for yourselves, hosted the show on December 10 alongside regular team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton and panellists Jon Richardson and Hannah Fry. The MP for Yardley in Birmingham received an astonishing 15,000 to present a single edition of BBC1s Have I Got News For You The money reached Ms Phillipss bank account a month after the Labour Party brought a parliamentary motion calling for a ban on MPs holding second jobs outside Parliament Her bumper payment arrived in time for Christmas and is recorded in the Register of Members Interests, which states it was in return for a mere 12 hours work. But she does seem to have star quality she opened the show with a gag about Harry and Meghan, which got roars of laughter from the audience. However, one source questioned the filming timeframe, saying: Twelve hours is the most hilarious bit. None of them work on the script. They just get handed it. Welcome to my first column!!! Welcome to my first column, and I hope youll join me each and every Sunday as I bring you the most entertaining stories from the social scene and the glitzy showbiz world. I will be putting stars on alert and politicians in their place, keeping toffs on their toes and generally puncturing the egos of the pretentious. I get all the best party invitations, so do join me every week as my plus-one! Advertisement Scriptwriters start writing Monday lunchtime and finish on Thursday night. Normal recording time is about two to two-and-a-half hours. Maybe Jess was mistaken or perhaps she thought her constituents in Birmingham would find the idea of about 1,000 per hour more palatable than 7,500 per hour for presenting the show. The money reached Ms Phillipss bank account a month after the Labour Party brought a parliamentary motion calling for a ban on MPs holding second jobs outside Parliament but only if they are paid as lobbyists or political consultants. The motion, which was defeated, omitted any mention of appearing on BBC game shows. Ms Phillips, who earns 81,932 a year as an MP, said: Obviously I think its a lot of money. I believe its the standard fee. I didnt negotiate it. The shoot is about three hours, but as a presenter you are there all day running through, rehearsing with the autocue. Im not sure this was because I am a novice or it is standard. She has previously described herself as a staunch socialist. We asked Hat Trick, the shows producers for comment. Downing Street designer Lulu Lytle has come out fighting after her style was denounced as imperial nostalgia. Author Sathnam Sanghera tweeted the term and described the PMs apartment she helped decorate and furnish above Chancellor Rishi Sunaks office as the ultimate brown person nightmare. My photo, below, shows an example of Lulus style. She tells me her work is underpinned by research and discussions with experts about global influences on design and exchange of ideas. She roped in textile expert Karun Thakar to defend her and he messaged me to say: We need individuals like Lulu who are aware and supportive of these struggles. She tells me her work is underpinned by research and discussions with experts about global influences on design and exchange of ideas Thandiwe's tat is turtelly crazy When I first spotted this Instagram snap from Line Of Duty star Thandiwe Newton, I thought shed been to a childrens party and let one of the youngsters get carried away with some crayons. In fact, this etching of cartoon character Touche Turtle seems to be a real tattoo, which wont rub off with soap and water. The Bafta-winning actress, 49, said the heroic fencing reptile was her childhood favourite and she had the inking done at Frith Street Tattoo in Londons Soho. Itll be interesting to see how it matches her next red-carpet gown. When I first spotted this Instagram snap from Line Of Duty star Thandiwe Newton, I thought shed been to a childrens party and let one of the youngsters get carried away with some crayons Daisy Lowe claimed she was Covid tested and ready to party when she took this bathroom selfie. Id argue she wasnt quite ready as shes missing something rather important her clothes. The 33-year-old model and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant, daughter of rocker Gavin Rossdale and fashion designer Pearl Lowe, was dressed only in a black bra, high-waisted underwear and tights. Later in the week she posted her first ever TikTok video dressed once again in not a lot. I recommend shaking off these grey days dancing around in your undies, she wrote. Daisy will be chilled to the bone if she carries on like this. Long-running Australian soap Neighbours is set to turn 37 years old next month. But the iconic TV series' days might be numbered, sources have told The Sun this weekend. Bosses at the UK's Channel 5, who 'foot most of the production bill' for the show, have reportedly not yet struck a deal with Neighbours' Australian producers to renew the series. Final days? Long running Australian soap Neighbours is set to turn 37 years old next month. But the iconic TV series' days might be numbered, sources have told The Sun this weekend A source told the UK newspaper: 'Channel 5 pay Fremantle Australia many millions of pounds every year and, sadly, theres a shortfall of about 5million in what it brings back in through advertising.' It appears Channel 5 bigwigs are resigned to the show wrapping up and are determined to send it out on a high note. Executives 'are currently in the process of approaching a number of former cast members, including Kylie [Minogue], to make a special return,' the report claims. Last goodbye: Executives 'are currently in the process of approaching a number of former cast members, including Kylie [Minogue], to make a special return.' Pictured here with co-star Jason Donovan Daily Mail Australia have contacted Fremantle Australia for comment. Neighbours was first broadcast by the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. The Freemantle Australia-produced series was quickly cancelled after underperforming in the Sydney market, before being purchased by Network Ten. Ten have aired the series locally since 20 January 1986. Rising star: In the UK, the series first aired on BBC1 in 1986. Two years later nearly 20 million viewers tune in to see tomboy mechanic Charlene Robinson (played by Kylie Minogue) wed Scott (Jason Donovan). Minogue pictured in 2021 In the UK, the series first aired on BBC1 in 1986. Two years later nearly 20 million viewers tune in to see tomboy mechanic Charlene Robinson (played by Kylie Minogue) wed Scott (Jason Donovan). It currently still pulls in 1.2 million UK viewers every day in its current Channel 5 home. Chantel Jeffries left little to the imagination while vacationing in Miami on Saturday. The 29-year-old model was seen on the white sand beaches in Florida in a barely-there emerald green bikini. Chantel looked gorgeous as she was spotted walking out from the ocean in matching green sunglasses. The DJ was seen walking back to her beach chair with her friend and fellow model Cindy Kimberly. The 23-year-old model was spotted in a white string bikini. Stunning in green: Chantel Jeffries is leaving little to the imagination on her recent vacation in Miami Chantel has been updating her nearly five million Instagram followers during her trip down south. She posted a series of bikini selfies with Cindy and captioned the post, 'I can do anything I want'. The models stunned as Chantel took several bikini selfies of the two girls lounging on their beach chairs. Barely-there: The 29-year-old model was seen on the white sand beaches in Florida in a barely-there emerald green bikini Making waves: Chantel looked gorgeous as she was spotted walking out from the ocean in matching green sunglasses Chantel rocked her short, curly hair, before her locks got wet in the ocean. The YouTube personality was then seen snapping a quick selfie of her bikini bod while relaxing on her lounger. She continued to soak up the sun as she sipped on a cocktail from a coconut. Chatting with friends: The DJ was seen walking back to her beach chair with her friend and fellow model Cindy Kimberly Chantel and Cindy: The 23-year-old model was spotted in a white string bikini Later on the raven-hair beauty was seen strolling the beach in a baby blue crop top and mushroom-print brown shorts. She also sported stylish Gucci slides and a white pedicure. Chantel and her pal Cindy have been spending a lot of time together, as the YouTube personality posted the duo in New York City on Thursday. Before a dip in the ocean: She posted a series of bikini selfies with Cindy and captioned the post, 'I can do anything I want' Vacation mode: The models stunned as Chantel took several bikini selfies of the two girls lounging on their beach chairs The models: Chantel rocked her short, curly hair, before her locks got wet in the ocean 'Nyc activities,' Chantel captioned her video, which also included her friend Sarah Snyder. She also posted pictures on Wednesday of herself and Cindy flashing their behind's to the camera in the girls restroom. 'The girls room,' Chantel captioned this post, keeping it short and sweet. Her trip to Miami comes shortly after her controversial Instagram post where she shared with her millions of followers that she loves her 'body no matter the size!' Quick selfie: The YouTube personality snapped a quick selfie of her bikini bod while relaxing on her lounger Healthy: The raven-hair beauty sipped on a cocktail from a coconut while soaking up the sun In her Instagram post, the entrepreneur danced and mouthed lyrics to Amaarae's trending track SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY. 'I really like to party/ I really like your body/ I really wanna get naughty/ I think you're such a hottie,' she lip synced into the camera. In the caption she wrote: 'Gluten free dairy free Pilates queen ^.^' Cute: Later on was seen strolling the beach in a baby blue crop top and mushroom-print brown shorts The post attracted tens of thousands of likes from her fans within hours, but she later had to clarify that she would love her body no matter how it looked. 'I love my body no matter the size!' she declared after reposting the video to her Insta Stories and adding a smiley face emoji. She also added the affirmation: 'I'm always looking and feeling perfect.' She is one of the most stunning women in the world. And Elsa Pataky showed off her natural beauty as she stepped out makeup free in Byron Bay on Saturday. The Spanish actress, 45, showed off her slender physique in a floral print maxi-dress as she picked up some snacks with a friend. Natural beauty! Makeup-free Elsa Pataky, 45, looked radiant in a floaty dress and a grey sweater as she stepped out to pick up a few snacks on Saturday Elsa, who teamed her look with a grey sweater, had her hands full carrying a packet of Thai Crispy Rolls, a beverage and her iPhone as she pushed a shopping trolley down the pavement. She kept light on her feet in a pair of strappy sandals, and took precautions by wearing a blue facemask. Elsa wore her luscious locks out and relaxed for the outing. Chic: The Spanish actress showed off her slender physique in a floral print maxi dress which she wore underneath a grey sweater Juggling act: Elsa had her hands full carrying a packet of Thai Crispy Rolls, a beverage and her iPhone Low key: She kept light on her feet in a pair of strappy sandals, and took precautions by wearing a blue facemask Elsa and her husband Chris Hemsworth had been in Europe for several weeks recently, as the actor filmed Extraction 2. The European shoot is expected to last until March. It's believed Elsa is back in town as her children returned to school last week. Earlier this year, Elsa enjoyed a trip to Africa with some friends, which included a safari adventure, swimming in waterfalls and a stay at a luxurious retreat. Back to reality: It's believed she's back in town as her children returned to school last week White Christmas: The Hemsworths enjoyed a white Christmas in Austria last year with Chris' brother Liam and his model girlfriend Gabriella Brooks Dream destination! Earlier this year, she enjoyed a trip to Africa with some friends, which included a safari adventure, swam in waterfalls and a stay at a luxurious retreat (pictured) 'I dreamed of Africa!!' Elsa captioned one of her photos from Kenya. Chris and Elsa did however spend the New Year together in Ibiza. The Hemsworths enjoyed a white Christmas in Austria last year with Chris' brother Liam and his model girlfriend Gabriella Brooks. The gunman accused of opening fire inside a Blacksburg, Va., hookah lounge, killing one and wounding four others, was arrested late Saturday night. Jamel Flint, 24, was taken into custody without incident in Roanoke, about 40 miles east of Blacksburg, according to the Blacksburg Police Department. Advertisement Hell face six charges, including murder in the first degree for the death of 18-year-old Isiah Robinson, four counts of attempted murder in the first degree and one count of use of a firearm while committing or attempting to commit murder. Jamel Flint, 24, was taken into custody without incident in Roanoke, about 40 miles east of Blacksburg, according to the Blacksburg Police Department. (Blacksburg Police Department) The Melody Hookah Lounge, just off the Virginia Tech campus, was hosting a private event Friday night when Flint began shooting, according to police. Advertisement Robinson was declared dead at the scene and four victims were rushed to the hospital. Among the survivors is a Virginia Tech student who is expected to recover, according to the school. Four people were injured and one killed during a shooting at Melody Hookah Lounge in Blacksburg, Va. late Friday. (MATT GENTRY, The Roanoke Times/AP) We have been in contact with his family, and they report their son is out of surgery, recovering, and seems to be doing well. We continue to respect the privacy of the student, and we are grateful for the outpouring of care and support directed to him, Frank Shushok Jr., the Vice President for Student Affairs, said in a statement Saturday. We can rarely control the challenges life brings our way, but our response is very much in our hands. I am proud of our community and grateful how we pull together in difficult moments. No motive has been publicly announced for the shooting. Despite Flints arrest, the Blacksburg Police Department said it is still an open investigation and encouraged anyone with information to call (540) 443-1400 or remain anonymous by calling the Blacksburg Police Tip Line at (540) 961-1819. Convicted Australian drug trafficker 'Cocaine Cassie' Sainsbury is in the throes of wedding planning as she prepares to wed female computer technician Tatiana in Colombia. The 26-year-old, who announced her engagement in November, spent three years in Bogota's El Buen Pastor prison after she was convicted for smuggling 5.8kg of cocaine into the country in April 2017. Now on parole, the former jailbird is reportedly planning to marry Tatiana during an 'elaborate' wedding held at a luxury seaside resort in northern Colombia next month. Big white wedding: Convicted Australian drug trafficker 'Cocaine Cassie' Sainsbury, 26, (right) is in the throes of wedding planning as she prepares to wed female computer technician Tatiana, 33, (left) in Colombia 'She wants the full whistles and bells treatment, no expense spared on the day,' a source close to Cassie told Adelaide Now on Sunday. Sainsbury is also pictured by the publication shopping for wedding dresses, and according to the insider, is planning to walk down the aisle in a traditional white gown. The blonde is no doubt looking forward to showing off her svelte new figure, having dropped an astonishing 29kg since 2017, and 12kg since she left prison in April 2020. 'She wants the full whistles and bells treatment': Now on parole, the former jailbird is reportedly planning to marry Tatiana during an 'elaborate' wedding held at a luxury seaside resort in northern Colombia next month Tatiana will reportedly wear a suit for their wedding. 'It will be a big wedding, in a church, with lots of guests especially all of Tatiana's family and Cassie's mum [Lisa Evans],' the source said. After they marry, the couple are planning to live between Colombia and Australia, once Sainsbury is able to is able to return to her home country. Ring-a-ding-ding! Sainsbury shared the news of her engagement to her 15,000 Instagram followers in November, posting a photo proudly posing with her new ring (pictured) Sainsbury is currently unable to return home as she completes the remainder of her sentence on parole while living in an apartment in Chapinero, a suburb of the Colombian capital. 'It was a really unexpected relationship,' Sainsbury told Daily Mail Australia from Bogota in November. 'We had shared a group of friends and one night we went out for a birthday and we literally hit it off.' Blushing bride: The blonde is no doubt looking forward to showing off her svelte new figure, having dropped an astonishing 29kg since 2017, and 12kg since she left prison in April 2020 (pictured in late 2021 after weight loss) After a short romance, Sainsbury said Tatiana further surprised her by proposing to her during a getaway to Cartagena on the Colombian coast in November. 'She put a ring on it!' Sainsbury said of the engagement. 'She'd been planning for a while trying to find a ring that she thought was perfect for me and in the end she found it. 'She took me to Cartagena and organised a small, romantic dinner at a cosy little restaurant on the beachfront. She asked me to marry her there.' 'I shared everything with her about everything': In July this year Sainsbury told Daily Mail Australia her new lover was unaware of her past and why she had been headline news in Australia, but that has now changed In July this year Sainsbury told Daily Mail Australia her new lover was unaware of her past and why she had been headline news in Australia, but that has now changed. 'I shared everything with her about everything,' she revealed. 'Basically [Tatiana] said she wasn't going to judge me on my past, she was really mature about the whole situation. 'I feel like I'm the happiest I've ever been. It's nice to feel like I can be myself with no judgement from someone who is always there for me.' Jailed abroad: Sainsbury was just 22-years-old when she was arrested with 5.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden in her luggage at Bogota airport (pictured, arriving for a court hearing in Bogota in 2017) Sainsbury said she wants to return to her hometown of Adelaide as soon as possible but delays in the Colombian legal system caused by the incursion of Covid-19 into the country mean she is still waiting on the decision of a judge before she is allowed to return home. 'We'll get married and then the plan is to go back home for a while, sort things out there, see my family and then make a decision about what the big plan will be. 'She's never been to Australia. 'We'll probably end up between Australia and Colombia because obviously her family is here so it will be like, some time here, some time there type of thing.' Dreaming of Down Under: Sainsbury said she wants to return to her hometown of Adelaide as soon as possible but delays in the Colombian legal system caused by the incursion of Covid-19 into the country mean she is still waiting on the decision of a judge before she is allowed to return home Sainsbury, whose Australian accent has been transformed by a Latin lilt after her four-and-a-half years in Colombia, has undergone many changes since her arrest in April 2017 when cocaine packaged inside 18 headphone boxes was found in her suitcase. Her preference for serious relationships with women, rather than men, is one such change. Sainsbury became engaged to a fellow female inmate, Joli Pico, while in prison, before her current relationship with Tatiana once she'd been released. 'It has always been something there,' she said of her attraction to women. 'I had relationships like that [in Australia]... but not as serious.' Sainsbury said the lowest point of her whole ordeal since she was first arrested was when she became seriously ill with bacteria in her stomach while inside El Buen Pastor prison. New flame: Sainsbury became engaged to a fellow female inmate, Joli Pico, while in prison, before her current relationship with Tatiana once she'd been released 'When I became sick I was taken out of prison into hospital and that is what saved me.' While in prison she was locked in a two-metre by two-metre cell with up to five other inmates and says she still has nightmares about it. Sainsbury said she is focused on putting her past behind her rather than trying to prove the claims she made in a 60 Minutes program in April 2020 that pressure from a Brazilian drug lord had caused her to undertake the cocaine smuggling mission. She claimed back then that a mysterious man named 'Angelo Sanchez' allegedly threatened to kill her mother and then-boyfriend, Scott Broadbridge, unless she committed the crime. Jailed: While in prison she was locked in a two-metre by two-metre cell with up to five other inmates and says she still has nightmares about it 'I want to move forward but trust me there are still days where I ask myself, 'why me?'' 'I feel like if I keep trying to bring up the past, I'm never going to be able to move forward. I just want to be able to put all this behind me and live a normal life.' But Sainsbury said she does take note of the perceptions Australians have about her. 'I still care. Believe it or not, the comments people make obviously affect me,' she confessed. Arrest: Sainsbury is pictured at the time of her arrest in Colombia in April 2017 'I try not to let it affect me too much, I know there are a lot of mixed opinions about me. I can't tell someone not to have their own opinion.' She said she is concerned about whether she will be able to readjust to life in Australia, where she has said she wishes to establish a personal training business and is open to reality television offers. 'I'm not sure what to expect, to be honest.' A love of Colombian culture and people was one of the positive things to come from her experience since she'd been out of prison, Sainsbury said. 'Through everything I went through, I learnt to take the best out of the experience I could... meeting new people, maturing, learning more about myself. 'To make it feel like it was not a complete loss of time, using what I learnt from the experience to become the person I've become.' Sean Penn looked buff in a fitted navy T-shirt as he stepped out in Malibu, California, to make an ATM run on Saturday. The 61-year-old Academy Award-winning actor put his arm tattoos on display and paired his laid-back look with grey cargo pants and mustard shoes. The Mystic River star appeared not to be wearing his wedding ring, following his estranged wife Leila George's decision to file for divorce three months ago. Out and about: Sean Penn looked buff in a fitted navy T-shirt as he stepped out in Malibu, California, to make an ATM run on Saturday The Milk star's short brown hairdo was a tad disheveled. He had his silver-rimmed reading glasses tucked on the edge of his collar. The Santa Monica native and his actress wife, 29, have recently retained a private judge to oversee their split, after George filed for divorce from her husband in October of 2021. As per the agreement reported by PEOPLE, Penn will pay for the private judge's services, including his $950 hourly rate as well as additional fees. Having a temporary judge will help the couple to expedite their divorce process. Casual: The 61-year-old The Academy Award-winning actor put his arm tattoos on display and paired his look with grey cargo pants and mustard shoes Penn and George were married in the Summer of 2020, after meeting in 2016. The actor described the 'COVID wedding' on Late Night with Seth Meyers, saying, 'We did a COVID wedding. By that I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom and we were at the house, my two children and her brother. And we did it that way.' The actor was previously married to Robin Wright, 55, with whom he shares daughter Dylan, 30, and son Hopper, 28. He was also wed to Madonna from 1985 until 1989. Split! The star appeared not to be wearing his wedding ring, following his wife Leila George's, 29, decision to file for divorce three months ago; The pair pictured on March 8, 2020 in LA The ex: The actor was previously married to Robin Wright, 55, with whom he shares daughter Dylan, 30, and son Hopper, 28; Pictured on February 22, 2009 in Hollywood Penn has recently caused an uproar after he expressed that he believes modern men have become feminized. 'I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminized. I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them,' he said when speaking with The Independent. 'There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt,' the California native added. Elsewhere in the conversation Penn discussed his latest movie, Flag Day, where he stars alongside his daughter. The film, also directed by Penn, is based on journalist Jennifer Vogel's memoir Flim-Flam Man: The True Story Of My Father's Counterfeit Life, where she writes about her father John's career as a con man. Kendall Jenner flashed her taut midriff when she was spotted stepping out in sunny Los Angeles over the weekend. The leggy 26-year-old supermodel wore a print crop top and then wrapped herself in a multicolored cardigan to ward of the wintertime chill. She was seen taking her Porsche out for a spin with her longtime pal Fai Khadra, who also pals around with such names as the Hadid sisters and Hailey Bieber. Off she goes: Kendall Jenner flashed her taut midriff when she was spotted stepping out in sunny Los Angeles over the weekend For her latest outing, Kendall slipped into a pair of high-waisted fitted jeans that emphasized her vertiginous legs. Letting her sleek dark hair down, she popped on a large pair of sunglasses and rounded of the look with a pair of flats. She and Fai could be spotted settling down to lunch together that day, selecting an alfresco table near a tree strung with lights. Meanwhile Fai complemented his blue jeans with a navy sweater, popping on a pair of shades for his latest hangout with his model friend. On the move: She was seen taking her Porsche out for a spin with her longtime pal Fai Khadra, who also pals around with such names as the Hadid sisters and Hailey Bieber Legs for days: The 26-year-old supermodel wore a print crop top and then wrapped herself in a multicolored cardigan to ward of the wintertime chill After she went with Fai to Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin's wedding, Kendall explained online: 'We don't date he's just my date.' In fact Kendall is currently involved with Phoenix Suns heartthrob Devin Booker whom she went Instagram official with last Valentine's Day after months of dating. This week she fired up her Insta Stories to let her 217 million followers get a good look at the changes she has made to her hairstyle. In a couple of videos she posted to the social media platform, she revealed that she has gotten herself a subtle set of curtain bangs. Hoofing it: Letting her sleek dark hair down, she popped on a large pair of sunglasses and rounded of the look with a pair of flats Chow down: She and Fai could be spotted settling down to lunch together that day, selecting an alfresco table near a tree strung with lights Recently she posted an Instagram plug for her tequila brand 818, named after the famous area code for her native San Fernando Valley. Kendall was decked out in a revealing black dress she made infamous late last year when she attended the seaside wedding of her gal pal Lauren Perez. Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid were also part of the star-studded guest list at Lauren's wedding which took place in Florida. Meanwhile: Fai complemented his blue jeans with a navy sweater, popping on a pair of shades for his latest hangout with his model friend Incidentally: After she went with Fai to Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin's wedding, Kendall explained online: 'We don't date he's just my date' Kendall was forced to defend herself for the revealing black dress she wore to one of the functions, after it was slated online for being 'disrespectful' and 'tacky.' When a troll called the frock 'cringe' and 'embarrassing,' Lauren herself jumped into the comments and said: 'SHE LOOKED STUNNING AND I LOVED IT!' Kendall then replied, noting that she 'obviously' got 'approval in advance' from the bride to wear the flesh-flashing Monot gown. Birds Of A Feather will not return for a future series because the characters are too old, according to its writer Laurence Marks. The screenwriter, 73, confessed he has no intention of bringing the much-loved sitcom back because 'the women are in their 60s'. Claiming it was 'all about sex' before, he told The Daily Star: 'You move on. I can't imagine what more we could say. Also, the girls are very much older. 'The show was all about sex!' Birds Of A Feather writer Laurence Marks has admitted he won't bring the sitcom back because the characters are 'women in their 60s' (pictured in 2017) 'When we created Sharon and Tracey, they were kids in their 20s. They had a whole sexual life in front of them and the show was all about sex. 'Now they're women in their 60s, so it's a different sort of series.' Linda Robson, 63, Pauline Quirke, 62, and Lesley Joseph, 76, starred as Tracey Stubbs, Sharon Theodopolopodous, and Dorien Green, respectively, between 1989 and 1998. The trio shot to fame on the BBC One series which followed the lives of two sisters who move in together after their husbands were jailed for armed robbery. Dream team: Linda Robson, 63, (right) Pauline Quirke, 62, (left) and Lesley Joseph, 76, (centre) starred in the BBC One comedy between 1989 and 1998 (pictured in 2016) It was later revived in 2014 on ITV this time by its original writers and creators Laurence and Maurice Gran. It comes after Linda insisted she's not at war with her former co-star Pauline Quirke, despite ongoing rumours of a cast feud. The Loose Woman panelist told Good Morning Britain presenters Kate Garraway and Adil Ray that there was no falling out between them 'whatsoever.' Offering an explanation for the series coming to an end, she said: 'She just doesn't want to act anymore, she wants to concentrate on her academies. You have to respect her wishes.' What?! The screenwriter, 73, said: 'When we created Sharon and Tracey, they were kids in their 20s. They had a whole sexual life in front of them and the show was all about sex' (pictured in the 90s) Pauline declined to take part in the 2020 Christmas special of the ITV series, leaving just Linda and Lesley Joseph starring in it. In May, ITV announced that the series had been permanently axed Speaking about the Christmas special, Linda said: 'They asked us whether we'd like to do it and we said we're happy to. It was a very good Christmas special.' Adil joked with the TV personality, asking she would go solo, to which Linda responed: 'I'm not sure if I could do Birds of Feather on my own!' Back in February, it was claimed Pauline is no longer on amicable terms with Linda after she was involved in a tense face-off with fellow TV star Lesley Joseph outside TV studio toilets. Hilarious: It was later revived in 2014 on ITV this time by its original writers and creators Laurence and Maurice Gran (pictured in 2015) The Sun previously alleged the bust-up with Lesley could date back to 1997, when Pauline received a BAFTA nomination for her role in The Sculptress, and reportedly asked for a bigger salary for her Birds Of A Feather stint through her manager husband Steve Sheen. The insider said: 'Steve was not especially popular on set. He asked for more money, which he felt was valid after her Bafta nomination, so the women started to drift apart. 'The sense now is that they will never repair their friendship. Linda does not believe they will ever speak again.' Back in the day: Linda and Pauline (on Birds Of A Feather back in 1998) were rumoured to have fallen out in February after she was involved in a tense face-off with fellow star Lesley Joseph Pauline and Linda played sisters in the hit comedy, and as real-life childhood best friends appeared to be a perfect fit for the roles. But the frequent on-screen bickering between their characters Sharon and Tracey Stubbs appears to have exploded into the actors' real lives, prompting fears for the future of the long-running programme. The Mail on Sunday first revealed that a seemingly irreparable rift has developed between Pauline and Linda, whose bond once helped cement their reputation as among the UK's most popular double acts. Insiders said there have been 'real and tense issues' which resulted in Pauline refusing to take part in the 30th anniversary show, which aired in 2019. At the same time, Linda grew closer to co-star Lesley, who plays man-eating neighbour Dorien, and the pair decided not to ask Pauline to take part in 2020's Christmas special. The fall-out marked an end to Pauline's much-loved character of Sharon, whose recent absences have been explained by the character heading off on a cruise. Supermodel Nicole Trunfio flaunted her endlessly trim pins when she stepped out for a bite to eat at Osterio Mozza in Hollywood on Friday. The Australian model, 35, looked every inch the style queen in a body-hugging black minidress as she strolled to the LA hotspot. The raven-haired beauty topped her stunning dress with a gown-like green coat and wore a pair of Bottega Veneta green heels. Leggy: Supermodel Nicole Trunfio, 35, (pictured) looked leggy as ever as stepped out in a body-hugging black minidress in Los Angeles for a bite to eat at Osterio Mozza in LA Nicole finished her look with a pricey Bottega Veneta Cassette bag, which retails for around AUD$6,000. The mother-of-three opted for a glossy makeup palette and wore her raven-hair down, allowing it to cascade past her shoulders. This comes after the Make Me A Supermodel star fooled her followers in an epic prank last year, when she flaunted her pregnancy belly in a bumpsuit. Wowsers! The Australian model, 35, looked absolutely show-stopping in a body-hugging black minidress as she strolled to the LA hotspot At the time, she was quick to point out that the lifelike baby bump wasn't actually real, despite appearances. 'I'm just trying on the new bump suit, and I had to put a belly on, and now I'm like, "Ahhh! I want another baby." This is not real by the way,' she clarified. In June, Nicole said she was even planning on using the fake belly to prank her husband-of-four-years, American musician Gary Clark Jr. Pins for days! Nicole flaunted her phenomenally toned legs as she modelled her newest waist trainer during an impromptu photoshoot at home last month Bumping along: Last year, Nicole fooled her followers when she flaunted her 'pregnancy belly' 'I am totally going to have dinner with my husband like this tonight and freak him out. Mmm-hmm. Wearing it to dinner. I miss the bump!' she added. Nicole and Gary, 36, are parents to Zion, seven, and daughter Gia, four, and baby Ella, one. The couple welcomed Ella in February last year, with Nicole writing at the time that she was 'so in love' with her little girl. 'All mine, actually... my belief is they are not "mine", I'm just here to raise, nurture and nourish them, to love them and guide them the best way I can,' she captioned a photo of her three kids on Instagram back in June. 'Hopefully they will love and respect me for that, and we will create a forever unbreakable bond that will keep us close, so we can share a million memories and laughs together for our entire lifetimes.' Nicole O'Brien put on a busty display as she stepped out in a bright blue PVC coat in London on Saturday. The Too Hot To Handle star, 26, headed for an evening with friends at The Prince in Chelsea and showcased her bronzed legs as she arrived. Nicole added a few inches to her stature by opting for a pair of chunky platform boots and grinned from ear-to-ear before heading inside. In style: Too Hot to Handle's Nicole O'Brien, 26, put on a busty display as she stepped out in a bright blue PVC coat in London on Saturday The television personality carried a black Dior saddle bag and she accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings. She wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and wore her red hair up in a bun. Nicole, who appeared on series one of the Netflix hit show, recently returned to London after jetting to Dubai for a sun-soaked getaway to kick off the New Year. Fashion forward: Nicole headed for an evening with friends at The Prince in Chelsea and showcased her bronzed legs as she arrived Looking good: She wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and wore her red hair up in a bun During her stay, she shared a very busty snap of her in a black bikini while posing on a balcony. While Nicole did not find love on the Netflix show, she went on to date her co-star Bryce Hirschberg after the show wrapped, making their relationship public last April. They called it quits later in the year due to the travel restrictions posed by COVID-19, as Bryce lives in Marina Del Rey, California, and Nicole calls the UK home. Wow: Nicole, who appeared on series one of the Netflix hit show, recently returned to London after jetting to Dubai for a sun-soaked getaway to kick off the New Year A representative for Bryce, 30, told People at the time: 'I can confirm that Bryce and Nicole decided mutually to split early last week after months of trying to make a long-distance relationship work.' Bryce also made a statement: 'After the many failed attempts to reunite due to quarantine and border restrictions, we decided that moving on and remaining friends would be our best option for the time being. 'Nicole is so lovely and if under less unusual circumstances I'm sure that we could've had an amazing relationship! I wish her the best because she deserves it.' Vicky Pattison appeared to channel her inner Audrey Hepburn as she stepped out to enjoy a meal with friends on Saturday. The former Geordie Shore star donned an elegant little black dress with a pair of satin gloves as she left Rosso Restaurant And Bar in Manchester. The 34-year-old put on a very chic display as she wore her brunette locks in a sleek high bun with a softly curl curtain fringe. Classy: Vicky Pattison, 34, channeled her inner Audrey Hepburn as she stepped out in a leggy little black dress with chic satin gloves in Manchester on Saturday Vicky added a long off-white coat over the top of her bandeau dress as she gave a glimpse of her toned legs. She added a pair of strappy heels with delicate straps and carried a classic Chanel quilted handbag, for her Breakfast At Tiffany's inspired attire. To complete her look, the Loose Women panellist opted for a sultry smokey eye with flirty false eyelashes and a flick of eyeliner. Elegant: She added a pair of strappy heels with delicate straps and carried a classic Chanel quilted handbag, for her Breakfast At Tiffany's inspired attire Stylish: She wore her blonde locks up in a high bun and was bronzed for the evening It comes as TOWIE star Pete Wicks and Vicky admitted that they struggled with being single over the age of 30. Speaking on the Vicky Pattison: The Secret To podcast, Pete, 33, said 'people just assume no one wants you, or that it's a red flag' not to be in a relationship after the age of 29. Former I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! winner Vicky, who is now coupled-up with boyfriend Ercan Ramadan, said: 'When I left the jungle, I remember I couldn't be seen with any fella 'I was frustrated I couldn't be a single woman, who was really focused on her career and keen to make a name for herself without having a significant other. Do you ever feel like that?' Stunning: To complete her look, the Loose Women panellist opted for a sultry smokey eye with flirty false eyelashes and a flick of eyeliner Pete responded: 'Yes, 100% especially in 30s and people are like 'you're 30 what's wrong with you?' People just assume no one wants you, or that it's a red flag. 'I'm going to get married one day, I believe in soulmates, but I'm not going to be in a relationship if I don't see it as the person, I'm going to spend the rest of my life with.' While Pete may be happy waiting for the perfect partner, he allegedly sent Married At First Sight Australia star Jessika Power a message asking her out on a date. Reality star Jessika 30, gushed of Pete: 'He is very good looking! He actually messaged me and he's like, ''Baby, let's go dating''. And I was like, ''Yeah!''' Olivia Molly Rogers has finally walked down the aisle with Justin Mckeone, after the pair were forced to cancel their wedding twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The former Miss Universe Australia, 29, who announced her engagement to her long-term boyfriend last year, revealed the happy news in an Instagram post on Sunday. 'Mr & Mrs McKeone 05.02.2022,' she captioned a photo of the couple on their wedding day. Here comes the bride! Olivia Molly Rogers has finally walked down the aisle with Justin Mckeone (both pictured on Saturday) Olivia looked radiant in the white, long-sleeved wedding gown by Marquise Bridal as the couple wed at the Terindah Estate on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula. The date holds special meaning for the model, as it's the same day her grandparents wed in 1959. Social media from guests at the wedding showed the ecstatic couple hoisted on friends' shoulders as they partied into the night. It was third time's the charm for the beauty queen. 'I'm getting married next year. It's my third wedding date, so hopefully this one goes ahead without any issues,' she told Daily Mail Australia last December. Big day: 'Mr & Mrs McKeone 05.02.2022,' she captioned a photo of the couple on their wedding day Significance: The date holds special meaning for the model, as it's the same day her grandparents wed in 1959 Party on: Social media from guests at the wedding showed the ecstatic couple hoisted on friends' shoulders as they partied into the night White on: Olivia looked radiant in the white, long-sleeved wedding gown at the picturesque wedding venue on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula 'Everything's sorted so far, except my dress. So hopefully that comes together in the next seven weeks,' she said. Olivia explained that while she picked out her dress two years ago, she was excited to see it all come together. The Melbourne-based couple had set a February wedding date so her fiance's Perth-based family can attend once borders reopen. Candid: 'I'm getting married next year. It's my third wedding date so hopefully this one goes ahead without any issues,' she told Daily Mail Australia last year Olivia revealed the pair were planning to spend Christmas with her family in Adelaide before returning home to ring in the new year in Melbourne. 'I'm excited to go back to Adelaide, my home city,' she said. 'I'm not sure what we're doing for New Year's [Eve] yet, but we'll be bringing in the new year in a big way.' Ready: 'Everything's sorted so far, except my dress. So hopefully that comes together in the next seven weeks,' she said 'It'll be exciting. Next year. It's gotta be better than this one,' she laughed. Olivia and Justin met at the start of 2018 before stepping out together at the Aussie Formula One Grand Prix. When asked about her plans for the upcoming year, Olivia teased: 'I have lots of things in the works, but nothing that I can really share right now.' Chelsea Handler is explaining why she had to unexpectedly cancel several shows that she was scheduled to play in Oregon after suffering a health 'scare'. Those stand-up shows were part of her ongoing stand-up comedy act dubbed, Vaccinated & Horny Tour. 'Hello everyone. I am so sorry I had to cancel my shows tonight in Portland and my show in Eugene,' Handler, 46, began in a video that was shot from her hospital bed. 'I had a scare at the hospital, and I don't have COVID, and I'm okay, but I had to reschedule my shows.' Scroll down to videos Health concerns: Chelseas Handler, 46, took to Instagram and revealed she had to cancel several shows from her Vaccinated & Horny comedy tour due to a health 'scare' Sounding somewhat tired in the tone of her voice, Handler ended the clip with an apology and by, of course, showcasing her hilarious comedic touch. 'I will see you all when I see you, and I'm sorry that I had to cancel. But I'm all OK. And I'm not pregnant. In all, she cancelled three stand-up gigs: early and late shows in Portland on Friday, February 4, as well as the following night on Saturday, February 5 in Eugene, Oregon. For the video, the New Jersey native was dressed in a traditional hospital patient gown and had a wire attached to her chest. From a hospital bed, the comedian announced she had to cancel two shows in Portland, Oregon and one show in Eugene, Oregon, which are February 4 and February 5 Hospital stay: The New Jersey native was dressed in a traditional hospital patient gown and had a wire attached to her chest Built in break: With the cancelations, Handler's next tour date isn't until March 10 in Winnipeg, Canada, which is more than four weeks from Saturday's announcements Later on Saturday, after being discharged from the hospital, Handler returned to Instagram to give her 4.3 million fans and followers an update on her condition. 'Okay everybody, I'm safe and sound. Everything's okay,' she shared, seemingly from her bedroom with boyfriend Jo Koy sitting just feet away on the bed. She had on a facial mask as she spoke to the camera. 'I'm just going to chill out for a couple of weeks to recover because my Buddha came and rescued me,' she joked, in a reference to her beloved pet pooch, as she turned the camera on Koy, 50. Update: Later on Saturday, after being discharged from the hospital, Handler took back to her Instagram page to give her 4.3 million fans and followers an update on her condition Reassurance: I'm safe and sound. Everything's okay,' she shared, seemingly from her bedroom with boyfriend Jo Koy sitting just feet away Supportive: 'She's good. She's doing really good,' Koy assured Handler's fans 'She's good. She's doing really good,' Koy assured her fans, before Handler jumped back into the conversation: 'I'm good and will be back on track in no time.' After quickly showing her beloved pet pooch, Buddha, Handler then took time out to thank all the well-wishers. 'I'm going through all my DMs, well I'm trying too,' she continued, adding, 'Thank you for all the love. You're so sweet, everyone is just so sweet for caring so much about my well-being.' A break in Handler's tour schedule will give her that time recover. The next date of her tour isn't until March 10 in Winnipeg, Canada, which is more than four weeks from the announcement of her canceled shows. So far, the comedian has not revealed any diagnosis to her health scare. On the mend: I'm just going to chill out for a couple of weeks to recover because my Buddha came and rescued me,' she joked, in a reference to her beloved pet pooch Fan friendly: Handler said she is currently going through all of her DMs Heartwarming: 'Thank you for all the love. You're so sweet, everyone is just so sweet for caring so much about my well-being,' Hander said of all the messages she's been receiving Big Brother VIP star Imogen Anthony donned a racy beaded bodysuit to celebrate her birthday at Sydney's Palm Beach over the weekend. The social media star, who just turned 31, looked to be in high spirts as she posed in the flesh-flashing ensemble - which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Imogen was the life of the party as she was seen holding a drink while partying on a balcony at the beachside pad. Turning 31 in style! Big Brother star Imogen Anthony (pictured) dared to bare in a raunchy beaded bodysuit as she celebrated her birthday at Palm Beach getaway on Saturday She was joined by a number of her pals including social media star, Mitch Greer. Longtime pal Ash Toweel was also spotted alongside his pal, Dimitri Gotsis. The two men were both seen carrying presents to the party house. Girls just wanna have fun! Imogen was joined by a number of her pals including social media star Mitch Greer (both pictured) Party girl: Imogen was the life of the party as she was seen holding a drink while partying on a balcony at the beachside pad Fun-loving: Imogen and Mitch looked upbeat as they enjoyed a chat on the balcony of the beachside pad Imogen returned to the spotlight last year as a contestant on Big Brother VIP, after soaring to headlines as the ex-girlfriend of radio titan Kyle Sandilands. She recently spoke out after her Kyle announced his engagement to new partner Tegan Kynaston weeks ago. Reacting to the news on the Good B***h podcast, Imogen spoke about their 2019 break-up and what led to the end of their eight-year relationship. The model, who is said to have received a substantial financial settlement after her split from Kyle, acknowledged he was going through a hard time when they broke up. 'It was self-destructive. We've spoken about that since,' she told hosts Jules Rangiheuea and Jodie Clarke. Spotlight: Imogen returned to the spotlight last year as a contestant on Big Brother VIP On her from Kyle Sandilands: 'It was self-destructive. We've spoken about that since,' she told hosts Jules Rangiheuea and Jodie Clarke on the podcast Claims: 'He was going through a lot of s**t. He had people he'd worked with for years he was falling out with, he lost his dad [Peter Sandilands] a couple of years earlier and was still dealing with that,' she said Sensational curves: Imogen showed her phenomenal figure in the bodysuit 'He was going through a lot of s**t. He had people he'd worked with for years he was falling out with, he lost his dad [Peter Sandilands] a couple of years earlier and was still dealing with that. 'There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes.' Kyle and Imogen were together for eight years, but he never popped the question. Pals: Long-time pal Ash Toweel was also spotted alongside his pal, Dimitri Gotsis. Dimitri was spotted carrying a present Friends: Imogen looked to be the life of the party as she spoke to Mitch and Ash The media titan, 50, announced the pair's split on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in November 2019. He told listeners the couple 'haven't been living with each other' for months and their relationship had simply 'run its course'. 'We haven't been with each other for quite a few months now. Unfortunately it's run its course,' he said. Two teenagers were charged Friday with the murder of their 15-year-old classmate outside a school in Minnesota. Alfredo Rosario Solis, 19, and Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, 18, are accused of killing 15-year-old Jahmari Rice and seriously wounding a 17-year-old student with gunfire outside South Education Center in Richfield, Minn., on Tuesday. Advertisement Solis and Valdez-Alvarez were both arrested Friday. A young boy looks at balloons and candles placed in the snow as South Education Center Academy as a memorial to Jahmari Rice. (KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images) The two men were exiting the school building Tuesday afternoon while Rice, the 17-year-old and a third student walked behind them, according to police. After a short argument, the 17-year-old punched Solis in the parking lot, cops said. Advertisement In retaliation, Valdez-Alvarez pulled a gun and fired at all three students in the opposing group, police said, citing multiple witness accounts. The three students under fire then ran back toward the school building, while Solis and Valdez-Alvarez hopped in a vehicle. As the victims ran away, shots were fired from the vehicle in their direction, cops said. One witness said Rice was killed as he turned to flee. Solis and Valdez-Alvarez were each charged with one count of second-degree murder, the Hennepin County Attorneys Office said in a press release. Theyre also facing two counts of attempted second-degree murder. Fernando Valdez-Alvarez, left, and Alfredo Rosario Solis, were arrested Friday. (Handout) The injured 17-year-old student remained in critical condition Friday. The third student in their group was not hit by the gunfire. South Education Center, where the shooting occurred, serves students from pre-K to age 21 in special education and alternative learning programs. Oscar-winning star Angelina Jolie treated her 17-year-old daughter Zahara to a shopping spree at Foxtail Salon in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon. While stocking up on beauty supplies at the Silver Lake-based retailer, the 46-year-old actress rocked a beige coat, which was belted to accentuate her trim waist, over a pair of black trousers. She completed her effortlessly chic ensemble with brown sandals, glasses and black face mask amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Mother daughter duo: Angelina Jolie treated her 17-year-old Zahara to a shopping spree at Foxtail Salon in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon The mother-of-six styled her beautiful brunette locks in a sleek bun for her one-on-one outing with eldest daughter, who she shares with ex Brad Pitt. Zahara rocked a white cardigan, long grey tank top, dark-wash denim jeans with a rip on the left knee and white sneakers. The teen, who toted two shopping bags, sported waist-length, ombre blue box braids. Chic: While stocking up on beauty supplies at the Silver Lake-based retailer, the 46-year-old actress rocked a beige coat, which was belted to accentuate her trim waist, over a pair of black trousers Looking good! She completed her effortlessly chic ensemble with a pair of glasses, brown sandals and black face mask amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic While it's unknown which products the duo picked up, the store carries Davines' shampoo and conditioner, made from natural origin ingredients. Jolie adopted Zahara in 2005, a year after she'd met Pitt while the pair filmed Mr and Mrs Smith. He was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time. The former couple met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005; after dating for a decade they tied the knot in September 2014. Exes: Jolie adopted Zahara in 2005, a year after she'd met ex-husband Brad Pitt while the pair filmed Mr and Mrs Smith; seen in 2015 Angelina filed for divorce in 2016 and their divorce was finalized in April 2019 while the custody of their children is still in the courts. They have six children together: Maddox, 20, Pax, 18, Zahara, Shiloh, 15, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 13. In September, it was revealed that Brad requested a review of his child custody case with Angelina, after a court disqualified a private judge who granted him joint custody. Lawyers for the star filed a petition for review with the California Supreme Court after the disqualification of Judge John Ouderkirk effectively voided the joint custody ruling, according to People. A California appeals court disqualified the judge in July, agreeing with Jolie in that the judge, Judge John Ouderkirk, did not sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt's attorneys. Co-parenting: The former couple met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005; after dating for a decade they tied the knot in September 2014 In Pitt's petition, lawyers claim that elimination of Ouderkirk 'effectively upended the constitutionally authorized temporary judging system in California' and subsequently 'throws open the door to disqualification challenges at any point during a case, even if the party raising the motion has long been on notice about the alleged grounds for disqualification.' In addition, lawyers for the actor allege that Jolie was 'made aware of Judge Ouderkirk's significant professional history with Pitt's counsel from the very start,' yet did not seek disqualification until years later. 'After more than four years of contentious litigation, every day of which has harmed the children and their father, an important and considered custody decision will be entirely undone as a result of an administrative error that is wholly unrelated to the merits of the custody dispute itself,' the lawyers claimed. Diffcult: In September, it was revealed that Brad requested a review of his child custody case with Angelina, after a court disqualified a private judge who granted him joint custody; seen in 2019 'California law requires that a party seeking disqualification of a judge file a written statement objecting to continued proceedings before the judge 'at the earliest practicable opportunity after discovery of the facts constituting the ground for disqualification,' the petition states. 'Failure to do so constitutes waiver or forfeiture of the party's right to seek disqualification.' Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., a lawyer for Pitt, said in a statement to DailyMail.com that the actor was requesting a review as the judge was 'improperly disqualified' following a 'lengthy legal process' which involved numerous witnesses and experts. 'We are seeking review in the California Supreme Court because the temporary judge, who had been appointed and repeatedly renewed by both sides, was improperly disqualified after providing a detailed, fact-based custodial decision, following a lengthy legal process with multiple witnesses and experts,' read the statement. 'The lower court's ruling will reward parties who are losing child custody cases, and condone their gamesmanship, by allowing them to wait and see about the likely direction of the case before seeking the disqualification of the judge. All about the kids: Jolie filed for sole custody after filing for divorce after an incident on the couple's private plane during which she said he allegedly became violent and abusive; seen in 2019 in London 'Condoning the use of this type of strategic "lie in wait" disqualification challenge will cause irreparable harm to both the children and families involved in this case, and other families in other cases, by unnecessarily prolonging the resolution of these disputes in an already overburdened court system. Allowing this kind of crafty litigation strategy will deprive parents of irreplaceable time with their children as judges are disqualified for minor reasons in the midst of their cases. 'The lower court's ruling is bad for children and bad for Californias overburdened judicial system.' The decision to disqualify Ouderkirk came in July, with the court ruling: 'Judge Ouderkirk's ethical breach, considered together with the information disclosed concerning his recent professional relationships with Pitt's counsel, might cause an objective person, aware of all the facts, reasonably to entertain a doubt as to the judge's ability to be impartial.' 'Disqualification is required.' It is unclear what dealings Ouderkirk is involved in with Pitt's attorneys. Family time: Another insider familiar with the couple's divorce said Pitt's goal was always 'just to spend more time with his children, to make sure theyre healthy, happy and cared for'; Jolie seen with the children in 2018 in Paris He also didn't allow the couple's kids to testify, despite Jolie wanting them to. However, Pitt's team hit back, telling Page Six in a statement: 'The appeals court ruling was based on a technical procedural issue.' 'The facts haven't changed. There is an extraordinary amount of factual evidence which led the judge - and the many experts who testified - to reach their clear conclusion about what is best in the children's best interests. 'We will continue to do whats necessary legally based on the detailed findings of whats best for the children.' A source close to the actor said Pitt is disappointed by the legal setback, telling People: 'Brad believes there is overwhelming evidence that the current situation isn't good for the kids. This just sets things back for everyone.' In Brad's corner: Despite her protestations, Judge Ouderkirk granted Pitt tentative joint custody of the kids last year (seen in 2020) Jolie filed for sole custody after filing for divorce after an incident on the couple's private plane during which she said he allegedly became violent and abusive. Despite her protestations, Judge Ouderkirk earlier this year granted Pitt tentative joint custody of the kids. Now, it's unclear if that will remain in place. The judge already ruled the pair divorced, but separated the child custody issues. Like many celebrity couples, Pitt and Jolie opted to hire their own judge to increase their privacy in the divorce proceedings. He first rose to fame as one of the stars of the 2018 season of Love Island Australia. And now Jaxon Human has revealed he's popped the question to his model girlfriend of nearly four years, Tori Tabbit. The 27-year-old hunk made the announcement in an Instagram post on Sunday, in which the couple kissed by the water while Tori displayed a gorgeous sparkler on her ring finger. Big news: Jaxon Human has revealed he's popped the question to his model girlfriend of nearly four years, Tori Tabbit Jaxon captioned the post, 'SHE SAID YES'. Human and Tabbit went Instagram official with his model girlfriend in 2020 after almost one year of dating. Sharing a loved-up selfie of the couple, the heartthrob could be seen holding onto his flame's stomach as they posed for a photo together. Wedding bells: The 27-year-old hunk made the announcement in an Instagram post on Sunday, in which the couple kissed by the water while Tori displayed a gorgeous sparkler on her ring finger Making it official! Human and Tabbit went Instagram official with his model girlfriend in 2020 after almost one year of dating 'Couple of homebodies,' he cryptically wrote underneath the photo. While this was the first photo of the pair on his account, a quick glimpse of Tori's Instagram page suggests they've been together since August 2019. One photo dated February 2020 shows Tori with her arms over his shoulders, while another sees the pair cuddling. Previously speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Jaxon admitted his ultimate romantic day out would involve a trip to a humble fast-food chain. 'I am still looking for that girl to jump on the back of my Harley and ride to McDonald's with me and get a caramel latte,' the motorbike enthusiast confessed. 'I like getting a caramel latte with a toasted banana bread from the cafe near me,' he continued. Couple: While this is the first photo of the pair on his account, a quick glimpse of partner Tori's profile suggests they've been together since August 2019 The male entertainer initially went into the villa with the aim of coupling up with Cassidy McGill - an intention that soon turned sour. Explaining what went wrong between them, he said: 'I let my emotions get to my head. I thought I had to be in a couple straight away.' The first season of Love Island Australia was broadcast on ITV2 in 2020 after the British series was suspended due to coronavirus. It's official: Australian Survivor has gone woke. The Channel Ten reality show has kicked off this year's Blood v Water season with the introduction of 'de-gendered' language, as producers attempt to promote 'inclusivity' on-screen. According to The Daily Telegraph, the word 'guys' has officially been banned from the cast's lexicon, meaning that host Jonathan LaPaglia has had to change his iconic catch-phrase: 'Come on in, guys.' Australian Survivor goes woke: The word 'guys' has officially been banned from the Channel Ten reality series as gender-neutral terms are mandated to promote 'inclusivity'. Pictured: Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia The 'gendered' phrase, which is considered by some as sexist, has been used by LaPaglia to welcome contestants into challenges since the show's inception in 2016. 'With the ever growing conversation around inclusivity, it was a natural progression to adapt our language to reflect this,' LaPaglia told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday. 'The US has also adopted a similar change,' he added. End of an era: The 'gendered' phrase, which is considered by some as sexist, has been used by LaPaglia to welcome contestants into challenges since the show's inception in 2016 Talks: The word 'guys' was discussed by the host of the US version, Jeff Probst (pictured), during last year's season. He announced that he will no longer refer to the contestants as 'guys' from now on Indeed, Survivor USA host Jeff Probst also officially stopped using the line, 'Come on in, guys', during last year's season. During an episode, Jeff asked the teams: 'In the context of 'Survivor,' is a word like guys okay? Or is it time to retire that word?' One contestant agreed the term was 'uncomfortable' and in the spirit of inclusivity, Jeff agreed to retire it. Blockbuster season: Meanwhile, the 2022 season of Australian Survivor is shaping up to be the biggest yet, with family members playing together for the first time in the show's history. Pictured: Australian Survivor 2022 contestant Sophie Cachia Jeff had previously used the phrase for a whopping 40 seasons. Meanwhile, the 2022 season of Australian Survivor is shaping up to be the biggest yet, with family members playing together for the first time in the show's history. The Blood V Water series features 24 former castaways playing with - and against - their loved ones. This concept has already been used twice before in the US franchise - in 2013 with the titular Survivor: Blood vs Water, and again in 2014 with Survivor: San Juan del Sur. Australian Survivor: Blood V Water continues Sunday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 Brendan Cole has 'sparked controversy for ITV' by liking a social media video claiming COVID-19 is a conspiracy. Brandan, who is currently competing in the network's popular Dancing On Ice talent show, reportedly 'liked' an Instagram video in which scientist Dr Reiner Fuellmich claimed the pandemic is 'run by a small group of people behind the scenes'. Brendan, 45, also liked a series of tweets by former LBC host Maajid Nawaz supporting outspoken Joe Rogan, whose anti-vaccination views led to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their music from Spotify, where he hosts a popular podcast. Yikes: Brendan Cole, 45, has 'sparked controversy for ITV' by liking a video claiming covid is a conspiracy on Instagram Not good: Brendan also liked a series of tweets supporting Joe Rogan, who was recently purged from Spotify after promoting anti-vaxx views The Sun reports that Brendan follows an Instagram account called Nuremberg 2.0, which calls for a ''Grand Jury'' to prove ''crimes against humanity'' in relation to COVID-19 vaccinations. The account appears to use the Nuremberg trials of 1946, during which overthrown Nazi leaders were prosecuted by the Allied forces under international law following the Second World War, as historical inspiration for their beliefs. The trials were notable for the prosecution of leading figures from the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany. Many of these figures were responsible for war crimes including the Holocaust and systematic ethnic cleansing of non-Aryan races. They were tried and ultimately sentenced to death in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and have been described as the 'greatest trial in history'. Social media habits: According to the paper, Brendan follows an Instagram account called Nuremberg 2.0 Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan is said to have 'liked' a video in which Dr Reiner Fuellmich claims 'there is a very small group of people running the show from behind the scenes'. Brendan also liked a series of 44-year-old Nawaz's tweets. In some the radio host plugged Rogan's podcast, while in others he boasted about being an upcoming guest on the show. MailOnline has reached out to Brendan's representatives for comment. Tweets: In some the radio host plugged Rogan's podcast, while in others he boasted about being an upcoming guest on the show Last month, Nawaz - who has been accused of tweeting 'deranged rubbish' about vaccines by fellow host Iain Dale and was criticised for spreading Covid conspiracy theories - was axed by LBC with 'immediate effect.' Meanwhile, Rogan, 54, garnered controversy after a December 31 podcast of The Joe Rogan Experience in which he chat with Dr. Robert Malone, an anti-vaccine proponent who was previously banned from Twitter over the spread of COVID misinformation. The streaming service on Sunday announced it was set to add a disclaimer prior to podcasts that include talk about COVID-19. Oh dear: Brendan sparked fears for Dancing On Ice that he might not have been vaccinated in December when he posted a lengthy anti-Government rant about vaccines on Instagram Rogan on Sunday said that he was 'very happy with' the company's decision, and that he wasn't trying 'to promote misinformation' or 'be controversial,' adding, 'I've never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people.' Meanwhile, Brendan sparked fears for Dancing On Ice that he might not have been vaccinated in December when he posted a lengthy anti-Government rant about vaccines on Instagram. He appealed to his Instagram followers to attend yesterday's 'Freedom March' in London's Parliament Square to protest against the Government's Covid measures, and for freedom of choice over the jabs. Bye: Radio presenter Maajid Nawaz (pictured in December 2016), 43, will be leaving his weekend show with 'immediate effect', said the London-based radio station Not happy: Rogan on Sunday said that he was 'very happy with' the company's decision, and that he wasn't trying 'to promote misinformation' or 'be controversial' Writing on Instagram to his 91,400 followers, he said: 'If you are concerned as I am about Government mandates, use your voice. It's a slippery slope when Government can dictate and mandate what we do to our own body, or make it difficult to exist if they don't conform to their mandates. 'Change the word vaccine to anything else and you should have your answer. Does another human have the right to force you into doing something to your body? The answer should be unequivocally no. 'If you wish to have the vaccine, stand proud and have it, but as human beings we should respect others who have a different stance for whatever reason.' Earlier this year, Cole left his followers with the impression that he is anti-vax on his Instagram biography, which included a needle emoji besides the words 'pro freedom of choice'. It was later removed. They star together in the forthcoming US Showtime series which is based on the Ripley novels by Patricia Highsmith. And, Dakota Fanning and Andrew Scott put on an animated display as they enjoyed a night time gondola ride while filming scenes for Ripley in Venice, Italy on Saturday. The American actress, 27, and her and co-star, 45, were clearly in a great mood as they shared a laugh while gliding along on the set of the crime drama. Co-stars: Dakota Fanning, 27, and Andrew Scott, 45, put on an animated display as they enjoyed a night time gondola ride while filming scenes for Ripley in Venice, Italy on Saturday Dakota could be seen in smart black trousers and a jumper with a long overcoat and patent brogue shoes. Her blonde locks were pulled back into a sleek bun and she wore a flick of feline eyeliner to complete her chic look. Andrew, who takes the iconic lead role, donned a black tailored suit and tie with a crisp white shirt. Dakota, will portray Marge Sherwood in the new Showtime series, while Scott plays Tom Ripley - the arch conman previously played to aplomb by Matt Damon in the hit 1999 film. Fun times: The American actress and her and co-star were clearly in a great mood as they shared a laugh while gliding along on the set of the crime drama The character was created by late novelist Patricia Highsmith and played a defining role through five of her novels and several subsequent film adaptations. In the new series, set in the 1960s, Ripley is hired by a wealthy New Yorker to travel to Italy to convince his wayward son Dickie Greenleaf to return home. But along the way, he starts to weave a complex web of deceit with murderous consequences. Loving life: Dakota, will portray Marge Sherwood in the new Showtime series, while Scott plays Tom Ripley - the arch conman previously played to aplomb by Matt Damon in the hit 1999 film Dickie's Venice based American girlfriend - played by Dakota - will slowly suspect Ripley's motives when he shows up looking for him. The drama is being adapted from Highsmith's novels by Schindler's List writer Steve Zaillan. The 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed by the late Anthony Minghella, starred Matt Damon as Tom Ripley with Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge and Jude Law as doomed jazz musician Dickie. Ripley's US release date in the USA is confirmed to be 2022. A UK release is to be announced. Chris Hemsworth was full of praise for his good pal Kelly Slater on Sunday. The actor, 38, posted to his Instagram to congratulate the surfer on his Pipeline victory in Hawaii. Alongside a photo of Kelly basking in his win, the Thor star wrote: 'Congrats @kellyslater, greatest of all time, what an inspiration'. Praise: Chris Hemsworth (pictured) was full of praise for his good pal Kelly Slater on Sunday Slater, 49, an 11-time world champion, had earlier that day won the WSL event against Hawaiian Seth Moniz, 22. The film star and the athlete are known to be close friends and have been pictured together on several occasions. In 2018, they starred in a now-infamous viral photo in which they wrestled one another while shirtless. Winner! The actor, 38, posted to his Instagram to congratulate the surfer on his Pipeline victory in Hawaii. Alongside a photo of Kelly (pictured) basking in his win, the Thor star wrote: 'Congrats @kellyslater, greatest of all time, what an inspiration' Kelly and Chris evidently enjoyed each other's company as they caught up at Kelly's 'Surf Ranch' in California, regarded as the world's best artificial wave pool. Chris shared the image to Instagram, with the Avengers star being piggy-backed by Kelly, who held him in a headlock position with his legs wrapped around his waist. 'It may look like @KellySlater has the upper hand but basically I used my Jedi mind tricks and endless patience and waited till his little tiny arms grew tired,' he wrote. Very close pals! In 2018, the friends starred in a now-infamous viral photo in which they wrestled one another while Kelly was shirtless 'Then immediately reversed the position and gained complete control until he crumbled under my powers... maybe,' he added. Kelly immediately replied to the post: 'You drop in on me at Surf Ranch, this is what happens. Let your cronies know, Chris!' Chris is an avid surfing enthusiast and has accompanied Kelly on many surfing trips to locations like Fiji and his home base of Byron Bay. Katherine Ryan shared a very cheeky post to Instagram on Sunday, which saw her flash her toned bottom while sharing a kiss with her partner Bobby Kootstra. The comedian and her childhood sweetheart, both 38, engaged in a romantic smooch while each donning a matching pair of cutout plaid pyjama bottoms. Overlooking a swanky swimming pool, the couple appeared to be enamoured with one another while exhibiting their toned derrieres. What a pair! Katherine Ryan shared a very cheeky post to Instagram on Sunday, which saw her flash her toned bottom while sharing a kiss with her partner Bobby Kootstra Couple: In her caption, she wrote: 'Sunday. @savagexfenty @ririgalbadd ' In her caption, she wrote: 'Sunday. @savagexfenty @ririgalbadd .' It comes after Katherine detailed her tough journey with Lupus and has credited the disease for making her 'focus on the things that matter.' The TV personality, has described the moment that she first began to experience symptoms of the condition back in 2007 and her struggle for a diagnosis. The Canadian had just moved to London when she first began to suffer with sore joints, fatigue and rashes. Candid: It comes after Katherine detailed her tough journey with Lupus and has credited the disease for making her 'focus on the things that matter' (pictured with Bobby) In an interview with The Mirror she explained: 'I had really low white blood cells, but no one seemed particularly alarmed about that. There was a lot of frustration with doctors who didnt know what was wrong and didnt investigate. I felt quite fobbed off.' Following various appointments with an array of specialists, she added that she was told she could have 'ringworm' whilst another took a guess with 'leprosy.' Desperately Katherine visited A&E, where a nurse there first suggested that she might have Lupus. 'Better than ever': The actress believed that stress was a contributing factor to the cause of her lupus and has since successfully managed her condition by focussing on de-stressing After almost a year of trying to get a professional diagnosis she was finally told by a dermatologist that she had systemic lupus erythematosus. Whilst there is no cure for the long-term condition, it can be treated and controlled with medication to prevent it from getting worse and lessen flare-ups. After her diagnosis Katherine detailed: 'I realised lifes not fair and I had to take responsibility for my own health. Everyones different, but for me it was either I calm down or I get a fever, so the reward was high. I didnt do yoga or mindfulness techniques I went for a lot of walks. 'Fobbed off': She detailed: 'There was a lot of frustration with doctors who didnt know what was wrong and didnt investigate' (with Fred, six months, and her partner Bobby Kootstra) 'I became really Zen and focused on the things that matter. I just didnt sweat the small stuff any more.' The actress believed that stress was a contributing factor to the cause of her lupus and has since successfully managed her condition by focussing on de-stressing. After suffering a series of tragic miscarriages Katherine began taking medication again in 2020, but admitted that she was 'just guessing' that it was an autoimmune response. She now sharess, son, Fred, six months, with her partner Bobby and a daughter, Violet, 12, from her previous relationship as she said that she feels 'better than ever.' Chelsea Handler is on the mend following a health 'scare' which left her in the hospital and forced her to cancel a host of shows on her Vaccinated & Horny stand-up comedy tour. The 46-year-old comedian took to Instagram with the news that she was feeling somewhat better alongside boyfriend Jo Koy after the unexpected health issue. Handler canceled a show in Portland, Oregon, in addition to another show in nearby Eugene, and admitted in a social media share that while she doesn't have COVID, something was amiss with her health. On the mend: Chelsea Handler took to Instagram with the news that she was feeling somewhat better alongside boyfriend Jo Koy after the unexpected health issue After being discharged from the hospital, Handler returned to Instagram to give her 4.3 million fans and followers an update on her condition. 'Okay everybody, I'm safe and sound. Everything's okay,' she shared, seemingly from her bedroom with Koy sitting just feet away on the bed. 'I'm just going to chill out for a couple of weeks to recover because my Buddha came and rescued me,' she joked with a face mask on, in a reference to her beloved pet pooch, as she turned the camera on Koy, 50. Tough: Handler canceled a show in Portland, Oregon, in addition to another show in nearby Eugene, and admitted in a social media share that while she doesn't have COVID, something was amiss with her health Reassurance: I'm safe and sound. Everything's okay,' she shared from her bedroom with boyfriend Jo Koy sitting just feet away 'She's good. She's doing really good,' Koy assured her fans, before Handler jumped back into the conversation: 'I'm good and will be back on track in no time.' After quickly showing her beloved pet pooch, Buddha, Handler then took time out to thank all the well-wishers. 'I'm going through all my DMs, well I'm trying too,' she continued, adding, 'Thank you for all the love. You're so sweet, everyone is just so sweet for caring so much about my well-being.' Supportive: 'She's good. She's doing really good,' Koy assured Handler's fans Chelsea explained why she had to unexpectedly cancel several shows that she was scheduled to play in Oregon after suffering a health 'scare'. Those stand-up shows were part of her ongoing stand-up comedy act dubbed, Vaccinated & Horny Tour. 'Hello everyone. I am so sorry I had to cancel my shows tonight in Portland and my show in Eugene,' Handler, 46, began in a video that was shot from her hospital bed. 'I had a scare at the hospital, and I don't have COVID, and I'm okay, but I had to reschedule my shows.' Health concerns: Chelseas Handler, 46, took to Instagram and revealed she had to cancel several shows from her Vaccinated & Horny comedy tour due to a health 'scare' Sounding somewhat tired in the tone of her voice, Handler ended the clip with an apology and by, of course, showcasing her hilarious comedic touch. 'I will see you all when I see you, and I'm sorry that I had to cancel. But I'm all OK. And I'm not pregnant. In all, she cancelled three stand-up gigs: early and late shows in Portland on Friday, Feb. 4, as well as the following night on Saturday, February 5 in Eugene, Oregon. Hospital stay: The New Jersey native was dressed in a traditional hospital patient gown and had a wire attached to her chest In the video, the New Jersey native was dressed in a traditional hospital patient gown and had a wire attached to her chest. A break in Handler's tour schedule will give her that time recover. The next date of her tour isn't until March 10 in Winnipeg, Canada, which is more than four weeks from the announcement of her canceled shows. So far, the comedian has not revealed any diagnosis to her health scare. Built in break: With the cancelations, Handler's next tour date isn't until March 10 in Winnipeg, Canada, which is more than four weeks from Saturday's announcements Kanye West claims Kim Kardashian accused him of 'putting a hit out on her' in a scathing new post as the divorced couple feud over their oldest daughter's TikTok use and the rapper having once been barred from his younger child's birthday party West, 44, has been lashing out at Kardashian's parenting tactics for weeks, most recently criticizing her for allowing daughter North, eight, to use TikTok without his permission. The Grammy-winning musician - who has an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion by Forbes estimates - rehashed old family drama on Instagram in an all-caps rant. He reiterated claims he was barred from attending his younger daughter Chicago's fourth birthday party. accused of stealing, and forced to take a drug test. In his latest Instagram tirade, he claimed Kardashian - worth $1.4 billion - accused him of planning a 'hit' on her. 'These ideas can actually get someone locked up,' West said. 'They play like that with black mens' lives weather [sic] it's getting them free or getting them locked up. I'm not playing about my black children anymore.' The couple called it quits last February although West refused to let go of the relationship, claiming God would bring them back together after his curvaceous reality star ex moved on last November with comedian Pete Davidson. West in a track released last month rapped about beating the funny guy's 'a**'. Rapper Kanye West in his latest online rant once again lashed out against ex-wife Kim Kardashian and said 'I'm not playing about my black children anymore' West said Kardashian accused him of 'putting a hit out on her' in a scathing new Instagram post Although their split initially appeared publicly amicable - with Kardashian supporting West's record release and new shoe line - it recently turned acrimonious as West began publicly dragging her parenting. He last week shared a picture of North on Instagram asking in the caption, 'Since this is my first divorce I need to know what should I do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?' In an apparent effort to legitimize his stance, he on Sunday shared a text exchange he had with Kardashians' cousin. 'Afterwards her other cousin Kara called me saying she agreed with me then said she would speak out publicly which she never did,' West said on Instagram. 'Then she suggested I take medication.' West revealed in 2020 that he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which can cause sufferers to experience episodes shifting between manic highs and dark depressions. In another text shared to Instagram on Sunday morning, West shared an alleged text exchange with one of Kardashian's cousins who seemingly agreed with West's strong stance against the children having access to social media Hours later, Kardashian hit back on her Instagram slamming West's 'constant attacks' on her and accusing him of causing their family 'pain' in a lengthy statement, where she referred to herself as the 'main caregiver.' Kanye then responded again, screenshotting Kim's statement and posting another response saying: 'What do you mean by main provider ? America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address.' 'You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing I had to take a drug test after Chicago's party cause you accused me of being on drugs.' In a track released last month, West knocked his ex's parenting style, calling her out for hiring nannies to help with the kids. 'I got love for the nannies, but real family is better,' he rapped in the song Eazy. 'The cameras watch the kids, y'all stop takin' the credit.' The couple's split initially seemed amicable. They're pictured together in Paris on March 1, 2020 The couple share four young children: North, eight, Saint, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two. West recently called Kardashian out publicly for letting daughter North (middle left) use TikTok West's frustration over his failed marriage has previously channeled into violence. He last month admitted to punching a fan who was allegedly harassing him outside the Soho Warehouse where he was recording new songs. He told Entertainment Tonight that he was upset at the time with Kardashian, and at a cousin who failed to tell her that he wanted to visit one of their children at school. 'Security aint gonna get in between me and my children. And my children arent gonna be on TikTok without my permission,' Kanye said as he reiterated his message to Kardashian. He also conceded that he was troubled by her budding romance with Davidson. 'How are you going to blame me for acting out and kiss the dude you're dating right in front of me. Everyones like, "thats cool," and Im hearing that the new boyfriend is in the house that I cant even go to."' West is now dating actress Julia Fox, and he has been trotting their relationship out for the cameras since January. West is now dating actress Julia Fox. They're pictured leaving Delilah's nightclub in West Hollywood on January 3, 2022 Kardashian and Davidson's relationship has sparked jealousy from West, who rapped that he would beat the comedian's 'a**' West also shared a text Sunday of him obtaining her new contact information from Larry Jackson, the boyfriend of Kardashian's former assistant Steph Shepherd West claimed he was not invited to Chicago's birthday party last month and embarked on a mission to find the address, which he received from Kyle Jenner's boyfriend Travis Scott. It appeared Kardashian changed her phone number as a result of her ex's tangents; West also shared a text Sunday of him obtaining her new contact information from Larry Jackson, the boyfriend of Kardashian's former assistant Steph Shepherd. West had been on a self-imposed social media break leading up to the release of his 11th studio album on February 22, Donda 2, but broke his own posting rules after catching his oldest daughter, North West, on TikTok earlier this week. Selling Sunset's Heather Rae Young shared to her Instagram on Friday how her foot injury has been affecting her. The 34-year-old Netflix star posted to her Instagram stories a picture of her foot in a cheetah print slipper at the hospital. 'X rays on my foot,' Heather captioned her story. 'Been dealing with some issues & not resting & I pushed my foot too much.' At the hospital: Selling Sunset's Heather Rae Young shared to her Instagram on Friday how her foot injury has been affecting her She continued in her post: 'Last 2 nights around 9, Im getting awful and severe pain, cant move my toe or walk or even touch it. Weird thing is its only at night.' Although her doctor at first believed she tore a tendon, it was revealed that Heather has a hematoma on her foot. 'She thinks I know caused a stress fracture on the inside of my left foot because Ive been compensating for the torn tendon,' the former playboy model explained to her 2.3 million followers. With the boot: Although her doctor at first believed she tore a tendon, it was revealed that Heather has a hematoma on her foot 'So, Im going to be getting a boot, [I] have to wear that and rest. It is what it is, I need to rest and heal.' After explaining her situation to her fans, Heather proceeded to say that she is 'falling apart' because she can't exercise. 'I am an avid runner, I love fitness so this is upsetting to me,' she wrote in another slide, explaining that she can't wear high heels or work out. 'Send me love.' Heather recently revealed that she retrieved seven eggs from her egg retrieval procedure in January. Mrs. El Moussa: Heather and Tarek said 'I do' in October at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort, and then traveled to the Maldives and Dubai for a lavish honeymoon Egg retrieval: Heather recently revealed that she retrieved seven eggs from her egg retrieval procedure in January Heather was elated to announce she was able to obtain five more eggs than originally anticipated, though cautioned they may not all be healthy. 'All went smooth, was told 2 eggs got 7!!!!' Heather posted to her Instagram Stories. 'Doesn't mean they will all be healthy but hoping (prayer hand emojis).' She tagged her husband Tarek El Moussa in the post, which included a screenshot from the FaceTime call she had with him immediately after waking up from the procedure. On FaceTime: 'All went smooth, was told 2 eggs got 7!!!!' Heather posted to her Instagram Stories. 'Doesn't mean they will all be healthy but hoping (prayer hand emojis)' Heather and Tarek said 'I do' in October at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort, and then traveled to the Maldives and Dubai for a lavish honeymoon. In November, the couple revealed their plans to start a family together. 'We're going to freeze embryos first, go from there and then see what happens,' Heather said during an appearance on E! News Daily Pop. A mysterious smell that has been plaguing residents of Hattiesburg, Miss., for months, or even years according to some accounts, is now being investigated by the states Department of Environmental Quality. According to the Hattiesburg American, the foul odor has been likened to sewage, ammonia, and rotting dead animals. Advertisement Last week, Mayor Toby Barker wrote on Facebook that the city is aware there have been intervals of smell in Downtown and surrounding areas in recent days and weeks. Usually, these have occurred in the 7 - 10 a.m. range. However, there have been a few times, such as Saturday, where the smell rolled in during the evening, he said. There is a mysterious, bad smell in downtown Hattiesburg. The mayor has commented on it. What could it be? https://t.co/uYJ9v5W7qO Hattiesburg American (@hburgamerican) February 3, 2022 Barker said that state officials have been assisting in tracking down the source of the smell. Advertisement On Thursday, he released an update on the situation, saying that Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality staff had visited two manufacturing plants in the area, although a definite conclusion on the source of the smell has yet to be reached. Officials said that after visiting one of them multiple times this week, they noted that while there is a smell that definitely pops up when you are close to the plant, there is disagreement on whether it is the smell. Hattiesburg is struggling to find source of lingering smell likened to sewage, ammonia, rotten animal corpses. (Shutterstock) Barker said that city officials are now setting up a 10-day composite testing period to take BOD (biological oxygen demand) samples at one manufacturing plant, specifically where its wastewater leaves the plant and comes to our lagoon. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > The city is also in talks to hire an odor consultant, and a proposal will be reviewed next week. Some residents commenting on Barkers Facebook post, note that the problem has been going on for a very long time. This smell started around my area about three years ago; I live in the southern part of the county, a Facebook user named Whitley S. Alvette wrote. I called and reported it. Someone from the sewage department eventually came out, checked my sewage line, and told me that it was my plumbing. I had a plumber to check my plumbing, and nothing was found, she added. Ive been smelling it ever since we moved to Petal and I had to start driving down this way and that was nearly 5 years ago, added user Staci Pinto. Advertisement Residents have also used the mayors post to describe the awful smell, comparing it to a fish market, the drains, and a decaying animal carcass. My nostrils literally burnt, wrote Facebook user Kristin Dykes. And it smelled for a moment like ammonia. Ree Drummond came to the rescue of her husband, Ladd, after he managed to get himself stuck in an icy pond. The 53-year-old reality television personality shared the news about her spouse's situation with a video that was shared to her Instagram account on Friday, when the two were seen driving through their Oklahoma ranch. The food writer wrote a short message: 'When Ladd gets stuck, there's only one person he calls.' In the nick of time: Ree Drummond came to the rescue of her husband, Ladd, after he managed to get himself stuck in an icy pond The video began with Ree asking her husband about what had happened to him, to which he responded by stating that he 'got stuck in the pond.' The television figure's husband then explained in further detail how he ended up in the precarious situation. He recalled: 'I was trying to put my front tires in to break the ice and because I don't have mud tires, my feet tend to get stuck fairly easy. I got a little too far in the pond.' Ree quickly cut Ladd off and asked him: 'Who did you call to come rescue you?' Dependable: The food writer also wrote a short message in her post's caption that read: 'When Ladd gets stuck, there's only one person he calls' Ree's husband then laughed and described his wife as 'the most capable person I know. I knew you'd come help me.' The happy couple has been married since 1996, and they currently reside in his native Osage County. The two share daughters Alex and Paige, sons Bryce and Todd and foster son Jamar. Ree and Ladd celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this past September, and the writer commemorated the occasion by sharing a photoset to her Instagram account. Two of a kind: The happy couple has been married ever 1996, and they currently reside in his native Osage County Two of the shots from the set were taken during the couple's wedding ceremony, and they were seen staying close while kneeling at an altar. She also penned a lengthy message where she expressed her devotion to her husband and enthusiasm for their future lives. The statement began with: 'It's been a wild adventure, and we've experienced the joys, pains, ups, downs, triumphs, sadnesses, and unexpected twists and turns.' Ree went on to express that she and her husband had learned more about each other than they ever expected over the course of their marriage. Memories: Ree and Ladd celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this past September, and the writer commemorated the occasion by sharing a photoset to her Instagram account 'That whole "love" thingthe love that deepens, expands, and becomes more firmly rooted over timeis definitely there,' she wrote. She then described her husband as 'what's really kept me going all these years.' Ree concluded the message by publicly declaring her love for her spouse, and shared a solo shot of him at the end of her set. Several of the couple's friends, as well as their son Bryce, left kind messages for them in the post's comments section. She announced last month she's expecting her first child with husband Alex Bowen. And Olivia Bowen looked every inch the glowing mum-to-be as she cradled her blossoming baby bump in a slew of new pictures. The Love Island star, 28, posed in a figure-hugging black top that clung to her curves as she lounged in a chair. Blonde beauty: Olivia Bowen looked every inch the glowing mum-to-be as she cradled her blossoming baby bump in a slew of new pictures. Busy girl: Captioning the stunning photos, she wrote: 'Been a busy week, time to have a super chilled Sunday & a Sunday roast' Her ample assets were on full display in the plunging shirt, which she teamed with a pair of skin-tight lycra leggings. She added a pair of heeled thigh-high brown boots and a dainty chain necklace with a heart. She styled her blonde locks swept back in a low ponytail, and added a slick of brown lipstick to finish off her look. Flawless: Her ample assets were on full display in the plunging shirt, which she teamed with a pair of skin-tight lycra leggings Adorable: In another set of snaps, the reality star posed with her husband Alex and they shared a sweet kiss as he gently cupped her growing bump Captioning the stunning photos, she wrote: 'Been a busy week, time to have a super chilled Sunday & a Sunday roast'. In another set of snaps, the reality star posed with her husband Alex and they shared a sweet kiss as he gently cupped her growing bump. Alongside she wrote: 'Weekend feels'. Stunning: The Love Island star, 28, posed in a figure-hugging black top that clung to her curves as she lounged in a chair Olivia recently told MailOnline of her pregnancy: 'I'm so excited to become a Mum. It feels very surreal still to even say it, but we both can't wait for the next part of our lives. Alex is going to be the best dad - he's so caring, kind and a big kid at heart. 'My pregnancy is going really fast; We still both can't quite believe it's happening. We're having to stop ourselves buying all the baby clothes at the moment, we just get too excited. 'Our family and friends were so shocked when we told them, but I just knew very early on, you know your body. We're not going to find out what we're having, I think the surprise will make it extra special.' Mum-to-be: She styled her blonde locks swept back in a low ponytail, and added a slick of brown lipstick to finish off her look Earlier this month, Olivia took to Instagram to share the news that she is expecting. Her New Year's Day post showed a series of instant photos and a pair of booties alongside the caption: 'Happy New Baby Bowen', before Alex then shared the same post and penned: 'This year we get to meet Baby Bowen'. The trio of images included a shot of Alex kissing his wife's stomach, a selfie showing them holding the booties and a baby grow alongside sonogram pictures Olivia and Alex, formerly a sales executive and scaffolder respectively, soared to fame in 2016 when they appeared on the ITV2 reality show, where she was an original star and he, a late and extremely popular entrant. After leaving the villa their romance soon when from strength to strength and Alex popped the question in New York in 2016. Loved-up couple Olivia and Alex tied the knot in a luxurious Essex ceremony two years after meeting on Love Island during series two. Channel 10 has issued a statement supporting its embattled political editor Peter van Onselen following a report he will be off The Project for 'the foreseeable future'. Network sources allegedly told The Herald Sun van Onselen - who filled in for hosts Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald over the summer - could be away from the desk 'all year' after finding himself at the centre of a media storm in recent weeks. But a 10 spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia this isn't the case, saying van Onselen 'remains a contributor' to The Project and will make appearances 'as required'. Statement: Channel 10 has issued a statement supporting its embattled political editor Peter van Onselen following a report he will be off The Project for 'the foreseeable future' 'Peter van Onselen was co-hosting The Project over the summer, as several of the hosts were away,' the representative said on Monday. 'Peter remains a contributor to the program in his role as the networks political editor and will appear on the show as required.' The Herald Sun also reported that while there was initially a positive response from 10 executives to van Onselen's on-air clash with Carrie Bickmore on January 25, those same bosses soon became 'apprehensive' about the consequences of such overt hostility between the hosts. Bickmore and guest journalist Amy Remeikis had torn shreds off van Onselen for his column in The Australian criticising former Australian of the Year Grace Tame for her 'immature' behaviour around Scott Morrison at The Lodge. Tame, a left-wing activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault, had scowled and refused to look the PM in the eye while meeting him and wife Jenny at a morning tea for this year's Australian of the Year finalists. Claims: Network sources allegedly told The Herald Sun van Onselen could be away from the desk 'all year' after finding himself at the centre of a media storm in recent weeks. However, a Channel 10 spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia this isn't the case, saying van Onselen 'remains a contributor' to The Project and will make appearances 'as required' Van Onselen said Tame should have just stayed home if she couldn't be polite, but Bickmore and Remeikis felt this was not an acceptable opinion and questioned why he'd written the piece. Since then, van Onselen has made headlines for breaking the story about Gladys Berejiklian's leaked texts to a Liberal minister about the Prime Minister, in which the former NSW Premier called Mr Morrison a 'horrible, horrible person'. It was a rare scoop for Channel 10, which isn't known for setting the news agenda. He has also been named in a lawsuit by former 10 press gallery journalist Tegan George in her action against the network alleging she was subjected to a toxic culture of bullying during her time under van Onselen at the Canberra bureau. Angry: The Project host Carrie Bickmore (right) and journalist Amy Remeikis had torn shreds off van Onselen on January 25 for his column in The Australian criticising 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame for her 'immature' behaviour around Scott Morrison at The Lodge Scowl: Van Onselen, reflecting the view of mainstream Australia, said Tame (right) should have just stayed home if she couldn't be polite, but Bickmore and Remeikis felt this was not an acceptable opinion and questioned why he'd written the piece He is one of several senior employees named in the lawsuit which claims the station failed to provide a safe working environment. Ms George joined the network in 2011 and started the new role in 2019 but has been on leave since June 2021 allegedly suffering 'personal injury' brought on by 'stress to the point of incapacity', the lawsuit alleged. Channel 10 and van Onselen have denied the allegation but are yet to file a defence. Scoop: Since then, van Onselen has made headlines for breaking the story about Gladys Berejiklian's (left) leaked texts to a Liberal minister about Scott Morrison (right), in which the former NSW Premier called the Prime Minister a 'horrible, horrible person'. Pictured with NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard (centre) on February 19, 2021 Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) appears to have sided with Kanye West amid the rapper's public spat with ex-wife Kim Kardashian. The Gold Digger star, 44, and the mother of his four children, 41, have been embroiled in a bitter blow-up in recent days after he sensationally claimed their eight-year-old daughter North was being 'put on TikTok against his will'. While Lara didn't mention the warring couple by name, the notoriously private model, 34, re-shared a post on Instagram Stories on Monday that seemingly reflected her own view that 'no eight year old' needs to be on social media. 'No eight year old needs to be on social media': Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) appears to have sided with Kanye West amid the rapper's public spat with ex-wife Kim Kardashian The post, written by influencer Courtney Trop, which has now been deleted from Lara's account, read: 'There literally is no eight year old that needs to be on social media. Correct. Go colour. Correct. 'Fame and approval are addicting. When I was younger, a boy I went to high school with, whose name and face I remember very clearly, called me fat at the pool and after that I had severe mental problems with my body. 'I only had to manage the kids in my high school and what they thought of me. Can you imagine being eight and having to manage the opinions and comments of millions of people? Insanity.' Powerful statement: While Lara didn't mention the warring couple by name, the notoriously private model, 34, re-shared this post on Instagram Stories on Monday that seemingly reflected her own view that 'no eight year old' needs to be on social media Unlike Kim Kardashian, Lara prefers to keep her personal life out of the headlines. Despite being a fixture of the Sydney tabloids in the late 2000s, these days she doesn't even post the faces of her sons, Rocket, six, Racer, four, and River, one, on her social media accounts. She and her husband, actor Sam Worthington, also didn't reveal the name of their youngest son publicly until a year after he was born. 'It may be a little different if this child wasn't in the public eye, but still!' Courtney Trop's post continued. 'If you're a celebrity, a blogger, a YouTuber and I don't care who you are but if you're in the public protect your goddamn children. They are not just dollar signs. 'There's a blogger who does this with her kids too and it actually makes me want to puke!' On Friday, Kardashian and Kanye were embroiled in a bitter war of words all over social media after the musician said North was being put on TikTok 'against his will'. Bitter argument: On Friday, Kardashian and Kanye were embroiled in a bitter war of words all over social media after the rapper said North was being put on TikTok 'against his will' Kardashian reportedly has strict rules when it comes to her eldest's TikTok use, including not allowing her to have the app on her own phone after she went live without her permission in December. Additionally, the elementary school student must have adult supervision to use her TikTok account, according to TMZ. The row started as the father-of-four shared a picture of his eldest child on Instagram asking in the caption, 'Since this is my first divorce I need to know what should I do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?' Hours later, Kim hit back on her Instagram slamming Kanye's 'constant attacks' on her, accusing him of causing their family 'pain' in a lengthy statement, where she referred to herself as the 'main caregiver.' Custody drama: The row started as the father-of-four shared a picture of his eldest child on Instagram asking in the caption, 'Since this is my first divorce I need to know what should I do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?' Kanye then responded again, screenshotting Kim's statement and posting another response saying: 'What do you mean by main provider ? America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address.' 'You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing I had to take a drug test after Chicago's party cause you accused me of being on drugs. Tracy Romulus stop manipulating Kim to be this way.' Tracy Romulus is the Chief Financial Officer of Kim Kardashian West Brands and a close friend of the Hulu reality star. In Kim's lengthy rebuttal of Kanye's initial post, she wrote: 'Kanye's constant attacks on me in interviews and social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create. 'As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision - because it brings her happiness. Hitting back: Kardashian issued a fiery response to her estranged husband after he claimed their daughter North is being put on TikTok 'against his will' 'Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye's obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all.' 'From the beginning I have wanted nothing but a healthy and supportive co-parenting relationship because it is what is best for our children and it saddens me that Kanye continues to make it impossible every step of the way.' She finished her post by stating: 'I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately and hopefully he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably.' It comes just a month after Kanye stated in a podcast that he did not want North to appear on the social media platform, saying: 'I'm not there to approve that.' Trouble: Kim filed for divorce from Kanye in February last year, and relations between the former couple had initially been cordial (Pictured above with their children) The post shows a screengrab of North in a TikTok video that was posted three days ago from the young one's official account, that is shared with her mother Kim. 'Kim and North' currently has 5.5million followers and features a number of videos starring North with appearances by Kim. The account stipulates in the bio that it is 'managed by an adult', presumably her mother. In the original video, both North and her mother Kim are shown moving the camera around and lip-syncing to a song, attracting over 1.4million likes from fans. Kim started the account back in November last year. The comments on the account are disabled, protecting North from any negative or inappropriate comments from trolls. It is the latest sign of trouble between the former couple, who are currently sharing custody of their five children North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two. He was embroiled in a highly publicised affair with Sydney PR queen and Sweaty Betty founder Roxy Jacenko in 2017 while her husband Oliver Curtis was in prison. But millionaire property developer Nabil Gazal Jnr has finally moved on from the scandal, marrying his fashion publicist fiancee Tahlija Wall in a lavish Sydney ceremony this weekend. Nabil and Tahlija tied the knot at St Lazareth Serbian Orthodox Church on Sunday, before partying the night away at an extravagant reception at the Crown Ballroom. Happily ever after! Nabil Gazal Jnr (left) married fiancee Tahlija Wall (right) in an extravagant Sydney ceremony over the weekend - five years after his shock affair with PR maven Roxy Jacenko while her husband was in jail The couple, who have been in a relationship since 2019, were surrounded by family and friends at the opulent soiree, which would likely have set them back over $200,000. Footage uploaded to Instagram by a guest shows the newlywed pair making a grand entrance into the ballroom, which was festooned with large chandeliers and flowers. Pyrotechnic sparklers and smoke machines exploded as the couple entered the room, while a group of traditional drummers serenaded them on the dance floor. Remember this? Nabil (right) was the talk of the town back in 2017 following his shock affair with PR guru Roxy Jacenko (left) while her husband Oliver Curtis was in prison. Roxy and Nabil are pictured embracing in 2017 at a party Husband and wife: Nabil and Tahlija tied the knot at St Lazareth Serbian Orthodox Church on Sunday, before partying the night away at the Crown Ballroom. The couple are pictured leaving the church No expense spared! Footage uploaded to Instagram by a guest shows the newlywed pair making a grand entrance into the ballroom, which was festooned with large chandeliers and flowers Blushing bride: Tahlija looked stunning in a satin ivory ballgown, featuring off-shoulder detailing and a racy thigh-split Located at the front of the room was a huge tower of champagne glasses and a white wedding cake. Tahlija looked stunning in a satin ivory ballgown, featuring off-shoulder detailing and a racy thigh-split. She tied her long brunette locks into a voluminous ponytail and completed her look with stud earrings and strappy white stilettos. Razzle dazzle: Located at the front of the room was a huge tower of champagne glasses and a white wedding cake Nabil also cut a sleek figure in a black suit and tie. Last year, it was revealed that Nabil and Tahlija had welcomed their first child - a baby girl named Navy Rita Gazal. At the time, the Sydney Morning Herald's Emerald City claimed that the pair were 'delightfully surprised' when they discovered Tahlija was pregnant. Baby joy! Last year, it was revealed that Nabil (left) and Tahlija (right) had welcomed their first child - a baby girl named Navy Rita Gazal Case of the ex: The couple's happy nuptials comes five years after Nabil was embroiled in a highly publicised affair with Sydney's Sweaty Betty founder Roxy (pictured) In May 2019, the publication revealed the notoriously private founder of Gazcorp, one of the countrys major real estate investment companies, was in the early stages of dating Tahlija. The couple's happy nuptials comes five years after Nabil was embroiled in a highly publicised affair with Sydney PR professional and Sweaty Betty founder Roxy Jacenko. Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis had been convicted of insider trading and sentenced to two years in prison in 2016. Past: Roxy's husband Oliver (right) had been convicted of insider trading and sentenced to two years in prison in 2016. He served the majority of his sentence at Cooma Correctional Centre before being released after 12 months on a good behaviour bond He served the majority of his sentence at Cooma Correctional Centre before being released after 12 months on a good behaviour bond. During Oliver's year behind bars, Roxy had a romantic relationship with Nabil, who she had previously dated until 2010. Their relationship was exposed after Daily Mail Australia published images of them passionately kissing at Nabil's Sydney apartment in late April 2017. Reigniting the flame: During Oliver's year behind bars, Roxy had a romantic relationship with Nabil (pictured in 2014), who she had previously dated until 2010 At the time, Oliver was due for release in just eight weeks. The disgraced former investment banker learned about his wife's infidelity while still in prison. Sources later claimed that he decided to forgive Roxy for her indiscretion if she forgave him for the past criminal behaviour that let to his conviction. The couple - who share two children, ten-year-old daughter Pixie and son Hunter, seven- reconciled shortly after Oliver's release. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Jo-Anne Passalacqua was worried about strep throats. Passalacqua, an infectious disease specialist with Hartford HealthCare and St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport, said she was concerned during the early days of the pandemic how the rise in telehealth visits would impact their ability to diagnose illnesses that typically require looking inside the patients nose or mouth. My concern was, Gosh what are we going to do if someone has strep throat? Passalacqua said. She had similar concerns about ear infections, another condition that requires examining a patient up close. In those early months of the pandemic, Passalacqua wondered how she would care for strep and ear infection patients. Then, something unexpected happened. Lo and behold, there werent any, she said. Even as COVID-19 restrictions have loosened and businesses, including doctors offices, have reopened, Passalacqua said she has continued to see lower-than-normal strep numbers. I cant think of the last time I had a diagnosis of strep in my private practice, she said. I think it was six to eight weeks ago. Usually, during peak respiratory illness season, we see one or two cases a week. Passalacqua thinks the continued wearing of masks might have contributed to the lower numbers. What it says to me is that masks and hand-washing are really good, she said. It really speaks to the concept that masks can do some amazing things on rates of infections. Shes not alone in her thinking. Every time we have a (COVID) surge and people do better with their masks, we see other illnesses go down, said Dr. Zane Saul, chief of infectious disease at Bridgeport Hospital. At Nuvance Health which includes Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon Hospitals a spokesperson said in a statement that while they didnt have numbers readily available, anecdotal evidence from Nuvance Health family medicine and pediatricians suggest that strep throat and ear infection illnesses may have been more mild this winter season and that is mostly likely due to masking. Dr. Sanford Swidler, a pediatrician at Stamford Hospital, said hes seen a decline in ear infections and strep as well. The obvious answer (for why that is happening) is that people are being more socially distant and wearing masks, he said. Saul and Passalacqua said they also noticed a dip in ear infections and, though flu is up from last season when there was unusually low activity its not at its pre-COVID levels. The state Department of Public Health reported that 1,638 people tested positive for the flu in Connecticut as of Jan. 15. Last season, as of July 17, 181 people had tested positive for flu. But, in the 2018-19 season before the start of the pandemic 10,619 people in the state tested positive for flu. Passalacqua said the lower rates of strep, ear infections and other lessons show that behavioral changes can make a big difference We should consider that, when we put on a mask, wash our hands or make the decision not to go out when not feeling well, were doing something much greater than preventing the spread of COVID, she said. At least one expert had a slightly different theory about why strep and ear infections, in particular, are seeing modest numbers. Dr. Howard Selinger, chair of family medicine at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, said said social distancing and other COVID-related measures might make a difference, but he pointed out that strep and ear infections are bacterial infections as opposed to COVID and the flu, which are caused by viruses. Strep throat is caused by bacteria called group A streptococcus. The two most common bacterial causes of ear infections are treptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Bacteria do not spread quite as easily as viruses, Selinger said. Add that factor to preventative measures such as mask-wearing and hand-washing, and a drop in infections is a likely result, he said. Saul said he doesnt expect the possible positive impact of mask-wearing on non-COVID illness to lead to an extension of mask mandates, but it will certainly encourage him to wear a mask for the foreseeable future. I think in the winter months, even if were not required to wear masks, I will continue to wear one, he said. I think a lot of health care people will. A Navy SEAL trainee died Friday shortly after completing the elite groups famous Hell Week. Another SEAL-in-training was rushed to a Navy hospital in San Diego and was in stable condition Saturday, the Navy said in a press release. Neither of the prospective SEALs was identified. Advertisement The sailors cause of death remains under investigation. Navy SEAL candidates go through Hell Week in 2003 near Coronado, Calif. (Handout/Getty Images) Hell Week is defined by grueling, high-intensity workouts administered on a near-constant basis for an entire week. The tryouts get less than four hours of sleep per night, and only about 25% of SEAL candidates make it through. Advertisement The two SEAL trainees had completed Hell Week several hours before they were hospitalized, according to the Navy. They were not training when they reported medical issues. There is a lengthy history of Hell Week-related deaths, with the most recent occurring in 2016. James Derek Lovelace died during an exercise where SEAL candidates were treading water in full gear in a giant pool. Lovelaces instructor pushed him underwater at least twice during the training, but was never charged with a crime. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. As part of the implementation of the new plan, a constable is posted at every village to watch out for such illegal activities in the village and report the findings to senior officers. (DC) Hyderabad: In a bid to streamline its operations and keep pace with all activities, especially pertaining to smuggling of narcotics at the ground-level, Telangana police have bolstered their intelligence network at the village level. Directions to keep a tab and prevent such nefarious activities have been given to all superintendents of police (SPs) and commissioners of police (CPs). The onus is on them to prevent cultivation of ganja and smuggling of narcotic substances. In a quick follow-up, all SPs have chalked out their regular schedule till March first week whereby they will be visiting every village in their respective district limits by involving the local police. Sources said that as part of the implementation of the new plan, a constable is posted at every village to watch out for such illegal activities in the village and report the findings to senior officers. In emergency situations, the constable has to immediately alert the superiors, who will be available on five exclusive contact numbers. "We expect good results from the village-level intelligence system. There will be no compromise on maintaining law and order," a senior police officer said. Suryapet SP Rajendra Prasad has proposed to meet people on a regular basis and create awareness about the societal dangers from drug peddling and other illegal activities. He has directed the police to conduct cordon and search operations on a weekly basis as a precautionary measure. Jogulamba Gadwal SP Ranjan Ratan has been interacting with people in Aija, Manopad, Rajoli, Shantinagar, Vaddepalli and other localities for the past few days. He has instructed all police officials in the district to prevent illegal activities by getting information from people. The commission had in its first draft recommendations proposed six additional Assembly seats for Jammu region and one for the Kashmir Valley (ANI file image) SRINAGAR: The Delimitation Commission for J&K late Friday evening shared the second set of draft recommendations with all the five MPs of the Union Territory who are its associate members, seeking their views, suggestions and objections by February 14. As the commission has reportedly proposed major changes in Assembly constituencies, including the creation of new segments and redrawing of the existing ones, main Opposition party National Conference (NC) has outright rejected the draft recommendations. Terming them as unacceptable, party spokesman Imran Nabi Dar told a hurriedly called press conference here on Saturday, Our recommendations vis-a-vis the first draft have clearly not been taken into consideration and, therefore, the NC rejects the 2nd draft. Party MP Justice (retired) Hasnain Masoodi complained that the commission has thrown the recommendations put forth by the NC to the wind and gone by its own will and wish. He said, The changes sought by the panel in the second draft proposal are totally unconstitutional. We had put forth some important suggestions and recommendations but, unfortunately, these have been completely ignored and thrown to the wind, he said. Mr Dar alleged that the draft proposal suggesting the creation of new constituencies and redrawing of others has apparently been determined by a particular agenda. The commission had in its first draft recommendations proposed six additional Assembly seats for Jammu region and one for the Kashmir Valley while reserving nine constituencies for Scheduled Castes and seven for Scheduled Tribes, but various Kashmir-centric political parties had termed it as totally unacceptable. They had accused the commission of allowing the political agenda of the BJP to dictate its recommendations. However, the BJP had called the commissions proposals a path-breaking initiative and a defining moment for the political empowerment of marginalised segments of J&K. It also said that the draft recommendations had rekindled a ray of hope among all those who, it claimed, have suffered the ignominy of exploitation and discrimination due to unjust political manoeuvring over the decades as governance remained hegemony of chosen few. The Delimitation Commission set up on March 6, 2020, by a law ministry notification was initially asked to examine the issue of redrawing the Lok Sabha and Assembly constitutions simultaneously in J&K, Assam and some other North-Eastern states. But later, when the commission had already laid the groundwork to start the delimitation exercise in these states, the government excluded Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland from its purview for the time being, raising many eyebrows in J&K and beyond. The Centre also extended its term by one-year in March last year. Headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, the commission had said in July last year that the responsibility assigned to it was somewhat convoluted and not merely a mathematical game. It, however, assured that the exercise it has taken up will be very transparent and had asked the people, political parties, and other stakeholders in the UT to thrust aside all their fears and apprehensions. It had also announced that the delimitation will be conducted based on the 2011 census and the final draft prepared after taking all demands and recommendations into account. Also, the final draft will be put in public domain for objections and debate, it had assured. Yemeni pro-government fighters from the UAE-trained Giants Brigade, gather on the outskirts of Ataq city, on their way to the frontline facing pro-Iran Huthi fighters, on January 28, 2022. (Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP) DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates said Monday it shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Huthi rebels, in the third such incident this month, as Israel's president visited the country. The defence ministry of the UAE, part of a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iran-backed rebels, said there were no casualties in the early morning attack. "Air defence forces... intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Huthi terrorist group at the UAE," the ministry said, according to the official WAM news agency. It said fragments of debris fell "outside of populated areas", without giving further details. The ministry said it responded to the attack by destroying the missile launch site in Yemen's northern Al-Jawf region. It also released black-and-white footage of the explosion and plumes of black smoke. Monday's attack marks the third since a drone and missile assault that killed three oil workers on January 17. A second that was intercepted was fired at the UAE a week later. The January 17 attack was the first deadly one on the UAE claimed by the Huthis, who have also vowed to keep up their assaults. The latest attack took place as Isaac Herzog made the first ever visit to the UAE by an Israeli president since the two countries normalised ties in 2020. However, a statement from his office on Monday said that he will "continue his visit as planned". The Iran-backed Huthis began targeting UAE interests after a series of defeats on the ground in Yemen, inflicted by the UAE-trained Giants Brigade militia. In early January, the rebels seized a UAE-flagged ship in the Red Sea, saying it was carrying weapons -- a claim denied by the Emirates. Warning of more attacks Rebel military spokesman Yahya Saree will announce details of a "large-scale military operation" targeting the UAE later on Monday, a Huthi statement said. Saree "warned foreign companies, citizens and residents in the UAE that they would not hesitate to expand the targets to include more important sites and facilities", it added. The United States denounced the latest attack. "We condemn the latest Houthi missile attack on Abu Dhabi. While Israel's president is visiting the UAE to build bridges and promote stability across the region, the Huthis continue to launch attacks that threaten civilians," State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted. The UAE's defence ministry said it blew up the launch site at 12:50 am UAE time (2050 GMT), exactly 30 minutes after the missile was intercepted. The Emirates affirms its "full readiness to deal with any threats" and will "take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks", it added. The UAE authorities said that the incident had no impact on air traffic, with flight operations proceeding normally. And they have vowed that Huthi attacks will not become a "new normal" for the wealthy Gulf country, a trade, business and tourism hub and a major oil exporter. "This is not going to be the new normal for the UAE," a senior Emirati official told AFP last week, on condition of anonymity. "We refuse to acquiesce to the threat of Huthi terror that targets our people and way of life," the official added. In 2019, the UAE withdrew its troops from Yemen but remains an influential player. It also hosts American troops and is one of the world's biggest arms buyers. Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly or indirectly and left millions on the brink of famine, according to the UN which calls it the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe. More than 75 years ago, an opinion poll among Tata employees to choose from four names resulted in the country's first airline company being named as 'Air India'. Little over 10 days after formally taking control of Air India, Tata Group on Sunday shared nuggets of information about the history of the full service airline. Tatas had lost control of Air India nearly seven decades ago before taking it back last month. Back in 1946, when Tata Air Lines expanded from a division of Tata Sons into a company, a name was to be chosen. "The choice for India's first airline company came down to Indian Airlines, Pan-Indian Airlines, Trans-Indian Airlines & Air India. #AirIndiaOnBoard#WingsOfChange," Tata Group said on Sunday. (2/2): But who made the final decision? Read this excerpt from the Tata Monthly Bulletin of 1946 to know. #AirIndiaOnBoard #WingsOfChange #ThisIsTata pic.twitter.com/E7jkJ1yxQx Tata Group (@TataCompanies) February 6, 2022 In a series of tweets, Tata Group also shared two pictures, including an excerpt from the Tata Monthly Bulletin of 1946. Air India retweeted the tweets. According to the bulletin, Tatas were faced with the problem of finding a name for the new Air Line Company which they were forming to take over and extend the activities of the Tata Airlines which had hitherto functioned as a department of Tata Sons Limited. Also read: Former British Airways CEO denies being contender for Air India top job The choice was between Indian Air Lines, Air-India Pan-Indian Air Lines and Trans-Indian Air Lines. The bulletin said that to the innately democratic mind of the Head of the Tata organisation, it seemed a good idea to let the selection be made by popular opinion in Bombay House through a sort of Gallup Poll or Sample Opinion Survey. Voting papers were distributed to ascertain the views of representative sections of opinion among Tata employees and they were requested to indicate their first and second preferences. "The first count revealed 64 votes for Air-India, 51 for Indian Air Lines, 28 for Trans-Indian Air Lines and 19 for Pan-Indian Air Lines. When the less favoured names had been eliminated, the final count showed 72 votes for Air-India and 58 for Indian Air Lines. "Thus, the name of the new company comes to be 'AIR-INDIA'," the bulletin said. The first tweet mentioned 'WHO NAMED AIR INDIA?' in a box with the background of an old Air India aircraft. Also read: EPFO onboards Air India, takes into fold 7,453 airline employees for social security benefits It was followed by a tweet saying "But who made the final decision? Read this excerpt from the Tata Monthly Bulletin of 1946 to know. #AirIndiaOnBoard #WingsOfChange #ThisIsTata" along with excerpt from the bulletin. The tweets were put out from Tata Group's official Twitter handle. On January 27, Tatas took over control of Air India, its subsidiary Air India Express as well as a 50 per cent stake in joint venture AISATS. Through a competitive bidding process, the government sold loss-making Air India to Talace for Rs 18,000 crore. As part of the deal, Talace paid Rs 2,700 crore in cash and took over Rs 15,300 crore debt of the airline. The remaining debt and borrowings of Air India were transferred to AIAHL. Check out latest videos from DH: Mayor Adams ordered his administration Sunday to move ahead with implementing a controversial new Medicare plan for retired city workers, angering some retirees who have for months contended it could water down their benefits. The Medicare Advantage Plus plan, first unveiled by former Mayor Bill de Blasio last fall as a cost-saving alternative to the citys current retiree coverage, will maintain premium-free insurance for the roughly 250,000 ex-municipal workers who stand to benefit, Adams said in a statement. Advertisement That is why after a careful and thorough review by my administration, I am announcing my support for this plan, he said. I believe the new program will be in the best interest of retirees and the citys taxpayers, who stand to save $600 million annually. At the same time, Adams said he feels for those retirees who have expressed fear that the new plan could curtail access to certain care. Advertisement As a blue-collar mayor and someone who himself will collect municipal retiree benefits, I am sympathetic to those who have voiced concerns about how this plan will affect their coverage, said Adams, a retired NYPD captain. Our administration will continue to work to assuage these concerns before and after the plan is implemented. Retired city workers are pictured on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall on Dec. 21, 2021 to call on then-Mayor-elect Eric Adams to preserve their Medicare coverage. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News) Adams thumbs up ostensibly means the new plan is a done deal after a months-long court and publicity battle between the city and a group called the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees. The group, which sued the de Blasio administration over the plan last fall, lambasted Adams for his Sunday announcement. We are disappointed that Mayor Adams came out in support of the proposed Medicare Advantage plan without ever meeting with retirees or hearing about alternatives. We understand how tempting it must be to find $600 million in new revenues, but it shouldnt be on the backs of senior citizens and disabled first-responders, said Steve Cohen, an attorney for the group, which is made up of retired cops, firefighters and other municipal workers. Under the de Blasio proposal adopted by Adams, retirees can opt to keep their current Medicare coverage at a $191 monthly fee. The groups lawsuit which is still playing out in Manhattan Supreme Court alleges that the Advantage plan would result in inferior health coverage, including by implementing convoluted new preauthorization processes for certain procedures. Cohen hinted the group may take additional court action to block Adams from pushing through the Advantage plan, which is set to take effect April 1. The city actually knows this is an inferior plan, which is why they are forcing retirees to pay thousands of dollars annually to opt-out and keep their current insurance, Cohen said. We are fully confident that the proposed plan is a violation of both law and past contracts, and we look forward to seeing the city in court. Advertisement De Blasios administration initially wanted to set a November deadline for retirees to opt out but the lawsuit prompted a Manhattan Supreme Court justice to push that date to April 1 after finding the rollout of the plan irrational. The ruling opened the door for Adams, who took office Jan. 1, to amend the plan. Retirees have held a number of protests since last fall, including gathering on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall in December to call on the soon-to-be mayor to roll back de Blasios proposal. But Adams, who vowed last October to make sure the Medicare Advantage plan is not a bait-and-switch for retirees, said in his Sunday statement that his administrations review concluded the new program is up to snuff. To all retirees: We assure you that the city has had, and will continue to have, your best interests at heart, he said. Charanjit Singh Channi is likely to be declared the Congress chief ministerial face for the Assembly polls. But his rival Navjot Sidhu may make life difficult for the party if he loses out. When the Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew in a money laundering case linked to illegal sand mining, the Congress leadership lost no time in falling behind the CM. Priyanka Gandhi, who is trying to revive the flailing party in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, slammed the development as "misuse" of agencies by the Modi government to "pressurise" opposition leaders. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi expected to announce Cong's CM face for Punjab polls on Sunday The party said the 'Election Department' (ED) of the BJP has become busy again. Back home in Amritsar, there were rumblings within the Congress itself. Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, a bitter rival of Channi in the race to be declared the CM face, cryptically said, "People at the top want a weak chief minister who can dance to their tunes. Do you want such a CM?" The message was interpreted as aimed at the Congress leadership but was later clarified as meant to target the central government. The tussle for becoming the CM face between the two leaders is no secret, but the Congress leadership seems to have decided to go with the incumbent chief minister in the state which has a 31% Dalit population but never had a CM from the community. Channi in all probability will be officially declared as the CM face in presence of Rahul Gandhi in Ludhiana on Sunday (February 6). The mercurial Sidhu may have sensed the writing on the wall, and in Amritsar he made one last ditch attempt. "If a new Punjab has to be made, it is in the hands of the chief minister. You have to choose the CM this time. If you make an honest person sit at the top, then honesty will percolate down below, he said. Also Read | Punjab CM's face to decide whether 60 contestants become MLAs, says Navjot Sidhu For the Congress, Sidhu is a problem that will not go away so easily. The unpredictable leader had spearheaded the campaign against Amarinder Singh, who was accused of being inaccessible, and was responsible for his ouster from the CM post in a months-long drama (Amarinder went on to form his own outfit and hitched his wagon to the BJP). With the Punjab Congress bitterly divided, the party pulled a rabbit out of the bag and named Channi as CM as a compromise formula. Now, with polls round the corner, it would be a political blunder and bad optics in Punjab and beyond if the party just casts Dalit leader Channi away to appease the ambitious Sidhu. While Sidhu has kept on harping that his hands should not be tied and he should not be treated as a showpiece, the Congress leadership seems to have decided in favour of Channi over mercurial Sidhu as part of a larger Dalit outreach plan not only in Punjab but also in UP and elsewhere. But the situation is still fluid and last-minute surprises cant be ruled out. Sidhu told TV channels that picture abhi baaki hai, even while repeatedly saying he will remain in the Congress. One formula being talked about is rotational chief ministership of 2.5 years each, first Channi and then Sidhu, to broker peace. Clearly, the confusion will be cleared only on Sunday. Dalit assertion Punjab politics has been traditionally dominated by the Jat Sikh community, which had virtually monopolised the CM's seat. In these circumstances, it is a big gamble for the Congress to pitch a Dalit CM as it could very well alienate the upper castes and push them into embracing the AAP, which is looking to make a big splash in the Assembly polls. According to an agriculture census data report, Jat Sikhs control all resources, such as farming space in the agrarian state and make up the largest number of NRIs from the state. Political assertion, however, has not been very pronounced among the community in Punjab, which is also the birthplace of Kanshi Ram. The BSP founder instead chose Uttar Pradesh to experiment with Dalit politics and succeeded in making Mayawati chief minister way back in 1995. Mayawati's BSP has now allied with Shiromani Akali Dal, whose political stock is at an all-time low after the drubbing it received in the last state polls. The Congress, which was facing a strong anti-incumbency after a five-year tenure of its now-ousted chief minister Amarinder Singh, may have sensed trouble with this new alliance. This may also have been a factor behind its decision to name a Dalit as Chief Minister, thereby capitalising on the rising political aspirations of the community. This choice has also had an effect on other two contenders. Both the AAP and the SAD have promised a Deputy CM from Dalit community if they win the polls. The Congress had earlier sought to do a balancing act by proposing a Dalit CM, and one deputy CM each from Jat Sikh and Hindu community in the run up to the polls. Party sources said that this formula is expected to be followed even after the polls if the Congress wins. Check out DH's latest videos: Six constables, deployed in the Rampur jail, have been served notices after they were purportedly seen in a viral video cheering and shouting the slogan 'Jayant Chaudhary zindabad' while dancing to patriotic songs. Jail Superintendent Prashant Maurya said responses from the six policemen are being sought and action would be taken after verification of the facts. A report will be submitted to IG prisons, Lucknow, he added. Also Read | Battle for UPs Jatland & badland The constables, meanwhile, said that they were dancing to the tune of patriotic songs and cheering for their friend -- nicknamed Jayant Chaudhary -- who received a commendation letter on Republic Day, and not the RLD chief who shares the same name. They said that they do not support any political party. "We were delighted after our friend received the commendation letter, and we started dancing to the tune of patriotic songs. We did not realize that someone would video record it and post it on social media with incorrect information," they said. Also Read | All eyes on farmers Jail superintendent Prashant Maurya said, "After receiving a letter from Rampur station officer, we have issued a notice to the six policemen over the viral video in which they were seen 'chanting' the name of a political leader. It is a disciplinary issue as they were dancing at the gate of the jail after one of them received a commendation letter from me. I am aware that the policeman in question is fondly called 'Jayant Chaudhary' by his colleagues. We will soon submit our report to IG jail. All of them are doing their duty at present." On January 28, the video was uploaded by retired IAS officer Surya Pratap Singh on Twitter claiming that the 'mood of western UP is changing' and that policemen in Meerut are also praising RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary. Meerut police later clarified that the video was recorded in the Rampur district. Watch the latest DH Videos here: He has been in a protest for 26 years and now has decided to contest against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur. Vijay Singh, 59, a former school teacher, said, "I have done everything within my means to free the government land from the clutches of the mafia. In 2012, I met the then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav who set up a committee to probe my complaint but nothing happened afterwards. When Yogi became chief minister, I approached him and he assured me of an impartial inquiry, which had confirmed the authenticity of my claim in its report in 2019. I have visited Lucknow 30 times but no action has been taken to reclaim the land." Singh was 'deeply disturbed' by the grabbing of public land in his Chhudana village by the land mafia in 1996 and he quit his job and sat on a dharna at Muzaffarnagar collectorate to protest against the encroachment of public land. His battle against the land mafia earned him space in several books of record but failed to spur the successive regimes in Uttar Pradesh. Also Read | Battle for Uttar Pradesh: All eyes on farmers "Now, I will go to the public. Let them see what this system has done to me. Twenty-six years is not a short time. I have given my life for a just cause," he said. During his 26-year-long protest, Singh sacrificed his family life, faced several threats and total government apathy. He saw Shamli district being carved out of Muzaffarnagar but did not budge from his protest site at Muzaffarnagar collectorate. Two years ago, when the then district magistrate got him evicted from his dharna spot, he took up a position in the city's Shiv Chowk area. Also Read | All eyes on farmers In 2012, Singh even undertook a 600-km padyatra to Lucknow to meet then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav but failed to meet him. In 2019, Singh took recourse to the Right to Information Act and received the answer he always knew in November 2021 -- that one Jagat Singh and his several associates are in possession of government land in the Chhudana village by forging documents. The 17-page report also revealed that the inquiry was finished in October 2019. "I am contesting against Yogi Adityanath and will also distribute pamphlets in Karhal against Akhilesh Yadav," he said. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, expressing her "sincere wish" for Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort. Elizabeth II made the announcement in a message renewing her pledge to spend her life serving the nation as she began her Platinum Jubilee in subdued fashion at Sandringham, her estate in eastern England. Britain's longest-serving monarch acceded to the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI. In a major statement on the future of the royal family, the 95-year-old expressed her "sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort." Also Read 'Unifying force': UK public on Queen's 70-year reign Charles warmly praised Camilla in a message marking the Jubilee, saying: "My darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout", adding that they were "deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother's wish". He paid tribute to the Queen's "devotion to the welfare of all her people (which) inspires still greater admiration with each passing year". The Queen said she hoped that when Charles, now 73, becomes monarch, the British people would give him and Camilla, now 74, "the same support that you have given me." Charles and Camilla, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, had a highly publicised adulterous relationship and Camilla was vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles' marriage to Princess Diana. When the couple married in 2005, the royal family announced that Camilla would become known as Princess Consort due to the sensitivity of the issue, but she has gradually won plaudits as the future king's loyal wife. The Queen's suggestion means Camilla would be crowned alongside Charles and be known to the public as Queen Camilla, The Sunday Telegraph wrote. With the main Platinum Jubilee celebrations set for this summer, the Queen said she hoped the events would "bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities". Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he looks forward to the summer "when we will be able to come together as a country to celebrate her historic reign". He also praised the Queen's "inspirational sense of duty and unwavering dedication". Also Read Queen Elizabeth II says Camilla should become Queen Consort German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a tribute said the Queen's reign "has been unique and an inspiration to people around the world". Four days of festivities are planned for early June, coinciding with the anniversary of her 1953 coronation, including a military parade and music concert, street parties, a nationwide "Big Jubilee Lunch" and a "Platinum Pudding Competition". On Monday, there will be ceremonial gun salutes marking Accession Day in London's Green Park, close to Buckingham Palace, and at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. During her reign, the Queen has remained a constant through periods of huge social and political upheaval -- a living link to Britain's post-war and imperial past. In her message addressed to the public signed "Your servant, Elizabeth R", the Queen said she wanted "to express my thanks to you all for your support". She also renewed a pledge she first gave in a broadcast on her 21st birthday "that my life will always be devoted to your service". Also Read Queen Elizabeth II's reign: A second 'golden age' for Britain? In September 2015, she surpassed Queen Victoria's 63 years and seven months on the throne and, despite some health concerns over the past year, her latest message shows she is determined to continue her record-breaking reign. After husband Philip's death in April last year, the Queen returned to public and official engagements, including hosting world leaders at the G7 summit. She was forced to slow down on advice from doctors, however, after an overnight hospital stay in October sparked public concern. Since then, she has largely stayed at Windsor Castle and made few public appearances. But on Saturday, the Queen held a reception for locals at Sandringham, reportedly her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn health scare. Watch the latest DH Videos here: Thousands of people demonstrated in Canadian cities, including the financial hub Toronto, on Saturday as mostly peaceful but noisy protests against vaccine mandates spread from Ottawa, the capital. The "Freedom Convoy" began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. We're all sick and tired of the mandates, of the intimidation, of living in one big prison, said Robert, a Toronto protester who did not give his last name. "We just want to go back to normal without having to take into our veins the poison which they call vaccines. Protesters have shut down downtown Ottawa for the past eight days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they wanted to dissolve Canada's government. "The protesters in Ottawa have made their point. The entire country heard their point," said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, who urged protesters to "go home and engage elected officials." Ottawa police said hate crime charges were laid against four people and they were investigating threats against public figures jointly with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation. The well-organized blockade, which police say has relied partly on funding from sympathizers in the United States, saw protesters bring in portable saunas on Saturday to combat frigid temperatures. One man rode through the area on horseback, carrying a Trump flag, social media videos showed. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken out in support of the truckers against "the harsh policies of far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates." GoFundMe took down the Freedom Convoy's donation page on Friday, saying it violated the platform's terms of service due to unlawful activity. The group had raised about C$10.1 million. The website originally said it would give refunds for any requests made by Feb. 19 and would remaining funds to verified charities, but on Saturday GoFundMe said it would refund all donations automatically. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has previously criticized vaccine mandates, called GoFundMe "professional thieves." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republican state lawmakers vowed to investigate the California-based company over the move. About 5,000 people demonstrated in Ottawa, police said, while hundreds more gathered in Toronto, Canada's biggest city, and Quebec City, coinciding with the city's annual winter carnival. Four people were injured in Manitoba after a pick-up truck drove into a crowd late Friday, police said. In Toronto, about 500 healthcare workers and supporters rallied downtown in opposition to the trucker convoy, according to a Reuters witness. Several Toronto healthcare workers said they received advice from their hospitals to not wear hospital scrubs in public in light of the protest. "The notion that we have to somehow skunk around or be afraid of who we are and what were doing, I think, is offensive and regrettable, and I think, a sad commentary on our society," emergency room doctor Raghu Venugopal told Reuters. Some Ottawa residents, who have endured near-incessant honking, smashed windows and harassment for wearing masks themselves, criticized Ottawa Police earlier this week for not doing more to end the blockade. One resident filed a class-action lawsuit against convoy organizers, seeking up to $10 million in damages and an injunction to end the protests. Ottawa police, which warned on Friday of a crackdown on the protest and dedicated more officers, do not have enough resources to end the protests, the city's police chief said on Saturday. Trudeau ruled out the use of troops against truckers in the capital earlier this week. "This is a city under siege, this is a threat to democracy, this is a nationwide insurrection, this is madness," Chief Peter Sloly said at a police services' board meeting. "We have done our very best." With 'deras' or religious sects enjoying considerable clout in Punjab, particularly among a section of Dalits, they play a game-changer role in vote politics in every election -- be it the parliamentary or the legislative assembly. As per estimates, in the 117-member legislative Assembly, at least six 'deras' have a direct influence on at least 46 seats that fall largely in the Malwa region through an internal appeal by asking followers to vote for a particular political party. Not just the Congress, almost every political party -- the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) -- have been hobnobbing with sect heads to gain votes in their favour through consensus. Also Read | Not 'lala ki dukan': Channi on rotational Punjab CM formula It is believed that out of the 2.12 crore electorate in Punjab, 53 lakh, or 25 per cent people, are directly associated with one sect or another. For them, an edict from the sect head, either delivered formally or informally, to vote for a particular party is sacrosanct. Among the prominent ones is the 'controversial' but 'influential' Dera Sacha Sauda sect, based in Sirsa district of Haryana, whose chief and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is undergoing a 20-year sentence for raping two disciples. It has a huge fan following in Punjab's Malwa region comprising Bathinda, Muktsar, Sangrur, Mansa, Patiala, Barnala, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur, Ludhiana and Mohali districts, say, pollsters. The other prominent 'deras' include the Radha Soami sect of Beas, located 45 km from Amritsar, and the Dera Sachkhand sect of Ballan village near Jalandhar. Also read: Channi ahead in CM face race as Congress eyes Punjab The Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission), established in 1983, near Jalandhar is another prominent sect. It was led by a long-dead spiritual guru Ashutosh Maharaj, whose body has been preserved in a commercial freezer by his followers and the sect management since January 2014 when he was declared "clinically dead" by doctors. His followers believe he is only meditating deeply, and will one day return to life. The Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were among the prominent leaders who visited the dera several times. So is the Bhaniara Wala dera of the late self-styled godman Piara Singh Bhaniara Wala based in Dhamiana village in Ropar district. Also Read | Rahul Gandhi expected to announce Cong's CM face for Punjab polls on Sunday In the electoral season, Radha Soami Dera, whose chief had a closed-door meeting with Congress leaders Amarinder Singh and Rahul Gandhi just weeks ahead of the February 4, 2017, assembly elections, is all-important in Punjab. It formed a separate political wing in 2006 to take a call on the elections. Known as 'premis', its top functionaries this time have been maintaining silence after its chief Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August 2017. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent Haryana assembly polls, Dera Sacha Sauda, with the state's prominent sect at Salabatpura in Bathinda, had issued a public appeal for people to vote for the BJP. In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, the sect, which claims to have 60 million followers pan-India of which 4 million are in Punjab alone, supported the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, but the party lost to the Congress. However, the sect had supported Congress in the previous Punjab Assembly polls in 2012 and 2007. Also Read | Punjab CM's face to decide whether 60 contestants become MLAs, says Navjot Sidhu With 84 campuses named 'satsang ghars' across Punjab, the Dera Sacha Sauda sect says it is not a religion but a humanitarian organisation. Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, if they follow the edict, hold the key to 35-40 seats in Malwa, the largest political region of Punjab with 69 seats out of the state's 117. Former Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh and incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi are from Malwa, the belt that was at the helm of the farmers movement against the three now revoked agricultural laws. In a bid to woo Dalit voters, who constitute 32 per cent of the total vote bank, Charanjit Channi, the state's first Dalit Chief Minister, on January 25 spent a night at Dera Sachkhand Ballan, a prominent Ravidassia community that has much influence in the Doaba region comprising Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts. Read | People at top want weak CM: Sidhu The Radha Soami Satsang Beas is another prominent sect with its mass base in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Muktsar, Kapurthala, Kotkapura and Fazilka districts. It has the maximum following in dollar-rich Doaba, also the stronghold of Dalit politics. This region sends 23 legislators. It doesn't come out openly, but it believes in an internal appeal to vote for a particular party. Its appeal leaves an impact on 10-12 seats. Radha Soami Satsang Beas chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon called on Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi at his residence in December last. After the meeting, the government in a statement said the Dera head appreciated the pro-people initiatives of the government, including efforts in tackling the Covid-19 situation by motivating people for vaccination. Also Read | Parkash Singh Badal reveals SAD's CM face for Punjab, says 'won't go back to BJP': Report The head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas was in the eye of a storm when the former promoter of Ranbaxy, Malvinder Singh, had filed a complaint against the Dera head and others for allegedly siphoning off proceeds from the sale of Ranbaxy Laboratories. Over the years, it has attracted millions of followers across the world and amassed properties in India, the US, Australia, and Europe. The other big vote banks for political parties are the sects of Nirankaris, Namdharis and other smaller sects. Several radical Sikh bodies have been opposing the sects, labelling them pseudo-sects primarily anti-Sikh. Recalling the edicts against these sects by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion, the radicals have been asking the parties to stay away from the sects. Exposing the 'holy alliance' between the SAD and Dera Sacha Sauda, Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who headed a commission to look into the alleged incidents of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent police firing on protesters in 2015 when the SAD-BJP alliance government was at the helm, in his recent book, 'The Sacrilege', wrote, "When Sukhbir Badal was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister on January 26, 2009, there were two outstanding issues pending at that time relating to Dera Sacha Sauda." Also Read | Congress, AAP making 'false promises to grab power', claims BJP leader Rajyavardhan Rathore "One was the case registered against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the other was the boycott of the Dera. Harsimrat Kaur Badal made her debut in legislative politics by contesting from Bathinda which she won in 2009 and the Dera had then extended support to her. "What can be assumed to be a confirmation of the retrospective tactical understanding between the Dera chief and the Akali Dal leadership emerged later." The book says, "Just five days before the assembly elections (January 27, 2012), Punjab Police had filed this cancellation report in the FIR (for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs) against the Dera chief." Pollsters told IANS as Punjab this time heads for a multi-cornered contest on February 20, where a small difference in the vote share can make a big difference, even smaller sects could upset many calculations. So far no sect has issued a public appeal for people to vote for a particular party. Watch the latest DH Videos here: In the past two years of the Coronavirus pandemic, Indians have coughed out a stupendous Rs 74,000 crore for 74 crore Covid-19 tests from dubious private pathological labs. Finally, around 4.20 crore positive cases were detected with more than 500,000 deaths, to date. A Nagpur-based consumer rights NGO, Grahak Bharati has said that Indians have taken various Covid-19 tests like RTPCR, RAT, TrueNAT, CBNAAT and other tests (currently) 3,255 testing labs including 1,844 private and 1,411 government. Of these 3,255, only 2,141 (764 government and 1,377 private) labs are for conducting the much-in-demand, compulsory for most purposes and universally accepted RTPCR tests., and the remaining 1,114 (647 government+467) labs offer the other tests. Also Read | India's daily coronavirus infections dip to 1,07,474; 865 more deaths In the initial stages of the pandemic, a test was costing around Rs 3,500 or more, but gradually, the figures have stabilised to around Rs 600, besides cheap home-test kits available for around Rs 250 now. "Considering an average of Rs 1000/test, Indians have been compelled to spend over Rs 74,000-crore only for Covid-19 tests, with private labs netting the major portion of the loot," Grahak Bharati Founder-President Barrister Vinod Tiwari told IANS. He claimed that a majority of these tests were virtually forced on the people even though they had no initial symptoms, or, unnecessary considering the low positivity rate, and ended up spooking the country in the name of coronavirus. Also Read | Karnataka government to audit actual Covid deaths in January Grahak Bharati has shot off a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the ICMR, top central and state officials and the Central Vigilance Commission, demanding a probe into the "massive unbridled dacoity" being perpetrated on gullible Indians. He warned that if the government fails to take priority cognisance of this nationwide racket, Grahak Bharati would file a PIL in the Supreme Court. Alleging that it is "a systematic mega-scam" with the connivance of government officials, unscrupulous private labs and their franchisees operating with the generous blessings of politicians, Tiwari contended that it violates provisions of the central Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and make such shady labs liable for severe penal action. Also Read | Karnataka reports 12,009 new Covid-19 cases, 50 deaths Elaborating, Tiwari explained that many of the private labs are remotely located franchisees under the officially approved/recognised Advanced Laboratories (1,844) in India. Shockingly, many of these labs apparently conduct thousands of Covid-19 tests daily, ostensibly without proper approval, authority, quality control, infrastructure or qualified manpower. "The ICMR has said that on a single day on Feb. 4, there were an unbelievable 16,03,856 tests conducted Were these necessary and practical? This only points to the possibility that a majority of the Covid tests are 'concocted' to scare the masses," alleged Tiwari. The worrisome aspect is that merely based on these illegally-conducted tests, the government has been taking major policy decisions like lockdowns, restrictions, curbs on inter-district, inter-state and even international public movements, which in turn has spelt the death-knell for the economy. India ranks second globally (after the USA) in terms of the total infectees notched up to date. Also Read | Covid test not needed for non-ILI or SARI deaths, says Karnataka Health dept "The so-called franchisee labs lack infrastructure, qualified post-graduate doctors, particularly Pathologist and Microbiologist and others compulsorily required for the RTPCR tests and to determine the Covid-19 positive patients, tests are conducted in remote locations and the test results are issued indiscriminately, with the digital signatures of the medicos at Advanced Laboratories thousands of kms away," fumed Tiwari. Grahak Bharati says there is no control on the procedures for sample collection, handling, proper testing or accurate determination which often lead to contradictory results. It recently happened with two Mumbaikars who got two different results - Covid negative and Covid positive - from two labs in 24 hours (IANS report - Jan. 12) but the Aarogya Setu portal remained unfazed. Tiwari said that the country is in the grip of the mild Third Wave but "there is no guarantee" how many more 'waves' will sink Indians unless the government immediately clamps down on this "blatant, organised scam". Watch the latest DH Videos here: Candidates and political parties in the five poll-bound states will now be allowed to hold public meetings in open spaces with audience filling up to 30 per cent of the capacity of the ground. The Election Commission on Sunday further eased the restrictions it had imposed on January 8 on poll campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. The restrictions regarding outdoor meeting and indoor meetings or rallies will be further relaxed subject to condition that the number of persons attending the meetings or rallies will be limited to maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by the District Election Officers as per requirement of the social distancing norms and whichever is less, the EC stated. Read more: Krishna Janmabhoomi: Will BJPs temple trick work? The poll-panel however decided to continue with the ban it had imposed on road-shows, padayatras as well as cycle, bike or vehicle rallies in view of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The EC also decided to continue with the restriction that a candidate or a leader of a political party would not be allowed to take more than 20 people during door-to-door campaigning. The Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and the Election Commissioners, Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the poll-bound states. The commission assessed the present status and projected trends of the Covid-19 pandemic in the five states. They also reviewed the status of vaccination and the action plan for expeditiously completing vaccination of the frontline workers and the polling personnel with the two doses of the anti-Covid-19 vaccines as well as of the senior citizens with the first, second and the booster doses. Read more: Not 'lala ki dukan': Channi on rotational Punjab CM formula The commission had banned physical rallies and road shows for a week when it had announced the schedule of the assembly elections in the five states on January 8 last in view of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. It, however, reviewed the situation on January 15, January 22 and January 31 and gradually eased the restrictions imposed on electioneering. The EC on Sunday stated that if the State Disaster Management Authority in a state had set the ceiling limits or percentage of the capacity for number of persons attending indoor hall or open ground and they were stricter, that guidelines would prevail. Open ground rallies can be held only in the grounds specifically designated by the district authorities and subject to compliance of all the conditions of the SDMA, it added. Watch the latest DH videos: Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar passed away on Sunday, February 6, leaving behind a long legacy of songs and melodies that will resound in the ears of Indians for decades to come. "Lata di died at 8.12 am due to multi organ failure after over 28 days of Covid-19 diagnosis," Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating the veteran singer at the city's Breach Candy hospital here, told reporters. The last rites will be held this evening. RIP Lata Mangeshkar Lata Didi, as the 92-year-old is known, was rushed to the Breach Candy Hospital on January 8 after she tested positive for Covid-19, coupled with pneumonia infection. Mangeshkar remained in the ICU for more than two weeks, following signs of marginal improvement in her health, following which the doctors treating her had taken her off the ventilator on January 28. However, she was put on the ventilator again as her health started deteriorating from February 5 after which the team of doctors employed aggressive therapy to revive her. Didi was given the title of India's nightingale with a long career that started in 1942 and has spanned over seven decades. A recipient of the coveted Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour, she had over 30,000 songs to her credit. RIP Lata Didi: Remembering her relationship with Kishore Da and why she stopped singing with him Born on October 28, 1929, Lata Mangeshkar is the eldest daughter of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a Marathi musician and his Gujarati wife Shevanti, and has four siblingsMeena Khadikar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar, and Hridaynath Mangeshkar, all legendary and in the field of music. Her death plunged the country into mourning with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the tributes in a series of tweets. "Lata-jis demise is heart-breaking for me, as it is for millions the world over. In her vast range of songs, rendering the essence and beauty of India, generations found expression of their inner-most emotions. A Bharat Ratna, Lata-jis accomplishments will remain incomparable," the President said. An artist born but once in centuries, Lata-didi was an exceptional human being, full of warmth, as I found whenever I met her. The divine voice has gone quiet forever but her melodies will remain immortal, echoing in eternity. My condolences to her family and admirers everywhere. pic.twitter.com/FfQ8lmjHGN President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) February 6, 2022 The prime minister said he was grieving the demise of the legend with "my fellow Indians". "I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people," the PM said in a tweet. I am anguished beyond words. The kind and caring Lata Didi has left us. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled. The coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people. pic.twitter.com/MTQ6TK1mSO Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2022 "Lata Didis songs brought out a variety of emotions. She closely witnessed the transitions of the Indian film world for decades. Beyond films, she was always passionate about Indias growth. She always wanted to see a strong and developed India," he said. Lata Didis songs brought out a variety of emotions. She closely witnessed the transitions of the Indian film world for decades. Beyond films, she was always passionate about Indias growth. She always wanted to see a strong and developed India. pic.twitter.com/N0chZbBcX6 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6, 2022 Some of Mangeshkar's unforgettable songs include 'Lag Jaa Gale', 'Mohe Panghat Pe', 'Chalte Chalte', 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' , 'Ajeeb Daastaan Hai', 'Hothon mein aisi baat', 'Pyar kiya to darna kya', 'Neela aasman so gaya', 'Pani Pani Re', among countless others. Considered one of the greatest playback singers in Indian cinema, she received several film awards and honors like Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Dada Saheb Phalke Award, and multiple National Film Awards. (With PTI inputs) Check out the latest DH videos here: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the allegations of Rahul Gandhi and MPs of other opposition parties in both the Houses of Parliament in the second week of the Budget Session. The Parliament is holding debate in both the Houses on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address and during this, former President of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and many MPs of opposition parties have criticised the Modi government fiercely on the floor of the House. Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday had attacked the Modi government, accusing it of finishing employment opportunities in the country, eliminating small and medium industries, increasing the inequality gap between the poor and the rich, posing serious threat to national security due to wrong policies on China and Pakistan. He also raised serious questions over the economic, industrial, strategic, foreign, internal and external security policies of the government. Also read: 'Nirmala', 'Bitcoin founder' protest tax on crypto in lecture for MPs Rahul had also led a scathing attack on the Prime Minister regarding federalism and constitutional institutions. Attacking the government, Rahul Gandhi had said that the UPA government had pulled 27 crore people out of poverty during its 10-year rule and the NDA government pushed 23 crore people back into poverty. In the Rajya Sabha too, MPs of all opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, NCP, RJD had fiercely targeted the policies of the Modi government in the first week of the budget session. In the second week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be seen in action, answering all opposition parties, including Rahul Gandhi, in the Lok Sabha as well as in the Rajya Sabha. According to sources, Modi can reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha on Monday, February 7. During his speech, Modi may make a sharp counter attack on the allegations of Rahul Gandhi, as well as answer the allegations of MPs of other opposition parties. He may also answer each and every charge of the opposition parties. On Tuesday, the very next day after his speech in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Modi can also reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha, that is, in the first two days of the next week. He will also be seen trying to give a political message to the voters of the five states going to polls -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint session of both the Houses of Parliament on January 31, the first day of the Budget session. As per the parliamentary tradition, the motion of thanks is passed after discussing the President's joint address to the Parliament. Check out latest videos from DH: Sen. Lisa Murkowski urged President Biden on Sunday to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who could gain some level of bipartisan support instead of the one that would be to the furthest left. That sends a signal to the public that maybe, maybe the courts are not as political as the legislative and the executive branch, the Alaska Republican told CNNs State of the Union. Advertisement With Justice Stephen Breyer set to retire, Biden has said he would name his pick by the end of February. He said he would live up to a campaign promise of nominating the first Black woman to the Supreme Court if the opportunity arose. Advertisement Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska (Greg Nash/AP) There are many, many exceptionally well-qualified African-American women who could move forward in this position, Murkowski said. She also lamented the perception that the courts are no longer above politics. Americans are losing faith in their courts. Theyre looking at them as nothing more than an adjunct of elected bodies, the senator said. Demonstrate some bipartisan support, she urged Biden. Three Pakistani narcotic smugglers were gunned down by Border Security Forces (BSF) along the International Border in Samba sector of Jammu on Sunday and Heroin valued at Rs 180 crore was recovered from their possession. In the early hours of Feb 6, the alert troops of BSF Jammu neutralized 3 Pak smugglers who were trying to smuggle Narcotics through Samba International border and recovered 36 Packets (Approx 36 kgs) of narcotics, likely to be Heroin and thwarted a big smuggling attempt, a BSF spokesperson said in a statement. He said search of the area is in progress and further details will follow. However, bodies of the intruders are yet to be recovered. J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh had last year said that Pakistan was targeting Kashmiri youngsters by making them habitual to drugs. They (Pakistan) are repeating the same dirty game that they played in Punjab. First giving arms training and later spoiling the youth with drugs, he said. A survey carried out by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of the AIIMS, New Delhi on the Magnitude of Substance Use in India placed Jammu and Kashmir at the fifth spot with over six lakh people affected by drug abuse. The figures reveal that 90% of the substance abusers fall in the age group of 17 to 33-years. In the last stages of his life even Hurriyat hawk and pro-Pakistan leader, late Syed Ali Geelani had apparently realised that the country which he supported all along was pushing the next generation of Kashmir towards drugs. He issued a statement on drug trafficking in July 2020. Late Geelani without naming Pakistan had expressed serious concern over drug abuse in Kashmir. Although he had not named the neighbouring country in his statement, it had evoked a strong reaction from across the border which led to him being ousted from the post of a chairman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference. Watch the latest DH videos: The Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertaking has asked the government to change the code 'GAY' for the Gaya International Airport. In its action taken report tabled in Parliament on Friday, the panel mentioned the issue and asked the government to make all efforts to take up the matter with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and concerned organisations as this issue allegedly pertains to 'inappropriate' code naming of an airport of a holy city of India. The Committee said the government should try to replace this code with an 'appropriate' one and also suggested an alternative code such as 'YAG'. According to officials in the Civil Aviation Ministry, the IATA, the trade association of world's airlines, has expressed its inability to change the code without a "justifiable reason primarily related to air safety". The IATA also stated that as per Resolution 763, the location codes allotted are permanent and to change this a strong justification primarily concerning air safety is needed. As per the aviation norms, the IATA allots station code for airports. "The GAY code for Gaya has been in use since the operationalisation of this airport, therefore, without any justifiable reason primarily concerning air safety, IATA has expressed its inability to change the code of Gaya airport," the ministry told the panel which was duly mentioned in the panel's report tabled on Friday. "The Committee appreciates the efforts of Air India being a member airline of IATA to take up the request with the international air transport association but, yet, re-emphasise the government to make all effort to take up the matter with the IATA...," the action taken report said. In the first report of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertaking tabled in Parliament in January last year, the panel had mentioned that it was apprised about a request received by the Civil Aviation Ministry regarding the change of the code name of Gaya airport. The panel had also recommended that the Ministry and Air India complete all the requisite consultations and formalities in a time-bound manner to change the code name of the Gaya airport. Watch the latest DH videos: Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday said he never lived for any post and hailed the decision to make Charanjit Singh Channi the chief minister candidate of the Congress for the upcoming polls. For the past several weeks, both Channi and Sidhu have, directly or indirectly, made a case to be declared as the party's nominee for the top post. "During 17 years of political career, Sidhu never lived for any post, but always wanted Punjab's betterment and improvement in lives of its people," said Sidhu. Hailing Rahul Gandhi's leadership, he said it was he who made a Dalit the chief minister of the state last year. "It is a moment of change, Inqilab, one which can better lives of people," said Sidhu. "We dont need anything, we only need Punjab's welfare. My love for Punjab always wanted its betterment." Also Read Come election season, and it's time for 'deras' to flex their political muscle in Punjab Earlier, Sidhu had tweeted that he will abide by the partys decision on the CM face, which he reiterated the during the virtual rally. Hitting out at former CM Amarinder Singh, Sidhu said he used to dance to the tune of the BJP. "Now, Amarinder Singh talks of double engine. They are the ones who looted Punjab," he alleged. Amarinder Singh had quit the Congress following his unceremonious exit as the state chief minister last year and had formed a new party, Punjab Lok Congress, which is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP in the state. In his address, Chanjit Singh Channi said 700 farmers laid down their lives during the agitation against the Centre's farm laws. "Who is responsible for this? It is the BJP government and the SAD, which was the one who cleared farm ordinances, as well as the AAP government (in Delhi) which notified farm law. Now, they seek votes here," said Channi. Also Read EC opens up physical campaigning for polls Channi then directed most part of his attack on the Aam Aadmi Party, saying they cannot bring any change in Punjab. Chief Minister Channi, senior party leaders K C Venugopal, Harish Chaudhary and Sunil Jakhar were also present at the virtual rally. During his last visit to Punjab on January 27, Gandhi announced at a virtual rally that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial candidate and a decision on it will be taken after consulting party workers. Besides taking feedback from its leaders and workers, the Congress sought the opinion of the public on who should be its chief ministerial candidate through an automated call system. Watch latest videos by DH here: Parliament will pay respects to the late Lata Mangeshkar on Monday by reading out obituary references in both the Houses. Rajya Sabha will adjourn the proceedings for one hour after Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu reads an obituary reference of Mangeshkar, who was a former nominated MP of the Upper House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also read out the obituary reference in the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the previous Uttar Pradesh governments, saying those in power earlier were not concerned with faith or people's needs and their only agenda was to loot the state. Addressing voters in Mathura, Agra and Bulandshahr days before the first phase of the state assembly polls, Modi said the people of Uttar Pradesh have decided that development will be the biggest issue in the upcoming assembly elections. "Those who were in power earlier were not concerned with faith or your needs. Their only agenda was to loot UP," the prime minister said. Also Read It's 90% vs 10% now, says Adityanath on UP polls "The people of UP have bluntly said that no matter how much politics some people do on the basis of money, muscle power, casteism, communalism, they will not get the love of the public," he said. Modi said people's blessings are with those who serve them by becoming their "sevak" (servant). Taking a swipe at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav over his recent statement that he saw Lord Krishna in his dream, the prime minister said, "Witnessing the immense support for the BJP, these people are now seeing Lord Krishna in their dreams." Watch latest videos by DH here: Andhra Pradesh government employee unions on Sunday withdrew their strike call after satisfactory talks with the Jaganmohan Reddy administration. Lakhs of government employees including teachers, secretariat staff were to go on an indefinite strike from Monday in protest against the recent pay revision. The YSRCP government which took a tough stand earlier, softened its approach after a massive show of strength by the teachers and employees on the streets of Vijayawada on Thursday. Braving the police curbs and detentions, thousands of employees gathered from across the state, in response to the Pay Revision Struggle Committee's Chalo Vijayawada call. Following the rally, the government re-initiated talks and held discussions with the union leaders on Friday and Saturday. The government made some concessions in regards with the Interim Relief, HRA slabs etc while promising to offer more when the state revenues improve. On Sunday, PRC committee leaders met Chief Minister Reddy and thanked him for accepting their demands despite the state's financial constraints. Speaking on the alterations and their implications on the finances, Reddy said that exempting nine month of IR from 30 months puts an additional burden of Rs 5400 crore and similarly HRA from January another Rs 325 crore. With all the recurring expenditures every year, this would incur an additional burden of Rs 1330 crore, to the earlier announced PRC expenditure of Rs 10,247 crore. The total pay revision cost works out to be about Rs 11,577 crore. Employees are an integral part of the government, we cannot operate without you, Reddy told them while seeking their cooperation. State revenues fell sharply due to unfortunate circumstances (like Covid-19). Whereas the revenue was Rs 62,000 crore in 2018-19, it should have increased by 15 per cent to Rs 72,000 crore in 2019-20, but fell to Rs 60,000 crore. The decline continued, the CM said. Reddy said that his government is also working on the abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme policy. The Chief Minister assured that the regularization of contract employees as per roster basis would happen. Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath, government adviser (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Chief Secretary Sameer Sharma, and other officials were present. Watch latest videos by DH here: The Tamil Nadu Assembly will meet on February 8 once again as a special session to pass the Bill seeking exemption to the state from the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET). The Bill will be sent to Governor R.N. Ravi for his assent after he has returned the earlier one. It may be noted that Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi had returned the earlier Bill passed on September 13, 2021, after holding it with him for 142 days. A resolution to conduct a special session of the Assembly to pass the Bill was adopted at a meeting of ten parties. The parties attended included DMK, Congress, PMK, MDMK, VCK, CPM, and CPI while AIADMK, BJP, and Puratchi Bharatham boycotted the meeting. The resolution, which was passed by the ten parties for a special session of the Assembly, said, "Getting an exemption from NEET alone will restore the rights of state governments over medical admissions and protect the interests of students hailing from poor and middle-class families. The views of the Governor on NEET Bill will be discussed threadbare during the special session of the Assembly and appropriate response will be put forth on the issue". Also read: Special TN Assembly session on Tuesday; will pass NEET bill again: Stalin The resolution also said that the people of Tamil Nadu will never accept the suggestion of the Governor that the NEET Bill was against the interests of students, particularly those from rural areas and economically poor backgrounds. The resolution said that legal experts and fair-minded people have termed it wrong and the people of Tamil Nadu would never accept it. The Chief Minister, while addressing the meeting of political parties, said that the Governor should have forwarded the Bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly immediately to the President. Stalin said that the Governor of Tamil Nadu failed to discharge his constitutional duty by not forwarding the Bill to the President. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that in 2007, the then Governor of Tamil Nadu had given his assent to the Bill for abolishing the entrance examination in the state within 87 days of receiving it. He said that the present Governor had held on to the Bill for 142 days and returned it to the Speaker only after the MBBS admissions for the current academic year commenced. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam in a statement said that the party was against the NEET in the past and that it has opposed the NEET in the present and will oppose it in the future also. Check out latest videos from DH: The Indian drug regulator has approved the single-dose Russian-origin Sputnik-Light vaccine for emergency use, providing doctors with one more vaccine to fight the Covid-19 pandemic that led to the death of more than five lakh Indians in the past two years. The Drugs Controller General of India has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine in India. This is the 9th Covid-19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted on Sunday. DCGI has granted emergency use permission to Single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is the 9th #COVID19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic. Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) February 6, 2022 In September, the DCGI permitted Indian pharmaceutical major Dr Reddys Laboratory to carry out a bridging trial of the Sputnik Light vaccine to check if the single dose Russian Covid-19 vaccine can be introduced in India in future. Other vaccines that received the emergency use authorisation from the DCGI so far are Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik, ZyCoV-D (Zydus Cadila), Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Corbevax (Biological E) and Covovax (by Novavax and Serum Institute of India). Last month, the regulator upgraded the licences for Covishield and Covaxin from "emergency use" to "regular new drug permissions," allowing the manufacturers to submit safety data after every six months, but retained the existing vaccination rules for the recipients at the moment. Also Read Half the people who catch Covid may suffer long-term changes to their senses India has so far used more than 144 crore doses of Covishield and nearly 25 crore doses of Covaxin in one of the worlds largest adult vaccination campaigns in which nearly 77 per cent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated while 97% received at least a single dose. A minuscule amount of Sputnik (just about 12 lakh doses) has also been used. Earlier this week, Zydus Cadila began supplying its three-dose needle-free vaccine ZyCov-D to the Centre, responding to a Rs 1 crore purchase order from the Union Health Ministry in November. The ZyCov-D doses would be used in seven states beginning with Bihar, health ministry sources said. With the majority of Indias 94.47 crore adult population being fully vaccinated, every new vaccine could either be used as a booster shot or expand the coverage by including children below 15 years of age. Watch latest videos by DH here: States have collected over Rs 78,521.24 crore as cess for the welfare of workers in the past 25 years -- with Maharashtra and Karnataka topping the list -- but have spent only around 45 per cent of it so far. The statistics collected by the Ministry of Labour and Employment showed that the states and union territories together spent only Rs 35,399.40 crore (55.09 per cent) and have Rs 43,121.84 crore or 54.91 per cent of the cess collected as unspent. The Building and Other Construction Workers Cess Act, 1996, provides for the levy and collection of cess at 1 per cent of the cost of construction. This cess is collected by States in the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Fund. Among the states, the top collector of cess was Maharashtra at Rs 11,794 crore but 73.02 per cent or Rs 8,612.33 crore of the cess collection remain unspent. For Karnataka, the collection was Rs 11,108.87 crore but the spending was just Rs 3,656.96 crore, leaving Rs 7,451.91 crore unspent. When it comes to the unspent funds, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with Rs 4,270.81 crore. It has collected Rs 7,144.50 crore in the past 25 years, but it spent only Rs 2,873.69 crore. Tamil Nadu followed UP -- Rs 2,873.04 crore or 61.79 per cent of Rs 4,649.11 crore remained unutilised. There are two states that have bucked this trend -- Kerala and Mizoram actually spent more than what it collected as cess to settle welfare claims of construction workers. Kerala collected Rs 2,533.34 crore while it spent 3,914.32 crore -- 54.51 per cent more than what it collected. Similarly, Mizoram collected Rs 134.48 crore and spent Rs 139.72 crore or 3.8 per cent more than the cess it collected. The capital Delhi has 82.93 per cent or Rs 2,281.22 crore out of Rs 2750.5 crore in the unspent account while West Bengal has 65.28 per cent or Rs 2,382.21 crore out of Rs 3,648.69 crore unutilised, according to a written response by Minister of State for Labour Rameswar Teli to a question raised by BJDs Amar Patnaik in Rajya Sabha last week. Haryana, which comprises a construction hub Gurugram near Delhi, collected Rs 3,337.23 crore, but spent only Rs 1,395.61 crore. Gujarat collected Rs 2,013.84 crore but spent Rs 545.29 crore. In March 2020 just before the national Covid-19 lockdown, the then Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar had written to states to dive deep into over Rs 52,000 crore cess fund and transfer money to around 3.5 crore workers registered with authorities. It appears that states have dispersed around Rs 10,000 crore to workers in the past two years. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2020, saying that the Labour Welfare Boards collected cess amounting to Rs 49,688.07 crore till March 31, 2019, out of which only Rs 19,379.92 crore were spent. In August 2017, the Parliamentary Standing Committee had also raised similar concerns saying the Welfare Boards set up by states collected Rs 32,632.96 crore as cess towards the welfare of construction workers in 20 years, but spent only a dismal 23 per cent or Rs 7,516.52 crore, which included Rs 375.82 crore towards salaries of the officials who run the state welfare bodies. Check out the latest videos from DH: Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has been put on ventilator support once again as her health condition deteriorated. She continues to be critical but stable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent his best wishes to the Nightingale of India. Lata Mangeshkars siblings - sisters Asha Bhosale, Usha Mangeshkar and brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar visited the Breach Candy Hospital and Research Centre to inquire about her health. Lata Didi, as the 92-year-old is known, was rushed to the hospital on 8 January after she tested Covid-19 coupled with pneumonia infection. On 29 January, Mangeshkar was showing signs of marginal improvement and was taken off the ventilator but continued to be under observation at the ICU, however, she is now again on ventilator. Didis health condition has deteriorated again, she is critical. She is on a ventilator. She is still in ICU and will remain under the observation of doctors, said Dr Pratit Samdani, who is treating her. She continues to be under aggressive therapy and is tolerating the procedures well at this moment, he added. As she left the hospital, Bhosale said that she was stable. Lata Didi is stable and okay, we are praying for her well-being, there has been some improvement in her health condition, she said. Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal said: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wished for her speedy recovery. The entire nation is praying for her speedy recovery. Meanwhile, social media platforms are flooded with get-well-soon messages. Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackerays wife Rashmi Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray, NCP supremo Sharad Pawars daughter Supriya Sule and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar were among those who visited the hospital. Check out latest DH videos here With all eyes on the huge buildup of Russian troops at the Ukraine border, an invasion could come anytime, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. While Moscow insists it has no evil intent, an invasion could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet, Sullivan said. Advertisement If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well, he told ABCs This Week. The death toll could come on the order of tens of thousands, according to senior White House officials. They recently predicted up to 50,000 civilians, up to 25,000 Ukrainian troops and up to 10,000 members of Russias military could die, according to The New York Times. Advertisement Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), among the lawmakers briefed by the White House, called the prospect of an invasion a near certainty. Moscow wouldnt necessarily wait until the Olympics are over to attack, according to Sullivan. We have to be prepared for the possibility of a contingency of a military action by Russia before the Olympics end and we also have to be prepared for one after the Olympics end, he said. At this point, we are in the window, he continued, meaning that we cant just assume its going to be a couple weeks off. With European countries reliant on natural gas from Russia, the U.S. is working on bolstering energy supplies to the continent if gas is cut off during an invasion, Sullivan said. The White House is tracking down liquified natural gas cargoes that could be sent to Europe if Russia chooses to level gas as a political weapon, Sullivan explained. Several dozen elite U.S troops landed Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine. President Biden recently ordered the deployment of 1,700 soldiers there. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan (Andrew Harnik/AP) Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue is their commander. He was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan. Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty, we know that we are stronger together, Donahue said. Advertisement Russia has deployed about 100,000 troops on the borders of Ukraine but insists it has no intention of launching an invasion. A collective response by NATO members is the best response to a threat, the only method of assuring security to Poland and to other NATO countries on the alliances eastern flank, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said. Biden ordered extra U.S. forces deployed to Poland, Romania and Germany to show Americas commitment to NATOs eastern flank. Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine. Romania borders Ukraine. A full-blown invasion might not be inevitable, though. European officials are skeptical that Russias President Vladimir Putin will attack the entire country, according to the Times. The strongman might try to seize eastern Ukraines Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops since 2014. We are ready if President Putin chooses to continue to engage in diplomacy, and we are serious about that, and we are ready to respond in a united, swift, and severe way with our allies and partners should he choose to move forward with a military escalation, Sullivan said. Advertisement With News Wire Services A sea of humanity flooded the streets to witness the final journey of Lata Mangeshkar and pay tributes to the 'melody queen'. Her body was wrapped in the national tricolour and taken in a cortege from her Prabhu Kunj residence at Pedder Road to the Shivaji Park at Dadar. Police and armed forces played the band. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mumbais 'whos who' would be present at the funeral. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked the administration to give her a state funeral. Mangeshkar, 92, passed away in Mumbai at 08:12 am on Sunday because of multi-organ failure after 28 days of hospitalisation at the Breach Candy Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai, according to Dr Pratit Samdani, who was treating her. From the Breach Candy Hospital, her mortal remains were carried to the Mangeshkar household where several leading personalities paid tributes to her. Maharashtra Chief Secretary Debasish Chakrabarty, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal and Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale have finalised necessary arrangements. Watch the latest DH videos: The Muslim Rashtriya Manch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh issued a Nivedan Patra to Muslims and is holding meetings with the community clerics, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party went full throttle with hardline Hindutva. Home Minister Amit Shah is repeatedly reaching out to Jayant Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, which already allied with the Samajwadi Party. Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded a large number of Muslims as candidates in Paschimanchal a move that might queer the pitch of other non-BJP parties. These are just some of the components of the conundrum that the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh looks like as the stage is getting set for the first three phases of polling on February 10, 14 and 20 next. The BJP, which had won 312 of of total 403 seats in the 2017 assembly polls, has tried to retain allies like Apna Dal and Nishad Party by giving them more seats, while the Opposition spectrum is divided with multiple claimants for the anti-incumbency votes against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths government. The SP and its ally Congress had won just 47 and 7 seats respectively in 2017. Akhilesh Yadavs party had tied up with the BSP in 2019 parliamentary polls when they could secure just five and 10 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats respectively. With the SP tying up only with the RLD and some smaller parties, the Congress and the BSP, which had won 19 seats in 2017, are going solo. Also Read | All eyes on farmers There are however indications of the Congress and the SP warming up to each other despite fighting separately. A video clip of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav greeting each other while crossing path during an election campaign has gone viral on social media. One of the new factors in play in 2022 polls are the year-long farmer agitation that ended in December 2021 only when the government finally agreed to repeal the three contentious farm laws. The other is the Covid-19, which exposed the failure of of the state health machinery, and the opposition latched on to the images of bodies floating in the rivers Ganges to hammer home the point that Yogi Adityanath failed when lives of people mattered. The issues have been haunting the ruling BJP from the very beginning, particularly in Pashimanchal (Western UP) and Bundelkhand, which are going to polls in the first three of the seven phases of polling. The Samyuka Kisan Morcha, which had spearheaded the agitation against the farm laws, has decided to embark on Mission Uttar Pradesh, vowing to punish the BJP. The ppposition parties are repeatedly referring to the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri, where four farmers were allegedly mowed down by an SUV incident October 3 last year. The son of a Union Minister son was booked in connection with the case. Akhilesh Yadav, addressing a joint press conference with the RLDs Jayant Chaudhary, went to the extent of saying that the first phase of polls is farmers election and it will set the tone for upcoming phases of polls too. The BJP leaders too intensified their outreach to the farmers, with the former Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan visiting the village of leader of farmer protest Rakesh Tikait, the state government celebrated Kisan Divas in the memory of Jayants grandfather former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. The Modi Governments 2022 Union Budget also talked of Kisan drones. The poll-outcome in Western UP will largely depend on two factors, whether or not Jat consolidates in favour of the SP-RLD alliance and whether or not there is a divide in Muslim vote with BSP fielding a larger number of candidates from the minority community there. While the cacophony of Gannah (sugarcane denoting farmers) and Jinnah (barb on SP for talking of Pakistan founder M A Jinnah) and Mandir (Ayodya, Mathura, Kashi) versus Kabristan reverberate in Western UP, the laboratory of BJPs hardline Hindutva politics since 2013, it is back to basics in the backward Bundelkhand region with issues of irrigation, drinking water and employment resonating far from the state capital. The poll discourse in parched Bundelkhand is revolving around pyas (thirst) and rozgar (employment). Far from Hindutva or nationalism narrative, even social justice, this is bijli paani sadak (power, water, road) election here. The BJP claims its government quenched the thirst of people here after the erstwhile SP government had obstructed implementation of the water supply plan of the Centre. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a few months back launched multiple irrigation projects in Mahoba. The projects are expected to help lakhs of farmers in four districts of the region besides improving the drinking water supply. Unemployment is a major issue in Bundelkhand and migration for jobs to cities outside the region continues while the political blame game goes on. In November 2021, Modi laid foundation of the Rs 400-crore UP Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC) project in Jhansi. Modi government in 2022 Budget announced the Rs 44000 crore Ken Betwa river interlinking project that is expected to help the arid regions of Bundelkhand get much needed water for agriculture in seven districts Chitrakut, Banda, Jhansi, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Lalitpur in UP part of Bundelkhand. Since 2007 state polls fiasco, when the BJP failed to win even a single seat, the party started promoting local leadership, won two seats in 2012 polls and ultimately bagged all the 19 seats in 2017. Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reminded voters of the Rs 3506 crore Bundelkhand package of 2011 announced by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for over-all development of the region and promised loan waiver to farmers. Taking her Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon campaign further, she launched Aadhi Aabadi (half population) theme in Chitrakoot and addressed a rally in Mahoba, which was attended by a large number of women. Most of the districts in the regions have high OBC population, going up to 62% in Banda. Dalit population in the districts ranges between 20% to 30%. The BJPs state president, Swatantra Dev Singh, an OBC leader from Kurmi caste, hails from Jalaun. Speaking in Jhansi, the BJPs ally Apna Dals Anupriya Patel recently pressed for setting up of a dedicated OBC ministry, like the existing ministry for minority affairs, for the holistic development of the backwards. Akhilesh Yadavs Vijay Rath Yatra in October last year has set the tone for his SPs campaign in Bundelkhand. But consolidation of non-Yadav votes in favour of BJP in a region, where Muslim votes do not matter much, could be troublesome for him as the Dalits largely rally behind the BSP in the region. Check out DH's latest videos: The farmers of the Jatland of western Uttar Pradesh had overwhelmingly voted for the BJP in the 2017 assembly polls in the state. All eyes are again set on them as the state is going to polls once again, beginning from February 10. Their 13-month-long agitation did force Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to concede one of their main demands the repeal of the three contentious farm laws. But they are still very angry, for a variety of reasons ranging from police atrocities on them during their agitation and the delay in withdrawal of cases against them to sugarcane price woes. It is not just the prolonged apathy of the government during the protest that is making the farmers angry. They say that they have been getting a raw deal. Potato farmers point to procurement problems. Also Read | Battle for UPs Jatland & badland They say the procurement is not happening and they have to pay a lot for cold storage facilities. They allege that the government has been making tall promises, but nothing is happening on the ground. Same is the case with sugarcane, as farmers argue that the increase in price was very low. Rakesh Tikait of Bharatiya Kisan Union, one of the faces of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) that spearheaded the protest against the farm laws and influential Jat leader from the region, says farmers need not to be told whom to vote for after all what has happened in the recent past. The SKM has already announced Mission UP to punish the BJP. SKMs Yogendra Yadav says, our appeal to people is to punish the BJP, which has taken anti-farmers actions. We are naming them. If someone says this during election time, what does it mean? One of the emotional issues is the killing of four farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri last year and farmers continue to speak about it. The opponents of the BJP point to the continuation of Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni in office although his son Ashish is accused of mowing down the protesting farmers. Though Teni is not participating in the BJPs campaign, no action has been taken against him, who, himself, is accused of making threatening statements against farmers and shielding his son using his clout in administration. The campaign on Lakhimpur Kheri has struck a chord among the farmers. The agitation at the Delhi-UP border against the farm laws has deepened the farmers resolve to fight. They are upset and angry that the Centre has not honoured its promises made on December 9 last year following which they suspended their protest. None of the promises were kept, says farmers leader Dr Darshan Pal. They point to the promises by the government, which include the process to legalise Minimum Support Price and withdrawal of cases against protesting farmers among others. Nothing has happened. The government has not taken any action so far. Why did the 700 farmers have to die? Should we trust this government?, says Mahesh Chaudhary from Meerut. The BJP candidates are facing trouble in some areas of the western UP, as black flags are waved at them during their campaigns. Farmers are forced to sell their produce at half price. Why is there a delay in giving legal status to MSP? asks Rakesh Singh. The sugarcane production cost has increased tremendously, but the price set by the government has not increased in such a way that it becomes profitable for the farmers, says Nitin Tyagi from Ghaziabad. Another keenly watched angle would be whether the Jats and the Muslims, who have drifted apart following the riots in Muzaffarnagar in 2013, will bury their differences and once again act as a bloc as it did during the time of RLD chief Jayant Chaudharys grandfather Charan Singh, who had stitched the alliance. Farmer leaders believe there will be no vote on communal lines this time as economic issues will take the centrestage, not anything else. Check out DH's latest videos: A small queue is taking shape outside the Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple in Mathura in western Uttar Pradesh, belying the Covid-19 concerns. The temples entrance, bedecked by a giant chariot on top of it, ends at a road. Two red-sandstone gates are coming up at both ends of the road. They are tokens of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys promise to voters to add divinity and grandeur to the birthplace of Lord Krishna. What the BJP and other offshoots of the Sangh Parivar mean by the plan to build a grand temple is to make the shrine free by doing away with the Shahi Idgah Masjid, the mosque next to it. Believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna by his devotees, the present temple is at the heart of the BJPs poll pitch in Uttar Pradesh. It is from here that the saffron party is pushing its pitch in temple politics for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. After the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, it is the next stop. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya have said that after Ayodhya and Varanasi, the temples in Mathura-Vrindavan are next in line. With the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, the two temples form the sacred site for Lord Krishna. Also Read | Battle for UPs Jatland & badland On February 2, Yogi Adityanath tweeted about it: The BJP aims to honour the values at the heart of Indias identity and the sanatan faith, to restore the glorious tradition of our past. Lord Rams temple in Ayodhya and the grand circuit of Lord Vishwanath in Varanasi are being built. Then how can Mathura and Vrindavan be left behind? The Mathura Parliamentary constituency has five assembly seats, including the Mathura assembly constituency Mathura City, Chhata, Mant, Govardhan, and Baldev. In Mathura, it looks like a tight contest between state power minister Shrikant Sharma and Congress veteran Pradeep Mathur, four-term MLA, who has been the leader of the party in the Assembly. Queering the pitch is S K Sharma from the Bahujan Samaj Party, who was with the BJP till recently. He was asked by the BJP to fight from the nearby Mant seat last time, which has been held for a record eight terms by the BSP leader Shyam Sundar Sharma. S K Sharma lost the seat, but polled nearly 60,000 votes. This time, however, he was denied a seat from both Mant and Mathura. Videos of him crying after tickets were announced went viral. In Mathura, as he campaigns with his supporters, he says the BJP today does not care for its loyalists. I have spent my entire life with the BJP. They promised me the Mant ticket two years ago, and then, someone else was parachuted. The BSP has given me immense respect, I will make sure the BJP does not win, he says. In the electoral fight of Mathura, however, there are echoes of some other concerns. Several voters DH spoke to mentioned electricity bills as a prime concern, followed by the pollution in the Yamuna. Voicing these concerns is Congresss Pradeep Mathur, who was the former MLA. Making his way in Ganeshra village on the outskirts of the city with his arm in a sling he broke his hand a few days ago while campaigning he says hes confident of a win. The power minister has been unavailable for the people, and more than 60,000 people have cases against them for bills. The power minister should be answerable, Mathur said. People in Mathura will vote for electricity, sanitation, roads, health, and education. People here know what the situation before 2017 was and what it is now. We are building a religious circuit here for Lord Krishnas devotees, BJPs Shrikant Mathur says. When asked about BJPs temple pitch, Mathur said that they will follow the Kashi model that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out. We have been struggling for 500 years for Ayodhya, and today theres a temple there built constitutionally. PM Modi has shown us a model in the Kashi Corridor, we will follow that here in Brij Chaurasi, he said. The similarity between the three temples that Mathur is indicating is aimed at the Shahi Idgah Masjid. The mosque, built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, lies in the compound next to the temple. After the construction of the Ayodhya temple began, a plea was filed in September 2020 to remove the mosque. Another plea in December 2021 followed. Communal tension has rarely reared in Mathura, where 15% of the voters are Muslims. Ironically, Muslims in the area are mostly artisans who make the clothes for the deities in the temple. The BJP clinched four of the five seats in the region last term. And the Western UP belt, where Mathura is situated has 100 seats. Will the BJPs temple trick work once again? MLA and Chief Minister's Political Secretary M P Renukacharya urged the Karnataka government to book sedition cases against three Congress leaders Tanvir Sait, U T Khader and Zameer Ahmed Khan for instigating girl students of the Muslim community to attend classes wearing hijabs. Also read: 'End Hijab controversy now' HDK tells Karnataka government Speaking to media persons in Honnali town on Sunday, he alleged that some terrorist organisation is behind this development and it wants to harm communal harmony in the state. So girl students of the Muslim community started attending classes wearing hijab recently. He also claimed that the state government would not allow Karnataka to become Taliban. Check out latest videos from DH: Its approaching a seismic shift. The total number of New York City kids in district-run public schools from 3-K through 12th grade has shrunk from 1,002,000 to 938,000 today, according to preliminary enrollment data released late last year. Peeling out the two pre-school grades, which have grown substantially of late, there are now just 842,000 students in K-12 Department of Education schools. That still dwarfs the total in any other U.S. city, but the pandemic and all its disruptions have taken their toll. Make way for charters. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Fewer kids in the system should mean more room for innovation including for charter schools, whose enrollment has grown 25% over the last five years, from 114,000 in 2017-18 to 143,000 today. Mayor de Blasio was famously resistant to letting charters co-locate in district buildings. Mayor Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks should happily open the doors again. Advertisement New state figures suggest theres space in many of the right places. This year alone, the number of low-income students in city public schools dropped 7%, more than double the rate of those who arent living in poverty. Kids in the youngest grades were likeliest to exit; 7% of K-8 students said hasta la vista, versus just 2.5% of high schoolers. Education news website Chalkbeat crunched the data and found that 75% of DOE schools lost students, with almost a quarter of them losing 10% or more. According to the Department of Educations latest tally of open seats, a conservative document, there are 109,146 open seats, with hundreds of buildings clearly now able to accommodate small, growing, independently run public charter schools. Advertisement In stark contrast to their predecessors, Adams and Banks are happy to admit that all students deserve fair treatment. Dont just pay charters lip service; give them the keys. Duncan, OK (73533) Today Windy with scattered thunderstorms developing. A few storms may be severe. High around 85F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 47F. ESE winds shifting to N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Aldi Ireland has today launched its 2022 Community Grants programme, inviting charities and community groups across County Louth to apply for funding through their local Aldi store. Four grants will be distributed amongst Louth charities and community organisations. Staff from each of Aldis Louth-based stores will select a charity or community organisation in their local area to award the bursary to, enabling Aldis staff to help the local good causes they care about. Aldi staff will distribute more than 160 500 bursary grants through the programme this year, totalling to over 80,000 worth of funding for Irish causes that contribute vital work and services to their local communities. Charities wishing to put themselves forward for the bursary donation can apply at their local Aldi store. The initiative was launched by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, at Aldis Carrickmacross Store, Co. Monaghan. Welcoming the initiative, Minister Humphreys said: Our charities and community groups have gone above and beyond in recent months, supporting some of our most vulnerable citizens during the middle of a pandemic. I really welcome the announcement that Aldi will be supporting even more local causes through its Community Grants programme in 2022. These grants represent an important contribution for many of these organisations who continue to play a critical role in the communities they serve. Supporting and recognising the work of local community organisations is a priority for Government and underpins our five year rural development strategy, Our Rural Future. It is fantastic to see Aldis staff directly helping local good causes that they are clearly passionate about. John Curtin, Group Buying Director, Aldi Ireland said: While the past two years have certainly been challenging for many charities and community groups across the country, it is important now as we return to some normality that we continue to support the local organisations that make such a difference to the lives of so many in our communities. By the end of 2022, Aldis Community Grants programme will have donated 537,000 to over 1,000 local charity branches and community groups across Ireland since its inception in 2016. Receiving charities and organisations have ranged from rescue teams to animal sanctuaries, disability support to mental health support, and everything in between. As part of the Dundalk Chamber Business After Hours Club, Perspectives Ireland are providing a free talk on Thursday the February 17th from 7pm to 8pm via zoom. Consulting psychologists Perspectives Ireland work with businesses to maximise the wellbeing of their employees to reduce stress and burnout. Their work emphasizes why interpersonal relations are pivotal to a vital, effective workplace. Perspectives Ireland have developed a scientific model that offers a unique understanding of the basics of interpersonal relations and how they operate in the workplace. They will share their valuable insights and provide tools on improving employee relations and helping teams work better together. Speaking on behalf of Dundalk Chamber Vice President Una McGoey mentioned this is just one in a series of Business After Hours events planned by Dundalk Chamber. Dr Yvonne Barnes-Holmes, co-founder and co-director of Perspectives Ireland said: Almost all businesses involve employees and teams at different levels. Each team and each level has its own priorities and challenges but interpersonal relations always involve the same core dynamics. When we target these core structures, we can create lasting improvements quickly and with precision. To book your free place call Brenda in Dundalk Chamber on 042 9336343 or email: brenda@dundalk.ie remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Beijing, calling for joint efforts to build the China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era. Xi said that China and Egypt have further consolidated political mutual trust and achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation with highlights in joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership has become a model of solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit between China and Arab, African and developing countries, Xi said. Xi stressed that the two sides should deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and continue to dovetail the Belt and Road Initiative with Egypt's Vision 2030, as well as advance projects such as the development of the Suez Canal Corridor. Noting that China and Egypt built the first joint COVID-19 vaccine production line on the African continent last year, Xi said that the two sides should continue to fight the pandemic in solidarity. China is willing to continue to provide vaccine support to Egypt, expand cooperation on joint vaccine production, help Egypt become a vaccine production center in Africa, and jointly make contributions to promoting accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries, Xi said. Xi said that China and Egypt should also join hands to take the lead in China-Arab and China-Africa cooperation, accelerate the building of the China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era, and promote African development and prosperity. Sisi expressed thanks to Xi for inviting him to attend the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony. Noting that Egypt-China relations have a long history and are strong, Sisi said the Belt and Road Initiative has strongly promoted Egypt's economic development, and that Egypt is willing to continue to actively participate in the initiative and accelerate its own development through expanding bilateral cooperation in various fields. The Egyptian people look forward to President Xi's visit to Egypt after the pandemic, Sisi said. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) Where Massachusetts-reared Bill de Blasio and Mike Bloomberg seemed to loathe speaking with the public and performing the job, native son Eric Adams has thrown himself into being mayor in a way New Yorkers havent seen since Ed Koch went around asking Howm I doing? So far, Adams is doing all right. Advertisement Hes on trains, buses and Citi Bikes, eating and hobnobbing across the city and keeping a packed public schedule while getting lots of the feedback New Yorkers are happy to deliver directly to a mayor whos up to hear it from them instead of hiding behind ceremony and security. That means stress-testing and refining the high-wire rhetorical balancing act he performed on the campaign trail of promising more public safety and less heavy-handed policing at the same time. While Adams may talk a lot about himself and about my schools and my police, that also means hes taking rhetorical responsibility for how they perform on his watch. Advertisement Saving the city, and the party. (Sam Costanza/for New York Daily News) One month in, its too soon to judge the self-proclaimed new face of the Democratic Party on anything but words, even as his deeds are starting to pile up along with the circumstances starting with two murdered cops, and four others whove been shot that every mayor has to respond to while trying to control their agenda and the public conversation about it. Theres a simple reason that President Biden came to New York City Thursday to meet Adams at 1 Police Plaza rather than having the mayor come to the White House. Biden needs Adams support politically, to distance himself from the defund wing of the Democratic Party thats become increasingly unpopular amid the sharp increase in violent crime in cities nationwide since the pandemic began, more than the other way around. The president is betting on this mayor, and the question now is what Biden can deliver for New York City that will help him collect on that bet. Their meeting was also attended by a whos who of local Democrats including Gov. Hochul, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Jerry Nadler, who want to show that theyre concerned with violent crime, and doing something about it now. They dont want Adams, or anyone else, saying about them what he did about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after a meeting earlier in the week with the states congressional delegation: we dont hear people on the left talk about right now, what we should be doing. Thats mostly true, even as AOC and others gesture at violence interrupters and social workers as if those are going to replace the police. The root-cause set can come off like a human sacrifice cult when all their solutions to rising crime now come down to less policing and decades of funding for job programs and housing and social services. That funding is indeed critical (and cops are often stuck cleaning up the mess left when it isnt provided) but it doesnt pay for itself, financially or politically, in the short run. And, as the economist said, in the long run, were all dead. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > But the Democrats Adams assembled really arent doing much better. They talked a lot about shutting down the Iron Pipeline that brings guns into New York City, and the ghost guns without serial numbers that people can build themselves from components purchased online. Advertisement But the average time between a guns initial purchase, often in a state with looser laws, and its use in a crime in New York was nearly 12 years as of 2019, according to the ATF. And even if the supply were magically shut off tomorrow, there would still be perhaps 100,000 guns here already. This all gets much tougher if the Supreme Courts conservative majority kills New Yorks restrictive gun licensing laws as it appears they will in a decision later this year. In the meantime, Bidens legislative agenda is DOA in Washington, where the gun lobby has cut off sensible reforms and enforcement measures for decades. And Albanys legislative leaders, who dont have any short-term public safety plan of their own to speak of, are dead-set against Adams push to let judges consider dangerousness in setting bail. Adams, whos talked a lot about the many currents feeding gun violence in part as a way to avoid being pinned to the particulars of any one element of his own plan, has created a new gun unit to replace the one de Blasio cynically disbanded in 2020, amid the George Floyd protests and a defund push here. The new mayor seems to know that the Democrats eager to stand by him are engaging in their own root-causes rhetoric as a way to talk around the immediate problem of finding people carrying, and using, guns now and discouraging others from doing so in our dense and confined city. If theres a better way to do that than through the cops and the courts, someone should share it. Meantime, Adams has found the rhetorical sweet spot. Now he just has to live up to his words. harrysiegel@gmail.com North Andover, MA (01845) Today Partly cloudy this morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers this afternoon. High 58F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 45F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. On Dec. 13, 2003, not far from Saddam Husseins hometown of Tikrit, U.S. forces dragged the disheveled former Iraqi dictator out of the hole in the ground where he had been hiding. In Baghdad, L. Paul Bremer, charged with presiding over the U.S. occupation of Iraq, wasted no time in calling a press conference. Ladies and gentlemen, we got him, he crowed. The tyrant is a prisoner. A gleeful Bremer wanted reporters to know that something momentous had just occurred. With Saddam behind bars and headed for the gallows, Bremer and other senior U.S. officials back in Washington persuaded themselves that Americas Global War on Terrorism had reached a decisive turning point. Victory was now in sight. Advertisement It was not, of course. In fact, in the immediate future, conditions in Iraq were destined to go from bad to worse. As an episode in a very long and ugly war, Saddams capture turned out to be a minor blip. The illusions to which it gave rise would recur in the years to follow, as other we got him episodes occurred, each one producing expectations that subsequent events would then demolish. In the nearly two decades since U.S. troops took Saddam into custody, the United States has celebrated many more we got him moments when some high-value target was taken off the board. None of these episodes has yielded a conclusive outcome. The most recent such moment occurred in Syria this past week when a daring raid by U.S. special operations forces permanently took ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi out of circulation, after al-Qurayshi apparently blew himself up as they cornered him. This horrible terrorist leader is no more, President Biden announced with no small amount of satisfaction. Advertisement US President Joe Biden speaks about the counterterrorism operation in Syria from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2022. Biden said Thursday that the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, had been "taken off the battlefield" during a raid by US forces in Syria. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) But its deceptive. Al-Qurayshi shared the same fate as ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in October 2019 blew himself up to avoid capture; Hamza Bin Laden, heir to Osama, killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation just the month before, probably in Afghanistan; Osama Bin Laden himself, gunned down on May 1, 2011, in a famous raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan; and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, killed by a U.S. airstrike in June 2006. For completeness, we might add to the list Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Quds Force, assassinated on Donald Trumps orders on Jan. 3, 2020. The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. > When it comes to terminating unsavory leadership cadres with extreme prejudice, nobody can hold a candle to the U.S. military. Biden was justified in characterizing last weeks decapitation exercise as testament to Americas reach and capability to take out terrorist threats no matter where they try to hide anywhere in the world. This undated photo obtained from the CTC Sentinel, a publication of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, shows Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of the Islamic State group. President Joe Biden said Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, that al-Qurayshi has been killed in Syria during an operation by an elite U.S. military force. (CTC Sentinel via AP) (AP) Of course, no one should mourn the elimination of al-Qurayshi and others of similar ilk. They richly deserved their fate for murdering and terrorizing many. Still, the question needs to be asked: What strategic purpose do these tactical successes, however commendable, actually serve? Allow me to suggest that periodic we got him celebrations serve chiefly to distract attention from Washingtons manifest failure to devise a way to end the forever wars dating from 9/11. Yes, its true that we no longer have thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but our broader military engagement in those and many other countries remains. The Biden administration, though touting last years Afghanistan withdrawal, tacitly accepts the forever wars as endless. So too does the rest of the U.S. national security apparatus. As long as policymakers cling to the war paradigm, they will not be disappointed: forever is likely to mean forever. If, however, we acknowledge that the war paradigm is itself part of the problem, new possibilities appear. In fact, Americas challenges in the Islamic world are primarily political in nature meaning historical, cultural and religious. The events of the last two decades, especially the U.S. interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, should drive home the point that there is no military solution to the war on terrorism, which should never have been classified as a war in the first place. The solution to our predicament in the Islamic world (if any such solution exists) must be found in the world of politics. That should begin with reassessing problematic U.S. relationships with the likes of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel. This image from video provided by the Department of Defense and released on Feb. 3, 2022, shows the compound before a raid where Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, leader of the Islamic State Group, died in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. (AP) U.S. policy in the Middle East is strategically bankrupt. Acknowledging that fact, which Biden shows little inclination to do, is a prerequisite to remedying the problem. Otherwise, the United States will find itself continuing to reinforce failure. In the meantime, yes, lets count on U.S. forces taking out the next al-Qurayshi, for there will surely be one. And when we get him, let whoever happens to be president commend the troops for their bravery and skill. But lets stop kidding ourselves that something genuinely purposeful has been accomplished. Bacevich is president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. The books listed below are now available for checkout at the Clovis-Carver Public Library. The library is open to the public, but patrons can still visit the online catalog at cloviscarverpl.booksys.net/opac/ccpl or call 575-769-7840 to request a specific item for curbside pickup. A Deep Divide by Kimberley Woodhouse. After being kidnapped as a child, heiress Emma Grace McMurray has seen firsthand the devastation that greed causes in the world. When she discovers her father has offered her up as a bargaining chip to expand his empire, she disappears into the night. Determined to stay hidden, she finds herself working as a Harvey Girl at the El Tovar Hotel. When Ray Watkins arrives at the hotel on business, he is immediately captivated by the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Though his fame-seeking father aims to lure new investors to the Arizona Territory, Ray dreams of one day taking over the family business and doing good with the profits. When suspicious activity follows Emma Grace and Ray to the El Tovar, they are pulled into a mystery that stirs up their worst fears. And as shocking revelations come to light, they are left to question all they thought to be true. The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. Hes eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth toand was forced to leave behindwhen she was a teenager. She had promised her family shed never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past. Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a heart-stopping incident strains the towns already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives. Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau. After years of constant work and the sudden death of his mother, Actor Ryan Kwok is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesnt know how to talk to his dadwho now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum. Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but theres no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees. As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like theyre cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen. Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be An Ally by Emily Ladau. People with disabilities are the worlds largest minority, an estimated 15 percent of the global population. But many of usdisabled and nondisabled alikedont know how to act, what to say, or how to be an ally to the disability community. Demystifying Disability is a friendly handbook on the important disability issues you need to know about. Veneering Essentials by Steven Der-Garabedian. Wood veneer has a public relations problem. Once considered a tradition of woodworking craftsmanship, its now perceived as something to avoid. To some, working with veneer is too messy and complicated. For others, it evokes cheap materials and shoddy craftsmanship. This is unfortunate, because upon a closer look, veneering is an accessible and versatile technique that offers stunning design opportunities. Secret City by Lonely Planet. This book is your essential guide to getting to know the most interesting, rewarding, and hip areas to stay in 50 cities around the world. Dive deep into an exciting new destination and discover the best little-known sights and things to do, plus the coolest places to eat, drink and shop to create unforgettable trips. Originally from Michigan, Amanda Lunt is a photographer with two dogs, and a baby on the way. She and her husband are recent transplants to the Clovis area - they arrived from Guam last October on military assignment and have been acquainting themselves with the community ever since. When she's not snapping photos, Lunt enjoys good television, baking and reading. Q: What is your favorite book? A: I don't have a favorite book, but Nicholas Sparks is definitely my favorite author. Q: How would your friends and family describe you, in one word or phrase? A: I asked my mom what she would say and she said, "Sweetheart." Q: Where is the most interesting place you've ever lived? A: I think Finland. It's a beautiful country and the culture is different from that in the U.S. People are generally more quiet and reserved until you get to know them. I was there for Finland's Independence Day (it's in December), and they had fireworks like we have for the Fourth of July -- but the crowd stood and watched silently, almost reverently. It was different from the cheering and applause you'd hear here in the U.S. Q: What is your favorite part about living in Clovis? A: My favorite part about living in Clovis is that there is not much traffic. Even on an island (Guam), there was traffic. Also, many people there did not follow normal rules of the road. Q: What is the scariest experience you've ever lived through? A: I can't recall something that has been so scary that I was traumatized, but when we moved into the house that we rented in Guam, we had cockroaches. After dealing with them for quite some time (many people just accept them as a thing), there was a huge one that came flying at me when I tried to kill it - and that was horrible. That was the final straw, and I called pest control. Thankfully, they were able to come take care of the issue. I don't know if that counts as scary or is only horrifying to someone like me who doesn't like bugs. Q: If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you choose? Why? A: I can't think of a specific time period that'd I'd like to travel back to, but I do enjoy indoor plumbing and electricity so I wouldn't want to travel too far back. Q: What is the most interesting thing you've ever eaten? A: ...Probably my husband's cooking. Just kidding, he's actually a pretty good cook, and he cooks more than I do. One time in Finland I had tongue, I think it was cow tongue, but I'm not really sure. Q: What is your favorite childhood memory? A: I remember one night at my grandparents, there was a meteor shower. We got to stay up late and lay out in the yard watching shooting stars. That was pretty magical. Q: If you could choose any profession in the world, what would it be and why? A: I'd be a full-time photographer. It's currently more of a hobby, but I'd love to do it full time. I love the stories that can be told from a photo and the emotions that can be frozen in a single moment by a photograph. Q: What is the best advice you've ever received? A: I think the best advice would be to not compare myself to others. Whether it be in photography, fitness, becoming a mom, etc., it's important to remember we're all in different spots of our lives and we shouldn't compare where we are now to where someone else is. Stay up to date and informed on everything that is happening at Eastern Kentucky University! Subscribe to the Eastern Progress newsletter for free today and support student media at EKU! As per section 1.4.2 (iii) of the Directive on Access to Information: "For Projects approved by Bank management where the Board of Directors has delegated the approval authority, the PSD shall be disclosed at the start of the relevant no-objection notification period to a member country of the Bank in accordance with Article 13 (iii) of the Agreement Establishing the EBRD." Project Description An up to USD 20m participation in an up to USD 45m senior secured facility in favour of Telecom Armenia, to refinance the Company's existing debt - largely resulting from its leveraged acquisition by Team LLC, and to finance its growth capex plan, including network expansion in rural areas. Project Objectives The proceeds of EBRD's USD 20m loan shall be allocated to i) financing fibre network capex in the amount of USD 3.0m, as well as ii) refinancing existing debt in the amount of up to USD 17.0m (together the "Project"). Transition Impact ETI score: 63 Competitive: As of 2019, FTTH penetration stood at 7.7% in Armenia. The Project will support the rollout of Telecom Armenia's ultra-high speed FTTH (1- 10 Gbps), including to secondary cities and rural areas. This will push the coverage rate of this modern ICT infrastructure to c. 19.2% in the country. Thus, the Project will lead to more reliable and faster internet connectivity across Armenia, as well as extend connectivity to underserved areas. Telecom Armenia's network is fully open to competitors on a wholesale basis, and the Company does not benefit from public support. Green: The Project supports energy-efficient upgrades to the Company's fixed and mobile networks, with USD 3m of the loan proceeds to be directly applied to such investments. In addition, the proposed financing features a long tenor and a sculpted repayment profile, which will free-up internally-generated cash for funding further network upgrades. The upgrade of the fixed network involves replacing the current twisted copper cable network infrastructure with a fibre network including next generation Passive Optical Networks (PON) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) solutions. The upgrade of the mobile network involves expanding the Company's 4G coverage and capacity by adding 4G base stations and sectors in existing 2G/3G sites. Through its capex financing component, the Project is estimated to result in primary energy savings of 1.13 PJ/year, corresponding to 28,859 tonnes of CO2e savings per year. The Project is 15% GET eligible. Client Information TELECOM ARMENIA CJSC Telecom Armenia CJSC ("Telecom Armenia" or the "Company") is a leading provider of fixed-line and mobile telecommunication services in Armenia. EBRD Finance Summary USD 20,000,000.00 Refinancing of existing debt: 17,000,000; EBRD-financed capex: USD 3,000,000 Total Project Cost USD 45,000,000.00 Additionality Financing structure: EBRD offers a tenor, which is longer than available to the client in the market on reasonable terms and conditions. The long tenor tenor, beyond what can be provided by private-sector lenders, is critical for Telecom Armenia to execute its transformational business plan. EBRD will take on a significant share of the proposed syndicated facility to bridge the financing gap necessary to support ambitious capex plans. Risk sharing: EBRD provides comfort to clients and investors, financial or strategic, by mitigating non-financial risks, such as country, regulatory, project, economic cycle, or political risks. EBRD provided technical cooperation support for Project preparation, in the form of a consultant assignment, to prepare an extensive commercial due diligence report and contributed into financial structuring of the transaction to accommodate for required investment plans. The Project involves the overhaul of Telecom Armenia's legacy xDSL and 2G/3G networks, and the Company's subsequent strategic repositioning. As this business plan is based on a turnaround story and associated executions risks, lenders derived significant comfort from the due diligence report by a reputable telecom consultant, specifically commissioned by EBRD. The report crucially included a technology review of the Company's existing network and capex plan, as well as a commercial analysis of Telecom Armenia's forecasted revenues and cost. Without such a report, lenders would have been unable to assess the viability of the Company's business plan. Environmental and Social Summary Categorised B (2019 ESP) Environmental and Social Due Diligence (ESDD) has been carried out internally and consisted in a review of the completed ESDD questionnaires, follow up questions and a review of various documents. ESDD demonstrated that the Company is compliant with national laws and has adequate Environmental and Social (E&S) risk management capacity to implement the project in compliance with the EBRD E&S performance requirements (PRs). E&S risks associated with the Company's operations are limited and can be addressed through standard mitigation measures including those stipulated in the project Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP). The Company will be required to comply with PRs and submitted an annual E&S report to the Bank. ESDD was based on the reviews of the Corporate, Covid-19 and Traffic & Road Safety questionnaires. Technical procedures and Company policies were also reviewed. ESDD demonstrated that the Company has arrangements in place to manage E&S issues and are currently further developing their environmental management system. Human resources polices are largely in line with PR2 and including an employee grievance mechanism and an employee code of conduct. The Company recognises employees' right to organise. To support the reduction in CO2 emissions. The Company has installed energy saving light bulbs at all offices and solar panels (PV) units at a number of telephone switch stations. The Company aims to further increase the numbers of PV at other stations in future years. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risk assessments for high-risk work activities are undertaken for activities such as working at heights. The Company also delivers specific OHS training for workers involved in these high-risk working activities. To support the management of occupational road risks associated with the Company's vehicle fleet, the Head of Transportation is responsible for road safety and driver performance is monitor with in vehicle monitoring systems (IVMS) installed in Company vehicles. The Company confirmed that some upgrade and installation work is to be carried out within the Sevan National Park, designated protected area. This will require the installation of equipment to existing telecom towers and rooftop base stations and fibre optical cables installed through existing underground ducts and overhead infrastructure and overhead poles and will not involve any civil or construction work. No modification is planned to existing infrastructure. The Company discloses E&S information within their annual reports and includes information on the local social programmes they support including local business start-ups and innovation and also information on Environmental progress with reducing CO2 emissions. An ESAP has been developed for the project and will be agreed with client prior to project signing. The ESAP includes further development of the Company's existing Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety management systems to align with ISO standards, the appointment of a dedicated person to manage the Company's Environmental function and to review existing partner provisions and to include E&S arrangements within. The client is also required to consult with all key stakeholders associated with the Sevan National Park prior to any work to ensure the planned work aligns and does not impact the Sevan National Park conservation objectives determined by the Management Plan and the work is undertaken under direct supervision of the management authority of the National Park. The Bank will monitor the project's E&S performance by reviewing annual E&S reports in addition to conducting site visits if deemed necessary. Technical Cooperation and Grant Financing Donor-funded TC: Commercial due diligence in the amount of EUR 75,000 (confirmed), funded by the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund's Knowledge Economy Initiative. Client contributions: The Client contributed over EUR 15,000 to legal and tax due diligences. Company Contact Information Arpine Chalkyan - Head of Strategic Programs and Corporate development arpine.chalkyan@telecomarmenia.am +374 95 988 723 https://www.beeline.am/en/ Azatutyan Ave., 24/1 Building, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia Implementation summary PSD last updated 03 Feb 2022 Understanding Transition Further information regarding the EBRDs approach to measuring transition impact is available here. Business opportunities For business opportunities or procurement, contact the client company. For business opportunities with EBRD (not related to procurement) contact: Tel: +44 20 7338 7168 Email: projectenquiries@ebrd.com For state-sector projects, visit EBRD Procurement: Tel: +44 20 7338 6794 Email: procurement@ebrd.com General enquiries Specific enquiries can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form. Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) The ESP and the associated Performance Requirements (PRs) set out the ways in which the EBRD implements its commitment to promoting environmentally sound and sustainable development. The ESP and the PRs include specific provisions for clients to comply with the applicable requirements of national laws on public information and consultation as well as to establish a grievance mechanism to receive and facilitate resolution of stakeholders concerns and grievances, in particular, about environmental and social performance of the client and the project. Proportionate to the nature and scale of a projects environmental and social risks and impacts, the EBRD additionally requires its clients to disclose information, as appropriate, about the risks and impacts arising from projects or to undertake meaningful consultation with stakeholders and consider and respond to their feedback. More information on the EBRDs practices in this regard is set out in the ESP. Integrity and Compliance The EBRD's Office of the Chief Compliance Officer (OCCO) promotes good governance and ensures that the highest standards of integrity are applied to all activities of the Bank in accordance with international best practice. Integrity due diligence is conducted on all Bank clients to ensure that projects do not present unacceptable integrity or reputational risks to the Bank. The Bank believes that identifying and resolving issues at the project assessment approval stages is the most effective means of ensuring the integrity of Bank transactions. OCCO plays a key role in these protective efforts, and also helps to monitor integrity risks in projects post-investment. OCCO is also responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, corruption and misconduct in EBRD-financed projects. Anyone, both within or outside the Bank, who suspects fraud or corruption should submit a written report to the Chief Compliance Officer by email to compliance@ebrd.com. All matters reported will be handled by OCCO for follow-up. All reports, including anonymous ones, will be reviewed. Reports can be made in any language of the Bank or of the Bank's countries of operation. The information provided must be made in good faith. Access to Information Policy (AIP) The AIP sets out how the EBRD discloses information and consults with its stakeholders so as to promote better awareness and understanding of its strategies, policies and operations following its entry into force on 1 January 2020. Please visit the Access to Information Policy page to find out what information is available from the EBRD website. Specific requests for information can be made using the EBRD Enquiries form. Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) If efforts to address environmental, social or public disclosure concerns with the Client or the Bank are unsuccessful (e.g. through the Clients Project-level grievance mechanism or through direct engagement with Bank management), individuals and organisations may seek to address their concerns through the EBRDs Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM). IPAM independently reviews Project issues that are believed to have caused (or to be likely to cause) harm. The purpose of the Mechanism is: to support dialogue between Project stakeholders to resolve environmental, social and public disclosure issues; to determine whether the Bank has complied with its Environmental and Social Policy or Project-specific provisions of its Access to Information Policy; and where applicable, to address any existing non-compliance with these policies, while preventing future non-compliance by the Bank. Please visit the Independent Project Accountability Mechanism webpage to find out more about IPAM and its mandate; how to submit a Request for review; or contact IPAM via email ipam@ebrd.com to get guidance and more information on IPAM and how to submit a request. Chelsea Handler might be in the hospital, but her funny bone is doing A-OK. The comic, 46, took to Instagram Friday to announce the last minute cancellation of her Vaccinated & Horny shows in Oregon due to unforeseen circumstances. Advertisement I am so sorry that I had to cancel my shows tonight in Portland and in Eugene, the New Jersey native later said in two videos posted to her Instagram Story. (File) Chelsea Handler hospital scare forces comic to cancel a show. (Getty Images/Getty Images for the Critics Cho) She explained that while she had a scare at the hospital, she is not positive for COVID-19. Advertisement And Im OK but I had to reschedule my shows, she said. I will see you all when I see you and Im sorry that I had to cancel. But Im OK and Im not pregnant. Handlers earlier announcement confirmed that the Eugene show would be rescheduled for March 4 and Portland for March 5, with the original tickets still honored. Handlers Evolution in November scored a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. The Grammys have been postponed until April 3. CHURCH goers are determined to get to the bottom of what the Bishop has dubbed "the Shandon mystery" with one parishioner attending Sunday service dressed as Sherlock Holmes. The tercentenary will mark 300 years of the present-day Saint Annes Church in Shandon this year. However, Bishop Colton said he is at a loss to identify the date behind its opening and consecration. The tercentenary was inaugurated today by the Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton, when he visited the parish to preside at the Sunday service. He is appealing to local organisations and individuals to help solve their mystery. Bishop Colton even encouraged service goers to bring along forensic tools such as magnifying glasses in the hope that they can crack the code. "The problem is", explained Bishop Colton, "the parish records were lost in the fire one hundred years ago in June 1922." Bishop Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne & Ross, in St. Anne's Church, Shandon, Cork, following the launch of the Shandon Mystery to inaugurate planning for the 300th. anniversary. "We need help", he said. "We have looked at all sorts of records, spoken with parishioners, some local people, and spoken to some archivists and historians. We have checked dates on parish silver, on plaques and on the font in the Church. There appears to be no foundation stone and no memorial stone commemorating the consecration. We would like to know these dates and that is what we mean by the 'Shandon Mystery'. He extended gratitude to the people of Cork for their support with the matter. "One man even came to church dressed as Sherlock Holmes. I can't promise they'll be big rewards but I did offer one guy a Twix for one gem of information recently." The Right Reverend Dr Colton explained why having a date would mean so much to them. St. Anne's Church, Shandon, Cork, where the launch took place of the Shandon Mystery to inaugurate planning for its 300th. anniversary. "When you want to celebrate an anniversary people will always ask what date it's on but the truth is we don't have one," he said. "We don't have a date or a foundation stone or completion stone. We are appealing to anyone who has access to minute books or city council records from that period to help us with our search. City council records from that period or other institutions might just have a cross-reference to Shandon being built and we're hopeful that this will happen. "There must be someone out there who has read something we haven't. They may have access to minute books or records that we don't. I think people will be interested to see if we can get this answered or not. This is something for all of Cork because there is so much interest in Shandon. It is a symbol of Cork. You only have to look at organisations such as RTE and the city council to see how widely referenced it is." Anyone with information they feel might be helpful in the search can contact The Diocesan Office. Effingham, IL (62401) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 70F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Thundershowers overnight following a period of rain early. Low near 60F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Washington, MO (63090) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to showers and a possible thunderstorm this afternoon. High 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight A steady rain this evening. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing overnight. Low 59F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 70th anniversary of her monarchy on Sunday, culminating a weekend in which she also paid a royal recognition to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and second wife of Prince Charles. The 95-year-old queen on Sunday highlighted the extraordinary progress thats been made since she took over the British throne in 1952 following the death of her father. Advertisement She also shared her wishes over the weekend for Camilla to be named Queen Consort once her husband, Prince Charles, becomes king. The 73-year-old Charles, who is the queens eldest son, is the next in line to the British throne. I am fortunate to have had the steadfast and loving support of my family. I was blessed that, in Prince Philip, I had a partner willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it, Queen Elizabeth said. It is a role I saw my own mother perform during my fathers reign. Advertisement And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me. Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in June 2013. (Alastair Grant/AP) Camilla, 74, was at one point expected to receive the Princess Consort title once her husband became king, with Charles previously expressing hope that his wife would be given a queen moniker. We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mothers wish, Charles said in a statement after the queens announcement. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout. Camilla is the second wife of Prince Charles, who was married to Princess Diana from 1981 to 1996. Charles and Camilla had dated before his marriage to Diana, and resumed their relationship before their divorce a saga that garnered tremendous attention in the United Kingdom. Diana, who died in 1997 in a crash crash in Paris, had two children with Charles: Prince William and Prince Harry. With News Wire Services Athens, AL (35611) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 85F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Enid, OK (73701) Today Cloudy this morning, then windy with scattered strong thunderstorms this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 83F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. Gusty winds diminishing after midnight. A stray severe thunderstorm is possible. Low 41F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. A mostly middle-aged audience cheered from half-empty church pews as U.S. Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer called for an audit of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Election integrity is the No. 1 issue that our country faces today because if you do not have fair and legal elections, you dont have a free country, Lahmeyer said at the Make Oklahoma Free rally last month at Crossroads Church in Oklahoma City. The event featured candidates for state and federal offices and other speakers who claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged by faceless outside forces. Lahmeyer, a Tulsa pastor who seeks to unseat U.S. Sen. James Lankford with the endorsement of a few prominent advisers of former President Donald Trump, has made election fraud one of his top campaign issues. While Trump won all 77 counties in Oklahoma in 2020, some Republicans in the state continue to make allegations of widespread voter fraud to energize voters this election year. Many recent polls have found that the majority of Republican voters dont believe Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election was legitimate. Two-thirds of Republican respondents in a recent NPR/Ipsos poll said they believed voter fraud helped Biden win. Oklahoma State Election Board has found allegations of outside voting manipulation are entirely without merit, but Republican state lawmakers have filed at least 22 bills in advance of the coming legislative session that seek to investigate the 2020 election or tighten voting laws. Oklahoma GOP Chairman John Bennett, who did not respond to questions or interview requests, said in a recent Facebook video that the party has formed an election integrity committee after hearing that it was a top issue from voters. Bennett said in the video the party is partnering with a group called Oklahoma Liberty Watch that claims there is widespread voter fraud in the state. Oklahoma Liberty Watch claims that 2020 election night results culled from a New York Times data set show evidence of outside manipulation. The data shows larger percentages of early voting returns for Biden in Oklahoma. The group claims these voting patterns echo election results in other states, pointing to fraud. Kevin Quealy, an editor at the New York Times who works with election data, told The Frontier in an email that the voting patterns Oklahoma Liberty Watch points out are probably the result of superficial similarities across states, which could include the common practice of releasing results from early voting soon after polls closed on election night. Those early election returns skewed Democratic in some localities in 2020. In Oklahoma, most counties report results from early voting and absentee ballots shortly after polls close, the State Election Board confirmed. Oklahoma Liberty Watch is trying to organize volunteers for a grass-roots, door-to-door audit to verify Oklahoma voter rolls. Similar audits have been attempted in Utah and Colorado. +2 Roger Stone, GOP leaders attack party, Lankford during Senate campaign rally Oklahoma GOP Chair John Bennett said these Republicans in Name Only had fought to steal the election from former President Donald Trump, who was defeated by Joe Biden last November. Organizers for the group declined an interview request but told The Frontier that the Oklahoma Republican Party was going to help them find canvassers. State Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, who also is challenging Lankford in the June Republican primary, has filed four election integrity bills in advance of the 2022 Oklahoma legislative session. He says a forensic audit of 2020 election results is one of the top issues hes running on in his campaign for U.S. Senate. One of the bills Dahm filed this year at the Legislature calls for an audit of 2020 voting results. Dahm told The Frontier he firmly believes Trump won the 2020 presidential election and that hes not using the bills as a campaign ploy. Ive stayed consistent this entire time, even before I was campaigning for this position, he said. Dahm said his bills seek to improve accountability and transparency in state elections and also include a proposal to make Oklahomas paper ballots available for public review online after the vote. Rep. Sean Roberts, R-Hominy, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas in the Republican primary, has filed three bills at the Legislature this year tackling election security issues. One of Roberts bills would require Oklahoma voters to re-register with their county election board by the end of 2023 with proof of U.S. citizenship and residency in order to vote in state and local elections. Roberts, who did not respond to an interview request, also lists election integrity as one of his campaign issues on his congressional campaign website. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Oklahoma, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said in a statement to The Frontier. Oklahoma already has some of the strongest election integrity laws in the entire country, he said. The state already verifies the identity of in-person and absentee voters, and requires bipartisan representation at every level of election administration, Ziriax said. Oklahoma is one of 35 states that ask or require voters to show some form of identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. And the state is one of three that requires absentee ballots to be notarized. No one is more committed to the integrity and security of elections than Oklahomas election officials, Ziriax said. If credible evidence existed of these kinds of issues, it would have already been investigated. At an interim study at the Oklahoma Capitol in September, Ziriax said the states election process was one of the most secure in the world and urged state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to be cautious when making unfounded claims of voting fraud. When those kinds of allegations are made, it hurts the publics confidence in our elections, he said. The Frontier is a nonprofit focusing on investigative and watchdog journalism. For more information or to donate, go to www.readfrontier.org. On the path forward 2022: Building a resilient community: ALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STORIES On the path forward 2022: Building a resilient community is a special section that will publish in the Enid News & Eagle for eight Sundays ENID, Okla. Brent Kisling has been doing some form of economic development since his college days. The Northwest Oklahoma native started working for U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe on agriculture and rural economic development issues while he was a student at Oklahoma State University. That experience led him to an appointment by President George W. Bush to support rural development. After eight years with the Bush administration, the city of Enid came calling when it established the Enid Regional Development Alliance to assure the economic prosperity of Enid and the surrounding area. Kisling served as the director of ERDA for 10 years. Then, when Kevin Stitt was elected Oklahoma governor in 2018, Kisling was appointed as the executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, a position he holds today. He took all the experiences of college, national politics and ERDA to the state level. We have a strategic plan that follows almost exactly what we tried to do in Enid for economic growth, Kisling said. Culture of entrepreneurship The six-point plan includes branding, which Enid accomplished under Kislings tenure, and then taking care of existing businesses, including identifying gaps and deciding what development goals are needed. You have to have an organized workforce development program, Kisling said. In Enid, we have Autry Tech, NOC (Northern Oklahoma College), Northwestern Oklahoma State University playing a big role. Additionally, Kisling said, there needs to be a culture of entrepreneurship, such as what Enid has with the Business Development Center incubator project at Autry. For the economy of Oklahoma to grow, every community must be aggressively trying to grow, Kisling said. He said Enid is a statewide example of that formula. Kisling quote Enid is a statewide example of the formula: For the economy of Oklahoma to grow, every community must be aggressively trying to grow. Oklahoma Department of Commerce Executive Director Brent Kisling Economic expansion One of the accomplishments Kisling is most proud of for Enid includes the Koch Nitrogen Plan expansion. That was the largest project in state history at the time, he said. Several since then have been bigger, but that was the largest local incentive package we put together. Im very proud of that. Additionally throughout the 10-year period of Kislings tenure, the city saw retail development growth, downtown investment and a trajectory of increasing population. At the state level, Kisling continues to work to bring in new industries to the state. Thats where the relationship between urban and rural is important, he said, citing the aerospace industry as an example. Its the second largest employer in the state, he said. Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City and American Airlines in Tulsa create jobs not only in those metro areas but also in other parts of the state. Thousands of businesses as well as employees are here because of those two big industries, he said. We even have aerospace companies like Aircraft Structures International and machine shops in Enid that do work for some of those primes and sub-primes. Adding value Another area Kisling sees ripe for development is the automotive industry, particularly electric vehicles. Canoo, a manufacturer of breakthrough electric vehicles (EVs) that are reinventing mobility, announced it will expand its Oklahoma partnership to include new R&D, software development and customer support and financing centers. The investments are expected to bring at least 700 additional high-paying jobs to the state. Weve got $32 billion in investment projects looking at the state in automotive, he said. Something big might land in Oklahoma City or Tulsa, and that will ripple throughout the state. Since Oklahoma is still a commodity-based state, Kisling said it is also important to find ways to add value to those commodities. In Northwest Oklahoma, thats what Tyson Foods does, and thats what Advance Foods did, he said. Thats what No Mans Land foods does. Thats what wind energy does, it adds value to the wind, and because of that the supply chain is coming in with the facility east of Enid. Rural Oklahoma is being able to support those, and not see them as a threat but as something we can take advantage of he said. He mentioned the Kaw Lake project as an important project for Enid. Hopefully that will continue to move forward, he said. Availability of water is one of Enids and Northwest Oklahomas limiting factors. As I look to the next 20 to 50 years of Enid, having availability of diversified water force is very important, he said. On the path forward 2022: Building a resilient community: ALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STORIES On the path forward 2022: Building a resilient community is a special section that will publish in the Enid News & Eagle for eight Sundays ENID, Okla. Tyson Foods is helping feed thousands of people in Northwest Oklahoma and southern Kansas. In April 2020, Tyson teamed up with RSVP of Enid and local volunteers to distribute 40,000 pounds of protein to 42 nonprofit agencies and churches as part of a $13 million commitment made by the food company to help feed those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the Community Pantry Program has grown, and now 283 contacts from Hazelton, Kan., to Oklahoma City and Woodward to Kaw City pick up food once a month that Tyson gives away. The program has grown so much it prompted the installation of a freezer unit at RSVP of Enid last week to further the efforts. The idea is to see how much good we can do with good food, said Phillip Kennedy, who serves as the chaplain at Tyson. Thats our whole mission here with this to help our communities that are challenged with food. Responsibility to provide relief According to the companys website, Tyson, which owns and operates facilities in more than 100 communities across the United States, is deeply committed to relieving hunger in the nation and lending a helping hand to communities affected by food insecurity. A combination of efforts including product donations, awarding hunger relief grants and, at the local level, initiating community food pantries attack the problem of hunger on multiple levels. Kennedy said the Community Pantry Program is the first project of its kind in Enid and was started when a Tyson corporate employee devised a plan to help give away food by establishing points-of-contact, like RSVP of Enid, in local communities and installing freezer units, if needed, for the points-of-contact to distribute to more agencies in the area. We believe that we have a responsibility to our communities where our plants are and where our people work, Kennedy said. No person goes hungry Christy Baker, executive director of RSVP of Enid, said its a blessing that Enid is home to a Tyson distribution center so food donations are in close proximity. Baker said 282,000 meals were distributed from Tyson last year, adding Enid has the third-largest distribution of products in the nation. Kennedy quote The idea is to see how much good we can do with good food. Thats our whole mission here with this to help our communities that are challenged with food. Phillip Kennedy, chaplain, Tyson Foods The collaboration with Tyson has been incredible, Baker said, especially as it has expanded to include the new freezer unit, which will be more accessible to the contacts involved in the Community Pantry Program, which include food banks, churches, homeless shelters and senior centers. Tysons idea was to make sure that no person goes hungry, and to watch this happen and watching their mission come to life is pretty incredible, Baker said. Tyson also has done more work in Enid to help with hunger relief, including last summer when the company, in a partnership with Feed the Children and Americold, launched a 10-city tour across the U.S. to help feed families in rural communities and supplement nearly 2 million meals to families experiencing food insecurity. On Sept. 30 in Enid the last stop on the tour Tyson held a distribution event with local community partners and gave away boxes of non-perishable food; essentials such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion and personal-care items; Tyson products; and more. Like he did most mornings, Raymond B. Smith waited for the commuter crowd to thin out before starting his routine of clearing out lockers at the bustling Long Island Rail Road terminal on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. It was Smiths job to check on the dime-a-day lockers, empty them of any items left behind and store the contents in case the owner returned to claim them. Advertisement On a warm December morning in 1950, the baggage attendant was making his usual rounds when he made a most unusual and unpleasant discovery. LIRR baggage attendant Raymond B. Smith shows New York cops and reporters how he found two suitcases containing a woman's dismembered body. (Charles Payne/New York Daily News) (Charles Payne /New York Daily News) Inside a locker near the entrance to the train platform was a cheap, imitation leather suitcase. The adjoining locker held a smaller, battered case. Advertisement Both gave off a sickening stench that made him gag. Yet Smith was more angry than alarmed. It was a Monday morning, his first day back on the job after a weeklong vacation, and he figured that while he was out his co-workers had neglected to check all the locker banks. And now someone had left behind luggage likely filled with some sort of meat that had turned revoltingly rotten. Smith carried the heavy suitcases to a storage room and was about to toss them in the garbage when he let his curiosity get the better of him. He grimaced from the smell as he opened the larger bag. Inside was what appeared to be a large slab of beef wrapped in sheets of newspaper stained with dried blood. Smith gingerly undid the bundle, then staggered back in horror. The suitcase contained a womans head and torso. Her hands and legs had been chopped off. Smith didnt bother to open the other bag. A crowd of cops and reporters gather around bank of lockers in which a woman's dismembered body was found. (Charles Payne /New York Daily News) That was left to Brooklyn detectives who swarmed the station searching for clues to identify the victim of a grisly crime that soon had a herd of reporters snooping around the scene. The other suitcase held the womans legs. But her hands werent in this bag either it was obvious the killer was trying to prevent her from being identified and investigators saw her teeth were missing too. They werent pulled out or broken off, meaning the victim probably wore dentures. Butchered Redhead Found in 2 Lockers blared the headline of the lead local story in the Daily News of Dec. 5, 1950, as investigators hoped the womans description would lead to her killer. Advertisement The Brooklyn medical examiners office determined she was about 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed about 130 pounds. Her hair was reddish bordering on blonde, and her nose was short and broad at the base. She also had an appendicitis scar. She had been strangled before being chopped up and stuffed into the lockers, the body parts concealed for at least a week as more than 800,000 unsuspecting commuters walked by. District Attorney McDonald (right) and detectives examine the two suitcases containing a woman's remains. (Charles Payne /New York Daily News) Detectives were stymied for nearly a month as no one came forward with information on the dead woman. Nor did she match any missing person reports. The holidays passed without any movement on the case. Then came two simultaneous breaks that turned up an ID and a suspect. In late December, a woman in Saugerties, N.Y., a sleepy upstate town on the Hudson River, contacted authorities to say the dead woman might be her stepdaughter, 35-year-old Dorothy Martin. Dorothy Martin Martin came from a good family. She was the daughter of the Saugerties postmaster and sister of the assistant superintendent of Albany Hospital. But she had seemingly lost her way years ago due to a heavy drinking habit and moved to Brooklyn. The family rarely saw her. Advertisement Still, Martin always sent her father and stepmother a Christmas card except for this year. The woman was convinced Martin, a redhead, was the unidentified victim. She wore dentures too, and had a scar from a bout with appendicitis. The stepmother also mentioned that Martin had long ago taken up with a neer-do-well named Pasquale Donofrio, who drank as much as she did. Desperate for leads, Brooklyn cops were getting set to follow up on the Martin angle when an anonymous letter arrived imploring them to check out a local guy who suddenly took off right after his common-in-law wife disappeared. The tipster gave police a name and address: Pasquale Donofrio of 135 Fort Greene Place. A house painter by trade with a record for burglary, he had until about a month ago lived with a woman named Dorothy Martin, the tipster said. The building was around the corner from the LIRR terminal. Police were too late Donofrio had moved out in the middle of December, whereabouts unknown. In early January, Martin was publicly identified as the slain woman, and the missing Donofrio was named as chief suspect. Another tip revealed that he had been lamming it right under cops noses all that time. Advertisement Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. > On Jan. 8, 1951, Donofrio was traced to a Brooklyn flat only a few blocks from his former residence, and was nabbed by police in his pajamas while trying to flee up a ladder to the roof. Interrogated at the Grand Ave. police station, Donofrio confessed to killing and then dismembering his live-in-lover, but swore it was an accident. They had been drinking heavily on the night of Nov. 25, a Saturday, and Dorothy was getting loud and out of control, he said. He put his hands over his mouth to quiet her, but they slipped to her throat and she gasped for breath. He admitted to being drunk as well, and told cops he put a cold cloth on her head to revive her before passing out. When he found her dead in morning, he panicked and decided to hide the body. He cut her up with hacksaw and a painters knife and tossed her hands in the back of a garbage truck later that day. Her dentures and his bloody bathrobe were tossed in an ashcan a few blocks away, and the tools he used to cut her in pieces were thrown into another garbage can. Pasquale Donofrio. (Tom Gallagher/New York Daily News) (Tom Gallagher /New York Daily News) On Monday morning, he walked to the LIRR station carrying the remains of his girlfriend and stashed them there, where they were found a week later. He flung the locker keys in a nearby sewer. Despite his confession to the gruesome crime, Donofrio escaped a death sentence. A year after he was arrested, he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was given a life term instead. Advertisement New York Daily News, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 1950. JUSTICE STORY has been the Daily News exclusive take on true crime tales of murder, mystery and mayhem for more than 100 years. Click here to read more. Saturday, February 5, 2022 Commentary From Crisis Management Expert Edward Segal, Author of the Award- Winning Book Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies (Nicholas Brealey) It's a classic example of anticipating and preparing for a worst-case scenario in a possible crisis. The New York Times reported last month that, "The Biden Administration announced.... that it was working with gas and crude oil suppliers from the Middle East, North Africa and Asia to bolster supplies to Europe in coming weeks, in an effort to blunt the threat that Russia could cut off fuel shipments in the escalating conflict over Ukraine." In a background call with reporters today, a senior White House official said that, "We've analyzed the impacts of potential disruptions, and we're going to work to ensure Europe has alternative energy supplies under the most likely energy scenarios." The actions the U.S. government is takingand how and why they are taking themprovide important insights and lessons for business leaders about preparing for worst-case crisis scenarios at their own companies and organizations. The White House official touched on the following issues and topics: Contingency Plans "For the last several weeks, as you've seen in some of the reports, we've been collaborating with our European allies to identify areas where Russia could use energy as a weapon in its aggressive strategy against Ukraine. "These include, for us, contingency planning in the event of a Russian invasion as they attempt to upend the world order, to damage infrastructure, or withholding supplies from markets in a retaliation for sanctions or other countermeasures by the United States and our allies. Scenarios Working With Counties And Suppliers "And we are working very closely with several European countries and with the European Commission, as well as with suppliers around the world. And I should add, this is an area that is complex, because Europe is not we talk a lot about the total volume and total supply and in storage in Europe, but the story of Europe is making sure that you have the access to the right locations in Europe that would be most affected by Russian cut-off of supplies and where storage is lower than other places in Europe. If Russia Does Not Invade Ukraine "The second stage: These are really contingency plans to see what happens between Russia and Ukraine. If Russia does not invade Ukraine and it comes back to its senses and avoids the conflict that we are all discussing, then our mitigation efforts will look very, very different in looking towards ensuring that there are enough supplies over the spring and summer, as we would normally do, to ensure a more robust and secure winter next year." Being Prepared "If the efforts that we are undergoing now those are "'if, when necessary,' so that we are prepared in that scenario of conflict where supplies are being curtailed, either due to damage of infrastructure or by design, we will be able to have these suppliers standing ready to increase their supply into Europe. And then that would take, obviously, a number of days toto a week or twoto reroute those supplies. Ensuring Continuation Of Supplies "So, knowing that there is still natural gas in storage in Europe, but just not enough, we would be able to draw on storage for the first couple of weeks as these supplies come in and supply the rest. That's the contingency effort that we're putting in now to cut down that effort from months to just days and weeks, and to be able to have a seamless continuation of winter supplies and into the spring. "What we're looking at is to make sure that there are some suppliers that are able to bring on volumes into Europe through pipelines and by increasing their production. "And that is where we are that is a primary focus to look at areas that companies that have capacity to surge their actual output of production of gas that they would not normally do under current under their longer-term planning and planning for 2022, but, as a result of the current conditions, have conducted reviews of their own capabilities and fields and to see how much they can increase that output on a relatively temporary basis. "So, for a number of months, while we're in a crisis potentially in a crisis mode. Collaboration "We're working with countries and companies around the world to ensure the security of supply and to mitigate against price shocks affecting both the American people and the global economy." Impact On Markets "A disruption in the physical energy supplies transiting Ukraine would, clearly, most acutely affect natural gas markets in Europe. And so we're engaging our European allies to coordinate our response planning, including talking to them how they deploy their existing energy stockpiles, which are, obviously, at significantly low levels this year due to the reduced Russian supplies over the last several months." "We've been working to identify additional volumes of non-Russian natural gas from various areas of the world from North Africa and the Middle East to Asia and the United States." Discussions With Buyers And Suppliers "Correspondingly, we're in discussions with major natural gas producers around the globe to understand their capacity and willingness to temporarily surge natural gas output and to allocate these volumes to European buyers. "We're also preparing to mitigate against more extreme and, I should add, less likely scenarios where Russia would cut off energy supplies through other European routes." "We're also engaging with major buyers and suppliers of LNG to ensure flexibility in their existing contracts and storage and how they manage their storage to enable the diversion to Europe if necessary." ### Sunday, February 6, 2022 Commentary From Crisis Management Expert Edward Segal, Author of the Award- Winning Book Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies (Nicholas Brealey) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released their strategy to move the U.S. government toward a "zero trust" approach to cybersecurity. According to a memo from the OMB, "A key tenet of a zero trust architecture is that no network is implicitly considered trusteda principle that may be at odds with some agencies' current approach to securing networks and associated systems. All traffic must be encrypted and authenticated as soon as practicable." The OMB said the new strategy, " is a dramatic paradigm shift in philosophy of how we secure our infrastructure, networks, and data, from verify once at the perimeter to continual verification of each user, device, application, and transaction. The strategy represents another step in implementing President Joe Biden's Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity, which focuses on advancing security measures that reduce the risk of successful cyber attacks against the federal digital infrastructure. Critical In Protecting IT Systems Michael Friedrich, vice president of secure access company Appgate Federal Group, said that, "Applying Zero Trust security principles [are] critical in protecting our nation's IT systems, data and critical infrastructure. "The White House's Zero Trust architecture strategy's detailed road map with important requirements for encryption, multi-factor authentication, strong identity management, network segmentation and continuous, dynamic policy enforcementis a significant step forward. He noted that, "Cyberattacks are more frequent and damaging than ever before, and traditional, perimeter-based security models are no match for them. With the proliferation of digital technologies, and the shift to cloud computing and a remote workforce, it's imperative that organizations in both the public and private sectors shift to a Zero Trust mindset centered on trusted identity vs. perimeter-based security. "Doing so will help protect the U.S. government from many future cyberattacks because in a Zero Trust architecture, users and devices can only access resources they are authorized to see," Friedrich predicted. Other cybersecurity experts weighed in on why those in the private sector should implement their own zero trust strategiesif they have not done so already. The failure to implement such strategies could create cyber-related crisis situations for companies and organizations. Companies Are Just As Vulnerable As The Government Torsten Staab is the chief innovation officer for cyber, intelligence and services within the Raytheon Intelligence & Space Business and serves on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. He said that, "Companies are just as vulnerable as the federal government when it comes [to] being the potential target for a cyber attack. Ransomware attacks, industrial espionage, and intellectual property theft are prime examples for why companies should also embrace and rapidly adopt a Zero Trust-based approach. "While Zero Trust will not stop future cyber attacks, it will make it much harder for anyone, whether they are on the outside of a network trying to get in, or are already inside your network (commonly referred to as an insider threat), to mount a successful cyberattack." 'A Priority For All Enterprise Organizations' Benny Czarny is the founder and CEO of OPSWAT, which provides zero-trust infrastructure protection services. He observed that, "After a series of high-profile cybersecurity incidents over the past years, such as SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, Colonial Pipeline, and others, both public and private sectors are coming to understand the importance of defending against targeted and sophisticated attacksparticularly in the critical infrastructure industry. "The most recent National Security Memo and Federal Strategy are reminders that organizations both public and private have a responsibility to protect both IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments. "Privately held organizations can be just as vulnerable as public and government entities and can become easy targets for cybercriminals if proper controls aren't in place. Defending our nation's critical infrastructure should be a priority for all enterprise organizations and understanding how to manage the protection of these environments should be a collaborative effort between both IT and OT security teams," Czarny commented. All Network Traffic Is A Potential Threat Therese Schachner, a cybersecurity consultant at VPN Brains, observed that, "Zero Trust architectures treat all network traffic as a potential threat, following the principle [of] "never trust, always verify". "Companies and other organizations would benefit from following the U.S. government's lead in adopting Zero Trust architectures. Many of these organizations have access to financial, medical, or other confidential data or provide essential operations and services on which consumers and the supply chain are heavily reliant, such as software and electric power. "Zero Trust architectures help stave off cyberattacks to keep this data private and allow these essential networks to continue to function properly." 'A Long-Term Effort' Tony Cole is a cybersecurity expert with more than 35 years' experience and today is the Chief Technology Officer at Attivo Networks. He noted that, "Zero trust has been a model that's been around for many years [and] quite frankly it's high time every major enterprise gets on board with it. "The concept of assuming you're breached is really the kicker to change your entire model and detect attackers that sometimes [previously] had minimal effort...to move through a compromised enterprise. "Zero Trust is certainly not a static thing, it's a long-term effort and very dynamic journey requiring commitment across the company from the board to the help desk. At this point in time, many smaller companies will have a lot of challenges in attempting this journey, hopefully many of their managed services providers will help build a path for those less resourced to also be successful," Cole concluded. ### Sunday, February 6, 2022 Few pundits would have thought a year ago, that the German Social Democratic Party will become the biggest party again and that the next chancellor succeeding Angela Merkel would be from its ranks. During the last French elections, the entire political party system collapsed, and an outsider, Emmanuel Macron, became president. And as if it were not enough, French voters doubled down: Macron's newly founded party won the absolute majority in parliament. The first reason explaining why there is an increasing number of upset elections is that public opinion is getting increasingly volatile. I have long observed this during my work in new democracies. It is now true almost everywhere. As public opinion is getting ever more polarized as well, voters increasingly live in their own echo chambers. Secondly, I think that voters are increasingly cynical about their political leaders. This means that they are more willing to take a risk and vote for an outsider. And lastly, everything in electoral politics is relative to the competition. Some established politicians have become pretty bad at reaching out to voters and building consensus. In Germany, Armin Laschet ran a terrible campaign pretty much from A to Z. In France, Macron was basically the last man standing after established politicians either self-destructed or did not even run. After an anxious January marked by a wave of COVID-19 infections that pushed Texas hospitals and intensive care units to their limits, the number of Texans in the hospital with COVID-19 across the state has been in a steady decline for over a week, according to state health data. The decrease is the latest in a series of hopeful signs that the surge driven by the highly contagious omicron variant may be starting to abate, forecasters and health officials say. If the trend continues, the state would have passed its peak hospitalizations for this wave on Jan. 20, when Texas hospitals reported 13,371 patients with COVID-19 a number that has decreased daily since then. That falls short of the record 14,218 hospitalizations the state saw a year ago on Jan. 11, 2021. As of Saturday, the number of Texans in the hospital with COVID-19 was 10,657, the lowest number the state has seen in nearly three weeks. Forecasters and health officials feared last month that hospitalizations could reach new pandemic highs, but now say its likely the state wont reach that mark during this surge. The decline is a welcome development for doctors, nurses and other officials in the states overwhelmed hospitals at the tail end of what, in some areas, was the fifth wave of infections in the past two years. In the harder-hit metro areas such as Austin and Houston, hospitals reported record-breaking numbers of patients with COVID-19 last month but the situation is improving. At Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston, the number of young patients with COVID-19 and the percentage of positive tests in the past six weeks far outpaced any records set during the prior two years, said Dr. James Versalovic, the hospitals pathologist-in-chief. Now, positivity rates are down by a third, and the number of patients with COVID-19 is down by about 70 percent, he said. Those numbers are still higher than records set in the hospital during the delta surge, but they are dropping steadily albeit slowly, he said. We are optimistic. We are breathing a bit more easily this week, Versalovic said. We do see light at the end of the tunnel, but its a long tunnel. We are looking forward to March. Dr. James McCarthy, a chief physician executive and executive vice president for Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, said in a recent TV interview that the surge appears to be easing up at those facilities. Were feeling very optimistic that weve crested this wave, he said. We feel like the hospitals have weathered this storm again. The state also has seen daily new COVID-19 cases decline by more than a third in the last week, as well as a drop in positivity rates. And the number of ICU beds available in the state has started to increase again after it reached its lowest level since the start of the pandemic. But with more than 25 percent of tests still coming out positive, the levels of virus still surpass what was seen during the delta surge and would have been mind-boggling at any point before December, said Chris Van Deusen, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services. So people should still be cautious, he said. Experts also say its hard to predict whether another variant may arise that could cause another surge, or how long the natural immunity from an omicron infection might last. But the downward trend should continue as long as people dont get too confident too fast, drop their guards and start acting like the pandemic is over, said Anass Bouchnita, a researcher at the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, which uses data and research to project the path of the pandemic. All of that is a good sign, but of course its not the end, he said. We know that around half of the infections and hospitalizations and deaths will occur after the peak, so this is not the finish line. Its not time to let our guard down. We need to keep up the vigilance. That means to get vaccinated but also, he said, to continue masking up, hand-washing and social distancing so the transmission continues to subside. The number of hospitals reporting full ICUs for the last week of January was at 73, still well under the pandemic record of 100 over the summer, and a decrease from the week before. Still increasing, however, are the daily reported deaths, which dont usually start declining until a few weeks after hospitalizations peak. The deadliest wave of the pandemic hit over the holidays in December 2020 and January 2021, just weeks after the vaccine was given emergency use authorization in the United States and very few people had access to it. The numbers of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 hit highs that the state hadnt seen before and has not seen since. During the delta wave of last summer, the state put record numbers of children in the hospital with COVID-19 but missed the previous pandemic record for statewide hospitalizations by only a few hundred. The most recent surge, which started in December, shortly after the omicron variant was detected in Texas, saw case counts and positivity rates in Texas top previous pandemic records, as well as pediatric hospitalizations. The same thing happened nationally. Compared with the deadlier delta variant surge last September, the most recent wave brought about by the more contagious omicron variant comes with some important caveats, experts say. Omicron is more easily spread than any of the other versions, taking down vital health employees for days at a time when more people are becoming infected. Nearly 60 percent of the state is fully vaccinated, which experts say protects against hospitalization, and the omicron variant itself appears to produce less serious symptoms than previous iterations. And while treatments are in short supply, there are more approved now than there were during the last surges. But omicron is still leaving chaos in its wake. Were in a different situation now than we were a year ago, said Dr. David Lakey, vice chancellor for health affairs and chief medical officer at the University of Texas System, and former state health commissioner. Having some tools out there, having experience with the virus, having the most vulnerable individuals immunized that helps a lot. On the other hand, the hospitals have been doing this a long time and theyre very burned out and theyre very short-staffed right now and they are going as hard as they can to care for individuals. The good news ICU admissions for people with COVID are lower than they were during the last peak a year ago, and fewer of those patients need ventilators, according to state data. Smaller percentages of patients who test positive are being admitted into the hospital for COVID treatment, and hospital stays are getting shorter, according to hospital officials. Those trends signal that the virus is making Texans less sick, overall, which officials hope will not only reduce deaths and suffering but also, eventually, the pressure on hospitals. That is a bright spot, Lakey said. At the height of the delta surge, more than 100 hospitals in Texas reported that their ICUs were full to capacity. By comparison, at least 73 hospitals reported that their ICUs were full for the last week of January. In Dallas-Fort Worth-area hospitals, even though most of the areas major hospitals were reporting ICU capacity filled to more than 95 percent, about half of those patients have COVID-19, similar to the share during delta, said Steve Love, president and CEO of the DFW Hospital Council. Meanwhile, the number of ICU patients needing ventilators dropped by roughly 50 percent in the region compared with the other two surges, Love said. At Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, north of Houston, theyre seeing fewer ICU beds used by COVID patients than they did during the delta surge. But chief medical officer Jason Knight said unvaccinated patients and those with preexisting medical conditions are still at risk. With omicron, were seeing a lot more people with complex medical problems, where even though the (COVID) infection is mild, its pushing them over and causing their complex medical problems to result in ICU admissions and potentially deaths, he said. Staffing crunch The waves of people showing up at Texas hospitals come at a time when the health care industry is experiencing a historic staffing crisis two years into a pandemic that has killed more than 78,000 people in the state. And while hospital stays are growing shorter, they are still extended in some cases by the lack of nursing home beds available for patients who are in postoperative recovery or need long-term care a problem exacerbated by staffing shortages at long-term care facilities. The total number of hospital beds available statewide for all patients is lower than it was when hospitalizations peaked a year ago. Thats due to a combination of staff members and their families being out sick with omicron, nurses leaving for contract work and employees quitting the industry altogether because of burnout or fears of infection. At the height of last years January surge, the state had some 14,000 medical staffers deployed in the hardest-hit hospitals. During the delta wave last summer, about 8,000 nurses were sent to help. So far during this surge, the state has contracted with about 4,400 travel nurses for hospitals that need them. In mid-January at the Golden Plains Community Hospital in the Panhandle town of Borger, nurses were absent in the medical-surgical department as well as the emergency room, the lab and the clinic, while the hospital is seeing a surge in cases and hospitalizations. Only a third of that countys residents are vaccinated. All 10 of the employees who were absent on a recent day last month were out with COVID-19, said CEO Don Bates. Every day is a new battle, Bates wrote in an email. If it comes to shutting down surgery and pulling nurses from our clinics or OB which there arent many left well do what we have to do to care for the COVID sick, until we absolutely cant take any further admissions. Then our docs will have to focus on what the Panhandle Regional Advisory Council has been calling the salvageable. Not my words, he added. By the end of January, Bates was home sick with COVID-19, too. Nationwide, 80 percent of ICU capacity is being used, with 26 percent of those patients diagnosed with COVID-19, according to federal data. Texas ICUs are at a 91 percent occupancy rate, with about 36 percent of patients positive for COVID-19. The influx of omicron cases has created a vicious cycle for many hospitals, where administrators fear that the increased demands on nursing staff may lead to more of them burning out or leaving the profession. At Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, patients are staying in the emergency department far longer than usual, waiting for a bed to open up. Were trying to take care of essentially an inpatient unit down in our emergency department in addition to (nurses) trying to do their normal jobs, said Knight, the chief medical officer there. A lot of nurses are getting stretched really thin. Thats why a lot of them are getting frustrated. Thats why some people are leaving. Knight said the current staffing crunch has created a competitive environment for health care, with an increase in frustrated and occasionally rude patients. The role of vaccination Prevention protocols such as masking, social distancing and limiting travel play a big role in lowering hospital rates, officials and experts say. But the big weapon against overwhelming hospitals with severe cases is vaccination, which has been proven highly effective at keeping those who are inoculated out of the hospitals and intensive care units. About 63 percent of Texans are fully vaccinated. Nationwide, that number is 64 percent. One thing Lakey, the University of Texas System chief medical officer, credits with keeping severe illnesses down and ICU numbers lower than they could be is the high vaccination rate Texas is reporting among its most vulnerable residents ages 65 and older. Some 84 percent of them have been fully vaccinated. The really at-risk individuals of having severe disease, weve given them some protection so theyre less likely to go to the ICU and less likely to die because theyve been immunized, Lakey said. You are seeing breakthrough infections, but the vaccines do protect from the severe disease, a significant amount of protection. Nurses and doctors say that after nearly two years on the front lines, their empathy for the unvaccinated patients who will require their care is diminished. The tragedy of COVID is, its happening behind the doors of our critical care rooms, in our (ER), in our ICU. Theres very few people in the community that has ever seen somebody suffocate and die from COVID, Knight said. That is totally and completely preventable. I just think that that is incredibly tragic, and thats hard emotionally on our nurses and its hard emotionally on our staff. Eleanor Klibanoff contributed to this report. Disclosure: Texas Childrens Hospital, Memorial Hermann Health System, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas System have been financial supporters of the Texas Tribune. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. A Harris County Precinct 5 sergeant accused County Judge Lina Hidalgo of being disruptive at a funeral for a deputy earlier this week. Sgt. Roy Guinn in a video posted to YouTube by the Michael Berry Show said Hidalgo was standing in the wrong place during an outdoor procession and refused to move when he asked her. Guinn also said Hidalgo also disrupted the proceedings when she attempted to speak with Constable Ted Heap, Guinns boss. The edited video, which had been viewed more than 86,000 times by Friday evening, depicts a few moments before the service for Precinct 5 Corporal Charles Galloway began Tuesday. Guinn said Hidalgos actions were disrespectful to the slain deputy, who was killed Jan. 23 during a traffic stop. Rather than honoring his sacrifice, you chose to disgrace yourself by hijacking his services for your own purpose, Guinn said in the video. Heap, a Republican, declined to comment. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who also attended the funeral, said in a Twitter post Friday this video is 100% accurate and described Hidalgos behavior as disgraceful. Hidalgo spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said in a statement that the county judge would not engage in the same type of smear campaigns and cruel political games started by Patrick or others. As this video so clearly shows, women and particularly women of color in workplaces across America are still living in a time where many still find it appropriate to tell them to stay in their place, regardless of their duty or responsibilities, Lemaitre said. Thats just not something Judge Hidalgo has ever acquiesced to. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker came to Hidalgos defense. As the highest ranking Harris County official at the funeral of a slain Harris County public safety officer, Judge Hidalgo is expected by long standing protocol to be at the front of the ceremony as the representative of the county he served, she said on Twitter. Hidalgo frequently is at odds with the countys constables, especially the Republicans, who have said they believe the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court has insufficiently funded law enforcement agencies. zach.despart@chron.com Hill Country Headlines: Top stories from the booming region, delivered to your inbox Griselda Vasquez-Cerbantez, her husband, Joseph, and their six children ages 6 to 21 are on the verge of homelessness. Again. The San Marcos family was evicted in November, lived out of a car and hotels for a month, and now stays in a home near Wonder World Cave and Adventure Park. But the familys time there could be short. Vasquez-Cerbantez has tried since August to secure aid from Hays Countys highly advertised Emergency Rental Assistance program, which rolled out in July. Funded through a $6.9 million federal grant, it was billed as temporary assistance for families suffering financially amid the pandemic. When schools shut down in-person learning in 2020, Vasquez-Cerbantez had to quit her job to become a full-time, at-home teacher for her school-age children. She applied for the assistance, and she waited. And waited. And waited some more. She found out her application wasnt complete, so she fixed it and applied again. And continued waiting. I actually got served with the 24-hour notice to vacate on Nov. 2; the police came knocking at our door, she said. Vasquez-Cerbantezs family is one of at least 1,000 Hays County families who are stuck in a government backlog awaiting rental assistance from a program that was supposed to help them but has been mired in poor management. Hays County received the federal stimulus grant in January 2021 to help residents who met certain criteria, including demonstrated financial losses resulting from the pandemic. Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News County commissioners then began a three-month search for an outside company to manage the program, but the search failed, so they decided to manage the program in-house. They hired a program manager, Wesley Matthews, and assigned two full-time and two part-time employees. The program finally got off the ground in July, seven months after the county received the money. In December, the U.S. Treasury Department took back nearly $800,000 from Hays Countys ERA program because it didnt meet target milestones for distribution, the county said. Matthews, the program coordinator, who resigned in early January, says the program was doomed to fail from the start. I wasnt getting the resources I needed, our small staff was burned out and I kept saying I would give it one more shot, Matthews said. But it was set up for failure. Staffing problems Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News In a news release Jan. 20, the county said more than 383 cases have been processed, $844,000 has been paid to landlords, hotels and utility companies, and an additional $100,000-plus is under review for payment to hotels. Hays says it has $4.5 million remaining to assist with rent and utilities. Hannah Durrance, who runs the homelessness nonprofit HOME Center in San Marcos, said she has seen some success with the program. Seven people were moving into housing paid for by the program at the end of last week. Progress is being made because this program exists, she said. However, the countys not giving any clear guidelines on how to document that, or anything else for us to be able to show whats being done here. Some people never hear back about their applications. Vasquez-Cerbantez begged the ERA workers for some kind of response before she was evicted. She didnt hear anything until she went to a county commissioners meeting in early January and publicly spoke about her ordeal. After that, the ERA paid for the deposit for a new home for her family and promised to pay rent. But her landlord hasnt seen the rent yet. I could be evicted at any time, Vasquez-Cerbantez said. Matthews said one of the biggest problems he faced was staffing. He and two full-time employees were responsible for processing applications. Two part-time employees, who were college students, also helped when they were able. Only one of the five people dedicated to the program speaks Spanish in a county where 40 percent of residents are Hispanic. It took two to eight hours to process a single application. The technology used to submit, accept and process the applications was fraught with glitches, making matters worse for the small staff. Matthews said the computer system he was given to accept and process applications was not designed for what were doing. For instance, a person who created a user profile would see a screen that said, Congratulations! It led many to believe their applications had been approved. In fact, they were being congratulated for creating a profile. In small letters at the bottom of the screen was an explanation of additional steps required to complete the application. When Matthews left office Jan. 7, some 1,904 user accounts were in the system. Only 1,233 tickets were open, though, leading him to wonder whether nearly 700 people think they have a ticket, but theyre just out there, waiting in limbo. You need a full-time screener just to figure that part out so were not leaving people in disarray, he said. The system didnt work on Android phones, though it did on iPhones or desktop computers which many people struggling with their finances cant access. Many who applied for rental assistance were older and couldnt get through on the phone or leave the house for in-person help. They had to rely on friends and neighbors to complete the application online, Matthews said. But because of the complexities of the online system, they would often wind up in limbo, not realizing their applications were incomplete. They dont really know whats going on, Matthews said. They just know that the rents not getting paid. Matthews said he asked his supervisor, Countywide Operations Director Tammy Crumley, for more staff. He also wanted more training to help employees process applications faster. Matthews said Crumley told him she would take his requests to the county commissioners, but he said she never did. Kim Hilsenbeck, county spokeswoman, declined to make Crumley or other county employees available for interviews. She did not respond to questions about the programs staffing shortages and technology problems. Hilsenbeck said the county would not address personnel questions. In a news release, Crumley said that in the absence of a program director, the plan is to keep working to help those who have a need and who meet the federal eligibility requirements. Matthews insisted his staffing was at a bare minimum and the team couldnt spend all its time processing applications. It also needed to answer phones, respond to emails, talk to landlords, do outreach to the public and fix technical glitches. I told them at one point that two full-time and two part-time people, all of whom were under 24, in their first job, managing a $7 million grant, was a joke, Matthews said. We need an experienced staff, we need to train people. Per federal guidelines, 10 percent of program funding can be spent on administrative costs staffing, offices and technology to help it run smoothly. Matthews said that when he was there, only 27 percent of the available $690,000 for staffing and administrative costs had been used. To his knowledge, the money was just sitting there, he said. Public records obtained by the San Antonio Express-News showed that between July 1, 2021, and Jan. 15, 2022, the county disbursed $66,739 in salary expenses for seven employees who worked with the ERA program: the program manager, an accounting associate, a veterans service caseworker and four caseworkers. The team used county-owned space in the courthouse in San Marcos and desks and supplies that were already in the building, despite Matthews requests to set up satellite offices in each of the countys five precincts to be more accessible to residents. Moving forward? Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Although the program has helped 383 families find homes so far, Matthews said it needs a complete overhaul if the county is to help the nearly 2,000 who have applied since July. Hays County commissioners recently voted to search for a new program manager. The county wants someone who can successfully manage a high-volume, often high-stress program while continuing to adhere to U.S. Treasury grant guidelines and rules, Commissioner Walt Smith said in the countys news release. The county insisted in the release that its trying to help those at risk of being evicted. We have an internal process to prioritize ERA payments for approved high-risk applicants that may be in jeopardy of eviction or loss of utility services, County Auditor Marisol Alonzo said in the release. Still, Vasquez-Cerbantez says that for anyone trying to navigate the current program, it takes a strong will to survive. After their first eviction, in November, she and her family moved into a hotel in New Braunfels for which they had a rental voucher. The longer commute caused her husband to lose his job at a plastics manufacturer in San Marcos. On top of that, they had to drive their kids to school in San Marcos, racking up fuel and travel costs. It put them even further into debt as they searched for a new home. My husband and I lived in our car for a few days so our kids could live in the hotel, she said. Josie Norris /San Antonio Express-News Vasquez-Cerbantez is now lobbying local officials to make the program easier for everyone involved. And she still is trying to push her own application through. Its stressful, but Im determined, and my will to survive is extreme, she said. Im the kind of person that pushes. I dont want my children in this situation anymore. Annie Blanks writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. annie.blanks@express-news.net When Joyce Moore was growing up on Honey Creek Spring Ranch in the 1970s, before developers began eyeing parts of the Texas Hill Country near her familys land in western Comal County, the propertys highest point was her favorite place to go. There, next to the old chapel her ancestors built in 1871, she could see the night sky shining over acres of wooded areas, sloping hills and crystal-clear springs. The stars, she said, were amazing and never-ending. These days, theres a glow from the south, which has been growing brighter by the decade. Light pollution from development has mostly obscured the night sky that Moore remembers, and the stars over the horizon have blurred and faded over the years. Expansion in the Hill Country from highways, homes and gas stations is closing in on Moores family ranch from all sides. And the land, which holds some of the last remaining natural areas just north of San Antonio, is under threat. To protect her home for future generations, Moore did what she knew she had to do. She conserved it. Honey Creek Spring Ranch a 621-acre tract south of Honey Creek State Natural Area and Guadalupe River State Park will now be under a conservation easement, adding to 2,294 acres of previously protected habitat. On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Make room for nature, protect water Moores childhood home now cannot be altered, subdivided or developed for years to come. The easement is part of a $2.8 million deal involving Moore and her sister, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Nature Conservancy and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The deal, which closed Jan. 27, involved state and federal money and followed three years of discussions. In light of the tremendous development that has occurred throughout the Hill Country, this seemed like the only way I could save our ranch and move it into the next generation in one piece, Moore said. We recognize its importance. We recognize its beauty. We know its home to critical wildlife species and unique ecological features, and those are disappearing quickly in Texas. We cant destroy that. Protecting a legacy William Luther /San Antonio Express-News Just over 150 years ago, Moores great-great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Germany and settled in the Hill Country. After a brief stint in New Braunfels, the family found a home just north of San Antonio a sprawling acreage perfect for a cattle ranch. For generations, the family handed the land down until it passed to Moore and her sister, Cindy Martinez. The two grew up on the property, where they spent years exploring the woods, helping with the cattle and walking down to the creek. Today, Moore lives in Harper, while Martinez lives in San Antonio. But they remain involved with the ranch, visiting it at least weekly to take care of business. Their parents had put the property in a family limited partnership, so after they died, Moore and Martinez had sole authority to determine whats done with it. Over the past decade, Moore became increasingly worried about encroaching development. She researched conservation easements for years before deciding it was the best option for her property. A conservation easement is a legally binding agreement between a landowner and a land trust to place permanent restrictions on a piece of property. In this case, the land trust is held by The Nature Conservancy, a national environmental organization. It is our responsibility to make sure that the restrictions are upheld over time, said Jeff Francell, associate director of land protection for The Nature Conservancy. We go out once a year and make sure the land is still undeveloped, undivided and protected in perpetuity. If Moore and Martinez were to sell the property, future landowners will also be legally obligated to comply with the easement. Funding for conservation easements is limited in Texas, which is why they can take a long time to close. The Honey Creek Spring Ranch easement was funded by the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program, which is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and by the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, which is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Because of the limited funding, landowners often receive only a fraction of the money they could make selling their property for development. In the case of Honey Creek, which is in a high-demand area, Moore and her sister estimate that they could have made about $15 million or more. But for the family, development was never an option. Its always been about the legacy of conservation. Protecting this Hill Country ranch has been a true collaborative effort, one that could only be accomplished through partnerships, said Suzanne Scott, state director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas. Together, weve safeguarded land and water for future generations in one of the fastest-developing areas in Texas. Protecting an ecosystem William Luther /San Antonio Express-News The new easement provides a natural barrier between Honey Creek State Natural Area, which The Nature Conservancy acquired in the 1980s, and Guadalupe River State Park by protecting the head spring to Honey Creek. The creek runs 2 miles from there, through the natural area and into the Guadalupe River. Any development, and subsequent runoff, around Honey Creek could pose a threat to areas downstream. Runoff from homes could drag contaminants such as pesticides, oil and animal feces into the creek. Wastewater services, if on-site, would put excessive amounts of nitrogen into the water and could increase the potential for harmful algae blooms. On ExpressNews.com: Go inside Honey Creek Cave, the longest known cave in Texas Conservation in Honey Creek will also protect Honey Creek Cave, which is the longest known cave system in Texas. Spanning more than 20 miles in the Hill Country, the cave drains into the Edwards Aquifer and is home to numerous species, some of which are endangered, such as the Comal blind salamander. Other endangered creatures, such as golden-cheeked warblers and black-capped vireos, also live in the area around the cave. Areas like Honey Creek, which have been so untouched by humans, have ecosystems that are uniquely vulnerable, Francell said. Any slight change to its ecosystem could alter everything including water bugs, fish and other animals that lives in and along the creek. On ExpressNews.com: Honey Creek acquisition for conservation hits snag over water contract Efforts to similarly preserve a nearby 515-acre tract known as Honey Creek Ranch remain stalled. A contract between the lands owners and a water supply company for a proposed housing subdivision may prevent the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from acquiring the land and repurposing Honey Creek Ranch from a planned development to a park. Efforts to negotiate a change to the water contract that would facilitate the lands preservation have yet to achieve that result. Developing that property could also harm Honey Creeks ecosystem and downstream waters, but the team at The Nature Conservancy is hopeful. Whether the conservation deal goes through will be determined this spring. Meanwhile, at the other Honey Creek property, Moore feels comforted that her home will be preserved for her son, his children and their children that the trees wont be cut down and the water from the spring wont be polluted. Whenever the landowner is overwhelmed by it all, she looks at her great-great-grandparents immigration papers, the originals of which she still owns. After all they went through to get here, to make a home from Hill Country, she said, I feel so inspired, so determined to keep it all together. Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net / The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals does not attract a lot of political attention, even though it is the states highest criminal court. That changed recently when indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton called on supporters to pressure the Republican-controlled court in response to an 8-1 decision that the attorney general cannot unilaterally prosecute elections cases. As a freshman state senator in 2007, Dan Patrick set to work on the fiercely conservative agenda he had pushed for years on his Houston talk radio show, filing bills to give pregnant women $500 to forego abortions and empower police to inquire about the immigration status of people they stop. But the GOP-controlled Legislature had little appetite for that brand of conservatism. Some of the rookie senators new colleagues were turned off by his brash approach, with one fellow senator likening him to an uninvited picnic guest who shows up with nothing in hand, eats all the potato salad and spoils the picnic for everyone else. Everything is a passion play for him, and hes the star, another lawmaker said. Patricks right-wing wishlist went nowhere. I came from the gallery to the floor, Patrick, a regular visitor to the Capitol, said after his first session. I didnt come from the House. That probably bothers some people. Now armed with the lieutenant governors gavel, 71-year-old Patrick has been a constant force driving his party further to the right, culminating last year in perhaps the most conservative period of lawmaking in state history. Already one of the most powerful statewide officials in the country, he is set to gain an even stronger grip on the state Senate if he wins re-election this year, with a handful of departing senators likely to be replaced by his political allies or more conservative candidates. Hes been playing the long game for a while, and I dont know that people have necessarily seen that or understood that, said Matt Mackowiak, a Republican strategist based in Austin. But they do now. 2022 PRIMARY ELECTIONS: Patrick boosts 5 Texas Senate candidates in an unprecedented bid to extend his reach More than a dozen people who have observed Patricks rise said he uniquely grasped and wielded the power of the growing right-wing movement in Texas, allowing him to evade the primary challengers and criticism that other statewide elected Republicans have faced from grassroots activists. Still, Patricks most vocal critics say he is actively harming Texans, especially immigrants, people of color, and the poor. He has faced particularly intense blowback for offensive comments on Fox News over the past year, including a false assertion that Black Texans were driving the states low COVID vaccination rate. In another appearance, Patrick referred to a surge of Haitian migrants to the border as an invasion, echoing a conspiracy theory embraced by white supremacists. Patricks embrace of harsh rhetoric, however, has done nothing to weaken his stature among the Republican Party, which remains a dominant force in Texas politics. ON FOX NEWS: Dan Patrick echoes conspiracy theory, calling Haitian migrant surge an invasion He is a very smart, brutally calculating politician, said former Houston mayor Annise Parker, a longtime foe of Patrick over LGBTQ issues. A lot of this is performative, but he knows how to work an audience. Hes been talking into a microphone for his entire adult life. Now, hes traded in the microphone for a political megaphone and a gavel. Patrick did not respond to multiple interview requests. Reading conservative tea leaves In 2014, Patrick cruised to victory in the lieutenant governor primary, defeating incumbent Republican David Dewhurst with the widespread support of tea party activists around the state. Within weeks of taking office, Patrick appointed 20 local tea party organizers to a Grassroots Advisory Board that would regularly meet with him to help craft public policy. The board was an extension of a similar group Patrick had formed as a state senator to advise the legislative Tea Party Caucus that he founded in 2010. Both of Patricks advisory groups regularly met with him and other lawmakers at the Capitol, cementing Patricks reputation for valuing folks outside the Capitol complex who ask tough questions, JoAnn Fleming, the chair of both groups, said at the time. The groups accelerated the already-growing influence of tea party-minded activists in Austin, pushing the states politics steadily to the right. He pulled us right in, said Jim Lennon, co-founder of the Kingwood Tea Party and a member of both advisory groups. We went from being outside, protesting on the steps, to being inside and then starting to get to know all these different people. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox After 15 years in elected office, Patrick is still a loud and assertive activist for conservative social issues and tax reform. His supporters say he keeps the pulse of local advocates, associations and unions who support him, maintaining ties with the conservative grassroots even if he doesnt see eye-to-eye with them as often as he once did. Dan Patrick reads the conservative tea leaves in Texas as well as any other politician in history, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. I think part of the advantage he had was that he was on the ground and absorbing the daily interactions with right-leaning activists in Texas as a radio talk show host. So, when youre bombarded with that every day, it changes your politics. You see where the anger is, and if you can harness that anger politically, then you can move the needle. And thats exactly what he did. Patricks advisory board proved to be short-lived, however, after the members without consulting Patrick angered Gov. Greg Abbott by blasting one of the governors education priorities as socialistic. Patrick dissolved the group months later, in the summer of 2015. Driving the Trump bandwagon Patrick managed to expand his popularity among the conservative grassroots in 2016, when he backed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid before nimbly switching into Donald Trumps camp once Cruz dropped out. As other Texas Republicans hesitated to embrace Trump, Patrick jumped on the bandwagon without missing a beat, chairing the nominees campaign in Texas and forging a close alliance. The partnership has provided a powerful boost to Patrick, lending him credibility among the new generation of Republican voters, activists and lawmakers riled up by Trump. In turn, Patrick has harnessed that energy, doubling down on his own conservative priorities and supporting elections measures that have Trumps blessing. Hes been able to accomplish almost all of them in the Senate, at least, where he is willing to throw out Senate traditions to speed bills along. He has also capitalized on the power of Trumps endorsement, coaxing the former president into publicly supporting down-ballot candidates he prefers, including Texas Senate hopefuls. Trump was able to galvanize and mobilize voters that havent been involved in the past, said Logan Spence, a longtime Patrick aide who now works as a lobbyist in Austin. Those people are pretty conservative. Having those voters more involved and more engaged is just helping Dan achieve those conservative goals that hes wanted to push for a long time but hasnt been able to. Still, Patricks relations with the activist wing of the party have hit a few speed bumps in recent years, most notably during the 2019 legislative session. Republicans, fresh off a dismal showing in the 2018 midterms, focused on reforms to the states school finance and property tax systems, particularly angering social conservatives who saw their prized issues go unaddressed. Many of those concerns melted away last session, though, when Patrick championed the GOPs priority bills on elections, a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and a nearly $3 billion two-year border security plan. He also energized right-wing activists by doggedly pushing for a law barring transgender student athletes from competing on the team that aligns with their gender identity. Through multiple special sessions, Patrick remained a beacon of Texas conservatism, repeatedly and at times, publicly urging Gov. Greg Abbott to push further and further right. Heading into this years midterm elections, Patrick is laying the groundwork for an even more conservative Senate packed with close allies ready to follow his lead. Patrick himself is on the ballot this year, boosted by a nearly $23 million war chest and scant competition in the GOP primary this spring. If Patrick gets his way, the Senate next year will be even more aligned with his brand of conservatism, ready to push the limits of Abbott and the Texas House. Democrats pin hopes on close race in 2018 Texas Democrats, outnumbered and powerless to stop any bills, have characterized the latest slate of GOP-backed state laws as bigoted and regressive. Patrick and other Republicans proudly call it the most conservative session in the history of the state, arguing they are the nations strongest defense against socialist policies pushed by the left. Democrats often note that Patrick won re-election in 2018 with just 51 percent of the vote, a slimmer margin than nearly every other statewide Republican on the ballot. And some early warning signs have emerged, with an October poll finding that 39 percent of Texans disapprove of Patricks performance, while 35 percent approve. Hes just going to get worse until he gets beat, said Democrat Mike Collier, the 2018 nominee for lieutenant governor whos competing in the Democratic primary to face Patrick for a second time this year. Patricks opponents say hes gone too far. The abortion measure, for example, has most greatly impacted low-income, nonwhite Texans who may not have the means to either carry the fetus to term or access the procedure in another state. Critics also point to Patricks offensive comments on Fox News, but its unclear whether they will come back to hurt him at the ballot box. Theres no sanction anymore for politicians to say these outlandish things, said Rottinghaus, the politics professor at the University of Houston. People dismiss it as simply being politics as usual. Patrick has been able to fly under the radar on some of these things because its just something that spans through somebodys Twitter feed, and then its gone. Retribution is swift and sure In the meantime, Patrick is all but hand-picking the replacements for departing Republicans. When people get there because Patrick supports them generally, theyre of the same political persuasion, philosophically hard right, said state Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat who was first elected to the Senate in 1982. Dan just entrenches his position and grows in power inside the Capitol. That consensus is crucial in the Senate, where Republicans currently hold 18 of 31 seats. And when GOP members disagree or block Patricks priorities, hes known to respond with venom. Take state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, who has been at odds with Patrick for years starting mostly in 2017, when Seliger opposed several of the lieutenant governors priorities, including a key property tax reform bill. The next session, Seliger lost his post as chair of the Higher Education Committee and was removed from the powerful finance and public education panels. Seliger noted a parallel during the most recent legislative session: state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, was promptly replaced as chair of the business committee after opposing an energy bill that Patrick promoted. Hes been very consistent in his treatment of dissenters, Seliger said. If you get off the party line, retribution is swift and sure. This year, Seligers district was redrawn significantly to favor his more conservative primary foe. Seliger, who said the district was likely drawn with some malice, announced he would retire shortly after the maps became law, and Patrick quickly endorsed his opponent. Patricks eight years in the Senate primed him for those disagreements and have also helped him keep the rest of the body in line, those close to him say. He understands any issue from the position of the senator, said Sherry Sylvester, a former top aide to Patrick. He knows why theyre going to be for it. He knows why theyre going to be against it. And because he talks to all of them, he understands what political pressures theyre under. Spence, the Patrick aide-turned-lobbyist, described his former boss as genuine and self-deprecating, a faith-driven man who asks people to call him Dan instead of lieutenant governor. Those private qualities, rarely revealed during Patricks performative appearances on TV or on the campaign stump, have helped him build relationships with both activists and legislators including Democrats during his time in the Senate, Spence said. There are just five states where the lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, appoints committees, casts tie-breaking votes and assigns bills: Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Vermont. Of those states, Texas is by far the largest and has the biggest national profile. Institutionally, any person in that office has a lot of power, said state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who carried several of Patricks priority bills last year. Beyond that, the individual in the office matters. And Lt. Gov. Patrick just anyone sitting in the office of lieutenant governor would not be able to do what hes been able to do. cayla.harris@express-news.net jasper.scherer@chron.com What are the top places to work in Orlando and Central Florida? Thats what the Orlando Sentinel seeks to determine with its annual Top Workplaces program. Nominations are now open for the award. Advertisement The Great Resignation movement, as well as the tight labor market, has changed workplaces across Central Florida and the nation. Understanding what makes a business or organization a great place to work is more important than ever for retaining employees and attracting new ones. If COVID taught us anything, its that asking questions and listening to employees is critical to navigating this new world of work, said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage, the survey company the Sentinel partners with for Top Workplaces. More than ever, you need to be more intentional about your culture. Advertisement Any company, nonprofit, public organization or government agency with 35 or more employees may be nominated for Top Workplaces. (Those with fewer than 35 employees who won awards in 2021 may apply again.) Get information or submit your nomination at OrlandoSentinel.com/nominate or by calling 407-428-2696. The deadline for entries is March 11. Company owners or workers may nominate themselves. The process involves a survey of employees, which is rated against similar-sized companies or agencies. Winners will be announced later this year. Energage conducts the workplace surveys for more than 60 metro newspapers, including the Sentinel. Last year, Energage collected survey results from more than 27,000 employees from companies locally. In all, 85 companies or organizations in Central Florida were chosen as Top Workplaces for 2021, up from 77 selected in 2020. Across the nation, Energage surveyed more than 2 million employees in 2021, honing in on 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of organizations. Leaders in todays post-COVID workplace are facing a new reality, Rubino said. Employees have more choices. You can work anywhere. There are no longer geographic boundaries. Companies need to authentically represent their brand to job-seekers. The employee experience needs to be on the mission-critical list. TRIP REPORT On the 28th of January i flew from Nis to Tirana via Belgrade. I flew both the ATR72 and the Airbus A319 so I could say I was able to get the full Air Serbia experience. The flights were booked about 2 weeks before and cost 30 euros less than a return flight to Belgrade. On the 28th of January i flew from Nis to Tirana via Belgrade. I flew both the ATR72 and the Airbus A319 so I could say I was able to get the full Air Serbia experience. The flights were booked about 2 weeks before and cost 30 euros less than a return flight to Belgrade. After a very short taxi ride, I arrived in the "Constantine the Great" Airport of Nis. The check in and security process was quite simple and fast, and I was able to get to the gate in a short time. Soon enough, it was time for boarding. We walked to the aircraft while it started to snow and made a quick and short taxi to the runway. The aircraft left the runway 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time which was definitely a new record for me. The aircraft we flew for todays flight was YU-APF, a 14-year-old Airbus A319 with a capacity of 144 passengers in a standard 3-3 configuration. It was the same aircraft that brought me to Nis the day before. After completing two flights to Hahn and Cologne it was returning back to its base. From what I could see the LF for this flight was about 25-30% with many connecting to further destinations. There were also some positioning crew flying with us. The flight itself took exactly 33 minutes and we arrived only 14 minutes after the scheduled departure time (another record of mine). Overall, it was an uneventful and smooth flight and as expected, there was no service available. After landing we were bussed to domestic arrivals which was right next to the domestic departure gate and from there entered the terminal. It was a very simple and quick process and in just 10 minutes you could go from your plane to the gate of your next flight. 2 hours went by quickly and it was time to board my final flight from gate A4a. The aircraft flying to Tirana today was YU-ALO, a 31-year-old ATR72 with the capacity to seat 66 passengers in standard 2-2 configuration. Funnily enough, it was the same ATR that brought me from Tirana to Belgrade a day before. There were about 30ish passengers in total, which meant a LF of just less than 50%. At least 10 passengers were connecting from the JFK flight from what I overheard but there could definitely have been even more. Unfortunately, it has been a pretty rough January for JU in TIA as they cancelled many flights throughout the month. We departed soon after for a noisy and shaky flight that would take precisely 54 minutes. Serving the flight today were two very nice flight attendants. Apart from the buy on board products, the in-flight service included a small water and two Toto biscuits. Truth be told, the cabin was truly falling apart but as an aviation enthusiast I could say that I enjoyed every single minute of it. With the new ATRs coming this year it was one of my last opportunities to fly with one of these oldies. Finally, we landed in a hazy Tirana about 20 minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival time. Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience with Air Serbia in all aspects. I am sure it will only improve from now on with the new ATRs. Tasha Nelsons 10-year-old son, Jack, is a social kid who loves science and seeing his friends every day in his fourth-grade classroom in Manassas. Jack, who has cystic fibrosis, can only attend school in person, his mom says, because the City of Manassas is among 70 Virginia school divisions that continued universal masking despite Gov. Glenn Youngkins executive order allowing parents to choose to send their kids to school without masks. The future of Fauquier Times now depends on community support. Your donation will help us continue to improve our journalism through in-depth local news coverage and expanded reader engagement. Support Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2022) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSXV: MEK) (OTCQB: MCREF) (FSE: M1C1) (the "Company" or Metals Creek) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its annual general and special meeting held on January 20, 2022 (the "Meeting"). At the Meeting, shareholders voted to approve the Company's stock option plan, which is done annually, approved the re-appointment of Wasserman Ramsey, Chartered Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year, and also re-elected Alexander Stares, Wayne Reid, Michael Stares, Nick Tsimidis, Patrick Mohan, Malvin Spooner, and John Anderson as directors to the board of directors of the Company to hold office until the next annual shareholder's meeting or until a successor is elected. Metals Creek has also entered into an advertising and investor awareness campaign with Dig Media Inc. dba Investing News Network (INN). INN is a private company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, dedicated to providing independent news and education to investors since 2007. For the 12 month term of the agreement, INN will provide advertising to increase awareness of the issuer. INN does not provide Investor Relations or Market Making services. The cost of the campaign is $32,400 Cdn payable in standard net 30 terms. INN currently holds no securities in Metals Creek. About Metals Creek Resources Corp. Metals Creek Resources Corp. is a junior exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek has earned a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property from Newmont, including the past producing Naybob Gold mine, located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has an 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (P-DF). In addition, Metals Creek has signed an agreement with Newmont, under which Metals Creek can earn a 100% interest in the past producing Dona Lake Gold Project in the Pickle Lake Mining District of Ontario. Additional information concerning the Company is contained in documents filed by the Company with securities regulators, available under its profile at www.sedar.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Alexander (Sandy) Stares, President and CEO Metals Creek Resources Corp telephone: (709)-256-6060 fax: (709)-256-6061 email: astares@metalscreek.com MetalsCreek.com Twitter.com/MetalsCreekRes Facebook.com/MetalsCreek To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/112943 New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - February 6, 2022) - Pochi Inu (POCHI) launched on 2nd February 2022 is soon to develop NFTs of puppies as it recently confirms listing on BitMart exchange. It has a metaverse game and staking platform utilities upcoming within the next few months. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8513/112945_bbd7d583446ffb05_001full.jpg Pochi Inu is a small, Japanese bred dog known for its adorable pitch-black eyes and eggshell accented golden fur. Staying true to its Shiba Inu genes, it swirls its tail counterclockwise when happy and ecstatic. The lighter colour of a Pochi's fur above its eyes creates an illusion of eyebrows, making it distinguishable from any other breed of Shiba Inu's. The team inspires to be identifiably different from other doge coins, and so the team is proud to introduce - Pochi Inu! Pochi Inu will be developing NFTs of puppies that introduce the concepts of growth and decay into the solidity smart contracts. The Pochi Inu NFTs will be custom made game assets where users will be able to interact with their pet in the metaverse. The Pochi Inu token will represent "the nourishment" part of the equation. Users stake their Pochi to feed their puppy. The team hails from different verticals of the IT world, and together contribute strength in a diverse range of expertise and experience, including managing, navigating and operating blockchain technology and interpreting technical analysis. Pochi Inu currently runs only on the Ethereum Network, which means it can be best purchased and sold through UniSwap. Pochi Inu is a decentralized experiment project. As such, the team always recommends the use of DEXs. If users choose to utilize a CEX instead, they should remember to research it first to ensure it is both safe and secure. Tokenomics - The smart contract is designed to charge buyers and sellers a flat tax of 11% with 100 billion being the total supply of Pochi Inu. Proceeds from tax will go towards development and marketing. Proceeds from NFT sales will go towards further development of smart contracts and metaverse development. To know more about the token and its utilities, refer to the team's socials. Twitter: https://twitter.com/pochiinu_io Telegram: https://t.me/+nkxlAJtIx0wxZmZl Company Name: Pochi Inu Email: Pochiinu88@gmail.com Website: https://pochiinu.io/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/112945 Tampa, FL (33646) Today Mostly sunny. High near 90F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 69F. Winds light and variable. A summer program for teachers is bringing computational thinking to classrooms in Eastern Kentucky. The program, titled the Eastern Kentucky STEAM Innovation Summer Institute, is part of a three-year Computer Science for All initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. The project, which is called Tough as Nails, aims to research how to best prepare Eastern Kentucky students for the jobs of the future and put those findings into action. The grant was obtained by Floyd County and Pikeville Independent Schools in partnership with Bit Source, a Pikeville-based tech firm; Digital Promise, an education-focused nonprofit research organization; and the South Fayette School District located in Pennsylvania. According to Bit Source, the initiative began in 2019, when 40 participating Kentucky teachers traveled to South Fayette School District to learn how teachers implemented computational thinking within their curriculum. Computational thinking is a skillset often used by entrepreneurs and engineers that involves breaking down complex problems and developing applied solutions to those problems. In 2020 and 2021, over 130 teachers attended virtual five-day professional development programs in which they learned to incorporate these skills into their own classrooms. One of the big skills that were trying to teach [students] is analyzing and interpreting data, Sarah Blackburn, a sixth grade science teacher at Pikeville Elementary, said in a statement. A lot of students really struggle with this. When they think of data, they think of something that is really intimidating, something extremely complicated. And I think my big A-ha moment is that we can make data accessible to students and make it make sense." During the Institute, teachers choose from a variety of course offerings, ranging from creating a maker-space, to app design, to real-world robotics implementations each tailored to a specific set of grade levels between kindergarten and eighth grade. It focuses on practical ways to integrate computing into existing coursework rather than adding new courses altogether. "I have never programmed or coded anything in my life before, Cindy Artrip, an art teacher at Duff-Allen Central Elementary, said in a statement, regarding the Institute. This was a lot of trial and error and research to figure out, but when I finally figured it out and flipped the switch to 'on' and everything worked, I was elated with joy. It was so exciting and I had accomplished something that I had never dreamed I would be able to do, and had so much fun doing it. Overall, BitSource officials said, the goal of the program is for teachers to understand computational thinking and how this mindset can prepare students for a variety of career paths, from engineering to computer science to entrepreneurship. When you develop a workforce that's employable, that has these 21st century skills, we can create opportunities here where people can stay here, and stay home, and be near their families, and people can come home, Bit Source co-founder Rusty Justice said in a statement. Physically, we can get people to move home, and they can work. They can be connected here virtually." As the grant enters its final year, coordinators said they are hopeful about the programs ongoing impact on teachers and their students. Preparing students for the future of work in Kentucky is an awesome responsibility for today's educators, Traci Tackett, Director of Digital Literacy at Bit Source, said in a statement. We are excited to work with teachers through the Tough as Nails grant to give students in our region high-quality educational opportunities. For more information on the Eastern Kentucky STEAM Innovation Summer Institute, contact Bit Source at, (606)766-1170, visit its website at, www.bitsourceky.com, or visit the office at 375 Hambley Boulevard. A 47-year-old man died early Sunday after a shooting in the parking lot at the Club Majestic nightclub in Orlando, authorities said. The shooting happened just before 3:15 a.m. at 801 N. John Young Parkway, just north of Colonial Drive, according to Orlando Police officials. Advertisement The victim, later identified as Hassen Ititlo George, was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to a police report. Lt. J. Darren Dillon of the Orlando Police Department said in a press release that officials are still investigating and will provide further details. mcomas@orlandosentinel.com Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Peoples Republic of China At the Manila Forum for China-Philippines Relations 17 January 2022 Your ExcellencyGloria Macapagal Arroyo, Your Excellency Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Ministers, Friends, Good afternoon!It is my great pleasure to join you again at theManila Forum for China-Philippines Relations. A year ago, HerExcellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and I announced together thelaunch of the Forum in Manila. I am very glad to see it growing rapidlyduring the past year and its role in promoting the mutual trust andcooperation between our two peoples. I would like to salute YourExcellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and people from all sectors in bothcountries who have worked so hard for China-Philippines friendship. China and the Philippines are neighbors facing each other across thesea and partners through thick and thin. Not long ago, when thePhilippines was hit by a super typhoon, President Xi Jinping promptlyexpressedhis sympathies and support, and the Chinese government wasamong the first to provide emergency assistance. The Philippine peopleare strong and resilient. We believe that under the leadership of PresidentDuterte and the Philippine government, people in the affected areas willrebuild their home at an early date. To support their reconstruction, Iwould like to announce that the Chinese government has decided toprovide another 100 million RMB yuan of grant to the Philippines. Friends, China's friendly interactions with the Philippines date back to over amillennium ago. China brings to the Philippines not colonization or war, but cooperation and friendship. The story about the King of Sulu's visit toChina was a historical epitome of our friendship. While in office, President Arroyo made many solid efforts to enhance China-Philippinesfriendship. After taking office, President Duterte made the strategicdecision to improve relations with China, and rainbows appeared inChina-Philippines relations after the rainstorms. Facts have proved thatthe decision fully conforms with the fundamental interests of thePhilippines and its people, the common interests of China and thePhilippines, and the trend toward peace and development in the region. Iam confident that people with insight from our two countries will keep tothis right direction and write more splendid chapters of China-Philippinesfriendship. Looking ahead, China will continue to pursue a policy to foster anamicable, secure and prosperous neighborhood, and stay committed to theprinciple of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in itsneighborhood diplomacy. We will promote greater solidarity andcooperation with the Philippines. China will join hands with the Philippines to prevail over thepandemic.China has provided the Philippines with over 57 million dosesof COVID vaccines. We will continue to help meet the Philippines'needfor vaccines, and work with you on developing effective medicines andbuilding up public health capacity to eventually defeat the virus. China will join hands with the Philippines to speed updevelopment and rejuvenation.The Belt and Road Initiative and the"Build, Build, Build"Strategy are now seamlessly coordinated. Irrigation, dam and telecommunications projects are moving ahead at a faster pace, and many follow-up cooperation programs such as railways and bridgesare in the pipeline. China has also supported the Philippines in importantundertakings such as the building of drug rehabilitation centers, post-conflict reconstruction in Marawi, and bridge projects in Manila. Asthe largest trading partner and export market of the Philippines, Chinawill keep its doors open to more Philippine agricultural products andmake more investment in the country, with a view to contributing to yourefforts in accelerating industrialization and modernization andcapacity-building for self-generated development. China will join hands with the Philippines to properly handle theSouth China Sea issue. We each have our respective claims andpositions. Before an agreement can be reached, it is important that we putthe issue in a proper place and prevent it from affecting or even takinghostage the overall bilateral relationship. Stressing only one side's claimsand imposing one's own will on the other is not a proper way forneighbors to treat each other, and it also goes against the Orientalphilosophy of how people should get along with each other. China willabsolutely not use its strength to bully smaller countries, and we neverbelieve in the winner-takes-all approach. We hope to work with thePhilippines to find ways to properly manage and resolve the issue in thespirit of goodwill and pragmatism. We need to come up with the resolveas soon as possible to advance joint development without prejudice toeither side's rights and claims, so that we can turn the South China Seaissue from a challenge into an opportunity and a positive factor conduciveto the development of the Philippines and the friendship between our twopeoples. China will join hands with the Philippines to maintain peace andstability in the region.East Asia, the shared home for China and thePhilippines, is the region with the greatest development potential in theworld. This has not come by easily, and should be doubly cherished. However, some forces outside the region are trying to frustrate this goodmomentum with repeated provocations. As two important members of theregion, China and the Philippines should stay committed to anindependent foreign policy, uphold the ASEAN-centered regionalcooperationarchitecture, deepen the China-ASEAN comprehensivestrategic partnership, and contribute to the stability and prosperity of theregion. Friends, The year 2022 is important for both China and the Philippines. Chinawill soon enter the "Winter Olympics Time", and the Communist Party ofChina will hold its 20th National Congress later in the year. ThePhilippines also has important domestic political agenda this year. Standing at a new historical starting point, let us always bear in mind thewellbeing of our two peoples, commit to steering our friendly relations inthe right direction, follow the course charted by our top leaders, removedisturbances, deepen cooperation, and jointly usher in an even betterfuture for China-Philippines relations. Thank you. Local economies are bouncing back in many communities after the pandemic caused tax revenues to plummet, mirroring national reporting that indicates an economic resurgence aided in part by COVID-19 relief from the federal government. According to a recent Associated Press analysis, state and local governments reported more than $117 billion in lost revenue the first year of the pandemic. As the shortfalls proved to be less severe, many governments found themselves flush with cash, leading some officials to propose new spending and tax cuts. The American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden last March included $350 billion in aid to states and local governments. States, counties and larger cities were required to file reports last year detailing their initial plans for the money. Those governments also were asked to estimate losses for 2020 by comparing their actual revenue to their expected revenue under a Treasury formula. More than two-thirds of those reporting their revenues showed at least some losses. Though revenue figures were left blank by nearly one-quarter of the roughly 3,700 governments that filed reports, the data nonetheless provides the most comprehensive picture yet of the financial strain that faced governments during the pandemic's first year. All but three states Alaska, Nevada and Wyoming took in more general fund revenue than originally projected for their 2021 fiscal years, according to a report from the National Association of State Budget Officers. The revenue rebound has exceeded even pre-pandemic levels. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Corvallis Gazette-Times. Total state tax revenues from last April through November rose 20% compared to the same period in 2019, according to an Urban Institute report. Benton County Benton County mimics these trends, seeing a bounceback last year. Using U.S. Treasury guidelines for doing the calculations, the county reported $3.1 million in lost revenue in 2020 for the calendar year, according to Rick Crager, the countys chief financial officer. Revenue in fiscal year 2020 was $83.4 million. But 2021 is estimated to have brought in $87.2 million. The countys biennial budget is around $350 million. While the county avoided layoffs under the pandemic, it did implement administrative restrictions that included delaying new hires to offset the impact. Under interim rules and a complex Treasury algorithm this past May, the county forecasted a $5.6 million gap on projected revenue for fiscal year 2021. Crager called the process very complex and said there was a lot of pushback against the rule at the federal level. We started with a baseline of how much revenue we had. [Treasury] came up with their own factors, and we forecast out for four years on what would be expected for the county based on their algorithm, Crager said. Then we would compare that to the actual revenues we collected each fiscal year. Final Treasury rules issued just last month give local jurisdictions an exemption option from annual loss calculations in favor of a fixed $10 million grant for losses. Benton County hasnt determined which method it will prefer, though Crager said hes leaning toward the fixed amount, in part because of the complexity and administrative cost of the more detailed reporting process. Benton Countys annual revenue growth prior to the pandemic was around 7.1%. Fiscal year 2021 saw that drop to 4.5%. Crager said the biggest contributing factors were fewer fees collected from county services (especially rentals at the fairgrounds) and reduced interest earnings due to lower investment returns. On the upside, property tax revenue has continued to grow due to set assessed values. Charges to services the revenue hit hardest is coming back in some areas, such as external fleet service charges and hotel taxes. However, Crager said its still below pre-pandemic levels. Were in the process of recovering, Crager said. Crager noted lingering effects to various revenue streams from the pandemic. Among them, "transient lodging taxes," or hotel taxes, are down because of reduced tourism, which has also affected revenue from natural areas and park rentals. Fair revenues dropped with two years of cancellations, and special transportation revenue that comes from dial-a-ride and the like is lagging with less ridership and less state support. However, a major county project is benefiting from the $18 million in federal relief received by Benton County. Crager said without it, the county would not be positioned to advance a new justice compound. The county has $4 million earmarked for site acquisition and development of a behavioral crisis center, which is part of a proposed justice system campus that would also feature a new jail and courthouse. The county also has allocated $1.6 million to upgrade aging facilities, according to Crager. Both projects have other funding mechanisms in place, but the federal funds allow the county to move faster on the crisis center and expand the scope of the facilities improvements. The Benton County Board of Commissioners wants to use around half of the federal relief for a grant program targeting ARPA-eligible purposes, such as small business recovery, housing assistance, responding to the public health crisis, water and sewer infrastructure and more, according to Crager, who said a notice of funding opportunities is forthcoming. The federal money has done several things, Crager said. Number one, its helping us get money into places where it can help those that have been most impacted. Equally important, its an opportunity to move the dial forward on things we would not have been able to do. City of Corvallis Under the Treasury guidelines and formula, the city of Corvallis reported $21 million in lost revenue for 2020, according to Ryan Seidl, finance department director. Revenue in fiscal year 2020 was $155.2 million. It was $151.5 million for fiscal 2021, down 2.5%. Contributing to these losses is that Corvallis had to factor in a growth rate of 11%, based on fiscal years 2017-2019, which included strong development and an influx of the resulting building-related fees in 2018-19. Revenue in the prior years ranged from $110 million to $119 million. The citys annual budget is around $181 million. While there were no citywide layoffs or hiring freezes, Seidl said some hiring was delayed when the need was offset by service reductions. He said additional scrutiny on all financial decisions helped prepare for the unknown level and length of economic shock facing the city. Major revenue sources for the city, such as property taxes, have remained relatively flat, while fees for services are still rebounding to pre-pandemic levels, according to Seidl. He said the infusion of federal cash from both of the pandemic's federal relief bills, ARPA and the CARES Act, helped drive recovery but noted the programs wont last forever. Unfortunately, the city is still not back to pre-pandemic levels on multiple fronts, he said. While we have seen some short-term positive trends on a year-over-year basis, those results can and have been easily eroded as [COVID-19] variants are discovered. Seidl said a significant number of city programs were cancelled because of COVID-19 safety protocols, lowering both costs and revenue. He said most programs resumed in summer 2021, but attendance levels (and the money it generated) were much lower than in previous years, partly because of COVID-19 protocols and public hesitation to engage in group activities. And there are other lingering effects of the pandemic crunch in Corvallis. Seidl said they include consecutive years of tourism/travel and lodging tax revenue losses, reductions to parks and rec programs, reduced water usage fees from a less-occupied OSU, and the inflated costs of materials and personnel. With revenue losses greater than the $13 million in ARPA funds for Corvallis, there is some flexibility in how the money can be used. Seidl said the city is looking to use a portion to help with aging facilities, the issues with which are compounded by expanding city services and staff requirements associated with growth. As of now, there are no specific projects benefiting from the federal relief funds, but the city has decided how to split it up in general terms. Facility improvement projects will get 53.5%, social service providers in the city will get 15%, and the remaining 31.5% is set for future consideration. The city is waiting on more clarity on the state funding through the latest infrastructure bill and the outcome of the Build Back Better legislation, Seidl said. The intent of not selecting any projects at this time is to ensure the ARPA funds remain as flexible as possible and ensure the city maximizes the use of non-local funds first. Associated Press contributed to this report. Cody Mann covers Benton County and the cities of Corvallis and Philomath. He can be contacted at 541-812-6113 or Cody.Mann@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter via @News_Mann_. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. There was a time when Florida prided itself on the most accessible public-records and open-meetings laws in the country. But every year, the Sunshine State gets a little shadier, thanks to a never-ending flood of legislation intended to lock governmental records away from the people those governments are supposed to be representing. This year is no different. Some bad ideas that passed in previous years are back for review including one that took on ludicrous life as Florida colleges and universities wrestled with a pandemic. Some bad ideas that have failed to pass, year after year, are back as well. And as always, there are new attacks on the publics right to know what their own government is up to. Advertisement Visitors walk in front of the Capitol during a special legislative session targeting COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida lawmakers on Monday began debating a package of bills to combat coronavirus vaccine mandates, continuing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' fight against virus rules. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) There is one, however, thats more dangerous than any pro-secrecy legislation weve seen in a long time. If it passes, HB 1547/SB 1848 could tunnel new and secretive channels in Floridas already corrupt campaign finance system by hiding the names of big-money donors. Theres a bitter irony here. For the past year, news outlets across Florida, including the Sentinel, have been trying to pin down the sources, and paths, of millions of dollars in dark money that flows through chains of obscure committees with innocuous names. Each time these streams of dollars mingle and separate, they wash away more of the fingerprints of the original donors. That makes it impossible to connect the upstream sources of the cash to specific actions taken by groups that are several steps removed even when those groups push the boundaries of decent and legal behavior. Advertisement But when Floridas biggest corporate players theme parks, utilities, giant agricultural operations dump millions into the dark-money pipelines, only a fool would believe they have no specific goals in mind. Did they mean to underwrite one committees deceptive meddling in three state Senate races? We may never know, though were still working on it. Did they intend for large amounts of this cash to eventually make its way to committees affiliated with many of Floridas top elections officials? Almost certainly. As scandals played out, calls for the Legislature to do something about dark money grew louder. Well, if these bills pass, lawmakers will have done something: They will have made the situation much, much worse, by wrapping a cloak of secrecy around the names and other identifying information of those big-money donors. You read that right: These bills would make it even easier to flood Floridas election system with secretive cash, hiding the names of donors from the public and even from state agencies that might suspect more tangible corruption. In fact, any state employee who let donor information slip would face criminal charges. Its almost like money laundering, says Pamela Marsh, executive director of Floridas First Amendment Foundation and a former U.S. district attorney. Furthermore, she says, this legislation is drafted to evade the section of the state constitution that requires a two-thirds vote to approve new public-records exemptions. Wed like to take comfort in knowing that neither the House nor the Senate version of this legislation has yet to be heard in a committee. But it could thrash into malignant life at any time. Voters should contact their lawmakers and demand that they defend the integrity of Florida elections with a no vote. The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio, Jay Reddick and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com Gillette, WY (82718) Today Becoming partly cloudy and windy. High 54F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies with gusty winds. Low 34F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Darrell Kelley and Bob Wilson discuss firearms at Fort Phil Kearny last summer. The fort is one of the historic sites along the Bozeman Trail that could benefit from a National Historic Trail designation. Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken an unprecedented step in putting an anti-science conspiracy theorist in place as Floridas top health professional. It is important to understand the role of Floridas Surgeon General. The person who holds that position is actually the Secretary the lead person in charge of the Florida Department of Health (DOH). DOH is an Executive Branch agency that is supposed to implement policy concerning the health and well-being of all Floridians. As the Secretary or as it is more commonly known, the Surgeon General, Dr. Ladapo is not just the agencys leader and top policy expert, but also its top spokesperson. Advertisement Lauren Book, a Democrat, has served in the Florida Senate since 2016. She is the state Senate Minority Leader. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (Courtesy photo) I can think of no more important time than during a multi-year pandemic (which has infected one in four Floridians and has killed more than 65,000) for our state to be guided by a physician who not only understands pandemic science but is willing and able to explain his plan for keeping all of us as safe as possible. Sadly, Dr. Ladapo is not that person. Advertisement For starters, he has supported and had publicly promoted widely debunked theories of how to deal with this virus including (according to the Miami Herald) the use of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. He even co-authored a column in The Wall Street Journal that misrepresented data to falsely claim that the risk of vaccines likely outweigh the benefits. I myself am not a physician, but as a state senator, it was my intention during the Senate confirmation process to ask Dr. Ladapo as chief spokesperson and policymaker for DOH to expound upon these positions and explain his rationale. Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. > However, instead of doing any of that, when Dr. Ladapo was asked clear questions about his departments role in addressing the pandemic, he offered non-answers, obfuscations and demonstrations of verbal jiu-jitsu. Out of frustration over Dr. Ladapos purposeful evasion, I resorted to asking him clear yes/no questions in an attempt to elicit some understandable responses. Yet he repeatedly refused to answer even those simple questions. This is unacceptable and disrespectful to the institution of the Florida Senate and more importantly to the people of this great state. We are entitled to more. If our top public health official is unwilling or unable to clearly articulate his position on the proper or improper use of vaccines, then he is clearly unfit to serve. If he is unwilling or unable to answer basic questions about treatment options or how his office is responding to a public health crisis that is currently killing more than 150 people per day, then he is again clearly unfit to serve. This is not just about COVID. During the course of our hearing, Dr. Ladapo could or would not answer some other basic questions about public health and safety, about his qualifications, or about his current pay. Dr. Joseph Ladapo is not someone I would feel comfortable seeking advice for my own personal medical care or who I would entrust to care for my children. The people of the State of Florida unquestionably deserve more. Our state and more specifically our Department of Health needs a proven leader who is both able and willing to serve as a trusted source for scientifically-backed public health guidance, not a doctor of disinformation installed as a political pawn. Floridians deserve better. They deserve someone other than Joseph Ladapo. Advertisement Lauren Book, a Democrat, has served in the Florida Senate since 2016. She is the state Senate Minority Leader. MONTREAL, Feb. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hydro-Quebec and Evolugen, the Canadian operating business of Brookfield Renewable, today announced that they have entered into a 40-year escalating electricity purchase agreement under which Hydro-Quebec will purchase the output of the Lievre hydro-electric portfolio in Quebec with 263 MW of capacity. The assets will continue to be operated by Evolugen. Given the ongoing energy transition, it is expected that demand for clean, renewable base load electricity generation will increase sharply in the coming years. Hydro-Quebec is implementing several strategies to address this demand, in particular by contracting the capacity comprised of four generating stations located along Riviere du Lievre in Outaouais. The facilities will contribute approximately 1.5 TWh annually, which is equivalent to the energy used by close to 90,000 homes. The agreement involves integrating Evolugens Lievre generating fleet, into Hydro-Quebecs generation planning. It also includes priority access rights associated with the US market. With this strategic agreement, we are adding capacity and renewable energy to our supply in a context of increasing demand in both Quebec and neighboring markets. The opportunity to purchase output from reliable hydroelectric generating stations that are currently in operation and already connected was appealing for many reasons. This agreement is particularly useful for us during winter peaks, noted Pierre Despars, Vice President Corporate Strategy and Business Development at Hydro-Quebec. We are pleased to sign a strategic agreement with our long-standing partner, Hydro-Quebec, to contract our Lievre assets for the next 40 years. This agreement offers a sustainable and Quebec-based solution to meet Hydro-Quebecs growing renewable energy demand, said Josee Guibord, CEO of Evolugen, the Canadian operating business of Brookfield Renewable. Our team works hand-in-hand with customers to provide tailored clean energy solutions, like this one, that fit our customers objectives and reduce their exposure risk. Deliveries of output from the facilities began on December 31, 2021. About Hydro-Quebec Hydro-Quebec generates, transmits and distributes electricity. It is Canadas largest electricity producer and one of the worlds largest hydroelectric power producers. Its sole shareholder is the Quebec government. As a leader in hydropower and large transmission systems, Hydro-Quebec exports clean, renewable power and commercializes its expertise and innovations on world markets. About Evolugen In Canada, Evolugen currently owns and operates 61 renewable power facilities, including 33 hydroelectric generating stations, 4 wind farms and 24 solar farms, for a total installed capacity of 1,912 MW. As a leader in the renewable energy sector, Evolugen offers sustainable solutions focused on accelerating the transition toward Canadas low-carbon future. Evolugen is owned by Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. About Brookfield Renewable Brookfield Renewable operates one of the worlds largest publicly traded, pure-play renewable power platforms. Its portfolio consists of hydroelectric, wind, solar and storage facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, and totals approximately 21,000 megawatts of installed capacity and an approximately 56,000-megawatt development pipeline. Investors can access its portfolio either through Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (NYSE: BEP; TSX: BEP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BEPC), a Canadian corporation. Further information is available at http://www.bep.brookfield.com and https://bep.brookfield.com/bepc. Important information may be disseminated exclusively via the website; investors should consult the site to access this information. Brookfield Renewable is the flagship listed renewable power company of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $650 billion of assets under management. Information: HYDRO-QUEBEC Caroline Des Rosiers Spokesperson 514 289-5005 desrosiers.caroline@hydroquebec.com www.hydroquebec.com EVOLUGEN Remi Moreau Vice-President, Government and External Relations 613 222-6152 remi.moreau@evolugen.com www.evolugen.com BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE Media: Kerrie McHugh Senior Vice President Corporate Communications (212) 618-3469 kerrie.mchugh@brookfield.com Investors: Robin Kooyman Senior Vice President Investor Relations (416) 649-8172 robin.kooyman@brookfield.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as will, expected, intend, potential, can or variations of such words and phrases. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the parties future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, financial condition, assumptions or future events or performance, including with respect to the expected increase in demand for renewable generation and annual generation of the Lievre hydro-electric facilities. Although Brookfield Renewable believes that such forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, no assurance is given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information as such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the ability of the parties to realize the expected benefits of the Lievre power purchase agreement, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Brookfield Renewable to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information. Except as required by law, Brookfield Renewable does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether written or oral, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Gloucester, MA (01930) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning giving way to a few showers late. High 52F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low 44F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. SHIPSHEWANA [mdash] Lorene Miller, 69, Shipshewana, died at 7:15 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at Life Care Center, LaGrange. She was born Sept. 8, 1952 in LaGrange, to Lester and Mary Alice (Miller) Hochstetler. On Oct. 24, 1974 in Shipshewana, she married Chris B. Miller, he survives. Survivor Instead of focusing on our states affordable housing crisis, our broken unemployment system, or helping those impacted by the ongoing pandemic, legislators are once again targeting the LGBTQ+ community in particular and diversity efforts in general. Having served as a pastor for 10 years, I recognize the fundamentalism and intolerance behind these legislative efforts. The people who hold these ideologies have never accepted the progress of inclusion or the celebration of our various and intersecting identities. In a season where extreme conservatives are seeking to score political points, our diverse and marginalized communities have once again become the target of their efforts. They seek to erase our stories from classrooms. They are pushing back against the work that has been done to make our workplaces safe and welcoming for all of us. Advertisement Josh Bell is the Executive Director of One Orlando Alliance, a coalition of LGBTQ+ serving organizations. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (Shane Valentine / Courtesy photo) As a gay parent of school-age children, I want every child to be able to see representation of their unique and beautiful family structure in their classroom environment. Our children need to hear stories in school that reflect their LGBTQ+ identities or those of their loved ones. Our LGBTQ+ students need to know that they are safe to be their full selves at school. Especially here in Central Florida, we need students to be free to learn about the violence of the Pulse tragedy and the support for the LGBTQ+ community that has emerged from that horrific event. We cannot allow legislation to prohibit honest conversations and the creation of these vital safe spaces at school. Decades of effort to make our workplaces truly inclusive across differences of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status and other areas are also under attack. Too many of us know the daily challenges of navigating workplaces, coworkers or supervisors who still do not have the skills to welcome us as whole persons. We cannot allow legislation to create a hostile environment for diversity training, which would then create hostile work environments for diverse employees. Advertisement Working with a broad coalition of LGBTQ+ serving organizations at One Orlando Alliance, I see the beauty of our community every day. Our Alliance is committed to transforming Central Florida into a community where all LGBTQ+ people can belong and thrive. So much work has already been done, and we are continuing that work every day. This legislative session is targeting not only our progress, but our very well-being and safety. When harmful legislation is passed at the state level, it sends the message to our community that we are not safe. It also empowers those who oppose inclusion to be more open in their personal opposition through harmful words and actions. We need everyone to take action right now to defend the progress that we have all fought so hard to make. Call and write to your state legislators and the legislators who have sponsored these bills. Engage your friends and neighbors to use their voices as well. Join us at noon Feb. 26 in front of Orlando City Hall for the Rally for LGBTQ+ Rights. The Central Florida we all want to create depends on you raising your voice and joining us. Josh Bell is the executive director of One Orlando Alliance, a coalition of nonprofits serving the LGBTQ+ community. It looks like Lewis Hamilton will just be back at the Bahrain Grand Prix next month to finish the first race. The Briton let slip on Saturday night after months of silence, appearing to be prepping for a return. Hamilton did not have an easy time dealing with his loss in Abu Dhabi in recent months. The seven-time world champion was ahead of Max Verstappen and seemed to be beating the competitor, but on the last lap, the Dutchman still managed to get past him and take the world title. Since then, rumours were strong that Hamilton would choose to leave Formula 1 for good. Mercedes let it be known that Hamilton would have serious doubts about a return and the driver did not let anything more be heard from his side. This weekend he put something back on his social media, with which Mercedes seems to be able to count on him. Hamilton goes for record Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn had long been confident that Hamilton would continue to drive at Mercedes. According to him, the fans can prepare for a sharp Hamilton who is keen to grab the world title this year. "Lewis wants to be the only record world champion and I think he has the best chances with Mercedes," he said in conversation with Sport1. As Red Bull prepares to launch the 2022 car, team boss Christian Horner had other commitments. Horner took part in the FIA congress for race stewards. The Red Bull boss did so after he lashed out harshly at a steward on television during the Grand Prix in Qatar. Villainous In Qatar, Max Verstappen received a five-place grid penalty and two demerits on his license for not respecting double yellow flags during qualifying. Speaking to Sky, the frustrated Horner blamed a "rogue" driver for improperly using a double waved yellow. The FIA decided to give Horner an official warning for this. In a ruling, the FIA then wrote: "The stewards explained that the steward in question was doing his job exactly as prescribed in the International Sporting Code. Mr. Horner offered to apologize to the steward involved and to explain to the media that he did not mean to offend. He also offered to participate in the 2022 FIA International Stewards Program in early February. The stewards accept Mr. Horner's offer without reservation. " Virtual presence This weekend, Horner participated in the virtual event, which was attended by stewards from around the world and from many different motorsport disciplines. In an interview, Horner spoke about his role as team principal and his team's relationship with the FIA. He also sat on a panel with race director Michael Masi and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, among others We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. French industrial company Verkor has selected the port city of Dunkirk (Hauts de France) for the construction of its first Gigafactory for the development of low-carbon battery cells designed to support Europes net-zero goals. First delivery of low-carbon high performance batteries for electric vehicles is scheduled for July 2025; manufacturing capacity will expand from 16 GWh in 2025 to 50 GWh by 2030. Verkor will produce two types of battery cells in its Gigafactory: large pouch cells and smaller cylindrical cells (size form 2170 and up). The cells will then be assembled into modules for delivery to clients. Verkor has chosen to focus on highvolume battery-cell manufacturing for the electric vehicle and largescale stationary storage markets. The announcement marks a significant milestone for Verkor, founded in 2020, realizing the companys vision and accelerating its goals for battery development. Dunkirk is the most promising site out of the 40 investigated by Verkor in France, Spain and Italy. Spanning more than 150 hectares, the site will meet growing demand from European and international car manufacturers, as the roll-out of high-performance electric vehicles continues to gather pace across the continent. The site meets all the requirements for a Gigafactory in terms of land, logistics, energy capacity, proximity to customers, access to a qualified workforce, and scalability. Up to 1,200 direct jobs and more than 3,000 indirect jobs are expected to be generated during the first phase of the project. The Verkor Gigafactory in Dunkirk will create a new ecosystem of players and solutions to support the development of Europes battery value chain. Once operational, the Gigafactory will supply several customers, and most notably Renault Group after signing a strategic partnership with Verkor last summer. Verkor and the French National Commission for Public Debate are moving forward with the national consultation process for the site. Mastering the entire battery value chain is critical to the transition to electric mobility. I welcome this new important step by Verkor. Their choice of location reinforces the electric battery valley that is taking shape in the Hauts de France, as well as its dynamic ecosystem. It sends a positive signal to Dunkirks industrial platform, which has key assets in the sector. Verkor, like many players in the value chain, can rely on the Governments ongoing support under the France 2030 plan. Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the French Minister of Industry The construction of the Gigafactory is scheduled to begin in 2023. Research and development will continue to be based out of Grenoble where the construction of the Verkor Innovation Center (VIC) is already under way. The innovations developed there will be a prelude to the manufacturing excellence of Verkors first Gigafactory. Verkor was founded in July 2020, with the backing of EIT InnoEnergy, Groupe IDEC, Schneider Electric, Capgemini, Renault Group, EQT Ventures, Arkema, Tokai COBEX and FMET managed by Demeter. ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations(UN) announced on Saturday that positive discussions with Yemen's warring parties had taken place regarding a proposal to solve the crisis caused by a rusting oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast. "The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly held constructive meetings last week on the UN-coordinated proposal to mitigate the threat posed by FSO Safer, an aging floating storage and offloading unit moored off the coast of Hodeidah," said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a statement. The statement said that Gressly held a series of meetings in Aden and discussed the proposal with Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, the minister of transport, and the Safer Emergency Committee. "In our very positive discussions, the government officials confirmed that they support the UN-coordinated proposal to shift the million barrels of oil onboard the vessel to another ship," said Gressly, adding "they want to see the threat mitigated as soon as possible." Gressly also held very constructive discussions on Jan. 29 with senior representatives of the Houthi group on the FSO Safer. The Houthis "stressed their concern over the environmental and humanitarian risk posed by the tanker and their wish to see rapid action to resolve the problem, agreeing in principle on how to move forward with the UN-coordinated proposal," according to the statement. Gressly is currently "engaging in a broader conversation with interested member states, whose support will be crucial to realize the project," it added. The Safer has been moored at a port north of the city of Hodeidah since 1988 as a crude oil storage and offloading platform. The oil tanker is currently under the control of the Houthi militia, and its maintenance has stopped since 2015, which caused corrosion of the vessel's main body. The 45-year-old fuel vessel FSO Safer has 1.1 million barrels of crude on board. The United Nations officials reportedly called for access to the long-abandoned fuel tanker off Yemen's coast amid growing fears of a catastrophic oil spill. There are so many reasons I love to call Orange County home and am proud to represent Central Florida in the state Legislature. Like many of you, at the top of my list are our springs, lakes and rivers, which are some of the most precious and important waterways in all of Florida. Sadly, these fragile water-wonders are being besieged by slimy algae fueled by excessive nutrient pollution, some of which is coming from right in our own backyards. Floridas Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) determined that nitrogen levels in Wekiwa and Rock Springs were approximately five times greater than water quality standards leading to algae blooms and the destruction of our spring and river ecosystems. In 2018, FDEP identified urban turf fertilizer as the second-largest contributor of nitrogen (26%) in the basin, barely behind septic tanks (29%). Advertisement Anna V. Eskamani represents District 47 in the Florida House of Representatives. (Courtesy Anna Eskamani and Jeremy Sisson) The degradation of Wekiva and Rock Springs and the recent toxic blue-green algae bloom on Lake Copeland that prompted health officials to issue a public warning are the perfect examples of why what happens in our back (and front) yards matters. The good news is that progress is being made. Orange County has been providing a historic $40,000,000 investment in septic-to-sewer conversions from the State of Florida for the Wekiva River Basin. Now Orange County is poised to strategically tackle urban fertilizer following the lead of our neighbors, in Seminole, Volusia, Brevard, and Lake counties, as well as over a dozen other counties and over 100 cities throughout Florida. Advertisement Come Tuesday, those of us interested in taking care of our own backyards (literally) first, and finding straightforward, effective and equitable methods of stopping urban fertilizer pollution will support the Orange County Commissioners when they vote to adopt the well-vetted, common-sense provisions found in the Orange County Environmental Protection Divisions draft urban fertilizer ordinance. Since the first countywide rainy season ban on urban fertilizer was passed in Sarasota in 2007, local governments have proven that strong, no-exemption, rainy season nitrogen and phosphorous application bans have aided in improving both water quality and turf health across the state. The reason strong urban fertilizer management has become so popular and ubiquitous is that they work and there are dozens of summer-safe (no-nitrogen, no-phosphorous) product options that can help keep your lawn green even during Floridas hot summer months. Our lawn-care maintenance providers will still have plenty to do during the summer rainy season. The high concentration of urban fertilizer pollution is a problem we can solve. Stopping urban fertilizer pollution is one heck of a lot easier and cheaper than addressing septic tanks, more than 29,000 of which need to be replaced in the Wekiwa and Rock Springs basin alone. And, limiting urban fertilizer use is one of the few things local governments can still do to protect their waters that havent been preempted by the Florida Legislature. This year, I once again filed legislation to repeal the state preemption on local rights of nature ordinances, like the Orange County Right to Clean Water Charter Amendment that passed with 89% of the vote in 2020. One day, hopefully, my colleagues in the Legislature will value clean water, good government, and home rule as much as I and the voters of Orange County do. Until then, we have to do everything in our power to protect our precious waters. With this years record-breaking manatee mortality event, it is clear that we cant afford to kick the can down the road anymore. Thats why Im supporting this common-sense action by the Orange County Commission to protect Central Floridas waters and I encourage you to voice your support too. Let them know you have their back and support the draft fertilizer ordinance before their Tuesday, Feb. 8, Board of County Commissioners meeting. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, represents District 47 in the Florida House of Representatives. There has been an ominous trend materializing in Greenwich. Developers, eager to capitalize on unrealistic and ill-conceived state mandated 8-30g housing requirements have descended on Greenwich and are ready to build, build and build. As long as a project has a 30 percent 8-30g affordable housing component, our Zoning Board is constrained in its ability to reject it. Here is a sample of some of the proposed projects. Church Street: a 192-unit development that will essentially replace an entire neighborhood of single family and two family homes. Brookridge Drive: an 86-unit apartment complex adjacent to Hillside Drive and Greenwich High School. 240 Greenwich Ave.: one year ago, a modest four-story, 20-unit building was proposed, only to re-emerge as a six-story, 60 unit, 8-30g apartment building ini ts most recent incarnation. 111 Mill Street: a proposed four-story, 27-unit apartment building with no parking for residents. Benedict Court: 110 units under 8-30g. This is the third time this project has been presented. A few years ago it was proposed as a six-story, 72-unit condo building. It has grown significantly taking advantage of 8-30g. 125 Greenwich Ave: Adding an additional two stories to an existing building under 8-30g statutes. This will set a bad precedent for increasing building height on Greenwich Avenue. This unprecedented tsunami of proposed development will have a long lasting ripple effect throughout our community. As ominous as the above slate of proposals is, their total combined number of affordable units (130) is only 10 percent of the 1,200 units Greenwich will need to add if it is to meet the state mandated 10 percent affordable housing target (we are currently at 5.3 percent). It is important to note that to financially justify their construction, developers will have to produce an additional 2,800 market rate units to subsidize the 30 percent (1,200) 8-30g units. They still need to make a profit and that is their goal. Under 8-30g, for every three affordable units built, there will be seven market rate units. Thus, the fallacy of the 8-30g experiment. It consistently moves the goalposts in a way that will make it unlikely we will ever reach 10 percent. It would be much more effective to have our local housing authority (Greenwich Communities) build out our affordable housing supply. They would not have to add any market rate component and it would give our town a fighting chance to reach the 10-percent target quicker and in a way that would efficiently provide affordable housing options to those who need it most. The 8-30g issue has also been hyper-politicized by DeSegregateCT. This group holds firm to its thesis that Connecticut is a segregated state and the best solution to solving the affordable housing conundrum is to flood downtown suburban real estate markets with apartments. These areas are targeted due to their proximity to transport hubs. This will, in turn create an oversupply problem and will drive down surrounding prices, thus making housing more affordable for all. The net effect will be a pronounced uptick in population density in small to midsize communities across Connecticut. In Greenwich, this will exacerbate existing traffic and parking challenges and overburden our municipal infrastructure. The ultimate result will be significant increases in infrastructure spending and of course, higher tax rates. In addition to the stress on our infrastructure, the 8-30g push will negatively impact the environment. Smaller scale construction allows for the reduction of impervious surface and other important environmental benefits. The EPA website states; Stormwater runoff is a major contributor to water pollution. When rainwater washes over impervious surfaces such as rooftops, parking lots, and roads, it collects and carries pollutants that ultimately flow into our waterways. We dont need more of that. Our ability to retain our zoning rights as a community is being directly threatened. This is the single most important issue facing the electorate in Greenwich as we head into midterm elections next November. Tax rates can fluctuate depending on which party has power in Hartford, but losing local zoning rights will have lasting consequences that cannot be easily unwound with a bill in the Legislature. What can you do about it? You should contact your local state representatives and state senators, participate in local rallies, write letters to the editor and testify at public hearings. For our community to be effective in opposing this, we will need all of our elected officials to be engaged, energized and working together irrespective of party affiliation. Affordable housing is an admirable goal, and over time, neighborhoods and communities change. However, this is different. This is an ambush by developers who are trying to force through projects that maximize their profits under the false guise of good intentions, at our expense. It is being facilitated by ill-advised, big-government policies in Hartford. 8-30g will not solve the affordable housing problem in any way. Instead it will harm our environment, increase municipal infrastructure spending, raise our taxes and devalue our real estate. These are all issues worth fighting for. Dan Quigley is chair of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee. Zekiya Sage N. Mapilisan, 2022 Guam Poetry Out Loud Champion, discusses selecting her poems and her recitation strategies for the competition on April 28, 2022. The segment of the National Semifinals featuring Mapilisan will be broadcast online at 8 a.m. May 2, 2022, at Arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud. Catch this week's video Sandy Gould Yow and Duane Pahl share their expertise on Everything Real Estate once a month, and weekly on the PDN website with a video discussing a real estate topic. This weeks video topic focuses on real estate challenges improper setbacks, title problems, etc. Dont miss it on guampdn.com. Do you have real estate questions you want to ask or discuss? You can call them at 671-687-6006 or 671-689-7777, email news@guampdn.com, or share your comments and questions online. Guam hospitals had 43 COVID-19 patients Sunday. Guam Memorial Hospital had 23 patients, including two in the ICU and two on ventilators, according to a Joint Information Center news release. Guam Regional Medical City had 20 patients, with two in the ICU and one on a ventilator. Of the 43 hospitalized, 21 were vaccinated. There were 344 new cases of the virus from 903 specimens analyzed Saturday, the Department of Public Health and Social Services reported Sunday. Additional results are pending analysis and submission from other clinics. They will be reported Monday. Guam has had 36,113 officially reported cases of COVID-19, including 296 deaths. There are 7,141 people in isolation. Testing Community COVID-19 testing at the old carnival grounds in Tiyan will be held for those with appointments 8 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. through Saturday, according to the release. The clinic will take unscheduled drive-up patients, but on a limited basis. Testing prioritizes patients with symptoms and close contacts with high-risk factors. Testing kits and supplies are limited. The criteria for high-risk close contacts are: Unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Age 65 or older. Multiple comorbidities or multiple underlying health conditions. Moderately to severely immunocompromised condition. Schedule an appointment at tinyurl.com/covidstopswithme. Public Healths northern and southern health centers will provide testing, by appointment only, for those with COVID-like symptoms 9 a.m.-noon until Saturday. Vaccination sites Vaccinations are available: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through Wednesday and Friday; from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday at the University of Guam Calvo Field House. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Saturday at Public Healths Northern Region Community Health Center, Dededo. 9 a.m.-noon through Friday at Public Healths Southern Region Community Health Center, Inalahan. Vaccinations for children with disabilities are available: FEMA-contracted nurse Joyce Collins-Murdock administers a Pfizer booster shot to Dededo resident Takemy Iata during a vaccination clinic at the Northern Region Community Health Center in Dededo Jan. 5, 2022. Local featured urgent topical After resignation of Police Chief Tim Wallis, Lawrenceville will take time before deciding next steps Tim Wallis The resignation of Lawrenceville Police Chief Tim Wallis means the city will be looking for a new leader of its police department, but officials wont jump into that decision right away. City Manager Chuck Warbington said the city will keep Maj. Myron Walker, who had been the assistant chief under Wallis, in the role of the acting chief for several months. The idea behind keeping Walker in that position for the next few months is that it will provide the police department with some stability in the aftermath of an investigation that precipitated Wallis resignation. Lawrenceville officials will then decide in the summer on what to do next in terms of hiring a permanent police chief. The citys leaders have not decided yet whether they will promote from within or open the search to outside candidates. We wont immediately begin a search, Warbington said. For the time being, Myron will be the acting chief and in the next four to six months, we will look at what the next steps will be ... Summer is when well know what our next steps will be. Wallis resigned this past week in the aftermath of an investigative report that raised concerns about issues within the police department, including an allegation that he violated the citys sexual harassment policy. Officially, Wallis departure is being labeled as a retirement. His last day as chief will be in mid-February. Chief Tim Wallis is a long-standing member of the Lawrenceville Police Department and provided many years of dedicated service to the City, Warbington said in a statement released of Tuesday. As we prepared to move the Lawrenceville Police Department forward after recent events, I met with the chief to discuss the future. During that meeting, Chief Wallis and I mutually agreed that it was best for him, the City, and the Police Department that he step down as chief and retire from the city on Feb. 15, 2022. Lawrenceville Police Chief Tim Wallis suspended in wake of sexual harassment investigation into police department Lawrenceville Police Chief Tim Wallis has been suspended for more than a week, an assistant chief must receive counseling and a captain in the department has left the department in the wake of a sexual harassment and hostile work environment investigation conducted by city leaders. The investigation into the police department had resulted in Wallis being suspended for 10 days without pay. Among the allegations made against Wallis, according to the investigation report, was that he told a female captain that she looked like a Hooters girl when the air conditioners not working. A male captain who left the department while the investigation was underway was accused of making lewd comments, both verbally and in text messages, to the same female captain. The male captain was also accused of taking naps in a city-owned trailer that was used for police training activities. Wallis and Walker were accused in the investigation report of not doing enough to investigate the allegations that the male captain was taking naps in the trailer. Wallis was accused of protecting the captain while the city looked into the allegations involving the trailer. An investigator brought in by the city to look into the police department noted a good ol boy network and a grab ass culture had sprung up in the department under Wallis predecessor as chief. While the investigator noted Wallis had taken steps to change the culture in the department, the report states the old culture still lingers. Walker was not accused of committing sexual harassment, but he was required to undergo documented verbal training as a result of the investigation. The entire police department has to undergo mandatory in-person training as a result of the investigation. The city will use the next few months to address issues in the police department that were highlighted in the investigative report. On Friday, Warbington said a consultant may be brought in to help the citys leaders evaluate the department. With Wallis and one of the departments captain now gone, and the assistant chief acting as the police chief, Warbington said the next few months will provide an opportunity to rebuild the departments command staff. But, one big goal of the city is to give the department a chance to recover from the recent investigation and its aftermath before jumping into a search for a new chief. Anytime there is a potential new leader coming in at the moment, obviously with a search, theres a lot of angst, theres a lot of questions, a lot of things (like) who that will be, what that will be, Warbington said. Right now we just need to kind of look internally, look at ways we can continue to improve and put our full focus and energy on looking to the future of how we can be an even better department. And, thats what were going to do over the next four to six months. Biden, Democrats are taking away water rights There seems to be no limit to the overreach and attacks on personal liberties we see out of the current administration and D.C. bureaucrats, and the latest in Florida are coming in the form of revoking our water rights. If you think radical activist groups and their Washington allies arent looking for a backdoor way to control local land-use decisions, think again. Advertisement President Bidens EPA is intent on re-litigating the sweeping Waters of the U.S. Rule that would put the federal government in charge of regulating nearly every drop of water that falls on any piece of private property with a ditch. Fortunately, the Supreme Court will hear the case, where common sense should hopefully prevail so homeowners dont have to navigate the federal bureaucracy to build a home on land they own. Another troubling issue is brewing. The Army Corps of Engineers is developing a new water management schedule for Lake Okeechobee, and as part of it, the federal government plans to take away Floridas legal right to administer its water allocation permits. Advertisement Thats crucial for Central Florida because, as the headwaters of the Everglades system with the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, our communitys stewardship keeps water flowing into Lake Okeechobee, which helps supply water to 7 million people in South Florida. Florida has taken good care of its environment and natural resources for decades, and we applaud Gov. Ron DeSantis for standing up to the Biden Administration to protect state water rights and our citizens and property. Mark Busch Casselberry Mark Busch is a former Orange County Soil and Water board supervisor and current city commissioner in Casselberry. Staying childless has environmental impact Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. > The Tribune News Service column by John M. Crisp (Children or pets? How about neither? Jan. 11) was long overdue. Were told to take numerous steps to help the environment and mitigate climate change, but I never hear about overpopulation. In the 1950s, the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, but as the worlds population was less than half of todays level, we did not have the pollution, overcrowding and scarce resources that we see today. Like Crisp, I am also someone who lives a satisfying life without having children of my own. Im tired of the media regularly portraying childless people as boorish or heartless, not to mention often ignoring the incredible expense and responsibility involved in raising children. Lowering the birthrate to reduce the worlds population would take time, and the economy would need this time to adjust. But it would have much more environmental impact than banning plastic straws or trading your car for a bicycle. And it would do more to ease congestion than building more roads or commuter rail lines. Advertisement Bob Schmerling Lake Mary Our leaders rule without common sense Prior to the American Revolution there was a pamphlet entitled Common Sense that explained that the way the colonists were being treated was wrong. We are not subject to a foreign power any more, but maybe subject to our own authorities. Rules and regulations that seem to have uncommon sense abound these days. It all leads to confusion, head-scratching and fear. The Bible says 365 times to fear not. That is one for each day. Rise and shine and be fearless, America. Jerry Rodeheaver Dunnellon Haiti - IDB : US$50 million to support education in Haiti Nesmy MANIGAT, the Minister of National Education gave an update on the new Support Project for the Ten-Year Education and Training Plan (PAPDEF) financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to the tune of 50 million dollars. It should be recalled that the PAPDEF was designed by the Ministry of National Education, in support of the objectives set within the framework of the Ten-Year Education and Training Plan (PDEF). The departments of North-West, North-East, North, Artibonite, Center and West are the areas targeted under this new project, in addition to the regions already taken into account in the framework of the former Quality Assurance System project, supported by the IDB. The essential objective is to provide a set of basic services for access to education at the basic school level in the network of public schools. In addition, support is planned for the relaunch of school activities in Nippes, South and Grande-Anse. A particular effort is planned for the establishment of school canteens. It is also planned to finalize the construction of 8 public schools and equip them with school furniture as part of the Program for Access to Quality Education in Haiti. The four key components of the project relate to Governance and institutional strengthening; access to basic public education; the quality assurance system in public basic schools and the component relating to the management and monitoring of the project. Among the main actions planned, the schooling subsidy, school canteens, the distribution of school kits and textbooks, the training of teachers, the dissemination of distance courses and the strengthening of the PRATIC Platformhttps://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30614-haiti-education-the-online-teaching-platform-is-operational.html and the construction of schools. As part of the governance component for school support, certain criteria related to the Teaching Permit and the School Identification Card are essential. Support is envisaged in this regard for the strengthening of the Education Management Information System. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... A Haitian Chancellor of the University of Montreal The engineer and scientist of international reputation Frantz Saintellemy of Haitian origin became the youngest black Chancellor (48 years old) of the University of Montreal to occupy this function in Quebec. CEP : The human rights sector refuses to appoint its representative The human rights sector refuses to appoint its representative to the new Provisional Electoral Council until security is restored in the country. United States Security Support Friday, February 4, 2022, Bocchit Edmond, Ambassador of Haiti to the United States received in audience Daniel P. Erikson, Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere during a working visit. The two men reviewed the political and security situation in Haiti. Daniel P. Erikson reiterated the support of the United States in terms of security, in particular cooperation with the National Police of Haiti in general and particularly with the Coast Guard, in terms of training and equipment https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35888-haiti-usa-donation-of-parts-and-materials-from-the-us-coast-guard-to-the-haitian-coast-guard.html The Minister of Justice is satisfied with the decisions of the CSPJ "I salute the determination of the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ) in the process aimed at cleaning up the judicial system https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35885-icihaiti-cspj-9-magistrates-sanctioned-lose-their-certification-list.html . The Government promises all its collaboration to the CSPJ in order to establish a real rule of law," Me. Berto Dorce Minister of Justice. New Cuban Ambassador Chancellor Geneus, received the style copies of the credentials of the new Cuban Ambassador Carlos Moya "We are committed to strengthening our relations of friendship and cooperation in the areas of health, executive training, infrastructure and agriculture." Textile : Unions cut off from reality Workers' unions, particularly in the textile sector, are stepping up pressure on the Government to obtain an increase in the minimum wage. Some are calling for a 200% increase. Funeral of "Alcibiades" On Saturday February 5, a delegation from the Ministry of Culture attended the sung funeral of actor Nicolas Pierre Rolin aka "Alcibiade", at Parc du Souvenir. HL/ HaitiLibre Published on 2022/02/06 Bloated Cat Productions and Penguin Films have unleashed "The New Face of Horror". UNDER THE KNIFE is a psychedelic journey into the vortex of vanity. Advertisement "Beverly travels to South Korea to get plastic surgery, but ends up unknowingly getting a computerized implant from a surgeon who maniacally turns his patients into beautiful killing machines". Prep for surgery. This film will get implanted in your head! Bloody deaths, exotic locations, atmospheric nightmares, and much more. Inspired by the fun vibe of 80's American slashers and the hypnotic visual decadence of 70's Italian giallo films. The soundtrack features K-pop, indie retro surf rock, and riveting house music. The themes of technology and social conditioning are explored in depth and really resonate with current events. UNDER THE KNIFE is a thoughtful art film with retro slasher roots, painted with intense sequences depicting visually stunning mind control. You're gonna wanna buckle up for the second half of this film. UNDER THE KNIFE was written and directed by American filmmaker Josh Hoffman (THE PHONE DEAD, 2019 and EYETANIC, 2020) and produced by Swedish producer J. Pingo Lindstrom (ANGRY, 2010 and THE WEREWOLF CULT CHRONICLES, 2005). This edgy English-language film was shot on location in South Korea, Japan and the US, and is the first South Korea/Sweden co-production. Renowned Korean actor, Kim Jin-geun ("Acacia", 2003 and "Someone Behind You", 2007) stars as the deranged plastic surgeon, Dr. P. UNDER THE KNIFE World Premiered in the Forbidden Zone at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2018, Japan's largest horror film festival. The North American Premiere was as the Closing Film for the Portland Under- ground Film Festival 2018, held in the historic Clinton Street Theater. The film then had its East Coast Premiere as a special event put on by the Korean American Film Festival New York in the Film Noir Cinema in Brooklyn. Pick up a Limited Edition VHS from RETRO RELEASE VIDEO or watch the film streaming on TUBI, XUMO, PLEX, VIMEO ON DEMAND or TROMA NOW. More streaming options coming soon. Limited Edition VHS https://www.retroreleasehomevideo.com/product-page/under-the-knife-dir-josh-hoffman-pre-order TUBI https://tubitv.com/movies/633162 XUMO https://www.xumo.tv/channel/99991734/free-horror-and-thriller-movies?v=XM0JI8F5MXMZJS&p=51407 PLEX https://watch.plex.tv/movie/under-the-knife-2018 VIMEO ON DEMAND https://vimeo.com/ondemand/undertheknife TROMA NOW https://watch.troma.com/videos/under-the-knife Visit the film's Official Site and follow along on social media for merch, soundtrack links and plenty more goodies to come. Official Site https://www.undertheknifemovie.com Twitter https://twitter.com/UnderKnifeMovie Instagram https://www.instagram.com/undertheknifemovie Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnderTheKnife Hastings, NE (68901) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Becoming windy for the afternoon. High 41F. Winds NE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Cloudy. Periods of light rain and windy at times early. Low 34F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Editor: The rest of the story about the TransCanada Energy pipeline is explained i This came during a meeting conducted by ANHA' agency with the politician Alaadin Khaled, to talk about the developments that happened during the past few days in north and east Syria, and in particular the attack of ISIS mercenaries on Al-Sina'a prison in Hasaka. Khaled began his speech by saying: " ISIS cells' attack on Al-Sina'a prison had preludes, whether by media or militarily, before its implementation." He continued, "Why did the attack begin, both in the media and militarily?" he added, "When Turkey saw that Russia and America would not allow it to attack on north and east Syria, starting from Shahba and other region, Turkey began preparing for the implementation of Al-Sina'a prison attack, And that through indiscriminate bombardment on the areas of Shahba, Ain Issa and Tal Tamr, and the use of drones to target civilians. However, this plan failed miserably; As a result of the efforts and social awareness among the components in Hasaka, they became united against terrorism and all those who support it. In the end, the plan failed, SDF and Autonomous Administration succeeded. 'Damascus and Ankara meet against SDF and Autonomous Administration' Aladdin Khaled pointed out that "the security meetings between Syrian and Turkish intelligence or so-called (MIT) have not been interrupted since the beginning of Syrian crisis and to this day," and added: "It is true that there is hostility between Damascus government and Turkey but they meet in some point. the best evidence of this is Adana Agreement and latest news before the events in Hasaka, as there was regional media promotion, especially from the Turkish media, for a security meeting in Jordanian governorate of Aqaba, according to information leaked from some sources. He pointed out that "in international political relations, there is no permanent friend and there is no permanent enemy. International politics has no emotions, morals, not even humanity, there are mutual interests, and the common security interests in which Turkey and Damascus government meet, which is the failure of Autonomous Administration, and standing against Syria Democratic Forces." He touched on the crises that Turkey is going through, and said: "Turkey is afraid of the democratic project, and export its internal political, social and economic crises that we see now in Syria or Iraq and Libya, is only to distract the people and divert attention from the failure of the policies pursued by Erdogan, who has no friend left in the regional countries due to his reckless policies. Double standards and political interests Politician Aladdin Khaled pointed to double standards, saying: "Politics is about interest, because there are forces that they call it terrorist, but these terrorist forces in particular when they attack Autonomous Administration or Syria Democratic Forces, they are called" Popular resistance", therefore, it is double standards and double political interests." Khaled also pointed to the issue of the presence of ISIS mercenaries in Syrian desert, and said: "This area is still under ISIS control and so far they have not been able to eliminate them, why? Are they investment for them? There are more political reasons and dimensions than we see in media." On the other hand, he said, "SDF confirmed and affirmed their previous victories and achievements, and with the failure of this plan, Syria Democratic Forces strengthened their position more and more locally, regionally and internationally." Khaled believes that "this failure of the terrorist plan, will push America, France and Britain to change their policies locally and internationally towards changing other strategic visions, whether militarily, politically, socially, security and economically in north and east Syria." Sh-S ANHA According to SDF's Media Center: The visit focused on dormitories of The Caliphate Cubs who were separated from the adults inside the prison to inspect their conditions. The UNICEF delegation was headed by Mr. Bo Victor Nylund, UNICEF representative in Syria, along with Natasha Stoykovska, head of the UNICEF Office in Qamishli. SDF officers explained the situation on the ground, the repercussion of the outside attack on the prison, and mutiny of the inmates inside the prison. The delegation was provided with information on the status of the ISIS-linked teenagers. It is noteworthy that UNICEF is the only UN agency that has allowed to access Al-Sinaa prison since the January 20 attack. A.K New York, US (PANA) - Members of the UN Security Council have condemned in the strongest terms the attacks by Cooperative pour le developpement du Congo (CODECO) militias on the Savo camp for internally displaced persons in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on 1 February 2022, which left at least 58 civilians dead and more than 40 injured US Treasury stimulus check laying on a form 1040 tax return for 2020 to illustrate questions about qualification for payment Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. County GOP to sponsor debate March 26 for congressional primary The Henderson County Republican Mens Club along with the Henderson County Republican Party and the Republican Womens Club will host a debate for the announced seven for the 11th Congressional District from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at the Blue Ridge Conference Center at BRCC. Voters are encouraged to attend the debate, which will be carried live on radio station WTZQ. Voters may submit questions for the candidates prior to the debate to the Debate Planning Committee at noirs@aol.com. Questions will be solicited at the debate from attendees as well. The debate is open to the public. N.C. Supreme Court strikes down GOP-drawn maps as illegal gerrymander The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday struck down the maps drawn by the Republican controlled Legislature and ordered lawmakers to create new ones by Feb. 18. A 4-3 majority of the Supreme Court found that the state legislative and congressional maps were unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt under the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free speech clause and the freedom of assembly clause of the North Carolina Constitution, the order written by Democratic Justice Robin Hudson said. The General Assembly will have to redraw maps and submit them by noon Feb. 18 to a three-judge panel in Superior Court for approval. If the panel decides the General Assemblys new maps dont meet the courts new standards, it can select maps submitted by the groups that sued the state. Whatever the trial court selects, the state or any of the challengers can appeal the decision by 5 p.m. Feb. 23. Thats the day before candidate filing is set to open again, so there is a chance North Carolina will see a repeat of what happened in December, when the courts shut down candidate filing then reopened it, then shut it down again. Because of the tight timeline, the Supreme Court only issued an order, not an opinion, meaning that it told the relevant groups what they had to do next but did not describe the full legal justifications underpinning the decision. The opinion will be submitted later, according to the document. Chief Justice Paul Newby, a Republican elected in 2020, expressed his frustration with the decision in a snappy dissent, writing that the Democratic-majority court interpreted the constitution in such a way that left no limits to this Courts power. Since the state constitution does not put an explicit limit on partisan gerrymandering, Newby argued, the only ways to do so are by statute or a constitutional amendment. Both would require the legislature to act to limit its own authority to draw partisan maps. Either the General Assembly takes the Supreme Courts order and attempts to draw constitutional maps or takes the risk that the courts will choose maps submitted by the groups that sued. It will also have to submit the data it used to draw the maps and the methods used to measure partisan fairness. The Supreme Court recommended, but did not require, five different metrics for measuring the partisan fairness of a map. To comply with the limitations contained in the North Carolina Constitution, which are applicable to redistricting plans, the General Assembly must not diminish or dilute any individuals vote on the basis of partisan affiliation, the majority wrote. But Newby wrote those guidelines are vague and undefined, meaning only the court itself will be able to define the constitutionality of new maps. The question of how much partisan consideration is unconstitutional remains a mystery, as does what is meant by substantially equal voting power on the basis of partisan affiliation, Newby wrote. Democrats quickly praised and Republicans just as quickly denounced the decision. "A healthy democracy requires free elections and the NC Supreme Court is right to order a redraw of unconstitutionally gerrymandered districts," Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement. "More work remains and any legislative redraw must reflect the full intent of this decision." "Democratic judges, lawyers, and activists have worked in concert to transform the Supreme Court into a policymaking body to impose their political ideas," said Sen. Ralph Hise, who co-chairs the Senate Redistricting Committee. "On this and other cases soon to come before them, the justices 'interpret the Constitution to mean what it would have said if they, instead of the Founding Fathers, had written it,' in the words of former justice Sam Ervin Jr. This perverse precedent, once set, will be nearly impossible to unwind, as monied interests line up to buy their own justices to set law favorable to them. Im certain Democrats will come to regret it." The East Carolinian has created a forum that centers around topics within the community where readers can express their experiences and concerns. With Valentine's Day coming up, do you think the ECU community and the City of Greenville is doing all they can to make people feel loved and supported? Survey If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here A man died after his van caught on fire Sunday morning on the South Side. Firefighters were called just before 6 a.m. to the corner of Tierwester and Rebecca streets for reports of a van on fire, according to Houston fire officials. When they arrived, they found a man in his 60s dead inside the van, fire officials said. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, and arson units have been called to investigate. The family of an 11-year-old boy who was fatally shot Thursday night in northeast Harris County has raised more than $27,000 for funeral costs from online donations. The boy was shot to death when he went to get his jacket out of a car during Thursday nights winter storm, his family said on a GoFundMe page. He was a smart, respectful, down to earth, always smiling kid, happy kid, the GoFundMe page reads. His innocent life was stolen from him way too early. The childs mother Brenetta Francis, also lost her sister in a car crash months ago, the family said. 'I'M TRAUMATIZED': Residents shocked after 11-year-old is gunned down at NE Houston apartment complex This family has endured so much lost in the past year our heart goes out to her, The boy, D.J., was shot multiple times around 7:40 p.m. Thursday in the outside of an apartment complex in the 12000 block of Tidwell, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Harris County Precinct 3 constable deputies performed CPR on the boy before EMS took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Gonzalez. "What we know is apparently he had gone outside, said he was going to grab something from the car and this happened," Gonzalez said. "Multiple shots were heard." The family started the GoFundMe to raise $20,00 to pay for funeral expenses. By Sunday morning, it had raised $27,673. Anyone who might have information is encouraged to call 713-274-9100 or 713-222-TIPS. A man who was throwing debris onto the street from atop the 24th floor of the Chase Tower Saturday morning was taken into custody a few hours later without further incident, according to Houston police. Downtown officers were flagged down around 8 a.m. at the 600 block of Travis and found broken glass before locating a man who was poking his head out of a broken window several floors up, HPD SWAT Cmdr. Meghan Howard said. A woman was fatally shot Saturday morning inside a south Houston apartment, according to Houston police. Officers responded to reports of a shooting around 4 a.m. at the 4800 block of Jarmese Street near Calhoun Road and found a woman with a gunshot wound inside her second floor apartment, authorities said. More on HoustonChronicle.com: Man throwing debris from Chase Tower stated he wanted to take his own life, police say A child may have been inside the residence when the shooting took place, HPD told ABC13 in a report Saturday morning. More from Joel Umanzor: Man dead after car hits tree, bursts into flames in west Houston No other information is available at this time. Joel.Umanzor@chron.com A man died Saturday afternoon in a residential fire in southeast Houston, police said. Arson authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, which occurred at a detached garage behind a home on 6523 Thrush. Houston firefighters arrived after 1 p.m. to the fire on Thrush, near Bellfort and Mykawa, HPD Homicide Sgt. Blake Roberts said. Once the flames were extinguished, law enforcement found a deceased man in the garage, the sergeant said. The area had been converted to a suite, where he lived by himself. The man was about 60 years old, authorities told OnScene TV. His official cause of death will be determined, pending an autopsy. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: When Tope Adubi-Ashcroft moved to Houston from Nigeria in 2019, she wanted to start a skincare and cosmetics company with ingredients and fragrances inspired by locations in Africa. Her company, Kilali Cosmetics, was just a month old when the pandemic hit Houston. Not only am I trying to start a business in a new city where I dont have any connections, but now everything is shut down, she said. It was a lot of hustling and resilience. Adubi-Ashcroft was among more than 50 small business owners, performers and artists to participate Saturday in the nations largest monthly gathering of Black-owned businesses, organized by BLCK Market, a Houston company that aims to make it easier for consumers to Buy Black and support these small business. It began with just seven vendors in the hallway of Sawyer Yards in 2017, but has grown to include dozens Saturday along the road in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. Markets will be held every Saturday and Sunday during Black History Month, including this Sunday at Karbach Brewing Co. The company maintains a database of more than 4,000 Black-owned businesses that they work with through monthly outdoor markets, their online store and their storefront in Pearland Town Center. There are about 2 million Black-owned small businesses in the United States, compared to 20 million white-owned small businesses. And just 1 percent of Black-owned businesses were approved for loans during the first year of operation, compared to 7 percent of white-owned businesses, a Stanford University study found. This leaves most Black business owners to rely on their own cash for startup costs. NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here. Adubi-Ashcroft connected with BLCK Market, and even though her company was new, they agreed to stock her products in their Pearland store. Many banks and investors wont work with a company unless they have years of sales data, BLCK Market event manager Alicia East said. Well help founders make those sales and network so they have a strong foundation for their business. Last year more than 15,000 people attended Black History Month markets. East hopes this years events will have close to 25,000 attendees. Amanda Garner and her daughter Makenzie Wilborn, 14, attended a BLCK Market event last summer. Garner said they were thrilled to see the markets events for Black History Month. I love to support smaller Black vendors, but it can be hard to find them, Garner said. Ive found companies through past market events that I still buy from today. The event also showcases Black artists, musicians and authors. Houston author T.L Johnson sells his series of childrens books at the markets. The protagonists of his books are kid versions of the Egyptian figures Ramses, Prince Tut, Cleopatra and Nefertiti. The books teach lessons about sharing, female empowerment and self-confidence. I didnt have characters that looked like me in books growing up and now 30 years later, theres still not many childrens books with characters that look like me, Johnson said. Nisa Johnsons three children - Alex, 6, Sydney, 9 and Landon, 10 - were captivated by the colorful illustrations of Nefertiti, a Black girl with twists adorned in gold jewelry and a blue cape, and Prince Tut, a Black boy with golden sandals and a striped head cloth. Nisa purchased a few books for her kids. I want my kids to have books with characters they can relate to, Nisa said. Representation matters. The next Black History Month Market is Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Karbach Brewing Co. Outside of February, the BLCK Market hosts a pop up every 2nd Saturday at East River HTX. stephanie.lamm@chron.com Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff Police are looking for a vehicle believed to be involved in the early Saturday fatal shooting of a man in northwest Houston. Officers around 6:45 a.m. found the man unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds while responding to a person down call at 1175 Chamboard Lane, Houston police said. CORSICANA, Texas (AP) A gunman in Texas killed four members of his own family, including a child, before fatally shooting himself as officers approached, police said Saturday. Corsicana Police Chief Robert Johnson told the Corsicana Daily Sun that one shooting was reported overnight in Corsicana, about 50 miles south of Dallas, and the second was discovered by authorities in Frost, about 20 miles west of Corsicana. If Jim Mattress Mack McIngvale ruled the world, Republicans itching to unseat our first-term, millennial Democratic Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo would fight fire with fire and fresh face with fresh face. McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture, has endorsed 37-year-old former Army Capt. Alexandra del Moral Mealer, a West Point graduate who, just a decade ago, was commanding several hundred people and overseeing a bomb squad in Afghanistan. Shes impressive: joint degrees in business and law from Harvard. Investment banker working on complex corporate transactions in the oil and gas industry. Mom of two toddlers. She didnt attend our screening but in an interview, she was fluent in the countys budget figures, and clearly understood the nuances of the countys crime problem, including the fact that misdemeanor bail reform isnt the culprit, even if she disappointingly sticks to oversimplified, red meat talking points on her website. Our concern is that Mealer is politically green sometimes painfully so. She features on her website an appearance on Fox and Friends in which she says shell fight crime in part by funding our legal defense system; she also claims that all local leaders are facing corruption charges and that Hidalgo is under indictment. Neither is true. Mealer told me it was her first TV interview and she misspoke. Why feature the video, without even adding a disclaimer? Her rigid delivery and overall lack of polish dont exude the confidence Harris County residents look for as a hurricane approaches. If I can defuse a bomb in a combat zone, Im confident I can perform under pressure, Mealer told us. The fact remains: She hasnt held public office. Neither had Hidalgo when she ran, something Republicans often point out, but Democrats in that race didnt really have other options. Republicans do. Both attorney Vidal Martinez, 67, and Humble ISD school board President Martina Lemond Dixon, 52, are strong conservatives who understand Harris Countys crime problem and have ideas to get it under control. Both have garnered significant support: Martinez has led in fundraising and is backed by influential Republican clubs. Lemond Dixon has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, former U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, Kingwood state Rep. Dan Huberty and the Kingwood Tea Party. We appreciate Martinezs four decades in the legal system, including as former chairman of the State Bar of Texas and a stint as a federal prosecutor. His resume is vast and includes serving as the first or only Latino on several boards, including that of the Greater Houston Partnership, the port of Houston, and the Houston Methodist Hospital System. But we believe Republicans best shot at beating Hidalgo in the fall is Lemond Dixon. The third-generation Houstonian has deep roots in this community. She attended North Shore High School, has degrees in education, communication and construction management, serves on the Harris County appraisal board, and has life experience that matters profoundly in our region: she says her Kingwood home got 42 inches of water during Harvey and recounts in a campaign ad how she was home alone one morning a couple of years ago when four men tried to break in. Voters reelected the personable, no-nonsense former classroom teacher to the Humble ISD school board, where shes demonstrated her leadership working with people of different backgrounds and partisan affiliations in the diverse communities of Atascosita, Humble and Kingwood. We like her commitment to transparency. We dont like her support of loosening COVID protocols, including optional masks, but were sure many fellow Republicans do. What we like most, and what may give Republicans a shot in November, is that, despite Lemond Dixons harsh, hyper-partisan campaign rhetoric against Hidalgo, she emphasizes that the issues before commissioners court go beyond politics and must be addressed that way. Huberty noted in his endorsement that she would stand strong against partisan games, an important attribute considering how divided things have become on a governing body thats supposed to be about meat-and-potatoes issues. Personally, I dont think the county judges role is to take up these social issues, she told us. I definitely think the job is about health care, crime, taxes, flooding and infrastructure period. If elected, well hold her to those words when the politicking is over. Like other Republicans vying for county executive, Lemond Dixon promises more funds for law enforcement, including more prosecutors, moving forward with the I-45 expansion and delivering promised flood mitigation projects. Shed also make history as the first Black person to lead Harris County. Two other candidates who screened with us, appraiser Hector Bolanos and construction marketing manger Robert Dorris seemed passionate about addressing crime and overall quality of life in Harris County but lacked deeper policy knowledge on other issues. Also running: Oscar Gonzales, Warren Howell, Randy Kubosh and George Zoes. Republican voters who want commissioners court to get serious about crime and get back to basics should vote for Lemond Dixon. Jacquelyn Martin, STF / Associated Press Prohibition hasnt worked Regarding NY boosts medical marijuana access as legal pot market looms, (Feb. 4): Bills seeking federal legalization of cannabis are normally put forth by Democrats, but a new one, the States Reform Act, has been proposed by Nancy Mace, a Republican representative from South Carolina. Her bill would have cannabis decriminalized at the federal level so each state could determine its own laws concerning cannabis within its borders a process already underway with 18 states, starting with Washington and Colorado in 2012 after numerous states enacted medical marijuana laws as far back as 1996. Her bill shares a major theme with bills proposed by Democrats, which is releasing an estimated 2,600 nonviolent cannabis offenders from federal prison and expunging their criminal records because enforcement of cannabis prohibition laws have disproportionately affected communities of color a fact no one disputes. I'm a Republican who favors nationwide cannabis legalization since prohibition has done nothing positive for our society. I fail to understand why more Republicans dont favor legalization because it serves the cause of individual liberty and it simply works better than prohibition as we've seen with alcoholic beverages. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Adams Nomination Papers for May 2 Election Available ADAMS, Mass. Those interested in running for an elected position in the May 2 election can pick up nomination papers at the town clerk's office. Including the numerous town meeting seats for each of the town's five precincts, there are a total of 75 open positions set to be on the ballot in May. Among the most notable openings is two three-year terms on the Board of Selectmen, currently held by board members Richard Blanchard and Joseph Nowak. Two seats on the Board of Health are also up for re-election, one for a three-year term and another for two years. The two-year term seat is currently held by Joyce Brewer and the other by Peter Hoyt. One Planning Board sear, a five-year term currently held by Sandra Moderski, will be on the ballot. The position of treasurer and tax collector will be up for re-election. The seat is a three-year term held by current Treasurer and Tax Collector Kelly Rice. A three-year term on the Board of Assessors, a seat filled by Lorraine Kalisz, will also be available. No One Injured in Truck Collision That Closed Vermont Route 7 POWNAL, Vt. The northbound lane of Route 7 was closed for nearly seven hours on Saturday following a collision between a pickup and semi. No one was injured in the crash. According to state police, a 29-year-old Pownal man was driving his 2011 Ford F-150 southbound at about 11:30 a.m. near the intersection with Route 346 when he lost control in the slush and veered across two lanes to strike the driver's side of the 2004 Peterbilt heading north. A snow storm that had moved into the region Friday night had left a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain through Saturday, creating slushy and icy roads across the region. Both drivers were wearing seat belts and neither required hospitalization. The Ford was totaled and Peterbilt incurred heavy frame damage. State police were assisted on scene by Pownal Fire and Bennington Rural Fire Department. No charges were filed. Your support is needed now more than ever Help support your local news Local news sources need your help. Stay in the know on Coronavirus, local updates, and more. Supporting good causes has always been an act of nobleness from the rich and famous. If movie stars do it, fans will follow. Certain celebrities never publicize their support of social causes. South Indian movie industry has also contributed widely to different causes. Also Read: Priyamani Feels Bollywood Used To Stereotype South Indians, Finally Changing! Celebrities from the cinema world have contributed millions of rupees to causes near and dear to their hearts. The generosity of these actors like Ram Charan, Suriya, Prakash Raj, and more is truly appreciable. So, here is the list of South Indian actors who have given a helping hand to various disadvantaged sections of societal welfare. Unite States President Joe Biden has launched a multipronged initiative to boost prevention, screening, and research, with the goal of cutting the death rate from cancer by half over the next 25 years, relaunching the "cancer moonshot" which he led during the Obama administration. The declaration has revived the 'cancer moonshot' programme, which was first introduced in 2016 by Biden, then Vice President, during the final year of Barack Obama's presidency. Jill Biden and Vice President Harris, whose mother was a cancer researcher and died of the disease, made heartfelt statements during the gathering. The launch is also significant as it comes just a year after Biden lost his eldest son and a veteran of the Iraq war, Beau Biden to brain cancer in 2015. He was just 46 years old. Unsplash/Representational image "All those we lost, all those we miss, we can end cancer as we know it," the president said. "This is a presidential White House priority. Period," he further added. Furthermore, the name "Moonshot" conjures up the space race that was first sparked by President John F Kennedy in 1962 during the Cold War, when he challenged the Russians to send a man to the Moon first. His statement prompted the Apollo 11 mission, which resulted in the first steps on the Moon in 1969. Why has the Cancer Moonshot been resurrected? Biden's statement on moonshot 2.0 comes less than a month after President Richard M. Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, which marked the beginning of the so-called "war on cancer." The legislation strengthened the National Cancer Institute's ability to combat cancer and established national clinical trial networks. The rebooted moonshot has a comprehensive list of objectives. Jill Biden will be intimately involved in the strategy, which includes asking Americans to start cancer screening to make up for the millions of tests missed during the coronavirus pandemic. Unsplash/Representational image COVID-19 caused an estimated 9.5 million people in the United States to miss cancer screenings. Cancer screening is known to reduce mortality for cancer of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, lung (among persons with a history of heavy smoking), and prostate, according to the American Cancer Society. It also advocates for more equal access to care, such as mobile screening to make it easier for patients to acquire the tests they need. Various cancer-related projects are included in the programme, including improving immunotherapy, mapping tumours, including patients, addressing drug resistance, early diagnosis, and extending cancer research. The new targets for this initiative include a 50% reduction in cancer fatalities and an improvement in the experience of persons living with and surviving cancer and their families. The objectives will be met by a number of measures, including ensuring equal access to cancer screenings, the use of vaccines (such as for HPV) and the evaluation of multi-cancer detection tests. One thing the project lacks, however, are plans for funding it. The United States Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act in December 2016, authorising $1.8 billion in financing for the Cancer Moonshot over a seven-year period. This means the money is in its sixth year, which some people are concerned about because no new funding has been announced yet. According to Politico, the American Association for Cancer Research lobbied Congress in a letter delivered Thursday morning to increase health agency budgets for 2022, while also including a $400 million increase for the National Cancer Institute. Unsplash/Representational image Even Biden, without offering a particular proposal, called on Congress to fund the endeavour in his remarks. He also encouraged lawmakers to fund his previously proposed advanced research agency, which aims to accelerate the development of breakthrough medical therapies for cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and other life-threatening diseases. On that subject, discussions with legislators are now underway. Some cancer supporters in the United States have stated that they will encourage President Obama to present concrete financial ideas in his State of the Union speech on March 1. What does the US cancer statistics suggest? In 2018, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 17,08,921 new cancer cases, with approximately 600,000 deaths. In other words, 436 cancer cases were reported per 100,000 individuals, with 149 people dying from the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, if non-melanoma skin cancer is excluded, at least 42% of newly diagnosed cancer in the United States, or around 805,600 cases in 2022, could be avoided. This number includes 19% of cancers caused by smoking and at least 18% caused by a combination of obesity, alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity. On January 1, 2019, more than 16.9 million Americans with a history of aggressive cancer were still alive. The majority of these patients were diagnosed with cancer many years ago and have no current symptoms. According to the American Cancer Society's most recent figures, the five-year survival rate for all malignancies has grown significantly since the early 1960s, thanks to breakthroughs in treatment and early detection for some tumours. For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News. As the row over students wearing hijab and saffron shawls intensify, the Karnataka government on Saturday issued an order and banned the wearing of any such clothes that "disturb equality, integrity, and public order in schools and colleges." "Invoking 133 (2) of the Karnataka Education Act-1983, which says a uniform style of clothes has to be worn compulsorily. The private school administration can choose a uniform of their choice," the government order said. It said the students have to wear the dress chosen by the College Development Committee or the appellate committee of the administrative board of the pre-university colleges, which come under the pre-university education department. Twitter "In the event of administrative committee not selecting a uniform, clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn," the order said. The government order noted that the KEA-1983 had explained that all students should wear a common uniform so that they should belong to a common family and behave in a manner that there is no discrimination. The order also said that the second pre-university or the 12th standard is crucial for the students in their life. Muslim Voice/ Twitter A common programme has been chalked out for all the schools and colleges in the state for the benefit of students, the order said. "However, the education department has noticed that in some educational institutions, the boys and girls have started behaving according to their religion, which hurts the equality and unity," it added. The order also cited the rulings of the Supreme Court and various High Courts in India in favour of uniform. Initially, the controversy was restricted to Udupi and Chikkamagaluru at the beginning of January as Muslim girls started attending classes wearing Hijab. In protest, the Hindu students started attending classes wearing saffron scarves around their necks. Gradually the issue spread to other parts of the state where Muslim girls demanded permission to attend classes wearing headscarves. Protest against #Hijab continued even today also at #Bhandarkar private college at #Kundapura. This time #Hindu girl students wearing #saffronshawls came to college protesting against hijab. pic.twitter.com/8kmB8M1w3i Imran Khan (@KeypadGuerilla) February 5, 2022 The issue of Hijab had snowballed into a major controversy with political parties striving to derive mileage over it. While the Congress leaders backed Hijab, the BJP said it will not allow 'Talibanisation' of education institutions. For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News. Cyber-attacks are on the rise globally, accelerated further after the pandemic forced the world into a remote workforce and a digitized ecosystem. In India, cyber-attacks have doubled in the past three years, according to University of Surrey research, with enterprises the most common target of these attacks. Air India experienced a devastating cyber-attack in February, with 4.5 million customers having their data compromised, prompting the enterprise to encourage all of its customers to change their passwords. In January, Indian payment provider Juspay experienced a data breach, with 35 million customers having their data, including card information and fingerprint scans, released on the dark web for anyone to buy. India is ranked among the top-3 most frequently attacked company for years, according to our own Cyber Readiness Report 2020/2021. With 1.15 billion phones and 700 million internet users, India exposes a vulnerable and large user base and plenty of surfaces for cyber-attacks to take off. Unsplash/Representational image One of the most well-known cyber-attacks was the WannaCry attack, a worldwide ransomware cyber-attack occurring in May 2017 using the WannaCry cryptoworm. This attack targeted computers running Microsoft Windows, encrypting data and extorting money out of victims with ransom threats. This attack used the EternalBlue exploit to gain access, an exploit developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and leaked by a hacker group called the Shadow Brokers, a name referencing a character in the video game series Mass Effect. The SolarWinds supply chain attack from May was also launched by nation-state attackers, with threat actors accessing Orion users' networks with a trojan hiding in software updates. So, why should businesses care about ransomware attacks, especially when most attacks seem to be against public sectors? Simply because, while the attacks on public sector get vast coverage and close attention, truth is, there are many more attacks on SMEs successful ones at that, but those are simply not as visible, so theyre not making the news. Research shows: small businesses are a ripe target for attackers with 71% of ransomware attacks occurring on small businesses. Attackers do not discriminate in the end who they attack, with all targets being a potential asset and income source, regardless of scale. Businesses also store large amounts of sensitive and personal data about clients and employees, which is potentially useful information for any attacker looking to scope out future targets. Unsplash/Representational image Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) groups coordinate supply chain attacks, with the operators of the Maze RaaS using data extortion as a tactic to pressure their victims into paying ransoms, netting an estimated $75 million from their victims, according to a report by security firm Analyst1. These attacks not only hurt the victims directly but also inspires tactics for fringe groups of cyber terrorists to deploy in future attacks. Research and consulting company Gartner, Inc, predicts that in 2024, cyber-attacks will be so damaging to critical infrastructure that a member of the G20 could retaliate with a declared physical attack. Cyber-attacks dont just target companies for financial gain, theres a myriad of different motives behind cyber-attacks, each as troubling as the last. Nation-state attacks might be launched as an attempt to gain tactical espionage and military information, for example. Cyber-attacks are also utilized in efforts to spread disinformation and influence public opinion or government decisions. This means cyber-attacks arent always high-tech and utilizing state-of-the-art technology, but can be as easy as posting misinformation on social media and using social engineering to spread misdirection as far as possible, into the reaches of the Indian public. In the summer of 2010, a computer worm named Stuxnet struck, destroying 2,000 centrifuges in an Iranian nuclear facility and crippling the entire plant. This worm was in development since at least 2005, and was the first time malware was documented to spy and subvert enterprise systems. India was harder than most countries, with a study of Stuxnet composed by Symantec reporting that India hosted more than 8% of computers infected with the worm. Unsplash/Representational image This begs the question: what are businesses to do? No business is safe, no matter the size, so this is a problem that haunts every business owner connected to the internet. Hiring professionals is one of the best-proven ways to mitigate attacks and reduce any destruction caused by potential cyber-attacks. Professionals can be anything from full-time cybersecurity experts to penetration testers and ethical hackers, to part-time security consultants. Still, there are steps every business owner and even the general public can take to reduce risk of cyber-attacks and any potential damage. Using virtual private networks (VPNs) to secure data, for example, is a step anyone can take, from businesses to personal devices. Multi-factor authorization, which requires any password-secured login to be validated with a secondary device, is another important implementation that could prevent potential phishing and account compromise. Gartner predicts that having organizations adopt a cybersecurity mesh architecture will reduce the financial impact of security incidents by an average of 90% by 2024. Mesh architecture forces enterprises to build perimeter security measures around every individual user and access point, with Gartner predicting cybersecurity mesh will support more than half of all IAM requests, enabling a more explicit, mobile and adoptive unified access management model by 2025. Decrypting and encrypting all traffic, and deploying data loss prevention tools and intrusion prevention systems can also block enterprises from potential attacks. Zero-trust security measures, which require all users even those with high authorizations and meritare required to be periodically and consistently authenticated, is also a recommended approach to mitigating security risks and preventing internal cyber attacks. Training employees in basic cybersecurity measures as well can drastically reduce instances of cyber-attacks and the amount of data compromised. One famous example of employee preparation saving a business is the story of Rick Rescorla, during the infamous 9/11 attacks in New York City in 2001. As the director of security for the financial services Morgan Stanley, located in the World Trade Center, he began security evaluations and preparations for a potential plane attack as early as 1990. He was successfully able to evacuate over 2,700 Morgan Stanley from the south tower shortly after the north tower was struck. Unsplash/Representational image Employee training involves teaching your employees to recognize phishing attacks, creating strong passwords, and being cautious about what data they entrust with whom. Especially with the pandemic encouraging a large surge of remote work, cybersecurity training for employees is more important than ever. Cybersecurity experts are available for hire to train employees, with annual refresher courses encouraged as the landscape of cyber-attacks is constantly changing. Conducting drills as well is another way to keep employees alert on their toes, with fake phishing attempts or fake social engineering attacks being a couple of examples. Its in your best interest is to prioritize: 1) Regular cybersecurity and password training for all your employees especially those working remotely. 2) Vulnerability assessments & patch management 3) Zero-trust approach for all users 4) Adopting mesh-architecture 5) Threat-agnostic anti-malware capabilities Nation-state cyber-attacks are on the rise, and delaying implementation of cybersecurity protocols only invites inevitable attacks. Its time for every business everywhere to get serious about cybersecurity and prepare for the worst, and there are the resources available out there for everyone, so no more excusesget safe! About the author: Stas Protassov, Acronis co-founder & Technology President. Views expressed here belong to author alone. For more interesting science and technology news and insights, keep reading Indiatimes.com! Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. 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Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 Hi Louise, I don't know how to deal with the pressures of drinking. I always drink too much when I go out and I hate the way I feel the following day. I get panic attacks and beat myself up for wasting my time being hungover and miserable. I would love to stop drinking but I'm not sure I can. Would love to get your advice on this. I gave up drinking in April 2018. I wasnt an alcoholic or even what most people might deem as a problem drinker, but after a few too many drinks, I made bad choices. I acted in ways that made me deeply ashamed the next day. I didnt hurt anyone or cause harm, but my behaviour wasnt reflective of who I was as a person. Combined with my natural inclination for self-loathing, that shame (or The Fear as its more commonly known) felt corrosive. I dealt with it the only way I knew how to process painful emotions at that time, with disordered eating. My life was chaotic and messy; I was spinning out of control. Deciding to get sober was the first step to taking back some of that control. I dont think its a coincidence that only two months later, I began to recover from the eating disorder that had plagued me for most of my adult life. I have attempted a sip of Prosecco here and there in the years since, at a wedding or celebration of some kind, but Ive lost both the taste and the tolerance for alcohol. And thats okay! I tell you this because I think often, especially in Ireland, there is such a culture of drinking so much of our socialising is predicated on the idea that it will take place over a glass of wine or a gin and tonic that the prospect of taking a step back from that can seem frightening. No one wants to be zero craic, or the boring one. We dont want to be excluded from parties or nights out because well be the only one who isnt drinking. You didnt write what age you are in your letter, but this is particularly difficult if youre younger. Im not going to lie and say that I didnt receive the odd comment or sideways glance when I first gave up alcohol but I will say that your true friends arent going to dump you because you made a decision to prioritise your health. Maybe youre someone who can still stay out all night dancing, completely sober I am not one of those people! but if youre not, there are plenty of things you can do that dont involve around drinking. You can become the friend that people go to the cinema with, the friend who organises tickets for a match or the theatre, who sends details of an interesting art exhibition into the Whatsapp chat. The friend who is always up for a hike on Sunday morning because youre not battling a hangover. Believe me, that friend is worth her weight in gold. While reading your letter, I was struck by a few things. The first of which was your admission that you always drink too much when you go out. I wonder why do you drink? We all have our reasons for some, its a way of unwinding after a stressful day, for someone else its to lower their inhibitions when flirting with a stranger they find attractive. These reasons arent necessarily problematic, its only an issue when someone is, as you say you are, taking it too far. So, do you drink to keep up with your friends? Or are you using alcohol to mask some deep-rooted insecurity? It would be helpful for you to reflect on this because if its the latter, talking through those insecurities with a therapist would be hugely important. In healing our wounds, often we find we dont need the crutches we used before the binge drinking, the disordered eating, the compulsive shopping to get us through the day. The second line that jumped out at me from your letter was when you said, I would love to stop drinking but I'm not sure I can". The desire to quit but feeling unable to, could point to a more serious question. Do you think there are addiction issues at play? If so, there are Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in pretty much every village, town, and city in this country and you will be met with empathy and understanding at each one. If thats not something you feel ready for, you could always read Quit like a Woman by Holly Whitaker (yes, as featured in the Sex and the City reboot!), the subtitle of which is, the radical choice to not drink in a culture obsessed with alcohol". Whitaker is also the founder of an online platform called Tempest, which has been described as a small but mighty alternative to traditional recovery models like rehab and AA'. That could be a useful resource for you to explore in the short-term while you evaluate your options. Whenever I am faced with a big decision, I always make a pros and cons list. It would seem to me that the cons of continuing to drink the panic attacks, feeling hungover and miserable, wishing you could give up but feeling powerless to do so surely outweigh anything that could be considered a positive. Just think of the freedom you will have if you decide to give up drinking once and for all! Better sleep, increased energy. A sense of purpose and determination. The extra money in your bank account, clearer skin when you look in the mirror every morning. But most importantly, the knowledge that you are the master of your fate. You are the captain of your soul. Louise always recommends speaking with a professional for more support. If you have a question that you would like answered, email asklouise@examiner.ie The Government should provide funded care for people with long Covid, according to a group of scientists and academics. The Independent Scientific Advocacy Group (ISAG) has said that between 3,500 to 7,000 people a week who are diagnosed with the virus will have longer-term symptoms of Covid-19. It cites that since December 1, there have been more than 580,000 cases of the virus, stating that even though case numbers are falling there are still around 10,000 a day being reported. Credible estimates are that between 500 and 1,000 of these people will have longer-term symptoms, what is called long Covid, that is 3,500 to 7,000 people every week, said the advocacy group. The ISAG has warned that high case numbers will continue to put pressure on the hospitals and health care system. The decision to rely on a vaccine only strategy has led to the current situation, the group added. The scientists are calling on the Government to introduce a vaccines-plus strategy to ensure the risk of a spike in cases and further restrictions are minimised. It has said the Government should continue to promote working from home where possible, provide CO2 monitors in all school classrooms and all indoor public venues and establish and regulate air hygiene standards in all commercial, educational and workplaces. It is also calling for high-quality masks to be used in indoor public places and workplaces. It has called on the Government to continue to offer supports, including: Full wrap-around support to all people required to isolate, and adequate sick pay for those who are unwell with Covid. Provide funded care for people with long Covid. Provide free or affordable digital connectivity for all and ensure the availability of laptops for every student and school pupil. Continue the current levels of economic support for affected businesses. It added that the Government should stress the need to reduce the number of unnecessary social contacts to minimise the spread of the virus. It comes as the number of people in hospital with the virus continues to fall. Some 581 people are currently receiving treatment, down 16 from yesterday and down from 649 seven days ago. 67 Covid patients are in intensive care, which is down just one over the same period. COMPANY NEWS AMD's Peter Chambers spoke with iTWire.TV on CIO challenges, key enterprise trends, the Ryzen Pro 6000 series, Pluton, and partnerships with Lenovo and HP. Peter Chambers, managing director of sales, Asia Pacific and Japan, AMD, took time out of his busy schedule to fill iTWire.TV in on the innovation and developments AMD is currently working on, and planning for 2022. Peter is responsible for developing and implementing the end-to-end engagement and sales strategy covering OEMs, Add-In-Board partners, distribution, resellers, VAR/SI, retailers and end-users. Peters team is accountable for revenues generated across AMDs key product verticals including Component, Consumer, Commercial and Server. Peter brings over 24 years in sales and management and excels in creating innovative strategies for global brand development. His expertise and experience have allowed him to implement key solutions and partnerships to enable customers to effectively and competitively position their AMD platforms in the market. Previously Peter was responsible for leading the Consumer Sales team for AMD APJ and led the team to nine consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth. He is focused on challenging the perceptions of AMD in the market and educating partners and consumers alike on the performance and value AMD products provide. In our wide-ranging discussion, Peter spoke on challenges faced by CIOs today and how AMD technology aids and supports them (1m 26s) key enterprise trends (7m 45s) the Ryzen Pro 6000 series (12m 20s) Pluton (13m 00s) - a security chip designed for the future of Windows PCs the importance of partnerships and collaboration to AMD (14m 40s) laptop partnerships where AMD tech is powering two modern laptops, providing AI-smarts, noise-cancelling, security, long battery life, and high performance: the HP Elitebook 805 (15m 50s) the Lenovo Thinkpad Z (16m 25s) - coming later this year, an ultramobile powerhouse AMD's plans for 2022 (17m 25s) See Peter's informative and inspirational words here, and get excited about what AMD is working on. Jacksonville, TX (75766) Today Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Staff Writer Jonathan Roberts is a reporter and photographer for the Johnson City Press covering Jonesborough, healthcare and higher education. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, and has been with the Press since 2019. Renowned sociologist, anthropologist and author Dr. William H. Turner and East Tennessee State University professor Dr. Ted Olson will be the featured speakers in Tuesdays Histories of Black Life and Music in Appalachia at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. The program is also available virtually via Zoom. BAGHDAD, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Sunday held a phone talk with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss delays of the talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad. During the phone call, the two ministers discussed issues related to the security and stability of the region and the reasons for the delay in holding the fifth round of Saudi-Iranian talks, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Iraqi government will make every effort and invest all its relations to create an appropriate opportunity for the understanding between Tehran and Riyadh," Hussein was quoted as saying by the statement. In a phone call with the Iraqi minister on Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised Iraq's efforts to bring closer views and enhance the region's security and stability, referring to Baghdad's sponsorship of the negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 after protests were held outside its embassy in the Iranian capital in reaction to the kingdom's execution of a senior Shiite cleric. However, Iranian-Saudi ties, seen as essential to the developments in the Gulf, have shown signs of detente since direct talks between the two sides resumed in April 2021 after a long pause. Iraq, acting as the mediator, has hosted rounds of talks between the delegations of the two regional powers. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Joplin, MO (64801) Today Light rain this morning with strong thunderstorms likely by evening. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Occasional thunderstorms - possibly severe. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 02/04/2022 Rep. Tom Bevill, second from left, speaks with former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush. Bevill is the subject of a new documentary airing on APT on Feb. 7. The latest documentary produced by JSU Longleaf Studios, "Tom Bevill: Servant Leader," will air on Alabama Public Television on Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. The one-hour film remembers the remarkable life of Rep. Tom Bevill, who represented Alabama in Washington from 1967 to 1997. APT is proud to bring this uniquely Alabama story about US Rep. Tom Bevill to our viewers, said Phil Hutcheson, APT interim executive director. Rep. Bevill served 15 terms in the US House and was truly a servant leader. The film includes interviews with family members and colleagues, who provide insight into Bevills service in World War II and his long career in Washington. Extensive archival footage provides a glimpse of Bevills personable nature. In one clip, he remembers how his father who ran a grocery store helped out his neighbors during the depression, instilling in him the values of servant leadership. Dad wanted to be remembered as someone who tries to help people, said Bevills son, Don. Seth Johnson, head of JSU's Department of Art and Design, served as executive producer of the documentary. Other films produced by Longleaf Studios for APT include "Forever Wild: The James W. Martin Story," "Lagarde: Making Natural History," "Bluegrass on the Rim" and "A Fire in Anniston: A Freedom Riders Story," which has been nominated for two Emmys. Saddle Lake First Nation Chief Eric Large checks his video camera as the Queen attends a traditional and cultural demonstration in Yellowknife, N.W.T., Aug. 21, 1994. The Queen, accompanied by then-territorial leader Nellie Cournoyea, left, and Prince Philip were on the final leg of their 10-day Canadian visit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan SALEM LAKES The Wilmot Union High School Board is looking to hire a new district superintendent with solid finance skills by the end of March and will eliminate the business manager position. The district has been without a superintendent since Dan Kopp left the district in June 2021. The School Board hired Vance Dalzin as an interim superintendent in December 2021. He is slated to serve the district through June. Dalzin, who retired last year from his position as administrator of Oakfield School District, is also a consultant with McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, the national search firm ultimately hired by the board to help it find a new superintendent. Vance Dalzin The Wilmot High School Board hired Vance Dalzin as an interim superintendent in December. He is slated to serve the district through June. Dal Dalzin said the district is looking for a candidate with a finance background now that Business Manager Dave Betz announced he would be leaving the district after 22 years. He said other union high school districts in the region including Westosha Central, Union Grove and Waterford have superintendents that perform the duties of business manager. Dalzin said the district may also need to add a non-management position, such as a bookkeeper, to serve in a supportive capacity. Competitive recruitment realm Some are critical of the decision to fill the superintendent position prior to the April election, when voters will decide who will fill two seats on the board. Dalzin defended the timeline. This is going a little faster because theres like 27 openings right now in Wisconsin, Dalzin said. It is a very competitive field and we dont want to lose good candidates. Im trying to speed it up a little bit because Im concerned about that. In Kenosha County, Salem School, Brighton School and Kenosha Unified are searching for new superintendents. Dalzin said he spread the word at the recent statewide convention that Wilmot would be seeking applications and McPherson & Jacobson will be posting the position within days. The School Board recently set the salary range for the position at $150,000 to $180,000. Under the interim contract, Dalzin works part-time, earning $600 daily up to a maximum of $50,400 for 84-days. He said he spends three days per week at the school. The other two days are spent remotely on consulting projects. Im separating my consulting work from the regular time that I work, Dalzin said. Despite the fact he works for a national search firm, Dalzin said he did present other recruitment options to the School Board for consideration, including the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Schaumburg, Ill., based Hazard, Young, Attea, & Associates. Stakeholder feedback Dalzin said the School Board members came up with characteristics they want to see in the next superintendent to help McPherson & Jacobson draft the job posting. The next step will be to hold a stakeholder input session on Tuesday, Feb. 15. There will be opportunities for students, staff, parents, the administrative team and feeder school leaders to give their input during the input session or via online survey. The stakeholders will be asked to describe the positive aspects of the community, what traits and characteristics they would like to see in a superintendent and what challenges the new hire will face. The responses will be anonymously recorded verbatim and posted on the search firms online portal. You take all this data and then you reach common themes that guide the board in the decision making, Dalzin said. It is the same process being used by the Oconomowoc School District, which is also using McPherson & Jacobson. As an example, Dalzin said Wilmot residents can look at the 97-page stakeholder report for Oconomowoc on the firms website at http://macnjake.com/openings/. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 State Rep. Samantha Kerkman has clarified her positions about the county-run Brookside Care Center after receiving criticism from the current county executive following a candidates forum last week. The issue intensified following a radio report related to the forum and Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser sending out statements critical of Kerkman. Kerkman, of Salem Lakes, is one of three candidates running in the Feb. 15 primary election in a quest to become the next county executive to succeed Kreuser, who is retiring after 13 years in office. The two top vote-getters advance to the April 5 general election, which officially is nonpartisan. During a candidates forum last Monday organized by WGTD, Kerkman said she would take a close look at the finances of Brookside, 3506 Washington Road. Obviously, we have great assets like Brookside. Unfortunately, Brookside has taken some hits with the COVID situation and havent been able to do a lot of the rehab, so that has impacted their budget, Kerkman said. She continued: If Im elected, I want to do a close look at Brookside and all of the services and things that they offer. And go through a line-by-line review and work with Director Bogdala and see where we can make some good changes. Brooksides administrator is Lynda Bogdala. The back and forth Kreuser said he found Kerkmans remarks concerning in a media release after the forum. I find it concerning that Rep. Kerkman looks at privatizing Brookside Care Center when in fact it sets the standard of quality care in our community, utilizing very few taxpayer dollars. Rep. Kerkman clearly doesnt have a grasp of the finances at Brookside, and if Kenosha Countys finances werent in order, we clearly wouldnt be rated AAA, Kreusers statement read. Kreuser has endorsed one of Kerkmans opponents, Kenosha County Clerk of Circuit Court Rebecca Mastoska-Mentink, of Pleasant Prairie. County Board Supervisor Jerry Gulley, of Pleasant Prairie, is also running in the Feb. 15 primary. In a Friday interview, Kreuser said if Brookside were a private company employing hundreds of employees you would be giving this company an incentive to be here, rather than trying to sell it off. Kerkman said she believes her comments were highly misconstrued. Kerkman said she supports Brookside and maintains it will not be privatized, as Racine County did in turning over Ridgewood Care Center in Mount Pleasant to a private firm. Kerkman said she doesnt know what inspired Kreusers media release or comments. I just want to work, go through line-by-line. Thats what my remarks were. We need to work together line-by-line to figure out how to help make it better, she said. Its an asset. We are keeping this right now. No, no, no, no we are not going to privatize it. Kerkman said a loved one received quality care at Brookside and called it a top-notch facility. If I had a loved one right now who needed care I would be trying to get them into that facility, she said. But Kreuser kept up his criticism of Kerkman in a statement released late Friday afternoon, noting an additional challenge to a statement Kerkman made at a Tuesday forum sponsored by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance about money budgeted for elevator work at the Kenosha County Center in Bristol. I stand by my comments on both issues. The CIP made it clear that the project at the Kenosha County Center is far more involved than an elevator, Kreuser said. Regarding Brookside, she clearly gave wrong information about the financial picture. Representative Kerkman has been known for her fuzzy math and she needs to do her homework before she can talk about the countys finances, Kreuser said. Kerkman called Kreusers comments unfortunate and said she stands by everything she said. Its his budget. How can I respond to something when Im just quoting what his budget is. He puts $1.9 million into the elevator and renovation project, Kerlman said. Brookside holds its own Kenosha County Finance Director Patty Merrill said Brookside has faced challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic but is still going strong. If you look at the county budget, youll see that in 2022 Brooksides budget is $21 million. But Brookside takes in revenues that pay for their expenses. The county doesnt pay anything towards Brooksides operation, Merrill said. We know that Brooksides been running a deficit in 2021 due to COVID. When we put together our plan for American Rescue Plan funds we did earmark funds to be set aside to help Brookside during this period of time. Once we know what that amount is we will transfer those funds over. She said the funds are not from the tax levy. Merrill said Brookside is not able to take in new admissions during a COVID-19 outbreak. She said before 2021 Brookside was not operating at a loss. There have been years Brookside put funds back into the general fund, she said. Kerkman said she never implied Brookside costs taxpayers $21 million annually during the forum. I said the budget is $21 million, she said. Its not fuzzy math. Its what I said in the forum. I said $21 million. I didnt say (to stay) afloat. I said $21 million is the Brookside budget. ... It doesnt come off the levy. They were making money before COVID hit. Nationally recognized care center The Brookside community consists of two facilities Brookside Care Center and the adjacent Willowbrook Assisted Living providing a continuum of quality care to Kenosha County residents. Brookside was recently named best in state in Newsweeks Americas Best Nursing Homes 2022 ranking. Newsweek partnered with global data research firm Statista to create the annual report. Brookside is licensed by the State of Wisconsin and accepts Medicare, Medicaid, private pay and most insurances. It has about 150 residents. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, go online to wgtd.org. WGTD 91.1-FMs Morning Show airs 8:10 to 9 a.m. weekdays. Guests this week include: Monday: The guest is Benjamin Gilmour, author of Paramedico: Around the World by Ambulance. Gilmore is an Australian paramedic who has elected to do that important work in an array of different countries around the globe. Tuesday: The guest is Martin McClendon, professor of theater at Carthage College, talks about the new play Frontline just crafted by his Verbatim class, based on interviews with six health care workers and what they have experienced while working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Wednesday: A preview of two theatrical productions opening this weekend: Guys on Ice at the Racine Theatre Guild and Failure: A Love Story at the Rhode Center for the Arts in downtown Kenosha. Thursday: The guest is Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht and Executive Vice President/Provost Zina Haywood discuss their time at GTC and their impending retirements. Friday: The guest is Jeffrey Roberg and Maribel Morales, from the faculty at Carthage College, discuss the 18-day study-tour to Peru that they led during J-Term. (Several of their students will join them as well.) Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Ketchikan, AK (99901) Today Light rain this morning. Then remaining cloudy. High 51F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Periods of rain. Becoming windy late. Low around 40F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Man in custody after reported robbery during which shots were fired Looking to update your home? Watch the KHQ Spring Home Design Guide featuring the areas top home improvement businesses on Sat, May 7 at 4:30pm on KHQ. And click here to win a $500 VISA gift card, courtesy of our presenting partner - VPC Electric! The Congress is likely to bet on Charanjit Singh Channi as its chief ministerial candidate for the February 20 Punjab elections aiming to strengthen its pledge for Scheduled Caste empowerment in the state and the nation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to make the announcement at a virtual rally scheduled to be held in Ludhiana on Sunday. AICC sources said the partys internal surveys had put Channi ahead of others by a huge margin. The Congress is learnt to have reached out to a cross-section of party workers, leaders and contestants to get a view on the issue. Navjot Singh Sidhu, president of the Congress partys Punjab unit and a contender for the chief ministerial candidate ahead of the assembly elections, said on Saturday that whoever the party selects for the top post will have absolute power, stressing that only someone with peoples trust can ensure 60 MLAs in the 117-member assembly. Kilgore, TX (75662) Today Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Low 69F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. Jasper, TX (75951) Today Thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High near 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. In the wake of the Gonojagoron Mancho protests, the governing Awami League amended the respective ICT law in the parliament and incorporated the appeal provision for the victims to that flawed law. by Anwar A. Khan The spirit of victory remains all around This year on 5 February would be the 9th anniversary of Gonojagoron Mancha Movement (National Awakening Stage) in Bangladesh. The Grand Alliance under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, the Modern Day Joan of Arc, won the election held on 29 December 2008 with a two-thirds majority, based in part on its promise to prosecute alleged war criminals. On 29 January 2009, the new Parliament unanimously passed a resolution to prosecute the war criminals of 1971. In our country, Bangladesh and in the world in general, or even in our lives, we do not value things that come easy. Anything that we achieve as an outcome of struggle or movement becomes invaluable to us. How can we forget the popular movement of Ganojagoron Mancha for death punishment of 1971 war criminals in Bangladesh? The movement commenced on 5 February 2013 and it is a turning point in Bangladeshs history after our glorious Liberation War of 1971. The Gonojagoron Mancha Movement is as if the sun breaks bright to the soil of Bangladesh. The springThe great awakeningA golden star in our heartsThe victims and their family members too are human beings who deserve and demand right punish those the war criminals of 1971. Alas! It betided differently; the convicted criminals only were given the right to appeal to the apex court as per the ICT law for a further scrutiny of the war criminals. The appeal right of the victims colossally ignored by the concerned Ministry. On 5th February, 2013, the scene exploded into the public eye when Kader Molla, the Butcher of Mirpur was awarded life imprisonment by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) instead of death punishment. Without the Gonojagoron Manch Movemen, it was almost impossible to let the worst war criminals walk the gallows. A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. It actually has honoured the victims and their families who fell prey to the deadliest enemies during our glorious Liberation War in 1971, Bangladesh, its national flag and people of all walks of life who fought bravely with utmost patriotism to achieve Bangladesh. It ignited the veridical spark to arouse the people and showed the right-angled pathname. After our liberation war, nothing reminds us of an awakening more than this historic movement. Silence was a lie that screamed at the light then. Awakening will be sudden. The Gonojagoron Manch Movement is the staggeringly gifted one for us. After pro-longed time, we could recognise our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The deluge and the tree, when the hurricane swirled and spread its deluge of dark evil onto the good green land of people in general gloated in Bangladesh. The western skies reverberated with sorrowful accounts: The Tree has fallen! The great trunk is smashed! The hurricane has left no life in the tree! Has the tree really fallen? Never! Not with our red streams flowing forever, not while the vino of our thorn limbs fed the thirsty roots, Bangladesh roots alive tunneling deep, deep, into the land! When the tree rises up, the branches shall flourish green and fresh in the sun; the laughter of the tree shall leaf beneath the sun and birds shall return. Undoubtedly, the birds shall return. Humanity, where were you thee? We were being slaughtered under your watchful eyes, we were cold . . . cold . . . cold. We cringed. We cried. Humanity, where were you? Why did you turn your face away? Why did you keep looking the other way? We were here languishing in Bangladeshs alleyways during our Independence War in 1971. Humanity, where were you then? Look at us? See us? Humanity, enough turning the other way! Turning a deaf ear; turning a blind eye while we and our poor people died unmercifully. Our path is called Justice . . . and now we must walk it, and stoutly avow to follow wherever it leads till the sun sets blaze to the weeds We announce what comes after us; we announce mightier offspring, orators, days, and then, for the present, depart. We remember we said, before our leaves sprang at all, we would raise our voice jocund and strong, with reference to consummations. We announce natural persons to arise; we announce justice triumphant; we announce uncompromising liberty and equality; we announce the justification of candor, and the justification of pride. We announce a life that shall be copious, vehement, spiritual, and bold; we announce an end that shall lightly and joyfully meet its translation; we announce myriads of youths, beautiful, gigantic, sweet-blooded; and we announce a race of splendid people. An unknown sphere, more real than we dreamt, more direct, darts awakening rays about us So long 42 years! Remember our wordswe may again return, we love youBangladesh; we depart from materials; we are as one disembodied, triumphant, dead. An Autumn Sunbright! We leaguered in fire; the wild black promontories of the coast extend; their savage silhouettes; the sun in universal carnage sets, and, halting higher, the motionless storm-clouds mass their sullen threats, like an advancing mob in sword-points penned, that, balked, yet stands at bay. Mid-zenith hangs the fascinated day in wind-lustrated hollows crystalline, a wan Valkyrie whose wide pinions shine across the ensanguined ruins of the fray, and in her hand swings high overhead above the waste of war, the silver torch-light of the evening star wherewith to search the faces of the dead. The Gonojagoron Mancho movement means a platform for popular uprising or mass awakening platform. Its a real songThe movement experienced external threats from extremist forces such as Jamaati men and their buddies, and as a result, the group has become less politically active than the widespread mobilisation seen during February to March-April 2013 and January 2014. The spontaneous movement initially aimed to non-violently build popular support for a harsher sentence for Kader Mollah, a notorious war criminal in accordance with the penal code, and that it has focused on nationalism and patriotism. The demonstrations were called the biggest mass mobilisation in recent memory in Bangladesh by both the local and foreign media outlets. The Gonojagoron Moncho or Shahbag demonstrations in early February 2013 were as peaceful and included candle-light vigils, large-scale gatherings, theatre, poetry recitations, national songs and nationalistic speeches. In the wake of the Gonojagoron Mancho protests, the governing Awami League amended the respective ICT law in the parliament and incorporated the appeal provision for the victims to that flawed law. On hearing appeal from the victims side, the Supreme Court overturned the life sentence awarded by the ICT and ordered that Molla be put to death. Following the 28 February 2013 guilty verdict and death sentence of the Jamaat party vice-president Molla, sub-humans-Jamaat protesters held demonstrations that led to clashes with Gonojagoron Moncho supporters. The unrest resulted in the deaths of protesters, bystanders, and police officers, numbering in the dozens. Three Gonojagoron Moncho activists were killed in different regions across Bangladesh: Prominent blogger Rajib Ahmed Haider was attacked and killed in February 2013. In a speech on 8 February 2013, the spokesman of the Gonojagoron Moncho conducted an oath to the crowds of protesters at the Shahbag inter-section, which stated objectives related to the continuation of the movement for capital punishment for those on trial for crimes against humanity committed in 1971. The objectives of the Gonojagoron Moncho also included: Commitment to a democratic Bangladesh, where religion is considered a private matter; boycotting of businesses, banks, media outlets, social and cultural entities connected to Jamaat; called for an investigation into the sources of funding of Jamaat and associated institutions and businesses; ban on the politics of religious fundamentalists or the politics of Jamaat-Shibir; and achieving their goals without violence. The groups demands more broadly promote accountable governance and it has opened up the space for debate in society. Gonojagoron Moncho obtained support from all sectors and classes of society initially, and the movement exposed internal tensions and debates about secularism and religion in politics, the culture of impunity that is part of the political process in Bangladesh, as well as the meaning of communal harmony in society. The Bloggers and Online Activists Network (BOAN) is the group in Bangladesh that initiated Gonojagoron Mancho protests through online networking and social media. The spokesman for the Gonojagoron Moncho, Imran H. Sarkar who was the main organiser of BOAN. It has been referred to as an umbrella platform of apolitical organisations. The group is not an organised political party or grouping in any traditional sense, but rather that at its height, the movement was a coalition of loose networks, associations, and individual actors though there are core networks. Participants in the initial Gonojagoron Mancho protests numbered hundreds of thousands. The movement can be described the movement as initiated by youth, with hundreds of thousands of supporters including men, women, boys, and girls from all walks of life and citizens irrespective of age and faith. Youth and people from various professions including university teachers, students, cultural and political activists, journalists and bloggers joined this movement of protests. A noted aspect of the movement has been the participation of large numbers of women. Shahbag Square in Dhaka is described as the centre of the movement. Support for the movement has soon spread across the country. The movement uses social networking to organise support. The organisers of Gonojagoron Mancho Movement have refused to allow the participation of any political parties in the speeches or activities of the movement. A prominent Gonojagoron speaker stated publicly at a rally that this movement does not belong to any political party. The movement involves sit-ins and a programme to occupy Shahbag before the verdicts for those on trial for war crimes, including a sit-in related to the verdict of the 90-year old Jamaat leader Ghulam Azam in July 2013. On 17 July in that year, both Jamaat and Gonojagoron Mancha called simultaneous hartals (day-long strikes) which led to 4 deaths and 100 injuries. In mid-August 2013, Gonojagoron Moncho conducted a procession march and rally to protest a hartal held by Jamaat and to pay tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The movements demands included the arrest of Jamaat-Shabbier activists and banning of the Jamaat party. Some of which were peaceful and some of which caused in violence, including in a few cases the deaths of police officers beaten by Hefazet activists, and in many cases, the use of extreme force by security forces resulting in the killing of many people. Fiery band sloganeer young girl activist Lucky Akhter has emerged as junior Agni-kannaya (the junior daughter of fire) after the-then Agricultural Minister Matia Chowdhury, has always captivated the audience by her skyrocket patriotic slogans. Ganajagoron Mancha announced its decision to continue the sit-in at Shahbagh until Quader Mollas death sentence is executed. Activists blocked the Shahbagh intersection from 10:50 pm in demand for the execution, and crowds began gathering since 7pm in anticipation of the verdict, bursting into protests when the news of the death sentence arrived. Spokesperson of the Ganajagoron Mancha Imran H Sarker said, The Rajakars do not deserve any mercy. He urged everyone to join the sit-in until the verdict is executed. This was happening in a country for which many people of all walks of life of our society fought by ignoring families and personal life, for months. They have fought to free Bangladesh from the hostility of far rights and Pakistani military junta and their brutal local henchmen in 1971. As a generation of participating in 1971 war, I ought to think how meaningless the fight of liberation has become under the ignominious regimes of Zia, Ershad and their compadre politician like Begum Zia. It is possible to rebuild a secular state only if the government recognises its responsibility to identify the network of fanatics and prosecute the criminals, including those that hide under the banner of different noms de guerre. Protesters considered Mollahs sentence too lenient, given his crimes. Bloggers and online activists called for additional protests at Shahbag. Tens of thousands of people joined the demonstration, which gave rise to protests across the country. A counter-protest, questioning the validity of the tribunal and the protest movement and demanding release of those accused and convicted, was launched by Jamaat-e-Islami as its leaders were the majority of those first identified for trial. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) expressed its support for Jamaat-e-Islami, a political ally of them. On 27 February 2013, the tribunal convicted Delwar Hossain Sayeedi of war crimes and sentenced him to death. Jamaat followers protested and there were violent clashes with police. About 60 people were killed in the confrontations; most were Jamaat-Shibir activists, and others were police and civilians. In 1971 Bangladesh was the portion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan known as East Pakistan. In the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, the-then East Pakistan fought West Pakistan for nine months. During this period the Indian Army which provided guerrilla training to Mukti Bahini (Freedom Fighters), joined the war on 3 December 1971 in support of the liberation of former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The deadliest war ended on 16 December 1971 through surrender of the Pakistani Armed Forces to joint forces of Bangladesh and India, resulting in the formation of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh as a secular and independent state. The government intended to use the 1973 law: the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act. It worked to amend the law, updating it and incorporating in it other nations experience. The amendments provided the legal basis, though there were some legal flaws to it, for the trial of individuals and political parties that had committed war crimes during Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. Further developments: On 21 February in the same year, International Mother Language Day, the number of protesters reached a new height. Its leadership declared 26 March 2013, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, as the deadline for the government to ban Jamaat-e-Islami from politics. The government did not ban Jamaat-e-Islam from politics after the deadline was over. Seven protesters calling themselves the Shaheed Rumi Squad began a fast until death on 26 March at 10:30 pm in front of the National Museum, protesting inadequate government action to ban Jamaat in response to the Shahbagh protesters ultimatum. The fasters said at a press briefing that they would send an open letter to Prime Minister Hasina during the 100th hour of their protests. More than 100 organisations expressed solidarity with the hunger strikers. The-then State Minister for Law, Quamrul Islam, said that the verdict against Abdul Quader Mollah could have been different if people had not taken to the streets sooner. The government was planning to file appeals with the Supreme Court contesting the sentence for Mollah. On 11 February the Cabinet approved proposed amendments to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973, introducing a provision for plaintiffs to appeal verdicts handed down by the tribunal. This amendment enabled the state to appeal Mollahs life sentence to turn it into death sentence. International response: On 18 February 2013 British Foreign Office minister Sayeeda Warsi hailed the Shahbag Square protests, describing them as peaceful, productive and non-violent. Media coverage: In Sreemangal, Moulvibazar cable operators in solidarity with the protests have stopped broadcasting the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami television channel Diganta Television. Protesters in a crowd were holding up English-language poster. Protester showed placards to foreign media. The BBC, CNN, Yahoo! News, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, The Independent and others have published stories on the protests; BBC Bangla has been closely following the events. Reuters photographer Andrew Biraj published live photos of mass demonstrations at Shahbagh. Outcome: On 11 December 2013 demand for quick execution of Butcher Molla. The demonstration put pressure on the government to amend the International Crimes Tribunal Act so war criminals can be swiftly executed if convicted. The cabinet also set a 60-day limit for the Supreme Courts Appellate Division to rule on appeals, to keep the cases moving. This means that those who have been convicted and sentenced to death could be executed that year if their verdicts survived appeal. In response to popular protests, former Jute and Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui said on 12 February that a bill was being drafted to ban Jamaat-e-Islami from Bangladeshi politics. On 17 September 2013, Bangladesh Supreme Court found Abdul Quader Molla guilty of murders and other war crimes and ordered his execution and executed him on 12 December 2013. The Gonojagoron Manch Movement or the National Awakening Stage Movement is the biggest turning point in Bangladeshs history. This very attempt to blot out forever the stigma of non-bringing the war criminals of 1971 to justice for decades and it may be one necessary link in the chain of events preparatory to the complete overthrow of the whole non-trialing system of the mass murderers. This movement served as a defining moment for those culprits to book and inflict due punishment to them, and the movement soon emerged as the most prominent one in the annuls of Bangladeshs history. Celebrated Educationist Prof Dr. Khan Sarwar Murshid once reminded us, Forgetting or forgetfulness is equivalent to perfidiousness. We should celebrate this great movement every year with due honour and admiration toward its organisers and people who actively participated and supported this crusading battle tending in the direction of a particular glorious goal-directed purposive. Because of the Gonojagoron Manch Movement, we could lawfully try six beastly animals and successfully executed them. And the trials are still going on to punish the remaining worst war criminals of 1971. We salute the Gonojagoron Manch Movement, its leaders, activists, people of all walks of life, PM Sheikh Hasina and her the-then cabinet members on its 9th anniversary this year. Let us not force our flagging spirit into a poor preparation for worship of the Gonojagoron Mancha Movement. It is thou who draw the veil of night upon the tired eyes of the day to renew its sight in a fresher gladness of National Awakening Stage of 5th February of 2013. Grace, then, is grace, that is to say, it is sovereign, it is free, it is sure, it is unconditional, and it is everlasting. This song isnt a song of theologyits our own heartfelt expression of gratitude to this great movement which betided nine years back in Bangladesh. Long live the Gonojagoron Manch Movement as a lighthouse for us all in Bangladesh. -The End The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Periods of rain. High 52F. Winds ENE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Higher wind gusts possible.. Tonight Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 41F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Two Easy Ways To Subscribe! The Kodiak Daily Mirror offers full-service, five-day a week subscriptions with home delivery in addition to unlimited access to our online services (including our e-Edition). Online-access-only subscriptions include unlimited access to the Mirror's online services without delivery of the printed newspaper. (Note: New users: You must register and login before purchasing a subscription. Yuri (George) M. Yankovsky and a number of boars he killed in the early 1930s Sten Bergman, "In Korean Wilds and Villages." By Robert Neff In the early 1900s, the northern part of the Korean peninsula was the domain of the majestic tigers, sleek leopards, insatiable wolves and unpredictable giant boars. They prowled the darkness and lonely places preying upon the weak and unwary. They also attracted the attention of foreign hunters who came to Korea to hunt them as souvenirs to display in their trophy rooms. There was even a Russian family (Yankovsky) that established a famous hunting lodge on the east coast. But this region was also blessed with great numbers of fur-bearing animals. They, too, attracted foreign hunters who came not so much for the sport but rather the profit. Korea was no stranger to the fur industry. Some of the earlier trade reports list tiger, leopard and bear pelts exported from Wonsan most likely to Japan. Sable and otter pelts were especially prized and were readily purchased by Chinese merchants. In 1897, a pair of Korean fur dealers claimed they exported $30,000 worth of furs annually to China. So many furs were being harvested that in 1897, trappers and traders began complaining that fur-bearing animals were becoming scarcer and scarcer as more people sought to profit from them. An unidentified Western resident in Jemulpo (modern Incheon) called for the Korean government to take measures to protect its natural resources. Yankovsky and two leopards Sten Bergman, "In Korean Wilds and Villages" The unnamed petitioner would have probably been horrified to discover that some hunters were using unconventional means to get their pelts. In 1904, one Korean hunter in Gangwon Province allegedly used dynamite cartridges to obtain fox pelts. He smeared the dynamite cartridges with grease and then placed them where foxes congregated. When the foxes bit down on the cartridges they exploded, killing the foxes by literally blowing their heads off. In the early 1900s, Korea was a concessionaire's dream. It was rich with natural resources but still relatively undeveloped. When Clare Hess, the subject of our previous article, sailed to Korea in early 1901 to work as a gold miner at the Oriental Consolidated Mining Company (OCMC), one of his fellow passengers advised him that "a fortune could be made by buying furs and exporting them to America, as the [Koreans] had no conception of the monetary value of such costly skins as sable, silver fox, otter, sea otter, etc., also that the territory had never been opened and that the chance of a lifetime lay before some adventurous and enterprising American." Hess was determined to be that man. When he returned to Columbia City, Indiana, in the summer or fall of 1903, he established the Asiatic-American Importing Company, which was primarily to sell furs purchased in the Far East. Columbia City was no stranger to Korea. Leigh S. J. Hunt started the OCMC nearly seven years earlier and many of the miners at the concession were from Indiana mainly Columbia City and so it probably isn't stretching the imagination to say that many there viewed Korea as a land of opportunity. Especially when they learned that Hess had brought several pelts from Korea and "sold them at an extraordinary profit." Hess told his friends and neighbors what they wanted to hear even if the narrative wasn't supported by facts and they believed it. One of the gold mining camps on the Oriental Consolidated Mining Company's concession in northern Korea, circa 1900s Courtesy of the Diane Nars Collection He claimed that after completing a two-year contract with the OCMC, he resigned from his position and then spent six months exploring Korea. We know this claim wasn't true because his contract ended in late January 1903 and he was in jail on Feb. 5. According to a hometown newspaper, "He [understood] Korean, Chinese and Japanese languages thoroughly, and gained passports all over Asia, which [were] of inestimable value." They say that in every good lie there is a grain of truth, and there are a few in that statement. The OCMC employed Koreans, Chinese and Japanese, and most of the Western miners knew some words and phrases in each of those languages, but very few understood any of the languages "thoroughly," let alone all three of them in just two years. As for the passports, his only passports that I know of are one issued in Korea in December 1902 and one issued in Indiana in October 1904. Hess did manage to establish his company with a capital stock of $100,000 and departed the United States on Nov. 9, 1904. He and his companion William Socwell, a 49-year-old real estate broker, had provisions to last four months and would "engage in any kind of business" a couple of hundred miles from the coast, deep in the mountains. They and the newspaper had great hopes. "The furs will be shipped all at one time to Columbia City where buyers from all parts of the world will come when a big sale is held." Columbia City, Indiana, in the early 1900s. The library on the second floor was established through a donation from Leigh S. J. Hunt. Courtesy of the Whitley County Historical Museum They arrived at Kanggye (in present-day North Korea) on Jan. 5, 1905. Their trip from Jemulpo first by steamship (a two-day trip) and then 500 kilometers on Korean ponies was quite an accomplishment considering it was winter and during the Russo-Japanese War. Hess described the city as being surrounded by an ancient wall and with a garrison of 400 Korean soldiers. According to him, the city had a population of 30,000 inhabitants who were quite startled with the appearance of the two Americans. In a letter to his parents, Hess wrote: "Our entrance into the city caused quite a commotion and the narrow streets were fairly filled with a conglomerate crowd and we could hear the questions asked many times, 'Are they Russians?' and I don't wonder at it as we had been fifteen days traveling continuously." It wasn't so much their filth that startled the residents but the fact that two days earlier, a patrol of 16 Russian Cossacks had entered the city and were then subsequently driven out by the Korean soldiers. The two Americans found lodging at a small inn and were soon visited by a servant sent by the local magistrate who demanded to know who they were and why they were in Kanggye. After the passports were presented (through their interpreter) a note was received from the magistrate expressing his appreciation for their arrival along with a couple of chickens. Later that day, three high officials visited them and also expressed pleasure with their meeting "but regretted that there were no good accommodations" for the Americans, and instead promised that they would see if they could find a vacant house. The officials kept their promise. "The next day a policeman called and asked us to go and look at a house which had been found and we are now located quite comfortably in it guests of the magistrate." A winter scene from the OCMC circa 1910-1920 Courtesy of the Joseph Lower Family The Americans soon paid a visit to the magistrate's office: "[We] were ushered through a large court yard into the audience hall where he came forward to meet us. We found him to be a perfect gentleman and it seemed that he could not do enough for us. After a short conversation he asked our business and when we informed him that we were here to buy furs he told us that there were two hundred hunters in his district and they were at our disposal. He also sent the chief of that department to us later to let us know that they had been sent for and also that a very learned man in the art of tracking wild beasts, who lives one hundred miles from here, had been sent for. We are now waiting for them to come. Several of the high officials call on us every day and seem to enjoy their visits." On Jan. 11, Hess left his companion in Kanggye and traveled to the Korean-Chinese border. He spent nearly three weeks traveling along the Yalu River, and in a letter to his mother he bragged: "During the trip I was the guest of a magistrate and while I have seen a good deal of Korea [on] my previous trips and thought I knew their customs pretty well, I saw the 'inside' working power of Korea on this trip and many things which I had never dreamed of before." A bridge near Kanggye in the 1920s Robert Neff Collection He returned to Kanggye on Feb. 19 and reunited with his companion. During his time away, Hess ate nothing but Korean food and seemed quite proud of himself for this accomplishment. He proclaimed to his mother, "I would have staid [sic] longer in the interior but we were out of food," and complained that Socwell couldn't (or wouldn't) eat any Korean or Japanese food. Denigrating his older companion even further, he added that another reason was because Socwell "was getting pretty homesick." With such a burdensome companion, Hess had no choice but to return to the United States. By March 11, they were in Nagasaki and had arranged to travel to New York via the Suez Canal and London, and arrived on May 19. We know that they were in Columbia City by June 13 because Hess gave an interview in which he claimed to have just returned from Korea, where his company has prosperous headquarters," and that the "[Japanese] are much disliked by American traders in the Orient and [the] Chinese are liked." It is interesting to note that his company's name had changed from "Asiatic-American Importing Company" to "American-Asiatic Fur Importing Company." Hess wasn't the only one talking. In July, Socwell, who was described as "an interesting talker," gave a presentation at his church "on the needs and conditions [in Korea] as he saw them." Harvesting ice on the Yalu River, circa 1900-1910s Robert Neff Collection Despite these men's willingness to talk and their "prosperous headquarters" in Korea, I couldn't find any information to indicate whether or not they succeeded in obtaining pelts to resell in Indiana. Perhaps they did, but the auction did not warrant any mention in the local newspapers. Apparently the company was not as prosperous as he boasted and by 1910, he was living in Spokane, Washington, with his wife and young son and working as a chemist. I don't believe he ever returned to Korea, but, according to at least one account, up until the 1930s, he was still writing to Americans residing in Korea in the hopes of establishing a company. Columbia City has a long history with Korea over 120 years. Photographs, postcards, letters, newspapers articles and even home movies provide tantalizing glimpses of their lives stories that need to be told so that they are never lost and forgotten. I would like to express my appreciation to Diane Nars and Jan Downing for their invaluable assistance, as well as to the Whitley County Historical Museum and its staff. A Korean hut near the Yalu River in the 1930s Sten Bergman, "In Korean Wilds and Villages" Apple is criticized for paying less corporate tax than in other countries By Baek Byung-yeul Apple, Google, Netflix, Meta and other tech giants doing business here have been criticized for shifting most of their profits abroad, paying less corporate taxes and spending a minimum to fulfill their social responsibility activities, according to industry analysts and experts Friday. These multinational companies earn trillions of won in Korea every year, but they pay ridiculously small taxes based on the fact they don't have manufacturing facilities or computing servers operating here, they said. According to a report unveiled by independent lawmaker Yang Jung-suk on Feb. 2, Apple paid only a quarter of the corporate tax rate to Korea compared to its overall payment rate, by raising the price of goods sold to lower its operating profit. Her report is based on an analysis of Apple's report submitted to the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 and an audit report on Apple Korea the same year. She is a member of the National Assembly's Science, ITC, Broadcasting and Communication Committee. "Apple's global operating profit margin reached 29.8 percent in 2021, 18.6 times higher than that of Korea, which was 1.6 percent," Yang said. The Korean branch's ratio of operating profit to net sales is significantly lower than those of Apple's other regions 34.8 percent in the Americas, 36.4 percent in Europe, 41.7 percent in China, 44.9 percent in Japan and 37.2 percent in Asia-Pacific. The lawmaker argued this was possible because its Korean branch paid more than it should for bringing in products from its Singapore unit. Due to the low operating margin, Apple paid a significantly lower corporate tax in Korea in 2021 than it did in other countries. "Last year, Apple Korea's corporate tax payment was 62.8 billion won, or 0.9 percent of its total sales of 7.1 trillion won, while Apple paid $14.527 billion in taxes worldwide, or 4 percent of total sales," she said. Yang also urged Apple and the government to come up with prompt measures. "The company needs to adjust its operating profit ratio to a level similar to China, Japan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are in a similar environment to the Korean market," she said. Apple was unavailable for comment on Yang's statement. Apple is not the only one that pays less corporate tax. Google, Netflix, Meta and other global tech firms have paid less than 10 billion won in corporate taxes here on the basis that there are no computing servers or production bases in Korea. In 2020, Google Korea paid 9.7 billion won while Korean IT giants Naver and Kakao paid 463.3 billion won and 82.7 billion won respectively. Meta also paid 3.5 billion won and Netflix paid 2.2 billion won. A company official, who works for a foreign-affiliated company that operates manufacturing facilities here, said foreign companies that pay less taxes because they do not have production facilities in Korea could introduce a problem of "reverse discrimination" against other foreign-affiliated firms operating manufacturing facilities here. "I think it is right that even foreign companies should contribute to Korean society and pay taxes as much as paying to other overseas branches as long as they are doing business well here. Many of the people working for foreign-affiliated firms do not appreciate Apple's behavior in Korea. It doesn't make sense either not to be able to fulfill corporate social responsibility while making huge amounts of money," the official said on condition of anonymity. "In the case of companies that operate production facilities in Korea, there are many things to pay attention to, such as newly changing government regulations and relationships between employees. In particular, with the enforcement of the industrial accident law, we should pay more attention to safety regulations. However, this is a responsibility that we have to follow while doing business here, so we are willing to follow it." Michael Fritzell, a Singapore-based analyst at Asian Century Stocks, said Apple paying less corporate tax can be explained by its tax-planning strategy that minimizes tax burden. He also pointed out that Korea has a higher corporate tax rate of 25 percent than Singapore with 17 percent. "I would assume that companies do everything they can to minimize taxes. They have an incentive to minimize the profits of their Korean subsidiary given that Singapore has a lower corporate tax rate. There could also be currency considerations at play here perhaps Apple wanted to minimize its build-up of Korean won, for whatever reason," the analyst said. "Corporations are often actively minimizing their taxes, by placing their headquarters in Ireland, Switzerland or other tax havens. And I would imagine that they push the boundaries when it comes to transfer pricing, and sometimes step over those boundaries as well." Asked if the National Tax Service (NTS) has ever looked into allegations that Apple tries to pay less tax in Korea, a chief spokesman of the agency said, "We cannot answer issues related to certain companies due to confidentiality provisions." However, an expert in taxation pointed out that such criticism that overseas-based companies are trying to avoid taxes paid to Korea should be approached carefully because how much corporate tax each region pays is determined by the business strategy of each company. "It should not be considered that foreign companies are evading taxes in Korea. In the case of Apple, it had to pay the price of the products to its Singapore branch, but just because the cost was too high, it cannot be said that it was intended to avoid taxation," said Jeong Seung-yeong, a taxation professor at Changwon National University. "If the transaction between Apple's Korean branch and Singapore branch was a normal one within a legal framework, it cannot be considered wrong. Conversely, it should be noted that such criticism can be raised to Korean companies. Samsung Electronics, a global tech firm born in Korea, also does business targeting the global market and does not plan a strategy by looking at only certain markets." Saving taxes by lowering operating profit ratio as Apple Korea does is one of the ways global companies reduce their tax burden. But, such practices are not expected to remain in effect past this year as taxing the digital economy, led by the OECD, was endorsed by 136 countries in 2021. Starting 2023, firms with global sales of over 20 billion euros and profit rate above 10 percent are supposed to pay 25 percent of profit margins above 10 percent in countries where their businesses are based. The NTS is also taking action against digital taxes. On Jan. 26, the agency said it plans to legislate laws and systems necessary for the application of digital taxes. No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results Having tested Indias resolve during the Gulwan clash, it is doubtful whether China would attempt one more military conflict with India as long as Modi remains as Prime Minister. by N.S.Venkataraman The decision of Government of India not to attend the opening or the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, in response to Chinas decision to make a regimental commander of the Peoples Liberation Army , who suffered severe injury during the Gulwan clash ,a torch bearer at the event ,is a clear signal that India has finally decided to confront China once for all. At the same time, in New Delhi, the Tibetans in exile organized a protest against the Winter Olympics in China and burnt Chinese flags in public. In this case, Government of India allowed the demonstration by Tibetans to take place and kept silent when the Chinese flag was burnt by the protesters. This is , again, another sure signal that India would confront China in the coming days. In the Indian Parliament , the Government of India has confirmed that China had been illegally occupying 38000 square kilometres in the Union territory of Ladakh for the past six decades. Further, the Government of India pointed out that Pakistan ceded 5180 square kilometer of Indian land in Shaksgam Valley in 1963 to China. Obviously, such occupation of Indian land by China has caused deep hurt in the mind of the Indians and there have been consistent demands in the past that India should confront China and make it behave. Around seven decades back, India made a grave and historical mistake, when the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru remained silent , when China aggressively entered Tibet, massacred thousands of Tibetans and occupied this holy land of great Buddhist culture and philosophy. All that Jawaharlal Nehru did was to provide asylum to the respected the Dalai Lama and Tibetans fleeing to India . To add insult to injury , Atal Behari Vajpayee ,the later Prime Minister of India , signed a treaty with China approving the occupation of Tibet by China. This was an extremely condemnable decision of Atal Behari Vajpayee , since the treaty was signed by him after the 1962 war with China, when China occupied thousands of kilometres of Indian territory and killed thousands of soldiers. Vajpayees mistake was as grave as that of Jawaharlal Nehru. Later on, when Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister of India more than seven years back, many people expected that Modi would confront China , particularly since Modi is known to be a strong leader with great commitment for the national cause. However, to the surprise of everyone, Modi gave an impression that he was trying to appease China by going out of the way to invite President Xi JinPing to visit India two times, with one at Gujarat and another at Chennai in Tamil Nadu and accorded huge reception to Chinese President showing enormous respect to him. What is particularly shocking is that Modi extended such a warm reception to Xi JinPing when 33000 kilometre of Indian territory has been occupied by China and further, China has been claiming that Arunachal Pradesh in India is a part of China. All such appeasement policy towards China by the Indian Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Vajpayee and Narendra Modi has not brought any change of heart in Chinese leadership towards India but China only developed more contempt for India and took India for granted. Several abusive remarks against India has been made by China in the past on many occasions . Finally, Narendra Modi appears to have realized that China has to be necessarily confronted and there is no point in reasoning with China. When China tried to test the Modi governments resolve to confront China , China launched the Gulwan clash in 2020. This time, Narendra Modi decided to resist and the Indian army gave a fitting reply to the Peoples Liberation Army of China. In the last few years, India has been considerably strengthening its military capability by buying sophisticated weapons and aircrafts, obviously to prepare for a short or long war with China at any time. Having tested Indias resolve during the Gulwan clash, it is doubtful whether China would attempt one more military conflict with India as long as Modi remains as Prime Minister. However, the pinpricks from China would continue in a variety of ways and border skirmishes are also likely . In such circumstances, the decision of the Modi government to confront China by boycotting the Winter Olympics in China is enthusiastically welcomed by everyone in India , stating that it is better late than never. Ultimately, India can make China behave by forcing China into a defensive position politically and diplomatically , by India demanding that Tibet should be liberated from Chinas occupation. This would be the voice of wisdom and perhaps, Prime Minister Modi can clearly say that Indias earlier decision to approve Chinas occupation of Tibet was ethically and morally wrong . India should not hesitate even to apologise to the Tibetans for Indias mistake in not protesting against the occupation of Tibet by China. Today, Chinas popularity in the world has taken a beating , as by and large ,the world opinion is that the present leadership of China is greedy, unethical , has no respect for human rights and with territorial expansionist ambitions by fair or foul means. There is ongoing confrontation now between China and USA and other West European countries and Indias confrontation against China would be in tune with the mood of the world opinion. Indias confrontation against China has now started finally and this could be a soft war against China , where India will have no serious disadvantage. A total of 64 more people died from COVID-19 in Northwest Indiana in a one-week period, according to data from the Indiana Department of Health. Statistics updated Friday showed that there have been a total of 1,621 coronavirus-attributed deaths in Lake County, 499 in Porter County, 327 in LaPorte County, 63 in Newton County and 128 in Jasper County. Last Friday, Lake County reported 1,580 deaths, meaning an additional 41 people have died of the virus in the county in a seven-day period, statistics show. In a one-week period, Porter County reported six new deaths, LaPorte County had eight more, Newton County had one more and Jasper County had eight more. In total, COVID-19 has killed a total of 20,894 Hoosiers since the start of the pandemic, indicating an additional 386 deaths statewide in the last seven days, Friday data showed. State health records show a total of 2,441 Hoosiers were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Currently 28.7% of ICU beds are in use by coronavirus patients with only 13.3% of ICU beds in the state available. The color-coded classifications for Indiana's 92 counties still has all of counties still in the worst-possible red rating. The red rating indicates an uncontrolled spread of coronavirus, which is classified as 200 or more positive cases per every 100,000 residents. Across state lines, a total of 7,682 residents in Calumet City and 6,638 residents in Lansing have tested positive for the virus. State health officials are urging Hoosiers age 5 and up to reduce their chances of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death by getting vaccinated against COVID-19, or by getting a COVID-19 booster shot for those previously vaccinated, as soon as possible. The free COVID-19 vaccine is available, in most cases without an appointment, at 1,488 locations across the state, including retail pharmacies, health clinics and hospitals. Records show that 56.1% of Hoosiers age 5 and up, the state's eligible population, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including 55.1% of eligible Lake County residents, 60.8% in Porter County, 55.7% in LaPorte County, 40.9% in Newton County and 45.8% in Jasper County. So far, a total of 1,677,490 people have received a booster shot statewide. A complete list of COVID-19 vaccine sites is available online at ourshot.in.gov. COVID-19: People may be unaware of when they are a danger to others Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Overcast. High 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 49F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Weather Alert ...LAKE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph expected. Scattered thunderstorms are also expected. * WHERE...American Falls Reservoir. * WHEN...From noon today to 9 PM MDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Strong winds and rough waves on area lakes will create hazardous conditions for small craft. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Boaters on area lakes should use extra caution since strong winds and rough waves can overturn small craft. && Free virtual event Join us for this virtual event marking 80 years since the opening of Bletchley Parks Bombe Hut, 11A, in March 1942. Bletchley Parks Research Historian, Dr David Kenyon will explore the impact the Bombe machine had and how it was used to combat the Enigma cipher system. Wednesday 23 March 2022, 13.00 Weather Alert THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. The Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Mario Locatelli has been canceled. Mario has been located and is safe. Ravalli County Sheriff's Office thanks everyone for their assistance. LIVINGSTON, MT- The Starbucks Coffee Corporation is looking to move into Livingston, Montana. According to business leaders in the area, the corporation is looking at the old Arbys building on Park Street. The Livingston Business Improvement District says they understand why tourists would like it but say it would be bad for the city and the small business across the area. The closest Starbucks to Livingston is in Bozeman. Within the same parking lot, Starbucks is looking to invest in, is also a coffee stand called Coffee Creek Espresso. "Livingston has a wealth of locally-owned small coffee shops and kiosks that not only fuel the community with caffeine and tasty treats but serve as community social hubs; many of the most vibrant conversations in town take place in our coffee shops, Kris King, Executive Director, Historic Downtown Livingston Business Improvement District, and Explore Livingston Montana Coalition said. King went on to say local businesses support causes 250% more for the town than corporations, pointing out that when you shop local, your dollar has quadruple the effect on Livingston's economy than when you shop through corporations. When you buy your coffee at an independent small business you create jobs, maintain our town's historic downtown charm, get superior service, and have access to unique goods. We are saddened to learn of plans for a Starbucks to go into the old Arby's space near exit 333, when there are already so many independent coffee shop options, including one in the same parking lot as the planned Starbucks location, King said. A change.org petition has been started and has over 200 signatures. The petition reads: Livingston, MT is unique for its abundance of small businesses that make up our strong community. Larger franchises such as Starbucks diminish our small town's character and take business away from other locally-owned coffee shops in town. Help us say no to a Starbucks in Livingston by signing the petition below. One signature against the corporation reads This town doesnt need a corporate Starbucks. We have many wonderful local coffee kiosks that need our support instead. We'd prefer to not have a Starbucks move to our town, but if it does, we encourage locals and visitors alike to continue to support small locally-owned coffee shops and businesses, King said. This webcopy will be updated as more comes out. Travis Reinking, seen here in Nashville, Tennessee, Friday February 4, was sentenced Saturday to life in prison without parole. Netherlands: Radio amateurs meet with communications regulator On October 27 and November 25, 2021, the 104th Amateur Consultation took place under Niels Bredewout, chair of the Dutch regulator Agentschap Telecom (AT). Among topics: making bands Technology Neutral and Interference The UK moved to Technology Neutral bands in 2006, it enabled amateurs to use any mode they liked and with any bandwidth subject to the proviso the bandwidth fitted within the amateur band. Now other countries are looking into adopting a similar approach. A translation of the VERON post reads: Representatives of the VERON, VRZA and DARU participated. The Amateur Consultation is the official consultative body between the VERON, VRZA, DARU and the government. Also this time the meeting was online due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, the Telecom Agency has been delayed in drawing up the minutes. Do you also think it is important that VERON represents your interests? Then support us and of the VERON. Also during this meeting a range of topics came along that are of interest to the Dutch radio amateur. The full report can be read here . But we highlight a number of things for you. The frequency requirement of radio amateurs and the measurement method, with which AT the frequency use is determined is discussed. Because radio amateurs listen a lot, just looking at the frequency spectrum in use is insufficient. Also, there is only registration of transmissions within the reception range of the registering receiver. A further consultation is planned about this, linked to which bands are under pressure. AT explains the interference report. The figures show that the number of fault reports from radio amateurs is stable at around 20% of the total number of fault reports that Agentschap Telecom receives annually. However, these messages can be more complex and therefore require more time. The EMC issue was also back on the agenda. Among other things, more prevention was discussed. And also the involvement of AT in large infrastructure projects with possible sources of interference. Signals from radio amateurs are taken seriously. On December 7, 2021, there will be a second informal EMC meeting with VERON's EMC committee, in which the EMC problems experienced by radio amateurs will be specifically discussed. Regulations: Among other things, it was discussed here to make the designated bands for amateur use technology-neutral. This also applies to the 50 MHz NFP indication. At the change of power limitation in the primary part of the 50-50.5 MHz band is still coming back. In addition, the preparation for the WRC-23 was also discussed, in particular the 23cm band. This is a small selection from the report of the 104th amateur consultation. Want to read more? Click for the full report https://www.veron.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Verslag-AO104.pdf Interference Report https://www.veron.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Doc-104-05-Storingsmeldingen-2021-II-def.pdf Source VERON https://tinyurl.com/IARU-Netherlands RAYMOND Recently, a Tennessee school district made international headlines after its board unanimously voted to ban Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction graphic novel about the authors parents experiences surviving the Holocaust, from being taught in its classrooms. Raymond School in central Racine County was recently able to fly under the radar when it removed three books from its library. While All American Boys underwent a formal challenge process, including a review committee and an appeal, Speak and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian were removed following a board meeting during which a concerned parent read several passages, according to School Board President Jeremy Childers. The other two (Speak and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time Indian) were removed by the district administrator (Steve Harder) at his discretion, after they had been mentioned at a board meeting, Childers said. But, it never got to a formal review, because excerpts were read at a board meeting that were I dont really know how to say it but they were pretty shocking and based off of the explicit content, and the racially derogatory words that were used. The district administrator just decided at his discretion that it would be best to remove those books, which he did confirm that he has the authority to do that prior to an appeal, he said. Raymond School administrators did not reply to requests for comment on this story. The books in question All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely, is a young adult novel about two teenage boys dealing with racism and police brutality in their community. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, is a first-person narrative novel about a Native American teenager, his life on the Spokane Indian Reservation and his decision to go to a nearly all-white public high school away from the reservation. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a novel about a 13-year-old girl who becomes mute after a sexual assault. While Raymond School is not alone its handling of book challenges. Burlington Area School District has faced parent complaints about reading materials. But while BASD serves students as old as 18, Raymond School is for students from kindergarten through eighth grade, generally ages 5 to 14. While some of the books that were removed may have served the older students in the building, the concern remained for any of the youngest students seeing some of the more mature content, according to Childers. We support the widest diversity of views and expression in the library, Childers said. What the board is struggling with is the age appropriateness, and the fact that we have a combined library with younger and older kids. The American Library Association received word of the removal. That prompted an Illinois librarian, Holly Eberle, to write an Intellectual Freedom Blog Post about it on ALAs website. As a staunch advocate for intellectual freedom, Eberle stands against the removal of books from libraries. While Eberle noted that Raymond School finds itself in a conundrum due to the age group the school serves, she was also concerned for the older students that would be losing access to the materials. Eberle noted that the closest public library for Raymond students was nearly 10 miles away and the next, the Racine Public Library, was nearly 15. When youre getting rid of books in the school library, youre effectively getting rid of them, especially for kids. They cant just hop in the car and drive to Racine or anything like that, Eberle said in an interview. As a librarian that works specifically with teens, Eberle said she tries to offer a wide variety of materials in her librarys young adult section, so that there is something for everyone. She asserted that reading differing perspectives helps children to grow, a sentiment she shares with Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak. Anderson, who is both a parent and a grandparent, recognized that raising children is hard and some parents may not want their children to read her book. This, Anderson said, she could respect; but, the buck stops when it comes to removing books from circulation all together. One of our (countrys) foundations is that we tolerate people who are different than we are. And that means that if a book makes you uncomfortable, dont read it and tell the teacher you dont want your child to read it, Anderson said in a video interview with a reporter. But, because we have this beautiful constitution, and then the First Amendment guarantees intellectual freedom, the book gets to stay in the library. In some ways, Anderson said she hopes her book does make people uncomfortable. As a sexual assault survival herself, Anderson brings the unimaginable struggle of survivors to light in the pages of Speak, which was first published in 1999 and for which Anderson won the Golden Kite award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Twenty-three years later, the novel continues to be challenged; in the case of Raymond School, it is banned both from library shelves and classrooms. While this, Anderson said, makes her feel sad, it also drives her forward in bringing awareness to the issue. There are a lot of people in this country who still believe that victims of sexual violence and victims can be of all genders, any genders; if they get hurt, if theyre attacked or abused or harmed in any way its their fault because of what they were wearing or things like that. And, well, I guess its motivated me to work for 20 years, Anderson said. While Childers, Eberle and Anderson said they recognized the right of parents to guide their own childs reading, Anderson said the process is being abused. There are a lot of people who are using that process right now by going to school board meetings by complaining loudly, and theyre using those school board meetings to rob the children in their community of books and to rob them of an education, Anderson said. Thats immoral, as far as Im concerned. Childers said that the Raymond School Board, while its members support the ideals of the ALAs stance on offering a wide variety of views on its library shelves, believe there is little flexibility in the schools small, shared library. This could change with the upcoming $14.8 million Raymond School referendum, which Childers said would bring facility improvements to the school, including to the library, if approved. Anderson and Eberle both emphasized the importance of local elections in creating everyday change, especially in schools. Early voting is already underway in a primary for the Raymond School Board; the final day for voting in the primary is Feb. 15. Election Day for local spring elections is April 5. A lot of people think the local elections dont matter as much, Eberle said, but this is directly impacting your kids. Hundreds of truckers, protesting vaccine mandates, parked their trucks across U.S.-Canada border crossings, aiming to shut down the economies of both nations until the mandates are lifted. Some Ottawa City Council members have called the protest an occupation. The protests have been almost entirely peaceful. During an event hosted Tuesday by the House Freedom Caucus, Tiffany said: I would submit to you, we should be talking to Canadian truckers in Ottawa, Canada, right now, and asking them to come to the southern border I think they might be somewhat effective. The Freedom Caucus is comprised of the most fiscally and socially conservative members of Congress. Tiffanys is the northernmost of Wisconsins eight congressional districts. Tiffany is the only Wisconsin member of the Freedom Caucus. A reporter contacted Tiffanys office via email Friday, asking how the congressman believes truckers from another nation could be deployed at the southern border which stretches 1,954 miles and includes more than four dozen border crossings that are open for legal, international travel. No reply was received from Tiffany or his staff. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has avoided the public eye amid the protest, fearing violence, his government has not relaxed its COVID-19 vaccine requirements affecting international travelers. Meanwhile, in the areas targeted by the trucking protesters, supplies have become harder to come by because of the disruptions. The protesters, while making an impact, still appear to be a vocal minority. As the BBC reported last week: The Canadian Trucking Alliance estimates that 85% to 90% of the 120,000 Canadian truckers who work cross-border routes are vaccinated and said on Saturday (Jan. 29) that it appeared many of the protesters in Ottawa have no connection to the industry. Border The focus of Tuesdays Freedom Caucus event was the ongoing spike in border crossings. During the event, Freedom Caucus members and those they brought in to speak argued both that the unfinished border wall is effective, which is questionable, and also that illegal border crossings from Mexico are at an all-time high, which is accurate. Brandon Judd, president of the union that represents border agents, said Tuesday that in areas where the wall exists, border crossings have severely declined. However, as Ben Feigenberg, a University of Illinois-Chicago associate professor of economics, argued in a 2020 paper, existence of the wall in some areas led to a more concentrated flow of migrants in unwalled areas, and may not have slowed the flow of undocumented immigrants into the U.S. at all. For those living in the Mexican border region, if theyre residing in a municipality thats fenced, I identify a 27% decline in migration from that municipality, Feigenberg told the American Economic Association after publication of the paper. Then I find reductions in the interior of Mexico up to 35%, depending on what share of the municipalities through which residents had historically crossed have now been fenced. Those are pretty sizable effects, with the important caveat that this is also a really expensive program. Billions and billions of dollars were allocated to border fence construction. I have back of the envelope, cost-benefit calculation at the end of the paper that says in spite of these large estimated deterrent effects, at the end of the day, this looks likely no more effective than the technologies that were already available in terms of just increasing staffing levels at CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection). Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In August, several members of the western Wisconsin community of Holmen were escorted out of a School Board meeting for failing to comply with the districts mask requirement. Now two of them who spoke out against COVID mitigation policies are seeking election to the School Board in April. About 17 miles north of Milwaukee, in the Mequon-Thiensville School District, at least one candidate seeking election to the board ahead of the February primary led a recall effort driven by frustration with COVID mitigation policies which was ultimately struck down in November. Two of the four board members targeted in the recall, who are up for re-election, decided against running to retain their seats. In Dane County, the Mount Horeb School Board contest has drawn 11 candidates in the Feb. 15 primary for three seats with some candidates highlighting hot-button political issues. Equality is extremely important to me, but creating a racial divide is not. I dont feel divisive curriculum should be in our schools, candidate Jeff Shields wrote on his Facebook campaign page, where he emphasizes that his motto is KIDS instead of POLITICS. Across the state candidates focused on political platforms and single issues have signed up for this Aprils nonpartisan school board races ahead of the November midterm elections. Were certainly seeing the nationalization of school board races here in Wisconsin and across the country, UW-Oshkosh associate professor of public administration Michael Ford said. Youre seeing a heck of a lot of talk about things like vaccine mandates, critical race theory, things that are actually pretty disconnected from the reality of being a school board member. That theme was on display at a Parent Empowerment rally in Richfield on Saturday attended by school board hopefuls from across the state, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, of Oshkosh, and Frank McCormick, a former educator from Illinois. McCormick echoed other speakers at the event in railing against COVID-19 mask mandates and declaring that public schools are indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory, an academic framework that focuses on racism embedded in the nations laws and institutions and isnt taught in any of Wisconsins K-12 schools. School board elections have now become the most important elections in our lives, he said. Because were talking about who controls the future children. Potential for obstructionism While more civic engagement is always welcome, politicizing such historically nonpartisan races threatens to make governing more difficult, Ford said. The worry is obstructionism, he said. You have a one-issue candidate or, more importantly, if you have a few candidates who are just hellbent on conflict, you really start to mess with the group dynamic of a governing board and grind the process to a halt. Thats the real fear. Recent efforts that have gummed up the workings of government, Ford said, include more than a dozen school board recall elections, launched in response to COVID mitigation policies, that took place across the state since the pandemic began. A parent group in Oshkosh that was vocal about the school districts mask policies had a few candidates throw their name into the hat to seek seats on the School Board. Just about every major school district in the state has at least one candidate who is running on an issue like critical race theory, and if you had gone pre-COVID-19 that was not a thing. That was never an issue anybody had talked about, he said. Its more of a frustration that some folks have with state and federal government and their inability to gain traction at the state and federal level has brought some of these more social issues to the surface at the local level. Airing grievances, building candidates School board races appear to have become a platform used to air grievances about life during the pandemic, UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said. Concerns about public health mandates, masks, school closures, possible vaccine requirements and the specter of Critical Race Theory are being echoed by conservatives nationwide and will bubble up in the November midterm election, he said. School boards are a place where politicians often get their start, he said, citing Michele Bachmann, a school board candidate from Minnesota who was elected to state and then federal office before seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2012. It can be a breeding ground to create a fealty of candidates and it looks like right now the Republican Party is making better use of that, to create a pipeline of people who might seek higher office, Burden said. He said some of the people seeking public office in Wisconsin are dissatisfied with President Joe Biden and Gov. Tony Evers and motivated to enter the race by issues such as COVID mitigation policies and equity initiatives in K-12 curriculum. Its anger more than enthusiasm, and the people who theyre angry at are the incumbents, he said. In solidly Democratic Madison theres markedly less enthusiasm for running for School Board than in other parts of the state. Of the three seats up for election this year, only one is contested after two incumbents opted not to run again. Madison School Board President Ali Muldrow, who is up for reelection but is running unopposed, said interest in serving on the board, or any local office, is like the swing of a pendulum based on the political climate. The district hasnt faced much public outcry over its COVID mitigation or equity policies. Madison is a really progressive city. ... And I do think progressives are tired, she said. Voter engagement is going to matter a lot, and I do think Republicans in more purple parts of the state are going to work really hard this year to establish contrast campaigns. Money and influence Johnson, who is up for reelection in November and spoke at Saturdays rally, had previously appealed to the public during an August event in Kenosha to get conservatives on the ballot in every race, including local, typically nonpartisan elections. He urged Republicans to take up the grassroots approach to build enthusiasm ahead of statewide races. The reason were seeing our children being indoctrinated, the reason things like Critical Race Theory whether they call it that or not are being taught in our schools is because conservatives have focused largely on the federal government, he said Saturday. They took their eye off the ball of local elections. We cant do that anymore. Rebecca PAC, a committee former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch launched in 2020 to support Republican legislative candidates, donated at least $6,400 to school board candidates in 2021 including $1,000 to Rob Abraham, the La Crosse assistant police chief who won his bid for the La Crosse School Board in April. Abraham also received $1,200 from the La Crosse County Republican Party to support his bid for the seat, during a time when the La Crosse School District and board were struggling with the decision about whether to have police stationed in public schools. For me thats concerning for at least two reasons, political parties are getting openly involved in nonpartisan races and a political PAC from across the state is throwing money into a local nonpartisan race in La Crosse that sends some red flags, said Brad Quarberg, vice president of the La Crosse School Board. We need candidates who care enough about kids to put their partisan biases aside. The humble pencil has quite a history that is far from humble. Today, there are hundreds of pencil collectors around the world. Guwahati (Assam) [India], February 6 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday held a meeting with the promoters of seven ethanol manufacturing entities who came forward under Assam Ethanol Production Promotion Policy, 2021 to set up their plants in the state. Since the declaration of the State Ethanol Policy in August 2021, Assam has attracted 16 ethanol projects worth Rs 3,290 crore as a fallout of a consortium of OMCs floated bids for long term ethanol procurement. Also Read | Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Says 'Will Discuss Bringing Aviation Turbine Fuel Under GST in Next Council Meet'. Assam attracted 16 ethanol projects worth Rs 3,290 crore. During the meet held at Chief Minister's office in Janata Bhawan in Guwahati, the promoters apprised the Chief Minister of their latest developments and different issues they are facing. Also Read | Mumbai: Man Kills Neighbour After Dispute Over Rs 100 In Dahisar, Arrested. Sarma said that "the state government will provide all necessary support to them to resolve all of their outstanding issues to facilitate expeditious implementation of the projects under the policy." During the meeting, it has been informed that all the seven entities are presently ready to commence construction and commercial production of bio-fuel by the middle of 2023. To facilitate Ethanol production, Industry Department established a 24x7 support centre for the entities to obtain various approvals and clearance required to set up their plants. Six out of seven entities have been provided with land in Industrial Development Corporation Industrial Parks across various parts of the state including two units in IGC Matia, one unit each at Industrial Landbank in Sipajhar, ID Dhing, IGC Balipara and near Assam Plastic Park, Tinsukia. The proposed annual capacity of these seven units will be 970 KLD with a planned investment of Rs 1,154 crore which will generate direct employment avenues for 1,000 people and indirect employment for nearly 4,000. Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameswar Teli and Industry and Commerce Minister Chandramohan Patowary were also present during the discussion. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Fort Lauderdale A blanket of dense fog descended on Fort Lauderdale on Sunday morning, forcing at least 30 flights on their way to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to land at other airports to wait until the skies cleared. Art Forster, of Boynton Beach, says his brother-in-law was flying into Fort Lauderdale from Chicago on Southwest, but ended up stuck on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport for an hour. Advertisement He and his girlfriend, intent on escaping the bitter cold of Chicago, eventually landed in sunny Fort Lauderdale. It was 12 degrees in Chicago, Forster said. Thats why they come visit me often. They were supposed to get here at 9:30 a.m. They came in at 11 a.m. Advertisement By 11 a.m. on Sunday, the airports website site showed 30 flights had been diverted. One flight from Puerto Rico was forced to land in Fort Myers and another from New York went to Orlando, Forster noted. The diversions affected primarily JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, according to airport spokeswoman Arlene Satchell. But Forster checked the airport website and saw flights diverted from Southwest Airlines and American Airlines as well. Fog settles over Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Jan. 31, 2019. Similar foggy conditions on Sunday forced several flights to delay landing at the airport. (Joe Cavaretta / Sun Sentinel) He couldnt understand why a little fog would keep a plane from landing at a major airport like Fort Lauderdales. With all the technology they have, that thing can come down in blinding rain, Forster said. A plane can land at night. They do it all the time. Why cant it come down in fog? It all comes down to safety and visibility, says Suresh Atapattu, an editor for the industry website Airliners.net. Its pretty dangerous to land in fog, he said. In fog, you cant see the runway. When you come in at night you can see the runway lights. Youre not flying in the dark. Same with rain. You can see the lights. [ RELATED: Spirit Airlines suffers major delays, leaving passengers scrambling to rebook ] Based on safety guidelines set by the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots need to be able to see the runway at 200 feet when landing at CAT 1 airports such as Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Atapattu said. Advertisement The FAA has flight standards to make sure everything is safe, he said. You cant put complete trust in the technology. Thats why we have a human in the cockpit. Its a huge gamble [to land in foggy conditions] just to make it on time. Weather-related delays and diversions are somewhat common but dont happen every day, Atapattu said. This happens when theres a storm cell, he said. Sometimes planes heading to Miami end up in Fort Lauderdale. Recently some wound up in Fort Myers because of a storm cell in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. That said, most of the time the planes and their passengers eventually make it to their destination airport. When the sun comes up the fog burns off, Atapattu said. If the crew can wait it out and take the plane all the way to Fort Lauderdale, they will do that. Because now they have 200 people at the wrong airport. Theyd rather fly people to their final destination. Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) Two more men were arrested in connection with an incident in which a 20-year-old woman was allegedly abducted, gang-raped and paraded by a group of people in east Delhi's Kasturba Nagar, officials said on Sunday. So far, 20 people have been apprehended, including 16 adults and four juveniles, they said. Also Read | Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: Valuables Worth Rs 329.49 Crore Seized for Violation of Model Code of Conduct. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R. Sathiyasundaram said the duo was absconding since the incident and one of them is the owner of the three-wheeler which was used to abduct the victim. The auto has been seized, he added. Also Read | BJP Taught Rahul Gandhi Going to Temples, Says JP Nadda. On Thursday, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had said a chargesheet in connection with the January 26 incident will be filed in minimum possible time and the court will be urged to conduct a speedy trial. Asthana said this during a candid interaction through Twitter in a question-answer session. According to police, the victim was allegedly abducted, gang-raped and paraded by the accused on the streets of Kasturba Nagar with her hair chopped, face blackened and a shoe garland around her neck. Police had said the preliminary investigation indicated that the woman and a boy belonging to the family of the accused were friends. The boy committed suicide in November last year and his family blamed the victim (woman) for it. The family alleged that it was because of her that the boy took the extreme step. To exact revenge on her, the family members allegedly abducted her. They wanted to teach her a lesson, a senior police official had said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Tuesday announced a financial aid of Rs 10 lakh for the victim and said the government would appoint a lawyer to represent her in a fast-track court. Police have stepped up security outside the house of the victim's sister in Kasturba Nagar after she filed a complaint alleging that she too was harassed, molested and thrashed by the same assailants on January 19. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi [India], February 6 (ANI): The Election Commission of India on Sunday granted relaxation for holding indoor and outdoor public meetings in the five poll-bound states while sticking with the ban on roadshows, rallies, processions, and 'padyatra'. "Restrictions regarding outdoor meeting/indoor meetings/rallies will be further relaxed subject to the condition that the number of persons attending the indoor/outdoor meetings/rallies will be limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of Indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by DEO as per the requirement of the social distancing norms and whichever is less," ECI said in a statement. Also Read | Lata Mangeshkar Dies at 92: Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Other Union Ministers Pay Tributes to Legendary Singer. "Ban on roadshows, pad yatras, cycle/bike/vehicle rallies, and processions will remain as before. A maximum number of persons permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will also remain as before. Ban on campaign between 8 PM and 8 AM will also continue as before," it added. The decision was taken after the Election Commission held a meeting with the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Saturday to assess the prevailing ground situation. Also Read | SBI Lines Up 6 NPA Accounts for Sale to ARCs to Recover Dues of Rs 406 Crore. The Health Ministry informed the Commission that COVID-19 cases are fast receding in the country and the poll going states are contributing a very small proportion of the total reported cases in the country. The commission has appointed Special Observers for the poll-bound states to oversee the holding of the free and fair elections. "Many Special Observers have sent their reports and have stated that the COVID situation has improved substantially and positivity rate has come down significantly," the ECI said. The Commission further said that the open ground rallies can be held only on the grounds specifically designated by the district authorities and subject to compliance with all the conditions of SDMA. "Allocation of these grounds will be given equitably by the district administration through e-Suvidha portal on the first come first serve basis. Capacities of these grounds will be fixed by the District Administration well in advance and notified to all the parties," it added. The Election Commission will review the situation periodically and take necessary decisions for amendment in its guidelines based on ground-level situation, added the statement. Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7. Elections in Goa and Uttarakhand will be held on February 14 and in Manipur from February 27 to March 3. Elections in Punjab will be held on February 20. The counting of votes will be done on March 10. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said with the demise of singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, an era of music in India has ended. Mangeshkar (92), one of the biggest music icons of the country, died due to multiple organ failure at a Mumbai hospital earlier in the day, according to her sister Usha Mangeshkar and doctors treating her. Also Read | Lata Mangeshkar Dies at 92: Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and Other Union Ministers Pay Tributes to Legendary Singer. "The demise of 'swar kokila' of India Lata Mangeshkar is the end of an era of music in India. Her melodious voice will remain immortalised among us and in the entire world. I pray to God to give the departed soul a place at his feet," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other members of the Kejriwal cabinet also took to Twitter to pay homage to Mangeshkar. Also Read | SBI Lines Up 6 NPA Accounts for Sale to ARCs to Recover Dues of Rs 406 Crore. "Lata ji's demise has left a void that can never be filled. India has lost its Nightingale today. May her soul rest in peace," Sisodia said. Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said he was shocked by the news of the passing away of Mangeshkar. Mangeshkar had tested positive for Covid with mild symptoms and was admitted on January 8 to Breach Candy Hospital's intensive care unit (ICU). (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Udupi (Karnataka) [India], February 6 (ANI): Amid Karnataka hijab row, the protest by students to be allowed to attend classes wearing a hijab continued in Udupi on Sunday. A group of students had marched to their college in Kundapur wearing saffron scarves on Saturday as a sign of protest over an incident on February 4 when students wearing hijab were allegedly denied entry to a college in the Kundapur area of Udupi. Also Read | Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: Valuables Worth Rs 329.49 Crore Seized for Violation of Model Code of Conduct. Notably, the state government has invoked provisions of the Karnataka Education Act saying that the students are to wear uniforms chosen by the college panel. "Everything was normal till we were told to remove the hijab by the college administration. We opposed and then everything changed," said Shafa, a commerce student, who was sitting outside a government college in Udupi on Sunday. Also Read | BJP Taught Rahul Gandhi Going to Temples, Says JP Nadda. Students, who were protesting against the administration's order disallowing them to enter classes by wearing hijab, have decided to continue their protest against the state government and the concerned authorities for allegedly not allowing them into the classrooms and the college campus with hijab. "We were thrown out of the classrooms and we were also sent out of the campus for asking our fundamental right which Constitution provided us to follow essential religious practices. We are not committing any crime," Shafa said. The protests have triggered political debates with Congress and the BJP attacking each other over the issue. Reacting to this, she said that the BJP government and school authorities are playing politics over it. Almas, a PU science branch student, said that debates on TV channels make statements against their religious practice of wearing a hijab. "We will continue our protest for the right which has been given by the Constitution to us even though our school and government keep us outside the colleges for years," said Alia. Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagarana Vedike and many other right-wing organisations also decided to continue their protest against girls who are protesting in favour of wearing a hijab. "They have all their rights to practise religious issues at home and they can follow it in Madarasa and in Masjid not in schools. Only uniform is must in schools. They (Muslims) started a new trend and we will continue our saffron shawl protest till they agree and stop this drama," said Shashikanth Sharma, convenor VHP. "Students must wear schools uniform which is decided by the administration. They can only be allowed to wear uniforms and no religious practices are allowed in any schools in Karnataka. We will not allow India to become another Afghanistan or Pakistan," said state revenue minister R Ashok while speaking to media persons in Bengaluru. Pre-University education board on Saturday has released a circular stating that no religious practices will be allowed. The board said that only the uniform which the school administration decided can be allowed to be worn and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ferozepur, Feb 6 (PTI) The Supreme Court appointed five-member committee headed by former apex court judge Indu Malhotra arrived here on Sunday to probe the alleged security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Moi's visit to Punjab last month. The committee visited the road overbridge near Piareana village on the Ferozepur-Moga road, where the prime minister's convoy remained stuck up for almost 20 minutes on January 5. Also Read | Hyderabad Shocker: 35-Year-Old School Teacher Attempts To Rape Minor Girl In Chatrinaka, Arrested. The team stayed there for almost half an hour to inspect the site. Besides, the team visited the rally site and Ferozeshah village to take stock of the sequence of events that took place on that day. Also Read | Punjab Assembly Elections 2022: Valuables Worth Rs 329.49 Crore Seized for Violation of Model Code of Conduct. The prime minister's convoy was stranded on a flyover allegedly due to a blockade by farmers in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any event, including a rally. The top court had directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to provide all seized documents pertaining to the security arrangements made by the Punjab government for the PM's visit. Before the apex court appointed the committee, a central team had visited Ferozepur on January 7. Even the Punjab government constituted a committee comprising retired Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma, to conduct an investigation. The SC-appointed panel also includes the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency, Director General of Police, Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab Police. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Karhal (UP), Feb 6 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said if voted to power, his government will relax the age limit in state police recruitment to facilitate those who had turned overage during the Covid pandemic. Addressing a public meeting here, Yadav said, "Many youngsters have become overage for recruitment in the Army and police during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will send a special request to the Army to recruit the youth of Uttar Pradesh for the service of the nation. If needed, we will also relax the age limit in police recruitment." Also Read | Mumbai: Man Kills Neighbour After Dispute Over Rs 100 In Dahisar, Arrested. The SP chief also said, "I have come to know that the (market) share of vodka has gone up in the last few years after BJP came to power. I want to assure you that we will provide a subsidy of Rs 100-200 crore for setting up industries to process potatoes in the region and make chips and snacks. If needed, we will even set up a plant to manufacture vodka to prevent the wastage of potatoes grown by the farmers of this region." "This region is famous for its potato crop but the produce is wasted due to lack of support from the government. As a mark of protest, Samajwadis had dumped their potato produce outside the residence of the chief minister in Lucknow (in January 2018)." Also Read | Hyderabad Shocker: 35-Year-Old School Teacher Attempts To Rape Minor Girl In Chatrinaka, Arrested. "The government had assured to buy potatoes from the farmers but they did not do so," the SP chief claimed. When Yadav was the chief minister in 2015, he had announced to set up at least one vodka brewing factory in Kannauj and Farrukhabad districts each to ensure remunerative prices to farmers. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Jaipur, Feb 6 (PTI) The Rajasthan government will be signing MOUs with major players in the renewable energy sector, capturing investment of Rs 3.05 lakh crore under Invest Rajasthan Campaign. The companies that will be signing MOUs or letters of intent are five PSUs, including NTPC, NHPC, SJVN Limited, THDC India Ltd., SECI and private players such as Reliance, Axis and SAEL, according to an official statement. Also Read | Vivo T1 5G Price in India & Specifications Leaked Online Ahead of Its Launch. The expected investment is worth Rs 3.05 lakh crores which includes renewable energy projects with 92.1 GW capacity and 4GW solar module manufacturing. Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Pvt Ltd, the nodal department for Renewable Energy with Bureau of Investment Promotion, the state nodal agency for investment promotion, will coordinate with the investors. Also Read | OnePlus Y1S, OnePlus Y1S Edge Smart TVs To Be Launched in India Soon: Report. During the past few months, under the Invest Rajasthan Campaign, domestic and international Investor Connect Programs have been conducted by Industries department wherein the state government has been able to sign 323 MOUs/LOIs worth Rs. 5.73 lakh crore. Summits in districts were also held wherein 3272 MoUs/LoIs worth Rs. 1.33 lakh crores were signed. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad [Pakistan], February 6 (ANI): Pakistan military has said that a total of 20 terrorists and its nine security personnel were killed in a three-day clearance operation in Balochistan which was launched after terrorists attacked security forces camps in the Panjgur and Naushki areas of the province. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday that the clearance operation in Balochistan, which was launched after terrorists attacked security forces camps in the province's Panjgur and Naushki areas late on Wednesday evening, had been completed, according to Dawn. Also Read | UAE: Kerala Woman Living in Abu Dhabi Wins Lottery Worth Rs 44.75 Crore. Twenty terrorists were killed during operations after the attacks, the ISPR said in a statement, adding that during the operation, its nine security personnel were also killed. The Military further stated that both attacks in Panjgur and Naushki areas were repulsed successfully. Also Read | Finland: Over 50 Protesters Arrested During Rally Against COVID-19 Restrictions in Helsinki, Say Police. During an exchange of fire with the terrorists in Naushki, nine terrorists and four security personnel were killed including an officer, said the ISPR. Security forces had carried out a clearance operation to hunt down the hiding terrorists in Panjgur, it said, adding that initially four fleeing terrorists were killed there and as many were encircled by security forces the next day, according to Dawn. "All encircled terrorists were killed in today's (Saturday) operation as they failed to surrender," the ISPR said. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) London, Feb 6 (PTI) Britain's Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak has reportedly admitted to attending Prime Minister Boris Johnson's lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room and claimed that he was in the Cabinet Room for a Covid meeting. Johnson's five aides, including longstanding policy chief Munira Mirza, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, principal private secretary Martin Reynolds, and communications director Jack Doyle, resigned from their posts within hours of each other on Thursday, after a damning investigation revealed that multiple parties took place at Downing Street while the rest of the United Kingdom was living under strict Covid lockdown rules. Also Read | UAE: Kerala Woman Living in Abu Dhabi Wins Lottery Worth Rs 44.75 Crore. Sunak, who lives next door to the Prime Minister in Downing Street, is also reported to have attended a surprise birthday party for Johnson in No. 10's Cabinet Room in June 2020. He acknowledged that the scandal surrounding parties during lockdown at Downing Street had damaged the public's trust in the government, reports the Mirror. Also Read | Finland: Over 50 Protesters Arrested During Rally Against COVID-19 Restrictions in Helsinki, Say Police. But, the Indian-origin Chancellor said, he believed his plans to deal with the cost of living crisis would help restore it. Officers from the Met Police are investigating a total of 12 Downing Street parties. It is believed that as many as six of those could have been attended by the Prime Minister. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Washington [US], February 6 (ANI): As the US faces strategic challenges as a part of its maritime strategy, the US allies may need the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System to strengthen the deterrence posture. After years of testing, the Navy's breakthrough electromagnetic catapult is now integrated into the service's new generation of Ford-class carriers. Beyond the benefits of smoother launches, America's aviators can now carry out more maritime air assault sorties without wearing out their airframes, as noted by National Interest magazine. Also Read | Earthquake in Afghanistan: Quake of Magnitude 4.3 Hits Fayzabad. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is drawing greater interest from US allies, and given the advantages of dual-carrier interoperable missions, the United States should seize this moment to strengthen global deterrence by providing the technology to trusted partners, writes Kris Osborn for the National Interest. Another less recognized advantage is the system's adaptability. This can allow EMALS to support amphibious assault ships or low-cost, attritable aircraft for which building runways is cost-prohibitive or not possible due to challenging terrain. In addition, U.S. allies without aircraft carriers could consider EMALS for other surface ships. Should it come to fruition, this would massively expand power projection capabilities and bolster allied global deterrence posture. Also Read | Lata Mangeshkar Dies at 92: German Ambassador Walter J Lindner Condoles Death of Veteran Singer, Says Her Legacy Will Live Forever. This kind of combined power could strengthen the deterrence posture of the United States and its allies vis-a-vis China. Outside of the obvious tactical benefits, there would also be notable economic benefits for US allies. By taking advantage of a system that the United States has already spent billions on, allies would be able to upgrade their naval power projection capabilities without having to invest in development. Late last year, the US State Department approved the sale of the system to France--a clear step toward strengthening North Atlantic Treaty Organization deterrence in the European and Mediterranean theatres, as noted by National Interest. Further, there could also be enormous tactical and strategic benefits from extending EMALS collaboration to Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India. With the EMALS, these partners could collectively enhance power projection in the Pacific while distributing the load between each ally. As tensions rise from Ukraine to Taiwan, that enhanced strength is sorely needed, writes Kris Osborn for the National Interest. After years of scientific research, innovation, and testing, the system has now proven to be an operational success. Last year, in a key milestone, the Navy and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems reached 8,000 carrier launches with the system. If fighters can fly more sorties, they are able to dwell longer and adjust their attacks should new intelligence or targeting information arise. Joint carrier operations can also improve the chances that an air campaign will be able to destroy, overwhelm, or defeat enemy air defenses As EMALS is engineered to be both steady and tailorable, it can be adjusted for different aircraft weights and configurations. This is particularly valuable because the amount of thrust required varies depending on a complex range of interwoven factors, including airframe size and shape, the wind speed, and the speed of the aircraft carrier itself. General Atomics is already delivering EMALS for the second and third Ford-class carriers. These capabilities will strengthen the strongest link in America's chain of deterrence. It's time to help allies and partners do the same, as noted by National Interest. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Will Rogers was often quoted as saying, I belong to no organized party. Im a Democrat. Now, Republicans in Florida, on the verge of tremendous victories this November and possibly in 2024, are ready to unravel and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This will happen because of a massive backlash they will experience if they pass major restrictions on abortion (HB 5), and if another Republican-sponsored bill (HB 747) passes to allow medical professionals licensed by the state to deny medical services based on morality or reasons of conscience (read religion). Advertisement Neither of these bills deserve to become law. No one should be forced to have a baby, and licensed professionals in health care are in the category of emergency workers, required to provide those services. Jay Becker, Delray Beach Advertisement Compromising our kids As Gov. DeSantis endeavors to sanitize the educations of Florida children, parents need to consider that when their kids apply to college, they will compete against kids whove been taught about slavery and the Holocaust, and havent had books removed from library shelves as those institutions seek to admit students who can think. Those students will graduate with college degrees and will be the bosses of their own children. Oh, the horrors they will feel about working for Black and Jewish supervisors. DeSantis is compromising the quality of your childrens lives and hes doing it so you will vote for him. Jay Margolis, Delray Beach A matter of degree(s) Is anyone else tired of hearing about how highly educated Gov. DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo are? They dont project high intelligence in any way. I strongly believe that their families donated substantial sums of money to those Ivy League institutions. Together, they couldnt take on a middle school debate team. Steven Maltese, Deerfield Beach A shortcake story The high cost and unavailability of property insurance, COVID, climate change and health care are among the many important issues that state legislators face. But nothing can be more pressing than wait for it naming an official state dessert. With some fanfare, the Florida Senate found time to vote unanimously to make strawberry shortcake the dessert (SB 1006). Im so relieved this issue was finally tackled by these deep-thinking politicians who gave up precious time to give it the recognition it deserves. Whats next? Moving the polls to a Publix bakery? In the words of Marie Antoinette, the Republican motto should be Let them eat cake. Advertisement Abe Rapheal, Sunrise Wanted: Results President Biden comes across as a nice guy. I believe nice guys do not make good presidents. Looking back on American history, except for President Jimmy Carter, who was a nice guy but was largely ineffectual, our other presidents were mostly SOBs, but they produced results. We expect our presidents to produce results and we really dont care how they do it. Joseph Poles, Boca Raton Kabul [Afghanistan], February 6 (ANI): Five Afghan air force pilots, who left Afghanistan after the fall of the former government led by Ashraf Ghani, have returned to the country and resumed work, announced the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on Sunday. "Five Afghan pilots who left country, based on propaganda, answered our call and came back to Afghanistan," Tolo News quoted Enayatullah Khwarizmi, MoD's spokesperson as saying. Also Read | Earthquake in Afghanistan: Quake of Magnitude 4.3 Hits Fayzabad. With the fall of Ashraf Ghani's government, many of the experienced military and air force staff of Afghanistan fled the country to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, but no details are available about where these five pilots are returning from, Tolo News reported. "The leadership of the Ministry of Defense has consistently called on everyone to come back and serve their country," said Khwarizmi. Also Read | Lata Mangeshkar Dies at 92: German Ambassador Walter J Lindner Condoles Death of Veteran Singer, Says Her Legacy Will Live Forever. In the meantime, Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Islamic Emirate, welcomed the return of Afghan pilots on Twitter, saying "Afghanistan currently needs professionals". "Afghanistan needs everyone who is a specialist: doctors, engineers, pilots and teachers," Tolo News quoted Sarwar Neyazai, a military expert as saying. Citing the reports, Tolo News reported that around 140 Afghan air force pilots and personnel who were trapped in Tajikistan after leaving Afghanistan have since gone to the United States. According to Afghan media, the return of the Afghan pilots comes days after the United Nations said in a report that over 100 Afghan military forces of the previous government were killed since the Islamic Emirate came to power. However, the report was denied by the Islamic Emirate. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Athens [Greece], February 6 (ANI/Sputnik): Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has wished Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a speedy recovery from COVID-19. "I wish President @RTErdogan and his wife a swift recovery from COVID-19," Mitsotakis said on Twitter on Saturday. Also Read | UAE: Kerala Woman Living in Abu Dhabi Wins Lottery Worth Rs 44.75 Crore. Earlier in the day, Erdogan said on Twitter that he and his wife had received positive COVID-19 test results, but were only exhibiting mild symptoms. The Turkish leader specified that they had contracted the Omicron variant. Erdogan said that he was going to continue working from home. Also Read | Finland: Over 50 Protesters Arrested During Rally Against COVID-19 Restrictions in Helsinki, Say Police. Relations between Greece and Turkey have seriously deteriorated in recent years due to territorial claims in the Mediterranean, illegal migration, and the Cyprus issue. (ANI/Sputnik) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Beirut, Feb 6 (AP) Lebanon's Ministry of Culture handed over to Iraq on Sunday 337 ancient artifacts that had been on display in a Lebanese museum for years. The items, which included clay tablets, were returned by Minister of Culture Mohammed Murtada to Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon during a ceremony held at the National Museum of Beirut. Also Read | Earthquake in Afghanistan: Quake of Magnitude 4.3 Hits Fayzabad. Murtada told Iraq's state-run news agency in a Saturday report that a Lebanese committee had been investigating the items since 2018. The artifacts had been stored most recently at the private Nabu Museum in northern Lebanon. The report gave no further details about the artifacts' provenance. Also Read | Lata Mangeshkar Dies at 92: German Ambassador Walter J Lindner Condoles Death of Veteran Singer, Says Her Legacy Will Live Forever. We are celebrating the handing over of 337 artifacts that are of different eras of civilizations in Mesopotamia, Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon Haider Shyaa Al-Barrak said at the ceremony. This will not be the last handover, he added, without elaborating. Many of Iraq's antiquities were looted during the country's decades of war and instability, mostly since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Iraq's government has been slowly recovering the plundered antiquities since then. Archaeological sites across the country however continue to be neglected due to lack of funds. At least half dozen shipments of antiquities and documents have been returned to Iraq's museum since 2016, according to Iraqi authorities. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New York, Feb 6 (AP) An off-duty New York City police officer was shot in the left foot Saturday as he was leaving a vigil at a Manhattan community center, police said. It was the seventh time an NYPD officer has been shot this year. The shooting happened around 4:30 PM near Broadway and 130th Street in the borough's Manhattanville neighborhood. Also Read | UAE: Kerala Woman Living in Abu Dhabi Wins Lottery Worth Rs 44.75 Crore. The officer was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside hospital in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery, police said. Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, head of the NYPD's Housing Bureau, said the officer saw two men firing gunshots as he was leaving the building and appeared to have been struck as he was diving for cover. Also Read | Finland: Over 50 Protesters Arrested During Rally Against COVID-19 Restrictions in Helsinki, Say Police. Maddrey said it wasn't clear if the officer said anything to the men or identified himself as a police officer. No arrests have been made. Maddrey said the officer, who's assigned to policing housing complex in the Bronx, didn't realize he was wounded until a few minutes later when he felt pain in his foot while assisting responding officers with a description of the suspects. On Tuesday, an off-duty officer was shot in the shoulder during an attempted robbery as he was driving to work in the Rockaway section of Queens. Last month, two officers were fatally wounded while responding to a domestic dispute call at a Harlem apartment. This is very painful. It's very hurtful. Our people and our communities, our neighborhoods, we shouldn't have to live like this," Maddrey said. We should be able to walk freely. We should be able to shop and do the things that we love and we shouldn't have to worry about gun violence. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Lima, Feb 6 (AP) Peru's newly named prime minister resigned Saturday a day after President Pedro Castillo announced that he will renew his Cabinet yet again amid the biggest crisis since his administration began. Hector Valer, the third prime minister in the six months of Castillo's government, said he was machine-gunned by the newspapers that created an image of him as abusive and violent. Also Read | UAE: Kerala Woman Living in Abu Dhabi Wins Lottery Worth Rs 44.75 Crore. Local media released police complaints from 2016 against Valer for domestic violence in which his wife and daughter accused him of physical aggression, including kicking, punching and pulling hair. Valer denied having assaulted them. His wife passed away in 2021. Also Read | Finland: Over 50 Protesters Arrested During Rally Against COVID-19 Restrictions in Helsinki, Say Police. He is Peru's shortest-serving prime minister in the last 42 years at just three days on the job. Castillo will name a new prime minister, his fourth, and has promised the new Cabinet will be broad-based and open to all political parties. Castillo's government remains mired in crisis. For the first time people who voted for him in the 2021 election are protesting, criticizing his lack of care in choosing ministers. Former conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori, who lost to Castillo, said earlier that Peru's president must resign. He does not know how to summon people; he does not feel the responsibility of the position, she said. Castillo, a former rural schoolteacher, began his administration on July 28, 2021. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) A spokesperson for Breach Candy Hospital said she breathed her last at 8.12 a.m. due to post-Covid multi-organ failure after 28 days in the hospital. Earlier, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari shared the sad news stunning the nation. Larry O'Rourke - Mountmellick The death took place on Saturday, February 5 of Larry O'Rourke of O'Moore Street, Mountmellick. Passed away, unexpectedly, surrounded by his loving family, at Nass General Hospital. Predeceased by his son Joseph. Beloved husband to his devoted wife Mary and much loved father to Annette, Majella and Joseph. Sadly missed by his son-in-laws James and John, his adored grandchildren Gary, Darren, Amy and Megan, extended family, all his relatives and many friends. Reposing in his home on Sunday from 5pm. Recital of The Rosary at 6pm. Removal on Monday at 10.30am to St. Joseph's Church, Mountmellick, arriving for 11am Requiem Mass. Burial afterwards in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Mass can be live streamed on https://www.mountmellickparish.ie/ Due to Covid-19 guidelines, social distancing must apply and face coverings must be worn. House Strictly Private after the Rosary, Please Bernard O'Keeffe - Mountrath The death took place on Saturday, February 5 of Bernard (Bernie) O'Keeffe of Moanbawn, Mountrath. Peacefully, at his sister Paulines residence, surrounded by his loving family, after a long illness. Deeply regretted by his much loved son Cormac and partner Aideen, brother Jay, sisters Margaret (Kirwan), Marie (Bevans), Pauline (Seymour), brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, extended family, relatives, neighbours and friends. Leaving many broken hearts behind. Reposing at his home on Monday evening from 6pm with Rosary at 8pm. Removal on Tuesday morning at 9.30am to St. Fintans Church Mountrath (eircode R32 EC61), arriving for Requiem Mass at 10am, followed by Burial in St. Fintans Cemetery Mountrath. Bernie's Requiem Mass will be live streamed on www.mountrathparish.ie Government Covid guidelines still to be observed. Those attending funeral are requested to wear masks and refrain from handshaking. Michael Doran - Clonad The death took place on Friday, February 4 of Michael (Mick) Doran of Clonad, Portlaoise. Suddenly. Predeceased by his father Michael, mother Sheila, sister Maureen. Deeply regretted by his loving sons Michael and Conor, best friend Catherine, cousins, neighbours, relatives and friends. Reposing at Keegan's Funeral Home on Monday evening from 6.30pm, with rosary at 8pm. Removal on Tuesday to arrive at St Fintan's Church, Raheen, for 12 noon Requiem Mass, followed by interment in the adjoining cemetery. The Doran family thank you for your understanding at this difficult time. Government Covid guidelines still to be observed. Those attending funeral are requested to wear masks and refrain from handshaking. Pauline Keyes - Portlaoise The death took place on Friday, February 4 of Pauline (Polly) Keyes of Glasnevin, Dublin and formerly Togher Portlaoise. Peacefully in the Mater Hospital, surrounded by her family ; she will be very sadly missed by her loving family, son Mark, daughter-in-law Patricia, grandchildren Rebecca, Charlotte and Harry, brother Jim, sister Romi, sister-in-law Helen, nephews and nieces Gabriel, Rita, Eugene, Marie, Seamus, Treasa, Fearghal, Sinead, Gerard, Brian, Niall, Pat, Aidan, Donal, Sean, Anthony and Teresa, extended family, Paulines carers, neighbours and friends. Reposing in Massey Bros Funeral Home, Main Street, Finglas, on Monday, 7th February, from 2pm to 4pm. Removal to St Columbas Church, Iona Road, on Tuesday, 8th February, arriving for Requiem Mass at 10.30am followed by burial in Glasnevin Cemetery. Paulines Funeral Mass will be broadcast live using the following link https://www.ionaroadparish.ie/mass-times/webcam/ P.J. Butler - Rathdowney The death took place on Wednesday, February 2 of P.J. Butler of Rathsaran, Rathdowney. Peacefully at the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. Predeceased by his parents John and Johanna. P.J. will be sadly missed by his loving wife Kathleen, his children John, Catriona, Padraig, his grandchildren twins Sean and Conor, sisters Johanna and Brigid, his son-in-law Kenneth Lawson, his daughter-in-law Veronica, nieces, nephews, extended family and his many friends. Reposing at O'Sullivan's Funeral Home, Rathdowney, on Saturday and Sunday evening from 5pm to 7pm on both evenings with rosary at 7pm. Requiem Mass on Monday at 11 am followed by burial in the local cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations, if so desired, to Laois Hospice. The funeral Mass will be livestreamed on parishwebsites.ie/rathdowney. Please observe the current guidelines regarding social distancing, mask wearing and hand shaking at all times. The last 12 months has seen a fourfold increase in emergency calls from domestic abuse survivors. During that time RTE Investigates was filmed in several refuges across the country as the services reached crisis point. Offaly is amongst nine counties in Ireland that have no refuge service available, along with Carlow, Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Roscommon, and Sligo. Having given RTE Investigates unprecedented access, staff describe their daily struggle to keep sufferers safe, because a shortage in refuge places means they are forced to live with their abusers. From coercive control, repeated patterns of domestic violence, femicide and the traumatic journey through the justice system, the documentary reveals the human stories behind the statistics. Last year, the number of people that contacted the domestic violence support services increased by 40% from the previous year, in some cases as a direct result of Covid-19 restrictions. Catherine Casey from Kerry refuge: We have had women ringing in the middle of the night, whispering at the end of phone. We are getting four times the amount of calls than we were getting pre-covid. Offaly is one of those nine counties in the country that has no refuge. Anne Clarke, Manager Offaly Domestic Support Services tells RTE Investigates: The midlands seem to be this blackhole we seem to be getting the scraps from the table. Coercive control is extremely common for a male victim. If you are a man in this country, you have zero options for a refuge, there is nowhere to go. Some services do help, and support men, but there are very few. Women predominantly remain the highest ratio as domestic abuse victims, and that is why the services are directed more for women. Our service is different, we support male victims as well, percentage wise 25% of our clients would be male. International figures indicate one in nine men have experienced abuse from their partner. RTE Investigates spoke with a male victim, who took his case through the courts. Peter (not his real name): It is something that just crept up on me and I didnt realise I was in that situation until the day I called a halt to it. "I realised things were not normal. My goodness today I can look back and say no, things were not normal. It is to not have control of your money, its not normal to be put down, its normal to have things thrown at you, to be slapped. You are treated like, nearly like a dog. "I did not see it until the end. You cannot help a person like that. You have to run, I should have run years ago. The warning signs were there. Who do you turn to? Who is going to believe you? And if you even tell someone, are they going to believe you. One in four women in Ireland who have been in a relationship have been abused by a current or former partner. On Sept 18th 2016, Sarah Behan was assaulted by her then partner Patrick Fitzpatrick, who was an actor in RTEs Fair City playing the character Zumo from 2007 to 2016. The attack actually went on for over two hours, according to Sarah. Sarah Behan: I got beaten badly. He pulled me back from the window, by the hair, and dragged me, and tried to strangle me for what felt like an eternity and I could see the room closing in. That was window I was contemplating jumping out, possibly broken my two legs and pelvis. I wasnt sure how I would do it, I was just thinking survival mode. flight or fight. A choice, will I just jump then I was pulled back. "I thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, there was nobody like him. I had never been with anyone like him. He was obviously a fantastic actor, but he acted in real life as well. It started with romanticising and love bombing, treating me like a princess, and then it was like a switch. He was upfront and told me he had abused women before in past relationships. But of course, I thought I could fix him. "And then it got worse, worse and worse. It was regular, all I did was curl up into a ball, I didnt have any fight left in me. Hed broken me down so much; I had no fight left. "But when the case came up in the district court, it was put back again and again. The assault charge against Patrick Fitzpatrick, for which he pleaded guilty, was remanded before the courts 14 times, followed by a further two appeal hearings. Sarah Behan: It was trauma relieved over and over, and over again. It was constant, that I could not put it to rest, I could not move on. Sarahs mother Antoinette attended all of the remand hearings. Antoinette Behan: It was just put off put off put off, held back, and pushed back, for two years, repeatedly, for two years 4 months to be precise. We were told that their defence was not ready, and that is why the cases were pushed back. "The lowest point, when during the hearing, the judge looked at the medical report, and on the medical report it had that she clumps of hair missing, and bruises on her face, and jaws. The prosecution of Patrick Fitzpatrick was finally resolved in January 2019. Sarah Behan: I thought he would go away for a year or two at least, for all the things he has done but he got one month that was it, a suspended sentence then. A year before his attack on Sarah Behan, Fitzpatrick assaulted a previous partner at his home in Ballymun in 2015, punching her twice in the jaw. That assault was finally dealt with in May 2018 when he received a 12-month probation bond. The following January, the remainder of a sentence for the assault on Sarah was suspended. It meant he served two days in prison for that assault. Sarah Behan: I feel let down by the system really. Antoinette Behan, (Mother): I could not protect her. So, no matter how old your baby is, its tough. The psychological impacts are lifelong. She is a different girl to what she was before. The Duke of York is due to give evidence under oath next month as part of the civil sex assault case against him. Andrew will face what is known as a deposition on March 10 in London, in what has been described as a neutral location. A source close to the royal said his accuser Virginia Giuffre had not yet committed to a date or location for her deposition despite repeated requests. The news of Andrews deposition date, first reported by the Telegraph, comes on the eve of the Queens Platinum Jubilee. On Sunday, the monarch will become the first British sovereign to reach a historic 70 years on the throne. Andrews deposition will be conducted by Ms Giuffres lawyers, David Boies and Sigrid McCawley, and is expected to last two days, according to the Telegraph. Mr Boies has previously said his client and legal team were anticipating confronting Andrew about his denials and attempts to blame Ms Giuffre for her own abuse at his deposition and at trial. The renowned lawyer was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2010, and he has been named Global International Litigator of the Year by Whos Who Legal seven times, according to his law firms website. Ms Giuffre is suing the duke for damages in her home country of the US, claiming she was trafficked by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, Andrews friend and a convicted sex offender, to have sex with the royal when she was 17, a minor under US law, at Ghislaine Maxwells London home in the early 2000s. The duke is also alleged to have sexually abused Ms Giuffre during a visit to Epsteins private island, Little St James, and on a separate occasion at the financiers Manhattan mansion. Andrew has strenuously denied all allegations. A source close to him said: We agreed to voluntarily produce the Duke for a deposition on March 10. Despite repeated requests, Ms. Giuffre still hasnt committed to a date or location for her deposition. The Telegraph reported that those due to give depositions after Andrew include the royals former assistant, Robert Olney, and Shukri Walker, who claims to have seen Andrew in Tramp nightclub. Last month, court documents revealed that US Judge Lewis A Kaplan had written letters to the Senior Master of the Queens Bench Division in the UK to request assistance in acquiring evidence for the civil claim filed by Ms Giuffre. The judge asked for Mr Olney to be quizzed on topics such as Andrews communications with Maxwell, Epstein and Ms Giuffre, and his travel to Epsteins homes. In a separate letter to the High Court, Judge Kaplan also requested testimony from Ms Walker, on questions about the presence of the duke and Ms Giuffre at Tramp nightclub in March 2001 and any interactions the pair had. The civil sex assault trial is scheduled to take place between September and December. The parties will need to confirm by July 28 whether they wish to proceed to trial. The water supply used by a group of residents in Kilteel, Naas, has become contaminated with arsenic, prompting calls for water tankers to be deployed. Up to 70 families are directly affected by the problem. While they can use the water for washing purposes and in toilets, it is highly toxic and must not be consumed. Nor can the problem be alleviated by boiling. Cllr Fintan Brett Local councillor Fintan Brett has called on the authorities to deploy water tankers to provide a safe and accessible supply for local families. Cllr Brett believes that in the medium to long term it will be necessary to connect these homes to the public supply and this is likely to be expensive since some residences are located more than three kilometres from the nearest mains source. Its understood that all of those affected are part of a group water scheme, which provides water from a privately owned supply. The water is fine for some uses, but not for drinking and you could have a situation where it snows heavily as it did a few years ago and no water would be available. At that time this community was snowed in, said Cllr Brett. He added: I understand that the contamination is well above the safe limits and Ill be calling on Irish Water and Kildare County Council to step up to the plate and find an immediate and long term solution. A WORKER at a Limerick company was prosecuted for assault after a complaint was made to gardai that he pushed and shoved a colleague in the workplace. Anthony Nolan, aged 42, of Gleann Aine, Hospital pleaded guilty to a charge of assault, under the provisions of Section 2 of the Non Fatal Offences Against Person Act relating to an incident which occurred at Munster Packaging, Emly Road, in the village. Inspector Pat Brennan told Kilmallock Court a complaint was made to gardai regarding an incident on May 7, 2021. Between 8.30am and 9am the defendant approached the victim. Words were exchanged, he (Mr Nolan) threatened him and pulled at his arms and shoulders. He said, If there were no cameras here I would tear you around the place. Insp Brennan added that the victim told gardai he felt intimidated. Michael ODonnell, solicitor for Mr Nolan, said there were no injuries and he made a number of submissions on behalf of Mr Nolan. My client worked there for a number of years and was a supervisor. He had received complaints about the victims attitude - his demeanor," he said adding that the victim "was a difficult person to work with. Insp Brennan agreed with the solicitor that what occurred was essentially pushing and shoving. Mr ODonnell said Mr Nolan, who has one previous conviction for assault dating back to 2007, has since left the company and is now gainfully employed elsewhere. During the hearing, Judge Patricia Harney read out some of the victim impact statement which was prepared by the victim. He said he was physically assaulted. He didnt require medical attention but has long lasting psychological trauma. He said he was physically sick every morning before going to work, she said. The judge said it was quite clear there is a history between the parties. There is a previous conviction of assault, said Judge Harney, who convicted and fined Mr Nolan 200 for assault. TWO males have been hospitalised after a car they were travelling in crashed into the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Patrickswell. The incident occurred in the early hours of this Sunday morning shortly after 1am. Five appliances from Limerick and Fire and Rescue Service in the city and Rathkeale, ambulance personnel and gardai all attended. A garda spokesperson confirmed they attended a single car road traffic collision that occurred at Patrickswell Chuch at approximately 1.10am this morning, Sunday February 6. "Two males, one in his teens and the other in his 20s, were brought to University Hospital Limerick to be treated for their injuries. Investigations are ongoing," said the garda spokesperson. The photograph above, taken this Sunday morning, shows where the car collided with the building. A crack in the wall can be seen where the impact occurred. Local Fine Gael councillor, Dan McSweeney said he has spoken to a number of neighbours after the accident occurred. "To say the least it has shaken the locals in the area. I do hope both the occupants of the car are not seriously injured and make a full recovery. "There is some structural damage to the church which will be assessed over the coming days with the hope that this damage is not too extensive, said Cllr McSweeney. THE Mayor of the City and County of Limerick is to lead a small council delegation which is due to visit Scotland later this month. The two-day trip to Edinburgh, which his being led by the Economic Development Directorate, was formally approved and sanctioned at the most-recent meeting of the full council. According to a briefing note, circulated to councillors, members of the delegation will "meet with state development agencies and the Irish Diplomatic Corps in the UK to promote Limerick as an investment location." It is envisaged they will also engage with the Limerick Diaspora in the UK as part of the Global Limerick Initiative. The local authority delegation will be received by the Irish Consul General in the Scottish capital and a number of events will take place in the city over the two days. In addition to meeting with members of the Limerick Diaspora, Mayor Butler is also due to meet with civic leaders in Edinburgh. The cost of the Mayoral visit (flights and accommodation) will be in the region of 800. BY CARA LOMBARDO | UPDATED FEB 04, 2022 05:49 PM EST The maker of stationary bikes faces pressure from activist investor as its share price sags Peloton Interactive Inc. is drawing interest from potential suitors including Amazon.com Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, as the stationary-bike makers stock slumps and an activist urges it to explore a sale. Amazon has been speaking to advisers about a potential deal, some of the people said. Theres no guarantee the e-commerce giant will follow through with an offer or that Peloton, which is working with its own advisers, would be receptive. Other potential suitors are circling, these people said, but no deal is imminent and there may not be one at all. Should there be a transaction, it could be significant, given Pelotons market value of around $8 billiondown sharply from its high around a year ago of some $50 billion. While Peloton was once a pandemic darling as homebound customers ordered its pricey exercise equipment that pairs with virtual classes, its stock closed Friday at $24.60, below its September 2019 IPO price of $29, following a slowdown in its once-torrid growth. Its shares jumped around 30% in after-hours trading Friday, after The Wall Street Journal reported on the interest from Amazon and others. Despite its woes, linking up with Peloton would give Amazon or another party access to its millions of well-heeled users and their data, and a big boost in the burgeoning market for health and wellness technology. A desire for positioning in that market helped drive Oracle Corp.s $28.3 billion deal to buy electronic-medical-records company Cerner Corp., announced in December. There are several potential ties between Peloton and Amazons existing businesses, such as its fleet-and-logistics arm, which could help the bike company address supply-chain issues it and others are grappling with as a result of the pandemic. A Peloton subscription could also theoretically be bundled with Amazon Prime, which offers users waived shipping costs, a streaming service and more for a monthly or annual fee. Amazon has bundled the services of other companies it has acquired as an added incentive for shoppers to sign up for the program, for which it is charging $139 a year starting this month. Amazon has been pushing into connected health in recent years, launching its Halo Health and Wellness tracker. Data from Peloton riders, who have the option to track their heart rate and energy consumption during a ride, could help underpin other Amazon products. Should Amazon decide to pursue Peloton, it certainly has the wherewithal. On Thursday, the company reported more than $14 billion in quarterly profit, nearly double the year-earlier haul. Its shares rose 13.5% Friday, giving the company a market value of around $1.6 trillion. Amazons approach to deal making spans its businesses, which range from e-commerce to groceries and streaming, and the cloud. Amazons biggest deal to date is its purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. for $13.7 billion in 2017. Like Peloton, Whole Foods was the target of an activist shareholder who was pressuring the company to sell itself. In May, Amazon agreed to buy movie studio MGM for around $6.5 billion. The deal is being scrutinized by antitrust regulators as Amazon and other technology giants face intensifying attention from U.S. regulators and lawmakers related in part to their past acquisitions. Blackwells Capital LLC is pushing Pelotons board to fire Chief Executive John Foley and pursue a sale. Blackwells argues that the company is weaker today than before the pandemic and believes Peloton would be better off as part of a larger company. The investment firm said in a letter it made public last week that Peloton could be an attractive acquisition target for larger technology or fitness-oriented companies. Peloton hasnt publicly responded to Blackwellss call for it to explore a sale. Mr. Foley has said that Peloton is reviewing the size of its workforce and resetting production levels to improve profitability as the company adapts to more seasonal demand for its equipment. It may be difficult to engineer any deal if Mr. Foley isnt supportive, as he and other insiders have shares that gave them control of over 80% of Pelotons voting power as of Sept. 30, according to a company proxy filing. Mr. Foley, a former Barnes & Noble Inc. executive, co-founded the company in 2012. After a rapid ascent, Peloton has been grappling with slowing demand for its products. Mr. Foley has said that the company is taking significant corrective actions to improve our profitability outlook and optimize our costs." Peloton recently disclosed that it would start charging customers hundreds of dollars in delivery fees and setup charges for its bikes and treadmills. In August, Peloton cut the list price of its original bike by 20%. Peloton is set to announce results Tuesday. The company reported preliminary fiscal second-quarter revenue of $1.14 billion and said it ended the quarter with 2.77 million subscribers. Every Monday, Mint s Plain Facts section features key data releases and events to track in the coming week. The politically charged Assembly election season begins this week with 58 seats going to polls in Uttar Pradesh in the first phase. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will announce its monetary policy review. In the entertainment world, film enthusiasts will watch for Oscar nominations for this year. The following are some of the things to watch out for. 1. RBIs monetary policy The February monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is often quite significant as it is held against the backdrop of the Union budget announcements. This year, the governments focus on capital expenditure is set to boost borrowing markedly, which the central bank will have to manage amid rising bond yields. Experts will keep an eye on RBIs strategy to manage the high borrowing levels at the monetary policy announcement on Thursday. Also, the inflation situation has been deteriorating, with consumer price index (CPI) inflation nearing the upper tolerance limit of 6%. An adverse base effect and elevated core inflation will keep the MPC on its toes. The budget is inflation neutral, but worries over existing price pressures and likely tightening by the US Federal Reserve could mark the beginning of a hike cycle, with many economists expecting RBI to raise the reverse repo rate at this meeting itself, before going for a repo rate hike. 2. State elections The first phase of polling in 58 constituencies across 11 districts of Uttar Pradesh kicks off on Thursday. This years Assembly poll season will include six more phases in UP and elections in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa until 7 March, with results due on 10 March. The Election Commission of India has extended until 11 February its ban on public rallies and road shows amid the third covid wave. But it has relaxed some restrictions on public meetings and door-to-door campaigning. Amid the curbs, political leaders have been giving press interviews and addressing constituents through the electronic media. The heat is on, with several politicians switching sides. UP, which sends the most members to Parliament, bears a special significance for national politics. The elections come in the middle of Prime Minister Narendra Modis second term, and, thus, the result will be read as a vote on his regime as well. 3. Mutual fund flows The Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) will release the data on mutual fund inflows for January this week. Despite the looming risks from the new covid-19 variant, and the Federal Reserves hawkish signals, equity mutual funds received record inflows of 24,989.57 crore in December and monthly SIPs continued to trend higher, at 11,305 crore. A major correction in markets in November encouraged investors to enter the markets through the mutual fund route. Redemptions were down 49% while fund mobilization registered a 67% year-on-year growth. Net asset management for equity funds rose 47% on a yearly basis as the headline index Sensex gained nearly 2% in December after a 4% fall in November. The enthusiasm is expected to stay even as foreign portfolio investors turn net sellers. 4. US inflation Retail inflation in the US continued to rise and hit almost a four-decade high of 7% in December 2021. Prices have remained stubbornly high amid an unprecedented demand for goods, while supply constraints of both labour and raw materials refuse to ease. The increase in CPI inflation during the month was primarily led by higher prices for shelter and used vehicles while the energy index fell after a long series of increases. With rampant spending and supply bottlenecks still at play, the price pressures are expected to have been at elevated levels in January, too. The data will be released on Thursday. The persistent inflation has led to a perceptible shift in the policy stance of the Federal Reserve as it has scaled down its policy support and hinted at interest rate hikes. It plans to aggressively reduce its balance sheet, too, and will focus on preventing inflation from becoming entrenched. 5. Oscar nominations If fine cinema by over-the-top (OTT) platforms was already a phenomenon, the covid-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders gave further fillip to streaming services. Many films that would usually be released only in theatres were premiered on streaming platforms, too. Will this lead to streaming services taking a bigger pie at the upcoming Academy Award nominations? OTT platforms first made it to the coveted Best Picture category in 2019 with Netflixs Roma and their share has only grown since, with two nominations in 2020 and three in 2021. This year, too, some of the top contenders are being distributed by streaming services such as Netflix and Apple Original Films. The Golden Globe Awards that concluded earlier last month signal this. The Power of the Dog, which saw a limited release in theatres and a worldwide release by Netflix, is a frontrunner. CODA, Dont Look Up, The Lost Daughter, and Tick, Tick... Boom! are other favourites distributed by OTT platforms this Oscar season. / A man has been arrested in connection to a beating that occurred at Villa Del Sol Park, according to Laredo police. Jorge Alberto Raz, 26, was served with arrest warrants on Jan. 27 charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and engaging in organized criminal activity. More arrests could be forthcoming as the investigation progresses. CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus, Deputy Commissioner Troy A. Miller, and Chief Raul L. Ortiz, are pleased to announce the appointment of Carl E. Landrum to the Senior Executive Service position of Chief Patrol Agent for the Laredo Sector in the U.S. Border Patrol. Landrum entered on duty with Border Patrol in October 1996 as a member of Class 323. He started as a Border Patrol agent at Brown Field Station, San Diego Sector. As his career progressed, he served as an Assistant Chief Patrol Agent at Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Division Chief at Laredo Sector Headquarters. Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated that Laredo led Texas in power outages. It has been amended to clarify that Laredo had AEP Texas' most outages. Laredo was cited by AEP Texas as the city with its most power outages mid-day Friday. AEP Texas provided the update on the outages throughout the city and broke the bad news. It also cautioned that outages may continue to fluctuate due to the impact of the winter storm. As anticipated, the number of outages increased as weather conditions worsened overnight and early this morning, AEP Texas said in a statement. The number of outages likely will continue to go up and down as the winter storm continues over the next few days. AEP Texas said that as of 11:15 a.m., a total of 2,500 customers were without power. Of those, it was 1,720 in Laredo who were in the dark. Corpus Christi had the most of any other city at 920. Our crews continue to deal with icy conditions, which make road conditions increasingly hazardous, AEP Texas stated. News reports noted many multiple-vehicle collisions throughout the state. Please postpone driving if possible and remember to move over and slow down when approaching a utility vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. We are working to restore power as quickly as safely possible. Our crews will continue our restoration efforts until power is restored to all homes and businesses that can take power. Fortunately, power was largely restored by the end of the day for the great majority of locals. AEP said it had three outage areas Friday night with around 30 customers being impacted. That was good news for many who were concerned with the first real test of winter weather after last years major storm that knocked out power for many around the state for days during frigid temperatures. Larry Jones, Corporate Communications Manager for AEP Texas, wanted to emphasize that the outages were not a result of issues with the Texas power grid or a shortage of energy. Some outages may be a result of equipment issues, downed transmission lines due to heavy winds or power lines developing icicles and moving the lines. The outages during resulting from this storm are in no way similar to last year other than they were both occurring during February, he said. Last year was caused by lack of generation. There are approximately 1,500 boots-on-the-ground that have been involved in addressing storm related issues, Jones said. These technicians include transmission linemen, distribution linemen, tree trimmers and more; with many addressing area outages throughout the city after they are reported. As the TAMIU area was cited as the most heavily affected area in the early part of Thursday, as the day went on, outage reports lowered. Jones said earlier analysis showed that a recloser was identified as an issue, but further details were being monitored to pinpoint the true issue. A recloser is a breaker on electric lines that opens to protect other equipment. In some cases, closing the recloser may address the issues and in others, the recloser was opened for different issues which need to be addressed. As for Friday, while 100% accurate predictions cant be made on when or where another outage will crop up, Jones said that he believes as the temperature lowers, there is a chance of additional outages. Residents can check online at the AEP Texas web page to find out what areas are impacted by outages. For those affected they can report the outage online or call 1-866-223-8508 to report their situation. In the case of a fallen power line, Jones said that residents must exercise caution as they should be considered energized and dangerous. It is imperative that residents who discover a fallen line to report it to the number 1-866-223-8508. Laredo was still under a hard freeze warning which was in effect from 8 p.m. on Friday through 10 a.m. Saturday. The city said Thursday it had warming shelters on standby, but as of Friday did not announce that they were deemed necessary. cocampo@lmtonline.com A man started damaging the interior of a patrol unit before he admitted he had transported four migrants in a Chevrolet Camaro, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Ignacio Sandoval III, 19, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief, reckless driving, resisting arrest and smuggling of persons by criminal conspiracy. Marcus Cassidy cassidym@grinnell.edu Seniors in their final year at Grinnell College often find themselves struggling to navigate their future prospects and post-graduate intentions, but several find a helping hand in the form of the Center for Careers, Life, and Service (CLS), a campus resource for students seeking support in their personal and professional goals. Located in the John Chrystal Center at 1103 Park St., the CLS provides many services to students that help them to connect with career opportunities, gain job experiences and broaden their network. An exploratory advisor, which every student is assigned, and a group of specialized career community advisors work with students throughout their undergraduate years. Leslie Bleichner, the CLSs education professions career advisor, meets personally with students to help them explore future opportunities in the field of education and steer them towards resources. I would say the most common conversations that I have with students are about the nuts and bolts and what I need in order to be able to support them post Grinnell, Bleichner said. I tell everybody I work with that my job is twofold: to put you in a position to make powerful decisions about your future and to make sure that you can be 100 percent your authentic self, 100 percent of the time. Several graduating seniors have expressed appreciation for the level of aid provided by the CLS. Both Finn Dworkin `22 and Claire Kopachik `22 are taking advantage of their resources to enhance their options post-Grinnell. I had the opportunity to shadow the social worker at UnityPoint hospital, the Grinnell hospital, and that was set up through [the] CLS and was really a good experience. Kopachik said. They do a committee letter for health professions applications, which is really nice because it actually makes it so you dont have to ask for individual letters of recommendation from professors. Alongside assistance applying to postgraduate institutions and jobs, the CLS also uses Grinnell Connect, a platform that gives students the chance to connect and network with past Grinnellians. I tell everybody I work with that my job is twofold: to put you in a position to make powerful decisions about your future and to make sure that you can be 100 percent your authentic self, 100 percent of the time. -Leslie Bleichner, education professions career advisor at the CLS Ive talked to some alumni and some chemistry alumni that have given me good advice, and theyre usually always friendly to reach out to, Dworkin said. Youre building your skills as a student, but you should also be honing your social skills and creating connections with different organizations that you could reach out to or get involved with. The advisers notably make an effort to help students learn to collaborate, utilize outside resources and manage their own career going forward. Brenna Hanlon `22 took advantage of several peer and campus resources to support her long-term plans. Its really hard to remember how much work weve already done at Grinnell and how useful that work is to turn around, Hanlon said. Grinnell affords a lot of its students a lot of opportunities to work in a really wide range of things like working really closely with professors and doing individual research. While youre here, its all setting you up with really useful experiences. While Texans braced for a winter storm this week with looming fears of another potential collapse of the state's electrical grid, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had other concerns. The GOP leader took to Twitter to corroborate claims made in a video posted by the National Fraternal Order of Police that criticized Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo for where she chose to stand during a Tuesday memorial service for slain officer Corporal Charles Galloway. The Harris County Pct. 5 deputy was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Jan. 23. "This video is 100% accurate," Patrick said in a tweet Thursday sharing the video. "I was there. What youll see is a shocking display of disruptive and disgraceful behavior by @LinaHidalgoTX during the funeral of a peace officer killed in the line of duty. She is unfit for office. The people deserve better." Patrick's post has garnered hundreds of retweets in support. However, many users were quick to call Patrick a hypocrite, suggesting he was the one politicizing the officers funeral by using the video as a platform to make a "partisan attack" against Hidalgo. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker also weighed in to defend Hidalgo, tweeting, "As the highest ranking Harris County official at the funeral of a slain Harris County public safety officer, Judge Hidalgo is expectedby long standing protocolto be at the front of the ceremony as the representative of the county he served. Same old Dannie Goeb." In the video, originally shared by Houston conservative radio talk show The Michael Berry Show, a sergeant identified by Fox 26 as Precinct 5 Sgt. Roy Guinn accuses Hidalgo of disrespect for refusing to take a seat at the ceremony, despite his multiple requests. The footage captures Hidalgo standing next to Patrick and other officers at the service in front of a tent where Galloway's family sat with other dignitaries. "It is not an exaggeration to say Judge Hidalgo was self-centered, arrogant, and focused on her personal desires over the honor of our slain deputy, or the reverence of his funeral service," Guinn stated in the seven minute clip. Guinn says Patrick was allowed to stand in the front as he would be presenting one of the flags but claims that where Hidalgo stood interfered with the ceremony. "Nothing in the service was about you, something you failed to understand," Guinn says in the video, directing criticism at Hidalgo. "You made the decision that it was more important for you to be seen front and center than it was for you to take your place with the other invited dignitaries." However, a Harris County official with knowledge of the incident is claiming that it was Patrick who was disrespectful during the funeral. According to the official, Patrick told Hidalgo to "sit down and shut up" two or three times at the funeral, which was not captured in the video. The official also said Patrick has a history of allegedly confronting Hidalgo for political reasons at previous funerals, including during a funeral for slain Deputy Kareem Atkins on Oct. 25, 2021, during which the official said Patrick confronted Hidalgo inside the service and accused her of trying to defund the police. The Harris County Commissioner's Court has actually steadily increased the budgets for every law enforcement agency in the county since Hidalgo took office in 2019. Patrick's office choose not to comment about claims regarding Deputy Atkins' funeral, but in response to Thursday's Twitter post, Patrick's press secretary Steven Aranyi noted that the posted video is not the Lt. Governors. "He simply shared it to corroborate that the video the constables office put out was 100% factual," Aranyi said, adding, "The only thing he said to the judge was to follow the directions of the sergeant and please take her seat and be quiet. Instead, she continued to be disruptive and ignored the wishes of the police and the family." In an exclusive statement shared Friday, Rafael Lemaitre, spokesperson for Judge Hidalgo, stated, "Out of respect for the family and for the civility our community deserves, Judge Hidalgo will not engage the same type of smear campaigns and cruel political games Dan Patrickor anyone elseare hoping to engage her in. "Furthermore, as this video so clearly shows, womenand particularly women of colorin workplaces across America are still living in a time where many still find it appropriate to tell them to 'stay in their place,' regardless of their duty or responsibilities," Lemaitre added. "That's just not something Judge Hidalgo has ever acquiesced to." Lena Ann "Lee Ann" Enzinna, age 77 of the City of Tonawanda, April 28, 2022. Lee Ann was a 1962 graduate of Tonawanda High School and a graduate of Buffalo State Teachers College. She had been employed by Roswell Park Cancer Inst. for many years. Daughter of the late Samuel F. Sr. and Lena E Longford people are being encouraged to give their views on water quality through a number of open meetings to be held around the country as part of the public consultation on the draft River Basin Management Plan. The consultation is currently open and members of the public or interested parties can make submissions online (until March 31) at www.gov.ie/draftRBMP or through the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRO) at https://consult.watersandcommunities.ie/en/content/draft-river-basin-management-plan-ireland-2022-2027 Longford mans resilience inspires charity album Mary McFadden on the incredible story of Kevin Stanbury, who is still giving all he has to help others despite devastating health problems LAWPRO will hold 62 consultation meetings throughout the country over the next month and at these virtual meetings, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from LAWPRO representatives on the factors affecting water quality in their local area, with an opportunity for local stakeholders and members of the public to share their views on the Governments draft River Basin Management Plan. The meetings for Longford residents will take place on the following days and times: Monday, February 21 at 7.30pm Moyne, Dromard, Ballinamuck, Drumlish, Aughnacliffe, Mullinalaghta, Ballinalee, Killoe, Granard, Abbeylara, Edgeworthstown, Longford, Newtownforbes Thursday, February 24 at 7.30pm Legan, Abbeyshrule, Ballymahon, Newtowncashel, Kenagh, Lanesboro, Killashee, Clondra, Ardagh, Moydow A full list of meetings and information on how to register can be found here https://lawaters.ie/rbmp-public-meetings-2022/ . The public meetings will be complemented by a new Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage digital campaign to generate as much participation as possible. The draft River Basin Management Plan sets out an increased ambition for how water quality is managed in Ireland. There are 4842 water bodies in Ireland, organised in 46 catchment areas and 54 % of all waterbodies are considered to be at risk of not meeting Water Framework Directive objectives by 2027. A number of pressures are impacting water quality including agriculture, hydromorphology (physical changes), urbanisation and waste water treatment. The draft Plan also takes account of the impacts of climate change on our water and biodiversity. Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh OBrien TD said: We all recognise the pressures and risks to our water and the draft River Basin Management Plan sets out ambitious plans to make improvements to our water quality. We recognise that more needs to be done, as a matter of urgency. Extensive engagement on this plan is already underway with stakeholders and I am asking the public to make their views count on this important issue. Through our digital campaign and in public meetings, were asking the public to think about water and how it is used in their daily lives and recreation, but also its role in sustaining communities and in the face of climate change. Im hoping for a great response to this public consultation and encourage people to get involved either through the LAWPRO local approach or the Departments at www.gov.ie/draftRBMP . Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD added, By getting involved, members of the public will be helping to shape the overall management of Irelands rivers, lakes and streams. In recent years, we have made substantial progress in how we manage our water services and how we work together to protect and improve water quality, but challenges remain and we have much more to do. By working together, we can develop a pathway to achieve our environmental objectives and deliver the clean waters and healthy freshwater ecosystems that are vital for protecting public health, supporting economic growth and restoring aquatic biodiversity. Weather Alert ...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Louisiana... Mississippi River At Red River Landing affecting West Feliciana, East Baton Rouge and Pointe Coupee Parishes. For the Lower Mississippi River...including Red River Landing, Baton Rouge, Donaldsonville, Reserve, New Orleans...Minor flooding is forecast. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/lix. Click on the Rivers and Lakes menu for forecasts and observations. The next statement will be issued when updates are needed. && ...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY FRIDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Mississippi River At Red River Landing. * WHEN...Until early Friday morning. * IMPACTS...At 51.0 feet, All river islands along the reach from Red River Landing to Baton Rouge will be inundated. Recreational camps and river bottom farm land will be under water. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 6:00 PM CDT Sunday the stage was 50.3 feet. - Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 6:00 PM CDT Sunday was 50.4 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage Thursday evening and continue falling to 39.6 feet Sunday, May 29. - Flood stage is 48.0 feet. - Flood History...This crest compares to a previous crest of 48.8 feet on 04/22/2014. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood && According to the president of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torres, Spain's health ministry is looking to find a "solution" to the current requirement for UK children aged 12 and over to be double vaccinated in order to enter Spain. The Canary Islands, the most popular of Spain's regions in the low season, have been affected by this requirement. It is less of an issue for Mallorca right now, but there have been calls from other parts of Spain for an immediate change - Benidorm, for instance. But for Mallorca and all tourist regions, there are bookings for Easter and the summer to be concerned about. Torres says that he has been in talks with the national health and tourism ministries ever since the Spanish government adopted this measure. With Covid incidence rates having dropped significantly, the health minister, Carolina Darias, is said to now be studying a change. The Canarian president suggests that the solution could entail single vaccination plus a negative test (unspecified as yet) and is hopeful of an announcement being made in the coming days that will "combine both health and economic activity criteria". In recent days, hoteliers groups in Spain have been expressing criticisms of the requirement. Jorge Marichal, president of the CEHAT national confederation of hotel associations and the president of the Tenerife hoteliers association, said last week: "It has done us a lot of harm. Since December, we've lost many bookings from British families. While our competitors are opening their borders to the British market, Spain is continuing to place obstacles to those under 18 and, therefore, to family tourism. Mark Stikel, a graduate of the Yellow Line Project jail diversion program, stands with several books he intends to donate to the Blue Earth County Jail in January 2018. South Central Community Based Initiative funding supports the program, and that money may be less if a funding formula change occurs as proposed. The third Islamic Finance Innovation Day (IFID) Forum has announced Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) as the Exclusive Banking Partner. Taking place in Bahrain on February 27 at the Gulf Hotel as a hybrid event, the Forum is being held under the Patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and is set to gather a high level group of financial sector, Fintech, regulatory and legal experts to examine How Fintech Innovation is Transforming the Investment Industry. Rasheed Al Maraj, Governor of the CBB, will open the Forum and with a dynamic programme to follow. Hassan Jarrar, CEO of BisB, will begin with a keynote address on the Next Phase of Digital Innovation followed by a presentation from Anour Adham, Co-Founder and CEO of CrowdToLive, a FCA regulated Fintech offering real estate equity funding, and a Partner of the IFID 2022 Forum, who will talk about Fintech Innovation in Real Estate Investing. The programme will also feature two high-level panel discussions with experts addressing how new cutting-edge digital solutions are revolutionizing the investment industry and the resulting challenges and opportunities. The first panel will focus on the Forums theme How Fintech Innovation is Transforming the Investment Industry, with participation from Yasmeen Al-Sharaf, Director, Fintech & Innovation Unit at the CBB, Maisa Shunnar, Group Chief Digital Transformation, BisB, and Anour Adham, Co-Founder and CEO of CrowdToLive. The discussion will be moderated by Vineeta Tan, Managing Editor and a Director at REDmoney Group, the Forums Media Partner. The second panel will look at Fintech Innovation and Ecosystem and its Legal Developments, with participation from Yasmeen Al-Saffar, Head of Financial Services, Bahrain Economic Development Board, Roberto Mancone, CEO and Executive Board Member, BEYON Money and Mohamed Toorani, Partner and Head of Bahrain office, DLA Piper. The discussion will be moderated by Kal Subramanian, Head of Markets, KPMG (Bahrain). Commenting on BisBs partnership, Hassan Jarrar said: We are delighted to support IFID as an Exclusive Banking Partner as we are firm believers at BisB in the importance of these forums to promote the active exchange of knowledge in order to further encourage digital innovation in the sector on par with global standards. As the first Islamic Bank to have been established in the Kingdom of Bahrain, we have contributed to pioneering the Islamic finance industry, embedding innovation at the core of our strategy thereby paving the way for the industrys digital transformation, pushing the boundaries with our adoption of advanced technologies to enhance the customer experience and elevate the standards of banking in the Kingdom. We are pleased to join leading industry experts to discuss potential opportunities of adopting exciting new Fintech solutions in line with our promise of simplifying money matters and continually enhancing the customer journey, he added. Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the Forums organizer, said: We are very pleased to welcome BisB as our Exclusive Banking Partner for the event. The bank is a leader and supporter of Fintech innovation and its participation will add value and insight into how banks are adapting to and driving innovation and change to make banking and investment more seamless and efficient for customers and investors. - TradeArabia News Service McAlester, OK (74501) Today Thunderstorms, some locally heavy this morning will become more isolated during the afternoon hours. A few storms may be severe. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 51F. SSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Burgan Bank Groups revenues for the financial year ending December 2021 increased by 10% year-on-year (y-o-y) to KD234.7 million ($776.53 million), driven by 46% y-o-y growth in non-interest income, the bank said. The bank generated 35% y-o-y growth in its bottom line with the FY21 net income totalling KD 45.4 million ($150.21 million). The bank continued to successfully maintain cost discipline, restricting operating expenses to KD94.8 million, 2% lower than FY20 operating expenses. The bank generated healthy operating profit of KD139.9 million an impressive y-o-y growth of 21%. The bank reported improved cost-to-income ratio of 40.4% in FY21 compared to 45.7 % in FY20. In FY21, the bank reported significant improvement in its asset quality metrics with NPL ratio decreasing from 4.2% in FY20 to 1.7% in FY21 and NPL coverage ratio improving from 212.8% in FY20 to 309.5% in FY21. The board of directors approved distribution of cash dividend of 5 fils per share and 5% bonus shares, said a bank statement. Burgan Bank Group successfully completed its right issue offering of 375 million shares to increase its equity capital by KD71.25 million. The rights issue concluded in December 2021 with strong market response as reflected in subscription levels of 225%+. The successful rights issue enabled the bank to report further improved regulatory capital ratios with CET1 ratio of 11.4% and CAR ratio of 17.5%, it said. Majed Essa Al Ajeel, Chairman of Burgan Bank, said: 2021 was a positive year despite the ongoing challenges to the worlds economies with the persistence of the pandemic situation globally. The banking sector has adapted to the new situation with increasing digitalization and a greater reliance on the integration of advanced technologies in the banking operation and services. With a robust net income of KD45.4 million, and a growth of 35% over FY21, Burgan has delivered a strong performance demonstrating its institutional resilience, reliable operating model, and sustainable practices. These results reflected positively on the returns to shareholders, with the Board recommending the distribution of 5 fils cash dividends and 5% bonus shares. The successful capital increase will drive further the implementation of the Banks growth strategy and will enable us to deliver more value in shareholder earnings in the future, added Al Ajeel. He said: In 2021, we have made considerable progress in rolling out our digitalisation roadmap to enhance the Banks functions and services, committed as always to delivering excellence in the overall banking experience of our customers. I am grateful to the relentless efforts and dedication of the groups executive management and employees as well as to our loyal shareholders and customers. My utmost gratitude goes to the Central Bank of Kuwait and the Capital Markets Authority too for their unwavering support that helps us deliver our strategic business objectives. Masaud M J Hayat, Vice Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Burgan Bank, said: The resilient performance and positive growth this year has been a natural result of our commitment to implementing our long-term strategy that aims to focus on maximizing shareholder value and providing the best safe and comfortable banking experience through our digital transformation and further enhancing the talent and organizational culture of the group, in addition to establishing sustainability as a strategic pillar. The results confirm Burgan Bank's strong position locally and in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey markets. TradeArabia News Service The Saudi Telecom Company (STC) has signed more than 15 agreements at the LEAP22 expo as part of its efforts to support and develop IT sector and enable digital transformation in the region. The company had announced an initiative to establish a $1 billion main digital center Mean Hub for the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to STCs intentions to establish a company specialized in hosting services in data centers and regional and international connectivity, with a capital of SR100 million. STC successfully concluded its participation in the LEAP Conference, showcasing its various innovative services, technologies, and digital solutions that contribute to accelerating the digital transformation of the public and private sectors and ensure a safe environment for digital infrastructure to ensure availability and connectivity for various business sectors by providing the largest advanced 5th Generation technology in the Middle East. STC, on the sidelines of the conference, signed several agreements with major international companies, including Microsoft, Huawei, Ericsson, and Cisco, in addition to other agreements with different government agencies, such as the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority. Moreover, STC also announced an initiative to establish a factory to localize data centers in the Kingdom, in partnership with Huawei, and cooperated with Ericsson to support the 5th Generation core network and business support systems to enhance the independent 5-G networks, in addition to signing an agreement with Microsoft Arabia to develop areas of innovation, cloud technology strategies and 5-G solutions. Also, STC said that it has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing to enhance governance and strategic cooperation in information and communication technology and to develop cooperation in developing and improving the smart city system and digital initiatives. For its part, STC Academy announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Huawei on the sidelines of the conference, aimed at developing the capabilities of 5G technologies at the STC group and national levels. It includes a national 5G competition for universities, where students will be trained to be certified in 5G technology and to be able to build innovative projects in 5G technology, in addition to creating a base model for the 5G laboratory that includes a comprehensive 5G technology interlinked with relevant learning paths, as the laboratory is planned to be a source of high quality 5G training for STC group and at the national level. As you know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is heading in a very new and very different direction from how things were back at the time of the blockbuster film Avengers Endgame. Now, the two films that look to be the driving force behind this are Tom Holland's Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Strange 2: Multiverse Of Madness. Marvel Studios Marvel Studios Yep! The Multiverse films have really opened up crazy possibilities, with rumors suggesting the return of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and others. Add that to the rumors of a new Iron Man which will be played by Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise, the future really looks exciting as hell. However, what after that? We already know that Marvel's top bosses have been negotiating with Tom for another Spider-Man trilogy, and they might just get that, with Tom already speaking about it. We know Tom wants to play Spider-Man still, and well, he has given up a few details on what Marvel's Spider-Man 4 could be like already. Now, speaking about it again, the actor has actually revealed that he would like to team up with one superhero who was seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Well, who is it then? Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man or Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man? Marvel Studios While Tom has hinted that a reunion with the two may be on the cards, however, he disclosed that the one-star he would love to join forces with is Daredevil, played by Charlie Cox. Netflix Daredevil AKA Matt Murdoch made an appearance in No Way Home as Peter's attorney in what was an epic scene. Well, it turns out Tom is a big fan and would actually like his alter ego Daredevil to fight alongside him in the next Spider-Man film. Speaking with Hollywood Reported, Tom said, "Working with Charlie was incredibly exciting. I was a big fan of the Daredevil series, and I think hes a fantastic actor. Hes done a wonderful job with that character, and albeit it was a small cameo, it obviously teased the future of what could be." "It was a real actors piece, that scene. We blocked the scene, which was essentially us just sitting there, and we read the lines. It was great. It felt like an actors workshop while working with people I really look up to, and Charlie was a lot of fun. It was really cool to see him snap back into a character that I am really a fan of and that he has a lot of love for, obviously. So it was pretty awesome, and I hope that one day we find a way for Spider-Man and Daredevil to team up again." Well, there you have it. Wouldn't it be just amazing to see them team up on the big screen as Spider-Man and Daredevil? This one team has it all to take on anyone in the MCU! Source: The Direct Technically, brothers Tom and Joe Castlen are both retired. Judge Tom Castlen retired from the Daviess Circuit Court bench in 2009. Joe Castlen retired from the bench as Daviess Circuit judge at the beginning of 2019. But neither have ever stopped working. Tom Castlen spent five years as a senior status judge, where he covered cases around the state where judges had conflicts of interest or were unavailable. But when that ended in 2014, the Administrative Office of the Courts found more cases for him to cover. Today, both judges work cases in multiple counties, including Daviess County, where they are filling in for Family Court Judge Julie Hawes Gordon, who is on voluntary suspension pending an April hearing by the Judicial Conduct Commission. Thats only one of the many counties where the brothers are carrying cases. Together, we were in nine separate counties, in District Court, Circuit Court, Family Court and mediation, Joe Castlen said, in an interview with both men last week. We tell people, have gavel, will travel, Tom Castlen said. The brothers do travel together for some cases. For example, when theyre doing county mediations where a retired judge hears from both sides in a case and helps both parties try to reach a settlement they both hear cases out of the stack. Tom and I are working in tandem, Joe Castlen said. On mediations, there are two days we go to Madisonville. Whoever completes the first one picks up the next one. We did that in several counties. Some cases have taken the Castlens as far away as Hickman County, a nearly three-hour drive, and trips to places closer to home, like Ohio and Webster counties, arent uncommon. Some cases can be handled remotely, but mediations in criminal cases need to be done in person. Tom Castlen said he doesnt mind the time working cases outside Daviess County. I kind of enjoy going on those longer trips, he said. Joe and I will drive down together. Occasionally, the two make side trips, such as to the giant cross in Wickliffe. Joe Castlen said, when he was approached about continuing to work after his retirement, he had some conditions. I said, Ill do anything but Family Court, he said. When our Family Court judge stepped down, they (the Administrative Office of the Courts) tried to call me. At the time, Castlen was hearing a case elsewhere on the bench. The AOC official called Tom and said, Do you think your brother Joe would take Family Court? and he said, Oh yes, and Ill help him. A goal for the brothers in Family Court is to resolve the cases that have been pending. The weight of responsibility in Family Court which hears divorces, child custody and visitation disputes, juvenile abuse and neglect cases and adoptions, is something both judges take seriously. The people who come through the door at Family Court are coming with a lot of hurt with them, Tom Castlen said. ... We are pretty sensitive to them. We are trying to work extra hard to move those cases. We take it very seriously and are sensitive to the concerns of (attorneys), and especially the litigants who are in such emotional distress. The cases can be trying, but the courts are also places where judges can try to help, Joe Castlen said. A hospital is where people go who have physical ailments. But the court is where people go who have emotional or mental ills, Joe Castlen said. When youre on the bench, you feel like you have some control, rather than being a bystander. I think the courts have had an epiphany on the issues of substance abuse and mental health, and their connection to crime. We have drug courts and mental health courts. Its a recognition of the diseases in peoples lives. The brothers discuss legal issues, but they dont have disagreements over the decisions each make. Tom has laughed at a few of my opinions, Joe Castlen said. Not as much as the Court of Appeals, Tom quipped. Later he said, we do have discussions about legal issues and the application of the law. Its more academic than what to do on a legal case. The brothers do consult each other. I take his advice very seriously, and seek it often, Tom Castlen said. We ask each others opinions and discuss difficult cases and situations, Joe Castlen said. We havent had many disagreements. Working together as judges fulfills a lifelong goal, in a way. Both brothers said a dream they had was to one day go into private practice together. When I was in law school, we always talked about being in law practice together, Joe Castlen said. We even had a bunch of books with Castlen and Castlen stamped on them. James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse The Estes Elementary School robotics program began four years ago, and since then participation and interest has increased, said program sponsor Kelly Klausing. Klausing, who teaches math at the school, said that even though students have had four years to work with the robots, they only had one year of in-person competition due to the pandemic. In that time, however, they have been working on code and learning more about robotics. The schools robots compete in the Robo Challenge Xtreme, and the robots are from LEGO Education, so they are all LEGO based, Klausing said, which is relatable to the fourth- and fifth-grade students who participate in the program. She also said its a fun way for students to expand their knowledge of math and science. Through challenging robotics competitions they are learning coding and applying what we learn in the classroom in a real-life situation, she said. One day last week, about 12 students in three groups of four were gathered around their respective tables, coding their robots. Students enter a code, upload it to their robots through Bluetooth and then take their robot to the competition mat to see if it performs properly. In robotics competitions, students are asked to program their robots to perform specific tasks. This years competition theme is Chicago Sights, so each of the competition mats have scenes from Chicago. One of the challenges is for students to program their robot to push a toy tour bus across the mat, Klausing said. Another good thing about this is that its entirely student-led, Klausing said. Im here to offer support and help if they need it, but they pretty much run the show. They know how to code their robot, and they know how to troubleshoot it and fix most problems that come up. Interest in the program has increased, with more than 50 students applying each year. The school is only able to accept about 15-18, however, due to limited resources, Klausing said. She applied for and received mini-grants from the Owensboro Public Schools Foundation for Excellence to purchase each of the three robots and to pay the schools competition fees that are required for participation each year. Jeremy Stone, a Whitesville Elementary School music teacher who sponsors the schools robotics program, said new robots cost around $500. Funding is one of the biggest challenges, he said. Whitesville Elementary is the site of the regional tournament, which is a qualifying event for the state tournament. More than 30 teams of students in the region, from elementary to high school, compete in the regional tournament each year. This years tournament is March 19, and Estes students will be among those participating. Robotics programming has been on the rise the last decade, especially in middle and high schools. Now educators are expanding that access to elementary students, which helps them learn through play, according to LEGO Education. The sooner students can learn about coding and robotics, the better, because the scale of technological changes coming will significantly impact how we live, and thrive, in the future, according to education.lego.com. Stone said robotics is not only fun, but its a good way for students to be introduced to STEM programs early. Many of his former students who participated in the robotics program at the elementary level went on to join Daviess County Public Schools Engineering Academy in high school. He began the robotics program at the school because kids involved in the Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) showed an interest in them, he said. I quickly learned how much potential there was in the students learning how to code and program robots, he said. This is a life skill that truly helps them prepare for many positions ... all around Daviess County and the world. Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315 The International Center is hoping to have all of its Afghan refugees in the community employed within the next two to three weeks, according to Executive Director Anna Allen. The Afghan refugees that have arrived in Owensboro, Allen said, are a unique population of refugees because of their education and experience. Many of the refugees that have come through since October have bachelors and masters degrees and speak some English, which is not typical, she said. Because of this, Allen said the International Center is seeking out employment for refugees that it has not previously worked with, opening new avenues of partnership in the community, as far as future employment opportunities. A lot of our clients, they come without education, Allen said. They have an education barrier, as well as a language barrier and the cultural barrier. With the Afghan population, were seeing that they have a whole lot of different skills than were used to seeing. Theyre coming with different degrees, theyre coming with computer skills, experience working in school systems, so weve been able to diversify what kind of jobs we can get for our clients. Many refugees spent time working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan, giving them more advanced English skills than prior refugee populations that have come to Owensboro, something that also makes an impact on employment opportunities. Allen said with this group of refugees, there have been more job placements in administrative positions throughout the community, including within the school systems. Its great that theres going to be representation of our client in the school system whenever these kiddos go to school, she said. Other employers that have reached out about hiring refugees include Toyota, Owensboro Public Schools, Daviess County Public Schools, Envision Contractors LLC and Diversified Management Inc., according to Allen. Weve had so many amazing employers reach out to us to say that they would love to hire our clients, she said. Were expecting everybody will be employed within the next two to three weeks. The International Center works with refugees to not only schedule job interviews, but to provide classes on resume writing and interviewing for jobs, as well as working through tax and benefit forms. A case manager will also follow up throughout the employment process with the client and employers to see how things are going and if any concerns need to be addressed. Other than employment, Allen said the International Center works with clients in many other ways to help get them acclimated to American culture, as well as the Owensboro community, specifically. Allen said all adult refugees are enrolled in English language learning classes through a partnership with Owensboro Community and Technical College. They are also placed in a variety of culture orientation classes targeting a variety of aspects of American life, including cleaning, U.S. laws, navigating the health care system and using public transportation, among several others, according to Allen. She said local colleges have also visited the hotel where many refugees have been housed since arriving to provide resources and information about educational opportunities and programs. Christie Netherton, cnetherton@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7360 Bahrains two industrial giants Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) have joined forces to share knowledge and collaborate on implementing Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives of common interest through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was signed today (February 6). The MoU was inked by Albas Chief Executive Officer, Ali Al Baqali and Bapcos Chief Executive Officer, Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery at Awali Township and was attended by Albas Chief Power Officer, Amin Sultan, and Bapcos Acting Deputy Chief Executive and BMP Project Director, Hafedh Al Qassab, as well as other officials from both companies. In addition to due diligence for projects of common interest that are in line with the commitments made by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), the MoU will set the platform to conduct a feasibility study on utilising current and any future developments on surplus hydrogen to be made available from Bapco to Alba as well as form a joint taskforce to implement the agreed objectives between the two companies, Alba said in a statement. Commenting on this occasion, Albas CEO Ali Al Baqali, stated: An alliance of this kind, between two of the largest companies in Bahrain, is a commitment to join our forces to embrace sustainable industrial development as we race to meet Bahrains Net Zero Emissions by 2060. Its only united under the leadership of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain that we will be able to make a difference, and address climate change by building resilient infrastructure for a greener and sustainable future. I also take the opportunity to extend my thanks to Albas Chairman of the Board Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa for leading the way we do things in Alba. Bapcos CEO Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery. added: Bapco is honoured and privileged to sign this memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Alba. This partnership translates our intention to address climate change challenges under the strategic guidance of H.H. Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Works & Youth Affairs, Chairman of The Oil & Gas Holding Company as well as the wise directives of Chairman of Bapcos Board of Directors H. Mr. Abdulla Jehad Al-Zain. This is one of the many initiatives we have in our pursuit to realise Bapcos ESG objectives. --TradeArabia News Service AmeriCorps volunteers arrived at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital last week and have been providing a necessary reprieve for many health care workers during another pandemic surge. Volunteers, according to OHRH Administrative Assistance Katie Case, have been able to provide assistance in nonclinical arenas of the hospital, from turning over beds to fetching supplies, bedding and even food and water for patients. Efforts of volunteers, she said, have enabled clinical staff to refocus their efforts on patient care amid a nationwide hospital staffing shortage as the world is experiencing a global health crisis. In this current surge, with patients and staff being impacted by the new variant, in order for our clinical staff to continue doing their roles, this group of volunteers is able to assist us in nonclinical jobs, Case said. With many health care workers and their own families being just as impacted by the virus as the rest of the world, it has created even further staffing issues, according to OHRH Chief Operating Officer Beth Steele. Fewer people are taking on more tasks, which has been difficult as the pandemic continues stretching over nearly two years, she said. Our clinical team has to kind of fill in the gap, so it will oftentimes take time away from their actual patient care, she said. Its also nice for our team members to see outside community help coming in. Weve been through two years of this pandemic and all the different surges have come with challenges, but for them, to see fresh faces coming in to do this type of skill and take it off their plate so they can focus on what theyre licensed to do and the work thats important for them, its really meaningful to our team. Case said it was a nearly two-week process to get an AmeriCorps disaster relief team to the hospital, but now that the 11-member team has arrived, they have been graciously welcomed by the OH team. She said the hospital is expecting to have volunteers for up to five weeks. After five weeks, the team will leave, but the hospital can continue reapplying for teams through May, if necessary. OHRH is the sixth hospital in Kentucky to receive an AmeriCorps volunteer team and the first in western Kentucky, according to Steele. The volunteer team arrived straight from its former post in Louisiana working with Habitat for Humanity, according to volunteer Genevieve Meadows. The team has been together since August and will continue its 10-month service commitment together through May, although members are unsure where their next assignment will be. Although they have been gone from home for some time, volunteer Beth Lumia said the team is enthusiastic to serve in this capacity and provide some relief to health care workers that have pushed through the pandemic on the front lines since the beginning. Theyve been dealing with COVID for the past two years at maximum capacity, so just being here and being a hand to the medical professionals and staff here, its just really important, she said. In this age of COVID, you almost feel a little bit helpless, so being here is especially important during this time. Christie Netherton, cnetherton@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7360 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 20, 2022 Contact: press@michigan.gov Believe in Michigan: Focus on Infrastructure Michiganders celebrate why they believe in Michigan through video series leading up to Governor Whitmer's State of the State address LANSING, Mich. - Leading up to the Governor's State of the State address, Gov. Whitmer's team set out to hear from Michiganders across the state on why they believe in Michigan. We'll share their thoughts each day leading up to the address in a video series. "Continuing Michigan's partnership around critical infrastructure projects like the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a key trade corridor between Michigan and Canada that has already supported 2,500 good-paying jobs for Michiganders, is key to our state's economic success," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "I am proud of the work being done by Nickolai and all of the men and women in the trades who are working hard to build safe, reliable roads and bridges with the right mix and materials. Since I took office, Michigan has invested $6.4 billion to repair, rehabilitate, or replace 13,198 lane miles of road and 903 bridges, supporting nearly 82,000 jobs, and we will keep going together." Meet Nickolai Miotto, Operating Engineer with Local 324, working on the Gordie Howe Bridge and I-75 interchange for Bridging North America. "We have an infrastructure bill that's going to provide funding for roads, bridges, airports, and clean energy," said Nickolai Miotto, Operating Engineer with Local 324, working on the Gordie Howe Bridge and I-75 interchange for Bridging North America. "My brothers and sisters in the trades will have prominent work in the near future and beyond. When asked why he believes in Michigan, Miottoa added, "We have the great lakes, freighters, the biggest trucks in the county. And we do everything great in MI, we're the state who put the world on wheels. I'm standing here on the biggest infrastructure project in North America and Michiganders are going to build it. I love Michigan. That's all there is to it." Governor Whitmer's Focus on Infrastructure Governor Whitmer is rebuilding Michigan's roads and bridges and creating tens of thousands of good-paying construction jobs. She launched the Rebuilding Michigan Plan, a five-year, $3.5 billion investment in our highways and bridges without an increase at the pump. Over 20 projects supporting 22,800 good-paying construction jobs are already underway. She secured funding to repair or replace nearly 100 local bridges in the latest bipartisan budget. The cones and barrels at hundreds of sites statewide demonstrate that Governor Whitmer is fixing our crumbling roads and bridges so that people can go to work and get home safely, parents can drive their kids to school without blowing an axle, and businesses can get their goods where they need to go. Governor Whitmer has invested nearly $6.4 billion to repair, replace, or rehabilitate 13,198 lane miles of road and 903 bridges. In this year's bipartisan budget, she invested $196 million to repair or replace nearly 100 local bridges in serious or critical condition, creating 2,500 jobs. Governor Whitmer's five-year, $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan bond plan to build up state highways and bridges without an increase at the pump is underway is underway, with construction underway on I-496 , I-94 , and other projects. These projects are supporting approximately 22,800 construction jobs and an additional 21,700 jobs in other industries. Additional highlights of Whitmer's efforts to improve infrastructure can be found online. Visit the 2022 State of the State page for videos and more. ### BEULAH A man who barricaded himself in his home and then attempted to flee police after law enforcement followed tracks from the scene of a homicide to his location has been charged with murder. Jeffrey Duane Stratton, 57, of Beulah, was arraigned on Sunday in Benzie County's 85th District Court on one count of homicide -- open murder. He is being held in the Benzie County Jail without bond. The arraignment came after a standoff between Stratton and the Michigan State Police Friday that caused Benzie Central High and Middle School to go into lockdown and the closure of Cinder Road between Weldon Road and Thompsonville Highway. Residents were asked to avoid the area during the situation. According to the MSP, at about 1:49 p.m. on Friday, the Benzie County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a breaking and entering in progress on the 13000 block of Cinder Road. Deputies found Linda Henry, 72, dead inside the home and a small fire. Law enforcement observed tracks in the snow leaving the residence. "The fire was extinguished and deputies noticed foot tracks leaving the residence," said Derrick Carroll, MSP public information officer, in an interview at the scene on Friday. "A MSP K9 team was nearby, and they were able to track the suspect to his residence." A perimeter was established and the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team was called. A standoff followed and ended shortly before 8:30 p.m. when the suspect attempted to flee the residence and was taken into custody by the K9 and support teams, according to the MSP. Stratton suffered minor injuries and was taken for a medical evaluation before being lodged in the Benzie County Jail, according to a news release from MSP. Carroll said on Friday that the support team tried to get Stratton to surrender. However, prior to his capture, there had been no contact between state police and the suspect. "I was told at one point he came outside and then turned around and went right back in," Carroll said. "He hasn't been talking to negotiators. We've announced our presence like we normally do. We're trying to get the person's attention and see if he's going to surrender peacefully." Carroll said on Friday that he didn't know if the suspect was armed. "We have no idea for a motive; there doesn't seem to be a motive," said Carroll on Friday. "There is no relationship we are aware of. We did a couple of interviews and there doesn't seem to be a connection at all." Benzie Central High and Middle School was placed under a code yellow lockdown Friday afternoon following a request from the Benzie County Sheriff's Office. Students were released at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Troopers were assisted by deputies from the Benzie County Sheriffs Office, law enforcement officers from the U.S. Park Rangers, conservation officers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, MSP Bomb Squad, MSP Crime Lab and firefighters from the Homestead Township Fire Department. Dear Savvy Senior, My wife and I would like to make some affordable changes to our home so we can remain living there for as long as possible. Can you recommend some good resources that can help us determine what all we need to consider? Getting Old Dear Getting, Many older adults, like you and your wife, want to stay living in their own home for as long as possible. But being able to do so will depend on how easy it is to maneuver your living space as you get older. Here are some helpful resources you can turn to, to get an idea of the different types of features and improvements that will make your house safer and more convenient as you grow older. Home Evaluation A good first step in making your home more age-friendly is to do an assessment. Go through your house, room-by-room, looking for problem areas like potential tripping or slipping hazards, as well as areas that are hard to access and difficult to maintain. To help with this, there are several organizations that have aging-in-place checklists that point out potential problems in each area of the home, along with modification and solutions. For example, Rebuild Together has a two-page Safe at Home Checklist thats created in partnership with the Administration on Aging and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Go to AOTA.org and search for Rebuilding Together Safe at Home Checklist. You also need to get a copy of AARPs HomeFit Guide. This excellent 36-page guide has more than 100 aging-in-place tips and suggestions that can be made to an existing house or apartment or incorporated into designs for a new residence. It explains how a smartly designed or modified home can meet the varied and changing needs of its older residents. It also features easy-to-do, low-cost and no-cost fixes that lessen the risk of trip hazards and increase the safety of high-use areas like the bathroom, kitchen and stairway. In addition, they also offer videos and a HomeFit AR app (available for iPhone and iPad) that can scan a room and suggest improvements to help turn your house into a lifelong home, free from safety and mobility risks. Visit AARP.org/HomeFit to order or download a free copy of this guide, or to watch their videos. In-Home Assessments If you want some personalized help, you can get a professional in-home assessment with an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist, or OT, can evaluate the challenges and shortcomings of your home for aging in place, recommend design and modification solutions, and introduce you to products and services to help you make improvements. To find an OT in your area, check with your physician, health insurance provider or local hospital, or seek recommendations from family and friends. Many health insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for a home assessment by an OT if prescribed by your doctor. However, they will not cover the physical upgrades to the home. Another option is to contact a builder whos a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). CAPS are home remodelers and design-build professionals that are knowledgeable about aging in place home modifications and can suggest ways to modify or remodel your home that will fit your needs and budget. CAPS are generally paid by the hour or receive a flat fee per visit or project. To find a CAPS in your area visit the National Association of Home Builders website at NAHB.org/capsdirectory where you can search by state and city. Contributed Photo / Middletown Police Department / Contributed Photo MIDDLETOWN A city man was scheduled to appear in court next month for charges related to assaulting a juvenile female during an attempted robbery last summer, records show. When the Middletown Police Department arrested the man in December, they added additional charges after finding him with drugs and a handgun, police said. Bahrain-based RAK Art Foundation and Dar Alfann Gallery have entered into a joint venture to create NFT MENA Exhibit 2022, a state-of-the-art exhibition that will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Manama from March 16 to 18. The NFT exhibition, being held during the F1 weekend in Bahrain, offers a unique and innovative experience and is the first of its kind in the region. The global art conversation is changing, presenting us with a revolution in digital art one that will forever alter the way we perceive the art world and Bahrain has chosen to capitalise on this, show organisers said at a press conference today. The exhibition -- which is the first edition and will go on to become an annual event -- will provide a platform for much-needed conversations about a decentralised future and the next phases of the Internet, as we begin to consider the blockchain and its many facets and assets and try to come to terms with a new frontier; one that merges the worlds of technology, art, culture and the economy, said Abdulrahman Almokla, Chairman of Dar Alfann Gallery. The main purpose of this event is educational. While these topics are making the front pages and gaining popularity fast, most people are still asking themselves what are NFTs? We want to answer this question and show them the possibilities that NFTs can offer. What it could mean for them as artists, investors, businessowners, gallerists and so on. In other words, NFT MENA Exhibit 2022 is an attempt to propel the web 3.0 narrative, and showcase the cultural relevance of digital artworks and their potential as both intellectual, cultural and investment capital. In fact, the exhibited art and the panel of speakers will demonstrate how utilising the emerging technologies as a creative outlet creates new dynamics in the art world and new opportunities in terms of investment and global markets, he said. Alongside some international artists, the exhibition will present a curation of artworks by Bahraini artists such as Leena Al Ayoobi, Adnan Al Ahmed and more, and explain step-by-step the process of getting your artwork on the blockchain, in addition to talks, live minting and auctioning, workshops by NFT experts, NFT markets and crypto-exchange representatives, as well as educational sessions for artists and NFT enthusiasts. The organisers have also partnered with NFT BAZL, a leading NFT marketplace to bring their expertise to realise this event. This one-of-a-kind presentation stands at the crossroads between the digital and the physical, the material and the immaterial. Its aim is to create awareness, harness the enthusiasm generated by such new disruptive technologies and inject it back into the art trade in order to create a more versatile and inclusive market, said the organisers. We also aspire to open a public debate about the social perception of art, the legitimacy of digital artworks and their cultural implications on both local and global fronts, they said. The RAK Art Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering artists worldwide by providing opportunities, encouraging cross-cultural collaborations and exchange, and fostering international partnerships. Dar Alfann, based in Bahrain, is a boutique firm that specialises in creating art and artwork that speaks to the traditional heritage of the Arabian Gulf countries. - TradeArabia News Service NORWALK A newly approved city program will allow residents to recycle unwearable clothes without leaving home. Under the program, approved Tuesday by the Common Councils Public Works Committee, residents can schedule a pickup time for their unwanted textiles and drop them, in a bag or box, by the curb to be taken away and recycled. Pertains to old clothing, shoes, belts, handbags and those types of products that would normally end up in the waste stream of garbage, or maybe you might be fortunate enough to give it away to the Salvation Army or those in need, Chief of Operations and Public Works Anthony Carr said. Currently, Norwalk has drop-off bins across the city where residents can deposit bags of clothes to be recycled. The bins, operated by the company USAgain, are emptied weekly, Carr said. The new program, called Helpsy, is currently in use in Stamford, Helpsy representative Lisa Sciannella said. Norwalk will be the second Connecticut municipality to work with the company, but 10 municipalities in Massachusetts, including Cambridge and Boston, have Helpsy services. Helpsy comes at no cost to the city; rather, the company will pay Norwalk based on how many pounds of textiles are picked up each month. The city receives 2 cents for each pound of textiles picked up, for a total of $40 for each ton, Sciannella said. As the city doesnt pay for the textile companys services, Helpsy makes money through selling online the clothes sent in that are salvageable, Sciannella said. We resell what we can. We get some nice things that still have tags, Sciannella said. We have a sorting facility. They (clothes) are photographed and sold online to thrift stores. Thats mostly how we make money. To start, the program will select one day each week to make home pickups around Norwalk, with a goal of 35 to 40 pickups each time. We would start with one day a week and monitor if slots are filling quickly, then add a second day or second driver on the same day, Sciannella said. We want programs to be as convenient as possible for residents but its not convenient if all the slots are full and they have to wait two weeks. While plastic bags are recommended for curbside textile pickup, it isnt required, Sciannella said. Helpsy encourages customers to reuse bags, boxes or containers they already have instead of purchasing more plastic. Plastic is what will keep it dry, thats our goal, but we have people who put things in Amazon boxes or paper bags, Sciannella said. Once the contract with Helpsy is formalized, the program will take four to six weeks to set up, to account for mapping out a pickup route and getting the word out about the program, Sciannella said. When the program begins, residents fill out an online form selecting a date and time for pickup, label the bag or container for Helpsy workers and place the items by the curb on the selected date. abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com How to use the mindat.org media viewer Click/touch this help panel to close it. Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image) Controls - all media types Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device. Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen. < and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys. < and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys. > in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys. ? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key. Other keyboard shortcuts: 1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons Scalebar If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular. Controls - Video Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key. Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation) Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys. The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types. The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control. Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways: - without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method - with stereoscope - with anaglyph glasses. - on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system) For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them. Controls - photo comparison mode If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu. Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder. Summary of all keyboard shortcuts The following email was sent from the president's office to Missouri State students on January 11, 2022. Subject: Update on plans for spring semester Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed your winter break and are ready to return to campus refreshed for the spring semester. The university will be open as planned. The omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in our community, so well be taking measures to limit the spread. While this will create challenges, we plan to start the semester as usual. However, we are ready to make necessary adjustments if needed. Omicron generally causes less severe symptoms, but its a highly contagious variant and may temporarily disrupt classes and activities on campus for the next four to six weeks. In response, well continue many of the protective measures that are already in place. Masks will be required in every classroom and in academic buildings. Health officials recommend wearing N-95, KN-95 or surgical masks. COVID-19 testing is available at no charge to you at Magers Health and Wellness if you have COVID-19 symptoms. You can schedule an appointment online by going to the MyHealth Portal. COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots are also available at Magers. You can schedule an appointment online by going to the MyHealth Portal. Classes will be in planned format If you signed up for in-person classes this spring, they will remain that way. However, its possible that some classes could temporarily shift online or to some other format due to students or instructors testing positive for the virus. With that in mind, your instructors will be flexible in allowing you to complete classwork from home if you test positive for the virus, or just feel sick. Good communication between faculty and students is always important, but especially so at the start of this semester. I want to emphasize this: If you feel sick, notify your instructor that youll be absent, get notes and assignments from classmates, and do not go to class. Follow instructions for what you should do if you have COVID-19 symptoms. If you have questions or need a mask or a testing kit, contact our COVID-19 response team at COVID19@MissouriState.edu or 417-837-3737. Vaccines and booster shots provide the greatest protection again severe illness from COVID-19. If you havent already, I encourage you to get your vaccine shots and/or booster shot. Booster shots provide 25 times the protection that the initial series of shots provided. Please know that this is NOT what the entire semester will be like. Lets mask up, get vaccinated, and manage through the next four to six weeks together. Thank you and have a strong spring semester. Clif Clifton M. Smart III President The Giants signed right-hander Raynel Espinal to a minor league contract earlier this week, according to the teams official transactions page. Formerly a member of the Red Sox organization, Espinal elected minor league free agency back in November, as was his option as a non-40-man player with at least seven years on a minor league roster. Espinal made his Major League debut in August and appeared in exactly one game with the Red Sox before he was removed from the 40-man and sent back to Triple-A. While a brief stay in the Show, Espinal can at least say he got a cup of coffee in the big leagues after seven pro seasons, and the 30-year-old now heads to San Francisco looking to build off an overall solid 2021 Triple-A campaign. Over 117 2/3 innings and 23 games (21 of them starts) for the Worcester Red Sox, Espinal posted a 3.44 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate, and 8.8% walk rate. It was enough for Espinal to be named the Worecester pitcher of the year, and a nice comeback for a pitcher who see any official game action in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season. The Yankees originally acquired Espinal as an international signing back in 2012, and he spent six seasons in New Yorks farm system before Boston selected him in the minor league phase of the 2019 Rule 5 draft. Over 465 total innings in the minors, Espinal has a 3.35 ERA, 27.18% strikeout rate, and 7.34% walk rate. While he has started only 51 of his 162 minor league appearances, 33 of those starts have come over Espinals last two seasons. The Giants could therefore see him as a potential depth starter in the minors, or perhaps a multi-inning reliever or swingman. Its easy to see why the Giants (or any team) would be intrigued by Espinals interesting track record, and given San Franciscos recent success at finding hidden gems, we shouldnt be surprised if Espinal were to emerge as a contributor to the clubs 2022 roster. The Tigers have signed right-hander Carlos Sanabria and catcher Chris Rabago to minor league deals, The Detroit Free Press Evan Petzold reports. Presumably, both players will be invited to the Tigers big league Spring Training camp whenever the lockout ends and camp opens for Major League players. Sanabria pitched in the Royals farm system in 2021, after spending his first seven pro seasons in the Astros organization. Its fair to speculate that Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had a hand in recruiting Sanabria to Detroit, as Hinch was undoubtedly familiar with the righty when Hinch was managing the Astros from 2015-19. Sanabria didnt make his big league debut until Hinch had left Houston, however, as Sanabrias MLB resume consists of two games and two innings with the Astros in 2020. Still only 25 years old, Sanabria has a 3.82 ERA and 23% strikeout rate over 412 1/3 career innings in the minor leagues, working only as a reliever over the last four seasons. Much of Sanabrias success has come at the lower levels, as he has a 5.27 ERA at Triple-A, albeit over just 27 1/3 innings of work. A greater concern may be a lack of control that has more or less been an issue for Sanabria over his career, and has particularly manifested itself over the last few years; Sanabria has a 14.75% walk rate over 113 1/3 combined innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. Rabago was a 13th-round pick for the Rockies in the 2014 draft, and he has played almost all of his career in Colorados farm system apart from a seven-game stint with the Yankees Double-A squad in 2018. Rabago has hit .248/.327/.348 over 1727 plate appearances in the minors, including a very similar .240/.325/.346 slash in 235 PA at the Triple-A level. Rabago will provide the Tigers with further depth at a catching position that is headlined by new arrival Tucker Barnhart. The versatile Eric Haase is the primary backup on the big league roster and can also be used in the outfield, while Dustin Garneau is at Triple-A providing more experience. Jake Rogers will miss a good chunk of the 2022 season recovering from a Tommy John surgery from last September. The Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has handed over a newly constructed market complex and a refurbished slaughter house to the chiefs and people of the Canteen Electoral Area in the West Gonja Municipal of the Savannah Region. Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the MP said the construction of the market was to facilitate the economic activities of the area and to help open the community to more investment opportunities. He said he was particular about women empowerment, and the market provides a golden opportunity for the women of the area to expand their businesses and take advantage of the many opportunities in the newly created Savannah Region. The legislator disclosed that he financed the construction of the market from his personal resources, adding that, he was poised to fulfilling all the pledged he made to the people of the Damongo constituency. While appealing to the Assemblyman, Chiefs and people of Canteen to make good use of the market, he said he will soon commission the construction of an ultra-modern library facility for the Canteen Community and that the Damongo-Canteen-Kotito road will soon be awarded for construction. The Municipal Chief Executive for West Gonja,Musah Kusubari commended the MP for augmenting the efforts of the assembly in making life comfortable for the people of Canteen Electoral Area. He appealed to the Assemblyman, Chiefs and people of Canteen Electoral Area to take good care of the market and set a day aside as a market day for Canteen. The Assemblyman for the Canteen Electoral Area, Ananpansah Abraham thanked the MP for the kind gesture. According to him, the newly commissioned market complex will go a long way to boost the trading activities of the area and open up the vast agricultural potentials of the community. He disclosed that his office partnered with the Savannah Regional Wing of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) sometime ago to conduct a social audit of the needs of the Canteen community and to prioritize them for stakeholder attention. According to him, after the Community Social Audit durbur, it emerged from the responses of the people that getting a market complex for Canteen was the topmost priority of the community, followed by a library complex to an ultra-modern school complex and then youth and women empowerment among others. He expressed delight that the first of the priority needs has been achieved, praying stakeholders to give attention to the rest of the needs of community. Rockson Bukari Diwura, who spoke on behalf of the youth Chief of the community expressed gratitude to the Member of Parliament for giving Canteen a facelift with the provision of the market complex. He disclosed that the chiefs and people of Canteen since 1965 designated the said location for the construction of a market complex and have since prayed and longed to see a day like this. He said the gesture by the MP was unprecedented and pledged that the community was going to make good use of the facility so that it leaves to serve its intended purpose. Police intervened to break up anti-racism protests ahead of the rally held by far-right wing presidential candidate Eric Zemmour in the northern city of Lille on Saturday, while his rival Marine Le Pen held a meeting for supporters in Reims the same day. Around 1,100 people including some 200 far-left partisans showed up for a protest rally against Eric Zemmour, who held a meeting for around 8,000 of his supporters at the Grand Palais in Lille. Their banners read statements such as "Join forces...bring them to their knees" and "Everyone hates Zemmour", journalists reported from the scene. Between 250 and 300 police officers were deployed to keep the event in check. Tear gas was fired at one point to disperse the crowd, and three people from left wing "antifas" (anti-fascist) groups were detained. Earlier in the day, around 500 people gathered in the city centre, including Socialist mayor Martine Aubry and members of the NGO SOS Racisme, who organised the rally. Zemmour, a former TV pundit and best-selling author made a dramatic entrance into front-line politics in November, making him briefly the most talked-about challenger to President Emmanuel Macron. Since his announcement to run however, his poll numbers have slipped, with recent polls showing he could win 13 percent of the vote in the first round of April's election, putting him fourth behind Macron, conservative challenger Valerie Pecresse and Le Pen. With three convictions for hate speech, he is decried by anti-racism groups and political opponents for stigmatising people from Muslim backgrounds in France, who are thought to number more than five million. As well as claiming that white French people are being deliberately replaced with immigrants, he has previously said that Islam is incompatible with French values. Spring cleaning 200 kms away, in the eastern city of Reims, Marine Le Pen held her own meeting, with around 3,000 supporters, promising to offer "concrete solutions". Around 100 people protested against her event with banners reading "Get out extreme right, Le Pen, Zemmour and company". Marine Le Pen, who came in second in the last presidential election in 2017, is holding what's billed as her first major campaign event in a bid to reinvigorate her base after some high-profile defections to Zemmour's camp. The leader of the National Rally (RN) party called on Zemmour to do some "spring cleaning" with reference to the Zouaves, an extremist group accused of attacking some activists from the SOS Racisme group during his last political rally on 5 December near Paris. On Friday Le Pen was quoted by Le Figaro daily as slamming Zemmour for his "communitarianism" and for attracting "aggressive" people to his ranks such as "traditional Catholics", "pagans" and "some Nazis". Le Pen, a member of parliament, has been working for a decade to clean up the image of her National Rally party and build up its political base, to make it more palatable to a broader swath of voters and improve her chances at the presidency. Both Le Pen and Zemmour are hoping to unseat Macron in the two-round election April 10 and 24. Macron has a campaign team in place but has yet to officially declare his candidacy. A centrist, he has shifted to the right amid growing support for conservative and far-right policies, notably on security and immigration. Both Le Pen and Zemmour want tougher rules on immigration, including less state aid for migrants. Both oppose wind farms and want more support for nuclear energy. Le Pen, who used to campaign to leave the EU and the euro, now wants instead to reform it from within. Dubai flag carrier Emirates will make a full return of passenger services to and from Casablanca starting from February 8. The return of Casablanca in Morocco marks a full restoration of Emirates pre-pandemic African network including 21 cities spread across the continent. Customers flying to and from Casablanca can safely travel on Emirates to Dubai, and enjoy an array of onward connections to Europe, the Middle East and GCC, the Americas and West Asia. Cyclone Batsirai struck Madagascar's eastern region on Saturday with strong winds and heavy rain, the second storm to hit the island nation in just a few weeks, a senior meteorologist said. Batsirai made landfall in Mananjary district, more than 530 kilometres (310 miles) southeast of the capital Antananarivo, amid warnings of "widespread damage". "I confirm that Batsirai hit Mananjary at about 8 pm (1700 GMT) local time," meteorologist Lovandrainy Ratovoharisoa told AFP by phone, but gave no further details. The national meteorological office had earlier forecast winds of up to 165 kilometres per hour (102 miles per hour). "Significant and widespread damage is therefore feared," it warned. The Meteo-France weather service, meanwhile, had warned of winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour (162 miles per hour) and waves as high as 15 metres (50 feet). It had predicted Batsirai would make landfall as an intense tropical cyclone, "presenting a very serious threat to the area" after passing Mauritius and drenching the French island of La Reunion with torrential rain for two days. In the hours before the cyclone hit, residents hunkered down in the impoverished country, still recovering from the deadly Tropical Storm Ana late last month. 'Cooking with dirty water' Tropical Storm Ana killed 58 people and affected at least 131,000 more in Madagascar last month. By RIJASOLO AFP In the eastern coastal town of Vatomandry, more than 200 people were crammed in one room in a Chinese-owned concrete building. Families slept on mats or mattresses. Community leader Thierry Louison Leaby lamented the lack of clean water after the water utility compan turned off supplies ahead of the cyclone. "People are cooking with dirty water," he said, amid fears of a diarrhoea outbreak. Outside plastic dishes and buckets were placed in a line to catch rainwater dripping from the corrugated roofing sheets. "The government must absolutely help us. We have not been given anything," he said. Residents who chose to remain in their homes used sandbags and yellow jerrycans to buttress their roofs. Other residents of Vatomandry were stockpiling supplies in preparation for the storm. "We have been stocking up for a week, rice but also grains because with the electricity cuts we cannot keep meat or fish," said Odette Nirina, 65, a hotelier in Vatomandry. "I have also stocked up on coal. Here we are used to cyclones," she told AFP. Winds of more than 50 kilometres per hour (30 miles per hour) pummelled Vatomandry Saturday morning, accompanied by intermittent rain. 'Very nervous' The United Nations said it was ramping up its preparedness with aid agencies, placing rescue aircraft on standby and stockpiling humanitarian supplies. Map showing path of cyclone Batsirai. By Cla PCULIER AFP The impact of Batsirai on Madagascar is expected to be "considerable", Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN's humanitarian organisation OCHA, told reporters in Geneva on Friday. At least 131,000 people were affected by Ana across Madagascar in late January. At least 58 people were killed, mostly in the capital Antananarivo. That storm also hit Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, causing dozens of deaths. The UN's World Food Programme pointed to estimates from national authorities that some 595,000 people could be directly affected by Batsirai, and 150,000 more might be displaced due to new landslides and flooding. "We are very nervous," Pasqualina Di Sirio, who heads the WFP operation in Madagascar, told reporters by video-link from the island. Search and rescue teams have been placed on alert. Inland in the town of Ampasipotsy Gare, sitting on top of his house, Tsarafidy Ben Ali, a 23-year-old coal seller, held down corrugated iron sheets on the roof with large bags filled with soil. "The gusts of wind are going to be very strong. That's why we're reinforcing the roofs," he told AFP. The storm poses a risk to at least 4.4 million people in one way or another, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said. burs-str-sn/ah Moroccan emergency crews found a five-year-old boy dead at the bottom of a well late Saturday in a tragic end to a painstaking five-day rescue operation that gripped the nation and beyond. "Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well," a statement from the royal court said. Through the days-long operation to extricate little Rayan from the bottom of the 32-metre (100 foot) well shaft, authorities had cautioned that they did not know whether the child was dead or alive. But news of his death sent a chill through the cold mountain air of his home village of Ighrane in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco where thousands of volunteers and well-wishers had gathered this week in a show of solidarity with his family. It was well after dark when rescue teams finally broke through to the well shaft where the boy was trapped, from the deep cut in the mountainside they had excavated in recent days. AFP correspondents saw the boy's parents walk down the slope into the cut, visibly crushed, before returning and boarding an ambulance without saying a word. After a period of confusion, the crowd of onlookers began dispersing in sombre silence. There was no official word on the boy's condition until Moroccan media carried the palace statement. The boy's ordeal since he fell down the well on Tuesday afternoon had gripped residents of the North African kingdom and beyond, also sparking sympathy in neighbouring Algeria, a regional rival. By mid-afternoon Saturday, rescue crews, using bulldozers and front-end loaders, had excavated the surrounding red earth down to the level where the boy was trapped, and drill teams began work on excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach him from the side. But progress slowed to a snail's pace as the drill teams worked by hand to avoid any vibrations that might bring the brittle soil down on the stricken child, local authorities said. The more time passed, the more fears mounted over Rayan's condition. Graphic showing rescue efforts to save a child who fell into a well in Morocco. By Emmanuelle MICHEL AFP Rescuers did not give up hope of recovering the child alive, although officials acknowledged they had no firm evidence of his condition. Onlookers applauded to encourage the rescuers, sang religious songs or prayed, chanting in unison "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest). Rescuers had tried to get oxygen and water down to the child but it was not clear whether he was able to use them, AFP correspondents reported. 'Showing solidarity' Thousands of people had gathered and even camped in solidarity around the site in recent days, where AFP reporters have said the tension has been palpable. Engineers and topographers are among those assisting Civil Defence rescuers. By Fadel SENNA AFP "We are showing solidarity with this child, who is dear to Morocco and the whole world," said onlooker Hafid El-Azzouz, who lives in the region. The shaft, just 45 centimetres (18 inches) across, was too narrow to reach Rayan, and widening it was deemed too risky -- so earth-movers dug a wide slope into the hill to reach him from the side. The operation made the landscape resemble a construction site. Red-helmeted civil defence personnel had at times been suspended by rope, as if on a cliff face. Overnight they worked non-stop under powerful floodlights that gave a gloomy air to the scene. "I keep up hope that my child will get out of the well alive," Rayan's father had told public television 2M on Friday evening. "I thank everyone involved and those supporting us in Morocco and elsewhere." He said earlier in the week that he had been repairing the well when the boy fell in. Red-helmeted Civil Defence workers have at times been suspended by rope, as if on a cliff face. By Fadel SENNA AFP The drama sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the trending Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan. One Twitter user paid tribute to rescue workers working around the clock for days, saying, "they are real-life heroes". Police reinforcements were deployed and metal barricades erected in an effort to prevent a swarm of onlookers from impeding rescuers. The boy's ordeal echoed a tragedy in Spain in early 2019 when a two-year-old child died after falling into an abandoned well 25 centimetres wide and more than 70 metres deep. Julen Rosello's body was recovered after a search and rescue operation that lasted 13 days. Tunisian President Kais Saied on Sunday dissolved a top independent judicial watchdog accusing it of bias, the latest controversial move since he sacked the government last year. Saied has broadened his grip on power since July 25, when he sacked the government and froze parliament before moving to rule by decree in Tunisia -- the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that ousted a series of autocratic leaders. Many Tunisians welcomed his moves against a political system described as corrupt and ineffective, in the only democracy to have emerged from the revolts. But political figures and rights groups have warned of a slide towards authoritarianism, and world leaders have expressed deep concern. In a move expected to spark further unease, Saied early Sunday announced he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) during a meeting with government ministers. The council "is a thing of the past", he said according to video footage released by the Tunisian presidency. He accused the CSM, an independent constitutional body set up in 2016 to guarantee the good functioning and independence of the judiciary, of serving political interests. "In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations," said the head of state. "You cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," he added. Observers say the government is seeking to clamp down on the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which has controlled parliament and the various governments since the 2011 revolution toppled veteran leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. 'Red line' The president accused the CSM of corruption and of delaying politically sensitive investigations into the 2013 assassinations of left-wing opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi. The Islamic State group claimed both killings, while Ennahdha, which has denounced Saied's power grab as a "coup", has been accused by many of blocking the investigations. "Unfortunately, in this country, some judges in the courts have manipulated the Chokri Belaid case," said Saied in the video. Belaid was shot three times outside his home in February 2013, and Brahmi was killed in similar circumstances in July the same year. The "July 25 movement" -- composed of Saied supporters -- on Saturday called on the president to dissolve the CSM in order to "purge" the judiciary of "corrupt magistrates". Saied has called on supporters to "protest freely" later Sunday, when a demonstration is also due to be held to mark the ninth anniversary of Belaid's murder. Protesters are expected to rally outside the Tunis headquarters of the CSM. Saied -- who has also already called for a July referendum on constitutional reforms -- said on Sunday he was working "on a provisional decree" to reorganise the judicial watchdog. "One of the key rights of Tunisians is to know the truth," he said in a statement. Tunisians, he said, are entitled "to have a just judicial system whose conduct is overseen by judges who only implement the law". The CSM had been already targeted last month by Saied, when he stripped its members of social and financial benefits, including fuel subsidies, transport and living allowances. Created in 2016, the watchdog has 45 members, two thirds of whom are judges elected by parliament, who in turn chose the remaining third. Raoudha Karafi, honorary president of the Tunisian association of judges, has been among critics of Saied's power grab. She has criticised Saied in recent press remarks of seeking to undermine the independence of the judiciary, saying: "Justice is a red line." Another fire outbreak has been recorded in the Ashanti Region bringing the number of recorded fire incidents in that region within this week to three. The latest incident happened at a shop where baby products are sold at Adum, the Central Business District of Kumasi. The fire which started at about 4:30 pm on Saturday destroyed baby wares and other products sold at the shop. The swift intervention by fire officers prevented the fire from spreading to other shops in the building. Ashanti Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service, ACFO Henry Giwah said his personnel were able to bring the fire under control. The owner of the building who is also the Chief of Adum, Baffour Agyei Kesse IV called for intensified education on fire safety. Meanwhile, another fire was also recorded at a portion of the Kumasi Central Market on Saturday night. The fire Citi News learned started at about 9:30 pm. The first fire incident recorded in the Ashanti Region this week occurred at the Akwatialine wood market while the second one happened at a grocery shop at Adum. citinewsroom An Associate Professor with the department of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School, Lord Mensah has kicked against calls for government to go under an IMF programme owing to the challenges the economy is facing. He said the challenges of the economy require deliberate actions from the government using internal solutions instead of relying on external support from the IMF. Speaking on Citi TVs The Big Issue on Saturday, Prof. Mensah said after about 16th IMF programmes, the country failed to maintain the fiscal discipline that came with it and as such going back will only be a lazy approach that will not address the root cause of Ghanas economic woes. We went to the IMF and IMF came to put in measures that were to ensure that even if you wean off the programme, you stay disciplined. What is the essence of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the fiscal responsibility committee? We dont need to go to the IMF. We are not going to the IMF, we just have to stay disciplined, he said. Prof. Mensah said the government must introduce its own austerity measures and cause a number of economic adjustments. Reacting to suggestions that agriculture holds the promise to transform the countrys economy, he said the governments agricultural programmes have failed to bring results particularly the Planting for Food and Jobs programme which has not been able to ensure enough food production to prevent Ghanas high food product import. Meanwhile, the Director of Research and senior economist at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Dr. John Kwakye says the government's frantic push to introduce the 1.75% E-levy and the public calls for the government to seek assistance from the IMF to deal with its fiscal imbalances are not immediately necessary. According to him, the government can raise more revenue from staying fiscally disciplined and cutting down on some of its expenditure. I think there is room for the government to scale-up revenue mobilization because there are a lot of loopholes they need to fill. Exemptions, illicit financial flows, property taxes that we don't collect and administrative lapses. If you plug all these loopholes, you will scale up revenue substantially and even the E-levy will not be needed. You will get much more than the E-levy, he said. citinewsroom Its a pity that many Ghanaians, due to ignorance, consider it disrespectful to question the president about the misappropriation of state funds or call him a thief over stolen money. Every Ghanaian in that country has the right to question the president or any politician about the finances and what they are used for. It is not a crime or disrespectful to ask a president to account for missing money or even to call him a thief, why because he is an elder person? If you are an elderly person, yet, you dont respect yourself, nobody will give you respect, moreover, respect is earned due to what one achieves in society. Why things that never happen in developed countries are permitted in Africa? So, dont expect me to give you respect because you are a president and older than me. If you elderly person, wants respect, why are you stealing the state's money and indulging in nefarious activities affecting the country? What has caused more suffering in African countries, including Ghana is the way our parents brought us up. Traditionally and culturally, we are trained to respect our elders, therefore, that seed germinates in us to praise thieves and economic wreckers harming the people. Why do Europe and America havent got many resources as Africa has, yet they are successful countries? It is because the people have the right to demand the resignation of a politician involved in corruption. In Ghana, we think its disrespectful to call a politician who steals money a thief, let alone to ask for his resignation. Thats why we are in one place without any progress. Even if Ghana discovers an additional 1000 oil fields, the country will always remain the same because some stupid people over there will not be happy to call the politicians who steal our oil money thieves. Every intelligent Ghanaian has the right to ask the government to account for the missing COVID funds given to Ghana by the World Bank, the IMF, and the European Union Tribalism, nepotism, hate, greed, and hypocrisy continue to cause more harm than good to Ghanaians, yet still, the people don't care even though that will affect the future of the next generation, especially, the children. Many Ghanaians for decades continue to promote and support every evil thing politicians are doing in the country adversely affecting the people because of tribal links. I don't consider it disrespectful to the president if ask him to account for $430M the World Bank provided to the Ghanaian government to fight the coronavirus pandemic which can't be traced. I care about my country, therefore, I will continue to write against what is affecting Ghana, in spite of what other people think or say. The foreign exchange I remit home monthly plays a role in sustaining the countrys already shattered economy, therefore, as a Ghanaian, it is not an abomination to ask a Ghanaian politician or the president to explain to the common people how the money is used. Ghanaians are enemies to themselves due to tribalism and the fact that superstition hasnt helped Ghana in any way, nepotism and tribalism will also not help Ghana in moving forward. Why is the truth so bitter for people to swallow knowing perfectly they are wrong? In Europe and America, if corrupt politicians are not jailed and those that misappropriate government funds are not forced to resign would it be better countries for African politicians to go there for holidays and medical checkups? If many in Ghana are still suffering from mental slavery, therefore, think its wrong to question president Akufo Addo about stolen monies or disrespectful to call the president a thief, they should go to the Flagstaff House and tell him to stop stealing Ghanas money. I, Joel Savage said so. The Central Command Headquarters of the Ghana Army has busted a 38-year-old man for posing as a military commander and allegedly extorting monies from illegal miners at Amansie West Africa. The suspect, identified as Jonas Afriyie Poku is a physically challenged lotto agent from Pokukrom in the Ashanto region. The military in their press statement on Sunday February 6 said the suspect was arrested upon a tip-off upon interrogation, it came to light that the suspect for some time now has been calling illegal miners and introducing himself as the Military commander who carried out the just-ended OPERATION HALT in the Amansie Central and its environs. The suspect has been handed over to the police. Below if the full statement For some sometime now, Central Command Headquarters of the Ghana Army has been receiving information about some persons parading as Military Officers and extorting monies from illegal miners in the Command Area of Responsibility. Against this backdrop, the Command instituted some measures to fish out these unscrupulous individuals whose activities are denting the prestigious reputation of the Command and the Ghana Armed Forces as a whole. Acting on a tip-off, personnel of the Command arrested a 38-year old man for posing as a Military Commander and extorting monies from illegal miners at Amansie West District. PRESS-RELEASE-FAKE-MILITARY-OFFICER-FOR-EXTORTION-1 Download The suspect, identified as Mr Jonas Afriyie Poku, a physically challenged lotto agent from Pokukrom, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region was apprehended on Friday 4 February 2022. Upon interrogation, it came to light that the suspect for some time now has been calling illegal miners and introducing himself as the military commander who carried out the just-ended OPERATION HALT in the Amansie Central and its environs. He will then threaten the illegal miners to either pay monies or have their equipment destroyed. One of the victims, Mr Appiah Andrews of Essuowin in the Amansie West District indicated that the suspect coerced him to cooperate with his terms or have his site and machinery destroyed. The victim out of fear reached out to another illegal miner, Mr Eric Frimpong who also confirmed to have received similar threats from the same individual and as a result, paid an amount of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC5000.00) to him. The suspect was first handed over to the Military Police for interrogation and subsequently handed over to the Civil Police at the Regional Police Headquarters for further investigation. The Command wishes to inform the general public that the Ghana Armed Forces is doing everything to jealously protect its hard-won image. Consequently, systems have been put in place to closely monitor Central Commands Area of Responsibility which covers Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions in order to fish out such unscrupulous persons whose activities are dragging the reputation of the Ghana Armed Forces through the mud. The general public is hereby encouraged to report all such persons within the afore-mentioned Regions to the either the nearest military establishment or to the civil police. 3news.com The African Union has condemned a recent "wave" of military coups that has seen an unprecedented number of member states suspended from the bloc, a senior official said Sunday, the last day of its annual summit. The putsches were among the main issues expected to be discussed at the summit, along with the AU's ties to Israel and its response to a grinding war in the north of host country Ethiopia. Less than two weeks before the summit began Saturday, Burkina Faso became the fourth country to be suspended by the AU after disgruntled soldiers toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Guinea, Mali and Sudan are also currently suspended. "Every African leader in the assembly has condemned unequivocally... the wave of unconstitutional changes of government," Bankole Adeoye, head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, told a press conference Sunday. "Do your research: At no time in the history of the African Union have we had four countries in one calendar year, in 12 months, been suspended," Adeoye said. Addressing African foreign ministers ahead of the summit, Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, denounced a "worrying resurgence" of such military coups. But the AU has been accused of an inconsistent response, notably by not suspending Chad after a military council took over following the death of longtime President Idriss Deby Itno on the battlefield last April. And while Adeoye touted the AU's use of suspensions to punish coup leaders, analysts say the body must be more proactive to prevent putsches. "It is only when crisis hits that we say, 'Gosh, how come this country is falling apart like this so quickly?'" Solomon Dersso, founder of the AU-focused Amani Africa think-tank, told AFP this week. Israel debate paused Also on Sunday, leaders agreed to suspend debate on Faki's controversial decision to accept the accreditation of Israel, postponing a potentially divisive vote. Palestinian prime minister MohammedShtayyeh called for Israel's accreditation to be revoked. By Tony KARUMBA AFP Faki's move last July drew protest from powerful members including South Africa and Algeria which argued that it flew in the face of AU statements supporting the Palestinian Territories. Both countries pushed to have the issue put on the summit agenda. As the summit opened Saturday, Faki defended Israel's accreditation, saying it could be "an instrument in the service of peace" while calling for "a serene debate". He also said the AU's commitment to the Palestinian push for independence was "unchanging and can only continue to grow stronger". Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, addressing the same opening session, called for Israel's accreditation to be revoked, saying it "should never be rewarded" for its "apartheid regime". The AU normally prizes consensus, but it was unclear how a vote on the issue would have fared. A two-thirds majority would have been required to overrule Faki. Instead a six-country committee will study the issue, diplomats told AFP Sunday. Along with South Africa and Algeria, the committee will include Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who supported Faki's move, as well as Cameroon and Nigeria, the diplomats said. Ethiopia peace push It was unclear whether the weekend summit, most of which took place behind closed doors, substantively addressed the 15-month war in Ethiopia, which pits Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government against fighters from the northern Tigray region. The fact that Ethiopia hosts the AU makes any intervention by the bloc especially delicate. By EDUARDO SOTERAS, EDUARDO SOTERAS AFP The fact that Ethiopia hosts the AU makes any intervention by the bloc especially delicate, and Faki waited until last August -- nine months after fighting began -- to appoint Olusegun Obasanjo as a special envoy tasked with trying to broker a ceasefire. Ethiopia has also held a seat on the Peace and Security Council throughout the conflict, though it failed in its bid to stay on the 15-member body for the next term, diplomats said. Adeoye said Sunday it was "not true" that the AU had been slow to respond to a war that has left thousands dead and, according to the United Nations, driven hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation. "There was no way the AU would not engage on such a situation given its exact location in Ethiopia," he said. "The point is that I must emphasise that engagements, quiet diplomacy, shuttle diplomacy, may not be usually reported." Obasanjo will head to war-hit areas this week, and the AU will provide "experts from the African continent" to back up his push for dialogue, Adeoye said. "We are all working for peace." Information available to this portal indicates that suspected thieves have broke into the offices of the National Identification Authority (NIA) and the Birth and Death Registry in Prampram near Tema in the Greater Accra Region. The criminals ransacked the offices located at the Town and Country Planning Department of the Ningo-Prampram District Assembly (NiPA) and made away with properties belonging to both aforementioned offices. Properties such as laptops, biometric machine, webcam, printers among others were stolen by the criminals. Confirming the incident to DGN Online, John Charway, an Opinion Leader in the area said the incident occurred Sunday February 6, 2022 dawn when the criminals got ingress into the offices through the windows. According to him, the criminals cut some of the iron roads in the windows and the net to remove the louvre blades so that they can enter. Residents of the area are wondering how the miscreants managed to rob the offices without a security man at post not having knowledge about the incident. However, the security man manning over 25 offices belonging to four departments namely the Ningo-Prampram court, Ghana Post, Birth and Death and Development of Town and Country Planning have reportedly expressed surprise about the incident. He wondered the time the incident occurred when he was at post tnroughout the night of Saturday to Sunday morning. Meanwhile, registrants have expressed fear of losing their data following the incident. They said some of them are yet to receive their NIA card after registering thereby stealing the machines means they are likely not to get the cards. DGN online 06.02.2022 LISTEN It has been quite obvious in the last several years that our Government of Ghana and the people are getting more and more desperate. A Press and Media release dated Jan.13, 2022 and signed by some notable people in Ghana including Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI and Law Prof. Raymond Atuguba and other prominent persons, came to my attention today, Feb.5, on a different forum that has nothing to do with politics but actually Automobiles! The public discussion and talk about the current Ghana Government having squandered or mismanaged so much money, and borrowed some estimated 70-80% of the nations GDP, more than the rest of all previous government in the post-Independence era, should not go unnoticed!! Desperation is setting in! Government has squandered all the money! This is being discussed on even forums meant for Automobiles. So why is this important? In recent years it appears the way for massive financial gains by politicians in power has been forcing all adults in the estimated 32 million inhabitants of Ghana to undergo some forced exercises! The costs of these exercises are in the hundreds of millions of dollars! Nobody discloses the breakdown accounting. Recent studies by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) indicates that it takes $100 million for a Party to contest in every Elections! How the heck do these people raise that money save through a delicate balance of financial wizardry in contracts and projects! The net effect is a drain on the Economy, shortage of capital, high inflation rate and high interest rates, leading to low Business output and high graduate unemployment. The Era of Desperation: The above does not look good for any nation. Some of us recall the 1980s desperation Accounting and financial policies where the PNDC drove businesses to close and imposed heavy import duties and taxes at the ports. Dr. Kwesi Botchwey called one a Supersales Tax of 500% duties on vehicles with engine capacity of 2500cc. Those who were not able to pay had their vehicles seized by Government. The wine of Socialism must be sweet indeed! Some of our own contemporaries argued that some were living bourgeoisie lives and taking food away from that of the poor. Today the pendulum seems to have swung to the other side so much that there is no lower limit to taxation and e-levy will tax the poor and the rich alike, while the rich hides their wealth and Government executives fly overseas for their health care. In my life in Engineering and Financial services I have found that most people dont understand the business of life. Our economists should examine Ghana in the last 35 - 40 years and tell us if employment rate and inflation and our economy are any better today. The cedi exchange rate, if we are to use Dr. Bawumias yardstick, was 2.7 to $1 in 1981 just before the coup, and today is 60,000 cedis to $1. The Right to Self Dignity and Growth: Humans have a right to self-dignity. When this atmosphere is provided, people bloom like flowers. Anybody who doubts this hypothesis should observe Ghanaians when they arrive in America and give them only 10 years. For a nation also, you cannot attract investment capital and grow businesses if you disrespect business people as well as your own citizens, sometimes giving consideration to even foreigners who pay bribes! No! This should change. The idea of demanding and hence forcing people to be in long lines for hours in the tropical sun, in this Covid-19 Pandemic era, to re-register SIM cards, simply seems awkward and implies absolute lack of respect and human empathy. Creativity in finding solutions also seems short. It occurred to me how totally ill-advised and unplanned this phone SIM Re-registration exercise was. However, not being in Ghana at the time I did not want to comment. I am glad some of my junior friends have taken the lead to stand up against the oppressive government policies often done without consideration of peoples welfare! The Rights of Businesses and Citizens: It is absolutely the biggest insult on phone customers, in private business transactions, forcing customers to be in line again, all across Ghana, to provide their fingerprint when common logic fails. If its the ID number the Telcos need, why not create a simple website allowing cell phone customers to enter and add their GhanaCard number? Does that not make more sense? Or people cannot be trusted with their own cell phone numbers? Some policies make no sense save possibly somebody stands to gain from the suffering of others. Corporations and Government should respect peoples time and welfare, especially in this era of Covid-19 pandemic. Democratic Practices is tough: Dictatorship seems easy for any leader. Democratic practices demand consideration of others. Ghana has been pretending to be a democratic nation while behaving like a Communist Nation with all executive powers to one man to elect as many Ministers as he pleases, as well as Judges, Cabinet Ministers, Agency Heads and even Towns and District Chief Executives. That was the era of Jerry Rawlings and his colleagues who felt Ghanaians did not even have the maturity to elect their own district and town chief executives and Town Councils. Forcing people to do something, and then change and do force them to do something else every few years is how despotism works. It takes all human dignity out. Pardoning the first 9 years after Independence, do our leadership ever consult with the people in such cases? Does Ghana not have the capacity to conduct opinion polls? Can leadership sense the pulse of the population? Our NDC and NPP Governments have wasted massive amounts of resources on exercises like: - VOTER REGISTRATION. Then few years later - BIOMETRIC VOTER REGISTRATION. Then this - GHANA CARD mandatory in-person registration. Each of these demanded costs of more than $50 million for Government and on individual levels perhaps $100 million cumulative for adults to line up for hours in the sun like sebe sebe sheep or goats lined up for the slaughter! What are the Benefits of Digitization? Is technology and digitization not supposed to simplify our lives? Today in Ghana nobody can renew a Passport without being present to show Biometric data. Why? The Ghana Embassy in Washington DC has made it almost impossible to apply directly for a Visa or renew Passport unless one passes through an outside agency and pay additional $250-$300. Who knows who owns those companies and if any kickbacks goes to the Embassy or a Ministers accounts! Oh If this Biometric data was that critical in managing our lives in the modern day how come people in California where most of these high technology ideas and changes emanate, and the rest of America, are not jumping up and down about using Biometric data to do everything, as Ghanaians are being told to do and be part of the digital age! Our people are being dragged like sebe sebe sheep and goats without guarantee of accuracy or self dignity. If its about crimes, can Ghana claim to have more crimes than America? Why demand changing IDs every few years? Looking at the Future: Ghanaian in power must learn to have human empathy and respect for their people or else we all can predict doom! I can never forget four years ago, at the age of 71 at the time, I had to stand in line for 4 hours and stand waiting with no place to sit down, with my Assistant and a Medical Doctor friend of MP Atta Akyea. We had an appointment to see the Minister on some Housing issues that I had some expertise and business plan. We waited for me to make the Presentation to him, but he was not interested! His sign of disrespect telling his friend to get me out of his office never left my mind all because I said The truth that Ghana was not doing well in Housing. Never again! I said to myself! Never will I accept such humiliation from another human being! Our beloved Ghana is suffering indeed due to the arrogance and greed of a few who came to power by the gun and later those who won power through seductive pretenses and later turn out to be nothing short of arrogant and pompous public thieves! If I am wrong, why are the Auditor Generals reports never followed up and people prosecuted? What happened to the 57,000 Ghost names on the public payroll? It is time we cut out the pretense for technology leapfrogging. Point is that technology of fingerprinting is not 100% guarantee of a crime-free nation. No! And even if it was, there is no guarantee it will dominate the next 100 years! In fact some studies have suggested blacks have a higher error rate in the Facial recognition technology. So do these Economists claim to know more than some of our colleagues who work in and live with these everyday? Why pay $100 million for this? What problems are we solving demanding that I Kwaku A. Danso at the age of 75, renewing my Ghana Passport cannot send a new picture and the fees and updated address if any, and have to be in a long line for 4 hours to do this? I did renew the passport of my adopted home country, the USA, last year; and it took not more than 45 minutes and a trip to the post office with my pictures and the fees. The Final Lessons of Life: Old age surely teaches lessons and sometimes it appears to me Ghanaians educated in Western Economics and Accounting and even Computer Sciences think they know so much they forget the humans they are working for! No! Some also do this for personal gain- simply buying some Israeli or Chinese technology for $50 million and adding another $50 million to put in their personal or Party funds! That is the opinion of most Ghanaians if anybody cares to survey. Yes! Our educated people in power seem to have become crooks and scam artists and public thieves! It is a disgrace indeed asking people to change their identity every few years so a few can take contracts and can scheme to earn millions of dollars! THIEVES! Thats what they are!! And please Id be glad to debate any of our colleagues and juniors in Government about the right and ethical ways of societal management and leadership. In conclusion- I say Boycotting mobile phone usage is a very drastic and desperate measure and demonstration! Both sides lose! However I feel the pain of our colleagues on the ground in Ghana. For the rest of my life on this earth I wish common sense and decency will reign in our country. I pray Nana Akufo Addo and his NPP Parliament will not place impediment on the move to amend the 1992 Constitution and decentralize the one-man powers as a defect in that 1992 document! Our democratic constitution is not perfect enough until we amend it. God bless our motherland Ghana! Dr. K. Danso ( edited Feb.6,2022) Qatar Airways, which operates daily flights to Tbilisi, Georgia and five weekly flights to Baku, Azerbaijan is celebrating 10 successful years of operating direct flights between Doha and the two cities. The airline marked this milestone with specially-designed cupcakes to valuable passengers on board flights QR256 from Tbilisi and QR354 from Baku to Doha. Additionally, the airline has announced a limited time special anniversary discount for passengers to book their flights during the upcoming spring travel season. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker said: We are delighted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of direct flights to Tbilisi and Baku, offering passengers the opportunity to explore culture-rich hidden jewels in Europes tourist map. We are also happy to offer passengers from Georgia and Azerbaijan seamless connectivity to more than 140 destinations worldwide via the Worlds Best Airport, Hamad International Airport. Whether they are travelling for leisure or business, passengers can enjoy an unmatched service in the sky. The national carrier of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations. With more frequencies being added to key hubs, Qatar Airways offers connectivity to passengers in Georgia and Azerbaijan with many destinations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas via Doha. Qatar Airways continues to offer passengers flexible booking options with unlimited date changes and fee-free refunds for travel completed by 30 September 2022, an airline statement said. TradeArabia News Service 06.02.2022 LISTEN Bangladesh and Pakistan together make up 5 percent of the world's population. The Possibilities of market value in the case of export and import between these two states are inevitably huge. But the trade between the two countries of 39 crore people is now only 6-7 hundred million dollars. This is a very small share in the exports of both countries. In 2019-20, only 50 million worth of goods went from Bangladesh to Pakistan. It has the potential to grow exponentially. The industrial sector of both countries has expanded tremendously in the last 50 years. The industrialists of the previous generation knew the details of each other's people and markets. The next generation of industrialists is unable to make use of that historical experience due to a lack of political action. India and China have been in the midst of a war frenzy for the past year. But in the meantime, it has done business worth about 109 billion dollars. The example of Pakistan-India may be more relevant in this regard. The two countries exchange gunfire every week. There have been three large-scale battles between them. But in the meantime, they are selling products. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, goods worth 300 million US dollars went from India to Pakistan. Last year it was almost four times more. They may go back to the previous state in the future. If Pakistan-India can continue to trade despite the fragility of political relations, Bangladesh can do the same with both countries. You need to be able to. Building a market in South Asia is becoming more urgent for Bangladesh to escape the European-American political caution. Pakistan has put Bangladeshis on the priority list for visas since 2019. Both countries can make it easier to boost export trade. This will increase the market of jute, tea and tobacco in Bangladesh, Pakistan will also increase the export of yarn, sugar, etc. However, in order to make the current trade balance more favorable for Bangladesh, policy support from Pakistan is needed. After a long hiatus, Pakistan has already shown diplomatic interest in developing relations by sending an ambassador to Bangladesh. They have to go further. Islamabad has a lot of responsibility to heal the historical wounds of Bangladesh. Many Pakistani policymakers want Bangladesh to forget the 1971 Independence war and move forward. But it is not easy on the part of Bangladesh; Not even possible. Rather, it would be convenient in practical terms to solve the problems arising from the seventy-first chapter quickly. It is high time for Pakistan to realize the situation. Those are not to be avoided. Pakistan wants to increase trade relations with Bangladesh. The Canada-based International Forum for Rights and Security, a think tank, recently published a report on Bangladesh and Pakistan. It has been shown there that Bangladesh is ahead in all areas of the index. Many Western economists have called on all countries to follow the Bangladesh model in the development of South Asia. According to Bangladeshi Media, Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said that Pakistan is keen to boost trade and economic ties by maintaining good relations with Bangladesh on January 26, 2021. He said there were problems in some areas in trade with Pakistan. If they are removed, the trade will increase further. Both countries have huge potential to increase trade and commerce. This opportunity can be used. He made the remarks during an exchange of views with Pakistan's High Commissioner to Dhaka Imran Ahmed Siddiqui at his office in Dhaka on Wednesday (January 26th, 2021). The Commerce Minister of Bangladesh said Bangladesh's trade with Pakistan is ongoing. Tea, pharmaceutical products, readymade garments, ceramic products, shoes, leather and jute products are exported from Bangladesh to Pakistan. There is an opportunity to further increase these exports. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is advancing rapidly in all fields including economic and social. The development of Bangladesh is now visible. Bangladesh's capacity in international trade has increased. He said Pakistan had recently imposed anti-dumping on hydrogen peroxide exports. Such measures hinder the development of trade. Any existing problem can be solved through discussion. The problems can be identified and resolved at a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) between the two countries. Traders have an important role to play in increasing trade. Traders can increase trade by visiting each other's countries. Necessary cooperation can be given in this case. Pakistan's High Commissioner Imran Ahmed Siddiqui said the Pakistani government wants to move forward by developing trade relations with Bangladesh. There is ample opportunity to enhance trade and economic relations between the two countries. Pakistan is keen to enhance trade and economic ties while maintaining good relations between the two countries. Ceramic products made in Bangladesh are being widely used in various government departments of Pakistan. Envoy Imran requested that visas for visits to Bangladesh be made easier for Pakistanis for personal and business purposes and that Dhaka-Karachi direct communication is introduced for the transportation of goods. He also called for a single country fair for Bangladeshi products in Pakistan and stressed holding the 9th meeting of the Joint Economic Commission (JEC). In the last fiscal year 2019-2020, Bangladesh exported goods worth. 50.54 million to Pakistan. During the same period, it imported goods worth 543.90 million US dollars. If trade complexities are removed in some cases, the export of Bangladeshi products to the Pakistani market will increase further. Bilateral trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh for the year 2020-21 was $721.67 million. Of which Pakistans exports to Bangladesh in that time were $650.21 million while imports stood at $71.45 million. Bangladesh is one of the top 10 export destinations for Pakistani products. (Data are collected from reports of various media outlets). According to recent media reports ( based on the data of the State Bank Of Pakistan ) Pakistan's goods and services trade with Bangladesh witnessed surplus of 46.65 percent during first six months of financial year (2021-22) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. The overall exports to Bangladesh were recorded at $399.408 million during July-December (2021-22) against exports of $ 274.246 million during July-December (2020-21), showing growth of 45.63 percent, SBP data revealed. Meanwhile, on year-to-year basis, exports to Bangladesh during December 2021 also increased by 52.01 percent, from US $ 54.433 million to US $82.746 million. Similarly on month-on-month basis, exports of Bangladesh were rose by 14.38 percent during December 2021 in comparison with exports of US $ 72.339 million in November 2021, SBP data said. It is true that Bangladesh and Pakistan cam profit by growing business relations. Pakistan can export cotton, yarn, fabric, leather, inorganic chemicals, vegetables and electronics (fan), halal foods to Bangladesh. There is a high demand for these products in Bangladesh. On the other hand, Bangladesh can export its world-class medicines, apparel, agro-products, halal foods, ceramics, etc. Bangladesh can benefit from using Pakistans Gwadar port and China-run CPEC. Bangladeshi products can be exported to Central Asia and imported from the region easily. As a result, Pak-BD ties would boost up more. Both sides can also work in promoting cooperation in the areas of science and technology, information technology, health care, digital cooperation, SME [Small and medium-sized enterprises] development, tourism, etc. Bangladesh has vast experience in dealing with refugees, tackling climate change approach, countering terrorism, human resource development. Pakistan has experience in the sector of religious tourism. Both countries can exchange these advantages. According to some reports of the media outlets and data of Pakistans central bank, in the first three months of the current financial year, the trade volume between Bangladesh and Pakistan is growing day by day. Bangladesh is now at the top of Pakistan's foreign trade list. Although having some political problems between Pakistan and Bangladesh but the bilateral relationship between the two South Asian countries is growing. According to those reports, Bangladesh-Pakistan trade in the goods and services sector increased by about 37 percent (36.90 percent) in the first three months of the 2021-22 fiscal year compared to last year. The import of Pakistan from Bangladesh has increased by about 44 percent (43.96 percent) this year. From July to September of the 2020-21 fiscal year, Pakistan imported goods worth just over 12 million. Which stood at 17 million at that time in the 2021-22 fiscal year. It is true that bilateral trade is increasing between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Pakistan and Bangladesh should reap the benefits from growing their trade ties. However, there are many potentials in economic relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan. But this should be realized by the government of Pakistan for its own interest. Because they need Bangladesh's help and support in reviving their fragile economy and raising various regional issues at all international forums. The sooner the Pakistani government realizes this, the better for them. Pakistan and Bangladesh can benefit from growing trade ties. From the credible information steadily trickling in to me day in day out from the Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) in Mampong in the Ashanti region, I can only conclude that some authorities, institutions and persons entrusted with overseeing the implementations and enforcement of some laws, regulations and relevant policies, are not living up to expectation. They can justifiably be said to be incompetently, unprofessionally or lackadaisically exercising their functions to the detriment of the nation and the citizenry. The students of the NMTC in Mampong that feel mistreated, discriminated against and victimised by the apparently obnoxious, intransigent and unprofessional attitude by their principal, Mrs Gifty Hellen Dwamena Amoah, had the decency and respect of protocols, to officially alert the appointed responsible authorities and persons to their plight. Their action taken is surely in conformity with the laid down acceptable procedures for conveying their grievances to whom it may concern. However, as the principal correctly responded to their written grievance, thus petition which was devoid of the names and or, signatures of the petitioners, demanding better particulars, some of the authorities contacted failed woefully to acknowledge their petition. As of the time of writing, the Registrar of Nursing and Midwifery Council in Accra has not bothered to acknowledge their petition, however he feels. This is the height of incompetence, unprofessionalism and nonchalance leading to the prevalence of lawlessness and corruption in Ghana to culminate in the economic stagnation or retrogression, if not deprivation, of the country, to the disadvantage of the citizenry. Appointed institutions and persons must always ensure they do their work as required of them to bring sanity to workplace, schools and wherever their services are to be felt for the collective good of mother Ghana and Ghanaians. Below is a true copy of the response by the principal to the petition sent by the affected students to the management of the school. Her response is spot on and very much appreciated. I soliloquized a similar view as expressed in the response letter to the petitioners. Why was it not signed or attached with the list of the names of the petitioners to make it genuine, I asked myself? Surely, they were scared to divulge their identities for the fear of being singled out for mistreatment, I should think. Therefore, we need to bear with them and accept the petition as genuine, regardless of the absence of the signatures. I shall encourage the affected students to send her their names without any fear of victimization. They should not entertain any fear of being singled out for molestation, victimization or whatever, by whomever. Should anyone be treated with scorn following their submission of names to the principal as petitioners, I will get to hear it and subsequently deal robustly with it as God may empower and direct me and my knowledge allowing. The Advisory Board of NMTC have done their part but the body that holds the final authority, thus, the Registrar of Nursing and Midwifery Council, is he who is dithering to exacerbate the sufferings of the students. Having said that, the principal of the school should not be seen to behave oddly dictatorially. From the information available to me, it is only in her school that she is employing a method that allows her to demote, repeat or sack students which is not in uniformity with standard methods applicable in the Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges in Ghana, or in Ashanti region. If so, why is she proud to be the only macho woman, if not insane one, out there? Is she trying to prove to the nation that she is the toughest one out there? If what she is doing is lawful and without discrimination or animosity towards anyone, then fair enough. Nevertheless, I dont think that is her motive but to penalise the students for reasons only best known to her and her alleged colleague in crime, Mr Paul Antierefaa. Mr Paul Antierefaa is said to be in charge of feeding students practical or academic results onto the students portal. The results are said to change faster than the stars twinkle or a chameleon changes its colour. Once you blink your eye, the results have changed. What is going on, if I dare to ask? Is it not an act of unprofessionalism or deliberate collusive attempt to punish some students for the fun of it? Until this problem at stake is resolved professionally, lawfully and amicably without any intent on messing up the lives of anyone involved, either the principal or the students, I shall be on the back of the responsible institutions, authorities or persons failing to perform their duties as it is otherwise expected of them in this critical circumstance. We should not allow Ghana to be held to ransom by a few corrupt, incompetent, selfish and myopic individuals or institutions entrusted with the welfare of the country and the people therein. The ball is now in the court of the principal of the school. She is currently the only one able to redress the despicable situation the students are now confronted with. She should bear in mind that the future of some people, particularly the students, is at stake. The students are our future healthcare personnel so we should not mess up with their lives and career. I hope Mrs Gifty Hellen Dwamena Amoah will do the needful as quickly as she can or else, more publications inundated with unpalatable information as I have been made aware of will surely be put out there in the public domain. I am not here to blackmail anyone but to convey the truth and expressed concerns to the larger public and anyone interested in knowing about the unfortunate developments ongoing at Mampong Nursing and Midwifery Training College. Rockson Adofo Sunday, 6 February 2022 (Sunday, February 6, 2022 Monrovia, Liberia) The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Council of Chiefs and Elders have climaxed a two-day a multi-stakeholders reflective sessions on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia. The national conference was part of events marking the commemoration of this years International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. In December of 2012, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/67/146, calling upon member nations to globally observe February 6th, every year as International Day of Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation. The act which is a violation of human rights and the health and well-being of women and girls involves the alteration of the female genital area for non-for-profit reasons. Globally, this year's FGM is being commemorated under the Theme: "Accelerating Investment To End FGM" while the local theme is: A Sober Reflection on FGM: Leading to Protection and a Sustainable Future. During a two-day national conference with traditional leaders in the City of Gbarnga, Bong County, the traditional leaders affirmed their signatures to upholding a policy document to temporarily suspend all Sande society practices and activities in the Republic of Liberia with immediate effect for the period of three (3) years. "Wherefore, and in view of the forgoing, the National Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia (NACCEL) an institution charged with the responsibility to protect, preserve and foster positive Liberian Culture and Tradition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), with the mandate to preserve the sanity of traditional activities within the means and bounds of Liberia in taking appropriate actions to change any given situation that is not healthy for our people, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection (MGCSP) with the mandate to protect women, girls and vulnerable groups, and the Civil Society with the mandate to support Governments initiatives, having participated in two days national conference with traditional leaders in the City of Gbarnga, Bong County at the Gbarngba Administrative Building, deliberating on high level of traditional concerns in the Country and seeking the restoration of the glory of our culture, having unanimously agreed, do hereby announce the temporary suspension of all Sande society practices and activities in the Republic of Liberia with immediate effect for the period of three (3) years." An excerpt from the policy statement. It can be recalled that in June of 2019, traditional leaders from the eleven (11) FGM practicing counties met in Ganta, Nimba County and suspended Sande Bushes for one year for the purpose of conducting an inventory to develop database, modernize the practice and provide alternative economic livelihood for traditional practitioners. The results from the inventory identified 1,335 traditional practitioners and 721 traditional grooves in the 11 FGM practices counties in 77 statutory and administrative districts in Liberia. To-date, 300 of these traditional practitioners received alternative livelihood support as an alternative to the abandonment of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). There are 4 counties with vocational and heritage centers. Even though similar inventories have been done in the past by the Carter Center and other partners, NACCEL called for the conduct of the inventory to obtain detailed information on grooves location, names of traditional practitioners and their alternative livelihood skills. Under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, alternative economic support has been provided to FGM practitioners in five (5) counties (including Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Nimba and Montserrado Counties). This support is in the form of business skills empowerment, climate smart agriculture, literacy skills among others. Four (4) out of the five (5)Spotlight Counties are currently benefitting from the construction of heritage and vocational centers that will continue to serve as multipurpose centers wherein such economic support will be sustained. Liberia remains one of the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practicing Countries in Africa with a considerable number of young girls being denied access to formal education as the result of this practice by traditional practitioners as bush schools are operated during regular formal school sessions. Speaking at the opening session of the national conference, Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Williametta E. Saydee-Tarr lauded traditional leaders for accepting to discuss in finding a lasting way to solve FGM practice. According to her, it is a testimony that we are now taking a step in the positive direction. "As Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, my job has made me to understand that just the issuance of Executive Orders and the signing of commitments with our traditional leaders is insufficient to curb the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. We must also accept the fact that the practiced has grown to the level where it now comes with economic benefit for our people. We like to use this platform to encourage our partners to continue to support the business skills: empowerment, literacy skills and smart climate agriculture program that they are funding for our people." Minister Saydee-Tarr stated. She asserted that her objective of sensitizing and creating awareness about the practice in the communities and the renewal of the previous policy statement signed by traditional leaders on the suspension of FGM will never be fully addressed if we fail to take actions that will protect our women and girls, and forge for them a sustainable future. "Though our people continue to use this practice as a source of mentorship to the younger generation, the horror, short term complications, severe pain and bleeding that are meted out against women and girls during this practice produces long term sexual and reproductive health consequence over their lifetime." The Gender Minister averred. She used the occasion to extend gratitude to the European Union backed UN Spotlight Initiative which has been instrumental in providing economic support to FGM Practitioners in Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Lofa and Montserrado Counties. The Minister lauded President George Manneh Weah for the partnership formed in 2019 with the National Council of Chiefs and Elders that led to the suspension of the Sande activities across the country. She ended on a passionate plead to all stakeholders to design innovative ways through which Liberia can address female genital mutilation whilst at the same time maintaining other important components of our cultural heritage. The two days national conference with support from the European Union, United Nations and Government of Liberia Spotlight Initiative ran from Thursday, February 3 to Friday, February 4, 2022. The conference gathered Two Hundred (200) participants including traditional leaders, members of civil society organizations, government officials and international partners. Addis Ababa, 6 February 2022 - The African Leaders for Nutrition initiative, housed at the African Development Bank, has been honored by the African Union for progress made toward advancing investments in nutrition across the continent. At the conclusion of the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly on Sunday, an African Union summary decision commended the African Leaders for Nutrition initiative in sustaining nutrition advocacy in the effort to ensure member states commit adequate financial resources to nutrition interventions. The African Leaders for Nutrition initiative is a platform for high-level political engagement to advance nutrition in Africa, led by current and former heads of state, finance ministers and eminent leaders. The decision comes as the Assembly Session declared 2022 the African Union Year of Nutrition, and as Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina stressed the importance of advancing nutrition during his address to assembled heads of state. The recognition of the African Leaders for Nutritions efforts comes as the initiative leverages visibility the African Union Year of Nutrition declaration brings to the fight to end malnutrition and increase food security in Africa, said Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr. Beth Dunford, who attended the Assembly held in Addis Ababa on 5 and 6 February. African Leaders for Nutrition is advocating three goals for the Year of Nutrition, starting with securing investments to implement a nutrition action plan that reduces malnutrition across the continent. The second goal is to identify cost-effective interventions worth implementing. The third, is to promote accountability as African Union member states aim to meet World Health Assembly and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal nutrition targets. The African Union Year of Nutrition theme focuses on strengthening the continents nutritional resilience and food security, and will aim to strengthen core systems such as the agri-food, health, and social protection systems, as well as aim to accelerate human, social, and economic capital development in Africa. The African Leaders for Nutrition will support the African Union Commission and the government of Cote dIvoire to bring the initiatives nutrition champions together to devise strategies to ensure proper implementation of the declaration. The initiative will also support the African Union Commission on advocacy with African leaders to increase investment in carefully targeted interventions and help track progress with implementation. The initiative also plans to convene high-level consultative meetings with African country stakeholders about unlocking additional resources for investing in nutrition. African Leaders for Nutrition is also scheduled to endorse a mid-year review that will quantify progress in addressing the African Union Year of Nutrition declaration. Dr. Martin Fregene, Director of Agriculture and Agro-Industry at the African Development Bank, speaking on the sidelines of the 35th African Union Assembly said: Advancing nutrition is weaved into the Banks Feed Africa strategy, extending across numerous Bank programs, such as our Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation flagship that is delivering climate-adapted technologies to millions of African smallholder farmers, helping them produce more and more nutritious food. An estimated 61.4 million children aged under five years in Africa are stunted, while 12.1 million are wasted, and 10.6 million children in are overweight. The African Union Year of Nutrition runs from February until the next annual Assembly. To learn more about the African Leaders for Nutrition, click here. The Ghana Police Service says portion of the Tema motorway that was blocked following an accident involving a gas tanker, an articulated truck, and a rigid cargo truck has been reopened. According to the police service, the affected vehicles have been removed, allowing for a free flow of traffic. Early on, the Ghana Police Service notified the public of a motor crash on the Accra-Tema motorway between the Shopping Mall and the toll booth. The crash involving a gas tanker, an articulated truck, and a rigid cargo truck left the road to a single lane for motorists using the route. The Airport Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) officers were at the scene to aid in directing, controlling, and managing the traffic. The Ghana Fire Service was also at the scene, aiding in the safe recovery of the hazardous materials involved. There were no casualties. After the incident, the police in a post on social media entreated road users to be cautious or divert their paths to use the Spintex road and the Beach road to connect the N1 at Tema motorway interchange. In a recent update, the Police Service thanked all motorists for complying with them and making their work less tedious during the incident and its aftermath. The Police Service wishes to thank all motorists who ply the Tema N1 highway for their patience during the roadblock, as well as Ghana National Fire Service and Road Safety Management Service Limited crew for their quick responses to assist in securing the hazardous material and removing the vehicles, respectively. Meanwhile, heavy-duty and loaded articulated vehicle drivers, and those carrying hazardous goods are cautioned to always ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, securely loaded, and use appropriate lanes with moderate speeds on our highways. citinewsroom Weather Alert ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT MDT TUESDAY NIGHT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6000 FEET... * WHAT...Snow expected, mainly for elevations above 6000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 2-4 inches at the passes along the Montana-Idaho border, with higher amounts at higher elevations. * WHERE...Beaverhead, Gallatin and Madison Counties. * WHEN...From midnight tonight to midnight MDT Tuesday Night. * IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A heavy band of snowfall may pivot through the area late tonight and early Tuesday. This band of snowfall could bring heavy snow to the valley floors. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1 or visiting the MDT Road Report website. To see a graphical representation of the degree of stress on young livestock please visit our webpage and select Local Programs then Cold Air Advisory for Newborn Livestock. && US spies likely being targeted by energy waves in some 'Havana Syndrome' cases, panel says Capital access to the energy industry has been hard hit by a number of factors, from the pandemic to concerns about the industrys impact on the environment. But the industrys resurgence has drawn interest from some investors, like Post Oak Energy Capital, a 15-year-old private equity firm focused on the industry. Broader institutional interest is still challenged, said Frost Cochran, a managing director and founding partner. Traditional investors like us are excited about commodity prices, margins and the business. Cochran spoke with the Reporter-Telegram to discuss recent investments Post Oak had made, including an equity commitment in UpCurve Energy Partners II, which just made an initial acquisition in the Delaware Basin. Post Oak also joined with EnCap Investments in investing in Earthstone Energys acquisition of the Midland Basin assets of Bighorn Permian Resources. The company is not alone in its interest in the industry, he said, with other investors seeing opportunities in the industry. Oil and gas is the primary commodity input to the US economy and the global economy, he said. Some investors see the flight of capital from short-term investors as an opportunity to enter the industry and establish long-term investments in the industry, from the upstream sector to pipelines to the service sector. Still, he said Post Oak is working to stimulate interest from others. The challenge is to get the broader institutional market to pay attention, Cochran said. What he called the ESG Environment, Social and Governance overlay has slowed some institutional investor interest, but he said true long-term investors look beyond ESG. The oil and gas industry is a major contributor to the positive aspects of ESG improvement, Cochran said. Natural gas replacing coal has resulted in dramatic improvement in emissions. The challenge of not being involved in foreign conflicts and providing affordable energy has enormous benefits. Providing affordable energy addresses the serious problem of energy poverty, something he said has been overshadowed by the loud voices screaming about climate change. The ESG benefits of low-cost oil and gas lifting people out of energy poverty far outweigh any concerns about the environmental impact, he continued. Eliminating access to the nations low-cost oil and gas reserves would raise the cost of everything from eating to transportation and make it difficult for those with low incomes to advance and slow environmental progress, he said. The Permian Basin is home to two-thirds of Post Oaks capital, according to Cochran, who called it the best basin in the world for investment. He said the environment is friendly from a regulatory and business perspective and Post Oak expects to do more investing in the Delaware and Midland basins. Companies like Earthstone and UpCurve and even Layne Water Midstream will take advantage of the stronger commodity prices and rising activity levels, Cochran predicted. Public companies have no choice but to follow the edicts of majority shareholders for fiscal discipline, he said. Most of our companies have good management and fiscal discipline. Theyve leaned into drilling harder and faster. The private guys will drill aggressively and the public companies will be more measured. But the higher prices will mean higher cash flow, giving them the opportunity to drill more. His only concern is influence that comes from outside the region, particularly banks like major money centers that are under pressure to not lend or provide liquidity to the industry. Regional banks, he said, are doing a fantastic job. Cash flow and strong commodity prices can help the industry overcome the negative bent of Wall Street banks, he predicted. As investors warm up to the industry, theyll warm up to ESG efforts. Its not helpful to operators short-term, but people are recognizing if theyre concerned about carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse gas, this industry is heavily regulated and self-regulated, Cochran said. We have heard a lot about 3-2 votes keeping people from accomplishing certain goals. What will you do to keep county government headed in a positive direction even if you fall on the wrong side of 3-2 votes? While I have no interest in belaboring the ways Terry Johnson has failed Midland County voters, it is time his record of going against-the-grain, against his word and against voters wishes is noted. The Reporter-Telegrams question of how I will keep county government headed in a positive direction even if I fall on the wrong side of a 3:2-vote is pivotal. Regarding are the 3:2-votes keeping [the current] County Judge from accomplishing certain goals, I note the words three-to-two rhyme with me-against-you and follow Terry Johnsons political trajectory. Mr. Johnson ran on a Republican ticket, knowing that was his best opportunity to win a county-wide race and has since turned his term in office into a largely personal agenda and a vendetta against the county-owned Horseshoe facility. Perusing Terry Johnsons 2018 campaign promises, the majority of the simple promises he made have simply not been kept (MRT: Voters Guide, Feb. 2, 2018). Terry Johnson has freely shared his personal agenda regarding wanting his personal business to benefit, along with his personal non-profit to be better-benefitted, by him being in office (KCRS, Dec. 30, 2021, radio interview and many other recent speaking engagements). During his reign, Terry Johnson regularly voted against the three conservative commissioners while boasting and posting on social-media his 3:2 imagery for which he created commemorative stickers (Terry Johnsons social-media posts). County judges, while having the ability to vote at Commissioners Court, traditionally only vote to break a tie. Judges who choose to vote regularly are considered activist judges. Terry Johnson appears to vote to create division. Terry Johnson holds an office that, in addition to reporting to every Midland County taxpayer, also should work in conjunction with the Texas Legislature as an arm of the state. To that end, Terry Johnson shunned going through established, proper and ordinary channels of representing Midland County at the state level when he looked elsewhere for assistance in doing his job. At taxpayer expense, Terry Johnson had Midland County contract with a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm to represent Midland County interests to bring unidentified and alleged possible additional funds from Washington, D.C., to Midland County. Terry Johnson did not go through any of the local Republican groups for assistance on the alleged funds, nor did he even look to our State Rep. Tom Craddick to represent us. Rather than building local consensus and going through established Republican channels, Terry Johnson went through a group located in The Swamp of Washington, D.C., to represent Midland County, Texas. To date, Midland County has seen no tangible benefit from this Washington, D.C., arrangement. The above are just a few examples of why a county judge choosing to vote 3:2 on a regular basis is not for the benefit of anyone, especially not for Midland County. I began my campaign at the suggestion of community leaders who wished to see Midland County raised up by its leadership rather than dragged down by a constant spate of negativism tied to a personal agenda. Having provided background on Terry Johnsons leadership, heres my vision of Midland County leadership. I have neither a personal business nor a personal nonprofit that I wish to benefit from due to my becoming Midland Countys next county judge. Should my vote fall on the short side of 3:2, I will know the majority of the court voted to represent the wishes of their constituents, and I will do my best to honor, not vilify that result. I work at a local community bank and have agreed to step down from my position upon winning the election to focus on best-serving Midland Countys voters. During a recent debate, my opponent stated the county judge position is a full-time position and that he planned on giving the county his full/100 percent attention were he to be re-elected. Mr. Johnson was unclear as to whether he meant that, like me, he would focus on best serving Midland County by not having other employment obligations. I have spent many years in operations and finance and with my Business Management degree, I understand how important it is to be consistent, credible and contributing to a community. Having served, led, guided and assisted many Midland County nonprofits, I have a deep understanding of Midlands diverse citizens and its needs. Professionally trained to operate in a compliance-oriented environment, I have a Green Belt Certification (aerospace environment) and am able to work through complex and challenging issues. To those who ask about the biggest differences between me and Terry Johnson, I suggest you review our social media to determine which of us will best represent Midland in a professional, dignified and consensus-building manner. I am Jonna Smoot, running for county judge and am humbly asking for your vote March 1, so that I may be your servant leader. Because Midland matters. Voters will be asked to determine who will sit on the bench in west-central Illinois judicial circuits, with two judge positions contested and other candidates unopposed or seeking retention only. In Greene County, Democrat Matt Goetten and Republican Zachary A. Schmidt are seeking to fill a vacancy that will become vacant with the retirement of 7th Judicial Circuit Judge James W. Day. Day served in the position for more than 30 years. Goetten, 48, is a Carrollton native who graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelors degree in psychology. He earned a masters degree in labor relations before returning to Carrollton, where he became a small-business owner and teacher before going to law school at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Schmidt, 33, is a Greene County native and grew up in Carrollton. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelors degree in agricultural business policy and law and studied law at Valparaiso University Law School Goetten enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 1999 and was a judge advocate general. In 2009, Goetten was deployed to Afghanistan as chief of administrative law with Task Force Phoenix. He is in the Air National Guard as staff judge advocate for the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base. He has served as a law clerk in Idaho and as a special prosecutor in Illinois. In 2004, he was elected Greene County states attorney and served for the eight years before running for Congress. He is now a special prosecutor with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor. Over those 17 years, I have taken on more and more difficult cases with my position as a special prosecutor and, personally, I think its a good timing for me to attempt to take my career progression to the next level and become a judge, Goetten said. I think I amassed a pretty good wealth of knowledge about other court systems throughout the state and looking forward to bringing that back to my home county. Schmidt was an office assistant at the Greene County States Attorneys Office and later worked as a victim witness coordinator for the county. He has been an assistant states attorney, first in Logan County and then in Peoria County. In that role, he prosecuted complex cases, including attempted murder, aggravated batteries, stabbings, domestic violence cases, drug cases, DUI death and other civil and criminal cases on behalf of the two counties. He works at the Illinois Farm Bureau as assistant director of state legislation. In that position, he advocates before the Illinois General Assembly on behalf of farmers and rural communities. I believe that service to the public and to the people is one of the best things we can do with our time and our talents. Its especially true for me, because I enjoy that of the careers Ive had thus far, Schmidt said. I want to continue to serve my community, Greene County, and I believe fair and firm administration of the law is one [the] cornerstones of our judicial system. Two candidates are seeking to claim a resident circuit judge position in Jersey County following the decision of Judge Eric S. Pistorius to retire in December: Republican Donald Schaaf Jr. and Democrat Allison Lorton. Schaaf, 54, is a Jersey County native and a graduate of the University of Illinois Champaign and John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He has been in private practice for more than 25 years and a former assistant states attorney and public defender. Becoming a judge has been my pinnacle goal since choosing to pursue a law career, he said. I am running for judge as I believe I now have the collective balance of knowledge and experience to best serve all who appear before the court system, and not just those I represent. Lorton, 40, is a Belleville native and graduate of the University of Kentucky and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She began her legal career in 2005 in the Madison County States Attorneys Office as an assistant states attorney in the Child Support Division and Misdemeanor Division. She joined her husband, attorney Laef N. Lorton, at Wittman & Lorton P.C in 2009 and has managed the firms title company. She has served as guardian ad litem in family and guardianship actions. As a mother and former prosecutor, I feel I have a unique perspective. Mothers have a natural ability to strike a balance between empathy and justice, she said. In striving to achieve that balance, I will ensure that our children are not lost in the criminal and family court. Also in the 7th Judicial Circuit, Republican Adam Giganti is running unopposed to fill the vacant seat of the late Judge John Schmidt and Republican Gail Noll is unopposed in filling the vacant seat previously held by Judge Leslie Graves, who retired. Both will be on the ballot in Greene, Jersey, Morgan, Sangamon and Scott counties and seeking full six-year terms for positions they were appointed to fill. Republican Raylene Grischow, 48, is unopposed in seeking a resident circuit judge position in Sangamon County. She was appointed to the position in 2018 when Judge Peter Cavanagh was elected to the appellate court. She is a graduate of Illinois State University and the Washington University School of Law and vice chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility. Giganti, 57, is a Springfield native who graduated from the University of Illinois and St. Louis University School of Law. The former assistant states attorney was in private practice for 28 years and a part-time public defender for eight years. He was appointed as an at-large circuit judge in the 7th Judicial Circuit in 2018 to fill a seat left vacant by the death of Judge John Schmidt. One of the best parts of the job is dealing with people that come in and trying to help them walk through the process, Giganti said. As a judge, just like as an attorney, youre constantly learning every day. Noll, 48, is a Springfield native who received her bachelors degree from Illinois College in 1994 and her law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1997. She was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in January 2019 to fill the vacancy created by Graves retirement. She said she tries to be diligent in her work. Its important for me to be fair and reasonable, she said. Its been an honor for me to serve the citizens of these six counties. In the 8th Judicial Circuit, Republican Tad Brenner is unopposed to fill the seat previously held by Mark A. Drummond. The circuit includes Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Mason, Menard, Pike and Schuyler counties. Several judges will be on the ballot in west-central Illinois for retention votes: Chris Reif and John Mo Madonia in the 7th Judicial Circuit and Mike Atterberry and Charles H.W. Burch in the 8th Judicial Circuit. Retention votes are a referendum process through which judges can be removed from office if a majority vote against retention. Lincolns birthday is coming up. Its our annual reminder about the president born in a humble log cabin. In pre-pandemic days, every year some 200,000 people would trek to the Kentucky backwoods to visit a national shrine. They walk up 56 steps into a granite and marble structure inspired by the temples of ancient Greece. There they find a tiny log cabin made of hand-hewn logs with no window or floor and only a mud-daubed chimney for heat. A good many of those visitors are school kids. The lesson is, Look at the great things accomplished by the man who started life in this lowly log cabin. Its an inspiring story. Theres just one problem: Lincoln was no more born in that cabin than the Man in the Moon was. How it wound up inside a magnificent monument is curiously amusing and totally American. Yes, Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin on the Sinking Spring Farm in Kentucky on Feb. 12, 1809. His father built it himself. When the future president was two, the family moved to another farm down the road. Lincoln later said he had no memory of the place. In fact, he was embarrassed by his dirt-poor days, explaining his lineage was best summed up in the phrase, The short and simple annals of the poor. Others may have made a big deal of his familys poverty; Lincoln distanced himself from it. By 1860, he was what today would be considered a corporate attorney, as well as the infant Republican Partys second presidential nominee. Its PR men knew a good gimmick when they saw one and branded him the Rail Splitter, for he had cut wooden rails used in fences to make ends meet as a young man. They also played up the fact that he had been born in a log cabin. Some GOP leaders wanted to resurrect a stunt used by William Henry Harrisons supporters 20 years earlier and display Lincolns birth cabin at campaign rallies. But despite searches, the cabin wasnt found. Fast-forward several decades. The Civil War came, Lincoln guided the North to victory, was assassinated, and became an American icon. His log cabin birth followed him into the Hereafter as part of the Lincoln mystique. Then in 1895, a lightbulb went off in entrepreneur Alfred Dennetts imaginative brain. He took logs from an old cabin found in the general area where Lincoln was believed to have been born and voila! Lincolns birthplace suddenly appeared. Dennett constructed an 18-by-16-foot cabin and charged admission at fairs and exhibitions for locals to gaze in wonder at the sacred structure. It was so lucrative that, wouldnt you know it, in 1897 Dennett mysteriously turned up the Kentucky log cabin that Confederate President Jefferson Davis was (supposedly) born in seven months earlier and 100 miles away from Lincolns nativity. He toured his new double-header attraction around the country. At one point the railroad flatcar carrying the pair derailed, and logs from each cabin wound up in their other when they were rebuilt. The display eventually landed on Coney Island, celebrated home of hawkers and hucksters. When the 20th century dawned, some people became outraged at seeing the Great Emancipators birthplace treated like a carnival freak show feature. A movement began to move it to a more dignified setting. So, in 1906 the Lincoln Farm Association commenced a fundraising campaign. Mark Twain even got in on the act, penning an editorial in The New York Times that laid it on thick. And this man, sprung from Southern poor whites, born on a Kentucky farm and transplanted to an Indiana village, this man, in whose heart knowledge and charity had left no room for malice, was marked by providence as the one to bind up the nations wounds. His birthplace is worth saving. And the money flowed in. Children eagerly responded, donating thousands upon thousands of pennies (in the days just before Lincoln began appearing on the coin in 1909). In all, $350,000 was donated, about $10 million today. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone on Feb. 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of Lincolns birth. President William Howard Taft led 3,000 people in celebrating its dedication on Nov. 9, 1911. The National Park Service, which runs the site, now delicately sidesteps the authenticity issue, calling it the symbolic birth cabin while diplomatically pointing out Lincolns many accomplishments. Visitors still make the long trip down Kentucky backroads to remember the place Lincoln tried so hard to forget. The number of Americans looking to start their own business is on the rise, as the pandemic creates opportunities for some would-be entrepreneurs. People are starting businesses for a variety of reasons: some lost their job during the pandemic and decided to make their side hustle their main occupation. Others reevaluated their priorities and decided to leave the corporate world. Some took advantage of the flexibility of working remotely and lower commercial rents. There were 5.4 million applications for business tax identification numbers filed in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, surpassing the previous peak in 2020 of 4.4 million In 2019, pre-pandemic, there were 3.5 million new business applications. The applications dont necessarily mean businesses were launched, but the numbers do show that people were considering starting companies despite the viruss impact on the economy. Some economists attribute part of the nations labor shortage to an increase in people who have recently gone to work for themselves. Now, these new owners are also dealing with the problems the pandemic has posed for many established businesses: changing guidance from health officials, difficulty reaching customers, snags in the supply chain and general uncertainty about whats ahead. Darin Mays had been a healthcare software executive for 15 years when the pandemic came and the project he was working on ended. Mays could have accepted a different assignment but decided to leave instead. While living on his severance package, he made a table that encircles a patio heater for a neighbor, who soon hosted a cookout. Everyone said this table is great, you should throw it on Etsy. He did and sold his first one about a week later. Mays, 38, has a patent pending for his table designs, and he also sells other woodwork at his Etsy store, Urban Wing Co. The shop took in six figures in revenue in 2021, he said, and hes thinking about expanding. The pandemic, as much as its been awful, has been an opportunity for innovation, he said. The increase in entrepreneurship in the past two years is much different than what happened after the last downturn in 2008-2009, when weak consumer spending and the hangover from the housing bubble dragged on the economy and new business formation fell. People who start their own companies are counted as employed by the government, lowering the jobless rate. But they arent included in the governments count of total payroll jobs. As a result, the number of new jobs added each month may be understated as more Americans have struck out on their own. The Labor Department issues its latest employment report on Friday. For Kelly Van Arsdale, 32, a pandemic-related relocation and a fortuitous stroll past a well-located storefront were keys to starting up his own business. Van Arsdale was a freelance web developer when the pandemic hit. He and his wife decided to move to in 2020 to where they could afford more space and be closer to his parents. Van Arsdale and his brother had been making chocolate in their garage and giving bars to friends and family. While walking in his new neighborhood in April of last year, he happened upon an unoccupied storefront that had room for chocolate production. He leased the space, built it out and founded Spinnaker Chocolate in October. His neighbors were early customers. But reaching a broader clientele online has been harder. The pandemic pushed a ton of businesses online and its now more expensive than ever to run any amount of advertising, he said. Overall, the hardest challenge has been spreading awareness of our brand. Freelance designer Emma Gage, 26, was overwhelmed at first when she lost her job right after the coronavirus struck. But with pandemic unemployment assistance paired with savings, she soon had the budget to try to start her own fashion label. Her brand, Melke, is gender fluid and uses natural materials. I already had a name and logo and I also knew the general ethos of the brand, she said. The next steps were to start sourcing and sewing. Since I had the time, I decided why not? The label has taken off and she plans a show at New York Fashion week in February. So far, the biggest problems have come from shipping snags. Overall, being a new business owner is tough, Gage said. Im learning every day that there are a million things I dont know. The pandemic took a heavy toll on the restaurant industry. But it also created new opportunities for some people who had previously toiled on the fringes of the food business. Elyssa Heller worked in the food and beverage business for 10 years, and was working for a vegan snack company at the start of the pandemic, but wanted to try out her own concept focused on Jewish comfort food. Heller, 32, initially had success with a bagel pop-up at a popular pizzeria in 2020. The pop-up concept blossomed in many states as the pandemic either forced limited seating or closed dining rooms altogether. She eventually opened a sandwich counter in March, and a full-fledged restaurant, Ediths Eatery & Grocery, in January. The New York dining scene was always very exclusive, she said. Before the pandemic, there werent vacancies and affordable rent options. Someone like me that didnt have a name in the restaurant space normally wouldnt have access to the talent I was able to hire. Her biggest challenges now are what any restaurant is facing: keeping diners safe and making them feel comfortable eating out and dealing with ever-changing pandemic rules. Its just a day of problem-solving every single day, its just a new reality, she said. By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans. Massachusetts voters approved an expanded auto right to repair measure in November 2020, a follow-on to an earlier landmark 2013 initiative under which manufacturers agreed to share repair information with third-party auto repair services nationwide (see Right to Repair Redux: Massachusetts Ballot Questions and Right to Repair Round-Up: One Step Back, One Leap Forward). Alas, although originally slated to go into effect in 2022, the latest measure has yet to be enforced, stymied in the first instance by an ongoing federal lawsuit filed by the Alliance for Automotive innovation to block sharing telematics data with third party repair services. Further, pending Massachusetts state legislation would delay sharing such information for three years, according to The Boston Globe, Lawmakers propose changes in stalled right-to-repair law). Most auto repairs now require access to this telematics information, and blocking data sharing effectively excludes third-party repair services from competing with new car dealerships in supplying repair services. Both Kia and Subaru have opted to switch off rather than share vehicular data with either owners or third parties,a decision which has drawn scrutiny from Judge Douglas Woodlock, who is presiding over the federal lawsuit. Repairer Driven News reports in Judge in Massachusetts right to repair case expects to issue ruling March 7: The federal judge in a case brought by automakers over Massachusetts expanded Right to Repair law said he expects to issue a ruling on March 7. U.S. Massachusetts District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock met virtually Tuesday afternoon with representatives of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, and the state Attorney Generals Office, which is defending the voter-approved law. Woodlock scheduled the one-hour conference to discuss post-trial evidence showing that Subaru of America had reacted to the law by directing the disabling of telematics in its vehicles sold in Massachusetts, and the AAIs subsequent disclosure that Kia of America had taken a similar action. Under Section 3 of the Massachusetts Data Access Law, approved by voters in November 2020, any OEM that sells a vehicle in the state that utilizes a telematics system shall be required to equip such vehicles with an inter-operable, standardized and open access platform across all of the manufacturers makes and models. The legislation, which amends the states existing right-to-repair law, became effective with the 2022 model year. It has not been enforced, pending the AAIs legal challenge, which asks Woodlock to permanently enjoin enforcement. Attorney General Maura Healey has argued that the actions by Kia and Subaru show that OEMs can comply with the law, by disabling the telematics systems in vehicles sold to Massachusetts customers. AAI maintains that such an action is nothing more than avoidance of the law, and that true compliance would require the manufacturers to build, test and adopt the open access platform described in the statute, something not possible by the 2022 model year deadline. Judge Woodward was, to say the least, not amused, as to details regarding disclosure of the disabling of telematics systems by Kia and Subaru. Per Repairer Driven News: Woodlock on Tuesday repeatedly expressed irritation that Kias action, taken in February 2021, was not revealed until AAI responded to post-trial interrogatories from Healey. As I read the materials, the plaintiff knew more than a month before the motion to reopen [evidence] was filed that the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of the law were in error, Woodlock said. The plaintiff, in its submissions, told me that it was a practical impossibility, in themes and variations, to comply with the law, the judge said. The AAIs response to Healeys interrogatories, which the judge allowed as part of reopening the evidence, showed that for at least one member of the Alliance, it was apparently possible, because they did it. If the record supports the idea that the plaintiff was aware that at least one of its members was acting in a fashion that demonstrated the inaccuracy of the proposed findings of fact, I want to know why I wasnt informed of it. He also chided AAI for its response to the interrogatories, which he found to be buffeted with objections of all sorts claim[ing] every objection available and then offer[ing] the minimum amount of information. Shut Off Services Rather Than Share Repair Information The decision by both Kia and Subaru to shut off company telematics services on new cars sold in Massachusetts rather than share data with third parties has caused considerable inconvenience to new customers, according to Wired in A Fight Over the Right to Repair Cars Turns Ugly: CHIE FERRELLI LOVED her Subaru SUV, which she bought in 2020 because it made her feel safe. So when it was time for her husband, Marc, to purchase his own new car last summer, they returned to the Subaru dealer near their home in southeast Massachusetts. But there was a catch, one that made the couple mad: Marcs sedan wouldnt have access to the companys telematics system and the app that went along with it. No remote engine start in the freezing New England winter; no emergency assistance; no automated messages when the tire pressure was low or the oil needed changing. The worst part was that if the Ferrellis lived just a mile away, in Rhode Island, they would have the features. They bought the car. But thinking back, Marc says, if he had known about the issue before stepping into the dealership he probably would have gone with Toyota. Subaru disabled the telematics system and associated features on new cars registered in Massachusetts last year as part of a spat over a right-to-repair ballot measure approved, overwhelmingly, by the states voters in 2020. The measure, which has been held up in the courts, required automakers to give car owners and independent mechanics more access to data about the cars internal systems. But the open data platform envisioned by the law doesnt exist yet, and automakers have filed suit to prevent the initiative from taking effect. So first Subaru and then Kia turned off their telematics systems on their newest cars in Massachusetts, irking drivers like the Ferrellis. This was not to comply with the lawcompliance with the law at this time is impossiblebut rather to avoid violating it, Dominick Infante, a spokesperson for Subaru, wrote in a statement. Kia did not respond to a request for comment. Under the earlier 2013 repair data sharing agreement, repair information was accessed by via a vehicles data port. According to Wired: today anyone can buy a tool that will plug into a cars port, accessing diagnostic codes that clue them in to whats wrong. Mechanics are able to purchase tools and subscriptions to manuals that guide them through repairs. Now, however, original equipment manufacturers routinely collect and access diagnostic information wirelessly via telematics. Again, over to Wired: But new vehicles are now computers on wheels, gathering an estimated 25 gigabytes per hour of driving datathe equivalent of five HD movies. Automakers say that lots of this information isnt useful to them and is discarded. But somea vehicles location, how specific components are operating at a given momentis anonymized and sent to the manufacturers; sensitive, personally identifying information like vehicle identification numbers are handled, automakers say, according to strict privacy principles. These days, much of the data is transmitted wirelessly. So independent mechanics and right-to-repair proponents worry that automakers will stop sending vital repair information to the diagnostic ports. That would hamper the independents and lock customers into relationships with dealerships. Independent mechanics fear that automakers could potentially block what they want when an independent repairer tries to access a cars technified guts, Glenn Wilder, the owner of an auto and tire repair shop in Scituate, Massachusetts, told lawmakers in 2020. The dispute over who should have access to these data extends beyond the auto industry, to any device that continues to transmit data to its manufacturer after a customer has purchased that device: The fight could have national implications for not only the automotive industry but any gadget that transmits data to its manufacturer after a customer has paid money and walked away from the sales desk. I think of it as right to repair 2.0, says Kyle Wiens, a longtime right-to-repair advocate and the founder of iFixit, a website that offers tools and repair guides. The auto world is farther along than the rest of the world is, Wiens says. Independents already have access to information and parts. Now theyre talking about data streams. But that doesnt make the fight any less important. Within the automobile context alone, most consumers seem currently unaware of the amount of their data that is being collected, and who has access to the information that manufacturers are currently withholding from sharing with consumers as well as third party repair services, according to Wired. Less apparent is just what wider use manufacturers are making of these telematics data: For Siegel, the controversy points to a bigger and woolier question about whether consumers understand just how much data is flowing from their vehicles and where it goes. Theres money to be made from a cars GPS location, temperature data, biometric info, and data on key parts. A few years ago, Siegel and his colleagues estimated that the US connected-car data market could be worth up to $92 billion, with everyone from manufacturers and parts suppliers to dealers and insurers racing for a share. The most important thing is to show people their own breadcrumbs, Siegel says. For Marc Ferrelli, the Massachusetts Subaru owner, the lesson is clear. Sucks to be us, he says. Just before he bought the car, he says, the dealer asked him, Dont you have any friends in Rhode Island whose address you can use? The Bottom Line During 2021, both the Biden administration and the Federal Trade Commission have weighed in and endorsed the concept of a right to repair although details of how extensive this might be, and how it could be enforced remain to be worked out (FTC Votes 5-0 to Crack Down on Companies For Thwarting Right to Repair). In particular, exactly how the feds might weigh in in on allowing access to data and tools pertaining to vehicles e.g. the telematics data at issue in both the Massachusetts ballot initiative and the subsequent ongoing federal lawsuit isnt altogether yet clear. Per Wired: Last summer, the Biden administration directed the Federal Trade Commission to write rules making it easier for consumers to access their own data and repair tools; advocates hope the rules will apply to vehicles. The 2013 Massachusetts success provides precedent for the right to repair in the automotive context. The battle over the scope and applicability of the 2020 Massachusetts telematics initiative will be watched closely as a harbinger for further federal and state right to repair measures. (Natural News) A lengthy report about 5G exposure has found that this newfound radiation source is damaging the health of creatures that live in the wild. The 150-page report, compiled by researchers at the University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University, contains three sections, the first of which looked at how environmental EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) have radically increased in recent years. The second part looked at how living organisms are impacted by these EMFs. It reveals how effects have been observed in mammals such as bats, cervids, cetaceans, and pinnipeds among others, and on birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles, microbes and many species of flora. The third section focuses on EMF exposure limits and the prospect of new regulations to help better protect living beings against the harm caused by this constant flood of non-ionizing radiation. This eloquent review gives insight into missed opportunities for cancer prevention exemplified by asbestos, tobacco, certain pesticides and now RF (radiofrequency) radiation, said a spokesperson from the Environmental Health Trust (EHT). The authors highlight how economic considerations were favored instead of cancer prevention. A strategy to sow doubt on cancer risks was established decades ago and is now adopted and implemented in a more sophisticated way by the telecom industry regarding RF-EMF risks to human beings and the environment. Industry has the economic power, access to politicians and media, whereas concerned people are unheard.' D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of petition calling for greater FCC regulation of cellular radiation Devra Davis, the founder of EHT, said that it has been known for quite some time that cellular radiation of all kinds is dangerous to wildlife as well as to people. And yet the federal government has turned a blind eye to the science and instead promoted the interests of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. We have more than enough research to trigger new regulatory action to protect wildlife, a spokesperson from EHT is further quoted as saying. The FCC should have done a full review of the environmental impact of 5G network deployment before streamlining hundreds of thousands of 5G cell towers across the nation. Back in August, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a petition filed by EHT against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The court found that the FCC has not done nearly enough to address the growing body of evidence linking EMFs to negative health impacts, even at levels below what the FCC considers safe. The court also noted that the FCC has not adequately responded to the Department of the Interior after it raised the issue of the environmental harms that EMFs cause specifically on migratory birds. (Related: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a report showing that both 5G and 4G are harmful to humans and other living beings.) The corporate media, on the other hand, which is bought and paid for by the wireless industry, has scoffed at and scorned the idea that 5G is anything other than amazing and wonderful. Fake news giant CNN, for instance, published a 2020 propaganda piece entitled Why conspiracy theorists think 5G is bad for your health and why experts say not to worry. The contents of this fake news piece are exactly what you might expect. With 5G coming to neighborhoods across the country, the levels of wireless radiation will significantly increase, warns Davis, who believes that the time is now to act. We do not have the luxury of time to continue to debate this issue with the wireless industry. Adults, children, pets, wildlife, and our environment are all vulnerable. More related news can be found at 5Galert.com. Sources for this article include: TheEpochTimes.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) Thousands of visitors at Shanghai Disneyland got the shock of their lives Sunday night, Oct. 31, when they were locked inside the park to be tested for Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The theme park trapped all visitors in the park after receiving news of one confirmed COVID-19 case. Against their will, over 34,000 park visitors stayed at the amusement park until testing was over. Chinas COVID Zero policy is still in full effect, with Beijing maintaining strict protocols even though other advocates of the policy are already reconsidering. People in Hazmat suits entered Shanghai Disneyland en masse to test visitors before allowing them to leave the premises. The whole process ended close to midnight, long after people usually stay at the park. The tested visitors were sent home on 220 special buses. On Monday, Nov. 1, results revealed that all visitors were negative. However, they were required to isolate at home for two days. All of them will be re-tested for coronavirus after two weeks. Shanghai Disneyland was locked down after a woman who traveled to Shanghai from Hangzhou over the weekend was tested positive for COVID-19. Officials still havent confirmed if she visited Disneyland, but her infection set off an aggressive contact tracing effort throughout China, eventually trapping all park-goers and park staff. The whole process shows how far China will go to control the spread of COVID-19. Shanghai Disneyland reopened on Wednesday, Nov. 3. After China managed to contain its initial outbreak in Wuhan last April, the country used every resource to try and eliminate COVID-19, even enforcing a draconian COVID Zero policy with border curbs and mandatory quarantines. The country also imposed localized lockdowns and mass testing to seek out cases before an outbreak. China insists on COVID Zero policy amid push-back from citizens and businesses While other countries started opening their borders and learning how to live with the virus, China imposed even stricter policies. At the same time, waves of the highly contagious delta variant are becoming more frequent. The current surge, totaling an estimated 480 cases, has already spread to more than half of the provinces in China. With the rise of delta cases, the COVID Zero policy continues to make lives harder for citizens while it allegedly seems to be effective in controlling infections. (Related: Chinese whistleblower says COVID intentionally released during October 2019 military games in Wuhan.) A small county in Jiangxi, a southeast Chinese province, turned all its traffic lights to red after one COVID-19 case was detected. The case broke the provinces 610-day COVID-free record. Local authorities claimed that the excessive move aimed to reduce mobility, but Chinese social media heavily criticized the move even though dissent is often censored in the country. According to local media, the move was soon canceled and the lights resumed working normally. In Beijing, the many restrictions of the COVID Zero policy have had disastrous results. Some residents who left the capital said that they are unable to return because they are recorded as recently being in the city, parts of which are currently classed as high risk because of a small outbreak. Countless citizens who have been stuck at airports and train stations around the country have posted about their problems on social media to ask for help and to criticize the draconian rules. Baby tested at least 74 times for COVID-19 COVID Zero measures have also reached Ruili, a small southeastern city near the remote border with Myanmar. Citizens have experienced four lockdowns within the past seven months. Local media in Ruili reported about a baby who had been tested at least 74 times for coronavirus since September 2020, when mass testing of cities and populations was Chinas means of fighting the pandemic. All 268,000 residents are banned from leaving as infections keep spreading from Myanmar, which is having a hard time managing coronavirus cases. Dai Rongli, Ruilis former deputy mayor, asked the government to reconsider its oppressive COVID Zero policy. He posted on social medial to say that the extended lockdowns have sent the city into an impasse. Ruili can only recover amid the pandemic if it is allowed to resume production and essential businesses. The government should learn its lessons in balancing the big picture with the local situation as well as peoples livelihoods and COVID control, added Rongli. He said that Ruili needs help to effectively curb infections and that the restrictions were hard on small businesses. Despite these cries for help, it seems unlikely that China will ease restrictions, especially since President Xi Jinping is slated to speak at an upcoming key import conference in Shanghai and the Winter Olympics is taking place near Beijing in less than 100 days. Jinping hasnt left China since the pandemic began. He did not attend the Group of Twenty (G20) nations meeting in Rome, along with the climate talks ongoing in Scotland. Back in August, Zeng Guang, the former chief scientist of epidemiology at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told local media that the country insists on the COVID Zero policy because of low vaccination rates and the need for updated coronavirus vaccines. To date, China has fully vaccinated over 75 percent of its 1.4 billion people with homegrown inoculations. The country is currently giving boosters to adults. Most of the vaccines and boosters come from Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and the state-backed Sinopharm, but both vaccines use traditional inactivated vaccine technology that is ineffective at stopping transmission and infection. Go to Pandemic.news for more updates on China and other countries that are handling the coronavirus pandemic. Sources include: Bloomberg.com 1 News.CGTN.com Bloomberg.com 2 Around 100,000 dead fish, dumped by the Dutch-owned trawler FV Margiris, were seen floating on the Bay of Biscay-located on the western Atlantic coast of France. The incident drew outrage from French environmentalists who advocate against overfishing and called for a response from the French government. Ocean of Dead Fish Images that went viral on social media showed the FV Margiris dumping approximately 100,000 dead fish into the Bay of Biscay, off the western coast of France, on Feb. 3. The recent incident drew debates on whether it was an accident or not. The incident attracted public criticism, especially from environmentalists. The Sea Shepherd France, an NGO responsible for protecting marine ecosystems, and the group who posed the said images on social media, denounced the incident and advocated for public awareness among French citizens. Activists from Sea Shepherd claimed the Dutch-owned trawler FV Margiris dumped the fishes it did not want to process, adding that the trawler violated EU rules on maritime operations. They called on the French government to take action and led advocacy to raise public awareness of the incident. Also read: Spain Expands Ban on Harmful Fertilizers After Dead Fishes Wash Up on Lagoon Accident or Not: FV Margiris Faces Criticism The activists said that incident was not an accident and that the trawler intentionally dumped the dead fish. According to Sea Shepherd chairperson, Lamya Essemlali, "This ship is used to this kind of 'fishing accident'. It has already been involved in the discarding of unwanted catches," as cited by France24 news. On Feb. 4, the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA), the fishing industry group representing the owner of FV Margiris, issued an official statement regarding the incident on the early morning of Feb. 3, describing it as an "accident" and a "very rare occurrence." The PFA stated that the trawler's net was ruptured and led to the involuntary release of a large number of blue whiting fish into the sea. Annick Girardin, the fisheries minister of France, stated the images on social media were shocking and requested an administrative investigation into the incident, as per WION news. Blue Whiting Fish According to Essemlali, the dumping of 100,000 blue whiting fish has an impact on its predators, like dolphins and sharks. The dumped fishes should have been food for the said predators-and without them, these predators could starve, said Essemlali. The blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) fish is one of the two species in the genus Micromesistius in the family (Gadidae). The blue whiting fish are commonly responsible for large fisher in northern European countries and across the European Union, as per Science Direct. Incidents in UK and Australia The Dutch-owned trawler FV Margiris is the second largest fishing vessel across the world. The vessel weighs around 9,500 tons and is 143 meters long. In 2019, UK environmentalists called on the government to ban FV Margiris from British waters but failed to do so. FV Margiris was also involved in a separate incident back in 2012 when it was banned from operating in Australia, as per Reuters. The ban of the vessel in Australia was the result of the actions of Greenpeace activists who called on the Australian government to refuse to give a fishing license to the trawler. Related article: Thousands of Dead Fish Suddenly Show Up in a New York Canal CNHI Harrisburg Bureau Eric Scicchitano is the CNHI Pennsylvania state reporter. He is a former CNHI Reporter of the Year and previously worked at The (Sunbury) Daily Item before until he took over the Harrisburg beat in January 2022. Email him at erics@cnhinews.com. Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. A Waterbury man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday for his role in a heroin and fentanyl trafficking ring, according to federal prosecutors. Bryan Vinales, also known as Tiano, 25, worked with others to acquire and distribute drugs. At one point, in February 2020, investigators made controlled purchases of about 60 grams of fentanyl from Vinales, according to Leonard Boyle, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut. Law enforcement arrested Vinales on July 15, 2020. In July 2021, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possession with intent to distribute, heroin and fentanyl. A federal judge in Hartford sentenced Vinales to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release Thursday, Boyles office said. Vinales was one of 17 people charged as a result of an investigation into a Waterbury drug trafficking ring run by Nestor Sosa-Ortiz, according to Boyles office. The investigation, conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administrations New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department, revealed Sosa-Ortizs organization received large quantities of heroin and fentanyl from suppliers in Connecticut and New York. His organization then distributed the narcotics throughout New Haven County, Boyles office said. The organization also used an apartment on Bishop Street to store kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, as well as to process and package the drugs to sell on the streets, according to Boyles office. In May 2019, law enforcement stopped one of Sosa-Ortizs planned drug deals and seized about two kilograms of fentanyl and two kilograms of heroin. He was arrested in New York City, according to Boyles office. Despite his incarceration, Sosa-Ortiz continued to operate his drug network by using smuggled cell phones, Boyles office said. During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted the calls of one of Sosa-Ortizs associates, Jeffrey Tavarez. At the time, Tavarez was coordinating the purchase of heroin and fentanyl from both the Sora-Ortiz organization and other suppliers, according to Boyles office. Boyles office said Vinales worked with Tavarez to acquire the drugs and then distribute them to their own customers. On Oct. 29, 2019, investigators executed five search warrants and seized about six kilograms of heroin and fentanyl, about 100,000 bags of heroin and fentanyl packaged for street distribution, about 1,000 fentanyl pills disguised as Percocet pills, one firearm and about $50,000 in cash, Boyles office said. Tavarez and several others not including Vinales were arrested that day. At the time of his arrest, Tavarez had nearly 40 grams of fentanyl packaged for street sale, according to Boyles office. Vinales continued to distribute narcotics. In February 2020, investigators made controlled purchases of about 60 grams of fentanyl from Vinales, Boyles office said. Sosa-Ortiz and Tavarez have pleaded guilty to their charges associated with the investigation. Tavarez was sentenced to four years in prison and Sosa-Ortiz awaits sentencing, Boyles office said. Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" tapestry is seen at the UN Headquarters in New York on Feb. 5, 2022. Pablo Picasso's famed "Guernica" tapestry has returned to the UN Headquarters in New York after a year-long absence. The tapestry was restored at its original place outside the Security Council Chamber on Saturday. (Xinhua/Shang Xuqian) UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Pablo Picasso's famed "Guernica" tapestry has returned to the UN Headquarters in New York after a year-long absence. The tapestry was restored at its original place outside the Security Council Chamber on Saturday. The owner of the tapestry, Nelson Rockefeller, Jr., retrieved it in February 2021. No reason was given at the time. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in February 2021 that the secretary-general and others went to great lengths to keep the tapestry in the UN, but in vain. "I am grateful that the tapestry will be able to continue to reach a broader segment of the world's population and magnify its ability to touch lives and educate," said Rockefeller in a statement on Saturday. Guterres stated in a letter dated Dec. 15, 2021 to Rockefeller: "This is most welcome news as we end a difficult year of global hardship and strife. The Guernica tapestry speaks to the world about the urgent need to advance international peace and security. We are honored to serve as careful stewards of this one-of-a-kind iconic work -- as we draw inspiration from its message." The tapestry of Picasso's 1937 anti-war painting "Guernica" was commissioned in 1955 by former U.S. vice president and governor of New York State Nelson Rockefeller and offered on loan to the UN in 1984. It had been outside of the Security Council since 1985. The original grey, white and black "Guernica" painting is in Madrid, Spain. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 68F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Rain likely. Low 56F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near an inch. BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of congratulations to Sergio Mattarella on his re-election as Italian president. Noting that China-Italy relations enjoy deep historical roots, sound public support and a solid bond of interests, Xi said Friday that the two countries have set an example for the international community of mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and win-win cooperation. The two countries have actively cooperated to fight COVID-19, jointly celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Italy diplomatic ties, and supported each other in hosting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, said Xi, adding that the China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism is about to restart, which will bring many new opportunities for the development of bilateral relations. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Italy ties and stands ready to work with Mattarella to deepen mutual political trust, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields and jointly push for new achievements in China-Italy relations to benefit the two countries and their people. A work station for a parent-child-friendly desk is shown Jan. 27 at the Fairfield Area Library. The unique looking desk has a work station for the parent with a play area attached to it for toddlers or babies outfitted with a vinyl cushion and built-in play features like a mirror and holes for playing peek-a-boo. Longview, TX (75601) Today Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 69F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. In her classroom at North Greene High School, Olivia Kuper uses a graph online to explain the relative heat of M-class stars, which she said are cooler than the Earths sun and which she will be studying over the next year. A man repairs a 10-meter wooden row boat, built in the Nordic clinker boat tradition, at the Viking Ship Museums boatyard Jan. 17 in Roskilde, Denmark. For thousands of years, wooden sail boats, best known for having been in use during the Viking-era, allowed the peoples of northern Europe to spread trade, influence and in some cases war across the seas and rivers. Plans to enable people across the country to live longer, healthier lives are moving forward with the government's announcement of leads for two significant independent reviews to tackle health disparities. A review into potential ethnic bias in the design and use of medical devices will be led by Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead, professor of public health at the University of Liverpool. The way medical devices and technologies are designed and used has raised concerns about the impact of ethnic background on a patient's diagnosis and treatment, exacerbating existing inequalities in healthcare. Separately, Javed Khan OBE, former CEO of children's charity Barnardo's, will lead an independent review of the government's bold ambition to make England smoke free by 2030. Whilst the government has made good long-term progress in reducing smoking rates to their lowest ever level, there are an estimated 6 million smokers in England and smoking is still one of the largest drivers of health disparities. Both independent reviews will form part of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' agenda to tackle inequalities in health and care, which will include the publication of a Health Disparities White Paper in spring and a Tobacco Control Plan later in the year. Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: The pandemic has shown the resilience of the British public and brought communities together to look after each other in the most challenging times. But it has also exposed chasms in our society - particularly in health. Where someone is born, their background, their gender, or the colour of their skin should not impact their health outcomes. Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead and Javed Khan OBE both have vast experience in tackling health inequalities, and I look forward to the outcome of their reviews so we can continue to level up across society and make sure everyone - no matter where they live or come from - can live a long, healthy life." The far-reaching Independent Review into potential ethnic bias in the design and use of medical devices in the UK will: Identify systematic inequalities in registered medical devices Make recommendations on how these inequalities should be tackled Consider what systems need to be in place to ensure emerging technologies are developed without ethnic inequalities Improve global standards to better healthcare and tackle disparities The NHS is an expert in providing the best possible care with the devices currently available, and this review will improve the quality and availability of devices to diverse communities. The independent review into smoking will provide independent, evidence-based advice that will inform the government's approach to tackling the stark health disparities associated with tobacco use. It will also help the government decide on the most impactful interventions to reduce the uptake of smoking and to support smoking cessation. It will assess the options to be taken forward in the new Tobacco Control Plan, which will be published later this year. This comes as the Health and Social Care Secretary today set out his vision to make England a world-leader in cancer care as we learn to live COVID-19 - with renewed attention paid to innovative treatment and early diagnosis to radically improve outcomes for cancer patients. Tobacco is still the single largest cause of preventable mortality and 64,000 smokers died from smoking in 2019. Smoking causes a disproportionate burden on the most disadvantaged families and communities - rates vary dramatically across the country and remain very high in areas such as Manchester (20.8%) and Blackpool (19.8%), compared to Wokingham (5.5%) and Richmond upon Thames (6%). Rates are also persistently high amongst certain groups, including routine and manual workers (21.4%), and people with long-term mental health problems (25.8%). And although maternal smoking rates have recently fallen from 10.4% in 2019/20 to 9.6% in 2020/21, there is still work to do as nearly 1 in 10 women are smoking at the time of delivery. Professor Dame Margaret Whitehead said: There are growing concerns about the potential for racial bias in the design and use of some medical devices commonly used in the NHS, and that the treatment of patients from some ethnic groups may be less effective as a result. It is important that this review establishes the extent and impact of such potential racial bias and what can be done to remedy it." Javed Khan OBE said: I am very pleased to be leading this review into such an important area of public health. My independent findings will help highlight key interventions which can help the government achieve its ambitions to be smoke free by 2030 and tackle health disparities." Dame Margaret brings with her extensive experience in tackling inequalities in health, and for many years has led the work of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Policy Research on the Determinants of Health Equity. As a leading figure in the UK public and voluntary sectors, Javed Khan has led Barnardo's for the past seven years. He is currently chair designate of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board. Javed was also a key member of the Independent Grenfell Recovery Taskforce and specialist adviser to the Justice Select Committee's Inquiry into prison reform. Public Health Minister Maggie Throup said: Tackling issues such as smoking and ethnic inequalities is a priority for OHID and a key part of the government's levelling up agenda. These reviews will help determine what more can be done to reduce any ethnic bias in health diagnosis and treatment and drive down smoking rates, particularly in deprived areas, to support our bold ambition to be smoke free by 2030. I look forward to working with both Dame Margaret and Javed to ultimately help people live longer, healthier and happier lives." The pandemic has shone a light on the inequalities that exist across the country. As part of breaking the link between people's background and their prospect for a healthy life, the Health Disparities White Paper will look at the factors affecting people's health across the country, including risk factors, service access and experience and the biggest preventable killers such as cancer and heart disease, as well as the wider causes of ill health. Background Paralysis and difficulty speaking are well-known problems following a stroke. Established treatment options are available for these problems. But most stroke patients also experience permanent cognitive impairment, and this problem has been overlooked. The problem is serious enough to be considered dementia for a quarter of the patients. TV fundraising campaign for research Every year, 12000 people in Norway suffer a stroke, with the elderly being at greatest risk. On average, men have their first stroke when they are 72 years old, and women when they are 77 years old. Ingvild Saltvedt, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU)Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science and head of the Department of Geriatrics at St. Olavs Hospital, has led a research project on cognitive impairment in stroke patients since 2015. The study came about thanks to funds raised in a 2013 TV campaign that went to the Norwegian Association for Public Health and its work with dementia. The research investigates causal relationships, methods for identifying at-risk patients, the importance of physical function and physical activity and how the patients' condition develops over time. The research group - consisting of nine PhD candidates and a postdoctoral fellow - has published 15 articles so far. Difficulties downplayed Cognitive impairment may crop up as having difficulty following along when a lot of things are going on at once. It is easy for relatives and caregivers to downplay these problems when a person struggles to concentrate, find words, orient themselves or solve problems. Saltvedt thinks this response may be due to misplaced kindness. "I think a lot of health professionals don't actually know that much about cognitive impairment and find it a bit embarrassing when the patient answers incorrectly, for example," she says. "This reaction can happen because you don't see the difficulty as a medical problem but as a characteristic of the person. Professional understanding has been a bit lacking, but it's improving," says Saltvedt. She says that when she talks about this issue in gatherings with stroke patients, they confirm that the problem has not been adequately addressed. When I say that I think we have to talk about cognitive impairment, a lot of them nod. Everything gets heavier with cognitive impairment. It's a significant problem for people who have it, and it doesn't get any easier if you don't talk about it." Ingvild Saltvedt, Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU)Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science 815 patients in the study The research study started in 2015 and lasted for three years. Five hospitals and 815 participants were involved. The patients were followed up after three, 18 and 36 months. "We included patients in the study who came in with acute stroke. We asked relatives if they had been forgetful or had had problems such as searching for words or a lack of understanding, orientation or ability to reason prior to the stroke," Saltvedt said. "The patients had activity meters attached to their bodies, and we took MRIs of the brain. Internationally, this is a large and unique study with a long follow-up period," Saltvedt says. The researchers found that more than half of the patients had cognitive impairment afterwards. In a quarter of the patients, the cognitive problems were so great that they needed help in daily life, because they had developed dementia. "Over time, these patients get a little better at language and in their ability to plan and perform practical tasks, but they don't see general improvement. People with cognitive impairment still have it a year and a half after the stroke. There won't be any major improvement, so the problem is there to stay." Finding risk factors Cognitive impairment was already known to often affect stroke patients. The research study has revealed new understanding about its severity, how many people get it, how long it lasts and its causes. "The study was conducted on a group of patients who received stroke treatment in accordance with the national guidelines. Most of them had relatively small strokes but still have cognitive impairment. We didn't realize before the study that this happened," says Saltvedt. Some of the resulting difficulties are due to the stroke, and some are due to changes in the brain that were there even before the stroke. "In terms of the cause, we see that patients who already have cardiovascular disease or who've had a stroke before, have an increased risk of cognitive impairment following stroke," says Saltvedt. Changes in the brain prior to stroke "We looked at MRI images that show that when patients have a stroke, they already have changes in the brain that make them quite vulnerable. Many people who suffer a stroke have somewhat high blood pressure and some risk factors. They may have small vessels in the brain that are clogged, and then the stroke comes on top of that," says Saltvedt. She explains that the brain has a large reserve capacity, which means that patients manage to counteract factors that can lead to cognitive impairment until the stroke occurs. "We also see that the stroke contributes to the impairment. The more severe the stroke, the greater the risk of cognitive impairment afterwards," says Saltvedt. Better tools for follow up Saltvedt wants to use the research to find out which patients need help and support in everyday life due to cognitive impairment after a stroke. "I think that patients who get these symptoms notice that there is something that is no longer working properly in their head. People need an examination and an explanation. Knowing what's going on makes it easier for the patient and for loved ones," says Saltvedt. She adds that it is important for health professionals to have some knowledge of the topic. The researchers are now working to find simple cataloging tools that people with a three-year health education degree can learn to use on stroke patients. "You have to adapt everything you do afterwards with these symptoms in mind. If you don't remember things well, you need help with taking your medicines correctly. If you embark on a treatment programme and get handed a sheet of exercises, it will be hopeless if you're cognitively impaired. We need to adapt processes to better support these patients," Saltvedt says. Despite their higher risks of advanced prostate cancer, Black and Latinx men are under-represented on websites and in online videos providing information and education regarding prostate cancer, reports a study in The Journal of Urology, an official journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. Online media have significant potential for public education and combating health disparities. However, most online prostate cancer content lacks racial/ethnic diversity and is not readily understandable for lay health consumers." Stacy Loeb, MD, MSc, PhD (Hon), Lead Author, New York University Langone Health Content lacks Black and Latinx representation; issues with quality and readability The study is one of the first to examine racial/ethnic representation and quality of online prostate cancer information. Representation is critical as Black men have the highest risk of and mortality from prostate cancer, while Latinx men are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and less likely to receive guideline-recommended care for prostate cancer. Dr. Loeb and colleagues searched Google and YouTube to identify websites and videos providing prostate cancer information. The analysis focused on resources depicting people human or animated who were then classified by their perceived race/ethnicity through a consensus process with diverse community stakeholders. The study involved researchers from nine institutions across the United States. The analysis included a total of 81 websites and 127 YouTube videos about prostate cancer. Of approximately 1,500 people pictured in these resources, the perceived racial distribution was White in 55%, Black in nine percent, and Asian in eight percent. (For 28% of people depicted, race was classified as unknown or undetermined.) Perceived ethnicity was Latinx in just one percent of people in online content. Overall, 37% of websites and 24% of videos had perceived representation of Black adults. Latinx people were depicted in just 10 percent of websites and 5.5 percent of videos. The researchers used validated tools to evaluate the quality and readability of each online resource. "Few websites or videos had Black or Latinx representation and high-quality, understandable, and actionable information," Dr. Loeb and coauthors write. None of the resources depicting Black or Latinx people were at a recommended reading level for consumer health information. Only 27% of websites and 17% of videos discussed racial/ethnic disparities in prostate cancer risk. The researchers note that many of the resources reviewed regardless of Black or Latinx representation had problems in terms of quality, misinformation, and commercial bias. Black and Latinx men are also more likely to have distrust of the healthcare system and of physicians, and more likely to use online networks such as YouTube. Dr. Loeb and coauthors conclude: "To leverage the full potential of these large online networks, it is important that a greater proportion of websites and videos include representation of racial and ethnic diversity." On July 15, 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an urgent plea for all Americans to take part in slowing a serious threat to public health. He wasn't talking about the COVID-19 pandemic but rather the harmful effects on personal and public health caused by the infodemic the creation and spread of an excessive amount of unreliable and false health information. An article from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) just published online in the American Nurse Journal explains how misinformation was accelerated during the pandemic and how social media platforms (SMPs) amplified the problem. The article "Preventing the Spread of Misinformation A Role for All Nurses" shares the critical role nurses play in reducing health misinformation harm and helping patients, families, and communities access credible, trusted sources. It also further elaborates on how nurses can identify credible information when interacting with SMPs. Nurses and consumers must develop skills to evaluate information critically. A study examining the impact of trust in science found that people with high trust in science were more likely to believe and disseminate misinformation about COVID-19 and genetically modified organisms in the presence of a scientific reference compared to false claims without scientific references. These findings underscore the importance of critically evaluating information, even from trusted sources." Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, Article Lead Author, Professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at Penn Nursing "Misinformation has accelerated during the pandemic, resulting in what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls an infodemic. The effects include confusion and support for behaviors that can harm health, lead to mistrust in science, and ultimately undermine the public health response to the pandemic," says Richard James, MSLIS, nursing liaison librarian at Penn Nursing and coauthor of the article. The article is based on a perspectives paper Villarruel coauthored for the National Academy of Medicine titled "Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes." It also uses research from Dolores Albarracin, Ph.D., Alexandra Heyman Nash Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor. Her research was published in an article titled "Misplaced Trust: When Trust in Science Fosters Belief in Pseudoscience and the Benefits of Critical Evaluation" in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Prioritizing science communication and public engagement Patients and families trust nurses to identify, recommend, and affirm credible sources of information. Nurses must ensure that patients have access to credible information, which can be defined simply as that which is consistent with the best scientific evidence available at the time. To combat misinformation, nurses need to create an environment of trust by demonstrating empathy and curiosity, which encourages patients and families to share concerns and ask questions. The article recommends these steps: Proactively engage with patients and the public about health information. Acknowledge how difficult it is to know what information is trustworthy. Ask patients where they get their information and why they trust that source. Provide alternate and accurate sources of information. When correcting misinformation, be non-judgmental. Use technology and media platforms to share accurate health information with the public. Provide broadly accessible information via various platforms. Consider when and how you can best use your voice to promote credible, evidence-based health information. Partner with community groups and local organizations to prevent and address health misinformation. Use opportunities to partner with your community faith organizations, school, work, and social circles to provide and clarify information about COVID-19. Use and share the national and local resources available from the NIH Community Engagement Alliance at covid19community.nih.gov. COVID-19 has demonstrated the need to prioritize science communication and public engagement at every level of society. Nurses understand that facilitating education and public access to health information provides pre-exposure prophylaxis against misinformation. "As we all know, prevention is better than cure. Treating people for the harms of the infodemic is both difficult and uncertain, but nurses have access to a wealth of tools, principles, and approaches for ensuring that patients and communities receive evidence-based, up-to-date, and credible health information," says Villarruel. "The COVID-19 pandemic and related infodemic are calling us all to act in our professional and personal lives. How will you answer the call?" Researchers at the faculty have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) method to help them identify potential new medicines for Alzheimer's. The new medicine seems to be more precise. No side effects were documented during tests with worms and mice. The cells' waste management is destroyed by Alzheimer's disease One of the causes of Alzheimer's disease is the degeneration and loss of nerve cells in the brain as we age. A cell is like a finely tuned machinery. The cell needs energy to perform its tasks. The energy comes from energy factories called mitochondria. In young, healthy cells, old or damaged mitochondria are removed from the cell in a process called mitophagy. The research group found that when we get older, we have more broken mitochondria, and the cells will not be able to remove all of them anymore. An accumulation of broken mitochondria clogs the cell's ordinary processes and eventually, the cell will die. - Cells need the energy generated by the mitochondria to clear this "garbage". Just like a machine will stop working if it is not maintained, says associate professor Evandro F. Fang, the leader of the research group. Fang leads an international research group at The Institute of clinical medicine, University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital. A new method for treating Alzheimer's disease A new potential method for treating the disease is described by Fang's group in a new study: We may be able to reduce or stop the progress of the disease with the patient. We can do this by increasing the cell's ability to self-clean." Evandro F. Fang, associate professor Because the clogging of the machinery is a part of the problem, the researchers had to find a way toboost the cleaning process.They looked into the use of so-called mitophagy inducers. The idea was to find a way to increase the level of waste management in the patient's brain cells. - We can compare this to hiring extra personnel to clear a cleaning backlog in a factory, Fang explains. Fang's group described how It may be possible to find a way to stimulate the cells' own self-cleansing system in 2019. The treatment may improve other organs The reboot of mitophagy gives the patient several advantages: It will increase the clearance of brain cell garbage and the cleaning process will be more effective in itself. It may also increase the cleaning in other organs, not only the brain. - By turning up mitophagy, we may also be able to increase the quality of other organs, like their heart and muscles. A stronger body is important to reduce the effects of the disease, Fang notes. Used AI to find possible candidates for a new medication It takes a lot of time and effort to develop a new drug, and it is a very expensive process. The researchers wanted to find substances that may induce the cleaning process. They used AI to search for substances similar to known mitophagy inducers. The computer program browsed through a large catalog of substances and identified two candidates, Rhapontigenin and Kaempferol. They used mice and nematodes, a type of worms, to document whether use of these substances on their nerve cells inhibited memory loss. - We spent three months searching from a library of around3000 known mitophagy-inducing substances. If we had used traditional techniques to discover a new drug, it would likely have taken more than three years to find potential drug candidates', Fang explains. The researchers have filed a patent on the new medication for Alzheimer's disease Fang and his colleagues have filed a patent on Rhapontigenin for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. They are now working on describing both how Rhapontigenin and Kaempferol may help usdelay the progression of memory loss, and how it may help us reduce disease progression when it has occured. In addition, they are also going to describe the in-depth molecular mechanisms that help Kaempferol and Rhapontigenin to induce mitophagy. The compounds have not been tested in humans yet, so much still remains to be done -We are now using AI to propose small, structural modifications to these candidate compounds. We wantto make them safer and more efficient for treating Alzheimer's disease, Fang says. The projectis a multi-institutional, international project with major collaborators from: University of Oslo, Norway The University of Macau, China MindRank AI Ltd, China National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece Imperial College London, UK University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA The National University of Singapore FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 74 children died following an outbreak of measles in Afghanistan's northern province of Badakhshan, a provincial official said Sunday. "There had been pockets of measles cases across several Badakhshan districts, including Kuf Ab, Darwaz, Kohistan as well as provincial capital Faizabad city and its outskirts in the past two months. At least 74 children died after being infected with the disease in Kuf Ab and Kohistan districts," Maazudin Ahmadi, head of the provincial Information and Culture Directorate, told Xinhua. Most of the children who lost their lives were living in areas without the access of public health workers and local mobile vaccinators. The provincial health officials have repeatedly called on the population to stay vigilant and to consult the nearest health centers in case of children's symptoms, including fever, generalized rash, conjunctivitis, cough and cold. According to local officials, there had been a steady rise in measles cases in the Asian country, particularly in the mountainous northeastern region. (Newser) The retired FBI agent profiled in Rolling Stone is identified only as Scott B, for good reason: He spent 25 years undercover, infiltrating biker gangs and the like before moving to the agency's domestic terrorism division. That's when he started posing as a white supremacist to infiltrate gangs looking to foment a race war. It helps that Scott is 6-foot-4, heavily muscled and tattooed, and favors Harleys. The story by Paul Solotaroff is stocked with anecdotes: a botched goat ritual in the woods of Georgia by members of the group called the Base; the time suspicious gang members forced Scott to strip but failed to find his microcamera; the Klan cell meetings with men stunningly well-equipped for battle; the modern Hitler worship; the arrests he coordinated of young men vowing attacks on synagogues or churches, based on the models of "saints" such as Anders Behring Breivik. But the main focus speaks to why Scott agreed to be featured in the first place. He says the fringe-right movement is growing, and he is "haunted" by what will happen if it isn't stopped, writes Solotaroff. "Over months of interviews with Scott and his former colleagues, hours-long conversations with domestic-terror experts, and wormhole dives down fascist portals on apps like Gab and Discord, a portrait emerged of a nation under threat from a thousand points of hate," he adds. Asked why he spent so many years in such a dangerous fieldfew agents rack up the number of undercover operations he didScott pulls up photos on his phone of Dylann Roof and Patrick Crusius, who killed more than 30 between them in race-motivated shootings. "Dont think for a second you can read these boys by how they look on Twitter," he says. (Read the full story.) (Newser) Update: No one can swipe right on Simon Leviev anymore, Tinder has decided. The subject of the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler has been taken off the platform, the Washington Post reports. You won't find him under "Shimon Hayut," either; Tinder said he's no longer active "under any of his known aliases." After the documentary debuted, Leviev wrote on Instagramwhere he had 200,000 followersthat he'd soon post his side of the story. But a notice on the page Friday said "no longer available," per Variety. It didn't help his situation that the documentary was a hit in the US and UK. Our original story from Feb. 2 follows: That Cecilie Fjellhy swiped right on Tinder was understandable. She was 29 and came across a profile of a man the same age, clad in Louis Vuitton and sitting in a private jet. That January 2018 move ended up being the most expensive decision of her life, writes Katie O'Malley for Elle. Fjellhy is one of the women whose claims serve as the basis for The Tinder Swindler, a documentary released Wednesday on Netflix. As Fjellhy tells O'Malley, the whirlwind romance checked out at first. She says Simon Leviev told her he was the CEO of LLD Diamonds; a Google search seemed to bear out that he really was the son of "King of Diamonds" Lev Leviev. At the end of their first coffee date in London he invited her to jet with him to Bulgaria. By March he had given her a 11,000 budget (about $15,000 at current exchange rates) to rent them a London flat. But in April came a harrowing text reading, "Blood." The next one said "Peter, hurt," and showed a bloodied photo of his security guard. He was in danger, he said, and his security had advised he cease use of his credit cards so he couldn't be tracked. He needed Fjellhy's help, specifically, her credit cards. She complied, and at one point took out a loan so she could give him more than $25,000 in cash. He ultimately gave her a check for about $500,000 to make her whole and then some. It bounced, and American Express investigators soon clued her in. Leviev was really Shimon Hayut, a man who had served time in Israel for theft and fraud. He was allegedly using Fjellhy's money to wine and dine Pernilla Sjoholm "in a Ponzi-scheme-like structure" that she would fall victim to as well. (Read the full story to learn how much the women say they lost.) (Newser) Ernest Shackleton set off for Antarctica in 1914, hoping to be the first person to cross the frozen continent. He didn't even get to try. In early 1915, his ship Endurance became stuck in pack ice in the Weddell Sea, about 100 miles from Vahsel Bay, before sinking to a depth of 10,000 feet. That Shackleton and his crew of 27 survived only added to the allure of what has become one of the most famous shipwrecks in history, per the New York Times. And it's thanks to their efforts that, more than a century later, a crew is launching an ambitious search to find the ship. Shackleton noted the 144-foot-long Endurance sank in "the worst portion of the worst sea." As Endurance22 director Mensun Bound tells the Times, "it's the most unreachable wreck ever, which makes this the greatest wreck hunt of all time." Setting off Saturday from Cape Town, the expedition team will travel in a South African ice breaker to a zone in the western Weddell logged by Endurance's captain and navigator. "We're very optimistic that we'll get over the wreck site with the ship," says John Shears, leader of the expedition made possible by a private donation of more than $10 million. Yet other expeditions have failed, even when pack ice isn't especially heavy, as is the case now. An autonomous underwater vehicle was lost after a nearly 30-hour dive during a 2019 searchas was its scan data, which had to be physically removed from the unit. This time, the team plans to use two underwater drones connected to the surface by a fiber-optic cable, allowing images to be viewed in real time. If the site can't be reached by ship, the team may instead launch the submersibles from an ice floe, per the Times. But this plan would require choosing an ice floe that's expected to be in the right location days down the road, given the time it would take to set up camp. The sea is unpredictable, and the clock will be ticking. Though researchers will be at sea for at least 35 days, per the Independent, the Times reports they'll have less than two weeks to actually find and survey the ship. "We very much hope we can do justice to this magnificent chapter in polar exploration, by capturing images of Shackleton's iconic Endurance to share with the world," Bound says, per the Independent. "We will do everything in our power to shine further light on this inspiring story." (Read more Antarctica stories.) (Newser) Protesters opposed to vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions held rallies in cities across Canada on Saturday in a show of solidarity with a weeklong demonstration in the national capital. Officials in Ottawa and numerous provincial capitals worked to ensure that the escalating protests remained peaceful, the AP reports. By midday in Ottawa, thousands of demonstrators mingled near open fires on the snow-plastered lawn in front Parliament Hill. Participants roasted hot dogs and doled out baked goods under tarps, while two men on horseback traipsed through town, one carrying a flag in support of Donald Trump. The "freedom truck convoy" has attracted support from Trump and other Republicans in the US. In Toronto, several hundred protesters gathered on the south side of the Ontario legislature, chanting "Liberte!" as loudspeakers broadcast reggae music. Nearby, a couple of hundred health care workers and supporters marched from the University of Toronto to hospital row just south of the legislature. They held placards reading, "Free-dumb" and "N95 masks for all." Police set up roadblocks throughout downtown Toronto, preventing any protesters in trucks or cars from getting near the provincial legislature. Demonstrators also gathered in Quebec City, Fredericton and Winnipeg, and rallies were planned for Regina, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, and the US border crossing in Coutts, Alberta. Police forces in those cities say they have learned lessons from Ottawa's experience and have developed strategies to protect key infrastructure, such as vital traffic corridors and hospitals, and also prevent violence. Protesters have said they wont leave until all mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeaus government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments. A lawyer in Ottawa filed a class-action lawsuit against truckers to stop them from blowing their horns at all hours. (Read more Canada stories.) (Newser) The British royal family, whose titles and honorifics have been the subject of debate recentlyespecially those of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrewsettled on a future one Saturday. In a message marking her 70th anniversary on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II announced it's her wish that her daughter-in-law become queen consort when her son, Prince Charles, becomes king, the BBC reports. That means she'll be called Queen Camilla. "It is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort," Elizabeth wrote in the message. That's a promotion over the other likely possibility, Princess Camilla. When Charles and Camilla married, they said she'd be princess consort, though she by rights could have the "queen" title. That appeared to be an acknowledgement of the awkwardness around the fact that the late Diana, Charles' first wife, would have been called "queen." That's why Camilla doesn't use the title of "Princess of Wales," which Diana held, per CNN. The spouse of a ruling king historically is queen consort, while a ruling queen's husbandincluding Elizabeth's late husband, Prince Philipbecomes prince consort. It would be customary for the queen to consult direct heirs before making such a decision, which means not only Charles but Prince William would have approved. A spokesman said Charles and Camilla were "touched and honored" by the queen's announcement. In her message, Elizabeth thanked her subjects. "I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me," she wrote. The queen added, "And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me." (Read more Queen Elizabeth II stories.) / Russia Scoffs at US Warning, Offers One of Its Own 'What if we would say that US could seize London in a week?' (Newser) A frequent irritant to President Biden and much of the Democratic Party for not supporting their legislation, Sen. Joe Manchin took a shot Sunday at explaining where the misunderstanding might be. "I'm not a Washington Democrat, I'm a good old West Virginia Democrat, who likes all my West Virginia Republicans," Manchin said, "and I know that I have to have their input for us to get good outcomes for our West Virginia citizens we represent." He made the comments on CNN's State of the Union in a conversation about bipartisanship, the Hill reports. Perhaps illustrating his point, Manchin endorsed a Republican in the same appearance: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who's up for reelection this year. Manchin explained his support, per Axios, by saying, "It's hypocritical to basically work with a person day in and day out and when they're in cycle, you're supposed to be against them because they have an R or D by their name." Along with six other Senate Republicans, Murkowski voted to convict former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, for which the Alaska GOP censured her. Trump then endorsed Murkowski's most prominent GOP opponent, Kelly Tshibaka, in the Alaska primary. There's been talk among Democrats about putting up a challenger to Manchin, as well. Murkowski said Sunday on the program that she, in turn, would cross party lines to help Manchin. "If he's running, I'll endorse him," she said. Murkowski was elected in 2010 in a write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary, per the AP. (Read more Joe Manchin stories.) (Newser) Looking out at a sea of faces at a Texas fairground, most of them white, former President Donald Trump seethed about his legal troubles and blamed them on malicious prosecutors. "These prosecutors are vicious, horrible people. They're racists and they're very sick, they're mentally sick," Trump said last weekend, before warning his audience: "In reality, they're not after me. Theyre after you." He repeated his charge of racism, the AP reports, but skipped over an obvious detail: Those prosecutors are Black. His diatribe left the clear impression that Trump, who rode the politics of white grievance into the White House, thinks he can't possibly be treated fairly by Black officials. The comments carry the echoes of racist messages that have proliferated in recent yearsthat Black people and other minorities are taking power, and that they will exact revenge on white people, or at the very least treat white people as they have been treated. That's among the fears stoking the white supremacy movement, the so-called "white replacement theory" that people of color will supplant whites in the country's power dynamics and social structure. "These are the same justifications that they use for Jim Crow laws and their mistreatment of African Americans," said Brian Middleton, a Black district attorney in Fort Bend County, Texas. Opponents and analysts say Trump's rhetoric has escalated, perhaps because he recognizes that some among his base are receptive to more overt racism. "It intensifies that discourse and makes it explicitly racial," said Casey Kelly, a communications professor who has pored over transcripts of Trump's speeches. There is reason to think that Trump's words have had consequences, per the AP. Fani Willisthe Fulton County, Georgia, prosecutor who asked a judge for a special grand jury to probe possible "criminal disruptions" by Trump and his allies involving the 2020 presidential electionsaid threats and racist slurs against her have increased since Trump's rally in Texas. (Read more Donald Trump stories.) For more consumer tips, visit Trust-bbb.org. For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 160 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including BBB Great West & Pacific, which serves more than 20 million consumers in Alaska, Central Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Western Wyoming. A UH-60 Blackhawk medevac helicopter belonging to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, based out of Fort Wainwright, is briefly parked at Allen Army Airfield during an exercise in February 2021. (Photo by Eve Baker, Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office) TRIPOLI, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Saturday called on competent authorities to impose preventive measures against COVID-19 in public areas amid surging cases nationwide. The center also recommended launching nation-wide awareness campaigns against the virus, particularly in eastern and southern Libya. It urged the authorities to provide more support to the isolation centers to increase their capacity, and called for launching mobile vaccination campaigns to vaccinate as many people as possible. A total of 445,876 cases have been reported nationwide with 397,291 recoveries and 6,052 deaths, the center said. Up to 2,057,141 people have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose while 1,016,493 have received two, and 29,644 have got a booster shot. Last month, the center announced that the country has officially entered into the fourth wave of the pandemic, as infections increased significantly. On Dec. 29, 2021, Libyan health authorities identified the country's first cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Sources: Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, Sitka Camp No. 1, National Register of Historic Places Nomination form. Carl Dominicks. National Park Service. 1972 Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, Sitka Camp No. 1, National Register of Historic Places, National Landmark Nomination form William Hanable. National Park Service. 1975 Dangerous Idea: the Alska Native Brotherhood and the Struggle for Indigenous Rights. Peter Metcalfe. University of Alaska Press. 2014 The Native Brotherhoods: Modern Intertribal Organizations of the Northwest Coast. Phillip Drucker. Smithsonian Institution Bureau Of American Ethnology. 1958 Ray Bonnell is a freelance artist, writer and longtime Fairbanks resident. See more of his artwork at www.pingostudio.us. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Jamal Faris Al-Ruwaei, affirmed that Bahrain always seeks to consolidate the values of tolerance and openness among all people and cultures. He stressed Bahrains drive to adhere to the noble human values and the values of tolerance, brotherhood and coexistence, adding that the Kingdom has chosen peace as an approach and dialogue as a strategic choice. This came during the participation of the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, in the celebration of the International Day of Human Fraternity. The event was organised by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the permanent missions of the United Arab Emirates and the Arab Republic of Egypt via video communication on Friday. Al-Ruwaei expressed the Kingdoms pride in participating with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt in presenting Resolution No. 75/200, which declared February 4th as the International Day of Human Fraternity. He said that Bahrain is home to cultural pluralism and a land of tolerance between religions, sects and cultures. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Staff Reporter A large number of expatriate parents in Bahrain are pleading for school fees discounts after being unable to pay the fees of their children on time. They are seeking from the Ministry of Education and are presenting a request to issue a directive to reduce the existing school fees at all community schools in Bahrain. Last year hundreds of parents signed a petition urging the ministry to direct schools to cut existing fees, which according to them are very high despite most of the schools slashing the amounts between five and 10 per cent owing to the pandemic situation. I have hardly any money for daily requirements Speaking to The Daily Tribune, an Indian expatriate, who has three school-going children, said: I was successfully running a small business, which was shut down during the beginning of Covid season. My financial situation is so bad that I have hardly any money for daily requirements. The parent said it was his friends who raised money for sending his wife and three children home. My son is studying in ninth standard and daughters are in Class Six and Class Four. The school recently delinked my children from attending online classes from India as their fee was pending. Now I need at least BD720 to settle the fee. And this amount is huge for someone like me who struggles to pay lunch and dinner bills. Without paying fees, my children wouldnt be allowed to sit for annual examinations without which they wouldnt receive their transfer certificates. I have no means to earn that money nor I can jeopardise my childrens future. We parents did not commit any crime Another parent, who was employed as a sales manager with a private company and lost his job six months ago, said he doesnt want to blame the school management for insisting to pay the fees. I very well understand that the school management runs the institution using the fee given by the children. But there has to be a provision where the children should be allowed to sit for annual examinations. We parents did not commit any crime to be in such a situation. I urge the authorities to intervene and find a solution. The future of thousands of expatriate students is now at the hands of these managements. The situation we are facing is not by choice and this fact should be understood by all. The flip side On the flip side, Indian School Bahrain Chairman Prince Natarajan said training guns at school management alone wouldnt offer any solution. We understand the situation well and are seeing things through the prism of humanity. Our school has been providing fee concessions to eligible students even before the pandemic struck the nation. We now have a scheme in place to identify and support parents, who are financially incapable of paying fees. We have placed parents under different slabs according to the number of children each parent has at our school and their income. Based on these slabs, we are providing concession and fee waivers to students. Approach us, says school If any parent faces any difficulty in paying the fees, they are free to approach us with supporting documents proving job loss or lack of regular income source. We are implementing a proper mechanism to address the issue. For instance, parents of many children who were running cold stores across Bahrain got into dire straits during the lockdown and they approached us for fee discounts. We inspected these claims, which were found to be true in the majority of cases. And subsequently, fee discounts were offered. Prince Natarajan said there are also many parents who misuse the situation. They exploit the situation and keep away from paying the fee despite having the capability to clear dues. Such parents are proving to cause difficulty for parents of those children who are eligible for fee relaxation or concession. The Indian School Bahrain in a press release issued earlier said that it has given a fee concession of BD109,000 to the deserving students including Covid relief assistance during the last financial year. The New Indian School Bahrain Principal K Gopinath Menon said the situation is hard to handle. We have many fee defaulters and we have been offering discounts after finding the cases to be genuine. But many parents are misusing the situation and we cant do much about this. Brunei government officials give awards to local tourism stakeholders in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, Feb. 5, 2022. The Brunei government launches a new tourism package on Saturday to attract domestic and foreign tourists despite a recent surge in daily COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country. TO GO WITH: Roundup: Brunei launches tourism products to attract visitors amid pandemic (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua) BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Brunei government launches a new tourism package on Saturday to attract domestic and foreign tourists despite a recent surge in daily COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country. According to Brunei's Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, the tourism products are designed specifically for Brunei-Muara district, where the national capital Bandar Seri Begawan is located and has various landmarks. The ministry said that the move was part of the government's efforts to support the local tourism industry, which is dramatically affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The new package followed the recent launch of a similar one for Temburong district, and more others are expected to come for the remaining two of the country's four districts, Belait and Tudong. The ministry said that the packages cover promoting places of interest, assisting tourism stakeholders such as hotels, tourist guides, and tourist agents in providing complete and flexible itineraries, and developing new tourist attractions. They are also meant to make preparations "for school holidays promotion in April, August and December this year" and "for tourist arrivals from abroad once borders are open." A country of over 420,000 population, Brunei has confirmed more than 17,000 COVID-19 cases in its second wave of COVID-19 which began in August last year, with the tourism industry hit hard. The country announced being in the Endemic Phase under its National COVID-19 Recovery Framework in December last year, with local infections dropping gradually after it imposed strict social distancing rules, including work-from-home for government and private sector employees as well as a curfew. However, Brunei has seen a rebound in daily COVID-19 cases, mainly local infections over recent days. It recorded 82 cases, 133 cases, 200 cases, and 140 cases for the first four days of February. On Saturday, it reported 373 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 17,404 with 102 deaths. According to the health ministry, the newly recorded cases included 368 local infections and five imported cases. Currently 1,196 active cases are being treated and monitored in the country. A senior official from the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism gives a speech during a new tourism package launching ceremony in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei, Feb. 5, 2022. The Brunei government launches a new tourism package on Saturday to attract domestic and foreign tourists despite a recent surge in daily COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country. TO GO WITH: Roundup: Brunei launches tourism products to attract visitors amid pandemic (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua) Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2022 shows an inner view of the Royal Regalia Museum, a tourist landmark in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei. The Brunei government launches a new tourism package on Saturday to attract domestic and foreign tourists despite a recent surge in daily COVID-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country. TO GO WITH: Roundup: Brunei launches tourism products to attract visitors amid pandemic (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua) As the two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic approaches, local nursing homes and long-term care facilities are starting to recover from the most recent viral wave. Infections among residents across the state are decreasing after a mid-January peak, state data released last week show. In the past two weeks, case numbers stayed below 30 across all state facilities, with a 47 percent decline in total cases since the last report. Most facilities in the Danbury area are reporting no cases, or numbers in the single digits and low teens. Roughly five COVID-related deaths occurred in the Danbury area since Jan. 19. Bethel Health Care Center, which logged 32 cases in the last report, was down to just nine cases as of Thursday. Dr. Vivian Leung, who works as the medical director for the DPHs Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program, said this most recent wave saw infection numbers greater than last winter. But high rates of resident vaccination and boosters have meant that mortality rates are going down with each successive wave of the pandemic. Residents also felt more protected during this wave, thanks to vaccines, boosters, and the availability of therapeutics, according to the states long-term care ombudsman, Mairead Painter. Even for individuals who have tested positive, their actual illness or experience is incredibly different this time, she said. Weve seen just an incredible decrease in the number of individuals who have to be hospitalized or are passing away. Deaths on the decline While COVID-related deaths are still higher than they were earlier this fall, these numbers are also starting to decline from a high point of 58 deaths reported on Jan. 20. The 40 deaths recorded over the most recent two-week period included no more than one or two deaths per location, with the exception of Mystic Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Groton where five deaths were reported. Prior to the Jan. 20 report, facilities were reporting 13 or fewer deaths during the biweekly state update. At least 4,086 COVID-related deaths in nursing homes and long term care facilities have been reported since the start of the pandemic, state data show. Laurel Ridge Health Care Center in Ridgefield saw two COVID-related deaths between Jan. 19 and Feb. 1 but reported no cases. Village Crest Center for Health and Rehabilitation in New Milford, Newtown Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, and The Watermark at East Hill in Southbury each had one COVID-related death. Yet, the deaths looked different this time, too. While the department hasnt completed a systematic review of the recent deaths, Leung said that nursing home medical directors are reporting deaths among populations with multiple, high-risk medical conditions, those who are not up to date on their vaccination series, or those in hospice care. Sadly, individuals with severe comorbidities and underlying health conditions and those unvaccinated are at a greater risk of hospitalization and serious medical consequences, wrote Tim Brown, director of marketing and communications for Athena Health Care Systems, which operates 21 facilities in Connecticut, including Laurel Ridge. Brown added that their centers have accepted hundreds of COVID patients from hospitals in the past several months and are working with their hospital partners to help with short-term rehab and recovery for those individuals. Our hearts go out to all individuals and their families affected by COVID. Recovering from the wave In New Milford, the Candlewood Valley Health and Rehabilitation Center reported no COVID-related deaths for the third time since a late 2021 outbreak saw 11 resident deaths during November and December. The facility reported two deaths linked to COVID in April 2020, but had not reported further deaths until November 2021. Following the outbreak and deaths, the facility worked with the state Department of Public Health and local health department. We are following all of the new guidelines issued by the state which require all visitors to present their vaccination status and to have a negative COVID test within the past 24 hours, said Kenneth Marici, medical director at Candlewood Valley. The facility has said it is continuing to work closely with the state Department of Public Health to make sure they are taking all necessary precautions to mitigate the virus spread. On-site visits have been made by the Department of Epidemiology and they were satisfied with the mitigation efforts that we have taken. Candlewood Valley will continue to collaborate with DPH to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep our residents safe, said Theresa Skinner, Candlewood Valleys director of clinical excellence. Housatonic Valley Health Districts director, Lisa Morrissey, said that the facility has been very eager for any assistance that could be provided and very cooperative. Theyve done a really good job of implementing all of the strategies that weve asked them to, she said. We still have seen cases that have been occurring but nothing like we saw at the end of 2021. Ebbing and flowing New cases can be hard to trace back to a specific source, but high viral loads in the community mean that visitors and staff might have unknowingly introduced the virus into some nursing home settings. Leung said that the state worked hard to ensure residents were boosted before the holidays, but she did hear stories of visitors visiting without knowing they were infected. We knew that visitation was a potential source of infection, especially when there's such high rates of community transmission. People can come in, unknowingly infected, and really with the best of intentions of spending some time with their loved ones. But experts learned the harmful effects of cutting off a residents access to loved ones and visitation during the first wave of the pandemic, and specifically the need for social and emotional wellness. Unfortunately, we learned the impact of not seeing people in a wholistic way, Painter said. You cant treat one part of a person. In January, Gov. Ned Lamont issued an executive order requiring all nursing home visitors to show proof of up-to-date vaccination which includes a booster if the person is eligible or a negative COVID test. With COVID now on the decline in long-term care facilities, the state is preparing for future waves and improved infection control techniques for various infectious diseases. Now, we have some time to really work with the long-term care industry, work with their infection control, with their infection preventioninsts, Leung said. Connecticut State Police State Police troopers have been recommended for the agencys Lifesaving Medal after officials said they helped save the life of a limousine driver who lost consciousness while driving on I-91 Friday morning. State Police posted video of the incident to Facebook on Saturday, which shows the two Troop H officers responding to the scene and performing CPR before eventually driving the ambulance to the hospital. BROOKFIELD Sara FitzGerald knows a thing or two about cupcakes and perseverence. Sara Fitz, as she is known around Brookfield, owns Curvys Cupcakes and Confections on Old Route 7, which was honored in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 22 with the towns first selectman and several other guests in attendance. But her bakery, in its various iterations, has been serving up sweet treats to Brookfield area families for much longer than that. From mocha bombs, to cupcakes with Curvys Secret Recipe Vanilla Buttercream, to made-to-order gluten free and vegan treats, the store caters to Brookfields sweet tooth. Most of Fitzs goods are custom-order items like specialty birthday or wedding cakes, but her store also offers daily offerings from her display, in addition to coffee and tea. She hopes the bakery will become a favorite Brookfield sit-down spot to enjoy her baked goods. The single mother of two arrives at the bakery in the afternoons after long days working as a Danbury high school special education teacher and English co-teacher, manning her first, new brick-and-mortar space, sliding trays of decadent confections in and out of the ovens. Fitzs icing which took years to perfect has been likened to the famed Magnolia Bakerys icing in Manhattan. Ive had a lot of people say, This is your magic, and Im like, yeah, it kind of is, she said. She bakes in the quiet moments when her boys a 2-year-old and a three-month-old are finally asleep or napping. On the weekends, Fitz splits her time running an Irish dance studio. In 2017, Fitz filed the requisite paperwork to officially start a baking business, and used the nickname her late husband called her at the time: Curvy. Roughly four years later, Curvys Cupcakes and Confections opened its doors during the middle of a July heat wave this summer. Fitz was still pregnant with her second son, Malachy, and the air conditioning stopped working inside. She had two weddings to prepare for. Fitz laughs telling the story now, remembering how she told people who wandered in that the cupcakes were free that day. Greg Dembowski, Brookfield community development specialist, said it was inspiring to see someone take her passion and develop into a business plan and store front. Small business entrepreneurs are the core of what will transform our town center district into a success story for decades to come, he said. My wife and I will be choosing from their menu for our next family event. It is absolutely delicious, said First Selectman Tara Carr, who admitted her favorite treat was Fitzs cheesecake cupcakes. Her store is lovely and her baked goods and confectionery treats are wonderful, she added. I wish her all the best in her endeavors and am excited to have her in Brookfield Town Center. Makings of a baker A cake decorating class she took with her mother at Michaels over 20 years ago changed what she thought of baking. Shed always baked with her mom in the kitchen growing up in Newington, but this was different. I didnt stink at it, lets put it that way, she said, with a laugh. At the time, she worked as a restaurant manager and had no dreams of becoming a bakery owner. The thought of not being a bartender had never occurred to me at that point, but I love to bake and I love to decorate, she said. It was always kind of floating around in my head. She tucked the thought away, continuing to bake for special events. When she showed up with 15 different types of cookies and cakes and creme puffs for a big party, her husband, whom she was still dating at the time, asked why she didnt try baking full time. While Fitz had all the paperwork for her bakery ready in 2017, her business really took off during the pandemic. It was actually COVID, of all things, that gave me a real boost because everybody who had a brick-and-mortar store shut down, she said. Everybody was calling me because I was the only place that was there for a while. People put in orders for birthday, anniversaries or other special events, and then pick up their items at her house. Fitz continues to experiment with new baked goods. Her latest thing has been almond croissants, which are one of her personal favorites. I try to branch out into a new thing and see how it works out for me, she said. If I cant make it awesome, I dont do it. If somebody can do it better than me Id rather wholesale it. Looking to the future Fitzs story is one of persistence and resilience. She waited a long time to find the right spot for her bakery, and then once finding the storefront, fixing it up. Even with the store up and running, she said it can be a struggle. After her husband died unexpectedly in 2018, she continued to teach and bake, and even decided to have two children via in-vitro fertilization following his death. One day, Fitz hopes to be able to have a big baking operation where she can wholesale and commercialize her goods. It might include a warehouse that employs people with disabilities. Its that whole special education teacher in me, she said. Ultimately, she wants to build her business so that she can have something to give her two sons one day. People say to me all the time, Youre so strong! and I said, No, I had to survive, she said. Her son, Sinan, toddles around the shop with Fitzgerald as she talks. The boys are in the care of a babysitter while Fitz is at school. Would you like a cake pop? she asks him as he begins to whimper. Here, she is both mother, baker, and business woman. Im building this for them, she said. The Connecticut Port Authority launched a public-private partnership tied to development of a major offshore wind-to-energy project without proper authority to do so, the State Contracting Standards Board concluded Friday. The watchdog agency also concluded that the $523,000 success fee the Connecticut Port Authority paid to a consulting firm closely tied to a former member is eerily similar to the finders fees scandal that sent a former state treasurer to prison in 2001. This is just terrible in terms of open, fair bidding, contracting board chairman Lawrence Fox said during Fridays meeting, held via teleconference. I cant think of anything that is less fair. The port authority and Gov. Ned Lamont announced a deal in February 2020 to work with Eversource and its Denmark-based partner, rsted North America, to transform New London into the green energy capital of the Northeast. Wind turbine components assembled at the port would support an offshore wind-to-energy project ultimately capable of generating 4,000 megawatt hours of electricity. The authority must seek from the state any project costs that exceed the private partners investment of $75 million, according to the port authoritys executive director, John Henshaw. The current overall cost estimate exceeds $220 million. A state law permitting public-private partnerships had expired in January 2020, one month before the deal with Eversource and rsted North America had been executed. A 2021 statute would again allow public-private partnerships but only for the Department of Transportation. More importantly, whenever such partnerships have been permitted, the legislatures budget-writing committees have been required to conduct public hearings on the matter which didnt occur, the report states. There is no record that the CPA had the statutory authority to execute a public-private partnership after January 1, 2020, it added. In a written response attached to the report, the port authority contends it gained such powers when lawmakers established it in 2015 and ordered it to direct economic development at the states deep water ports. And while the agreement with Eversource and rsted North America actually refers to a public-private partnership, the port authority added in its comments that the phrase public-private partnership is widely used term and should not be taken to reference the agreements regulated in state law. The contracting board does not have authority to block the project and chiefly is limited to making recommendations to Lamont and the General Assembly. The contracting board also voted Friday to ask Attorney General William Tong to clarify existing state law regarding finders fees. The panel specifically is questioning whether the port authority violated that law when it paid $700,000 to Seabury Capital Group in May 2018 to help with the search for an operator of the state pier in New London. That search led to the hiring of Gateway Terminal, a firm that brought its wind farm partners Eversource and rsted North America into the picture. That $700,000 payment included a $523,000 success or reward fee and that happened three months after Henry Juan III of Greenwich, who was a managing director with Seabury, resigned from the authority board. When the port authority initially sought a consulting group to help find a pier operator, it specified in an April 2018 amendment to the bid documents that no success fees would be paid. Seabury received the contract in May and success fees were included, the report states. Why did the success fees come back into the contract? asked contracting board member Lauren Gauthier, who outlined the report at Fridays meeting. While they are not [called] finders fees, she added, they do ring similar. The General Assembly banned finders fees in statute following a scandal in the late 1990s that sent then-state Treasurer Paul Silvester to prison. The West Hartford Republican was sentenced to 21 months after admitting he had accepted kickbacks, often referred to as finders fees, in exchange for steering investment of state-controlled pension funds. Fox said afterward that contracting board members didnt draw comparisons lightly. It sounds like what happened at port authority is a kind of finders fee by another name, he said. We dont like this practice. We dont think theres a state benefit to this. Should we receive a request for an opinion from the State Contracting Review Board, we will review it, Tongs spokeswoman, Elizabeth Benton, said Friday. We have an open and active investigation into the Connecticut Port Authority and therefore cannot comment further. Should Tong conclude there was no violation of the finders fee statute, Fox added, the authority will ask the legislature to expand existing law to prohibit such success fees in the future. David Kooris, who became chairman of the port authoritys board of directors in the summer of 2019 one year after the Seabury contract was approved said at Fridays meeting that the port authority very much appreciates the thoughtful review. Kooris also pledged that the authority would work with the contracting board and the legislature to further review these issues. Weve got a lot to talk about in detail in the coming months, he said. BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- China and Argentina have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a joint statement issued Sunday after a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez. At China's invitation, Fernandez is paying a visit to China, during which he attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games on Friday night. The MoU on jointly promoting the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road between the government of the People's Republic of China and the government of the Argentine Republic was signed as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year. The two sides laid down a framework for sustainable development and inclusive economic cooperation, so as to further promote actions and projects for deepening, innovating, and diversifying their economic relations and enhancing regional connectivity. They also studied bilateral trade cooperation and agreed to continue to expand trade, enhance financial support for China's export settlement to Argentina and actively encourage trade diversification, the statement said. China and Argentina reaffirmed a commitment to expedite the completion of negotiations on existing inspection and quarantine agreements and convene technical meetings to achieve this goal, it added. They underscored the importance of strengthening institutional consultations to promote trade opportunities that benefit both countries, the statement said, adding that in the context of COVID-19, the two sides will use video consultations when necessary to achieve outcomes, so as to facilitate unimpeded trade, it said. Based on their respective interests and national laws, the two sides agreed to actively advance bilateral investment, expand economic complementarity and seek new economic opportunities. The statement added that they agreed to boost green sustainable development, and investment and cooperation in the digital economy. The two sides also expressed satisfaction with the recently-held fifth strategic dialogue for economic cooperation and coordination between China and Argentina, the statement said. The meeting outlined the framework of major projects for investment in infrastructure construction in Argentina, discussed the possibility of expanding localized participation in infrastructure investment projects, and identified key areas for investment cooperation to expand Argentina's exports, the sustainability of outbound development, productivity growth and job creation, according to the statement. NORTH HAVEN For 24 years, there was no approved treatment for Holly LaPrades rare disease. That changed Jan. 24, when Health Canada approved the palovarotene capsules as the first-ever treatment for Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, or FOP, a rare disease characterized by excessive bone growth. LaPrade, a 41-year-old North Haven resident, participated in the clinical trials for the drug, she said. Its a very exciting time for the FOP (community). ... Weve all been working together for many years to get to this day, so its very exciting for our community to see this happening, said LaPrade, who now waits to see whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will follow suit and approve palovarotene for use in the United States. Manufactured by the French pharmaceutical company Ipsen, Sohonos the brand name for palovarotene capsules is the first drug treatment for FOP thats ever been approved anywhere in the world, according to Michelle Davis, executive director of the International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association. The community is, you know, very excited to hear this news, she said. Some of them have been waiting their whole lifetimes. Ipsen is expected to file for approval in the United States by mid-year, Davis said, adding that the company already filed in the European Union and Switzerland. What is FOP? The easiest way to explain it is that your body or my body is essentially slowly forming a second skeleton over time, said LaPrade, who was diagnosed with FOP at 16. Its growing unwanted bone where it shouldnt be, and in turn that is restricting my ability to move. LaPrade is able to walk without a cane or wheelchair, she said, though that is not the case for many patients her age. Living with FOP day-to-day is definitely a challenge, she said. Over time it has affected virtually every area of my life from the ability to take a shower, you know, to driving. People with FOP go through flare-ups, which LaPrade described as the period of time where extra bone is growing in your body. Any type of trauma, including medical interventions, can trigger a flare-up, she said. Its very painful. Theres swelling, inflammation, she said. Her first flare-up happened when LaPrade was in high school. Obviously that had a huge effect on the whole family, your daughter suddenly having this rare disease that no ones ever heard of, said Frank Pullano, LaPrades father. Holly has tried her best to live as normal a life as she could through this whole thing, Pullano said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has made that more difficult. She cant get the vaccine because she cant have an injection, he said. If she did get COVID who knows what effects it could have on her, so we gotta be really careful. Thats been tough. FOP patients are considered a vulnerable population, according to LaPrade. A lot of people with FOP have extra bone in their chest area so that restricts our ability to breathe properly, she said. Any type of medical intervention or trauma could aggravate FOP leading to flare-ups, so Ive just been like ultra-ultra cautious and aware of my surroundings. But despite its challenges, LaPrade has found a silver lining in her diagnosis. I have friends that live all over the world because of our close-knit community, (because) FOP is so rare, LaPrade said. We consider each other a family. A recent study suggested FOP affects about one in a million people, according to Davis. The IFOPA knows of three FOP patients living in Connecticut, she said. Road to a treatment Because of its rareness, there are not any local FOP experts, according to LaPrade. Instead, many patients including LaPrade are under the care of Dr. Frederick Kaplan, a Philadelphia-based physician who is considered a leading FOP expert. Kaplan is the chief of the Division of Molecular Orthopaedic Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He cofounded a lab dedicated to FOP research in the early 1990s. In an interview with the New Haven Register, Kaplan recalled how he came to dedicate his lifes work to FOP. In the mid-1980s, he had met two elderly patients with the disease, he said. At that point, the patients had reached an advanced stage of the progressive disease. Then a few years later, a colleague of mine introduced me to a child who had FOP, Kaplan said. I hadnt seen the condition as it was occurring. He likened the impact of the experience to watching 9/11 unfold. Seeing the older patients had been like visiting the memorial and imagining the event. But watching this little girl have these lumps on her back that were slowly turning into bone ... it was like watching the planes fly into the building. It had a total visceral effect on me, Kaplan said. He remembered a colleague told him no one was seriously working on FOP. I stopped dead in my tracks and I said, you know, this is the worst orthopedic condition I ever encountered, Kaplan said. In 1991, he and Dr. Eileen Shore founded the FOP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania and, in 2006, they discovered the genetic mutation that causes FOP. How the drug works A researcher based in the same city as Kaplan helped spur the palovarotene trial Dr. Maurizio Pacifici, director of orthopedic research at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, who for years has studied skeletal development. Most bone in the body is formed from cartilage, according to Pacifici. In FOP, this is happening in the wrong place at the wrong time, and also its relentless, he said. In 2011, Pacifici published a paper showing how heterotopic ossification the formation of bone in the wrong place can be prevented using drugs that work as retinoid agonists. A retinoid agonist, Pacifici said, activates what is known as a retinoid pathway, a mechanism that inhibits cartilage formation. And without cartilage, the body cannot form bone as FOP patients form extra bone. Pacificis research sparked interest from investors, he said, subsequently prompting a clinical trial for palovarotene, a synthetic retinoid agonist. Now, Health Canada has approved pavarotene for male FOP patients age 10 and older, and for female FOP patients age 8 and older, according to a release from Ipsen. The approval is a hopeful direction for the FOP community, said Kaplan, who added that he worked on the clinical trial. Yet, he and other experts acknowledge there still is a way to go in treating the disease. We envision that the real treatment for FOP is going to be kind of like a cocktail, said Davis of the IFOPA. Its going to take the approval of other drugs to fully treat this disease. In addition to Ipsen, there are five or six companies working on treatments, she said. I feel very fortunate to have a condition that, although its so rare, there are many people around the world working daily on finding a treatment and hopefully eventually a cure, said LaPrade. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com TORRINGTON Mason Gero turns 5 on Feb. 12, and his family and friends are throwing him a parade with local emergency vehicles, cars and hopefully his favorite, a fire truck. More than 100 vehicles are expected at the parade. Turning 5 is exciting for any child, but for Mason its even more special, because he has been waiting for a new heart to replace his defective one for more than three years. Hes urgently waiting for a heart transplant, said Karen Thomas of Torrington. The situation has become dire, and they are patiently awaiting a donor heart for him. A GoFundMe page has been set up at gofundme.com (search for Mason Gero) to raise money for the family to help with expenses as they travel to and from Boston in the coming weeks. Thomas, who runs Friendly Hands Food Bank, said participants are gathering at Torrington High School at 2 p.m. next Saturday, then driving to his home a few blocks away. I know he loves garbage trucks, and Im working on getting him one, she said. Ive already secured a fire truck and a police car, along with several other vehicles to make this event special. Masons grandfather, Stuart Gero, a cousin of Thomas, said he will be at the parade. Hes such a great little boy, his grandfather said. He goes to Boston on Feb. 24, because until now, he hasnt really been on top of the waiting list, and theres a whole process that has to happen before he can receive a transplant. In 2019, several fundraisers were held for the family to pay for Masons rising medical costs, including a dinner at the Columbia Club/Knights of Columbus Hall in Torrington, where more than 700 people showed up. When Mason was born in 2017, he had what doctors called a complicated heart anatomy, his mother said, which revealed itself soon after his birth. The family brought him to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, which recommended taking the child to Hartford Hospital. There, doctors recommended surgery at Boston Childrens Hospital. In Boston, doctors performed a double ventricle repair to Masons heart a 12-hour procedure but it was unsuccessful, family members said. Doctors did surgery a second time, and they hoped the operation on the boys heart valves had worked; but soon after, Mason was back in Boston with ventricular dysfunction, meaning his heart was not functioning properly. The money that was raised went into an account to help (the family), Stuart Gero said. They have many friends who have risen to the occasion. The process Mason will start in Boston involves desensitization of the childs blood, removing all antibodies, so his body will accept the new heart, family members said. Meanwhile, Mason is at home with his parents, Danielle Kaczynski and Kyle Gero. Hes a typical 4-year-old; he loves to play, loves learning; hes good at math, Stuart Gero said. His parents are just amazing, the way they take care of him and help him learn at home. For Kaczynski and Gero said their little boy is slowly getting worse. Its been hard to ask for help, Kaczynski said. It helps to let people know whats going on. And for his birthday, its not safe enough to have a normal party for him, so a drive-by parade is going to be great. January was a difficult month for Mason. He was sick for a while, Kaczynski said. He had an ear infection, and the medications didnt agree with him; we ended up in the hospital. I cant deny that his heart failure is worsening, she said. Its time to do something. I kept him home for his quality of life, but now that its declining, I want to do this. I dont want to lose a chance on getting him a heart. Masons status for a transplant has risen from Status 2 to Status 1B, which is one step before 1A, where he will be eligible for the next available organ, his parents said. Five years later, here we are, Kaczynsk said. He has to be treated for the antibodies first, and with the treatments in Boston, hell get rid of them, and have a better chance at getting a heart and accepting it, his mother said. The family had a wonderful Christmas, she said, and Mason got lots of toys. His favorite toys are are Paw Patrol, The Hulk, and fire trucks. A lot of people like to drop off gifts at birthday parades, but he has a lot already, she said. Id just rather have him see the trucks and the cars, and all the people waving and beeping. GREENWICH Central Middle School students will be temporarily dispersed to three other district schools for at least the next week after the building was suddenly closed on Friday due to structural concerns. On Saturday night, Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones and CMS Principal Tom Healy sent an email to parents that starting Monday, Central students will be assigned to other schools by grade. Sixth graders will be sent to Cos Cob School; seventh graders will be sent to Eastern Middle School; and eighth graders will go to Greenwich High School. Classes for Central Middle School students will be delayed for two hours on Monday in order for school staff to have enough time to prepare. While the engineering firm that we have hired continues to work diligently on temporary immediate implementations to allow a safe return back into Central Middle School, we have been working with all of our district administration to ensure your children have a minimal disruption in their education this week, Jones said in her notice. According to Jones, dismissal time will be unchanged, except for eighth grade students who will dismiss at 2:15 p.m. for the entire week to avoid the high schools typical traffic patterns later in the afternoon. Food services for all students will remain uninterrupted. The dispersal of the students will be in effect for at least next week as the district seeks potential solutions to make the building safe for occupancy once again. After this weeks classes, all of Greenwich Public Schools will be closed from Feb 14 until Feb. 22 for the districts February break. Jones said they were optimistic that engineering solutions and safety precautions will allow the towns Building Department to give a safety clearance for a return to Central on Feb. 22. The district sought a waiver from the state in order to do remote classes for Central students for the next week but they were denied, Jones said. We have heard from many families over the past 24 hours asking if remote learning is a possibility, Jones said. We had made the request but the state of Connecticut has not changed its stance that remote learning for any reason other than health-related quarantine is not an option for our students. Board of Education Chair Kathleen Stowe credited the district with working so fast to get a plan in place. I think it was impressive that we have a plan for three grades in 24 hours and hopefully the kids will see it as an adventure for the week, Stowe said. They have certainly learned to be agile. I am disappointed that the state did not grant a waiver when (remote learning) would have been a nice option for a short time. At last count October 2021 Central Middle School had 540 students, the district said on Friday. The school building was closed suddenly on Friday morning at the direction of the towns Building Inspection Department. Last week the district received a report from Diversified Technology Consultants, which had been hired to study the buildings structural integrity. The report found significant structural concerns in the walls, internal water damage and standards and systems that do not meet the states building codes. The towns Board of Estimate and Taxation had already been considering if it was feasible to further accelerate either renovating or, more likely, building an entirely new middle school. Recently the Board of Education moved up an estimated $70 million budget request to 2025-26 and had been looking for a $250,000 study in the upcoming budget to explore options on new construction or renovation. Now the BET is potentially looking at emergency repair work and on Friday, BET Chair Dan Ozizmir said the finance board would be ready to act. The BET will work closely with the BOE to ensure a swift and safe reopening at Central Middle School, Ozizmir said. . kborsuk@greenwichtime.com They may no longer be useful or attractive, but that doesnt mean old furniture and other household goods have to be thrown onto a pile at a landfill. Keeping the things one person doesnt want and bringing them to a nonprofit where they will get a second life and help people in need is the mission of Junkluggers, a company Josh Cohen launched in Seymour in 2004 and which has gone national. We have 1,000 employees systemwide, were in 35 states, we have close to 100 franchisees, Cohen, who is CEO and owner of the Fairfield and Westchester counties franchise, based in Stamford. People call us for all different reasons: Theyre moving, theyre downsizing, theyre getting new stuff, theyre going through a divorce, someones passed away, he said. The key to Junkluggers doing so well, Cohen said, is its mission of doing good. Last year we donated to over 1,000 charity partners across the country, he said. Kind of like Robin Hood. Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity and New Reach are among the charities that have benefited from Junkluggers, and the company is always seeking out nonprofit agencies to help. When a franchise opens, well say, call everybody you can, Cohen said. Cohen started Junkluggers just to make some extra cash, he said. I put together some fliers on my parents computer: 21-year-old college student wants to haul away your junk and donate to Goodwill and just recycle whatever we can. When I got started, I saw that we were hauling away so much good stuff that people could use. Recently, Junkluggers of Greater New Haven donated 12 bicycles to Clifford Beers, the family-support agency in New Haven. Junkluggers employees built the bikes as a group activity during their national conference in Seymour. According to Gustavo Mesa, director of operations of the Greater New Haven franchise, Were a force for good in the environment in the community. So its one of our mission statements and were very passionate about this. The end result was our franchise, the local franchise, bringing them to Clifford Beers as a donation for kids and youth, Mesa said. Alice Forrester, executive director of Clifford Beers, said, The magic of a company buying brand-new bikes for kids to have as a surprise for Christmas, its such a humanistic and wonderful thing that came right on the cusp of the holidays so parents could come and pick it up. ... Our kids so deserve to have a little magic in their lives right now. Forrester said the bikes, like other gifts Clifford Beers provides, are given to the parents so their children see them as coming from them or Santa Claus and not the agency. Theres a large warehouse at the Stamford location, which can store a ton of stuff, literally, Mesa said. The Greater New Haven franchise in Seymour doesnt have the storage space, so they will bring items directly to the charities. New Reach, for example, assists homeless people and those who have lost their housing by eviction or other reasons to find new homes. We help out with that effort as far as getting them some new furniture for the new house, Mesa said. While furniture from bed frames to couches to dining tables is a big part of what Junkluggers collects and donates, there could also be any number of different household goods, from plates to cups to storage bins, you name it, really, anything that you can find in a house, Mesa said. Junkluggers is a sister company of Connecticut Basement Systems, owned by Larry Janesky, an investor and partner in Junkluggers. Both are part of Contractor Nation, which assists up-and-coming businesses at its campus at 60 Silvermine Road in Seymour. If Connecticut Basement Systems has a job that requires removing items, Junkluggers will take away the things the owners no longer want. When we had all the wet weather, we would go in and wed take out all the wet debris, furniture boxes, what have you, Mesa said. So thats how we complement each other. We go in, we remove the items that are in the way or move the items into a pod or an external storage. Another arm of Junkluggers is called Remix Market, housed in large warehouses like Stamfords, Mesa said. They bring the furniture there, they sell it and then proceeds will benefit a charity of choice, he said. Many are refinished or restored before they are sold. Mesa also started with Junkluggers in college, working on the trucks and working his way up to buying the Greater New Haven franchise, which he sold to Janesky. Besides directing operations for the franchise, he helps the corporate arm with training new franchisees. Mesa said Junkluggers is always looking for new charity partners. We have some relationships weve created many years ago, decades ago, and continue to fulfill those relationships, he said. But our ears are to the streets, right? So any donor, any type of nonprofit, anyone looking to do good to help us with our mission, were interested. So people reach out to us, were constantly reaching out to nonprofits, or through our networking, were trying to find individuals that could help us get to this goal of keeping 100 percent reusable items out of landfills. Mesa can be contacted at 203-455-6331 or gustavo.mesa@junkluggers.com. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com NEW HAVEN Residents who say establishing a methadone clinic in Newhallville will set back a neighborhood that is finally on the rise rallied around their cause Saturday. The APT Foundation, which treats opioid use disorder, purchased the building at 794 Dixwell Ave. with plans to relocate its Long Wharf services there, a proposal that has sparked backlash from community members and officials. Its really about an American dream for a neighborhood that is on a resurgence and coming back from a lot of trials and tribulations, said Kim Harris, a lifelong Newhallville resident who is organizing a campaign called Stop the APT Foundation. We are not anti-treatment. Thats not what Newhallville is saying. Were saying ... that (this) is not the vision that we want our kids to see. While residents stressed they were not anti-treatment, they feared the clinic could expose their children to traumatic sights, such as active drug use, and drive away business in a historically disadvantaged neighborhood. Lynn Madden, the APT Foundations president and CEO, said most of Long Wharfs services are administrative. On any given day we serve between 80 and 100 unique individuals at 1 Long Wharf, she said, adding that not all those patients receive methadone treatment, as the facility also includes a primary care program. Madden is open to continuing conversations with the city about other appropriate sites, she said. But in choosing the Dixwell location, the organization focused on finding a building large enough for the its purposes and where its services would be within zoning regulations, she said. These are well-researched, licensed, appropriate clinical services that save peoples lives. And I think its difficult to locate them because theres a lot of misconceptions and misinformation, said Madden. Those misconceptions and misinformation really serve to continue to stigmatize not only the treatment itself, but the persons who need treatment. It can really have a chilling effect on, you know, treatment entry. The rally Were not compromising. Were not changing our views, Jeanette Sykes, chairwoman of Stop the APT Foundations steering committee, told a crowd of about 50 people gathered midday Saturday at the corner of Dixwell Avenue and Elizabeth Street. Sykes was one of numerous people to take the microphone during the rally at the proposed APT Foundation site. Why cant this neighborhood have the same as any other neighborhood can have? Sykes said. Businesses are thriving on Fulbert (Street). We want them to continue to thrive. Say no to APT, the crowd chanted. Most speakers stood in firm opposition to the clinic location. You dont set up trauma sites in communities that are traumatized, said Saladin Hasan, resident imam for Abdul-Majid Karim Hasan Islamic Center. Other speakers included state and local officials from both New Haven and Hamden, as the clinic sits on the town-city line. State Sen. Gary Winfield, D-10, state Rep. Toni Walker, D-93, Newhallville Alder Devin Avshalom-Smith, D-20, Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett and Legislative Council President Dominique Baez were among those who gave remarks. Disproportionately, economically-impacted community of color have often been on the sideline and have not been given a voice in very important decisions that involve their community, Garrett told the crowd. Your community deserves to be clean, your community deserves to have thriving businesses and your community deserves to be heard. We want to be clear that the Legislative Council is committed to finding equitable solutions to recovery, said Baez. But not here. Not APT. Citys role While New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker told rally attendees the city would work to find another solution, he cautioned that he could not promise to put a stop to the project. He did not have the legal power to do so, he said, emphasizing that the site was not on city property. His remarks were not well met, as some rally attendees interrupted him and demanded he shut (the project) down. I understand that people in Newhallville and in the Hill feel like, Why does it always have to be in our neighborhoods? Elicker said. But Im not gonna stand up here and give promises I cant deliver on. The city cant just decide to put it somewhere else. Still, Madden, the APT Foundation CEO, was open to alternatives, according to Elicker. Lynn (Madden) has not submitted her paperwork to the city because she has told me that she wants to see what she can do here, he said. What I can promise is that we will do everything we can as a city to work with the steering committee, with the community and with APT to see if we can find a better solution. In an interview following the rally, Elicker detailed the citys role in the matter. The city doesnt own the property. The city wasnt involved in the purchase of the property, he said. Other than as a potential convener, the only kind of technical and legal role the city plays is in the approval process. That is a very legal, not a political, process. So the city cant deny an application just because we dont want something somewhere. ... We can only deny an application if it is against the city zoning laws. Yet the mayor recognized Newhallvilles frustration. Its really important to acknowledge the frustration with an entity that is providing services going into a neighborhood that is really struggling, and the frustration that is expressed by a lot of community leaders who are working very hard to improve their neighborhood and their community, he said. Impact on neighborhoods Many community members concerns pertain to issues reported at the APT Foundation facility at Congress Avenue. Howard Boyd, chairman of the Hill North Community Management Team, told Saturdays crowd litter was an issue in the area of the clinic. He once picked up syringes during a neighborhood clean-up, he recalled, and said people can sometimes be found actively using drugs in the nearby bus shelter. Our kids have enough stuff on their mind, enough trauma, Boyd said. Madden, the APT Foundations president, said she believes issues near the Congress Avenue facility have been alleviated. We have been in conversations, and really in collaboration, with the city for some time now really trying to address the concerns of neighbors, she said, adding that the organization adjusted operating hours and reduced its patient population. Other densely populated areas of the city lacking methadone clinics suffer from similar issues, Madden said. Thats a very dense part of the city with a lot going on there, she said. The Congress Avenue location gives methadone treatment to more than twice as many patients as the Long Wharf facility, according to Madden But Hamden Councilman Justin Farmer, D-5, had more on his mind than immediate quality of life issues. The APT Foundation moving here could be a catalyst to gentrify the area, said Farmer, who opposes the move. If the facility is not a good neighbor, he said, residents may worry about property values and sell their homes at below market rates. Speculators from the community could swoop in, he said, eventually leading to a situation where we wont have our community anymore. meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 56F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 43F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Johnstown, Pa., native Vincent Pankoke is shown at the Amsterdam City Archive during an investigation into the arrest of Anne Frank and her family in 1944. Pankoke, a retired FBI agent, led the effort to determine who told the Nazis where the Frank family was hiding. Popular media personality, Uti Uwachukwu has advised couples, especially men going through family crisis to have their kids through surrogac... Popular media personality, Uti Uwachukwu has advised couples, especially men going through family crisis to have their kids through surrogacy or sperm bank. Uti said this in a post on his Twitter page while criticising men who complain of the lavish lifestyle of their women after marriage. He also suggested that couples sign prenuptial agreement as love is not enough in marriages these days. His tweet read, How men keep making the same mistake over and over and over again! Tomorrow, you will say you married a witch that wants to drain you. Just chop ur L in peace and say ignored the red flags because you were infatuated by beauty, body and her status. It happens to everyone. It happens to both genders. My own is that the world is changing. To fight this change is to be delusional. If youre not sure you can be with someone for the rest of your life, have your own kids so that even if you divorce, they are yours, no one can use them to manipulate you and frustrate you in future. The options are vast, male or female get your children (Sperm bank, surrogacy). Sign prenuptial agreements! Because like Adekunle said, love is not enough. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State chapter has asked the State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola to disclose the States debt profile... The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Osun State chapter has asked the State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola to disclose the States debt profile. The request was made by the Osun PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi while featuring on a radio political programme on Saturday in Osogbo. Bisi while challenging Governor Oyetola to make public to the citizens of Osun the States debt burden, said that the State Governor could not exonerate himself from his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola whom he served as Chief of Staff. The Osun PDP boss stated that the role of the State Governor then as Chief Of Staff for 8 years was well documented and he was aware of all the projects the Rauf Aregbesola administration embarked upon. He also maintained that the Governor has not done anything that can sell him to the electorates and make him seek re-election. I want to say this for record purposes. Oyetola has not done anything spectacular that can make him to be seeking for reelection. We knew what Baba Bisi Akande did when he was the governor, ditto Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, he said. While assuring the people that the PDP is ready to rescue the State from total collapse, the main opposition party chairman assured that come July 16, with the support of the people of Osun, PDP will take over the mantle of leadership in the State. Recall that a former Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning Wale Bolorunduro has some weeks back called out the Governor on the same matter. Bolorunduro also told the governor that as a former Chief of Staff under the Rauf Aregbesola administration, he was part of the government machinery and was also actively involved in the day to day running of the government operations. BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China. LUNG CANCER AI DETECTOR Chinese scientists have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted testing tool to detect early-stage lung cancer. The study published on Thursday in the journal Science Translational Medicine described the Lung Cancer Artificial Intelligence Detector that may play a part in the early detection of lung cancer or large-scale screening of high-risk cancer populations. SPECIES BIODIVERSITY ON QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU Chinese researchers have discovered geographical isolation, natural selection, and hybridization could have together promoted the species diversification of numerous plant genera on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Gene flow has been widely detected during the speciation processes of all examined groups, suggesting that natural selection may have played an important role during species divergence in this region. In addition to geographic isolation, natural hybrids have been recovered in almost all species-rich genera. This suggests that numerous species in this region are still on the speciation pathway to complete reproductive isolation. GREEN REFRIGERATION TECHNOLOGY Chinese scientists have discovered a promising green refrigeration technology that may replace traditional refrigerants represented by freon, a greenhouse gas that leads to severe climate problems. The research team led by Tong Peng at the Institute of Solid State Physics at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found excellent cooling performance in n-alkanes through solid-liquid state transition driven by high pressure. The discovery provides a new perspective for developing eco-friendly refrigeration technology. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 62F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with visiting Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who made a trip to China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jie) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday met with visiting Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Tedros said he was delighted to come to China and participate in the Olympic torch relay on this special occasion, adding that the Beijing Olympic Winter Games has brought solidarity, peace and hope to the world under the impact of the pandemic and will help people tide over the current difficult moment. He expressed appreciation for China's strong support to the world in fighting the pandemic and pledged to continue strengthening cooperation with China in public health. He expects and believes that China would play an important role in achieving the goal of vaccinating 70 percent of people in all countries, he said. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of New China's lawful seat in the WHO. China has carried out all-dimensional, multi-tiered and wide-ranging pragmatic and effective cooperation with the WHO in the past 50 years, supporting and participating in the WHO's efforts to address various challenges, Wang said. China has provided over 2.1 billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations. Many developing countries, particularly in Africa, received their first batch of vaccines from China, and most of their vaccines also came from China, according to Wang. He added that China supports the global COVID-19 vaccination strategy proposed by the WHO and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the WHO on bridging the immunization gap and making vaccines accessible and affordable for developing countries. Midway through the first act of Fly, a quartet of airmen-in-training are out on the town in 1940s Tuskegee, Alabama. After refusing to use the entrance designated for Black people at a local watering hole, they find refuge in a swinging joint across the tracks, where they clink glasses and make a promise to themselves and each other: straighten up and fly right. As the Nat King Cole hit plays on the jukebox, the scene is set for the young pilots ascent to honor and glory as members of the 99th Fighter Squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black aviators in the U.S. military, who made their bones in the violent, fiery skies above Europe during World War II. 'FLY' WHEN: Through Feb. 13 WHERE: Jefferson Performing Arts Center 6400 Airline Drive, Metairie TICKETS: $23 and up INFO: www.JPAS.org Fly, presented by the Jefferson Performing Arts Society (through Feb. 13), is a 2009 play that honors the history and legacy of these American heroes as they face enemies both domestic and foreign. Directed by Tommye Myrick, award-winning founder of Voices in the Dark theater company, the play is a history lesson with a heart, shining a light on the pilots who faced systemic racism and oppression on the ground, but found freedom, if only fleetingly, in the clouds. Written by Trey Ellis and Ricardo Khan, Fly is framed as a memory play, with an opening scene that features video projections tracing the history of Black men and women in America from their African roots, to the horrors of the U.S. slave trade, to the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first Black president of the United States. At the inauguration, former airman Chet Simpkins looks back on the progress of his people, recalling his journey from a kid in Harlem to a decorated war hero. Weighty performances The JPAS production is strong and sharp, grounded by the weighty performances of the four leads playing a ragtag group of frustrated young men who evolve into a band of brothers. As Simpkins, Jimez Alexander is the steady center of the play, flanked by the flashy Chicago ladies man W.W. (Michael C. Forest), the equality-minded race man from Iowa, Oscar (played by choreographer Donald Jones Jr.), and a recent immigrant from the West Indies, J. Allen (Atlantis Clay). The first act of Fly documents the rigors of training, while the second act finds the men in the heat of battle, escorting bombers on runs over Italy, then on a dangerous mission to Berlin. The four roles are stock characters from the era, representing a few broad stereotypes of American regionalism that end up in the melting pot of the armed forces, but the actors solid performances reveal some heartfelt truths beneath the surface of the plays protagonists. At times the play resembles something Ken Burns might produce for PBS, as the script leans into historical documentary, utilizing black-and-white war footage set to the tunes of Bessie Smith, Chick Webb, and other sounds of the times. But the educational bent is balanced by the productions dynamic rhythms, a recurring element embodied by the soldiers' marching drills and call-and-response cadences, an HBCU-style step number, and a Savion Glover-inspired character billed as the Tap Griot, played by LG Williams II, a spiritual apparition whose impassioned tap dancing expresses emotions that the characters sometimes cant. JPAS artistic director speaks The glossy tribute is a good fit for JPAS, an organization that has previously faced criticisms of racial insensitivity over productions like South Pacific and The King and I with their outdated, White-centric view of history. The companys co-founder and artistic director, Dennis G. Assaf, took the stage on opening night to painfully acknowledge JPASs reputation as a White theater and to reassert the organization's commitment to offer programming that reflects the entire community. He was followed by jazz vocalist Sharon Martin, whose pre-show performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing, known as the Black national anthem, received an enthusiastic response from the diverse audience, many of whom were first-time visitors to the Metairie playhouse. Ultimately, rather than relying solely on rose-colored nostalgia (though there is a little of that here), Fly gives audiences an opportunity to look back at the glory days of the past without sweeping aside the difficult realities of the way we used to be. ************************* A photo exhibit in the JPAS lobby, "Souls of Valor," is a tribute to the African-American heroes of the war, produced by photographer Jim Thorns. The exhibit, depicting all branches of the military, features pictures of veterans by local photographers and contributions by Myrick. It's on view through Feb. 13. ************************ Brad Rhines writes about theater. Contact him at bradfordrhines@gmail.com. The Art of the Matter Royal Longevity The exhibition is just beautiful, said Katherine Boh, who has the double distinction within the Rex Organizations family of being a spouse of a king, the late Robert H. Boh, and mother of his majesty of 2019, Robert S. Boh. She was praising the exhibition of the Louisiana State Museum, Rex: The 150th Anniversary of the School of Design, that just opened at the Presbytere on Jackson Square during the festive course of the Louisiana Museum Foundations Founders Ball III with IberiaBank | First Horizon as the presenting sponsor. The gala event that opened Rex, an exhibition of the LSM, and the office of Lt. Gov. William H. Billy Nungesser, was funded by the above foundation through generous community support. Purple, green and gold, the traditional colors of Mardi Gras (and a Rex invention) were on full display, beginning with a stunning large-scale floral arrangement by Dunn & Sonnier. Shimmering table linens continued the chromatic theme. Co-curated by Wayne Phillips, who is the LSMs Textiles, Costumes and Carnival Curator, and Dr. Stephen Hales, the historian and archivist of the Rex Organization, the Rex exhibition was, of course, the cynosure. Projected to run through Dec. 11, it was spread over five thematic galleries. It showcased fabulous Rex costumes (including dazzling gowns of former queens), jewels, portraits, Carnival favors, rare documents, and the artistry of School of Design invitations. The Founders Ball III artwork was by Caroline Thomas of Royal Artists. As patrons perused the exhibit on the second floor of the Presbytere, they enjoyed an array of hors doeuvres. Downstairs, the delectations continued with a buffet featuring seafood by the Louisiana Seafood and Marketing Promotion, as well as choice Creole dishes and desserts from Ralph Brennan Catering. Classic New Orleans cocktails, such as Ojen, Rex 1872, and Sidecar, were enjoyed, as were the offerings of six full bars, courtesy of the Goldring Family Foundation (and William Bill Goldring) and the Sazerac Company. After general milling, and right on the scheduled time of 7:45 p.m., the comely crowd assembled in the second floor gallery for the presentation with Mark C. Romig as master of ceremonies, and five presenters/speakers. They were Karl Hoefer from the presenting sponsor, IberiaBank | First Horizon; Erik F. Johnsen, the oldest-living former Rex and Founders Ball III His Majestys Court Underwriting Sponsor; LMF president Melissa Douglass Steiner; and Rex official James J. Reiss III, who said, the founders of Rex would be so happy with this exhibition and, among others, recognized the above Wayne Phillips, LMF executive director Susan Maclay, and the lieutenant governor. The concluding words were from Lt. Gov. Nungesser, who said that it took over two years ago to get to this (opening) night. Recognized, too, by emcee Mark Romig were the Founders Ball III honorary co-chairs: Messrs. Stephen S. Boh, John D. Charbonnet, Louis M. Freeman, Richard W. Freeman Jr., (Dr.) Ronald J. French, Louis L. Frierson, William F. Grace Jr., (Dr.) Hales, Johnsen, Michael W. Kearney, Harry B. Kelleher Jr., John E. Koerner III, John P. Jack Laborde, R. King Milling, Robert M. Monsted Jr., Lynes R. Poco Sloss, Eli Watson Tullis and Thomas D. Westfeldt II. Almost all of these former kings of Carnival (Rexes) were present and accompanied by a spouse or guest, as were many of the above and following. Especially limelighted were the four ball co-chairs: Messrs. Christian Christy T. Brown, J. Storey Charbonnet (the 2020 king, and thus the reigning Rex of two years), William H. Bill Hines and R. Hunter Pierson Jr. Again, all former royalty. Another foursome received kudos: Messrs. Murray A. Calhoun, Benjamin A. Dupuy, T. Semmes Favrot and Philip N. Hodges, members of the balls steering committee. The Rex Organization, the balls honoree, was hailed for 150 years of Carnival leadership, creating the template for Mardi Gras as we know it today, and for its commitment to New Orleans and the public good. The motto of Rex is Pro Bono Publico. Presentations to the Rex organization, proclamations from Rex (to Lt. Gov. Nungesser, Susan Maclay and Wayne Phillips), and U.S. and Louisiana flag presentations (to Messrs. Reiss and Brown) concluded the formalities. More features of the event included the scintillating sounds of The Harry Hardin Trio with a mix of jazz and old standards, DJ Rockin Rob with dance music, dinner, and continued viewing of the limelighted exhibition. Several people enjoyed going through the gorgeous float that welcomed visitors within. Noted, and joined by many of the aforementioned, were Erica Reiss, Anne Lynne Charbonnet, Mary Hines, Cathy Pierson, Jerry Steiner, Caroline Calhoun, Sweet Dupuy, Catherine Favrot, Lisa Hoefer, Barbara Johnsen, Ann Boh, Gayle Benson, Jennifer and Dennis Lauscha, Nancy Hales, Flora French, Tiffany Adler and dad Coleman Adler, Sarah (Mrs. Richard Jr.) Freeman, Don Maclay, and countless others, who appreciated the Bringing History to Life role of the Louisiana Museum Foundation and the legacy of Rex, which since its founding in 1972, has provided unparalleled leadership in Carnival. Fun, too. O What a Night! Dale times two thats Beverly Dale and Dale A. Mott teamed to chair Ogden Museums recent O What a Night!, a much anticipated on-premises gala that recognized as the Opus Award recipient, acclaimed photographer and author Sally Mann. In appreciation of her photography, the colorscape and theme featured gray and black hues. The tent had black turf and a white dance floor. Further decorative aspects were the stage with a plethora of string lights and lush green ferns; tables topped with gray shimmer tablecloths, floral centerpieces, and purple uplighting (throughout the tent); and a photo booth. Feeding the photogenic flock were dishes from Sylvain of LeBlanc + Smith (salad), McHardys Chicken (fried chicken), The Elysian Bar (oyster bar) and Beth Biundo Sweets (desserts).The Champagne was provided by Total Wine & More and Dale A. Mott & Kenneth P. Hyde. Exciting features of O were music by The New Orleans Swinging Gypsies, One Shot Brass Band, Jeremy Davenport, and Dplay Band; Neal Auction Company as presenter of more than 100 works by regional artists for the silent auction (with a portion of the proceeds going to participating artists); and the live auction of 16 lots with thanks to auctioneer Nicholas Nicho Lowry (Antique Roadshow) and Swann Auction Galleries. The beautiful sculpture by MaPo Kinnord and the late Lin Emery was the highest selling piece ($41,000.) with half the pieces proceeds slated for the United Negro College Fund. Notables, and they were numerous, included Ogden Museum of Southern Art Chairperson Jessie Haynes, Academy Award nominee Ramell Ross (who has a current solo exhibition at the museum), and from the New Orleans City Council, Helena Moreno and Lesli Harris. Also, Anne Guillot and John Isiah Walton, Martin Payton and MaPo Kinnord, Michelle and Jason Leckert, Janet Adderley, Bryan Batt and Tom Cianfichi, Natalie and Amilton Neves Cuna, Jennie Cannon West and Jason Richards, Borislava and Steven Callan, Leslie Claire Spillman and Amy Blackwell, and Susan and Ralph Brennan. Special appreciation tapped Jason Waguespack and Jeffery Morgan, hosts for the bashs patron party in their Uptown home. The Delachaise purveyed and a Saba mixologist crafted the cocktails, which were sipped as folks previewed the live auctions artwork, while mingling with the artists and auctioneer. All during another, O What a Night! LSU to lead small business development center network LSU has been designated as the new host organization for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center network, which provides training and technical support to small businesses and entrepreneurs. The network, which consists of 10 regional offices across the state, is funded by Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration. In its role as the host organization, LSU will help to manage the development centers approximately $4.4 million annual program budget, which includes in-kind value gained from the participating universities that house regional center offices. It also will coordinate operations of the 10 regional offices from the networks new statewide headquarters at LSU Innovation Park in Baton Rouge. As Louisianas flagship university, LSUs resources and expertise are meant to serve the entire state, said Andrew Maas, LSU Innovation & Ecosystem Development director. Its an honor for us to lend our support to strengthen the network with our colleagues at regional SBDC offices across the state. When we help small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed, Louisiana wins. Acadian launches latest accelerated EMT program Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Acadian Ambulance and the National EMS Academy are kicking off the latest round of accelerated emergency medical technician classes across south Louisiana. The program will select people interested in earning their EMT certification and pay them while they are in training. Upon successful completion, they will then serve as EMTs. Compared with the traditional EMT program, which takes four months to complete, the accelerated program is a seven-week course. Acceptance into the program is competitive. Acadian will cover the fees and costs of the course. While in school, students will earn $11 an hour. The last day to apply for the program is Friday, and the courses will begin March 7. Classes will be held in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. To learn about the program or to apply, visit nationalemsacademy.com/programs/medic-training/. A young attempted-suicide survivor recently told an audience in the Mandeville High School auditorium that silence will never keep kids safe, and she pleaded with any adults hearing her words to talk with young people about their feelings of anxiety and depression. I believe kids dont want to die, but they want the pain to go away," 22-year-old Emma Benoit told the mix of students and adults gathered to hear her. Benoit tried to end her life as a 17-year-old high school senior. "They dont know how to get help, and other young people dont know how to help them. The St. Tammany chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness coordinated the Jan. 27 presentation that featured Benoit and several other panelists speaking to about 150 adults and teens following the screening of My Ascension, a documentary detailing Benoits suicide attempt, her recovery and her conversion into an ambassador for suicide prevention. Benoits suicide attempt resulted in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed but propelled her on a mission to use her experience to help others, she said. Since the release of the film, Benoit has traveled the country speaking to schools, churches, community leaders and nonprofit organizations. At both in-person events and virtual conferences, she is encouraging prevention efforts that include establishing teen-to-teen, school-based suicide prevention programs. She helped Lutcher High School start such a program called "Hope Squad," the first of its kind in the state. This film was so impactful because it tells young people that suicide is not just a life-altering event, but a life-ending event, said St. Tammany Parish Coroner Charles Preston, who was also a panelist. It ends the joy and miracle that is a life. Preston's office, which partners with the St. Tammany Outreach for the Prevention of Suicide, reported that suicide in St. Tammany among those under 20 doubled from 2020 to 2021. It is critical that events like this create awareness and get people talking about preventing suicide among young people, he said. In addition to Benoit and Preston, forum panelists included My Ascension producer Greg Dicharry, school psychologist Jennifer Tonglet, teen mental health first aid instructor Melanie Donahue and NAMI Louisiana advocacy director Tatiana Gonzales. They answered anonymous questions after the powerful film was screened. NAMI St. Tammany Executive Director Nick Richard said the event is one step toward opening the door of communication with youth about mental health. The fact that Emma was a popular, good student, a varsity cheerleader, and yet she still held these feelings of hopelessness. That is something we need to talk about so that no one else has to go through this, he said. In the often gripping documentary, viewers watch as Benoit comes to terms with her mental illness and embarks on a journey to increase suicide prevention efforts. In it, she said that as soon as she pulled the trigger to end her life, she regretted the decision. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up I thought, I dont want to die, I dont want to die, she says on screen. At the film's conclusion, Richard introduced the panelists and collected handed-written questions from the audience, reading each one aloud for the panels response. They ranged from parents and teachers asking how to broach the topic of suicide with teens to personal questions related to specific instances of abuse and trauma. NAMI-trained counselors were on hand for private meetings, if needed, after the event. Panelists reiterated the need for youth to get involved in speaking out for suicide prevention and for both parents and teachers to make use of resources that can arm them with knowledge of warning signs and how to handle them. Gonzales, a Mandeville High School graduate who is the advocacy and state director for NAMI Louisiana, said it is especially important to be keenly aware of any anxiety or mental issues among teens and youth amid the challenges of dealing with the pandemic. COVID-19 creates a crisis of stress for young people, she said. Richard agreed and compared the toll that the pandemic is taking on youth mental health to that of a natural disaster. I think we are just starting to see the impact that the pandemic will have on our community. While this may not be a hurricane, the pandemic has disrupted all of our lives for an extended period of time, causing a lot of uncertainty, stress, and fear. Statistics show that the real impact on mental health usually follows 18-24 months after an event, he said. For that reason, Benoit said she will continue to attend film screenings like the one in Mandeville and travel the country to share her story. She said that during her recovery, she experienced a shift in perspective from when she wanted to take her own life to one of gratitude for every day. My faith in God has truly carried me through my journey. It has become the most important thing in my life and continues to bring me peace and truth, even when I struggle. To view more about Benoits journey or to find out how to bring My Ascension to a community group, visit myascension.us. Photo taken on Sept. 30, 2020 shows the street view of the Lujiazui area of Pudong, east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's capital market is expected to see sound development with more opportunities this year, experts said. "The opportunities outweigh the challenges for China's capital market in 2022," said Peng Wensheng, chief analyst of the China International Capital Corporation, in a recent interview with Xinhua. Peng added that the country's innovation drive and policies to stabilize growth would further stimulate vitality and unleash the potential of China's capital market. Despite uncertainties in the global financial market in 2022, China's capital market still has the foundation and conditions for sustainable and sound development, said Liu Yuanchun, vice president of Renmin University of China. More liquidity support and continued reforms would help China's capital market maintain its sound development, said Liu. The steady growth momentum of the Chinese economy has laid a solid foundation for capital market development, said Liu. Liu added that China's economic growth is forecast to range from 5.2 to 5.6 by some agencies. Chinese authorities have underscored a "triple pressure" -- shrinking demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations -- and prioritized stability in its economic work for 2022 in a tone-setting economic meeting. Despite the triple pressure, China's economy will likely maintain steady growth momentum this year with decreased unemployment, generally stable commodity prices, and enhanced technological innovation, Liu said. A man suspected of carjacking a woman who was left with a fractured skull has been arrested by the New Orleans Police Department. Tyrese Harris, 18, was booked on charges of attempted armed robbery, armed robbery with a firearm, principal to carjacking, aggravated criminal damage to property, illegal use of a weapon and illegal carrying of weapons. The arrest is in connection with Tuesday's carjacking of Kelleye Rhein, a local real estate agent and mother of two, at the Costco store on South Carrollton Avenue while she was pumping gas. Rhein was pumping gas on the passenger side of her vehicle when Harris got in her car on the driver's side and pulled away, dragging her in the process. She was knocked unconscious and fractured her skull, police said. Rhein's husband, Jason Rhein, issued a statement Sunday evening following the arrest. "We are grateful for the progress made by NOPD detectives with the arrest today." he said. "But we are still processing how we feel and are very emotional right now." Police announced the arrest Sunday afternoon after multiple sources confirmed to the Times-Picayune that Harris had been taken into custody for questioning. Harriss arrest was not his first offense. As of Tuesday, he was out on a bond of $12,500 stemming from an Aug. 19 incident in which he is accused of stealing a man's car, and he had a court date scheduled for Feb. 22. The Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office had booked him with two counts of aggravated flight from an officer, illegal possession of stolen things and resisting an officer Aug. 21 and on Sept. 14 an additional charge of armed robbery with a firearm, all in relation to the same incident. On Nov. 10, New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams's office refused those charges and charged him with a single count of aggravated flight from an officer. It is not uncommon for a district attorney to refuse charges that a suspect is booked on by the police, as the decision is based on the evidence presented and other considerations. Williams' office issued a statement Sunday explaining its decision in that case. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "In this incident, the victim would not cooperate in the charging process out of fear, and that is a reality we face in too many of these cases, and that is the key piece of evidence needed in too many of these cases to win (them) in court and prove (them) beyond a reasonable doubt," a spokesperson said. In that case, Harris and two other men are accused of approaching a 29-year-old man unloading his car in the 600 block of Washington Avenue (map) in the Irish Channel at about 7:30 p.m. and demanding the mans keys and phone, police said The man gave them up and Harris and the other men drove away in his silver 2002 Toyota Camry with the Louisiana license plate 823DMR, police said. Police didn't immediately say how they linked Harris to Rhein's carjacking, but it was clear that he was under scrutiny by Saturday. His mom, Ivory Harris, 42, was booked on weapons-related charges that day, though there is no indication it is related to the carjacking at Costco. Sunday morning, a U.S. Marshal's task force and the NOPD's Violent Offender's Warrant Squad tracked Harris to the 1500 block of Milton Street (map), in the St. Bernard neighborhood of Gentilly, where he surrendered without incident, a source confirmed. The city, the NOPD and the District Attorney's Office have been under intense scrutiny recently over the surge in violent crime, and carjackings in particular have skyrocketed during the pandemic. New Orleans City Council member J.P. Morrell issued a statement Sunday evening hailing law enforcement officers involved in his apprehension and the Violent Offender Warrant Squad. "This is what good police work looks like in New Orleans: Veteran detectives working to identify the suspect and V.O.W.S. stepping in to locate and apprehend the suspect," he said. New Orleans police are looking into multiple vehicle burglaries that happened Saturday night in the Marigny during the Chewbacchus parade. Police confirmed an investigation into vehicle break-ins along the 2300 block of St. Claude Avenue (map) but did not address reports of thefts that proliferated Sunday on social media by people who had parked on other streets on the night of the parade. Authorities did not say how many vehicles were involved. Chewbacchus, a Star Wars-themed Mardi Gras parade, rolled at 7 p.m. Saturday at Royal Street and Elysian Fields Avenue in the Marigny and continued into the French Quarter. A police spokesperson said Sunday afternoon that the reports regarding the St. Claude Avenue vehicle break-ins had not yet been approved, limiting the details it could release. Unconfirmed break-ins were reported by community members on Twitter and Reddit in various locations in and around the Marigny, a popular gathering spot to view Chewbacchus, though the parade had the Marigny portion of its route cut off this year because of a shortage of off-duty officers available to work the parade. The celebration tends to spread cars out into residential neighborhoods close to its route, where many of these break-ins were reported on social media. Anyone with information regarding these crimes is asked to call detectives at 504-658-6050 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward. A man standing on North Villere Street on Saturday was struck by two bullets moments after hearing a nearby argument followed by gunfire. The man was in the 900 block of North Villere Street at 4:10 p.m. when two bullets struck him in the right knee and shoulder, the New Orleans Police Department said Sunday. He went to the hospital in a private vehicle. The shooting was one of a handful of incidents across the city since Saturday morning. According to the NOPD: Two men were in the 5400 block of Wisner Boulevard near City Park at 10:51 a.m. Saturday when one of them took out a gun and forced the other to send him money online. The victim complied and the other man fled in a white truck. Five minutes later, in the 500 block of Spain Street in the Marigny, a woman and a male friend were sitting at an outdoor establishment when another man walked by, snatched the victim's purse from the woman's lap and jumped into a small, black SUV occupied by three other males nearby. The SUV had a Louisiana license plate with the number 159BAZ. At 4:11 p.m., two men were arguing about stolen property at Calliope Street and Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard when one took the other man's wallet and fled. At 6:23 p.m., a man snatched a cellphone from a woman he was arguing with in the 7200 block of Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans East. She called the police and they captured the man, who they identified as Eric Terro, 49. At 7:41 p.m., a man was in his vehicle in the 6100 block Warfield Street in New Orleans East when someone knocked on the window with a gun and demanded entry. The victim fled from the location in the vehicle; there was no information on the suspect. At 12:26 a.m. Sunday, a woman was putting air in her tires in the 1200 block of North Broad Street when two men approached asking for a lighter. The woman said she would help after she finished, and one of the men took out a weapon, took the woman's vehicle and fled. Then at 1:54 a.m., a man identified as Royale Kelly, 30, came out of a bar in the 900 block of Piety Street yelling and got into an argument with another man. Kelly allegedly stabbed the man with a small knife and fled, only to turn up at a hospital later saying he had cut his finger on Canal St. Officers spoke with Kelly, identified him as the alleged perpetrator and took him into custody. Two people were injured after a car ran through the wall of a Rivertown church in Kenner Sunday morning, the Kenner Police Department said. Officers arrived at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church at 1908 Short Street at 8:30 a.m. to find a vehicle halfway through the south wall. The driver sustained "minor injuries" and a church choir member twisted an ankle, according to police. The driver is a member of the church who said he recently had work done to his car for "sudden acceleration issues." After starting his car this morning and shifting gears, he said he lost control, and the vehicle drove forward rapidly into the side of the church, police said. The driver has not been cited, and the accident is still under investigation, according to officials. No other details were immediately available. The latest climate change warning, dubbed code red for humanity, contains especially troubling predictions for Louisiana. Combined with sinking land, the state's lower third - everything between New Orleans and Lake Charles - will likely see the Gulf of Mexico rise by more than 1 feet in the next three decades, the steepest increase in the United States. Directly on the Gulf Coast, it could be worse. At Grand Isle, the water level will rise almost 2 feet by 2050 compared to todays heights, according to a NASA estimate combining subsidence and new sea level projections. And it won't stop there. The global sea level will continue its alarming ascent for generations to come, says the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. It declares that all evidence shows climate change to be caused by human influence and that its effects are unmistakable today. In addition to rising sea levels, Louisiana residents already are experiencing key effects of global warming, including more intense rains, stronger hurricanes striking the coast and higher temperatures, said Virginia Burkett, chief scientist for climate and land use change with the U.S. Geological Survey, who reviewed this latest IPCC report for the U.S. State Department. Burkett, who co-chairs of the science advisory committee of Gov. John Bel Edwards Climate Initiatives Task Force, said the new report warns that the level of environmental change from today to the end of this century depends on whether and how quickly the world halts greenhouse gas emissions. That's particularly important in Louisiana, a state that produces an estimated 4% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and one where industry accounts for two thirds of the gases, much more than it does in the rest of the country. The carbon emission reduction discussions under way in Louisiana are illustrative of the type and scale of the actions that are being discussed globally to reach a net zero emissions target by 2050 that would avoid warming of greater than 1.5 to 2 Celsius, Burkett said. That net zero goal means any carbon or carbon-equivalent emissions must be offset by reductions, or be removed from the atmosphere and permanently stored. The latest IPCC report only confirms what we are experiencing here in Louisiana: hotter days, higher seas and more frequent and extreme weather events, Edwards said. The IPCC report further underscores the need for serious climate action aimed at avoiding more extreme impacts from a hotter planet." IPCC WGI Interactive Atlas: Regional information This interactive site allows users to toggle between different climate change scenarios and understand how various weather patterns would be i Federal, state and local officials are working to counter the effects of climate change, with proposals to reduce carbon emissions, forestall flooding, improve construction planning and raise the height of hurricane protection levees. Whether its enough remains to be seen. But clearly the states 20 southernmost parishes, including Calcasieu, Lafayette, Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany, are under siege. Other parishes also will be affected by interior flooding from both hurricanes and more intense rains. In the coming years, Louisianans will experience more of what the IPCC and scientists such as Burkett and Linda Mearns, a lead author on the international report, call compound extreme events: a Category 3, 4 or 5 hurricane accompanied by extreme rainfall and higher temperatures amid a trend of rising seas. Such a combination would mean higher storm surge along the coast and greater chances of inland flooding in more populated areas, such as occurred in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Evacuees and storm survivors would face hotter temperatures, similar to those that were blamed for killing residents in attics in the Lower 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "Southern Louisiana could very well be subjected to these three extremes that could very well happen at the same time," Mearns said. "The Gulf Coast area in general is really not in a great position in terms of climate change." Released Monday, and written by 234 scientists synthesizing information more than 14,000 research papers, the global climate assessment delivered more precise projections for a warmer world, using improved models and more on-the-ground observations of conditions attributed to climate change than were available for the panels previous report in 2013. Worst-case scenario: Louisiana could see the Gulf of Mexico rise more than 4 feet if the world - and the state - continues a business as usual approach and make no carbon reductions. "It's unavoidable that the sea level is going to rise for many centuries to come, and that's going to create an escalating hazard for coastal communities," said Robert Kopp, a lead author of the report and a professor of earth and planetary sciences at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "But when we look at the second half of the century and beyond, how much sea level rise we get is increasingly sensitive to the emission choices we're making." Burkett said sea level rise is more significant in Louisiana because of the underlying rates of subsidence, which is largely a consequence of the Mississippi River being leveed in the first half of the 20th century. Ive worked on this for 30 years, and that sinking of the delta has become less and less of an influence, compared to the main global rate of sea level rise, Burkett said. Twenty years ago, that sinking made up 80% to 90% of the total, but now actual water rise has overtaken subsidence, she said. The report casts doubt on the world's ability to minimize global warming to an increase of 1.5 Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, when compared to temperatures between 1850 and 1900. But the 2015 Paris Agreement's primary goal of limiting the increase to well below 2 Celsius remains within reach. Kopp stressed that any reduction in greenhouse gases entering the air will help prevent the reports gravest projections should the heated planet reach a catastrophic tipping point. "Under the most extreme future emissions, we can't rule out that the ice sheets could shrink so rapidly we could have about 7 feet of sea level rise by the end of the century and about 16 feet by 2150, he said. Whereas if we can limit warming to well below 2 Celsius, we're still going to get to 7 feet eventually, but it's going to take many centuries, which would be a far more manageable outcome." In Louisiana, a 7-foot rise in water levels, when combined with subsidence, would likely result in the loss of another 2,250 to 4,150 square miles of coastal wetland, the amount predicted by state officials in Louisiana's 2017 coastal Master Plan for a worst-case global warming scenario, Burkett said. Restoration projects in the 50-year plan are forecast to reduce that land loss by between 802 and 1,159 square miles. Significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will also stave off 6 inches of global, or eustatic, sea level rise by the end of the century and limit warming, said Kopp, echoing the report's findings. In Louisiana, it could prevent almost 1 foot of sea rise by 2100. "To stabilize the climate and to slow the rate of sea level rise, we need to get greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. And to meet the goals laid out in the Paris Agreement, we need to start getting there immediately and rapidly, reaching net zero globally before the middle of the century," Kopp said. The IPCC report reviewed five future scenarios forecasting 2,000 years out with various levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The two scenarios with the lowest level of change will require strong climate policies to mitigate the effect of more greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, Mearns said, and that won't be easy. To date, much of the human influence on climate has resulted from burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "They, quite frankly, will require a lot of effort very, very soon. Like now," she said. "Even waiting something like 10 years is really waiting too long." At the state level, Edwards task force is reviewing more than 170 proposals for reducing, or capturing and permanently storing, carbon emissions to reach net zero by 2050. A final version of that plan is expected by early 2022. Much of the reductions must come from either petrochemical plants or oil refineries, which were responsible for about 65% of the states carbon emissions in 2018, according to a recent emissions inventory by David Dismukes, executive director of LSU's Center for Energy Studies. In that year, the state emitted about 217 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to about 4% of the U.S. total, his study says. Louisiana state and local officials said this week they are taking steps to address the effects of climate change. Ghassan Korban, executive director of the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, warned that the city is among the worlds most vulnerable to climate change. The intense rains of which the IPCC report warns have already stressed the New Orleans 100-year-old pipe-and-canal drainage system. While we are proud to operate one of the largest stormwater pumping systems in the world, this system isnt enough to mitigate flooding from the increasingly intense and more frequent storms were seeing today and are likely to continue to see in the future, Korban said. Adapting our city to capture stormwater where it falls, to relieve the pressure on our drainage system, is the only way we can maintain our quality of life in the face of these massive challenges. Ramsey Green, chief resilience officer and deputy chief administrative officer for Mayor LaToya Cantrells administration, agreed. Its jarring. Its unmistakable whats happening. It almost feels like nowhere is safe, Green said. It reminds me a little bit of during the BP oil spill, me screaming at my television, saying Cap it! Cap it! Cap it! The people who can cap [global warming] are all of us as a global society, he said. New Orleans has dedicated $300 million to projects to hold rainfall, instead of simply directing runoff into the pipes and canals, he said. It takes billions of dollars to upgrade pipes, to upgrade pumps, Green said, but it takes millions of dollars - low millions of dollars - to turn parks into bioswales and sponges to keep water from the low-lying parts of our city. One such project will find ways to hold as much as 52 million gallons of stormwater in different parts of City Park, to offer some relief for the drainage system, he said. Individual residents can help by making similar, smaller efforts in their own front and back yards. Im sort of practicing what I preach, Green said. Im finishing a project at my own home right now, holding at least a couple thousand gallons on my own property because it makes it beautiful, and its better for the city. The Louisiana Watershed Initiative, created in part to address the number of more intense rains across the state, is investing in technological improvements that will eventually help planners adapt to flood risk, said Pat Forbes, executive director of the state Office of Community Development. One project is developing a combined water flow model for the coastal zone, to tie together the results of existing river flow models and the models being used by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to predict storm surge effects. The state also is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to update that agencys atlas of intense rainfall events. The data in the current atlas are over 10 years old, he said. We are providing them with additional rain gauge data. The result will eventually be used by state Department of Transportation and Development contractors who are developing new river flooding models to help predict when and where future intense rain flooding will occur. Such data will be useful if the state takes Burketts advice to apply the IPCCs new findings to all of the states infrastructure. And not just the levees on the coast, but also the size of culverts and the base elevation of highways and bridges access the state, she said. Keeping the states existing and future levee systems elevated in the face of subsidence and rising seas will likely be a task for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A hint of its strategy is contained in its recent reports on the proposed $1.7 billion, 50-year east bank and West Bank hurricane levee elevation plan. As long as the levee lifts are frequent and include some overbuild and are based on the latest available surge hazard data, the project should be able to maintain its ability to withstand topping by a flooding event, including hurricane storm surges, that have a 1% chance of occurring in any year, the east bank report said. Keeping up with the increased sea level rise will require maintenance and money, said Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett. Nevertheless, with long-term maintenance and the necessary funding, we can adapt designs and elevations to account for any change in actual or projected relative sea level rise rates, he said. Chris Humphreys, engineering director for the east bank levee authority, said the Corps levee lift project reports do include good news: Concrete structures such as the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier and the West Closure Complex were built to anticipate 30 years of sea level rise and subsidence, so there will be at least some time to adapt to more rapid sea rises. Green also pointed to provisions in the $1.2 billion infrastructure bill that the U.S. Senate approved Tuesday. They could be used by private industry to come up with innovative methods of reducing carbon or adapting to climate change. If we can shoot Jeff Bezos to barely space for 10 minutes that costs billions of dollars, what can we do that costs billions of dollars to create a for-profit mechanism for reducing the impacts our lifestyle have? he said. Hurricane Ida has claimed the No. 5 spot in the 10 most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history, according to a new report from the National Centers for Environmental Information. Causing damage estimated so far at $75 billion, Ida, which struck Louisiana on Aug. 29, ranks just below Hurricane Sandy of 2012 and just above Hurricane Irma of 2017. The national centers bases its estimates on reports from other federal and state government agencies, the insurance industry and other sources. It updated its annual report Jan. 10. Of the 10 costliest storms in U.S. history, all but one have come in the past 20 years, further evidence of how climate change is causing more intense storms. The Top 10 storms hit Florida (3), Louisiana (3) and Texas (2), as well as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico and New Jersey. Several of them - hurricanes Katrina and Andrew, for example - hit more than one state. But its not just coastal states where costs mount. Once a hurricane comes ashore and weakens, it is cut off from the warm seawater that fuels it but still carries immense amounts of moisture. As it moves hundreds of miles inland and tears apart, it continues to dump that moisture in the form of phenomenal rain that floods creeks and rivers, causing even more damage. Ranked here, by estimated damage in 2021 dollars, are what the National Centers for Environmental Information consider to be the 10 most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history: 10. Wilma, 2005, $27.7 billion Wilma made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Oct. 23, 2005, near Cape Romano, Fla. It raked the Florida peninsula in less than five hours and headed out to sea. 9. Ivan, 2004, $30.8 billion Ivan made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Sept. 16, 2004. It weakened as it moved inland, producing more than 100 tornadoes and heavy rain across much of the southeastern United States, before merging with a frontal system over the Delmarva Peninsula on Sept. 18. Then an extratropical low-pressure remnant of Ivan drifted southward in the western Atlantic for several days, crossed southern Florida and re-entered the Gulf of Mexico on Sept. 21. It became a tropical storm, then weakened into a tropical depression before blowing into southwest Louisiana on Sept. 24. 8. Ike, 2008, $39.6 billion Ike came ashore at the north end of Galveston Island, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2008, as a Category 2 hurricane. It weakened as it moved inland across eastern Texas, Arkansas and the Mississippi River Valley but was still gusting with hurricane-force winds into the Ohio River Valley and on to Canada. 7. Andrew, 1992, $54.3 billion Andrew blasted south Florida on Aug. 24, 1992, making landfall at Homestead as Category 5 hurricane. It moved west in the Gulf of Mexico, curved north and came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane near Morgan City. 6. Irma, 2017, $56.5 billion Hurricane Irma was big, slow and long-lived. It made its first U.S. landfall at Cudjoe Key, Florida, as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 10, then tracked through Florida's Big Bend, southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama. Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up 5. Ida, 2021, $75 billion Ida roared into Louisiana near Port Fourchon on Aug. 29 with winds of 150 mph, a Category 4 storm, tying it for the strongest hurricane ever to hit the state. Its wind and storm surge caused catastrophic damage along the coast and destroyed buildings well inland in southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi. 4. Sandy, 2012, $80 billion At its strongest, Sandy was a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. But by the time its eye crossed inland at Brigantine, New Jersey, on Oct. 29, 2012, it had lost hurricane status. Nonetheless, it wreaked havoc throughout the New York City area. Its effects extended as far west as Wisconsin, and it even caused blizzards in western North Carolina and West Virginia. 3. Maria, 2017, $101.7 billion In just 18 hours, Maria intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane before slipping to Category 4 on Sept. 20 and making landfall at Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. 2. Harvey, 2017, $141.3 billion Harvey was the first major hurricane to strike the middle Texas coast in 47 years. It came ashore Aug. 25 at San Jose Island as a Category 4 storm then hit the mainland towns of Rockport and Fulton. The storm slowed then meandered over land near the coast for two days before moving offshore. As a tropical storm, it made another landfall in Louisiana at Cameron on Aug 30. 1. Katrina, 2005, $182 billion By far the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, Katrina made landfall Aug. 25, 2005, as a Category 1 storm near the Dade-Broward County line in Florida. It entered the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened to Category 5, then fell to Category 3 by the time it roared ashore Aug. 29 in Louisiana at Buras. It made a third landfall near the Louisiana-Mississippi line before moving into the Tennessee River Valley. Much of Katrina's destruction was due to the failure to federal levees in New Orleans. A proposed moratorium on dense residential development was pulled from the St. Tammany Parish Council's meeting agenda last week, but that didn't stop residents, real estate developers and homebuilders from talking about it as they clashed repeatedly over a large new subdivision west of Covington. Bruce Wainer, who battled residents over the proposed Medline project in 2020, was back asking the council to override a spate of zoning denials for Vieux Carre, a 381-home subdivision he wants to develop east of Bootlegger Road and south and west of Bricker Road. The proposed moratorium isn't a factor in his project because of the timing and, said Wainer's attorney, Vieux Carre calls for fewer homes than the current zoning would allow not more. But the debate offered a preview of the looming showdown this spring, when the council will vote on Parish President Mike Cooper's proposed moratorium on any rezonings that increase the number of homes in a development. Cooper says it's needed so that St. Tammany's public infrastructure can catch up with growth. Both sides pack meeting Residents of nearby subdivisions turned out in force at the council meeting on Thursday to voice a familiar list of concerns: that the development will add more traffic to already inadequate roads and increase flooding woes. Peggy Miranda, who lives on Bricker Road, which borders the 183-acre site on the north and west, said she and her husband could not live in their house for eight months after it flooded. She recalled the stench of mildew as they went through a lifetime of possessions, all lost. "I just can't go through another flood. It's just too overwhelming," she said. But this time, the developers brought their own crowd to the council, with local homebuilders taking up more than half the seats in the council chamber to defend Wainer as a quality developer and to advocate for their industry. Wainer's attorney, Paul Mayronne, said that doesn't usually happen. "These people are your constituents, too," he told the council. "They live here and work here, and they should be heard." Council allows rezoning After more than an hour of debate, the council voted to overturn the five rezoning denials, with all but one of the votes unanimous. Councilman Marty Dean, whose district includes the site, said the decision had to be made on facts, not fears. The current zoning, which Mayronne said has been in place for 20 years, would have allowed 617 residential units, including 187 apartments on Bricker Road, and a swath of commercial development on Bootlegger Road. The new plan calls for only 381 residential lots. St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Wainer has made concessions, Mayronne said, including eliminating the apartments and further reducing the density on 30 acres, from four lots per acre to two. None of the lots is in the flood plain, Mayronne said, and the development plan has more green space and water detention than required, and would also increase the water storage capacity of the flood plain. Wainer commissioned a traffic study and hydrologic study, even though they are not required for a rezoning, Mayronne said. He called a vote against the rezoning a vote for apartments, for more density, for less green space and less flood plain storage. But residents argued that the rezoning is not in the interest of the health, safety or welfare of the community. Drainage a concern William Spatz, who has lived in the adjacent Timber Branch subdivision for 20 years, said the drainage culverts under Bricker Road are already inadequate, and that the road floods in every hard rain. Timber Branch Creek is the only drainage outlet for the subdivision, Spatz said, and when the creek and the Tchefuncte River back up, streets are inundated, causing property damage. The hydrology of the river and creek are not within the developer's control, he said. Spatz also pointed to concerns raised by the parish development staff about traffic and the 5,000 vehicle trips per day that the new development would generate. Bricker Road is a one-lane, asphalt road that doesn't offer a clear path to a major thoroughfare, he said. Loretto O'Reilly Jr., whose parents had a home on Bricker Road, said she's seen flooding increase there since 1983. "This parish has been run by the development community for a very long time. ... The habit is to kowtow to them, and they have become bullies," she said. "This area has been developed to the brink of disaster, and the only hope is a change in land use policies and development practices." The argument for creating a second congressional district that a Black candidate can win is simple on its face. The 2020 U.S. Census puts Louisianas Black population at 33%, or one-third. And yet just one of six seats exactly half what the population figures would suggest reflects the states demographics is currently represented by a Black member, Democrat Troy Carter. The other five seats are held by White Republicans. Members of the Legislative Black Caucus, many Democrats, outside civil rights groups and Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards say that fairness requires the creation of a second majority-Black seat, and its hard to argue against the point in good faith. And yet, as the Republican-majority Legislature gathers to redraw district lines for the next 10 years, their underlying agenda protecting incumbent members and preserving the 5-1 party split mandates that they try. And so last week we were treated to some bizarre exchanges between advocates for a second Black-majority district and state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, the Slidell Republican who chairs the Senate committee that oversees redistricting and who favors something close to the status quo. Most jarring was Hewitts claim of common cause in support of minority representation. Hewitt said its impossible to create two majority Black districts with big enough margins to make certain that minority voters would have the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. While she said she recognizes the significance of the Voting Rights Act and the importance of representation, you could potentially risk not having a minority elected to either one. I think it would be a failure on the part of the Legislature to create two minority districts of such low (minority) voting-age population that you would be at risk of not allowing the minority to elect a candidate of their choice, she argued. Not so, contended Michael Pernick, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Past voting patterns show there are several ways to draw the maps that would create two Black-opportunity districts, something that civil rights groups say the state must do to comply with the landmark civil rights law. Hewitt also noted that the VRA does not guarantee results. Of course it doesnt. The law aims to level the playing field and give everyone a chance at electing representatives who share their goals; whether they show up, and how they vote, is then up to them. That the law offers no promise of a specific outcome is not a reason to dishonor its underlying aim. Heres the part the Republicans cant say out loud, because while true, it sounds bad: Redistricting is the ultimate expression of political spoils. It rewards those who hold the majority and allows them to entrench their sides power by giving their allies a leg up. And so while Hewitt and her fellow Republicans may not oppose more minority representation in principle, they sure are bent on making sure that one of Louisianas Republican seats doesnt move into the Democratic column ahead of this falls fight for control of Congress. In fact, favorable district lines allow legislative Republicans to tilt the congressional delegation even further right than the overall electorate. While theres heavy overlap, the universe of Louisianans of any race whod likely prefer to be represented by a Democrat is even larger than the Black population. Based on recent presidential elections in Louisiana, in which no Republican candidate has won more than 59%, the state's Democratic-leaning vote in national elections is probably in the low 40s. And yet Democrats hold 17% of the congressional seats and will continue to do so if the Legislature draws lines similar to the ones in place now. The twist in all this is that Edwards could veto maps that the Legislature passes, or the whole matter could wind up in court under a Voting Rights Act challenge. A three-judge federal panel recently ruled that Alabamas Republican-majority Legislatures plan didnt pass VRA muster, in a case that Louisiana and other Southern states are watching closely. But that doesnt mean Louisianas Republican lawmakers wont try to lock in their lopsided political advantage for another decade. Not for any of the reasons Hewitt and others have expressed, but because they want to. And because they're holding out hope that they can. TEHRAN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian top security official on Sunday underlined cautious optimism about the progress in the Vienna talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, calling for a "balance" in the parties' commitments. "Despite the limited progress in the Vienna talks, we are still far from achieving the necessary balance in the commitments of the parties," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted. "Political decisions in Washington are requirements for balance of commitments to reach a good agreement," he noted. Iran and world powers signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in July 2015. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties to revive the pact. The U.S. government announced on Friday that it was waiving sanctions on Iran's civilian nuclear program, which allows international nuclear cooperation projects. Unique is a funny and over-used word. There are no comparatives for unique no uniquer or uniquest, no more unique or most unique. It means one of a kind, nothing else like it, alone in the universe. The Oklahoma House has given final approval to a Texas-style abortion ban that prohibits abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. The bill passed Thursday by the GOP-led House now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt. He's expected to sign it within days. The bill was immediately challenged in court by abortion rights advocates. The measure prohibits abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo. Experts say thats typically about six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. Like Texas, the bill allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion for up to $10,000. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed a similar law in Texas to stand. Norman, OK (73070) Today Windy...strong thunderstorms with heavy rain likely. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 81F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some strong during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low near 45F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. I was all set to write about it when I received an email from a friend and former colleague (who is now a professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC). He told me hed been reading these columns and appreciated the good news that Ive tried to convey. Williamsport, Pa. -- Pennsylvania College of Technology and the members of the Penn College Education Association comprising full-time teaching faculty, librarians and counselors at the college have agreed on a new contract that will run through the 2026-27 academic year. Annual salary increases called for in the four-year agreement, which has some elements taking effect in the 2022-23 academic year, are: 2022-23, 2%; 2023-24, 2.4%; 2024-25, 2.6%; 2025-26, 2.7%; and 2026-27, 3%. The Penn College Board of Directors voted on Thursday to ratify the agreement, which covers the PCEAs more than 270 members. Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour characterized the negotiations as collegial and guided by a commitment to collaboration. This is a significant commitment for the college and the PCEA that takes us through the 2026-27 academic year, Gilmour said. The administration and faculty negotiators understood that providing high-quality, applied technology education to students in the most fiscally responsible fashion is always our main focus. This new agreement remains true to that obligation. PCEA President Art L. Counterman, instructor of electrical technologies/occupations, and the chair of the faculty negotiating team, Craig A. Miller, associate professor of history/political science, concurred. I am happy with the agreement, and I believe that both sides negotiated in good faith as we worked through the issues that were put forth to the committee, Counterman said. I am confident this contract will benefit both the faculty and the college throughout its duration. I think the administration negotiated in good faith, and we developed a proposal that works for both faculty and the administration and, more importantly, for the betterment of the institution, Miller added. Im very proud of the work the faculty negotiation committee did and am encouraged by the enthusiastic support of the association membership. The colleges current health care plan will remain in effect for the duration of the new agreement. The health insurance employee premium share for PCEA members will be 15%. Health Savings Account/Health Reimbursement Arrangement contributions by the college will be $750 for individuals and $1,500 for families for the first year of the contract in 2023-24, $700 and $1,400 for 2024-25 and 2025-26, and $600 and $1,200 for 2026-27. The faculty overload credit-hour teaching rate in the agreement will be $1,140 per credit in 2023-24, $1,160 for both 2024-25 and 2025-26, and $1,180 in 2026-27. The overload contact-hour teaching rate will be $760 per contact hour in 2023-24, $773 for both 2024-25 and 2025-26, and $787 in 2026-27. Other new provisions of the contract are: Two hours of faculty office hours can be completed virtually, the colleges parking fee will not increase over the life of the agreement, and class attendance must be recorded on the LMS (Learning Management System) to comply with federal regulations. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get Our Free Newsletters Never miss a headline with NorthcentralPa.com newsletters. Sign Up Today! Morning Headlines: Would you like to receive our daily morning newsletter? Afternoon Update: What's happening today? Here's your update! Daily Obits: Get a daily list straight to your email inbox. Sunbury, Pa. In the early morning hours of Jan. 31, Sunbury Police responded to a domestic disturbance at the Riverview Apartments on North 8th Street. Officer Trey Kurtz said he spoke with a male after the caller reported hearing a female scream from inside a residence. Kurtz observed fresh blood on the males lip and cheek and placed him into handcuffs. Kurtz said 12-year-old inside the apartment yelled at officers as a woman charged from a hallway, striking an officer in the face. According to the report, Abigail Lauren Smink, 25, of Sunbury was taken into custody and arraigned on felony assault charges after the incident. After securing the scene, officers said they discovered marijuana and a glass smoking device in clear view. Officers said they substance and device were in reach of the child. Smink was charged with second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree misdemeanor simple assault, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Court records show Smink, whos preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22, was released from custody on Feb. 1 after posting $2,500 unsecured bail. Docket sheet Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get Our Free Newsletters Never miss a headline with NorthcentralPa.com newsletters. Sign Up Today! Morning Headlines: Would you like to receive our daily morning newsletter? Afternoon Update: What's happening today? Here's your update! Daily Obits: Get a daily list straight to your email inbox. Instant unlimited access to all of our content on www.northcoastcitizen.com. The North Coast Citizen E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement. BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China and Kyrgyzstan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on green development and pledged to further safeguard regional security and stability, according to a joint statement issued on Sunday. The joint statement came following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and incoming Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games. The two sides spoke highly of the current development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations and underscored the need to strengthen all-round cooperation between the two countries, the statement said. The two leaders pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, the two countries have forged and developed a partnership of friendliness and trust, and carried out mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as politics, economy, culture and security, it said. Attaching great importance to the implementation of economic, social and infrastructure cooperation projects of great significance to Kyrgyzstan, the two leaders spoke highly of the MoU on promoting investment cooperation in green development signed during this meeting, the statement said. The joint efforts of the two countries have laid a solid foundation for their cooperation, and close political exchanges have pushed for substantial development of bilateral practical cooperation, it added. The two heads of state believe that cooperation in such fields as infrastructure construction, transportation, energy, processing, agriculture, mining, digitalization, tourism and at the local level, as well as in combating climate change and developing green energy, are important directions for bilateral economic and trade cooperation with broad prospects, according to the statement. The two countries will continue to tap cooperation potential, expand trade, optimize trade structure and process, and promote the balanced development of mutually beneficial bilateral economic and trade cooperation, it said. They will strengthen cooperation in the prevention and control of the cross-border spread of COVID-19, and ensure that the number of transit cargo vehicles between the two countries returns to the pre-pandemic level, it added. Noting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the main driving force for economic, social and cultural cooperation projects between the two countries, the two heads of state believe that the Belt and Road cooperation should give full play to the potential of transportation and transit transportation, and the development of existing and new routes, especially the construction of new railway lines including the China-Kyrgyztan-Uzbekistan railway, is of great significance to the economic and social development of the region. The statement said both sides are willing to accelerate the project, which will be an important step to fully tap the potential of transit transportation in Central Asia and an important link to promote the BRI. Maintaining regional security and stability has always been one of the priorities of the two countries' foreign policies, said the statement. Recently, the world is facing various global threats and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and regional security issues resulting from the spillover of the situation in Afghanistan, it said. Both sides believe that it is imperative to support each other on such major issues as fighting the pandemic and maintaining regional security and stability, the statement added. They are willing to further enhance coordination and mutual trust as well as strengthen cooperation between relevant departments of the two countries in such issues as regional security and quick response to security and stability threats of the two countries and the region, according to the document. Microsoft has announced some changes to the way in which the Windows OS will be distributed to those who need or want to experience its latest features in advance. This includes their distribution via 3 channels: Dev, Beta and the pre-existing Release Preview channels. The Redmond giant asserts that they should keep developers or enthusiasts apprised of what its engineers are up to in 2022. 4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Benchmark , Biotech , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Ice Lake , Intel , Intel Evo , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Leaks / Rumors , Linux / Unix , List , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Raptor Lake , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Wi-Fi 7 , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) , Zen 4 Ticker Microsoft has announced that it has made some changes to the initiative that acts as a beta program for the Windows 11 operating system. This Insider Program, which may be familiar to many tech fans, will take on an updated identity (new icon and all) as it moves forward with new channel names and functions. They now consist of the Dev, Beta and Release Preview channels. Of these, the former is now slated to offer cutting-edge features fresh from Microsoft's engineering teams. Then again, this means that some features and tweaks involved might never see an official build. Regardless, Microsoft notes that the Beta channel might be the one to see new changes first; therefore, they might be more likely to see a corresponding stable Windows 11 release. The Beta and Dev channels may also acquire Feature, Web, and Online Service Experience Pack overlays as necessary. This leaves the Release Preview channel, which might contain more polished, general-public-ready versions of the same features. Accordingly, Insider Program members are advised to pick a new channel to stick with in the long term with care. Microsoft has also announced that details on an upcoming grace period to switch from Dev to Beta will be forthcoming over the next few weeks. A total of 64 more people died from COVID-19 in Northwest Indiana in a one-week period, according to data from the Indiana Department of Health. Statistics updated Friday showed that there have been a total of 1,621 coronavirus-attributed deaths in Lake County, 499 in Porter County, 327 in LaPorte County, 63 in Newton County and 128 in Jasper County. Last Friday, Lake County reported 1,580 deaths, meaning an additional 41 people have died of the virus in the county in a seven-day period, statistics show. In a one-week period, Porter County reported six new deaths, LaPorte County had eight more, Newton County had one more and Jasper County had eight more. In total, COVID-19 has killed a total of 20,894 Hoosiers since the start of the pandemic, indicating an additional 386 deaths statewide in the last seven days, Friday data showed. State health records show a total of 2,441 Hoosiers were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Currently 28.7% of ICU beds are in use by coronavirus patients with only 13.3% of ICU beds in the state available. The color-coded classifications for Indiana's 92 counties still has all of counties still in the worst-possible red rating. The red rating indicates an uncontrolled spread of coronavirus, which is classified as 200 or more positive cases per every 100,000 residents. Across state lines, a total of 7,682 residents in Calumet City and 6,638 residents in Lansing have tested positive for the virus. State health officials are urging Hoosiers age 5 and up to reduce their chances of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death by getting vaccinated against COVID-19, or by getting a COVID-19 booster shot for those previously vaccinated, as soon as possible. The free COVID-19 vaccine is available, in most cases without an appointment, at 1,488 locations across the state, including retail pharmacies, health clinics and hospitals. Records show that 56.1% of Hoosiers age 5 and up, the state's eligible population, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including 55.1% of eligible Lake County residents, 60.8% in Porter County, 55.7% in LaPorte County, 40.9% in Newton County and 45.8% in Jasper County. So far, a total of 1,677,490 people have received a booster shot statewide. A complete list of COVID-19 vaccine sites is available online at ourshot.in.gov. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The top two lines on the Northern Indiana Transportation Districts capital plan for the next several years are what catch the eye for 2022 alone, almost $357 million for the West Lake Corridor and Double Track projects but the plan for this year and the five years beyond also includes major projects like rail car rehabilitation and expanded access to platforms in downtown Chicago. The ongoing rail car rehabilitation program is continuing this year with a $1.4 million investment, then ramps up to $7 million to $8 million per year through 2027, according to the capital plan approved by NICTDs Board of Trustees at its Monday meeting. Were going to be spending a whole lot of money over the next 10 years rehabilitating our rolling stock, NICTD President Michael Noland said. Thats a continuous process. The money is split between mid-life rehabilitation for cars bought in 2000 and end-life rehabilitation for 1982 and 1992 series cars. Three-quarters of the funding is from federal State of Good Repair grants. Among the 41 older cars being overhauled, 32 will be shifted to the new West Lake Corridor upon its completion, Noland said. By the time those cars are done, theyll have over 50 years of useful life on them, Noland said. From a riders point of view, theyll look nearly brand new, with new seats, windows, floors and bathrooms. The project will cycle through the railroads rolling stock by age, and then the cycle begins again, Noland said. The rehabilitation work is one of two items in the capital plan addressing the South Shores stock of rail cars. The other is the lease of 26 double-decker cars from the neighboring Metra system in Illinois. The 15-year lease would pay Metra about $3.5 million per year for the cars, which were built between 2004 and 2006 but have been deemed surplus by Metra, which is rehabilitating the cars before delivering them to the South Shore. About $2.6 million per year in the capital plans State of Good Repair funding has been allocated to the lease. The additional cars will help NICTD add 26 trains to its service with the completion of the Double Track and West Lake projects. The added service has prompted the railroad to engage in a project on the Metra line to make trains entrance to Chicago terminal platforms more efficient. Metra is a quadruple-track railroad until they get to the terminal in downtown Chicago, and from there they go from four tracks to three tracks, Noland said. We are taking one of the storage tracks there and making it a fourth mainline track. Noland said the project will go out to bid in the next couple months. Other projects in the plan include work on existing and new substations that help power the line, allocated $3.4 million to $4.7 million per year during the plans six years, bridge rehabilitation at between $1 million and $1.8 million the next three years, and a variety of other projects at NICTD facilities and along the rail line. The plan also includes maintenance funding ranging from $8.7 million to $9.6 million that comes from money allocated to states and regions by federal formula. NICTD officials hope to see its share of that money increase in coming years as a result of the federal infrastructure bill passed last year, which will add money to formula and competitive funding sources across the transportation budget. Noland told the Board of Trustees they will see an updated plan in the very near future that will reflect an increase in funding. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. NIPSCO has launched new energy assistance programs to help seniors and veterans who are struggling to pay their utility bills. The Merrillville-based utility launched Supply Energy Resources to Veterans or SERV and Seniors in Indiana Low-Income and Vulnerable Energy Resource or SILVER. Seniors or veterans can get a one-time benefit of up to $400 per year for assistance with past-due energy bills. We understand that at times customers may experience difficulty paying their energy bill and we are committed to implementing ways to help our most vulnerable customers who may need additional assistance, said Jennifer Montague, NiSource senior vice president and chief customer officer. We are pleased to see this program become available during the cold winter months when energy bills may be higher than normal. Active military and income-eligible veterans can sign up for SERV to get financial assistance with their residential gas bills. They must be honorably discharged or actively serving in the military. Seniors 60 years old or older who fall within income guidelines can sign up for SILVER to get help with their natural gas bills at their homes. In both cases, applicants must qualify for LIHEAP or Hardship Assistance. Applicants should allow 30 days for their request to be processed and approved. If approved, a one-time credit will be applied to their NIPSCO account. The programs will run from February through May 31 or until funds run out. The assistance funds will be distributed to seniors and veterans on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to apply, visit NIPSCO.com/IncomeEligible. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Police Chief Kobi Shabtai on Sunday paid his first trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a bid to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries. Shabtai is expected to meet with senior officials of the UAE's interior ministry as well as the police commissioners of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, his office said in a statement issued upon his arrival. Shabtai added that he intends to appoint a representative of the Israeli police to the UAE who will base at the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and would be tasked with the coordination of the Israeli police activities in the UAE, the Middle East and Africa. The trip came three days after Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz flew to Bahrain and signed a security cooperation deal with the Gulf country. Israel and the UAE, along with Bahrain, decided to normalize their ties in a U.S.-brokered agreement in 2020. Combining an intense interest in both true crime and maritime history, Dianna Higgs Stampflers latest book, "Death & Lighthouses of the Great Lakes: A History of Misfortune & Murder" (History Press 2022), recounts the darker stories of the fascinating lighthouses lining the shores of the Great Lakes states. Stampfler, whose previous book is "Michigans Haunted Lighthouses," started researching lighthouses 25 years ago while working for the West Michigan Tourist Association and continued after starting her own business, Promote Michigan. But even she made new discoveries for the new book. Many of the locales, lights and keepers were new to me, as were their stories, said Stampfler, who is a member of many maritime and lighthouse organizations. Some of the stories were so tragic that newspaper coverage was significant. Many stories even appeared in papers throughout the country, which emphasizes their scope. Take the story of head keeper George Genry and his assistant Edward Morrison, who both disappeared from their posts on Grand Island in June of 1908. They just vanished, said Stampfler. Everything was left at this remote lighthouse, including provisions on the dock, coats on the hook and food on the stove. A month later, what was determined to be Morrisons battered and decomposed body was found floating in a boat near the shore. A month later, the remains of what they determined to be Genry were found on a nearby beach. There are several theories about how the two men died, some more nefarious or controversial than others, but the exact truth will never be known. The earliest story in her book dates back to the beginning of the 19th century at Gibraltar Point Lighthouse in Toronto the earliest and longest standing lighthouse on the Great Lakes. In 1809, John Paul J.P. Radelmuller, a German immigrant, was appointed as lighthouse keeper for Gibraltar Point. Radelmuller had an interesting history, having worked as a servant for the Duke of Gloucester before moving to Upper Canada. Much of his early history is documented by J.P. himself, said Stampfler, noting that a seven-page handwritten letter he wrote is cataloged at the Library and Archives Canada. Some believe J.P. was a home brewer or bootlegger, and that it was through these activities that his murder occurred. Two men from a local military outpost were charged with his 1815 death, but they were acquitted of all charges. Stampfler discovered this story through a chat board where another historic lighthouse enthusiast, Eamonn OKeeffe has been extensively researching Radelmuller. Indeed, her own research encompassed Google searches, old newspaper archives, local libraries, maritime based historical societies and genealogical sites. She also visited island lighthouses such as Grand, South Bass and the many in Door County, Wisconsin. I went not only to do research but also to walk the grounds and see the lights, she said. That really helped me connect to them. Autographed copies of "Death & Lighthouses on the Great Lakes" for $21.99 (plus shipping/handling and tax) are available at PromoteMichigan.com. The book is also available through online booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble as well as in local bookstores. For Stampflers upcoming book events, visit promotemichigan.com/speakers-bureau. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CROWN POINT A Hammond man has been charged in a Chicago smash-and-grab of luxury watches costing thousands of dollars. Carlos Valliant, 38, of Hammond, was arrested Thursday in the 2200 block of North Main Street in Crown Point, according to the Chicago Police Department. Valliant was charged in Cook County courts with burglary and theft amounting to $500,000 to $1 million. Police responded to a late night smash-and-grab robbery Dec. 11 at Bentley Gold Coast dealership in the 800 block of Rush Street. The suspects smashed windows and display cases, fleeing the scene with a reported $1 million worth of luxury jewelry. Surveillance footage of the crime helped authorities in the investigation. Police said a second suspect is still being sought. No further information was immediately available and the investigation is ongoing, Chicago police said. Love 2 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. HOBART A man fired a gun several times at police, striking a squad car, as a chase continued into Illinois from Hobart, court records allege. Nicholas Willoughby, 38, of Portage, faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious felon, resisting law enforcement using a vehicle and reckless driving, according to Superior Court of Lake County Criminal Division records. Hobart police said Willoughby will face additional charges in Cook County. A Hobart officer was patrolling at 12:38 a.m. Saturday in the area of Speedway in the 4700 block of 61st Avenue when he noticed an unoccupied black Dodge Journey parked on the east side of the gas station. The officer later saw the vehicle again, parked at a gas pump. He then saw a man exit the gas station and throw garbage from the vehicle into a trash bin. After the man sat inside his vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes, he drove away heading west on 61st Avenue, the officer reported. Police said that the vehicle was seen speeding 81 mph in a 70 mph zone as it entered the ramp to Interstate 65, and was traveling in and out of traffic lanes while not using turn signals. The officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver refused to stop, court records said. The chase continued north on I-65 until it merged west onto Interstate 80/94. Police said the driver was traveling at high speed and weaving from lane to lane. Police from Gary Police Department, Lake County Sheriff's Department and Hammond Police Department were called to assist. As the pursuit crossed into Illinois, Chicago police and a helicopter were also called to assist. Between the state line and Torrence Avenue, the driver was seen opening the driver's side door. An officer reported he heard the sound of gunfire and saw muzzle flashes discharge from the driver's side door in the direction of the officer, court records said. The chase continued west and the driver fired several more shots at pursing officers, according to the report. A Lake County Sheriff's Department squad car driver's side windshield was struck by suspected gunfire. "(The officer) states in between the volley of rounds fired at officers, the driver opened his door approximately six to eight more times discharging one to seven rounds each time in officers' direction," court documents said. The vehicle then took a northbound turn onto Interstate 355, where Hobart police stopped chasing the suspect. Lake County Sheriff's police, Illinois State Police and local agencies continued to pursue the vehicle. The vehicle crashed in the area of 143rd Street and Kedzie Avenue in Bremen Township, Illinois. Willoughby was taken to an Illinois hospital for injuries in the crash. Police found a pistol-caliber rifle in the front seat and an open beer in the cup holder. Several gun magazines, spent ammunition and live ammunition was found throughout the interior of the vehicle, court records said. Police said Willoughby was found to have been convicted of domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old in Lake County courts. Hobart Police Department Capt. James Gonzales said that Illinois State Police are handling the investigation and resulting charges concerning the shots he had fired at officers because it had happened in Cook County. Those charges are pending. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, is hosting two town hall meetings Saturday, two additional meetings Feb. 26 and a final session in mid-March to talk about the work of the 2022 Indiana General Assembly and to hear constituent concerns. The first session runs from 10-11 a.m. at the Michigan City Public Library meeting room, 100 E. 4th St. He'll also speak from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Westville Town Hall, 100 Setser Drive. The Feb. 26 town halls are set for 10-11 a.m. in the Chesterton Town Hall, 726 Broadway, and 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Countryside Park, 5250 U.S. 6, Portage. His final session also is in Portage from 10-11 a.m. March 12 in the Blue Spruce meeting room at Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Road. All five events are free and open to the public. Pol was selected in October by Democratic leaders in Senate District 4, which includes northern Porter County and northwestern LaPorte County, to finish the year remaining in the term of former state Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Ogden Dunes, who resigned her post Nov. 1. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GARY When LaTasha Hall lays in bed she can hear every time one of the many trucks that travel Fifth Avenue hits the breaks or downshifts. Hall lives in Gary's Brunswick neighborhood, just two blocks away from the abandoned building that once housed Edison Middle School. Before Edison was shut down, Hall was a student there. Now her alma mater is slated to become the flatbed division for a trucking company. "We dont need a trucking facility in the neighborhood. ... I dont understand why they would want to plop it in among houses, Hall said. "Gary has so many industrialized areas. I am not against the trucking companies coming to the area, just put them where it is already industrial. In 2020, the City of Gary purchased six schools from the Gary Community School Corp. for $1, including Edison; Ivanhoe Elementary School, and undeveloped property next to Ivanhoe; Aetna Elementary School; Brunswick Elementary School; Nobel Elementary School; and Wirt-Emerson. In September 2021, the Gary Redevelopment Commission accepted purchase agreements from Djuric Trucking Inc., for both Edison, located at 5400 West Fifth Avenue, and Ivanhoe, located at 5700 West 15th Avenue. The total purchase price for both schools was $1 million. Djuric now has an option on the properties. The schools need to be rezoned from R2 residential to Planned Unit Development (PUD). If the rezone is not approved by the Gary Common Council, the deal will be terminated, Gary Executive Director of Redevelopment AJ Bytnar explained. The Plan Commission is holding a public hearing for the rezone Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. Djuric, a Hammond-based trucking firm, has been at its current site, 4717 Sheffield Avenue for 31 years. The company is looking to relocate to the Steel City because its location is being usurped for the South Shore Line's West Lake Corridor project. Bytnar said the company "exhausted every nook and cranny" of Northwest Indiana looking for a new location. Djuric ultimately settled on Ivanhoe and Edison because the schools met their space needs and are close to local highways. Hall would like Djuric to "rethink" its location. She said Edison is "dead smack in the middle" of her neighborhood, adding that she has already seen plenty of accidents on the heavily trafficked Fifth Avenue. Kimmie Gordon of Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, or GARD, also wants to see Djuric move to a more industrial area in Gary. The Ivanhoe location would be down the street from the West Side Leadership Academy high school. Gordon is worried the trucking facility will impact the health and safety of students and neighbors. That is like a smack in the face to the residents that live there, Gordon said. I understand we need to address the blight and put these properties back on the tax roles, but if we keep bringing in nothing but industry, eventually we will be the diesel capitol of the world. The current Djuric location is next to a residential neighborhood in Hammond, Bytnar said, adding that the site will be designed in "a way that makes this use not negatively impact the adjacent properties." Djuric will have to meet noise, light, architectural and emission standards, Bytnar said. According to past Times reports, Vice President of Djuric Trucking Stevan Djuric said all the company's trucks are certified clean idle and are 2016 or newer. The trucks do not transport hazardous material, will not travel on side streets and do not idle for more than 10 minutes. Both Gordon and Hall would like to see the schools become housing, but Bytnar said the demand just it not there. "Without additional jobs and investment and quality of life measures, residential just is not viable right now, Bytnar said. "We want to see companies that want to be in Gary, aren't looking for a ton of incentives and want to grow roots in the community. Bytnar said Djuric could "stabilize" the surrounding neighborhood, bringing jobs, increasing traffic at local businesses, drawing residents and creating an additional tax base. Djuric moving to Gary could also attract other companies to the area, Bytnar said. While Hall supports job growth in Gary, she said development should not come at the cost of quality of life. I dont understand why they want to come into a residential area, Hall said. "We already have the steel mills we grew up breathing the air of the steel mills, and we have enough pollution. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Lake Sandy Jo had very humble beginnings. This specific area of Black Oak was fertile farmland. Its location within the Little Calumet River floodplain gave local agronomists the right ingredients to raise massive crops. Yet, this blessing was also a curse. Flooding in the area severely restricted its economic development. As a result, much of Black Oak remained rural. These were ideal conditions for some residents of Black Oak-Small Farms, who wanted to get away from what they deemed a chaotic urban environment in Gary proper. This nature ensured the community stayed unincorporated for decades. Small Farms suffered from the same ecological conundrum. When the Little Calumet decided to flood, it flooded totally. Unfortunately, Northwest Indiana communities along the river's run know all too well the type of damage that can manifest when the dreary rill surmounts its margins. I-80/94 provided the floodplain with numerous deep sand pits. Once construction companies terminated their initial use as mines, the holes collected massive amounts of water during the flood season. This usage is why Lake Sandy Jo was allowed to fill with water up to 40-feet deep. Black Oak-Small Farms was under the jurisdiction of Lake County. Gary passed a resolution to annex Black Oak in February 1972. The fight against annexation lasted four long years, including an attempt at incorporating Black Oak and Lake Ridge. At that time, Lake Sandy Jo became a cesspool. Annexation had roots in the fight between Small Farms and the Lake County Commissioners. Small Farms residents appealed to Gary to do something about Lake Sandy Jo and other toxic dumps. Mayor Richard Hatcher vowed to advocate in any way he could, but legally his hands were tied. Gary had no power to directly intervene because Black Oak-Small Farms was not within its jurisdiction. As a result, the city did not take on municipal responsibility of Black Oak until 1976, when the Indiana Supreme Court upheld its annexation. Also, in 1972, Lake County Commissioner Dr. Joseph J. Forszt was quoted by The Times regarding the situation at Sandy Jo as one of those "unfortunate things. It's bad," he continued, "but what can you do now? Just fill it up." This quote comes from the single-handedly responsible guy who allowed Lake Sandy Jo to be environmentally compromised. Though Forszt claimed to take all responsibility, he lost his seat in 1974. Also, in 1976, Gemin Corp was ordered by the Indiana Board of Health to empty Lake Sandy Jo of water and restrict dumping to solid materials only. Pumping was the only act of cleanup the company ever attempted. Gemin used lines that ran out of the lake, emptying its contents into drainage ditches alongside I-80/94. These ditches connected directly to the Little Calumet River. So, contaminated water continued to filter into the water table, worsening the problem. Finally, Gemin's Robert Breski and Robert Nelson were found (more like emerged) and questioned by the government and the press. The men were unconcerned with the pollution they allowed to occur. They cared little for people drowning and children hurt on their property. The absentee profiteers failed to comply with any government order to cease dumping operations at Sandy Jo and constantly misquoted the law. Gemin, incorporated in 1971, sold Lake Sandy Jo in 1976 to M&M Corp, owned by brothers Glen and Gordon Martin. Sandy Jo subsequently became known as M&M Landfill. M&M already operated several landfills in Illinois and Indiana, some of which are also known as "M&M Landfill." Gary M&M Landfill did not change tactics much. Though they were not responsible for what happened to Lake Sandy Jo, they inherited legal problems from its previous owners. Additionally, M&M continued to allow people to chuck toxic waste products in the dump. Finally, M&M inherited the spirit of Gemin by operating without a proper license. M&M seemed to cooperate with authorities with as much good faith as they were willing to spare. However, their violations proved to be too much. In 1980, four years after beginning operations, M&M Landfill was shut down permanently. Unfortunately, the Martins did not follow proper shutdown procedures. Instead, they padlocked the gates and vacated the dump, leaving cranes among piles of polluted debris where they stood. Additionally, Dr. Forszt got indicted by the federal government in 1980. He got charged under RICO for accepting bribes in exchange for business favors during his tenure as Lake County Commissioner. One of the bribes involved Lake Sandy Jo. In 1957, Forszt accepted a $6,000 bribe from Marcell Vander Heyden, president of Dyer Construction. The money given to Forszt allowed Dyer to sand mine Lake Sandy Jo. Lake County eventually found out about the mining operation and stopped it in 1960. Vander Heyden openly testified against Forszt. The 79-year-old man was found guilty and sentenced to five years. This case was the first use of RICO in Indiana, according to The Times. The EPA finally investigated Lake Sandy Jo's pollution in 1982. The full horror of Sandy Jo eventually became public information. Chemicals detected in the subsurface water table and soil were but not limited to benzene, toluene, tetrachloroethylene, creosote, cyanide, formaldehyde, and other toxins. Five thousand people lived in and around Lake Sandy Jo. Most were growing crops, bathing, and consuming well water contaminated with varying amounts of pollution. The EPA trucked bottled water in for Black Oak-Small Farms residents (most of them had to pay for it) until the neighborhood could connect to Gary's municipal water supply in the early 1990s. The federal government and Indiana fought for years over who would foot the bill. Over the next 40 years, Lake Sandy Jo got cleaned up. The government placed it on numerous programs, including the EPA's Superfund initiative. But, unfortunately, no one was ever held responsible for what happened to the beleaguered lake. Yet, for 40 years, Black Oak-Small Farms suffered the ultimate political, economic, and political consequences. Korry Shepard is an amateur Gary historian and runs the Gary Historical Collective group on Facebook. The opinions are the writer's. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. Error! There was a problem with reporting this article. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. Report Abuse Log In to report Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 0 TEHRAN President Hassan Rouhani, endorsed by Irans supreme leader on Thursday with a nationally televised cheek-kiss, is starting his second term under newly intense pressure from both hard-line opponents and many of his own reform-minded supporters. His brother had to be bailed out from prison after a July arrest on corruption charges that some experts see as political payback for the presidents re-election. A key oil deal Mr. Rouhani negotiated with a French company has led to accusations that he is selling the country off to foreign interests. President Trump has just signed into law new sanctions that undermine the signature achievement of Mr. Rouhanis first term, the nuclear agreement. Now, as Iran prepares for his second inauguration on Saturday, some of the forces that helped give Mr. Rouhani a 24 million-vote mandate in May are concerned he will not fulfill his promise of appointing women and young politicians to his 18-member cabinet, and instead is running nominations by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. We supported him during the campaign, but now there is no place for us, said Jila Baniyaghoob, a womens rights advocate, who said she was informed 10 days ago that there would be no female ministers in the cabinet. Clearly, Mr. Rouhani does not believe in the capabilities of women, she added. This is so disappointing. I dont know what today will bring, she said. But we need something different. We cant keep continuing with more of the same. Were dying. Many of the attendees on Saturday indicated they had been actively involved in the racial justice demonstrations in the Twin Cities following the murder of Mr. Floyd. Joseph Kebbekus and Sam Foerderer, both 23, said they had marched in demonstrations in 2020. We were kind of hopeful to see things change, Mr. Kebbekus said. But clearly nothing has, and so we wanted to make sure to continue to come out. Speaking at the protest, Andre Locke, Mr. Lockes father, called for peace as he mourned his son. He was responsible. He didnt deserve to have his life taken from him the way that it was, he said. Why couldnt my son bury me? The killing of Amir Locke has increased scrutiny of the use of so-called no-knock warrants by the police and on the efforts in Minneapolis to restrict the use of those surprise searches. No-knock warrants allow the police to enter property without first announcing their presence and are primarily used when there is concern that evidence will be destroyed or officers will be put in danger. The Police Department had obtained both knock and no-knock warrants for searches at three units in the apartment complex so that officers could decide which was appropriate in the moment, Amelia Huffman, the interim police chief in Minneapolis, said at a news conference on Thursday. One officer fired shots at Mr. Locke, according to the Police Department, which released the personnel file of Officer Mark Hanneman. The Examiner and The Daily Caller reported that several other Republican members of the House joined Mr. Paul on Tuesday night, all of whom have also publicly criticized vaccine mandates, including Representatives Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, and Ronny Jackson, Republican of Texas. Grinning and maskless, some of the lawmakers posed for pictures with a co-owner of the bar, Eric Flannery. In a YouTube video made that evening, Mr. Flannery, with some of the congressional representatives standing next to him, vowed to keep on fighting and said the mayors order needed to be challenged in D.C. Superior Court. Mr. Massie then saluted Mr. Flannerys defiance. If the mandate is illogical, the only logical thing to do is to defy it, Mr. Massie said. If the mandate is unconstitutional, it is constitutional not to follow it. If the mandate is unscientific, the only scientific thing to do is to ignore it. And so God bless you and thank you for being in the fight. And Representative Tim Burchett invited Mr. Flannery to relocate. If you want to come to Tennessee, were a freedom-loving state, and wed love to have you, brother, he said. The video was uploaded by the Daily Signal, a conservative site, and later shared by The Big Board on its Facebook page. ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Strict COVID-19 prevention methods enrolled at the ongoing African Union (AU) Summit, underway for the first time physically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, proved a game changer in Africa's fight against the pandemic, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) John Nkengasong said Sunday. The director said critics were labeling the summit, which was convened physically following a hiatus in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as "a transmission event or a super spreader event." "We stood firm and we said, we want to be sure to understand the kinetics of infection during the Summit. So when we pronounced ourselves and we said that the summit was COVID-19 free, we backed that with science," Nkengasong addressing the media on the sidelines of the summit. As part of the strict COVID-19 preventive methods enrolled at the summit, an antigen test is mandatory for participants before accessing the AU headquarters compound in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. During the first three days of the event, comprising the meetings of AU Executive Council and AU Assembly, the Africa CDC managed to conduct over 5,400 COVID-19 tests using temporary testing centers installed inside the AU premises. According to the Africa CDC director, some 25 positive COVID-19 cases were detected during the first three days of the summit, which began on Wednesday, with an overall positivity rate of around 0.6 percent. "This Summit has become a game-changer for the way that such conferences and meetings are organized in this continent, where people actually follow public health measures very strictly," the director said. As of Saturday evening, a total of 10,896,302 COVID-19 cases were reported in Africa. The death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 241,112, while 9,917,757 patients have recovered from the disease. WASHINGTON Senior Biden administration officials told lawmakers this past week that they believed the Russian military had assembled 70 percent of the forces it would need to mount a full invasion of Ukraine, painting the most ominous picture yet of the options that Russias president, Vladimir V. Putin, has created for himself in recent weeks. During six hours of closed meetings with House and Senate lawmakers on Thursday, the officials warned that if Mr. Putin chose the most aggressive of his options, he could quickly surround or capture Kyiv, the capital, and remove the countrys democratically elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky. They also warned that the invasion could prompt an enormous refugee crisis on the European continent, sending millions fleeing. The officials stressed that U.S. intelligence analysts still did not assess that Mr. Putin had made a final decision to invade. But satellite imagery, communications among Russian forces and images of Russian equipment on the move show that he has assembled everything he would need to undertake what the officials said would constitute the largest military operation on land in Europe since 1945. They also warned of enormous possible human costs if Mr. Putin went ahead with a full invasion, including the potential deaths of 25,000 to 50,000 civilians, 5,000 to 25,000 members of the Ukrainian military and 3,000 to 10,000 members of the Russian military. The invasion, they said, could also result in one million to five million refugees, with many of them pouring into Poland. But Camilla has become more popular with the public over the years. Elizabeth recently appointed her a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, a strong show of support. In her message on Saturday, which she signed, Your Servant Elizabeth, the queen said she was eternally grateful for and humbled by the support she received from around the world during her reign, which began seven decades ago on Sunday upon the death of her father, King George VI. And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me, she said in the statement. Prince Charles on Sunday responded to the message and said that he and Camilla were deeply conscious of the honor of the queens wish, adding that his wife had been his steadfast support. He also congratulated the monarch for her remarkable achievement of 70 years of service and devotion to the welfare of all her people. The royal family has been the source of much recent intrigue. Elizabeths second son, Prince Andrew, is being sued in New York by a woman who says he sexually abused her when she was a teenager, and the queen recently stripped him of his military titles. In March, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, who is biracial, gave a sensational interview to Oprah Winfrey in which the couple accused the royal family of callous and racist behavior toward them. EATING TO EXTINCTION The Worlds Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them By Dan Saladino Ach-ech-ech-ech! The birdcall clacks through the canopy in the Tanzanian bush not far from Lake Eyasi. Down below, Sigwazi, one of the thousand or so members of the Hadza tribe, hears it and calls back. Both bird and man understand the message and soon they are off on a treasure hunt, by foot and by wing, that ends when the bird hovers over a nest of African honeybees high in the branches of a baobab tree. Sigwazi nimbly climbs the tree. He holds burning leaves in a not fully successful effort to ward off stings as he rips the nest apart with one hand and tosses chunks of honeycomb down to the rest of the hunting party. The bird, known as a honeyguide, waits while the Hadza suck out the honey and protein-dense larvae. The beeswax that they spit out on the ground will be its payment for the bee-spotting services. There are easier and less painful ways to get a sugar rush, and at least one of them has come to the Hadza recently. As Dan Saladino writes in Eating to Extinction, the last hunter-gatherers in Africa can now buy cans of brand-name soft drinks from a mud brick hut deep in their terrain, far from any city or road. This and other threats to a way of living and eating that stretches back tens of thousands of years, if not more, brought Saladino to the Tanzanian honey hunt. A broadcast journalist for the BBC, he specializes in chasing down foods that are disappearing for one reason or another. Eating to Extinction tells the stories of dozens of these endangered tastes and makes a reasoned case for saving them in which nostalgia and sentimentality play very little part. This weeknight ramen features an egg and a quick, soothing broth flavored with rich seaweed and sweet-salty miso. What to Watch The Worst Person in the World, a Norwegian romantic comedy, follows a woman (played by Renate Reinsve) in her 30s trying to figure out who she wants to be. What to Read In Sheila Hetis new novel, Pure Colour, she considers how love and art can heal. Now Time to Play Heres todays Mini Crossword. And here is todays Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. Thats it for todays briefing. See you next time. Amelia P.S. Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne 70 years ago on Sunday. In a country that lurched from the storms of Brexit into the siege of the pandemic, she has been an unmatched anchor of stability, our London bureau chief writes in an analysis. The latest episode of The Daily is on the zero-Covid Olympics. Lynsey Chutel wrote the Arts and Ideas section. You can reach Amelia and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. As for Dr. Doherty, so many people now come to him for this problem that he has built an entire practice around them: an 18-year-old student who sometimes experiences panic attacks so severe that she cant get out of bed; a 69-year-old glacial geologist who is sometimes overwhelmed with sadness when he looks at his grandchildren; a man in his 50s who erupts in frustration over his friends consumption choices, unable to tolerate their chatter about vacations in Tuscany. The fields emergence has met resistance, for various reasons. Therapists have long been trained to keep their own views out of their practices. And many leaders in mental health maintain that anxiety over climate change is no different, clinically, from anxiety caused by other societal threats, like terrorism or school shootings. Some climate activists, meanwhile, are leery of viewing anxiety over climate as dysfunctional thinking to be soothed or, worse, cured. But Ms. Black was not interested in theoretical arguments; she needed help right away. She was no Greta Thunberg type, but a busy, sleep-deprived working mom. Two years of wildfires and heat waves in Portland had stirred up something sleeping inside her, a compulsion to prepare for disaster. She found herself up at night, pricing out water purification systems. For her birthday, she asked for a generator. She understands how privileged she is; she describes her anxiety as a luxury problem. But still: The plastic toys in the bathtub made her anxious. The disposable diapers made her anxious. She began to ask herself, what is the relationship between the diapers and the wildfires? I feel like I have developed a phobia to my way of life, she said. An Idea on the Edge Spreads Out By now, the Omicron wave of the coronavirus has crested in much of the United States. But the size of the wave, which broke records for national cases and hospitalizations, has given regulators and scientists an opportunity to better assess vaccine efficacy in children ages 6 months to 4 years old, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said on Sunday. Dr. Gottlieb, who sits on the board of the vaccine maker Pfizer, said that he hopes key data expected on Friday will shed additional light on whether the federal government should grant emergency authorization for two doses of Pfizer-BioNTechs vaccine for children in this age group. We now have an opportunity to look at a much richer data set, Dr. Gottlieb said on CBSs Face The Nation. He did not specify what that data would reveal. Still, he emphasized that the toll Omicron took on children in particular gave Pfizer a stronger basis for comparison of those given vaccines and those not. Some got infected, hopefully some didnt, he said of the test group. I think thats what the data package is going to show, and I think its going to give a much clearer picture of the vaccines efficacy against Omicron. I dont know Joe Biden personally. Ive never met the man. However, I assume that he is a good and decent person. And I can certainly appreciate the fact that he and the Democrats were the only thing standing between us and the re-election of Donald Trump in 2020, an event that could well have heralded the desolation of the country, just as they are the only guard preventing Trumps Republican Party from retaking Congress in the midterms and the White House in 2024. In a two-party system in which one party has gone completely off the rails, Biden and the Democrats are the only option, the only chance for normalcy, sanity and truth. They are the only hope democracy has in this country. And yet Biden keeps saying and doing things that are absolutely infuriating not to mention alienating. Last week at the National Prayer Breakfast, Biden said this of the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell: Mitch, I dont want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends. And that is not an epiphany were having here at the moment. Weve always youve always done exactly what youve said. Youre a man of word of your word, and youre a man of honor. Thank you for being my friend. When Bollyky told me that, I thought back to an essay Id read in The Times by Hitoshi Oshitani, a key adviser to Japans government, that had been nagging at me. The Japanese government, he said, understood that the virus was airborne, and they made sure their citizenry knew it. The message became that People should avoid the three Cs, which are closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings. The Japanese government shared this advice with the public in early March, and it became omnipresent. The message to avoid the three Cs was on the news, variety shows, social media and posters. Three Cs was even declared the buzzword of the year in Japan in 2020. What struck me about this, when I first read it, was what it left unsaid. Japan was much quicker to understand airborne transmission than the United States, but we knew it soon enough. We certainly knew it by the time of the Delta surge, when Japan again performed far better than we did. We know it now, and Japan is still performing better than we are. It is what we do with what we know that matters. Trust is regularly polled in international surveys, and so the researchers had access to those numbers. But I suspect trust is only a cousin of what were really trying to measure here. Solidarity is perhaps closer to the social sentiment the pandemic demanded. Poring over this data left me thinking about something my colleague Zeynep Tufekci told me: If youre in the 19th century, and youre just puzzling over yellow fever, and you dont even have germ theory, and you dont understand mosquito vectors its hard. Its really hard. I read those histories, and I want to give them clues. But right now, we have everything in place. And its our dysfunction thats holding us back. Its the global, political dysfunction; our U.S.-specific dysfunction. There are lots of policy recommendations that work to curb the coronavirus: Masking, social distancing, vaccinations, testing, quarantining and so on. But for any of them to work, they need to be followed. This has been, certainly, the Biden administrations insuperable challenge. It can make vaccines available, but they cant make people take them. They can make masks available, but they cant make people wear them. The context for the Biden administrations entire response was a Republican Party divided over the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and aware that the road to 2024 ran through opposition to Bidens coronavirus policies. So what if you assume political polarization and media disinformation are here to stay, and you need to work around them, rather than ignoring them? When you reframe the question, other possibilities reveal themselves. As an example: Only 36 percent of Republicans trust Anthony Fauci. I think the Republican campaign against him has been largely unfair, but that he is particularly polarizing among the people the Biden administration most needs to reach is simply a fact, and one it has chosen to ignore. Perhaps new voices were needed, including high-profile ones chosen for their appeal to those most inclined to doubt Biden and avoid vaccination. I asked Ron Klain, Bidens chief of staff, about the absence of messengers with credibility among Republicans, and his response struck me as understandably but depressingly fatalistic. I think this question of polarization around vaccinations is very, very complicated, he replied. I mean, you saw President Trump get booed when he himself advocated people getting booster shots. So this isnt as simple as Can you put more conservatives out there talking about vaccinations? I am scared Ill die anytime, the teenager said in his 11-second voice message. Please help me. He was a human shield for ISIS, one of about 150 foreign minors taken hostage in a prison in northeastern Syria last month. Even if he survived the siege, his prospects were bleak. While the West has largely moved on three years after the fall of the so-called Caliphate, more than 7,000 foreign children remain trapped in de facto prison camps in Northeast Syria run reluctantly by the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. (These children are from nearly 60 countries, including France, Tunisia and Britain but the figure does not include the thousands of Iraqi and Syrian children also in the camps and prisons for ISIS fighters and their families.) The siege which ended with heavy casualties when Kurdish-led forces recaptured control of the prison last week served as a desperate reminder that most of these children have committed no crimes: Their parents chose to go to Syria to join the Islamic State, not them. Most were likely too young to have participated in ISIS brutality. Yet because many countries have refused to repatriate adult citizens who joined ISIS, with some even claiming they have no legal obligations to help them, most of these children face the same open-ended detentions as their parents. That incentive model, powered by crypto, actually made sense in this case, Mr. Mong said. So the company tore up its old business model and settled on a new one. Instead of building its network itself, Helium would make it fully decentralized and let users build it themselves by buying and connecting their own hot spots. Participants would be paid in crypto tokens, and theyd get to vote on proposed ideas for changes to the network. If the price of those tokens rose, theyd make even more money, and set up even more hot spots. The new model, which was released in 2019, worked like a charm. Crypto fans raced to set up Helium hot spots and start generating crypto tokens. They traded tips on Reddit and YouTube for increasing the range of their hot spots, by attaching them to tall buildings or putting antennas on their roofs. Some hot spot owners claim to have made thousands of dollars a month this way, although earnings have fallen as more hot spots have been added to the network. This, Ive learned, is one of cryptos superpowers the ability to kick-start projects by providing an incentive to get in on the ground floor. Not everything could be improved by attaching itself to a cryptocurrency mining scheme. But in Heliums case, crypto made sense as a way to encourage participation and give hot spot owners the satisfaction of building something they owned. Arman Dezfuli-Arjomandi, a computer programmer in Philadelphia who hosts a podcast about Helium, told me that the networks decentralization was the biggest selling point. If this network was built on some centralized platform, theres always the chance that the platform I.P.O.s or they get acquired, and suddenly this whole physical infrastructure that was built by loads of people is at the whims of whichever company owns it, he said. I can find a lot to like about Helium. Unlike many crypto projects, its a real product used by real people and companies every day. The people involved in it arent brazen speculators, and most appear to be genuinely interested in creating a decentralized wireless network. (A cardinal rule of Heliums 140,000-member Discord chat server is that youre not allowed to discuss token prices.) And its going to become more useful in the coming months, as new kinds of 5G hot spots make it possible to send data over the network at higher speeds. JAKARTA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen bodies have been found from a bus accident in Indonesia's Yogyakarta on Sunday, Spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Office Yusuf Latief told Xinhua over phone. The accident occurred at about 13:00 Jakarta time (0600 GMT) in Bantul district, and scores of people were injured, the spokesman said. Charles Vert Willie, a sociologist whose work reshaped our understanding of school integration and Black family life, and whose stand against sexism in the Episcopal Church paved the way for the ordination of women priests, died on Jan. 11 at his home in Brighton, Mass. He was 94. His daughter, Sarah Willie-LeBreton, confirmed the death. Dr. Willie, who taught at Syracuse University and later at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, referred to himself as an applied sociologist someone who not only studied social problems but also offered ways to solve them. He arrived at Harvard in 1974, and soon after began advising the city of Boston in its efforts to integrate its public schools. Dr. Willie was an advocate of busing students into different school districts to achieve racial balance, but he recognized that the process generated an intense backlash from many white parents that threatened to undermine its goals. By the late 1980s, he and a graduate assistant, Michael Alves, had devised a new system, which they called controlled choice. The citys elementary schools would no longer be filled based on geographic proximity; instead, parents would list their top three choices. In most cases, they would get their first choice, as long as that school maintained a racial balance close to that of the city overall. It is an achievement that now could prove as consequential as any Beltway credential. If selected from President Bidens short list of candidates to succeed Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court, she could become not only the first Black female justice, but also a mediating force on an institution notable for its polarization. Senate Republican leaders have warned that they will oppose radical left nominees. But jurists across the political spectrum say that, like the president, Justice Krugers hallmark is moderation. Shes a consensus builder, said Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, who was appointed in 2011 by a Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Beyond her obviously glittering Ivy League education and her brilliant mind is this incredibly humble, self-effacing personality who is very persuasive in bringing groups together on different legal arcs. That instinct for reasoned persuasion has made Justice Kruger, 45, a powerful backstage force on a split court whose majority has shifted from right to left during her tenure. Since her arrival, Californias high court notorious as recently as a decade ago for its partisanship and division has voted unanimously in nearly nine out of 10 decisions, a rate that far outstrips the U.S. Supreme Courts unanimity. David A. Carrillo, executive director of the California Constitution Center at the University of California, Berkeley, said Justice Kruger has been a key factor in that shift, working behind the scenes to craft decisions that keep to the letter of the law and transcend ideological viewpoints. In a recently published analysis, Mr. Carrillo found that she rarely dissents, and when she does its usually to argue that the court has gone too far. One Navy SEAL candidate died and another was hospitalized after completing several days of excruciating training known as Hell Week in Coronado, Calif., Navy officials said on Saturday. Both candidates, who were assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, were transported for medical treatment several hours after their basic underwater demolition SEAL class successfully completed Hell Week, the Naval Special Warfare Command said in a statement. Navy officials on Sunday identified the seaman who died as Kyle Mullen, 24, of Manalapan, N.J. We extend our deepest sympathies to Seaman Mullens family for their loss, Rear Adm. H.W. Howard III said in a statement. Neither Seaman Mullen nor the other trainee, who was not immediately identified, was actively training when they reported symptoms and were transported for treatment, according to the Navys earlier statement. Seaman Mullen was taken to the Sharp Coronado Hospital, where he died on Friday; the other trainee was in stable condition at the Naval Medical Center San Diego. WASHINGTON The arc of Antony J. Blinkens first year as secretary of state could be broken down into two distinct eras: before and after Afghanistan. Before Afghanistan before the Taliban seized control of the capital in August, forcing the closure of the U.S. Embassy and the chaotic evacuation of more than 124,000 people Mr. Blinkens efforts to restore American leadership in the world appeared to be paying off. Allies welcomed the renewed attention after feeling mistreated during the Trump years. A burst of shuttle diplomacy helped quell an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. Even a heated public debate with Chinese envoys became a moment for the new secretary of state to highlight the Biden administrations top foreign policy priority. But on the morning of Aug. 15, Mr. Blinken looked ashen on Sunday news shows as he defended President Bidens decision to leave Afghanistan, and how the departure unfolded. WASHINGTON Two senators working on an overhaul of the little-known law that former President Donald J. Trump and his allies tried to use to overturn the 2020 election pledged on Sunday that their legislation would pass the Senate, saying that recent revelations about the plot made their work even more important. In a joint interview on CNNs State of the Union, Senators Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, and Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said their efforts to rewrite the Electoral Count Act of 1887 were gaining broader support in the Senate, with as many as 20 senators taking part in the discussions. Absolutely, it will pass, Mr. Manchin said of an overhaul of the law, which dictates how Congress formalizes elections. He said efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to exploit ambiguity in the law were what caused the insurrection the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. That misreading of the statute led to a plan by Mr. Trump and his allies to amass a crowd outside the Capitol to try to pressure Congress and Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over Congresss official count of electoral votes, to overturn the results of the election. Suspicions arose last week when Sgt. Matthew Jacobsen of the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon saw a man and woman standing near a silver Dodge Charger with red and blue emergency lights and a tactical vest in its trunk with a D.E.A. POLICE patch. Sergeant Jacobsen asked them if they were federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a federal complaint. The man, Robert Edward Golden, replied that they were indeed feds, according to the complaint. It was not exactly clear what it was about the pair that first attracted the sergeants attention on the night of Feb. 1, but the authorities later learned that Mr. Golden, 41, was an impostor who had tricked the woman into believing that she was training to be a D.E.A. agent herself, according to the complaint filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Oregon. Mr. Golden had duped the woman, who was not named in the complaint, for about a year. He gave her a D.E.A. badge to use on ride-alongs at night, when he would take her to speak with homeless people to turn them into confidential informants, and he spoke about his D.E.A. colleagues, like Anderson and Luis, according to the complaint. A powerful Haitian opposition group is demanding the United States withdraw its support for the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in Haiti, saying the administrations legitimacy is tarnished by delayed elections and Mr. Henrys potential connection to the assassination of the countrys president. The opposition group, called the Montana Accord, has called for the United States to act by Monday the date on which President Jovenel Moise had vowed to step down, before he was gunned down in his home last year. The government will be rendered unconstitutional by Monday, according to the Montana Accord and independent experts. The showdown has left the Biden administration in an increasingly uncomfortable position. Afraid that Haiti may slip further into chaos, the United States for now is supporting the status quo: a ruling party that has governed for about a decade and seen the power of gangs explode across the country and corruption run rampant. When we look at the history of Haiti, it is replete with the international community reaching into Haitian politics and picking winners and losers, Brian Nichols, the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, said in January. Our goal in terms of the U.S. government is to avoid that. KABUL, Afghanistan Amena, 7 months old, lay silently in her hospital crib amid the mewling of desperately ill infants in the malnutrition ward. Her mother, Balqisa, had brought the child to Indira Gandhi Childrens Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistans capital, the night before. Her body was so hot, she said, stroking her daughters emaciated leg. The baby had a high fever, convulsions and sepsis, said Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Sadiq, a pediatrician, glancing at her chart. Her chances are not good, the doctor said. We got her too late. At the Indira Gandhi hospital, and in faltering hospitals across Afghanistan, famished children arrive by car and taxi and ambulance every day and night. Acute malnutrition is just one of a cascade of maladies that threaten to topple the countrys fragile health system. BERLIN One headline asked, Where is Olaf Scholz? A popular magazine mocked the German chancellors art of disappearance. And his ambassador in Washington wrote home that Germany was increasingly seen as an unreliable ally in a leaked memo that was all the buzz this past week and began with the words: Berlin, we have a problem. With the threat of war hanging over Europe and rising tensions in the standoff with Russia over Ukraine, Mr. Scholz is headed to Washington on Monday for his first meeting with President Biden since taking over as chancellor in December. Foremost on his agenda: Show the world that Berlin is committed to the Western alliance and, well, show his face. Less than two months after taking over from Angela Merkel, his towering and long-serving predecessor, Mr. Scholz is drawing sharp criticism at home and abroad for his lack of leadership in one of the most serious security crises in Europe since the end of the Cold War. His Social Democrat-led government, an untested three-way coalition with the Greens and Free Democrats, has refused to send arms to Ukraine, most recently offering 5,000 helmets instead. And it has been cagey about the type of sanctions that could be imposed in the event of a Russian invasion. LONDON Seventy years ago this weekend, a young English princess climbed into Treetops, a remote game-viewing lodge in Kenya, built into the limbs of a fig tree overlooking an elephant watering hole. The next morning, she came down as a queen, though she only learned of the death of her father, George VI, later that day. The 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth IIs accession to the throne will be a good deal more earthbound: The 95-year-old monarch plans to spend a quiet Sunday at her country estate, Sandringham, where her father died on Feb. 6, 1952. Four days of festivities to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee are scheduled for June. But tributes to the queen poured in from Britains great, good and merely prominent. Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, told the BBC, She takes her duties seriously, but she doesnt take herself very seriously. Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised her for her inspirational sense of duty and unwavering dedication to this nation. VALLETTA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The third Chinese Film Festival in Malta, part of the Chinese New Year activities, kicked off Friday evening in the capital of Valletta. The festival opened with a showing of the film "The Taste of Rice Flower." Five other films including "Never Stop," "Warm Hug," "The Crossing," "Spring Tide," and "Go Brother! 2" will be shown during the festival, which will last until Feb. 20. All six films are in Chinese with English subtitles. Maltese audiences will be able to appreciate "the richness and the beauty of Chinese culture" from watching the films, said Daniel Azzopardi, artistic director of the National Centre for Creativity. The film festival will bring Chinese and Maltese people closer, he added, potentially leading to new collaborations in the future. A Maltese couple, 72-year-old Steve Flinders and his 62-year-old wife Lorenza, told Xinhua that they watched all the Chinese films shown during last year's festival, and will try to watch all six films this year. The couple has visited China three times, and loved the country very much. The films are a "nice insight" into Chinese people's life and culture, they added. The Chinese Film Festival was co-hosted by the China Cultural Center in Malta and the National Centre for Creativity. The Festival has been held to celebrate Spring Festival since 2020. PARIS The standoff with Russia over Ukraine enters a critical phase this week. The United States has snapped NATO to attention and moved forces east. Moscow has readied still more forces on the Ukraine border. But beneath those tensions, diplomatic avenues are being feverishly explored and the outlines of potential solutions, still amorphous, may be taking form. President Biden meets Monday with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and President Emmanuel Macron of France, at the same time, will visit his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow before traveling to Kyiv. With the Biden administration staking out a hard line, Germany lying low and Mr. Putin seemingly determined to force a solution to Russias security grievances, it is Mr. Macron who has positioned himself at the center of the diplomacy in Europe. To Moscow, he is a quality interlocutor, as Mr. Putin called Mr. Macron, according to a senior official in the French presidency, speaking on the condition of anonymity in keeping with French government practice. QAMISHLI, Syria Child detainees at a prison in northeast Syria that was attacked by ISIS two weeks ago are injured, hungry and thirsty, according to the first international aid worker to see them since the siege. They just managed to say a few words: that they are hungry, they need water, they need medical care, said the official, Bo Viktor Nylund, UNICEF Syrias representative, who visited the Sinaa prison on Saturday. Prison authorities allowed him to view the children through small, barred windows in the steel cell doors but not to speak with them. The makeshift prison, in the city of Hasaka, that was attacked on Jan. 20 by ISIS suicide bombers and gunmen held about 4,000 suspected ISIS fighters and about 700 teenagers. Fears over the teenagers safety grew after the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which is in charge of this breakaway region of Syria, said that ISIS gunmen had used some of them as human shields during the attack. Hundreds of inmates were killed over 10 days as the Syrian Democratic Forces and American ground forces fought to retake control of the prison from the terrorist group. Ministers of Agriculture from OECD countries and several key partners from around the world will meet at the OECD headquarters in Paris on 3-4 November 2022 under the theme Building Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in a Changing Environment: Shared Challenges, Transformative Solutions. Ministers will share views and experiences on innovative and forward-looking policies that are consistent with the central role of agriculture and food systems in our society. The Meeting will be co-chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food for Canada, the Hon. Ms. Marie-Claude Bibeau, and the Minister for Agriculture, for Biosecurity, and for Rural Communities of New Zealand, the Hon. Mr. Damien OConnor. Agriculture and food systems face a formidable triple challenge: ensuring food security for a growing global population; providing livelihoods along the food chain; and enhancing the sustainability of the sector and its contribution to climate change mitigation. To address these challenges, it is timely for Ministers to agree collectively on the actions needed to ensure that agricultural policies are targeted, effective, and respond to changing public expectations of food systems. Against this background, Ministers will: Discuss ways to implement innovations and promote productivity to ensure food security and nutrition; Address new opportunities and adjustment challenges in the context of changing livelihoods along food supply chains; and Share ways to transform production and build resilience to enhance the sustainability of the sector. The OECD Meeting of Agriculture Ministers builds on other global high-level events and will feed into the international agenda of agricultural policy-making. Agriculture Ministers last met at the OECD in April 2016, where they explored new approaches to moving towards better and more holistic policies for agriculture and food systems, culminating in a Declaration. Contact for U.S. and Canada Johanna Gleeson Public Affairs and Media Officer +1 202 822 3866 johanna.gleeson@oecd.org Iain Williamson iLibrary Sales and Marketing Manager +1 202 822 3870 iain.williamson@oecd.org Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The Irish tech billionaire who bought the Laois mansion and thousand acre estate of Abbey Leix last year has snapped up the bargain crumbling mansion next door. Laois County Council has agreed to sell Millbrook House on the De Vesci estate for 400,000 to Comhlacht na Feirme Ltd who supplied an image of what the mansion will look like when restored. See it below. Cllrs John King and John Joe Fennelly confirmed that the buyers are Limerick brothers, John and Patrick Collison, founders of tech company Stripe. Millbrook House had been bought by Compulsory Purchase Order by the council last year with the intention to flip it on to a buyer with deep pockets who would save it from complete ruin. It is on the original De Vesci estate grounds and neighbours the grand Abbey Leix estate on 1,000 acres, bought by John Collison last year for 11.5 million. The protected structure is a 9,000 sqft derelict three storey mansion built in 1885, on 1.7 hectares. The sale price has been agreed at 400,000 by owners Laois County Council but Senior Planner and acting Director Services for Housing Angela McEvoy said that it will take three years of restoration work. They have indicated it will take three years to turn around. The building needs a lot of conservation, she said. The council bought Millbrook House in 2021 by Compulsory Purchase Order from John Patrick Colclough, with the aim of rapidly selling it on to a buyer who could guarantee to fix the roof and restore the house. At the January council meeting this Monday, Cllr John Joe Fennelly from Abbeyleix proposed the sale to Comhlacht na Feirme Ltd from Blackrock. He later confirmed to the Leinster Express that the buyers are the Collison brothers. I have to thank the CEO. There was a huge interest in this with 170 people registering interest. This is a fantastic outcome. The people of Abbeyleix really appreciate the effort the council made to have it restored, he said at the meeting. It's part of our heritage and culture, agreed Cllr Kelly who seconded the proposal. Cllr John King estimated it would take 2 million to restore the mansion to its former glory. I thank the council for having the vision to do the CPO before it was gone into complete dereliction and gone for all time. You could be talking the bones of 2 million. This house is very important for us and for the people who left Laois, he said. The council's criteria for selecting a buyer included price offered, a timeline to complete restoration, and a statement of resources available to the bidder. Temperatures are set to drop this week with a wintry snap on the way according to the latest Met Eireann weather forecast for Irelands The weather forecast for the coming week from Met Eireann is for the weather to continue wet and windy early in the week with colder weather forecast for later in the week with temperatures set to drop below freezing. The weather forecast for Ireland for Monday from Met Eireann is for a cloudy day with some scattered outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, especially in the morning, but with good dry spells in many areas in the afternoon. More persistent rain will move into the northwest later in the day. A mild day with highest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees, in moderate to fresh southwest to west winds, stronger in western coastal parts. Remaining mild, cloudy and breezy on Monday night with outbreaks of rain moving into the west and north late evening and overnight. Lowest temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees, in brisk southwest winds. The weather forecast for Ireland for Tuesday from Met Eireann is for another mild day with blustery outbreaks of rain. However, parts of the east and southeast will stay dry with some sunny spells. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees in mostly fresh southwest winds. Outbreaks of rain will push down across the country on Tuesday night, as westerly winds ease. Colder weather will move in overnight with lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees, coldest across Ulster and Connacht. The weather forecast for Ireland for Wednesday from Met Eireann is for sunshine and scattered showers, some wintry in the west and northwest. Staying drier and brighter in the east. Highest afternoon temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees but feeling cold in a westerly breeze. A cold evening with a few showers for western and northern areas on Wednesday night. Clear and drier in the southeast. Feeling even colder in a brisk westerly breeze. Frost and ice too, especially for sheltered areas overnight with lows of -2 to 2 degrees. The weather forecast for Ireland for Thursday from Met Eireann is for plenty of bright and sunny spells across the country, but a few showers will feed in from the north and west through the day. Highest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees, but feeling colder in brisk northwesterlies. Cold overnight with lows of -2 to 1 degrees with frost and ice expected. The weather forecast for Ireland for Friday from Met Eireann is for a cold, but bright day with sunny spells and staying mostly dry apart from a few showers in the north and west. Cold in the evening with frost and ice expected again, as temperatures are set to drop below freezing overnight. The scientists recruited by the Government to spread Covid-19 messaging on TikTok and Instagram have spoken of the level of misinformation and abuse they encountered online. The creators behind the novel communications strategy, which saw the Department of Health dabble in public health messaging across social media, said difficult the pandemic has been for young people. The SciComm Collective, launched in the first half of last year, was intended to get the Governments Covid-19 messaging out to young people through platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. It was also a key part of an attempt to dispel myths and misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines. Andrew McGovern, a 27-year-old PhD researcher at the University of Limerick, started out with a podcast in February 2021, before getting a surprise email from the Department of Health. I was a little bit like, Excuse me. Is this a scam? It was very out of the blue. At the time I was teaching in UL, I was a teaching assistant on the bioscience programme, so it wasnt that far out of my area. And I had done a few little videos about Covid. Now Mr McGovern is a regular presence on the smartphone screens of his 20,000 followers posting frequent updates and explainers from his own personal TikTok account, as well as appearing on Department of Health platforms. They never told us explicitly, you need to make a video about this or you need to make a video about that, he says. It has prompted a largely positive working relationship and he praises Government communications during the pandemic overall. While he says that there was not a tension with the Department of Health, there was often a lack of room for nuance when making videos. If you were in the position of, lets say, the Government or the department, you cant make a statement with nuance when youre trying to explain something and what the public in general should do. You cant explain the nuance so well, because people will jump on that and hold it against you and it weakens the reason were doing it, and even if there is nuance in it, its better that we follow public health advice. He says that when he made videos for the Government, he was careful not to blur the message. On my personal TikTok, it was more so Look lads, its not perfect, but it does make sense. And then I talked through it and Im like look sure we could be doing this, that and the other but we do know that this works so we might as well go for it. Its something that gave me an advantage when I did my own ones. The reluctance of Irish health officials to give vocal backing to antigen testing is a case in point, he says. The description of antigen testing as snake oil by National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) member Prof Philip Nolan, Mr McGovern says, shouldnt have been said. What the big problem there was, the communications was awful. What should have been said was were keeping an eye on it, the evidence right now doesnt justify it being a public health measure. The thing is, at the time, if you go back to just the evidence they had then, it was a fair enough statement to say that. Were seeing now that its much more useful. It takes time to develop this confidence. Mr McGovern says that people should realise that it would not be right for the Government to back any public health measure if the evidence is not 100%. The problem is, in some circumstances, maybe someone misspoke or someone said something slightly poorly. And when youre trying to communicate to five million people, if you misspeak, or you say something slightly wrong, or you say something that can be misinterpreted, thats exactly whats going to happen. Some people are going to say its wrong. He thinks the Government was right to realise, though, that public health messaging delivered by savvy scientists on social media would cut through to young people better than any briefing from chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan. More importantly, as someone who was in his mid-20s when the pandemic began, he understands the sacrifices many people made. I think its been very unfair, and its been very hard to come to terms with. A lot of its been having something stolen from you. You cant use years of your life that youre meant to be kind of carefree. Dr Rafael de Andrade Moral, a 32-year-old mathematics lecturer at Maynooth University, took science communication to heart early on. He remembers having to record lectures when the pandemic began, but realising how boring they were. So I decided to sing about it. Thats when I put the first song up. I filmed my rabbits because I have two pet rabbits, two dogs. People seemed to like it. His efforts have grown from there. In one video he discussed the different types of vaccines to the tune of a Backstreet Boys song. Originally from Brazil, he says his family and friends at home have enjoyed the videos. The Department of Health, he says, tapped into something much needed for communicating the complexities of the pandemic. Nonetheless, he was surprised when the Government got in touch. I thought that that was exactly what we needed at the time and I think it was really successful in terms of the engagement we got. Dr Megan Hanlon is a 27-year-old researcher in immunology at Trinity College Dublin. When the pandemic hit, she moved back to her family farm in Co Westmeath. With her PhD completed, she started on a new project a podcast in which she interviewed fellow scientists. That experience led her to the Department of Health, where she says it was a big learning curve to go from podcasts to videos and TikToks. One thing that was on my side was my sister is 16. So anytime I would do anything, any videos, she would like, judge them and be like, No, thats crap. Young people, she says, have been a key audience throughout the pandemic. Theyre not really watching the news. Theyre not watching the public health briefings. Theyre getting a lot of information and importantly, a lot of mis and disinformation, from social media. She praises the Department for giving the creators space for discussion and disagreement, but admits that dealing with trolling online was difficult. After a few videos triggered abuse, she decided not to put her face in her next few posts. She describes it as a lot of people going, this is fake or you shouldnt be doing this. Its directed at the Government, she says. It wasnt personal towards me, but there was a few personal comments. A lot of people did struggle with that. Im not used to something like that. Despite that, she believes it was a brilliant experience and praises the Government for backing it. I loved it, it was a great experience. Just to be able to help out and do your bit. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Both France and the EU have launched an investigation after an environmental group posted images of masses of dead fish. Sea Shepherd said the incident happened off the coast of southwest France. Newsy 19 Feb 2022 Watch VideoU.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured the three Baltic nations Saturday that they would not be on their own if.. WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday endorsed recommendation from its vaccine advisers for use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 18 years and older. The recommendation came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. "We now have another fully approved COVID-19 vaccine," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in a statement. "If you have been waiting for approval before getting vaccinated, now is the time to join the nearly 212 million Americans who have already completed their primary series. CDC continues to recommend that people remain up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including getting a booster shot when eligible," she said. Earlier on Friday, the CDC's vaccine advisers voted unanimously to recommend the two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 18 years and older. The vaccine, named Spikevax, joins Pfizer-BioNTech's formulation as the two fully-approved COVID-19 vaccines in the United States. The full approval suggests Spikevax meets the FDA's rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality. A former US ambassador has hit out at groups from the United States for interfering in protests in Canada over vaccine mandates and COVID restrictions. As the United Kingdom marked the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign on Sunday, Canada's prime minister acknowledged the historic milestone by praising her as a "steadfast leader" and champion of "cherished values." Berlin's refusal to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster Germany's troop presence in Eastern Europe or spell out which sanctions it would support against Russia has drawn criticism abroad and at home. 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Central government offices will resume 100% attendance for employees at all levels from Monday in view of the decline in the number of Covid cases as well as positivity rate. WASHINGTON (AP) One Navy SEAL candidate died and a second was in the hospital after falling ill just hours after they successfully completed the grueling Hell Week test that ends the first phase of assessment and selection for Navy commandos, the Navy said Saturday. The Navy said both were rushed to the hospital in [...] Noisy but peaceful protests against vaccine policies in Canada grow further as thousands join truckers' demonstrations across the North American country. A politician who the UK claimed was being considered by Russia as a possible candidate to head a puppet regime in Ukraine says he wants an apology and a retraction. NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The ever-strong coronavirus wave fanned by the Omicron variant is leading to more deaths and infections in the United States with each passing day, plunging the COVID-battered country deeper into the quagmire of the pandemic. With the deadly pathogen still wreaking havoc on the country, causing hospital burnouts, labor shortages as well as a handful of other social and economic disruptions, U.S. media and health experts have predicted an even more pathetic scenario due to play out in February. "DISORIENTING MOMENT" "The Omicron surge has brought with it an especially potent and fast-moving wave of death across the United States," reported The New York Times on Friday, noting that the country's per capita death rate still exceeds those of other developed nations, a reflection of widespread resistance to vaccines and boosters in the United States. Currently, more than 2,600 Americans die from COVID-19 each day nationwide, an alarming rate that has climbed by 30 percent in the past two weeks. Across the country, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed more than 900,000 lives, so far the highest death toll for a single nation in the world. According to The New York Times, the Americans are experiencing "a disorienting moment in the pandemic." While the number of new infections and hospitalizations is declining, "the deaths are still mounting and the threat from the virus is moving, for now, farther into the background of daily life for many Americans," it said. FEBRUARY NIGHTMARE Roughly one in five Americans had contracted Omicron by the mid-January peak, a number that could double by the time the surge ends in mid-February, Trevor Bedford, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal on Saturday as saying. "Having (up to) 40 percent of the population infected by a single pathogen in the span of 8 weeks is remarkable," the virologist tweeted. Not everyone who gets infected gets sick, but even if just 5 percent of those who got infected are sick, those are still very big numbers, said the report, warning of a grimmer picture of the country's anti-COVID fight. "While Omicron infections have peaked in many places, February is likely to see similar case loads as the variant continues to spread before it flames out, causing worker shortages from hospitals to factories and spurring debate about COVID-19 restrictions," reported The Wall Street Journal. "The scale and speed of Omicron's spread make it comparable only to the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic." TEST ACCURACY With the federal government launching a program to send free at-home COVID-19 tests to Americans who sign up through the website COVIDTests.gov, 1 billion tests have been ordered for distribution via the U.S. Postal Service. And yet the lasting cold weather in most parts of the country might be an adverse factor. Most at-home COVID-19 test brands recommend storing the tests above 35 degrees Fahrenheit (around 1.67 degrees Celsius). The liquid reagent inside the cartridge that comes with the at-home tests is susceptible to freezing, and if that happens, the accuracy of the results decreases, Cindy Prins, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Florida, was quoted by USA TODAY as saying. If the test is outside for a few hours, there are odds that the test is fine, although not as accurate as it once was. If the test is in the mailbox for a day or more, one'd better use a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test instead or order another test, said Geoffrey Baird, chair of laboratory medicine and pathology at the University of Washington's School of Medicine. GUIDELINES UPDATED Against all the pandemic odds, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to update its guidance on Feb. 7 for some people with weakened immune systems to receive a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine three months after completing the initial series of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine rather than at the current interval of five months. On Friday, the agency updated its mask guidance, noting that wearing surgical masks could reduce the chances of testing positive by 66 percent and high-quality N95 and KN95 masks would provide much higher chances of avoiding infection. However, mask-wearing has been a flash point for conflict in the country from the earliest days of the pandemic. Even now, there are still some people who refuse to wear masks out of belief that the pathogen is harmless. Paducah, KY (42003) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 81F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. Low 67F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Palestine, TX (75801) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Palestine, TX (75801) Today Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. A stray thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 71F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Gambian President Adama Barrow says that his government is committed to fighting the case of the rights of the Rohingya in Myanmar to its logical end. Speaking in Banjul on Sunday at the opening of the 2021/2022 legal year, he said that at the global level, The Gambia continues to pursue the court case against Myanmar for violating the rights of its Rohingya Muslim minority. To seek justice for the Rohingya, we filed the case on 11th November 2019 at the International Court of Justice with the support of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, he recalled. Turning to the human rights situation in Gambia, he said bearing in mind that the rule of law is the bedrock of society, his government continues to support the countrys Judiciary to sustain a healthy and stable democracy. "We maintain that the Judiciary must remain resolute, independent, and strong enough to facilitate good governance and the rule of law." He added that it is proper, therefore, to celebrate the heroes of The Gambias Judicial system, who continue to work courageously to administer justice and enrich our legal system, President Barrow noted. Together, we have successfully laid solid foundations in the areas of good governance, respect for human rights, the rule of law and women empowerment, which we now need to develop and extend, he added. President Barrow noted that in the last two years, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region has experienced several conflicts and military take-overs. He stressed that the developments in Mali, Guinea and, recently, Burkina Faso undermine the democratisation process and achievements made in the sub-region. He emphasised that these actions are against the letter and spirit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, and should be controlled. It needs to be emphasised that taking over power in any country must be done only through free, fair and transparent elections, which the citizens of The Gambia laudably demonstrated in the December 4th Presidential Election, he said. -0- PANA MSS/MA 6Feb2022 RTHK: Still time for diplomacy on Ukraine: Biden aide Russia could invade Ukraine within days or weeks but could still opt for a diplomatic path, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday. "We are in the window. Any day now, Russia could take military action against Ukraine, or it could be a couple of weeks from now, or Russia could choose to take the diplomatic path instead," Sullivan told the "Fox News Sunday" programme. Sullivan made the comments in television interviews after two US officials on Saturday said Russia has in place about 70 percent of the combat power it believes it would need for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has said it is not planning an invasion but could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met. Those include a promise that Nato will never admit Ukraine, a demand the United States and the 30-nation Western security alliance have called unacceptable. Possible Russian action could include annexing Ukraine's Donbass region, where Russian-backed separatists broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014, cyberattacks or a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sullivan added, saying Russia could act as soon as Monday though it could also be weeks. "We believe that there is a very distinct possibility that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine," Sullivan told ABC's "This Week" programme. "It could take a number of different forms. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could take some weeks yet. He has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now," Sullivan added. Washington has made clear it would not send US soldiers to defend Ukraine, which is not a member of Nato. However, Washington has given Kyiv arms and last week said it would send nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania to shield Eastern Europe from potential spillover from the crisis. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2022-02-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SAN JOSE, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A record 25 candidates are on Costa Rica's presidential ballot in Sunday's elections, which will choose both the president and the legislators that will lead the country in 2022-2026, and no one has yet to take the commanding lead. Among the presidential candidates, the country's former president and candidate of the National Liberation Party, Jose Maria Figueres, came first with only 17 percent of the vote, according to the latest survey by the Research Center in Political Studies of the University of Costa Rica. After Figueres were Social Christian Unity Party candidate Lineth Saborio with 12.86 percent, and conservative Fabricio Alvarado of the New Republic Party, with 10.27 percent. Welmer Ramos, the candidate of the ruling Citizens' Action Party, barely garnered 1 percent of the vote, despite the party having governed for two consecutive terms. "I cannot make any predictions. Anything is possible," said political scientist and analyst Francisco Barahona. For Barahona, the election has a high degree of uncertainty, a situation that he hopes will be reversed in the almost inevitable second round of elections that will be held on April 3 between the two front-runners in the first round if no candidate secures 40 percent of the vote on Sunday. Barahona said the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic will also have an effect. Last month, Costa Rica recorded another 122,317 cases, a record monthly count of infections. Given all these elements, the country will experience an election day full of anxiety as Costa Ricans wait to find out if any of the candidates will win the necessary 40 percent in the first round to succeed President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, who will leave office on May 8. Juba, South Sudan (PANA) - South Sudanese authorities should urgently advance and implement a comprehensive human rights agenda to improve the human rights in the country and address impunity, end repression and ensure rights protection, the South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have said in a briefing as the countrys human rights record comes under the spotlight at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Theres no getting around it: we live in a depressing and worrisome world. If look BCM Ghana Limited has assured its customers of its commitment to providing excellence in its operations across West Africa. The company indicates it is addressing complaints of financial malfeasance against its senior staff and pledged all curprits will face prosecution. Read statement below: Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The General Overseer of the of International God's Way Church, Angel Daniel Obinim, a couple of days ago, had his wings clipped by the Ghana Police Service over the blowing of siren and the use of fitted strobe lights on his vehicle. The Police reportedly acted on a tip off of a video recording that surfaced showing a Toyota Land cruiser said to be conveying the Angel, blowing the siren in town. Subsequently, Angel Obinim and his driver were arrested and arraigned before the Akropong Magistrate Court for infringing the road traffic regulations 74 (1) of Road Traffic Regulation 2012 LI 2180. They were fined an amount of GH 1200. The court also ordered them to remove all unapproved strobe lights and sirens on the vehicle. The arrest of Angel Obinim has bemused Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt. Kwesi Pratt, making submissions on Peace FM's ''Kokokroo'' on Friday, expressed a worry that could pass for a satire while discussing the Angel Obinim's case. He wondered how the Bishop who has Angelic abilities to travel to and fro from the heavenly world could be grapped by the Police. Mr. Pratt was amazed at the audacity of the Police to arrest an Angel and the Angel's inability to somehow demonstrate his Angelic power. Mr. Pratt, who sounded very amused by this incident, satirically said; ''Something strange is really happening in Ghana. A Pastor who can travel to Heaven, go and converse with Jesus, then return has been arrested and prosecuted in court. Can even a person who goes to the President's office to communicate with him be arrested? This one has gone beyond the Presidency to Heaven to communicate with Jesus, you have arrested him. What is really going on in Ghana? Don't you fear Jesus? You've the audacity to arrest Jesus' friend''. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) Mr. Michael Ansah, on Thursday, paid a working visit to one of four projects being executed under the Integrated Aluminium Industry (IAI) in Nyinahin Block-B (Project 2) in the Ashanti region. His visit follows the commencement of Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) currently being undertaken by its partner, Rocksure International to validate and define the bauxite reserves. Mr. Ansah noted that it was important to experience, at first hand, the extent of work being undertaken by its partner Rocksure International which will pave the way for the construction of a mine and to deliver a solution to refine bauxite in Ghana. We are seeing that work is progressing and what is particularly gratifying is to see a wholly-owned Ghanaian Company, Rocksure International demonstrate the competence and capacity to do this sort of work. We are looking at being able to enable that capacity, enable that vision of building a Ghana with Ghanaians who can drive the development of an industry such as this Mr. Ansah said. He noted that the MRE may be completed in less than a year which will pave the way for the building of a mine with a refinery solution in the Nyinahin-Mpasaaso area. The prospecting program will take a few months, probably 4 6 months or so and we are doing hills 6A, 6B, hill 5, and hill 4. The samples are being collected progressively so we can ascertain the quality and quantity of bauxite that we have in these areas he added. Mr. Ansah was particularly excited to see the involvement of residents of Nyinahin-Mpsaaso and adjoining communities who have gained employment and are already on-site working. The delegation from GIADEC, led by its CEO, was taken on a brief tour of the project site to inspect and observe the processes of collecting bauxite samples for analysis at the laboratory. The team was also introduced to a state-of-the-art drilling machine being used to conduct auger and diamond drilling. According to Project Geologist at Rocksure International, Mr. Isaac Marbee, opting for a combined approach drilling will help obtain quality core samples that will be analyzed at the laboratory to ascertain the geology and content of alumina which will inform the type of refinery to be constructed. Gordon, a resident from a nearby community in Akyease, who is one of the about hundred (100) indigenes who have gained employment expressed his gratitude to the various stakeholders who have ensured this bauxite mining dream is being realized. He was full of praise for GIADEC and the Government of Ghana. I never knew I was going to live to witness this day. Its a dream come true, and I will urge the youth in this area to take advantage of this project to better their lives he said. The sentiments of Owusu Afriyie, a resident from Nyinahin, were no different as he recounted the sudden transformation in his life. He said the promise of mining bauxite in Nyinahin predates my parents and growing up, I always thought that bauxite mining can never happen in this part of the country. I thought it was a hoax; so, it brings me so much joy and satisfaction to be part of the first batch of people employed to work on this project. The delegation from GIADEC included a Senior Manager with the technical department, Mr. Kwabena Atta Mensah, Executive Assistant to the CEO, Mr. Kojo Yankah, Communications Manager, Mr. Sheriff Appiah, and a Senior Administration Officer with the External Affairs Department, Ernest Appiah. In September 2021, Rocksure International signed an agreement to partner with GIADEC to execute Project 2 the development of a mine and a refinery solution, under a joint venture partnership. Project 2 is one of four projects being executed under the Integrated Aluminium Industry (IAI) value chain by GIADEC. ABOUT GIADEC GIADEC is a state-owned company responsible for the development of the integrated aluminium industry in Ghana. The companys portfolio of assets includes mining rights to all of Ghanas 900 million tonnes of bauxite reserves, 100% shares in Valco - Ghanas smelting company, and interest in Ghana Bauxite Company Limited, a producing mine that has been operating for over 70 years. Through strategic partnerships, GIADEC, will hold equity stakes in new mines and refineries to be established, and drive integration of the bauxite aluminium value chain to create value. GIADEC is guided by its core values of Integrity, Respect, and Execution excellence. The company believes in shared prosperity, sustainability, and adherence to responsible environmental and operational practices. For more information visit www.giadec.com , follow @officialgiadec on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. ABOUT ROCKSURE INTERNATIONAL Rocksure International is a wholly-owned Ghanaian mining services company that operates across Ghana and the West African sub-region with expertise in mining services, drilling services, load, and haulage. The company has considerable capacity and flexibility in planning, equipping, staffing, and managing mines; having supported several mines including AngloGold Ashanti, African Underground Mining Services, Gold Fields, Ghana Manganese, Asanko Gold, Bumi Mine, and many more. Rocksure recognises that local content is an important platform for economic development and strives to engage key stakeholders to deliver developmental partnerships in the areas that it operates. Health and environmental considerations and resultant policies are key considerations for the company carefully mapped out and are implemented to ensure a sustainable and safe environment for all. Additional information about Rocksure can be found at www.rocksureintl.com. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A 77-year-old man was on Tuesday, February 2, 2022 allegedly murdered by unknown assailants at Miosto in the Ningo-Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region. The deceased, Mr Daniel Akwetey Awulley, was found in his bedroom with gunshot wounds in his chest and thigh. The body has since been deposited at the Tema General Hospital Morgue for autopsy and preservation. The Public Relations Officer for the Tema Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Stella Dede Dzakpasu, who confirmed the incident to Graphic Online, at about 2:10 am, the patrol team accosted two men, who upon interrogation informed the police that they had information to the effect that, their 77-year-old father had been shot and killed at his residence in Miotso. She said the patrol team accompanied them to their fathers residence and found that the main door to the two-bedroom house had been broken into with a six-inch block. According to her, personnel from the Homicide Unit, CID Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service and their counterparts from the Tema Regional Police Command CID, Tema proceeded to the scene and immediately launched a full-scale investigation into the incident. The police appealed to members of the public who may have any information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of the crime, to contact the nearest police station for further action. The latest incident comes barely three months after the head of the Kley Tsokunya Clan also in the Ningo-Prampram District, Nene Ayeh Otusei Kro was shot in a dawn attack in October 2012. Source: graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr George Peprah, a physician specialist at the Takoradi hospital has said, Josephine Paanyin Simon, the fake pregnant woman, only visited the hospital for fertility tests and not antenatal. "Her visit to our facility was for an oestrogen test for infertility assessment, we don't have records on her at the antenatal unit," Dr Peprah added. Doctor George Peprah was answering questions from the counsel of the accused Mr Fiifi Buckman, during cross-examination in court on Friday. The lawyer questioned whether the accused was taken through an oestrogen hormonal test at the hospital to check her fertility. Dr Peprah explained that doctors usually did not take patients through oestrogen tests for fertility but rather for infertility assessment. The lawyer said "What you are telling the court is not true. Because you do an oestrogen test to check fertility first before you check infertility in women" but the doctor answered in the negative which allowed the judge to adjourn the case to February 10, 2022. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, has charged the Minister of Education to pay particular attention to the admission process of medical school students in the country. Kennedy Agyapong asserts that the process is fraught with nepotism and tribalism which prevent some deserving students from gaining admission. He said on Oman FM that such practices have led to some Ghanaians being denied their dream to become medical doctors. He made an allegation of how the University of Ghana Medical School turned down a nephew of his because he was not a Ga and had no history of medical doctors in his family. My uncles son was a member of the Ghana National College team for the National Science and Maths Quiz. When he went to medical school, they rejected him. During the interview they asked him if he was a Ga or if he has a medical doctor in his family. Legon should be very careful, thats what they do. They denied my nephew an admission. He went to Yale University and lectured at University of Colorado. He was rejected in Ghana. What kind of bogus system is that? I sent him to Noguchi but he travelled outside to Yale, he said. Kennedy Agyapong went on to list instances where some brilliant students in his constituency were denied admission due to a reason or the other. He further advocated for special dispensation for children from rural areas who excel in examinations and called on the Education Minister to act on. The business mogul was speaking on the alarming rate of kidney cases among the youth and urged Ghanaian men to stay away from sex enhancement drugs. He said that such drugs tend to impact negatively on the health condition of persons, hence, the need for the youth to stay away. Kennedy Agyapong also demanded mass production of medical doctors to cater for the growing rate ailing Ghanaians. He revealed a conversation with a doctor friend who expressed concern with the number of Ghanaian youth with kidney issues and the lack of experts and facilities to deal with such conditions. Source: ghanaweb.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Vodafone Ghana, through the Vodafone Foundation, has made a significant contribution to improving Ghanas health infrastructure and fight against the pandemic with the presentation of 459 'cold-chain units," which include 275 vaccine freezers, 184 ice-lined combination refrigerators and 2 walk-in cold rooms to the Ministry of Health. The equipment is valued at US $1 million. The donation will boost storage of the COVID-19 vaccines, which has been identified as a challenge for various countries on the African continent. A recent survey of 34 African countries by the African regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that, in 31% of countries, more than 50% of districts have issues with cold-chain capacity that are significantly prohibitive for vaccine rollout. Cold-chain management is a crucial component of ensuring a safe and effective inoculation drive. All vaccines that are procured require uninterrupted refrigeration from dock to doctor. This means that the vaccines require optimum refrigeration from the point at which they arrive in the destination country to when they are ready to be injected into the arm of a patient. If the cold chain is broken at any point from arrival to administration, the vaccines become ineffective and potentially unsafe. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) played a significant role in the process by helping Vodafone Foundation identify what equipment is needed to manage logistics and vaccine rollout. Presenting the cold-chain equipment, Patricia Obo-Nai, the Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana said, "We are delighted to support the Ministry of Health with ultra-modern cold storage equipment. This will certainly help improve the safe transportation, storage, and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines across the country. Indeed, it is even more gratifying that this equipment will also assist the government beyond the COVID-19 pandemic with the storage and distribution of other life-saving vaccines, including those used for child immunisations." The Minister of Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who received the cold chain equipment, expressed his appreciation to Vodafone Ghana. "On behalf of my ministry, I express my profound gratitude to Vodafone Ghana and Vodafone Foundation for this great gesture. The cold-chain equipment received today will contribute significantly to the overall immunisation system, including receiving and storing from the national level to the sub-district level of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, " he said. Commenting on the initiative, Andrew Dunnett, Group Director, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable Business and Foundation, said: "This equipment will help ensure that vaccines are safely transported, stored and used both in response to COVID-19 - the largest health intervention in the continents history - and for future vaccination programmes. This donation builds upon the 150m (1.05bn Ghanaian Cedis) in grants and in-kind contributions that Vodafone Group and the Vodafone Foundation have already made in response to the pandemic. " Vodafone Foundation and Vodacom Group donated 4.2 million (GHS 29 million) to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines - and other lifesaving medicines - will be securely delivered to Ghana and several other sub-Saharan African countries. Ghana is the first receiver of the cold-chain equipment, out of a total of 690 units, which were also assigned to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Tanzania. Vodacom Group has also donated 2,197 cold chain equipment in South Africa. Procurement of the life-saving equipment was managed through the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), established by the African Union as a component in support of the Africa Vaccine Strategy. The procurement of the units for Ghana was facilitated by UNICEF. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a press conference at Queens Park regarding the easing of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. Ontarians have recently started hearing their top health and government officials speak of "learning to live with COVID-19," but it doesn't mean immediately returning to life as it was in 2019 and authorities should be refining their message, experts say. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Support local journalism Local news, sports and entertainment when you want it. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the best local news, sports and entertainment coverage. Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.10 per week for 10 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. The opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has wowed the global audience. Our correspondent Ali Jaswal in Pakistan has visited a local family to see how they enjoyed the gala. Produced by Xinhua Global Service About Jillian L. Moga, PhD Candidate Phd Candidate Jillian L. Moga joined the PSU Department of Communication in Fall of 2020. Her background is in intercultural communication, and her research focuses on ethnographically-grounded communication practices and strategies in social projects of diversity and inclusion. Prior to becoming a faculty member, Moga completed a one-year Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in South Korea, where she taught conversational English to South Korean middle school students and participated in a homestay. For her current dissertation project on racial justice allyship, she was named a 2018-2019 Marion Morse Wood Fellow in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she has presented research from her latest ethnographic fieldwork at national conferences in the field of communication and anthropology. Mogas research has received accolades, including the University of Illinois system-wide Presidents Research in Travel Awards and Top Paper Award distinction from the National Communication Associations Asian/Pacific American Caucus. In 2016, she was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher in the Department of Communication from the University of Illinois. Moga teaches courses in human communication as well as advocacy and qualitative research methods. Education PH.D., COMMUNICATION, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Expected August 2022. M.A., Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014. Teaching Emphases Intercultural Communication Gender Communication Interpersonal Communication Theories of Human Communication Qualitative Methods/Ethnography Peer-reviewed Journal Articles Kwon, S.A., Hernandez, X., Moga, J. (2017). Racial segregation and the limits of international undergraduate student diversity. Race Ethnicity and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2017.1417830 Presentations at Professional Meetings Moga, J. (2021). Anti-Racism and Allyship Talk in Teaching and Research. Panel Presentation Acceptance at 71st Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association, Language and Social Interaction Division, Virtual Conference. Moga, J. (2020). Allyship Responsibilities and Relationships. Panel Presentation Acceptance at 90th Annual Convention of the Southern States Communication Association, Frisco, TX. (Cancelled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions) Moga, J. (2018). Language Ideologies in diversity-affirming social projects. Paper presented at the 104th Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association, International and Intercultural Communication Division, Salt Lake City, UT. Moga, J. (2018). Dominant Language Ideologies in Projects of Antiracism and Diversity. Paper presented at the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropology Conference Association, Society for Linguistic Anthropology, San Jose, CA. Moga, J. (2017). Hunting for Allies: Talking Race and Doing Racial Justice Allyship. Paper presented at the 116th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropology Conference Association, Society for Linguistic Anthropology, Washington, DC. Moga, J. (2017). Representations of Asian Americans in Discourses of Racial Justice Allyship. Paper presented at the 103rd annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Asian/Pacific American Caucus, Dallas, TX. Moga, J. (2017). Technologies of Institutionalized Spaces: Public Speaking and Racialized Projects. Paper presented at the 103rd annual meeting of the National Communication Association, International and Intercultural Communication Division, Dallas, TX. Moga, J. (2016). Chronotopes in Online Discourse and Narratives of Radicalization. Paper presented at the 102nd annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Language and Social Interaction, Philadelphia, PA. Moga, J. (2016). Race talk on an internationalized campus: Domestic minority student storytelling within ethnographic interviews. Research presented at the Discourse, Social Interaction and Translations Lab, Champaign, IL. Moga, J. (2016). Model Americans? Portrayals of Asian Americans in Television and Advertising. Paper presented at the 102nd annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Asian/Pacific American Caucus, Philadelphia, PA. Moga, J. (2015). A Defiant Presence: A Rhetorical Criticism of Vijay Iyers Asian American Reunion Address. Top Paper Award presented at the 101st annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Asian/Pacific American Caucus, Las Vegas, NV. Moga, J. (2015). Static others and dynamic selves: Storytelling in the interview. Paper presented at the 101st annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Language and Social Interaction Division, Las Vegas, NV. Moga, J. (2015). Coalitional Moment(s): The Asian American and Asian International Organizing Experience. Paper presented at the 101st annual meeting of the National Communication Association, International and Intercultural Communication Division, Las Vegas, NV. Moga, J. (2015, April). Critical Reflections: New Media and Intercultural Communication. Paper Award presented at the 84th annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association, Intercultural Communication Division, Madison, WI. B.A., Communication Studies, West Virginia Wesleyan College, 2010. Day 1b action in the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Jamul Casino Main Event has wrapped up after 12 levels of play with Andrew Moreno in the chip lead after bagging a stack of 269,000. Moreno leads 47 players who will return to compete on Day 2 for a chance to take down the Main Event. Play on Day 1b lasted for six hours and saw a field of 202 entrants, bringing the prize pool so far to $177,000 nearly double the guaranteed $100,000 before the third starting flight. Other big stacks at the end of Day 1a include Christopher Smith (198,500), Dillon Najor (139,000) and Lena Evans (120,000). Day 1b Assorted Stacks PLAYER CHIP COUNT Andrew Moreno 269,000 Christopher Smith 198,500 Dillon Najor 139,000 Lena Evans 120,000 Vidhi Seem 103,000 RunGood ambassador Boston Rob Mariano is also among the 47 players left standing after bagging a stack of 49,500. The third and final starting flight will be getting underway shortly at 7 p.m. local time. Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team will be back shortly to bring you Day 1c coverage. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. BEECH ISLAND Black History Month's offerings at Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site are to include a look at the intersection of slavery and health, as the two would have met in Aiken County more than 150 years ago. "Health and Medicine for Enslaved People" is set for Feb. 26, from 4:30-5:30 p.m., with guidance to be offered by interpretive ranger Ashley Rust, who came on board at the park in August. "Natural and herbal tea tasting" will be included. Participants are invited for insight on "how enslaved people cared for injuries, illnesses and children," according to promotional material. "This program will cover a general history of health and wellness for enslaved people in the South as well as look at primary resources from James Henry Hammond's plantations." A similar presentation was given in 2009, Rust noted. Hammond (1807-1864) was the plantation's original owner, and visitors are invited also to consider the lives and legacies linked to such other families as the Wigfalls, Goodwins and Henleys. The original owner's roles, along with those of planter, attorney and slave owner, included those of U.S. representative (1835-36), governor (1842-44) and U.S. senator (1857-60). He was among the most prominent defenders of slavery, and his 1858 declaration that "cotton is king" represented a milestone in the argument over secession and the South's prospects in the face of the threat of war. "Some of these families were here a long time," said Brandon Brune, a park ranger, during a Jan. 30 tour. "One such family is the Henley family. Between enslavement and tenant and sharecropping and employment by this family, they lived at Redcliffe for 141 years, which is actually, technically 15 years longer than any Hammonds lived here." Hammond, who is largely remembered for meticulous record-keeping, owned four plantations in South Carolina, including "over 300 men, women and children who were held in bondage and forced to cultivate cotton and corn from 1831 to 1865," as noted in a park brochure. "John Shaw Billings, final owner of Redcliffe, donated the plantation grounds, buildings, documentation and artifacts to the South Carolina State Park Service in 1973. The rich documentation (letters, diaries, business papers and photographs) tell stories that are as varied as the individuals themselves: stories of triumph, failure, love and loss," the brochure added. Billings (1891-1975) is largely remembered as Life magazine's first editor and as Time-Life's first managing editor. The historic site "interprets the history of multiple generations of multiple families that were enslaved at Redcliffe and other Hammond plantations, or who worked as sharecroppers and/or paid employees from the 1831 through 1975," the website notes. "The site features two historic circa 1857 slave cabins. Visitors experience African American history year round at the site during guided tours, special exhibits and special programs." Admission to the Feb. 26 event is $8 per person and registration can be arranged by redcliffe@scprt.com or 803-827-1473. The tour will include the slave quarters and the mansion, "with some portions outside," so organizers are encouraging participants to dress with weather conditions in mind. The park is at 181 Redcliffe Road, between Atomic Road and Williston Road in Beech Island. Spiritual health and more recently cardiovascular health have been major focal points for Phil Lockard over the course of his 90 years. Longtime members of Millbrook Baptist, South Aiken Presbyterian and First Presbyterian Church of Aiken may know the Arkansas native for his years of guidance in Christian education as well as in managing church business. "I was a certified director of Christian education for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Served in that position for 30 years, until I retired in 1995," he recalled. "I directed the educational ministry of a church from birth to death. Now they have youth workers and youth educators and children educators, but I was the whole gamut in a local church, directing the Sunday school and the youth activities and training activities and all the church's educational ministry." His Millbrook connection included being the church's business administrator from 1995 to 2000, and by the end of that period, heart health had become a major concern and surgery was looming large. "I had to retire from that position and go have my heart repaired," he said. The issue was "mitral valve regurgitation, which means the ... mitral valve does not close completely," he recalled. "Therefore, part of the blood goes back into the body rather than to the lungs to be oxygenated, and so they did a procedure which they repaired it by putting a band around my mitral valve, kind of like an elastic band, and the leaflets closed better, but they didn't ... completely close." Leakage has continued, but 20-plus years later, Lockard is vigorous, getting around without a cane and having no aches and pains a major asset as he and wife Emily look to keep up with a family that includes two adult sons and one adult daughter. Lockard does not take his excellent health for granted. "I credit that to the fact for 17 years I went to the USC Aiken Wellness Center. They have an exercise program, and the first several months, I was there as a heart patient to recuperate from my heart surgery, so the doctors recommended that I take exercise ... Then, after those 12 weeks were over, I just went on for year after year and did that." He became a charter member of Aiken's chapter of Mended Hearts, an organization aiming "to inspire hope and improve the quality of life of heart patients and their families through ongoing peer-to-peer support, education, and advocacy." Mended Hearts, in the big picture, includes about 72,000 members spread among 20 countries and 250 chapters and groups, Lockard said. The organization's activities, however, have taken a heavy beating locally in the past couple of years, due to COVID-19 concerns and heavy restrictions against hospital visitation, meaning that local Mended Hearts boosters have been unable to meet face-to-face with heart patients to offer encouragement and share stories of high and low moments. "Our main purpose was to visit patients and encourage them, support them if they have heart issues, and their families." He confirmed that "we were all a bunch of retirees, and we got tired; and then the hospital told us we couldn't visit, due to COVID, and we're still in that mode." Lockard and his wife tied the knot in April of 1964, and remain regulars at South Aiken Presbyterian, where church member Paul Ebel opted for "energetic" and "dedicated to the church" when asked to describe the man of the house. "He and Emily have just been vital to our church's work, and they're there every Sunday. He's been ill recently, but whenever he's feeling good enough, he'll be there, and it's just wonderful to see him." He added," Everybody in the church knows ... Phil and Emily, and whenever I drive by the church, I look over there and I see his SUV with the little American flag sticking up in the windows, and I know that's his car and ... he's there all the time, just doing things painting and picking up stuff and he's just a wonderful guy in the church." Ebel's wife, the Rev. Martha Ebel, with First Presbyterian Church of Aiken, confirmed knowing the Lockards largely through their service at Aiken Regional Medical Centers, where Martha was a volunteer chaplain. "Phil and Emily were very active talking to people that had had heart conditions or heart surgery," she recalled. She noted that Emily, in particular, is excellent in helping church members stay in touch. "It's .. as if suddenly you have had a heart attack, or your sister-in-law in Texas has had brain surgery, the person you'll call to get the word out is Emily. Emily goes online and tells us all what's going on in the church," she said. The family's background also includes contact with one of the most prominent businessmen in American history: Sam Walton, who made a fortune as the founder of Walmart and Sam's Club, and spent plenty of time in the northeastern Arkansas town of Newport, where Phil Lockard first saw the light of day. "Sam Walton was an elder in my home church, and he had his first store in Newport, Arkansas a Ben Franklin," he said. "He went to Bentonville and started his mass-marketing program. There's a window on the corner of where his store was, with a picture and whole bunch of information in there about Sam Walton. He was a very generous, giving man and developed a marketing strategy that has really taken off." Over the course of decades, Lockard's favorite pursuits have included woodworking and (less recently) fishing, and he was also instrumental in the establishment of the Greater Aiken Estates Neighborhood Association. He was the founder and first president (2006-10). His family's legacy in Aiken Estates includes some greenery with annual flashes of pink, a few yards from Whiskey Road, in the form of a camellia bush "planted in honor of Phil and Emily Lockard for their dedication and devotion to the Greater Aiken Estates Neighborhood Association." His routine no longer includes visits to the USCA Wellness Center, due to COVID-19 concerns, but weightlifting and stretching are part of his weekly routine, as he emphasized starting a couple of decades ago. "While there, we would have a 30-minute stretching session, and we would work every joint in our body, from the fingertips to rotating my feet to raising my legs to rolling my arms. We'd work every joint in our body, which I think contributed to limber joints now. We would just do everything with them ... They offered a good rehab program there, and I guess they still offer it." Lockard's background also includes involvement with Aiken County Habitat for Humanity (as a founding board member and the second president), the Aiken Council of Neighborhoods (as a co-founder, with the late Bill Gassman) and the boards of the Aiken-Barnwell Mental Health Center and Area Churches Together Serving. The local situation involving homelessness, he said, pricks his conscience. "We don't seem to be making progress in getting homeless people off the streets in cold weather, and that's a concern of mine right now, especially, I hate to see our veterans treated poorly, and many of them homeless. I never served, nor did any of my family ever have the opportunity to serve, but I really feel for those that are homeless." Lockard's appreciation of good medical care predates his Mended Hearts experience by a few decades. He and his then-future wife met in Texarkana, Texas, in 1962, attending a church function in connection with his role in Christian education involving seven congregations. At the time, he was a recent graduate of Lyon College (known then as Arkansas College, in the city of Batesville), and she was a bookkeeper at Wadley Hospital, in Texarkana. They were engaged in 1963, and on the first day of 1964, Lockard sustained a broken jaw, fractured ribs and other injuries in a car wreck that landed him in hospital care for three months, due to a nasty encounter with black ice on a road in Appomattox, Virginia. At the time, he was pursuing a master's degree in Christian education at Presbyterian School of Christian Education, in Richmond, Virginia. "I give my lord and savior credit for bringing me through the recuperation," he said, adding that he is also grateful for divine guidance in 2000 as he underwent heart surgery and bounced back successfully. As for Mended Hearts, Lockard said he doesn't know if or when the local organization (Chapter 294) will get back on its feet. Mel Sires, one of Lockard's longtime Mended Hearts associates, noted that the local hospital visitation outreach began Sept. 1, 2001 and ran through the end of February 2020, when the pandemic was making national headlines in the U.S. During that period, Mended Hearts representatives visited 26,247 individual Aiken Regional Medical Centers patients and made 5,705 family visits. The total number of patient visits, Sires said, was 47,839. Lockard "was involved in all of that," Sires noted. "He was always very dedicated and very committed." Lockard pointed out that Aiken's Mended Hearts chapter, at one point, had more than 100 members, with 50 certified visitors in the mix. Certification came via hours of training at Aiken Regional Medical Centers and also through Mended Hearts' national office, all focused on "the proper etiquette for visiting the dos and don'ts of visiting a patient." A new telecommunications tower will be going up soon near the Aiken Department of Public Safety on Beaufort Street. Mark Chostner of Capstone Services told the Aiken Standard that workers, with the assistance of cranes, would begin erecting the 380-foot, self-supporting structure later this month if the weather cooperates. The towers steel parts arrived in Aiken in late January. The installation of three footings, with anchor bolts, that will provide support for the tower recently was completed. The footings are made of concrete with rebar reinforcement. Below each is an aggregate base composed of crushed rock. Before the tower can be put up, the concrete must cure. When they pour concrete, you can walk on it the very next day, Chostner said. But it takes a certain amount of time for concrete to cure. And while it cures, it is gaining strength. Typically, for something like this, somewhere between 14 and 28 days is when it will reach enough strength to put the tower on it. Chostner is managing the project for the City of Aiken, which teamed up with Aiken County and S.C. Educational Television, or SCETV, to make it happen. The city asked me to help with it to coordinate, answer questions from the contractor and make sure everything goes as smooth and as fast as possible, Chostner said. The county has folks that answer questions for them and that kind of thing. The tower will serve as the replacement for a 410-foot structure on the property of the old Aiken County Hospital on Richland Avenue in Aiken. The tower behind the old hospital is owned by SCETV. Tearing it down will make it easier for the site to be redeveloped. In April of last year, an agreement was signed for Aiken County to sell the old hospital and its property to 828 Richland Associates LLC for $1.15 million. The closing (of the deal) should take place by no later than Feb. 21, County Administrator Clay Killian wrote in an email sent to the Aiken Standard on Jan. 26. In recent years, there have been two other agreements involving the towers sale, but they werent finalized. Everybody that weve had deals with has said the tower has to go, Killian said. The tower with its guy-wires eats up about three acres of the property. If they (buyers) cant use that for development, the numbers dont work. Even though ETV owns the tower, others use it, including the Aiken Department of Public Safety, Aiken County Emergency Medical Services, Aiken County Public School District, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Before the structure can be torn down, the tower near the Department of Public Safety must be finished and operational. Some equipment from the structure at the old hospital also needs to be moved to the new towers site. Cipov Enterprises Inc. of Sumter is the contractor that is preparing the site for and will erect the new tower. That company also will demolish the tower on the old hospitals land. The deadline to get everything done is in late April. The contractor is trying to go faster, but we live in kind of a wild and crazy time right now, said Chostner, referring to supply chain problems and other issues related to COVID-19. The City of Aiken is paying for the construction of an access road to the new tower. We expect the cost to be around $100,000, Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said. The city owns the land where the structure will stand. Essentially, in a nutshell, we have an agreement with SCETV where they are leasing the property initially and they have the option to purchase it several years from now, Bedenbaugh said. In addition, the county and SCETV are providing funding for the project. We dont know what the final cost (of the rest of the project) will be yet, Killian said. The last number we heard was somewhere between $1.1 million and $1.3 million. ETV is going to contribute four hundred and something thousand dollars, if I remember correctly, and were going to pay the difference. Included in the final amount will be the cost to demolish and remove the tower on the old hospitals property. After the old hospital ceased to be a medical facility, it became Aiken County governments headquarters. In 2014, the old hospital no longer was needed for that purpose because the $35.7-million Aiken County Government Center opened on University Parkway. Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. COLUMBIA Richland Mall in Forest Acres could be redeveloped into a new complex with retail space and apartments or condos under a proposal now being considered. A private developer with a record of redeveloping similar sites is exploring its options on the mall, according to Aaron Dupree, first vice president with the CBRE real estate firm in Columbia, which is handling its marketing. That company, which Dupree said could not be identified publicly yet, has a tentative contract on the mall site and is evaluating its options on whether to move forward, Dupree said. If it did so, Dupree said, the most likely plan would be to demolish most or all of the current mall structure of more than 800,000 square feet, most of which now is unoccupied. A new project that focused on apartments or condos and new retail space is the likely plan to go forward. Office space also could be part of the mix, Dupree said. For Forest Acres, a redevelopment would be a source for major economic growth, replacing a mall that for years mostly has stood vacant. Getting the right project completed is a top priority of the Forest Acres city council, according to City Administrator Shaun Greenwood. "We are excited to be going forward with this developer, who has a proven track record of success," Greenwood said via email. "The City of Forest Acres is optimistic we can collaborate on a public/private partnership and help the property to become a true asset," he said. Mall management said it could not comment on the possible redevelopment, referring questions to Dupree. The mall's location, at Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard and close to downtown Columbia, is a promising one for redevelopment, Dupree said. It is the current structure, built in the 1980s and renovated in the early 1990s under the name Richland Fashion Mall, that does not work in the market today, when the world of retail is so different from decades ago and malls nationwide are struggling. "Its failures are due to the product that sits there today, not its location or demographics," Dupree said. The only large current retail tenants are Belk, Barnes & Noble and Regal cinemas. Those companies did not respond to a message asking for comment on the plans. A call center at the back of the mall is owned separately and used by the Price Waterhouse accounting firm, Dupree said. One decision that the developers would have to make if they go ahead would be about the multi-level parking structure, Dupree said. They are examining its current condition to see if keeping it is a viable option, or whether it would need to be demolished. This is not the first time a proposal to redevelop the mall has been put forward. Most notably, a 2005 plan would have put apartments and shops in the current space under the name Midtown at Forest Acres, but that plan later was scrapped amid the Great Recession. This time, CBRE began marketing the site to redevelopers nationally in June 2021, Dupree said, eventually sorting through proposals to find the best alternative, which led them to pick the current developer. The mall is made up of three different properties belonging to different owners, but this time the entire piece is available for redevelopment, fixing a problem that challenged past proposals. "Humpty Dumpty was fully put back together," Dupree said. The redeveloper considering the project has several months to consider their options. More news about the next step in the plans is likely to be coming in early summer, Dupree said. Members of the Charleston County Council listen as Bob McIntyre lays out concerns about the county Register of Deeds office, where he worked for 26 years, at a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, at the Lonnie Hamilton, III Public Services Building in North Charleston. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Visitors learn about the intelligent manufacturing supported by 5G network at the booth of Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE during the 22nd China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's telecom equipment maker ZTE saw notable year-on-year growth last year amid revenue increase in both domestic and overseas markets. The telecom giant estimated that its 2021 profit to range from 6.5 billion yuan (1.02 billion U.S. dollars) to 7.2 billion yuan, increasing 52.59 percent to 69.02 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a filing with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. It attributed the earnings rise to revenue increases in both domestic and overseas markets as well as its major business sections, while improved gross profit margin also contributed to the hike. The estimates are preliminary and may differ from the final results, the company said. AFTERPARTIES: Stories. By Anthony Veasna So. Ecco. 272 pages. $27.99. Charming, audacious Anthony Veasna So was a first-generation Cambodian American who died at 28, before he could bask in the acclaim (and attend a raucous afterparty for) his first book, Afterparties. Set mostly in Sos native Stockton, Calif. (the foreclosure capital of America), the linked story collection is a young mans book, brimming over with hilarity and sweetness. The parents in his stories are survivors of Pol Pot. The children are survivors of survival. There is always something to remind them of what they missed firsthand. These are Sos people: the first-generation Cambodian refugees, their American children, and other strivers who look at todays busted landscapes and see tomorrows beauty. Take Three Women of Chucks Donuts. So was thinking of an actual donut shop that reminded him of an Edward Hopper painting (that vacant mysterious quality that evoked both alienation and comfort). Chucks is a waterfront joint, family-owned and emitting a cool, fluorescent glow among the run-down buildings. The three women of the story Sothy, a Cambodian mother, and her American daughters, Kailey and Tevy are awake while others sleep, and trying to make a go of their unraveling business. In the early years of Chucks, they sold donuts so fast, they felt like athletes. The story takes off when a lone Cambodian man at least, they speculate hes Khmer begins to show up in the early morning hours, each time ordering a single apple fritter that he never eats. So told an interviewer that he thinks of the man as a Cambodian Bartleby figure. Is he a police officer on stakeout? A criminal on the run? They deliberate collectively about whether he is a good man or a bad one. His presence sparks something in each of the women. He reminds one (Kayley, the younger) of their father who, they discovered, keeps a second family just one town over. To Tevy, who is taking a class titled Knowing at the local community college, he is an intellectual mystery. She finds that she wants to know about the lonely customer and decides to treat him as the philosophical subject of her course paper. The mothers approach to him is pragmatic and instinctual, a handy thing when the plot veers in a violent direction. A stock situation in a So story is the declining business, like Chucks Donuts, patronized only by other Cambos. In The Shop, the business is a car repair shop, one of three things, according to the narrator, that Cambo men do: They fixed cars, sold donuts, or went on welfare. Sos own father chose the auto body shop option. The narrator is a college graduate who, failing to get a job in Symbolic Systems, is back at the shop, hanging around and doing odd jobs for free. His father spends most of his days fixing the mistakes his employees make. He is a real softy for his fellow Cambo men. By the narrators lights, his father sustains a beautiful enterprise, no matter how flawed. Still, the beautiful enterprise is failing. A shop hanger-on, Doctor Hengs wife, brings statues of the Buddha to improve the karma and finally arranges to have the local monks come over to chant and eat eggrolls made by the narrator and his mother. But hope isnt cheap. In return for the chant, the narrators father writes a hefty check, the equivalent of a months earnings. The narrator has a sudden and clear vision of his own childish pastimes: the casual life of hanging out, by day in the auto shop and hooking up by night with his brothers closeted gay friend. He closes with a heartfelt giant step into the future. Finally, he is ready to send a beacon into the ether: But what, I was ready to ask, for every life dad and I had lived and lost, will we do after? Sos dutiful children, loving and allegiant to the parents who work so hard for them, send their own collective beacon into the future of American literature. American stories are often about the flight from origins, and about believing that the next place will be better than the last. The break with the past in Sos case, Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge often introduces a unique brand of American anonymity, emptiness and loss. Theres a lot of American space to be lonely in. But Sos Cambodians are different. Fleeing genocide, they run as hard and as fast as they can toward life, whatever form it might take. Tested and sweetened by experience, they are true believers in the grandest American dreams. In an essay published after his death, So wrote, We never indulged the ordinary pursuits because we yearned to write masterpieces, timeless works infused with nihilistic joy and dissenting imaginations. ORANGEBURG S.C. State University will unveil a new monument featuring busts of the three young men killed in the Orangeburg Massacre. The unveiling is set for 11 a.m. Feb. 8 in conjunction with the 54th anniversary of the first-ever campus shooting of students by law enforcement in the U.S. The shooting occurred on a Thursday night, Feb. 8, 1968, after four days of unrest. S.C. State and Claflin college students were protesting a segregated bowling alley not far from campus the previous Monday and Tuesday. School, city and state authorities responded by imposing a curfew and filling the streets of Orangeburg with police, National Guardsmen and state highway patrolmen, escalating tensions. Frustrated and restricted to the campus, hundreds of unarmed students gathered on a bluff near Magnolia Street, started a bonfire and complained loudly about the police action. Startled by a wood bannister that struck a policeman in the head, and the sound of a gunshot, state troopers fired buckshot into the crowd of students, killing Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond and Delano Middleton, and injuring at least 28 others. The Orangeburg Massacre is often overlooked in the story of African Americans who struggled to make the world better during the Civil Rights Movement, S.C. State Interim President Alexander Conyers said in a news release. All of us benefit today from the courage and sacrifices of the people who made their voices heard that day in 1968. If you go WHAT: 54th anniversary commemoration of the Orangeburg Massacre WHEN: 11 a.m. Feb. 8 WHERE: S.C. State University, Orangeburg, S.C. COST: Free The commemoration will feature keynote speaker Cleveland Sellers Jr., who was among those wounded in the shooting. Sellers had been a prominent leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was transitioning out of that organization in late 1967 and planning to return to school. He moved into a house near S.C. State and began to consult with students on issues of self-determination informed by the Black Power phase of the civil rights movement. He was not keen on the student protests of the bowling alley. By 1968, the freedom struggle had moved beyond issues of desegregation and enfranchisement, focusing instead on economic justice, post-colonial Black empowerment, Black history, equitable hiring practices, cultural affirmation and more. The problem at All-Star Lanes would eventually resolve itself, he thought. On the other hand, he did not want to stand in the way of impassioned student activists determined to bring about change in their community. The authorities, including the FBI, viewed Sellers as a Black Power militant and close associate of Stokely Carmichael, whose public rhetoric had taken what was widely perceived as a radical turn. They monitored Sellers every move, pointed the gun of a tank at his house, and assumed he was one instigating the protests and unrest. Sellers felt he was being targeted and that, should the tension erupt into violence, he would be blamed for it. Thats precisely what happened. Shot in the fleshy part of his armpit, he first assisted those more gravely wounded then, reluctantly, went to the hospital himself where he was arrested on riot-related charges, his bail set at $50,000. Eventually, the charges were reduced to one riot but the prosecution could not connect it to the deadly events of Feb. 8, so the judge permitted the charge to apply to the events of Feb. 6 instead, the bowling alley protest, even though Sellers was merely an observer of that event. He was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison. He reported to the Goodman Correctional Institution in February 1973. In May, while he was behind bars, his daughter Nosizwe was born. In September, he was released early because of good behavior. Sellers was the only person charged with a crime in connection to the Orangeburg Massacre. Nine state troopers were brought to trial and exonerated by a mostly White jury. In the years since, Sellers has advocated for a formal state investigation of the tragedy and a truth and reconciliation process that could result in some kind of reparations to the families of those impacted. He will do so again this year at the anniversary commemoration, he said. We need to push on telling the story of Orangeburg and the history of race, and race relations, in the state of South Carolina, Sellers said. And we need to push back on that witch hunt on banning books and critical race theory. All of that is only an effort to negate the experiences of African Americans, and to provide conservatives with excuses to attack public education, he said. For years, Sellers taught civil rights history at the University of South Carolina, where he served as director of the African American Studies Program. He taught many self-identifying conservative White students, none of whom objected to the lessons they were learning, he said. Sellers rejects the argument that discomfort is a legitimate reason to censor what is taught in classrooms. Ignorance makes people susceptible to misinformation, conspiracy theories and racist ideas, he said. Better to be uncomfortable than to be hateful, Sellers said. S.C. State hosts a commemoration event every year on Feb. 8. Smith Hammond Middleton Legacy Plaza now includes the new monument featuring busts cast in bronze designed by artist Tolupe Filani, chairman of the universitys visual and performing arts department. The three busts will be mounted at the dedication. The monument structure, which forms a semicircle, was designed by architect Bob Probst, and built by AOS Specialties Contractors. Funding for the project came from S.C. States Title III Program. We at S.C. State have a sacred duty to further the message as our nation still works toward social justice for all Americans 54 years later, Conyers said in his statement. This years commemoration is especially important, as we are permanently enshrining the faces of Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond and Delano Middleton on our campus in honor of their ultimate sacrifices. Charleston County paramedics are heroes, saving lives every day and for this we are grateful. But 2018 and 2019 will be remembered, or should be remembered, as their Ketamine Years and for this we should demand answers. Over those two years, Charleston County paramedics led the state by a wide margin in using ketamine, a powerful sedative, to help subdue unruly suspects following difficult arrests. Then evidence began piling up, in the courts and in the emergency rooms, that something was wrong. In June 2019, David Seabrook filed a lawsuit, claiming he was wrongfully injected with ketamine while being wrongfully arrested at a July 4 concert at North Charlestons Riverfront Park two years earlier. In August 2019, Victor Perez stopped breathing when he was given a shot of ketamine after being arrested on Johns Island. He recovered, but a month later, Jamie Britt, an intoxicated boatyard worker, got a fatal dose of ketamine during a Mount Pleasant arrest. Four months, three ketamine cases though no one outside Charleston County EMS would have known. There were no press releases. In the old days, cops used billy clubs to deal with uncooperative suspects. Then they got stun guns. Now, too often, they call in paramedics to give suspects a shot of ketamine. This is wrong: Ketamine is a powerful medication to be used as an anesthetic or to treat depression. Resisting arrest isnt a medical condition. Nationally, the debate is growing over the misuse of ketamine in law enforcement settings. Three South Carolina legislators filed a bill last year that would make it a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years in prison for paramedics or police to use ketamine to incapacitate a criminal suspect. The case studies on this page, and the police videos they are built on, should be Exhibits A, B and C for lawmakers considering the bill. The case studies on this page, and the police videos they are built on, should be Exhibits A, B and C for lawmakers considering the bill. Charleston County, the states third-largest county at the time, used by far the most ketamine in 2018 and 2019. But its use fell by 43% over the following years; it was given 98 times in 2021, down from an average of 172 times in 2018 and 2019. It was the countys lowest usage since the states Department of Health and Environmental Control began tracking ketamine five years ago. Greenville, on the other hand, gained the dubious distinction of being No. 1 in the state, doubling its use of ketamine between 2019 and 2021, when such shots were given 206 times. (Richland County EMS, by contrast, doesnt use ketamine at all.) While DHEC keeps precise data on ketamines use, no state agency tracks related deaths; reporting adverse reactions is voluntary. This needs to be fixed. The decline in Charleston County came after the town of Mount Pleasant agreed to pay $3 million to settle the Britt familys wrongful death case in September 2020. Two months later, Todd McGeorge, the countys deputy chief, emailed all paramedics telling them to carefully document the specific circumstances that lead to the use of ketamine. A history alone does not constitute a need for ketamine, he wrote. The ambulance services medical director, David French, resigned the day after McGeorges email. He said his departure was unrelated to ketamine but declined to explain why he was leaving. (Last month, David Abrams, the countys EMS director, was a finalist but lost out in a bid to run the ambulance service in Austin, Texas. He declined through a spokeswoman to discuss it.) In a statement, Charleston County EMS said it has made no changes in its policy regarding ketamine. The protocols prescribe the sedatives use when a person is clearly a danger to self or others. It declined to comment on the lawsuits. While it takes more time, de-escalation actually talking is most often a better course than paramedics giving a powerful drug to someone they barely know. De-escalation might have saved Jamie Britts life. One person who thinks change is overdue is Greg Carney, 57, the former Charleston County paramedic who gave Britt that fatal ketamine injection. The truth is this guy died unnecessarily and nothing has changed about the policy, says Carney, who shows great remorse and great courage in speaking up even as a wrongful death lawsuit could ruin him financially. It appears that the only one who seems concerned about that is me. That needs to change, too. Steve Bailey can be reached at sjbailey1060@yahoo.com. Follow on Twitter at sjbailey1060. The homepage of One Region Charleston gives everyone a chance to provide their feedback and rank the most important strategies as far as improving this region's business climate, equity and livability. COLUMBIA Years before taking the bench, Michelle Childs one of South Carolinas best-regarded judges and now a prospective nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court thought the world had something different planned for her. Become a psychologist, or maybe pursue a management degree, as her mother had. But during her time as a sophomore at the University of South Florida came the snub. In 1986, Childs won the first-ever Miss Black Florida Pageant, a regional offshoot of what would later become the nations largest scholarship pageant for women of color. The pageant director at the time, Florida businessman Noble Sissle, reneged on the $2,250 prize. Three years later, Childs now a student at the University of South Carolina School of Law would sue the pageant director in all of the counties he did business, she told a state legislative panel before being selected to serve as a state judge for the first time in 2006. That case would become the first in a career of many victories as an attorney that would eventually catch the eye of South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges and, later, the entire legal community. Today, Childs is considered one of the most respected jurists in a city and state dominated by the legal profession, universally praised by Democrats and Republicans along with former classmates and current colleagues. Over the last 30-plus years of practice, I have litigated against hundreds of lawyers from all over the county and I have been in front of more judges than I can count, said Anthony Harbin, an Anderson-based attorney and a former classmate at USC. I dont believe the president could find a better person or judge than Michelle Childs for a seat on the Supreme Court. I sincerely hope he selects her. Childs, the U.S. District Court judge and 2009 Barack Obama appointee from Columbia, this moment is at the forefront of discussions to replace retiring liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. She is the most-discussed prospect out of several candidates vying to become the first Black woman to serve on the nations highest court. South Carolina U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn initiated the conversations, pushing President Joe Biden to commit to nominating a Black woman Childs, specifically to the seat while on the campaign trail in 2020. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has also been a reliable voice in Childs corner, boosting her name in a Senate where Democrats narrowly have enough votes to confirm whomever they desire. Shes one of the most decent people Ive ever met, Graham told CBS Face the Nation on Jan. 30. Cut from a different cloth For the privileged few to have served, an appointment to the Supreme Court is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, strategy and old-fashioned political maneuvering. It takes the right clerkship at the right time. The right schooling. The right relationships, the correct social connections. And even after all of that, a nomination to the nations highest court requires loyalty to the correct political ideology in the hope your party, Republican or Democrat, holds power when a vacancy opens up. Even then, a prospective justice would still need a record that will get them enough votes during their confirmation hearing. Childs' name has stoked a national conversation about the elite nature of the Supreme Court, a body traditionally occupied by Ivy League graduates not Southeastern Conference schools. Its nothing unsettling for Childs, 55, who arrived in the Palmetto State as a teenager when her mother moved from Detroit following the death of her father, a police officer killed in the line of duty. Friends and colleagues have described Childs as driven, not by a blind ambition for the highest level of the profession, but by an unyielding commitment to public service that has consistently allowed her to rise above the expectations and boundaries imposed on young women of color in the Columbia legal community of the 1990s and early 2000s. It's not luck when you get appointed to as many important positions as she has, Hodges, the state's governor from 1998-2002, told The Post and Courier. I think it's evidence that she's very good, the fact that she's done so well. Every step of the way people who have dealt with her, whether they're litigants or lawyers or business people, everyone universally speaks highly of her and her approach to things. Supreme Court justices once came from varied backgrounds governors, congressmen, career bureaucrats. But the path to todays judiciary is a well-tread one. Justices like Brett Kavanaugh attended Yale, clerked for several D.C. judges, and found himself on the winning side of numerous high-profile victories as a regarded member of the conservative Federalist Society, the group responsible for hand-selecting numerous conservative justices in recent decades. Even those like liberal justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first woman of color on the bench who ascended from a working-class childhood in the Bronx, was an Ivy Leaguer, with degrees from both Yale and Princeton. Numerous members of Congress have expressed sentiments the court has become too enthralled with Ivy League graduates, and have called for additional diversity on the bench. I think we run the risk of creating an elite society, Clyburn told reporters in a Jan. 27 press conference. We've got to recognize that people come from all walks of life, have all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, and we ought not dismiss anybody because of that. Fellow members of the USC Law class of 1991 say they never felt at a disadvantage to graduates of the so-considered elite law schools. Of Childs classmates, several have gone on to be judges. Others have gone on to try extremely high-profile cases under immense media scrutiny. I believed then and believe now that our classmates were very talented and smart and the curriculum at SC Law was rigorous for law students, Harbin, the USC classmate said. The professors were top notch and the grading was strict. The environment was competitive and it pushed all of us to work hard to excel. I would put our legal education up against any Ivy League legal education. In that environment, Childs thrived. She was selected for the law schools Moot Court team after doing very well in the competition, which included legal writing and oral argument. She was elected to student office. And within the halls of USC Law, Childs demanded immediate respect. Theres something very magnetic about her, said Charleston attorney Melissa F. Brown, a law school friend of Childs. We always got along. She's very smart, very studious. Where some of Browns classmates had dreams of working for major law firms or running for public office, Childs kept her sights set on what was right in front of her. People came to her, Brown said, and would continue to for the rest of her career. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Sometimes people wear their ambitions on their sleeves, Brown said. My impression of Michelle is that other people had to convince her to come work for them or become a circuit court judge or become a federal judge because she was so qualified." Legal background Childs would spend eight years in private practice for prestigious law firm Nexsen Pruet, where she mostly represented employers and state agencies in labor cases. She would rise up the ranks to become the first Black partner in the history of the firm and, at the time, one of few women in the upper echelon of South Carolinas legal world, which at the time was dominated and still is by White males. She broke through a number of barriers that hadn't been broken through before, but did it with such composure and competence, said Bob Coble, former Columbia mayor and an associate with Nexsen Pruet. I always thought of her as a very, very brilliant attorney. That was what stood out. The environment in Columbia was very competitive over those years, but she certainly was very successful in that environment, very successful in the governmental environment. Childs was later made a deputy director at the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation after extensive recruitment from Hodges, a Democrat a role that would propel her to eventual service on the S.C. Workers' Compensation Commission, a quasi-judicial agency. There were plenty of people that I could have chosen for the Department of Labor, Hodges said. And there were a lot of people that wanted to be a workers' compensation judge. She clearly stood out above everyone else. Her background made her a unique prospect for the bench. Questioned in 2006 by a legislative panel that screens candidates for judicial office, Childs acknowledged she had little experience with criminal cases, aside from being appointed to represent criminal defendants. But she said her experience with civil litigation prepared her to handle all types of cases, arguing her involvement with community organizations helped her understand the various "social, economic and educational issues affecting our State," all necessary skills in criminal court. The panel found her to be qualified for the job, and the Legislature elected her without contest. Childs developed a reputation in that role and, later, as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, as a methodical and calculating presence in the courtroom who earned the respect of prosecutors and defense attorneys alike. Those who have watched her case say lawyers give her a lot of deference in the courtroom more so than other federal judges. She rarely, if ever, raises her voice. Her courtrooms are orderly. As attorneys lay out their case, Childs' habit is to tend to take a minute to soak in all the information she had just received before proceeding. In her role, Childs has overseen numerous, high-profile cases ranging from human rights to corruption probes. She oversaw the corruption trial of former-Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood in April and will carry out his sentencing this year. She oversaw some of the highly complex civil litigation that came out of the V.C. Summer nuclear debacle in recent years, and the ensuing Dominion Energy takeover of the public utility company SCANA. Childs has also found herself at the center of highly politicized rulings expanding absentee ballot access during the 2020 presidential election, and issued the 2014 ruling that effectively overturned South Carolinas ban on gay marriage. But as the White House contemplates her for the position, Childs has faced scrutiny from some within the left wing of the Democratic Party. During her time with Nexsen Pruet, Childs represented a number of employers against allegations of racial discrimination, civil rights violations, and unionization drives, according to an analysis by the left-leaning American Prospect, leading some labor organizations to express concern with the possibility of her selection. She comes from an anti-union law firm where she spent time defending employers from claims of civil rights and labor law violations, David Borer, general counsel of the American Federation of Government Employees, told The Washington Post. Thats not what we need. Allies of Childs have downplayed that history in interviews with the national press. Democratic state lawmaker Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, told the Post that it was Childs impassioned defense of female workers of color that is why I worked so hard to make sure she was elected to the circuit bench. Vickie Eslinger, Childs mentor at Nexsen Pruet, told The Associated Press theres not a biased bone in her body. She had experience as plaintiff's lawyer, defendants lawyer ... she just was a very good lawyer, Coble said. On the doorstep of history The possibility of Childs on the Supreme Court is of symbolic significance as the first Black woman to hold a seat on the bench. She would be the first justice to receive her law degree from a state school in decades, joining the ranks of justices like Sherman Minton, a University of Indiana-Bloomington graduate who left the bench in 1956. The last U.S. Supreme Court justice from South Carolina was James Byrnes, a segregationist born and raised in Charleston who left the high court in 1941 after serving just over a year. He later became governor of the state from 1951 to 1955, a pivotal moment in the states racial history. Its that legacy that adds to the significance of not just having a public school graduate, but a Black, female public school graduate, as well as a Southerner, on the bench. Were talking about Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina, places in the country that, quite frankly, have a history of legal challenges around race, said state Rep. JA Moore, D-Hanahan, who has sponsored a resolution supporting her nomination. When we're talking about gender equality, when we're talking about educational equality it's a perspective that is needed. A voice that needs to be a part of the Supreme Court. For weeks, lawmakers from both parties in South Carolina have stepped forward to support her nomination. Classmates have universally praised her work. And nationally, Childs has become the most-talked about of the prospective candidates in the running for the job. Some believe her to be the most electable possibility of the candidates who have been floated so far, with a strong reputation among all shes ever worked with. I don't think you're going to hear anybody that's practiced before her say she rolls over on either side of the law, Stephen Mitchell, a labor attorney and former classmate, said. Whether they represent employees or represent employers, nobody is going to be negative about her, he added. Because she's fair. She lives this. It's what those in her camp say is needed in a top justice. After 30 years, shes just never changed, Brown, the law school friend, said. Jennifer Hawes, Thad Moore and Avery Wilks contributed to this report. Need help getting your paperwork in order for all the COVID-19 relief programs launched during the pandemic? The government of Guam has announced plans to open at disaster relief center focused on assisting the community struggling with these specific issues. In the next few weeks, the governor and I will discuss plans to open a disaster relief center, said Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio last week. In this center, we intend to have personnel from various agencies that will be able to provide assistance, answer questions, and help individuals complete applications for any number of the pandemic or relief programs being administered by the government of Guam. The governor and I look forward to trying to make sure we help the people, make sure they all know the services available that they are eligible for. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Officials have yet to find a location for the center. An invitation for bid will be issued shortly in their efforts to find available space. The center will be modeled after the One Stop Permit Center, which has representatives of various agencies who play a role in building permits. The disaster relief center will include agencies with available pandemic and relief programs. While relief programs have been available, many of which have online applications, we recognize there remains a need for in-person assistance, said Krystal Paco-San Agustin, governors director of communications. Thanks to effective public health interventions, including vaccinations and treatments, we have been able to manage our COVID response and our hospital admissions. This has enabled us to resume more in-person services, such as a disaster relief center. DEPLOYMENT: U.S. service members receive supplies as they wait at the Pope Army Airfield before deploying to Europe at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Feb. 3, 2022. The forces from the 18th Airborne Corps were sent to Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt, amid a buildup of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border. Allison Joyce/AFP/Getty Images/Tribune News Service A.C. Cordoza is a newly-elected member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Hes Black and hes Republican the only member of the Virginia legislature who answers to that description. As such, Cordoza sought membership in the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. It excluded him. Cordoza says he was excluded because of his answers to a questionnaire from the caucus. Among the question he apparently answered incorrectly were ones pertaining to charter schools, collective bargaining, abortion, gun control, mask mandates, making it more difficult to recall public officials, and repealing sovereign immunity. Some members of the Black Caucus claim that Cordozas exclusion had little to do with his answers to the questionnaire. It was more about interpersonal friction. This is surely nonsense. An organization doesnt require answers to a detailed questionnaire about matters across a broad range of hot button political issues unless it intends to use the answers to determine admission. The friction, if any, that exists between black Democrats and a brand new Republican member is very likely the result of ideological clash. Virginias new lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears, was a member of the Black Caucus when she served in the House during the very early years of this century. Even in those less contentious times, Sears recalls not being welcome and did not stay long. She says: I really wasnt wanted when I joined. And 20 years later, nothing has changed. [C]learly the issue is, they dont want Black Republicans. Theres nothing wrong with like-minded legislators forming caucuses and excluding those who dont agree with much of their agenda. But, as Sears says, a caucus of likeminded Blacks shouldnt hold itself out as a Black Caucus. Agreeing with a hard-left agenda is about being a leftist, not about being Black. Sears offers new names that would better suit the Black Caucus. One of them is The Youre Not Black Enough Caucus. I think the BLM Caucus works. The final word goes to Cordoza. He told the House: While numbers have reportedly dropped somewhat since last weekend, Ottawa is still thronged with pro-freedom truckers and their supporters. The protest has primarily been directed against covid mandates, but it has morphed into a broader rebellion against the oppressive bureaucratic state. The Epoch Times reports: The protest on Feb. 5 featured speakers, music, dancing, and a singing of the Canadian national anthem. There were also tables set up to serve free food and drinks to protesters. The number of protesters dropped after last weekend, the first weekend of the Freedom Convoy demonstration, but many joined again this weekend. Several other large protests were held on Feb. 5 in provincial capitals around the country against COVID-19 mandates. Canadian authorities are playing the role of comic book villains: Ahead of the Feb. 5 protest, Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly said police are implementing a surge and contain strategy to deal with the protesters. This includes sending 150 more police officers to the protest area in Ottawas downtown core, barricading the area with concrete and heavy-equipment barriers, as well as increased efforts by national, provincial, and local intelligence agencies to target those who are funding/supporting/enabling unlawful and harmful activity by protesters. When the unlawful and harmful activity involves burning down two miles of small businesses, as the George Floyd rioters did in Minneapolis, let me know. In the meantime, it looks like the Canadian government is concerned not so much about illegal activity as about the populist threat to its own prerogatives. The liberal press continues its absurd efforts to smear the demonstrators with recycled falsehoods: Protesters have shut down downtown Ottawa for the past eight days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they wanted to dissolve Canadas government. What you actually see in photos of the protests is a sea of Canadian flags. As we noted here, GoFundMe impounded close to $10 million that had been raised to support the truckers and announced a plan to require donors to submit requests for refunds and to give the balance to a different charity. The Ottawa police thought this was a great idea; again, not a good look: We want to thank @gofundme for listening to our concerns as a City and a police service. The decision to withhold funding for these unlawful demonstrations is an important step and we call on all crowdfunding sites to follow. Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) February 5, 2022 But GoFundMes announced plan was pretty obviously a criminal fraud, as Ron DeSantis pointed out: It is a fraud for @gofundme to commandeer $9M in donations sent to support truckers and give it to causes of their own choosing. I will work with @AGAshleyMoody to investigate these deceptive practices these donors should be given a refund. Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 5, 2022 GoFundMe quickly backtracked and agreed to automatically refund all donations. The truckers are now working with GiveSendGo. Meanwhile, can anyone explain why every single institution and platform, and almost all large companies, have been taken over by the authoritarian left? Well give the last word, for now, to a civil rights lawyer: The Canadian truckers revolt is a classic 21st century conflict. On one side, working people of all sorts (its gone way beyond truckers) standing up for freedom. On the other side, vicious plutocrats trying to hang on to their corrupt powers by smearing those who dare to stand up for their rights. Via InstaPundit, check out this wonderful video that contrasts Justin Trudeaus farcical condemnation of the Ottawa protest with video footage of the reality: Trudeaus words versus the reality. Brilliant video!pic.twitter.com/J1mIBqfeHs Truckistani Sunqueen (@sunqueentrg) February 3, 2022 Are Trudeau and his supporters delusional? I dont think so; not Trudeau in any event. He cant possibly be that clueless. He knows he is lying. What is being exposed here is how out of ammo the left is. They have to continue to pretend that those who advocate for freedom are Nazis in disguise because they cant deal with the truth. Some residents of Agric community in Ojo Local Government, Lagos State, are bemoaning the increase in armed robbery attacks at their major bus stops. The residents also alleged that the hoodlums sell and smoke hard drugs with reckless abandon and at night rob people of their valuables. The residents said the hoodlums live in the shanties built at the bus stops. Agric Bus stop , which consists of six Community Development Association (CDA), is located along Okokomaiko Road before Volkswagen bus stop in Ojo Local Government. The community leaders are pleading with the Lagos State Government to clear the shanties built by the hoodlums and station security personnel at the bus stops. The CDA leaders who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said their bus stops are not secure anymore. They said the armed robbers do come out from the shanties to perpetrate evil acts by dispossessing people of their belongings and kill anyone who refuses to oblige. They disclosed that about 11 people have been killed and over 50 people injured and shot while returning to their various homes in both daytime and night. Abiodun Gbamgboye, the CDA leader of Habib community, said the incessant robbery attacks at Agric bus stop have stricken fear in people. Returning home or going out in this area is now a herculean task. The whole community is scared as our bus stops now turn to arm robbers den and hard drugs zone, the shanties built by the hoodlums are their major hideouts, he said. He noted that in the daytime, we see them display hard drugs they sell on their tables and smoke, they even display mixture of drinks with hard drugs. There are many people who have been killed while being robbed. For instance, one Stanley Mbosah was killed last week while returning home. Most of us no longer take our cars out of the community for fear of being robbed by the hoodlums. Appeal to government We want the State Government, the police and Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (NDLEA) to come to our aid, Mr Gbamboye said. Another CDA leader, from Olowotabutabu community, Emmanuel Chukwudi, said there is the need for government to arrest the hoodlums who live in the shanties built at the bus stops. I want Government to help us station Police Patrol at the bus stops, remove shanties and arrest the hoodlums, their presence is causing agitation to inhabitants of this community, he said. READ ALSO: In his reaction, Salau Rasheed, a CDA leader of Ayedoto community, also expressed concern on insecurities and sale of hard drugs at the bus stops. Our bus stop is no longer safe for even our children who go to school, we are scared that the hoodlums may want to lure our children into taking hard drugs, he said. Others who talked on the insecurity of the communities were the CDA leaders, Mr Celestine Igwilo of Otubu Community; Mr Albert Mere, Secretary, Olugbemi Community. They all said there was the need for Police to help them arrest those thieves. Mr Olawale Saliu, who is a renowned lawyer living in one of the communities, told NAN that residents are scared of the evil the hoodlums unleash as they might extend their act to houses if not curtailed. He, however, urged the security personnel in the area and Ojo Local Government Chairman to help them in clearing shanties where the hoodlums hide. (NAN) Advertisements As it has become a global custom in the last 22 years, Nigerians joined the rest of the world to mark the 2022 edition of the World Cancer Day on Friday. Apart from the rising number of deaths, the www.worldcancerday.org, a website dedicated to activities around cancer care, puts the annual estimated global economic cost of cancer at $1.16 trillion. Themed Close the Care Gap, this years activities are geared towards raising awareness of the equity gap noticed in cancer management, which is said to affect people in high as well as low- and middle-income countries, and which is costing lives. This year thus marks the first of a new three-year campaign which centres on the issue of equity. In joining the cancer awareness campaign, PREMIUM TIMES will, in the coming days and weeks, dedicate special attention to the coverage of cancer care in Nigeria, spotlighting various types, causes, signs and symptoms, and the general preventive and management measures as offered by experts and narratives of patients and survivors. In this piece, our reporter focusses on one of the commonest types of cancer cervical cancer detailing relevant statistics, awareness level and, particularly, Nigerians knowledge level of an ongoing vaccination campaign against the disease. What is cancer? Cancer is a disease that occurs when changes happen in a group of normal cells within the body leading to uncontrolled, abnormal growth and forming a lump called a tumour. This definition, according to www.worldcancerday.org, is true of all cancers except the cancer of the blood, otherwise referred to as leukaemia. According to the website, if left untreated, tumours can grow and spread into the surrounding normal tissue, or to other parts of the body via the bloodstream and lymphatic systems, and can affect the digestive, nervous and circulatory systems or release hormones that may affect body function. Types of cancers Depending on where the tumour is discovered, cancers are generally classified into five major groups including Carcinoma, which affects the lining of cells that helps to protect organs such as breast, lung, colon or prostate; Lymphoma and Myeloma, which affect the immune system, and Sarcoma, which affects bones or soft tissues. There is also Leukaemia, which affects the blood, and those tumours that affect the central nervous system, which could either be brain or spinal cord cancers. Generally, it is estimated that 10 million people die of cancer annually worldwide, and that 70 per cent of these deaths occur in low-to-middle income countries including Nigeria. What is cervical cancer? Cervical cancer, a type of cancer that develops in a womans cervix, is the fourth most common cancer among women globally. Experts said in 2018 alone, it caused an estimated 311,000 deaths worldwide. Expectedly, the majority of these cases were reported in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where approximately 84 per cent of global cases and nearly 90 per cent of deaths from the disease occur. A research by The Lancet reveals that more than 44 million women globally, stand to develop cervical cancer between 2020 and 2069. It also warned that deaths from cervical cancer will increase a further 50 per cent by 2040, and that many women, their families and communities will be impacted. Although the causes of cancer are unknown, 14 out of the 100 types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) strains have been identified to cause at least 99 per cent of cervical cancer cases. HPV versus cervical cancer According to WHO, HPV types 16 and 18 cause at least 70 per cent of cervical cancers and pre-cancerous cervical lesions. There is also evidence linking HPV with cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis, and oropharynx. What HPV does is that it invades the cells of the cervix when infected through either anal, oral or vaginal sex. So once that happens, it goes to the cells and causes what we call continuous DNA replications, Amina Isah, an expert in obstetrics and gynaecology, told PREMIUM TIMES. Ms Isah explained that although HPV is a causative agent in cervical cancer, not everyone infected with HPV eventually ends up with cancer of the cervix. WHO estimates that cervical cancer could be the first cancer to be eliminated if 90 per cent of girls are vaccinated against HPV, 70 per cent of women are screened and 90 per cent of women with the disease receive treatment. However, poor access to the HPV vaccines, low awareness and negative perceptions of vaccines generally are amongst other factors hindering the elimination of cervical cancer. How much do Nigerians know of HPV? In late 2020, Gloria Lawal lost her long time friend to cervical cancer after three years of intensively battling the disease. Advertisements Although an unfortunate incident, it was also an eye opener for Ms Lawal as she never heard of cervical cancer, its causes or even the dreadfulness of the disease prior to this. I have heard about cancer generally but I never knew something like cervical cancer existed until my friend died from it, Ms Lawal told this reporter. Similarly, Mariam Baba, a final year student at the University of Abuja, said although she knows about cancer, she had never heard of cervical cancer or its causes. I believe everyone must have heard about cancer, especially breast cancer but I am unaware of cervical cancer. This is the first time I am hearing about it, she said. Just like Ms Lawal and Ms Baba, many Nigerians have very little knowledge of cancer and for the few that have heard about it, they do not know about cervical cancer. At least 45 persons interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES did not know about cervical cancer, its causes, and how it can be prevented. 1. Do you know that Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the main cause of Cervical cancer? Premium Times (@PremiumTimesng) January 26, 2022 A Twitter survey carried out by this newspaper on January 26 to ascertain peoples knowledge of the disease shows that less than 40 per cent of the respondents know the main causes of cervical cancer. The survey carried also shows that 62.2 per cent of the respondents were unaware of vaccines for the HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer. It also shows that almost 92 per cent of the female respondents were unvaccinated against the virus. Health experts, however, say more women need to be fully vaccinated to avert a looming disaster. About HPV vaccine With the introduction of vaccines for HPV, many health professionals predicted a global drop in incidence of cervical cancer. However, many years after, over 570,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Various researches, including a recent analysis, have established that the HPV vaccines could lead to the outright eradication of cervical cancer. A meta-analysis of over 600 prior studies of HPV vaccination funded by WHO and published in the peer-reviewed journal, Lancet, found a decline in cases of HPV and in growths that could lead to cervical cancer. Covering 600 million people in 14 high-income countries, cases of HPV from the vaccines introduction up till 2019 fell 83 per cent in girls 15 to 19; and 66 per cent in women 20 to 24 years. Meanwhile, pre-cancerous growths also saw a 51 per cent decrease in girls 15 to 19; and 31 per cent in women 20 to 24. These results provide strong evidence of HPV vaccination working to prevent cervical cancer in real-world settings, as HPV infections which are the cause of cervical cancer and precancerous cervical lesions are significantly declining, said Marc Brisson of Universite Laval in Quebec, who led the review, in a statement to USA TODAY. But despite the preventive benefit and documented efficacy in its protection against cervical cancer, a low percentage of women globally are vaccinated against the virus. Although there is no available data on HPV vaccination in Nigeria, health experts said less than three per cent of women in the country are vaccinated against HPV. The low percentage is partly due to low awareness, unavailability of vaccines and the relatively high-cost, findings by PREMIUM TIMES show. Nigeria in retrospect Africas most populous nation is one of the countries where high cases of cervical cancer are reported. It is the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria. There were 31,955 new cervical cancer cases in West Africa in 2018, out of which Nigeria accounted for almost half (14,943). There were also 10,403 deaths from cervical cancer in the country the same year. In 2020 alone, 12,075 new cases of cervical cancer were recorded in the country, according to Globocan statistics. Wale Akinboboye, an expert in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja, said deaths from and increased cases of cervical cancer can be prevented if everyone gets vaccinated against HPV. Mr Akinboboye said no woman should die of cervical cancer because it is highly preventable, insisting that vaccination should be done early for both boys and girls between the ages of 9-15. This is necessary because the HPV can cause other diseases in both genders, not just cervical cancer, he said. The gyneacologist explained that women who are not vaccinated at an early age can still get vaccinated during their reproductive years. He lamented that shortage of resources and the high cost of HPV vaccines pose a major obstacle in tackling cervical cancer in the country. HPVs vaccines are available in some health facilities unlike before when it was very difficult to access. Fortunately, in Abuja, Lagos and other major cities in the country, HPV vaccines are available but at a high cost, he said. Costly but effective Although HPVs are preventable through vaccination, the high cost and unavailability of these vaccines frustrate those willing to get vaccinated. Rachael Moses, a woman in her early 20s, said she had attempted to get vaccinated against HPV twice but failed. Ms Moses said; I was advised to do an HPV test earlier in 2022 and it was negative. After this, I decided to get vaccinated at the Wuse General Hospital but the attendant said the vaccines were not available in the hospital. She advised that I should visit a private health facility to get the vaccines. On getting to the private facility, I was told a dose of the vaccine costs about N15,300 and that I would need three doses to be fully protected. Thats over N50,000. As a student, there is no way I can afford that. To corroborate Ms Moses account, PREMIUM TIMES visited some health facilities in Abuja and confirmed the trouble patients encounter to get vaccinated against HPV. The first stop was Medicaid, a private health facility that specialises in cancer related issues. At this facility, a dose of the HPV vaccines costs N13,500, which amounts to N40,500 for the three doses needed. These three doses are taken in the space of 0 month to one month, and then to six months. At FMC Jabi, a public hospital, a dose of the vaccine costs N15,000, meaning that N45,000 would be required for the complete dosages of the vaccines to gain full protection. Similarly, at the Wuse district hospital, a public facility, a dose of the vaccines goes for N15,500. Although the vaccines were unavailable at the time this reporter visited the facility, the nurse on duty promised to get the vaccine once payment is confirmed. Inquiries made at the National Hospital also show that the vaccines are not available. A nurse who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES anonymously said I cant remember the last time we had HPV vaccines in this hospital. You know it is not included in the immunisation programme so it is too costly for the hospital to have in store. Quest for inclusion in Nigerias vaccine programme Ms Isah, the gyneacologist, said most women still suffer from cervical cancer because HPV vaccines are not readily available, it is not accessible and it is not affordable. She called on the Nigerian government to include the vaccines in the countrys vaccine programme. Most of the institutions that have this vaccine in Nigeria are private institutions. It is not in our National Immunisation Programme and that is why we are pleading with the government to consider this, she said. That is, it should be incorporated into the countrys immunisation programme so it can be free for both females and males, especially in the rural communities where we have the most populated and the less-educated ones. George Ikaraoha, the Cervical Cancer Prevention Programme advisor for the Reaching Impact, Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE), said the best way to handle cervical cancer is through primary prevention. From age nine, girls are supposed to have access to the HPV vaccines but the problem we have is access to these vaccines. It is not included in the national immunisation schedule, so persons have to pay out of pocket, he said. Mr Ikaraoha said more advocacy is needed for the government to include the HPV vaccines in the national programme. Late case presentation Ms Isah, the gyneacologist, said Nigerians, especially those in the rural communities, and to some extent, those in the urban centres, have poor health-seeking behaviour such that when they have some symptoms, they do not go to the hospital early. She said this boils down to lack of awareness of cervical cancer and other killer diseases. She explained that many women diagnosed with cervical cancer die because the disease is identified too late to prevent further progression. The symptoms include abnormal vaginal discharge, which a lot of women experience at a time and they think it is a toilet infection. What I am advocating now is for every woman that has abnormal virginal discharge to visit the health facility to get a pap smear done or even evaluate the discharge. If it is other infections, it will be treated and if pre-cancerous legion is detected, it will be treated. Other symptoms are bleeding after sex, postmenopausal bleeding, lower abdominal pain, etc. Matilda Kerry, the founder of George Kerry Life Foundation, a non governmental organisation, said there is an urgent need to enlighten at least 10 million Nigerians about cervical cancer. Ms Kerry said women of childbearing age and those sexually active are more vulnerable to the disease. She said cervical cancer is one of the few cancers with a pre-cancer stage, hence it can be stopped before it starts. It is instructive for these vulnerable groups of women to undergo screening once in two to three years, she said. Risk behaviour, Screening Mr Akinboboye explained that the increased risk for cervical cancer is having multiple sexual partners or those that have partners with multiple sexual partners. He said those that engage in sexual activities at an early age are also at risk of HPV. Cigarettes smoking also perpetuates the virus and increases the risk of having cervical cancer. Also people living with HIV/AIDS are at higher risk of cervical cancer, diabetes patients and generally those with immunosuppressive therapy are all at risk, he said. He said screening is one of the many ways to beat cancer, noting that early detection is key. Pap smear is a strategy used to detect things that may lead to cervical cancer. Once detected, these stages can be treated through various mechanisms before getting to a full blown cancer, he said. Mr Ikaraoha, the programme officer, also said in the absence of HPV vaccines, regular screening is an alternative form of prevention. He said early detection of cervical cancer is key to eradicating the disease. This can only be achieved when people make themselves available for screening. At least 43 people were killed in various attacks by non-state actors across Nigeria last week (January 30 February 5). Four of those killed were security personnel three police officers and one soldier while the rest were civilians including one traditional ruler. The figure for the week signifies an increase by about 50 per cent when compared to the previous week where at least 25 people were killed. Four geopolitical zones recorded at least one incident while the North-east and South-west zones had no reported incident. PREMIUM TIMES compiled the incidents from media reports. Thus, unreported cases are not included. Below are the recorded incidents: South-south A soldier was killed and two others injured as gunmen attacked troops in Rivers State. The incident happened in the early hours of last Sunday at the boundary bridge between the Asari-Toru Local Government Area in the Kalabari region and the Emohua Local Government Area of the state. North-west Bandits numbering about 200, on Thursday night, attacked Yangayya in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State. They killed the village head, Jafaru Rabiu, and four others. The police command confirmed the attack and the killings. In Zamfara State, gunmen invaded Nasarawa ward in Bakura Local Government Area. They killed three persons including a Chief Imam of the area, Akilu Dan Malam. The attack occurred at about 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. In a separate incident in Zamfara, bandits killed at least 30 people, and abducted several others, mostly women, in separate attacks Friday afternoon. The attacked communities are Nasarawar Mai Fara in Tsafe Local Government Area, Yar Katsina in Bungudu Local Government Area and Nasarawa village in Bakura Local Government Area. South-east The police in Anambra State, Nigerias South-east, arrested a man for allegedly killing his brother and setting the corpse ablaze. The incident happened on Sunday in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area in Anambra, according to a statement issued on Monday by the police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga. The arrested man was identified as Onyedika Nnofu. North-central Three police officers were on Thursday killed, while an unspecified number of others were abducted in a banditry raid of a police station in Niger State. The report gathered that the gunmen in a night raid stormed Ishau police station in the Paikoro Local Government Area of the state and carried out the attack. Over 60 per cent of Nigerians who participated in a poll believe that the country should be included in the list of countries whose citizens are exempted from writing the IELTS exam when they want to study or work in the UK. The poll also showed that less than six per cent of Nigerians believe the IELTS for Nigerians should be left the way it is. In the past few months, many Nigerians have called on the government of the United Kingdom (UK) to reform the policy of the English proficiency test, IELTS, in Nigeria. While some demanded a reduction in the cost of the tests and an increase in the validity period, others demanded Nigerias removal from the list of countries required to take the test. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a major requirement for citizens of any country who wish to relocate to the UK for work or study opportunities. The cost of the test in Nigeria ranges between N80,000 and N90,000 an aspect which has prompted many Nigerians to describe the exercise as extortion. Besides the cost, the test is only valid for two years and can only be taken in 12 cities across the country another criterion many Nigerians have deemed unfair. But while there has been a general call for a total reform of the IELTS policy, many Nigerians were particular about asking the UK government to include the country in its Visa and Immigration (VI) list, a poll conducted by PREMIUM TIMES shows. Already, countries like Barbados, Guyana, the Bahamas and Belize are on the list which exempts their citizens from the IELTS. Other countries on the list are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada. Following the social media attention that the issue generated, PREMIUM TIMES conducted a poll to test the views of Nigerians on the topic. The Poll The poll, which ran on PREMIUM TIMES website and its official Twitter handle, lasted for five days. On Twitter and the website, it was conducted in a way that made it impossible for a respondent to vote more than once from the same computer or mobile device. The voters were asked a single question: What do you think should be changed about IELTS for Nigerians? On the Website, the question had five options for participants to choose from. Price should be reduced Validity period should be increased Price should be reduced and validity period increased. Nigeria should be added to the UKVI exemption list. IELTS for Nigerians should be left as it currently is. Because Twitter allows only four options, the third option was not included. A total of 2,125 respondents voted across the two platforms. On the PREMIUM TIMES website, 1,468 people voted. About 60.2 per cent (884) of the respondents said Nigeria should be added to the UKVI list, while 18.9 per cent (277) said the price should be reduced and validity period increased. Another eight per cent (117 respondents) said they only want the validity period increased while 7.7 per cent (113 respondents) only want the cost of the examination reduced. Only 5.2 per cent of the respondents (77) said the IELTS for Nigerians should be left as it currently is. On Twitter, the respondents had only four options to choose from as allowed by the social media platform. A total of 657 participants voted. About 40.9 per cent of the respondents (269) called for Nigerias inclusion in the UKVI list, 32.1 per cent want the validity period extended, 24.2 per cent want the cost of the examination reduced while only 2.7 per cent said the IELTS should be left as it is for Nigerians. Call for reform While this is not the first time many Nigerians will be asking the UK to reform the IELTS policy in the country, the recent call, which started a few months ago, has been the most pronounced. Advertisements Nigerians are currently kicking against the policy, describing it as a rip-off and accusing the UK of commercialising the test. They have taken to social media using hashtags like #ReformIELTSPolicy, #IELTS, and #TOEFL, among others, to drive home their demands. A youth-led open-source policy platform, Policy Shapers, is at the forefront of this call. The group has initiated an online petition on Change.org, wondering why none of the over 20 anglophone countries in Africa is on the list of countries exempted from taking the test. This, they say, is despite the fact that these African countries are former British colonies and belong to the Commonwealth. The petition, addressed to Secretary of the UK Home Office, Priti Patel, has been signed by over 70,000 people. However, in its response to enquiries made as to why Nigeria is not on the UKVI exemption list, the criteria used for selecting countries and why Nigerians are subjected to the test, the UK Home Office, in charge of the test, said it had no evidence yet that majority of Nigerians spoke English as the first language. It said it must have evidence that at least 51 per cent of the population speaks English as a first language for a country to be included in the list. The UK High Commission had also said that while individual test providers set the fees, they are always comparable to what is charged globally. When asked if Nigeria meets the target going by the fact that the majority are made to speak their indigenous languages while growing up, the founder of Policy Shapers, Ebenezer Wikina, noted that many countries on the UKVI exemption list have indegenous languages as well. We did some data mining and we found out that on that same list, the countries there, speak a combined 82 additional languages. People often refer to our indigenous languages as a reason why we should write the IELTs and so we just thought maybe they feel like our native languages corrupt our English so is it possible that their own languages corrupt theirs, Mr Wikina said. Some countries like Guyana speak as much as 18 and its a very small island. So, why not us? Theres another data that shows that more than 60 per cent of Nigerias population is under 24 years old. We have a young population. If you call an average 24-year-old, most of them struggle to speak their indigenous language. Nigeria not alone Apparently, Nigerians are not the only ones calling on the UK to reform the IELTS policy. Citizens of Ghana, Cameroon and Malawi have made similar calls. On Saturday, Ghanas second deputy speaker of parliament, Andrew Asiamah, mandated the parliaments Education and Foreign Affairs Committee to look into the IELTS policy as it relates to Ghanaians. His directive was sequel to a statement by a fellow lawmaker, who expressed the view that the test was being used as a source of revenue for the UK government. The lawmakers, like Nigerians, had argued that Ghana is a Commonwealth nation and English is the official language of the state and the language of instruction in Ghanaian Schools. Meanwhile, in Malawi, over 7,300 Malawians signed a petition asking the UK government to exempt them from taking the test before they can be accepted for studies in the UK. A media practitioner, Rogers Siula, who launched the petition in 2021, told a local newspaper that the call was not only because English is Malawis official language, but also because the country was a former British Protectorate. With over 70,000 signatures in Nigeria, many are hopeful that the IELTS policy in Nigeria will be reviewed. Muslim women from different Islamic Organisations, under the aegis of Coalition of Nigerian Muslim women, on Saturday converged at the Unity Park, Abuja, to create awareness on the significance of wearing a hijab. They called on relevant government agencies to protect women wearing hijab from abuse and other forms of maltreatment and discrimination. Azeeza Jibrin, a member of the coalition, maintained that the hijab remains the dress of dignity and honour, stressing that wearing the hijab to the Muslim woman is an act of worship. Mrs Jibrin also emphasised that Muslim women should be allowed to practice their faith as long as their religious practice does not in any go to the contrary. She called on the government and relevant authorities to create more enabling environments for the full enjoyment of the rights to freedom of religion by passing into law the Religious Discrimination Prohibition Prevention Bill 2021. She encouraged every Muslim woman to shun attacks and harassment and be confident wearing the hijab, saying, Todays occasion will give us an opportunity to teach and invite the people of other faith to adorn themselves with the hijab and experience a taste of the dress of honour. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the outreach programme is the second in the series of events to mark the 2022 World Hijab Day. (NAN) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the leaders of all religious groups to ensure that their adherents respect the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of religion and worship. NHRCs Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, made the call on Saturday in response to reports of alleged harassment and rejection of some Muslim female students wearing hijab to school in Offa, Ijagbo and Oyun communities in Kwara State, a statement by the commissions spokesperson, Fatimah Muhammed, stated. To avoid unnecessary situations that could lead to violence, all religious groups should respect the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of religion and worship, the statement by the commission quoted Mr Ojukwu as saying. Mr Ojukwus comment came days after the commemoration of the 2022 World Hijab Day in over 190 countries to mobilise support for hijab wearers. He urged those who unnecessarily light the flames of religious intolerance to stop and instead pursue a peaceful coexistence. He said instead of exhibiting religious intolerance, they should live together in peace and ensure the protection of one anothers rights to education, work, and religious freedom, among other things, keeping in mind that Nigeria is a secular state. Dont stop people from wearing hijab He cited Section 38(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, as well as other various regional and international treaties, in which the right to freedom of religion and worship is recognised. It is strange and smacks of intolerance to stop someone from wearing a hijab when freedom of worship has expressly been granted by the Constitution and other relevant legislation. Mr Ojukwu emphasised the decision of the Court of Appeal in Lagos delivered by A. B. Gumel, in the case between Lagos State Government and Miss Asiyat Abdul Kareem, Miss Moriam Oyeniyi and Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), which stated that the use of hijab was an Islamic injunction and an act of worship, hence it would constitute a violation of appellants rights to stop them from wearing hijab in public schools. Until this decision is reversed by the Supreme Court, the judgment remains a reference point, Mr Ojukwu added. He commended the respective authorities for quickly resolving tensions arising in the past over the wearing of hijab as was recorded in Nigerian Law School in Abuja, Akwa Iboms National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp, and the University Teaching Hospital Ibadan. Mr Ojukwu used the medium to congratulate the Muslim women for commemorating the 2022 World Hijab Day, and also urged them to be good ambassadors of Islam. Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on Saturday, expressed concern over the security situation in the continent. Addressing the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, Mr Mahamat said the security situation in the continent today is deeply marked by terrorism and the dangerous resurgence of unconstitutional changes of governments. Chairperson of the pan-African bloc said terrorism and violent extremism was Africas security challenge in 2021, with international terror links embedded in east, west, and southern Africa. The security situation on the continent now calls for a real new approach which should question our peace and security architecture and its correlation with the new destabilizing factors in Africa, Mr Mahamat said. The chairperson further said financing the continents development through an energetic fight against illicit capital flows and establishment of African financial institutions remained a greater challenge to Africa. (Xinhua/NAN) A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, says he does not support zoning of political offices because it has so far yielded no positive results. Mr Lamido, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and presidential aspirant, was minister of foreign affairs from 1999 -2003. His party practises rotation of the presidency of Nigeria between the north and south of the country and allocation of other principal positions on the basis of geo-political zones. However, that arrangement has been in jeopardy since the death of President Umaru Yaradua in 2010 and the nomination of his vice, Goodluck Jonathan, as PDP presidential candidate in 2011. Speaking to BBC Hausa on Saturday as monitored by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Lamido said zoning has been counter-productive. Even if they (PDP members) come and talk about zoning, I will tell them no. Because in these days of development, the world has passed the stage of zoning of political offices. What they discuss is how to progress. We should be discussing how best to build our people, how to ensure unity among our people. And I believe we can get that person from any part of the country, so we should not be talking of zoning now, he said. Mr Lamido said he has always been a national politician, hence, his decision to always support the best candidate. I dont care whether such persons is a Muslim or Christian, a Hausa or Angas or Yoruba. If he is capable, bring him on. We should forget about this zoning issue because where has it taken us positively as a country? Mr Lamido and many other prominent politicians from the north, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar, former Senate president Bukola Saraki, former Kano governor Musa Kwankwaso, and Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal, are believed to be interested in seeking tge PDP presidential ticket in 2023. Why we visited Obasanjo Commenting on why leaders of the PDP paid a visit to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who in 2015 publicly tore up his membership card of the party, Mr Lamido said they were there to save the country. He said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has destroyed everything built by the PDP in its 16 years of leadership, hence the decision to rescue the country. Almost everything done by the PDP has been destroyed by APC. There is high rate of poverty in the country, insecurity is at an alarming rate, lack of unity among people of the country. We sat and deliberated on how to start the mission of saving this country and that was how we decided to meet him (Obasanjo) and we met him and discussed for two hours. We only went there to discuss the future of this country and nothing more and we went to him because he knows how to rescue this country. He knows how he left this country in good situation and we know he so much loves Nigeria. So, we went there to beg him on the way forward. And we know that we can only rescue Nigeria through PDP but we also need to talk to everyone who matters in the party, including those who have been offended to make them return to their beloved party, he said. Some oil communities in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have initiated garnishee proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to enforce an N82 billion judgement debt. Ibeno communities led by Obong Effiong Archianga and nine others brought the action against the NNPC and the two oil giants through their lawyer, Lucius Nwosu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). They had, in their original suit, sought about N100 billion compensation for economic losses they had suffered as a result of the oil spillages caused by the defendants during exploration. In June last year, the court ordered the international oil companies and NNPC to pay the oil communities cumulative damages of N81.9 billion over oil spillage. The judge, Taiwo Taiwo, ordered the defendants to pay the plaintiffs within 14 days, failing which eight per cent interest would be accruable on the principal sum annually. The judge struck out the name of the 3rd defendant, which is another subsidiary of Mobil, ExxonMobil Corporation, on the grounds that it had no blame in the issue. Court grants request to attach NNPCs, Mobils funds at CBN, commercial banks To enforce the judgement debt, the plaintiffs (judgement creditors) approached the court with an ex-parte application, seeking to compel the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and some commercial banks to pay them the N82 billion judgement debt from the bank accounts of the debtors. A.O. Okeaya-Imoh and Ogwu Onoja, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, filed the garnishee nisi proceedings, which is a preliminary judgment enforcement application, on behalf of the plaintiffs on December 15, 2021. Ruling on the application, the judge, Mr Taiwo, ordered the attachment of funds belonging to the judgment debtors in the CBN and the various commercial banks. Apart from the CBN, other banks affected by the order include First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Access Bank Plc. There are 19 other commercial banks ordered by the court to pay over the N82 billion judgement debt from the accounts of the plaintiffs in their custody to the aggrieved oil communities in Ibeno LGA of Akwa-Ibom State. An order is hereby made directing that the garnishee nisi be served on any branch of the garnishee banks throughout Nigeria for the attachment of funds of the judgement debtor with the said garnishee banks for the purpose of satisfying the total judgement debt in the sum of N81,925,157,500.00 with interests thereon and the cost of execution in this suit, the judge held in a certified true copy of the order obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Friday. Mr Taiwo went to fix a date for the garnishee (the banks) to appear before the court to show cause why the order nisi should not be made absolute, which would lead to the final payment of the judgement debt to the judgement creditors. NNPC, banks kick against enforcement of judgment debt Following the courts order asking the banks to explain why its earlier orders should not be made absolute, the NNPC represented by Damian Dodo, a SAN, appeared before Mr Taiwo on January 31. The NNPCs lawyer argued that the courts judgement debt of last June was being contested at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. My Lord, its unfortunate that steps are being taken to enforce the judgement despite a pending appeal at the Court of Appeal, Mr Dodo lamented. He further contended that the failure of the plaintiffs to join all the garnishee debtors to the entire proceedings was fatal to the suits survival. We urge the court to bring to an end the garnishee proceedings, Mr Dodo prayed the court. The CBN on its part contended that the facts before the court does not support the court to proceed with granting the garnishee order absolute. Mr Omoruwa Adediran, also a SAN, who represented the CBN, further argued that the garnishee order was not binding on governments companies. He cited the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which, he said, provides that the NNPC is a national oil company, and not a private firm as canvassed by the judgement creditors in their arguments. Similarly, First Bank Nigeria Plcs lawyer, Joy Iloh, urged the court to strike its name out of the garnishee proceedings as it was not holding the judgement debtors funds. But in his counter-argument, the communities lead counsel, Mr Nwosu, said there was no pending appeal against the courts judgement being sought to be enforced since when it was delivered last June. He pointed out that the NNPC and Mobil were only applying for leave of court to appeal against the verdict. Advertisements Nothing lies in your way in making the garnishee order absolute, Mr Nwosu urged the court. Recounting the ordeals of oil producing communities in the Niger Delta who grapple with the havoc of environmental degradation, Mr Nwosu said the activities of the judgement debtors (NNPC and Mobil) had completely destroyed the Ibeno communities. We are not going after statutory funds or taxpayers money, but a piece of cake that is being baked in our land, the Mr Nwosu argued. He informed the court that the CBN and First Bank Plc had both agreed that they have the NNPCs funds for garnishee proceedings. First Bank Plc has admitted that it has N153 million standing to the credit of the judgement debtor, the plaintiffs lawyer said. The court has now fixed February 28 to deliver its ruling. Backstory In his verdict last June in a joint suit filed by the aggrieved oil producing communities, Mr Taiwo held that Mobil, the American oil company, and the NNPC were negligent in the way they handled oil spills that caused environmental degradation in the communities. Specifically, Mr Taiwo took umbrage at the NNPC for being interested in revenue generation from the oil exploration at the expense of the lives of the people in the communities. The judge said he believed the oral and documentary evidence adduced by the plaintiffs to support their claims that lives were made miserable for them when their water and land were polluted through crude oil leakages from old oil pipelines. Mr Taiwo noted the claims of Mobil that it did clean up exercise and held that the oil giant failed to address the compensation that would have mitigated the economic losses of the people said to be mainly fishermen and farmers. He held that the oral and documentary pieces of evidence produced by Mobil Company were not in any way helpful to the court as they were targeted at serving predetermined interest. The judge further said that some of the witnesses should not have come to the court at all going by the discrepancies in the documents brought to the court, adding that they only embarked on guess research that was not reliable. He further held that both Mobil and NNPC were negligent by their failure to visit places of the leakages of the crude oil that led to the contamination of rivers and creeks. The court rejected the claims of the Mobils joint venture partner, NNPC, that the suit was statute barred in 2012 when it was filed by the aggrieved plaintiffs. The NNPC had claimed that the suit was not filed within 12 months by the plaintiffs as required by the provision of Section 12(1) of the NNPC Act, 2004. However, the judge held that the suit had to do with fundamental rights that cannot be rendered impotent by the statute of limitation. He stated further that Section 11(5) of the Oil Pipeline Act made it mandatory for oil companies to monitor and repair their pipelines to avoid spillages and environmental degradation. As a result of this, the judge awarded N42.8 billion as damages for intangible losses, N21.9 billion for special damages as annotated, and N10 billion as general damages. Hundreds of advocates against cancer in Nigeria have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to gazette and implement the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment bill that was signed into law in December, 2017. This call was made on Saturday during a march to mark this years annual World Cancer Day anniversary in Abuja, which was organised by Project Pink Blue in partnership with other advocates. The advocates had marched from Transcorp Hilton Hotels in the Federal Capital Territory through the federal secretariat road to raise awareness against the deadly ailment that claims over 70,000 lives yearly in the country. Speaking on behalf of the organisers, the executive director of the Project Pink Blue, Runcie Chidebe, said there is an urgent need to institutionalise cancer treatment in Nigeria. He said: The theme of this years cancer day event is closing the care gap and we all know that the care gap in Nigeria is institutional. Cancer care does not have an institution or proper structure and that is why it has been difficult to stem the tide of the deadly disease. There is nobody to hold responsible for any care gap. You can hold the health minister at some point but he will tell you he has competing priorities on his table. That is why there is a need for a separate institution or agency to specifically address the menace of cancer in Nigeria. For instance, look at the case of HIV care, there is NACA, which is an agency that caters for it. You can hold the director general responsible because its an institution. He said this was the reason they made it a priority this year to call on Mr Buhari to gazette the act which was signed into law in 2017 and ensure its implementation for the benefits of cancer patients in the country. Mr Chidebe explained that the institute will help in galvanising treatment, testing and research on drugs for cancer. Aisha Yesufu, Itodo join campaign Meanwhile, power bike riders, cyclists in full gear and skaters performing all sorts of stunts added colour to this years annual World Cancer Day walk. All adorned in pink t-shirts, Activists Aisha Yesufu and the founder of Yiaga Africa, a non-governmental organisation concerned with promotion of democracy in Africa, Samson Itodo, and the general manager of Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Kevin Brett, joined hundreds of youths dancing to the non-stop music blasting from the mobile disk jockey during the five-kilometre walk. Speaking during the event, Mr Brett said the hotel management has been supporting Project Pink Blue for five years and will continue to do so given the groups antecedents and drive towards fighting cancer. He said this years message: Closing the care gap Choke cancer is an interesting theme that should drive conversations around the disease across the country. Mr Chidebe also added that the awareness campaign is to enlighten Nigerians that cancer is treatable and that there is an urgent need to close the care gap. The organisers also used the event to give free prostate, breast and cervical cancer screening to hundreds of people. Cancer Treatment Fund The groups director also decried the non-implementation of the Cancer Treatment Fund about two years after it was flagged off, saying that no cancer patient has benefitted from the scheme. Hope had risen for cancer patients, when in 2019 during a National Health Dialogue organised by PREMIUM TIMES and its partners, the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, announced a plan to institute a cancer treatment fund. The minister said the new fund will help reduce the cost of treatment and diagnosis, noting that the funding plan will draw support from the private sector. But over two years after the pronouncement, cancer communities in Nigeria say they are yet to start benefiting from the fund. Mr Chidebe said: The Cancer Treatment Fund is private sector driven. As much as I commend the health ministry and its partners in developing a roadmap for implementation of the fund, I must state that it is taking so much time to disburse this money donated by Nigerians for Nigerians. Its almost two years! This is unfair and a clear social injustice to cancer patients because cancer does not wait for you to finish all your paperwork. This year, we are supposed to be showing the faces of the beneficiaries who have received this money and that is the only way private sector investors and donor agencies can see how transparent this programme is and they will be willing to invest. The urgency to release this money is so important yet it hasnt been done. Over 300 people have been enrolled but this money has not reached the wallets of the said patients and that is the painful part of the story. This is why there is a need for an institute on cancer to handle such issues. Cancer in Nigeria Over 70,000 deaths are recorded from cancer annually in Nigeria. In 2020 alone, 78,899 cancer-related deaths were recorded in Nigeria, according to Globocan statistics. Advertisements Women often bear the brunt as breast and cervical cancers are responsible for more deaths than any others in Nigeria. Meanwhile, experts believe the cancer figures are underreported because many patients cannot afford the costs and often abandon hospital tests and treatment, meaning they will not be captured in the data. Also speaking at the event, Ojai Friday, a cancer survivor, said finance and fear are the major challenges victims face in the country. He narrated how he was helped by his employers, the Transcorp Hilton management, which sponsored him to go and receive treatment for blood cancer in India. Since 2016, I have had cancer of the blood and am eternally grateful to the management of Transcorp Hilton that sponsored me and my wife to India for three months so I can get care. The cost is about N10 million, he said. The survivor decried poor funding for cancer care in Nigeria, calling on the government to support advocacy groups like Project Pink Blue who have been very pivotal in linking victims to the much-needed care. Nigerians have maintained that the continuous request of an English Proficiency Test from Nigerians, and citizens of other Anglophone countries in Africa, seeking to study or work in the United Kingdom, is simply a way of swindling the citizens of these countries of their monies by the UK authorities. Many participants, who spoke at the maiden edition of PREMIUM TIMES TwitterSpaces on Wednesday, condemned what they described as the UK authorities unwillingness to include Nigeria and other African countries on the list of its Majority English Speaking Country (MESC). PT TwitterSpaces is an innovation of PREMIUM TIMES to advance conversations around issues of national concern and those that may be trending on social media and particularly Twitter. Many participants had argued that English being the language of instruction in Nigerian schools from kindergarten to tertiary level is a testimony that Nigerians speak and understand the language. Petition As of Saturday, over 75,000 people had signed a petition by Policy Shapers, a public policy organisation, on Change.org, seeking a policy reform by the UK on its request for English Language Proficiency from Nigerians who are migrating to the UK to study or work. The cost of the test, which currently stands between N80,000 and N90,000 in Nigeria, is almost three times the countrys minimum wage of N30,000. Apart from its high cost, the test is only valid for two years and can only be taken in 12 cities across the country. Individuals requiring it for their pursuits would have to take the test again if they fail or did not relocate to the UK after two years of taking the test. UK Home Office reacts In October 2021, Policy Shapers wrote to the UK Home Office seeking answers to why none of the Anglophone countries in Africa was part of its Majority English Speaking Countries, and what it will take for the UK to include them on the list. Three months later, in January 2022, amidst the growing number of signees of the Policy Shapers petition, and growing Twitter trends of #ReformIELTSPolicy #IELTS, #TOEFL, most of them tagging the UK home offices twitter handle, the UK replied the inquiry by the public campaign organisation. Parts of its reply read: To be included on the Majority English Speaking Country (MESC) list, we must have evidence that most people in the country (more than half) speak English as a first language. We rely on publicly available evidence such as official censuses to make this determination along with other academic sources. We may also consult the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office where additional evidence is required. Currently, based on the information available to us, Nigeria does not meet the requirement. This list is periodically reviewed and updated, and new countries are added if they are found to meet the requirements. However, speaking on PREMIUM TIMES Twitter Space, Ebenezer Wikina, the founder of Policy Shapers, and a champion of the #ReformIELTSPolicy campaign, said the UK home office is too elaborate and not specific in what kind of public evidence it relies on to verify that more than 51 per cent of Nigerians speak English. He said: Public evidence is very broad. There is a lot of public evidence on why Nigerians should be on that list. To back his claims, Mr Wikina cited how Nigeria made the top 28 countries for six consecutive years in the English Proficiency Index released annually by Education First, a Sweden-based international education company that specialises in language training. Mr Wikina said: We actually deserve to be on the list. And I think that we should be on the list and thats what the campaign is all about. He also hinted that Policy Shapers is working on a policy brief to be presented to the UK Home Office. Others react A participant, Senibo @Sen_Abbey, argued that IELTS is designed as a standardised IQ test and not necessarily as a language proficiency test. READ ALSO: He said: Its more of an intelligence quotient test than an English proficiency test. I have been to several classes, where I have to learn or study under someone to prepare for the test. And I have come to discover that what they are only testing is your IQ. How good you are and how fast you are in answering questions, which is the same thing with every other exam. These guys just go and rip us of our money, every two-two years. For me, its a scam, there is nothing else to it. Its just a pure scam. These guys are just there to collect our money and thats it. So for me, I will say this thing should be scrapped totally. Another participant, Joe Abuku @JoeAbuku, said: Proficiency doesnt get worse, it gets better. The ultimate goal is to scrap it. Advertisements Munachi Deca-Anyanwu, @munadeca6 said: For me, I am for the total scrapping of the test because our primary schools, high schools and our universities all teach in English. I have a friend who goes to France who went to language school before they go to university. There they finish a language school and they go to university and they get their masters. People who never spoke French. So why would people who have immersed themselves through English all through their lives will now have to go through another English language exam? And if somebody is going to the UK to study if you cannot speak English, that should be the persons problem. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on Sunday called on Nigerian citizens living in Ukraine to remain calm, amid growing fears that Russia could invade Ukraine. The call was contained in a statement by Gabriel Odu, a Media, Public Relations, and Protocol Officer at NiDCOM. The statement made it clear that Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, had earlier urged Nigerians in Ukraine to be calm and security conscious in view of the strained relations between Ukraine and Russia. Dabiri-Erewa has assured that the Nigerian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine is doing all it can to ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians in that country. The NiDCOM boss also urged Nigerian citizens in Ukraine to visit the embassys website and duly follow the registration processes (available there). Meanwhile a statement from the Nigerian Embassy in Kiev has further provided information and necessary action with regards to emergencies and concerns, the statement quoted Mrs Dabiri-Erewa as saying. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden has announced the increase of U.S. troops in Europe to strengthen North Atlantic Treaty Organisations (NATOs) eastern flank as a response to the build-up of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. A total of 1,700 troops will be redeployed from the U.S. to Poland, while a further 300 troops are to be sent to Germany. In turn, some 1,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in Germany will be redeployed to Romania, which shares a border with Ukraine. (NAN) President Muhammadu Buhari commenced the week under review with a promise that the Federal Government would honour promises made to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). This , the President said, was to prevent disruptive strikes, engender uninterrupted academic programmes and improve funding of education institutions. The President made the pledge on February 1, when he received members of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) led by the Co-Chairs, the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Samson Ayokunle. ASUU, on Friday, expressed doubts over the ability of the Federal Government to resolve the lingering crisis in the education sector, particularly the universities, threatening that the union might soon commence an indefinite strike. However, the President stated that no society which wished itself well neglected its educational system and all its component parts. He, therefore, commended the leadership of NIREC for intervening in the year-long strike by ASUU and holding consultations with the parties. Mr Buhari had earlier hosted the 2022 Committee of Business, Political, Media and Civil Society Leaders to a dinner at the State House, Abuja, on Monday. At the event, the president pledged his commitment to hand over a strong repositioned agriculture-led, diversified home-grown economy, stable democracy and revamped armed and security forces to the next administration. On February 2, the Nigerian leader congratulated President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau for surviving Tuesdays coup attempt in his country. The President also inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Return and Resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East,on Feb. 2. According to him, Nigerians in the North-east will, in the coming months, witness a change from the protracted insurgency to peace and development in their respective communities. He explained that the administration had embarked on a revised approach to address the 13-year conflict and insurgency in the region and would not relent in efforts toward a return to peace and normalcy. Also on February 2, the President presided over the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The council approved over N115.4 billion for the dualization of the Kano-Kazaure-Kongwalam road linking Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states. According to the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the project is expected to be completed in two years, and will be financed through the countrys tax credit scheme. The President met behind closed doors with a former governor of Imo, Rochas Okorocha at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday. Speaking to state house correspondents after the meeting, Mr Okorocha said he was in the Villa to seek President Buharis intervention over his ordeal with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Okorocha is being charged by the EFCC with allegations he conspired with others, including an APC politician and five companies, to steal N2.9 billion from public coffers when he was governor of Imo. However, the former governor, who is currently the senator representing Imo West senatorial district, also accused the people he described as cowards of being behind his ordeal with the EFCC. Mr Buhari inaugurated the Revised National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development, as well as the National Council on Population Management (NCPM), on Thursday, in Abuja. While inaugurating the policy and the council, the President stressed the need for urgent measures to address Nigerias high fertility rate. He saw this happening through expanding access to modern contraceptive methods across the country. The Nigerian leader, shortly after the inauguration on Thursday, commenced a four-day trip to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where he is currently participating in the 35th Ordinary Session of Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government. Advertisements The theme of the deliberation is: Building Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent: Strengthen Agriculture, Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development. While in Addis Ababa, Mr Buhari said the poor and vulnerable in Nigeria remained top priority for protection and lifting from the poverty cycle. He stated this at the virtual official presentation of the Country Review Report of Nigeria at the 31st Africa Peer Review Forum of the African Union leader on Friday. READ ALSO: Mr Buhari assured that social safety nets would be further sustained, while access to education and opportunities would be expanded. The President also congratulated the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, on the conferment of the title of Dan Amana, (the trusted one) on him by the Daura Emirate Council, on Saturday. He described the conferment of the title on Amaechi as a clear commitment to the harmonious relationship between the nations diverse cultures. He commended the minister for working with enormous energy to make the CHANGE we promised Nigerians a reality, noting that the change we are witnessing in the transport sector is an extraordinary legacy. On February 5, the Nigerian leader met with the Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Shtayyeh, at the ongoing African Union meetings, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mr Buhari assured that Nigeria would continue to pursue peace and progress in Africa, and other parts of the world, by consistently pushing for justice, fairness and inclusiveness in global affairs. According to him, Nigeria remains unwavering in supporting democracy, development and good governance, particularly in ensuring the rights of individuals and institutions. President, who is expected back to Abuja from Ethiopia on Monday, participated in the opening of the 35th Ordinary Session of Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government, on Saturday. (NAN) In early 2014, the Zimbabwean public sphere literally caught fire. Rumours that the countrys former Prime Minister and the presidential candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change, (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai, had suffered a nasty blow from below, euphemism for zero virility, spread like bushfire. At about the same time, the virility-restoring prowess of Emmanuel Makandiwa, a miracle-working Pentecostal prophet, froze the stratosphere like snowflakes in winter. Estranged wife of Tsvangirai, Elizabeth Macheka, had lit the fire. In an interview she granted The Herald, which was entitled, Why I ditched Tsvangirai: Wife Macheka had been quoted to have said that she had separated from Tsvangirai due to sensitive personal issues and that this was known to her and Tsvangirai alone and which only the two of them could resolve. The above story was told by Wale Adebanwi, highly respected scholar, in a recently published journal article he entitled The Carnality of Power. Therein, Adebanwi had explored the centrality and virility of power and how men of power, through their libido, use sex as a locus of power, as well as how all of us, scholars, lay scholars and society as a whole, need to pay greater attention to the ways in which obscenity can help explain the nature of power. For a Zimbabwean public that salivated on riveting gossips and rumours in high and low places, Machekas statement was the confirmation it needed for a high-quality rumour it hitherto circulated. In whooshing whispers and mouth-to-ear transmission, the former prime minister was said to have been afflicted by an under-neath, below-the-trousers problem of erectile dysfunctional disorder. The Herald did not also help matters. It immediately and unabashedly tagged what Macheka dubbed sensitive personal issues as a medical one. Thereafter, Fungai Machirori, Zimbabwean journalist and blogger, did a salacious piece on the issue which she entitled, Of Penises, Politics and Pentecostalism in Zimbabwe, an essay which she called an expose of trouble in the un-paradise that is Tsvangirais love life As the story went, in the bid to seek spiritual remedy for the restoration of his numb member, Tsvangirai had to make a sudden visit to Nigeria to meet the infamous miracle-hawking pastor, T. B. Joshua, now late. Joshua had been catapulted to the zenith of Zimbabweans and Southern Africans in generals migration to his shrine for spiritual patronage due to a 2012 prophecy he made that an African leader who he said was old and unwell, would die. At the exit of Malawian president, Bingu wa Mutharika,, the popular belief was that Joshua was spiritually powerful. However, Macheka, unable to contain the penile starvation from Tsvangirai, had packed her things and fled her marital home. The Zimbabwean yellow press world immediately interpreted this visit to Lagos by Tsvangirai as a spirited spiritual search for cure to what Adebanwi tagged his double jeopardy an under-the-trousers virility trouble and a dwindling political fortune. In his own penis-restoration evangelism, Makandiwa, who is the founder of the Zimbabwe-popular United Family International Church (UFIC), was said to have, during a New Years Day service, performed a penis-enhancing miracle on a Namibian. The penal calamity that the Namibian suffered from was said to be such that his private member was the size of a two-year-olds and because of this phallic deficiency, he had to run from pillar to post so as to be able to prevent his own Macheka from eloping. In the report of what transpired, Prophet Makandiwa had reportedly commanded the Namibians miniature member to arise! and thereafter, according to an eyewitness, first month grow, second month grow, third month grow, fourth month grow, fifth month, ummm stop, such that, the organ must have grown exponentially until the prophet decreed it to stop. For those who think less of the power of sex in high places, Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright, was ready to shock them. Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power, he had written. Scholars have taken the Wilde libidinous theorising further to say that there is an intersection between gender, sexual power and political power. So in the analysis of political power, a belittling of sex and sexual power could be a barren pursuit. Indeed, as Adebanwi said, there is an expectation that the African man of power must display or exhibit his virility particularly sexual virility. Last week, the place of sex in the Nigerian presidency became an issue of discourse. 2019 presidential candidate, presidential hopeful in the 2023 presidential election and former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had suffered a fate though not similar to Tsvangirais but not totally dissimilar to it. Linking both is a single thread of marital dislocation, a desire by one partner in a patrimony to discontinue on a sexual voyage, though ostensibly for different reasons. Atiku Abubakars own Macheka, Jennifer Iwenjiora Douglas Abubakar, until now his wife and a former Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) correspondent in the 1980s, had gone to her own The Herald last Tuesday to narrate that her marriage to the stupendously wealthy politician named Turaki had broken down irretrievably with effect from June 26, 2021. Jennifer had loomed large as subject of a probe some 12 years ago by the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, chaired by Senator Carl Levin, alleging that she, in cahoots with her husband, had funneled slush funds allegedly stolen from the Nigerian government, into America. The core reason for the divorce was disagreement over my continued stay in the United Kingdom, to look after my children and several other long-standing issues. I needed to play the role of a mother at this time to the children who have gone through the absence of both father and mother growing up; especially, with the passage of my elder sister who used to look after them, said Douglas, alongside issues of disagreements over ownership of Turakis Nigerian, Dubai and UK properties. Respected columnist and serial Facebook posts activist, Kayode Samuel, had put the sexual/power implication of the matrimonial squabble in perspective. In a post he made immediately the Atiku-Jennifer divorce became public knowledge, he had written, Dear Igbo babes, it seems a vacancy may soon be coming up (or has already come up!) for a new wife in the home of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The federal character-compliant attribute of his household was one of his strong selling points at the last elections. Now that his Igbo wife is leaving, Im sure the old man would be thinking of making up her quota in time for 2023. So, up your game sharperly, ezigbo nwanyi oma! I wont be charging anything for this piece of pricey intelligence. Ill just take it to be part of my nwanwa duties Jennifer hailed from the Onitsha area of Anambra State. Nigerias serial presidential candidate, the Turaki, seems to share fate with Zimbabwes Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai, aged 61, is married as many times as he has lost in his bid to become Zimbabwes elected president. This seems to be Abubakars lot too. Basking under the Islamic libidinous latitude which allows him to marry four wives, the Turaki went ahead to federal-characterized his libido by marrying Titi from Osun State, as well as other undisclosed women who must be from the northern part of Nigeria. Today however, Abubakar is facing his own double jeopardy of carnality and politics, like Tsvangira. The political carnality jeopardy the Turaki is battling has to do with the fact that, Emperor Nyesom Wike and the Young Turk governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) like the Namibians shrinking manhood, seem to have shrunk the spatial chance of presidential contestation in the PDP against Abubakar whose presidential aspirations cloud seems to be dimming. For a man ravaged by serial allegations of corruption during his tenure as Vice President and whose strongest credential for the Nigerian presidency is his democratic if you like, laissez fare under-the-trousers personal economy, having had wives from the three geopolitical zones of Nigeria, unlike his challengers whose libido is tribalistic and ostensibly unidirectional, Abubakars loss of Jennifer Douglas, a major tripod of his credential, could be a mortal political, rather than a familial blow, in the proportion of Tsvangirais loss of masculinity. The question many people are asking is, was Jennifer actually being reticent on the real reason(s) she had to do a Micheka on her own Tsvangirai? Counterpoising Tsvangirais blow from below image are some African presidents who were perceived to have used their manhood well. In Nigeria, we had the goggled dictator, General Sani Abacha, who though multiple attempts have been made to impeach the narrative of how he died, but over whom the prevailing facts on the streets have prevailed, one of which is that, he died after consuming poisoned apple fruits administered by stealth by the CIA and using Viagra to pump up his virility while working on two Indian prostitutes imported for him at the presidential Villa. Another was late dictator President Gnasingbe Eyadema of Togo, renowned with an elephantine sexual appetite as huge as the Basilica in the Ivorian city of Yamoussoukro. He was known for always sleeping with wives of his male ministers and his few female ministers. One of the ministers, said to have been blessed with an especially attractive wife, had to hide her from Eyadema so that he would not lay his lecherous paws on her. In this virility league was also the late Zairean dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. Mobutu was said to be as lecherous as a he-goat. This is not to forget the father of them all, the former South African president, Jacob Zuma, who is said to have married at least six times. In Africa, when a man of power uses his manhood well, he is seen as not being effeminate as Tsvangirai. If he is then blessed with an imposing virility, whether he uses it licitly or illicitly, this easily gains traction, making his rule to be seen as dominant and domineering. Another example in this regard is Robert Mugabe, who never hid the illicitness of his virility and who had been dating Grace, who he later married, even before his late wifes death. The man of power who possesses the Eyadema, Zuma and Mobutu image of a libidinous behemoth in Nigerias power calculus is Olusegun Obasanjo. During the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) saga when he and Abubakar aimed at each others jugular, Atiku had alleged that Obasanjo bought a 607 Peugeot car for a woman friend who resided in Abeokuta with slush funds accruing from the PTDF scandal. Like Mugabe, Obasanjo was then married to Stella, who was Nigerias First Lady. In 2018, Obasanjos son, Gbenga, even alleged in a court affidavit that his father was having an affair with his wife, Moji. Mrs. Patricia Etteh, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, was also rumoured to be Obasanjos woman friend. In The Carnality of Power, Adebanwi talked about one prominent and internationally respected West African president (who was) famous for breaking meetings even abroad to have a quickie with his countless paramours. Indeed, Nigeria had been lucky to have occupiers of the seat of power whose sexual virility was benumbing. Military President Ibrahim Babangida reportedly went out of Dodan Barracks to demonstrate the strength of his awesome libido. In a 2013 book he authored entitled Honour for Sale: An inside account of the murder of Dele Giwa, a military aide to Babangida, Major Debo Basorun, wrote about how, on a trip to France, late First Lady, Mrs. Maryam Babangida, literally pummeled her husband for his presidential libidinous rascality. Taking the opportunity of a long official meeting he had that dragged into the thin hours of the morning, IBB had engaged a paramour in a liaison whose dalliance with her husband Maryam got to know through the scent of her perfume in IBBs hotel suite. Dealing the General heavy blows under locked door, when the Better Life for Rural Women proprietress eventually opened the door to IBBs scared aides who had been ordered by a senior officer to prise the door open upon hearing noise of violence in the suite, they saw a C-in-C, renowned for his braggadocio that we are not only in office but in power whose face had been pockmarked by bruises from feminine paws. He was panting amid sweats, with a roughened military service dress which had some buttons torn off by a woman scorned into fury by the stray libido of her husband. Those who knew Muhammadu Buhari as a young military officer claim that he too sowed wild oats too like his colleagues. They said he specifically coveted liaisons with mountainous posteriors. However, age and ill health would seem to have dealt a blow on that fancy. While emerging from the throes of a health challenge and on a visit to Angela Merkel of Germany and he was asked about the place of his wife in his government, Buhari had attempted to communicate his virility and masculinity, like an African who sees sex as conquest and show of power. He seemed to be saying that he had an active under-neath that ill health could not upstage. His wife, according to him, belonged to zi oza room, a euphemism for a hot libido. This sense was probably what a social media virility fabricator was about when he sent out a picture of Aisha Buhari, the First Lady, which went viral recently, a picture that had been touched to bear a protruded belly, suggestive of a Buhari who hadnt gone the way of Morgan Tsvangirai. In all, as Prof Adebanwi counsels, if we carefully rummage the lurid, the grotesque, the salacious stories of their Sex-cellencies even at state levels with the governors we may find anchors to how power politics in Nigeria and Africa can be explained through sex. Similarly, as Zimbabwean journalist and blogger, Fungai Machirori, told us, we may need to study the sexual histories of our men in power because, from the rhythm of the silent but jangling bells of the dangling penises of men in power, a silent compass to their politics may just as well be hiding. One is framing. Igbo presidency conflates ethnic origin with geo-politics. This may be convenient in Nigeria but it could also be lazy. Nearly every person from the South-East may be Igbo but not every Igbo is from the South-East. Indeed, the Igbo as an ethnic group are found in at least three geo-political zones the South-East, South-South and in Benue and Kogi states in the North-Central. Will the thirst for an Igbo president be slaked if one from Benue or Kogi gets elected? What if we called it APTE? Since a memorable birth over two millennia ago, the anticipation of men from the East has always fascinated the world. The sense of fascination remains undimmed with Nigerias debate over a president from the East (APTE). Senior politicians of South-East origin have already begun auditioning to lead Nigeria in 2023. They include Anyim Pius Anyim, Orji Uzor Kalu and Rochas Okorocha. The first is a former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). The second is currently Senate Minority Whip and a former State governor. The third is also a serving senator and former governor. These are not insignificant qualifications to bring to a contest for the presidency by leading contenders in prosecuting the advocacy for what has been called a Igbo Presidency. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has named all three among Nigerian presidential hopefuls with hanging corruption. cases. In October 2021, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) interrogated Anyim for 48 hours in connection with allegations of money laundering concerning over a quarter of a billion naira. He was not charged. Orji Uzor Kalus case is different. A two-term governor of Abia State, it has been said that as governor, he not only left Abia State in a state worse than he met it but practically destroyed the State. In December 2019, the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted Kalu and his company, SLOK Nigeria Limited, of stealing N7.5 billion from the State as governor and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. In May 2020, the Supreme Court set aside the conviction on a technicality, ordering a retrial. Kalu decided thereafter to sue the EFCC, his prosecutors, before another judge of the Federal High Court. In September 2021, in a judgment that could only have been delivered by a crooked court or a manifestly unqualified judge, the Federal High Court defied the Supreme Court and restrained the EFCC from filing fresh charges against Mr Kalu, claiming that such a step would breach the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy. In 2018, the Abia State University withdrew Senator Kalus certificate over allegations of fraud and breach of admission regulations concerning his graduation. At the end of November 2021, the Court of Appeal validated the withdrawal of Mr Kalus certificate, upholding the universitys finding of fraud and illegality in its award. This is a necessary context to the debate around the Igbo Presidency. In summary, it says Nigerians should elect next a person of Igbo ethnic origin as president because the Igbo have never produced one before and it is the surest guarantor that the wounds of Nigerias bloody civil war have healed. As governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha brooked no accountability. Early in his first term as governor, he cashiered the States Judicial Service Commission, unlawfully removing the appointed members, ostensibly to get his way with judicial appointments. When courts ruled against him, he refused to obey them. Okorocha created bizarre ministries and portfolios. Then he went clannish, peopling them with his next of kins. (sic) In August 2021, the High Court of Imo State ordered the forfeiture of over 500 pieces of real estate acquired by Governor Okorocha. The properties were listed in all of 46 pages from Pages 226 to 272 of the Imo State Government White Paper report by a Judicial Commission of Enquiry on Recovery of Lands and other related matters. These credentials compel a debate about the meaning and mission of Igbo Presidency. This is considered a convenient short-hand for an argument for equity in power sharing; a perennial issue in Nigerian politics, dating back to the origins of federalism in the country in the Macpherson Constitution of 1951. Originally, its most vocal advocates were Nigerias minorities, mostly from what is now known as the Middle Belt and the South-South. At the confluence of the discovery of oil and another constitutional conference in London around 1956, the colonial government eventually relented and, in 1957, constituted a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the fears of the minorities concerning subjugation in post-colonial Nigeria. It was headed by colonial administrator, Sir Henry Willink and the defining report, which he authored, came to bear his name. The Willink Report was, however, a mis-diagnosis followed by a wrong prescription. Instead of power sharing, the Willink Commission saw a problem of human rights. Reluctant to acknowledge an African challenge of building a nation from a multiplicity of ethnicities, Sir Henry instead divined a European problem of building common citizenship, which assumed the existence of a nation. Implementing the report, the colonial government imported the European Convention on Human Rights into Nigeria by colonial order-in-council in 1959 and made it Nigerias constitutional Bill of Rights in 1960. Not that it was unimportant to build common citizenship, a project in which post-colonial Nigeria has failed signally, but acknowledging that did not entail denying the problem of political equity, the reality of which promptly descended upon independent Nigeria with viciousness. In 1963, the then ruling coalition of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) and the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) decided to create Mid-West Region (now Edo and Delta States) out of the Western Region as a strategy to contain the influence of the Action Group (AG) and then opposition leader, Obafemi Awolowo. All three parties were identified with dominant ethnic groups. Four years later, in the heat of a national crisis capping off a brutal decade that included two bloody coups and a pogrom before a civil war, the minorities of what is now the South-South deployed the same logic against the Igbos of the formerly dominant NCNC, resulting in the creation of Rivers (now Rivers and Bayelsa States) and South Eastern (now Akwa Ibom and Cross River) States, out of the then Eastern Region. The post-colonial geo-strategy of Nigeria was thus set on a logic of weaponising territorial configuration for settling ethnicised political scores. Around this, the country subsequently unitarised its federalism to the point where the capture of power at the centre came to be seen, perversely, as the guarantor of political progress. This is a necessary context to the debate around the Igbo Presidency. In summary, it says Nigerians should elect next a person of Igbo ethnic origin as president because the Igbo have never produced one before and it is the surest guarantor that the wounds of Nigerias bloody civil war have healed. Even the best case can be damaged by bad advocacy. Among the Igbo, a proverb counsels that a man whose house is on fire does not play footsie with rodents. That is what it means to present Orji Kalu and Rochas Okorocha as aspirants for the presidency. Political equity is surely a factor in the choice of who leads a country as consequential as Nigeria but this argument raises four important issues. One is framing. Igbo presidency conflates ethnic origin with geo-politics. This may be convenient in Nigeria but it could also be lazy. Nearly every person from the South-East may be Igbo but not every Igbo is from the South-East. Indeed, the Igbo as an ethnic group are found in at least three geo-political zones the South-East, South-South and in Benue and Kogi states in the North-Central. Will the thirst for an Igbo president be slaked if one from Benue or Kogi gets elected? What if we called it APTE? Second is branding. APTE will not lead the Igbo alone but calling it an Igbo President implies precisely that. As branding, it guarantees isolation and could reinforce inequity. Shehu Shagari was not sold as a Fulani president. His appeal, on the contrary, was that he had the networks and temperament to heal the wounds from the civil war. On this, he largely delivered, becoming the president who pardoned the civil war protagonists, Yakubu Gowon and Emeka Ojukwu. Nor was Olusegun Obasanjo sold as a Yoruba president. Muhammadu Buhari could only win the presidency after he learnt to sell himself as more than just an avatar for one part of Nigeria or one faith. Third, the idea of an Igbo Presidency evokes an unwarranted sense of ethnic entitlement, already evident in the malignant quality of the characters now parading as exhibits of the Igbo Presidency project. They include a man who has no defence to being called a convict, a rogue or a certificate forger and another who spent eight years as state governor grasping his way to any piece of choice real estate that he fancied and whose sojourn so far in the Senate has been a study in rancid political flatulence. The implicit idea of an ethnic primary of rogues, charlatans and Nabobs at the end of which a tribe presents its preferred criminal to the country for adoption and ratification as president is neither compelling nor reassuring. Fourth, Igbo Presidency still needs an affirmative proposition. Knowing where a president comes from offers no insight as to what he stands for or against. The Igbo narrative of victim-hood framed by the aftermath of the civil war should also accommodate a narrative of responsibility. The region claims it is disadvantaged by being comprised of five states and a land mass less than Kogi State or not much more than Oyo State or, indeed, of Southern Kaduna. However, ethnic homogeneity in such small territory presents inestimable opportunities, which the regions politicians have so far squandered recklessly. Should their reward be the presidency at a time when their region is manifestly overrun by home-grown criminals in high and low places, who have exiled its best and are slowly wringing enterprise and life out of it? If such a promising region cannot offer the country a good model, why should the country entrust it with over 923,000 square kilometres or over 530 ethnic and national groups? Even the best case can be damaged by bad advocacy. Among the Igbo, a proverb counsels that a man whose house is on fire does not play footsie with rodents. That is what it means to present Orji Kalu and Rochas Okorocha as aspirants for the presidency. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer and teacher, can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu. This craze for quick money, if allowed free rein, will spell our doom. For the sake of little Hanifa and other victims of our lunatic lust, I make a humble plea: All men and women of good conscience should rise up to the challenge for, if you think deeply about it, all our children are potential Hanifas. When a society is on the inexorable path to Sodom and Gomorrah, something unbelievably bestial and savagely subhuman usually happens to shock the populace back to the path of rectitude. We have been having so many killings all over the country that we were getting used to them. We were becoming unshockable. Then Hanifa happened. Shocked out of their lethargy, Nigerians are now asking how such depravity could have been allowed to happen under our very uncaring anosmic noses. Hanifa Abubakar was only five years old. She was kidnapped by the proprietor of a private school in Kwanar Dakata Nasarawa Local Government Area, Kano State the same school in which she was a pupil. Her parents struggled to pay the ransom of six million naira demanded by the kidnappers but that was not enough to prevent her death as the lead kidnapper, Abdulmalik Mohammed Tanko, realised that the little girl had recognised him. Afraid of being exposed, he made her ingest rat poison and conspired with one Hashim Isyaku to bury her in a shallow grave at Kwanar Yan gana, Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA of Kano State. When a society feeds its innocent children with pesticide, you know that the world has turned upside-down! Innocence is no longer a shield against mans quest for quick money. In the midst of so many grotesque happenings, Hanifas murder was a new low. The nation has risen up as one to condemn the vile act, even as many more terrible occurrences indicate that we are gradually losing our humanity. From Oke Aregba area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, came the horrid news of the interdiction of four male ritualists 17-year-old Wariz Oladeinde, 19-year-old Abdulgafar, 20-year-old Lukman and Mustakeem who conspired to kill a girl and harvest parts of her body for money-making rituals. The teenage murderers confessed in a viral video clip that the girl, Rofiat, was lured by her boyfriend named Soliu to an uncompleted building where she was murdered by four of them, after which they cut off her head and packed the remains in a sack. They had learnt about the ritual on Facebook. It was while they were burning the severed head in an earthenware pot that a vigilant security guard nabbed them and called the police. Before that incident, residents of Boluwaji area of Ibadan had been shocked out of their wits when members of the security network, Operation Amotekun, arrested three suspected ritualists who were in possession of the body parts of a 73-year-old man. The suspects confessed that a Muslim cleric named Alfa Salam Salam, asked them to get some human body parts for money-making rituals. The craze for quick money has no age barrier. What is highly worrisome is that it appears to be more prevalent among the young. We are now breeding a generation of children whose ambition in life is to be ritualists, cyber-criminals or whatever else that can guarantee wealth without hard work. Take the case of the three children in another viral video that has left many mouths agape. A man behind the camera asks the stranded children what their mission was. They replied that they wanted to join Yahoo hustle. The interviewer enquired what kind of hustle they meant. They said they were interested in only Yahoo and not Yahoo-Plus. (For the uninitiated: Yahoo is straight cybercrime, while Yahoo-Plus has horrid ritual content as addition). Woe betide the country whose children worship at the altar of mammon, while their counterparts in other parts of the world are making breakthroughs in science and technology. Does anyone need to tell these misguided fools that he who conquers the physical space will eventually possess your mind too? The boys were accosted in Edo State, far away from their parents who live in Delta State. Young children in their formative teenage years who should be under parental supervision have unleashed themselves on society by way of a pilgrimage in search of the underworld. Apparently they have been exposed to the current social philosophy which says the end justifies the means. Therefore, they are prepared to do just about anything, as long as they can make money. I shudder to think about what and where those children will be in five years time if allowed to embark on their journey to the darker side of life. What is happening now is an exponential increase in recrutiment into a crime that has been with us all along. We have always had ritualists among us. Do we remember the Otokoto incident in Owerri in 1996? A local TV station had shown a man holding the severed head of a child and appealed to the public to help identify the child. Suddenly, the arrested suspect mysteriously died in detention. The public smelt a coverup. The police raided the popular Otokoto Hotel where the suspect worked and unearthed the headless body of the child from the hotel grounds. Bedlam ensued. The gathering crowd soon became a mob, burning the hotel and all the cars within the premises. Many supermarkets, hotels and mansions whose owners were suspected of harbouring ritual skeletons, were similarly torched. Rumours went round that a roasted human corpse had been found in the residence of a popular young millionaire and that human meat pepper-soup had been found in the premises of the church where he worshipped. Both the millionaires house and the church were burnt. It took a strictly enforced curfew to stem the tide of violence. The incidence of missing genitals was rife in the South_West for a while. Youd find an irate crowd gathered round a man accused of stealing the genitals of a fellow passenger. Return his genitals or well kill you!, they would yell. In a milieu where fiction was liberally treated as facts and superstition given the pride of place over everything else, it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. While acknowledging that there are powers of darkness all around us, it seems stupid, I think, to believe such totally unscientific tales. Woe betide the country whose children worship at the altar of mammon, while their counterparts in other parts of the world are making breakthroughs in science and technology. Does anyone need to tell these misguided fools that he who conquers the physical space will eventually possess your mind too? Our society is in serious need of a rebirth. As I have said in this column before, nothing short of a moral resurgimiento is required. All over the country, traditional moral values have broken down. A good name is no longer considered more precious than silver. Why would any sane person, no matter his level of desperation, believe an Alfa, marabout or witchdoctor who promises to transform a severed human head into a wardrobe full of money? If he had such powers, why is he wearing rags? Does he hate himself so much that he would rather help others while he continues to wallow in poverty? The older generation, too, seems to have misplaced its compass. The larger society now accepts stealing as normal. Thus, when a man whose salary can hardly buy a bicycle arrives in his village driving a luxury car, no questions are asked. He is celebrated. His mates who are poor teachers living within their means are treated with scorn. Look at our politics. Its all about money. Godfathers and sponsors are monied people. Many of them have no verifiable means of livelihood. Most times, our billionaires just happen like a comet! A pure water hawker disappears from the streets only to show up riding a flashy car after joining a Yahoo ring. For every successful internet scam, there are families elsewhere in the world whose worlds have collapsed. But our guy is living it up to the adulation of society. It makes crime so fascinating to impressionable young minds. I have also heard prosperity preachers tell their congregation that their God is not a God of poverty. They tell their followers that poverty is a sin and that their millions are on the way. Lies! If only these charlatans will just face the business of ministering to the spiritual needs of the people as espoused in the Holy Book. We pride ourselves as a nation of religious people. Another lie. We worship God like the pharisees to give the impression of religiosity. But its all a show without any spirituality. Why would any sane person, no matter his level of desperation, believe an Alfa, marabout or witchdoctor who promises to transform a severed human head into a wardrobe full of money? If he had such powers, why is he wearing rags? Does he hate himself so much that he would rather help others while he continues to wallow in poverty? Advertisements Sadly, there are advertisements about satanism all over the internet, Lucifers adherents are harvesting the souls of the unwary who want quick money. One such advert says: Attract money into your life or business using money attraction spells. Money attraction spells to banish all your debts & win lots of money. This craze for quick money, if allowed free rein, will spell our doom. For the sake of little Hanifa and other victims of our lunatic lust, I make a humble plea: All men and women of good conscience should rise up to the challenge for, if you think deeply about it, all our children are potential Hanifas. Wole Olaoye is a public relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on wole.olaoye@gmail.com, Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021. A few days ago, media outlets were awash with the news of the triumphant return of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to Gombe after a three-week-long working vacation overseas. Perhaps, this media hype became necessary and unavoidable because since coming into the office about three years ago, the governor had never travelled this long. However, like a typical leader with an inductive sense of reasoning; enmeshed in the unquenchable thirst for developing his state, the governors three weeks sojourn was not only for a rest but was designed to market Gombes abundant human and natural resources and to woo potential investors along the process. This is not forgetting the fact that Gombe State still ranks number one in the ease of doing business in the country due to favourable policies, programmes and infrastructural development initiated by the governor among which is the multi-billion naira Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park currently under construction within the vicinity of the already completed 40 megawatts Dadinkowa hydropower plant. And so, like a father, which indeed he is, the governors return was greeted with pop and pageantry beginning from the Gombe International Airport to the state capital. The record number of supporters that trooped to the airport and those along the way to welcome the governor was incredibly massive and security personnel had a hectic time controlling the jubilant crowd who wanted to catch a glimpse of the governor. As usual, Governor Inuwa did not stop short from waving back and exchanging pleasantries with them. Irrespective of age and social status, the theme song for the reception was Inuwa Oyoyo. At the city centre, it was a battle for the strong and the brave to catch a glimpse of the ever-smiling governor. Businesses, particularly those of tricycles and motorcycles riders, commercial transport drivers and roadside traders temporarily came to a halt as most of them joined in the reception to welcome a man they said brought sanity and decorum into their businesses through the provision of enabling environment. The time of the governors arrival equally coincided with the closing time of most schools in Gombe metropolis and the students could not stay aloof on seeing their governor who has done much to reposition the education sector. At the Government House, it was entirely a different ball game as the ecstasy that enveloped the atmosphere is better seen than imagined. The aged who could not make it through the rigours of the governors motorcade took vantage positions at the Government House in order not to be left behind. Addressing the mammoth crowd, an elated Governor Inuwa Yahaya thanked them for coming out en masse to welcome him back to the state in spite of the long-distance travel from Gombe to the airport and restated his commitment to champion their course as he pilots the affairs of the state. The rapturous reception accorded to the governor is indeed an attestation to the fact that Mr Inuwa is fully on the ground and enjoys the support of not only for the ordinary masses but all and sundry. Coming to the bountiful harvest from the journey, Governor Inuwa Yahayas epoch-making trip, though for vacation, provided ample opportunity for engagement with development partners and foreign investors in furtherance of his continuous drive to transform his beloved Gombe State into the economic, industrial and infrastructural hub of the North East. At present, Gombe State is working with numerous development partners, including the Qatar Foundation, UNICEF, WHO, USAID (SENSE), SEPIP, IDEAS, the Norwegian government amongst others and these solid partnerships have been pivotal in advancing the sustainable development agenda of the State government. With the high level of infrastructural development of this state that is boasting of a sophisticated road network, modernised urban and rural infrastructure, eco-friendly facilities, literate and ICT savvy workforce, state of the art health facilities, international standard airport as well as its centrality and peaceful atmosphere, Gombe is indeed an investors paradise. Little wonder, Governor Inuwa, the prolific Dan Majen Gombe, visited several destinations to woo investors and undoubtedly, he received a warm reception as many of the prospective investors he met were dutifully impressed with his giant strides in Gombe State and therefore pledged their readiness to forge a partnership that would mutually benefit both sides. As part of his tightly packed itinerary, Governor Inuwa visited the Nigerian Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates where over 20 mineral resources and agricultural produces from the state were on display. He also interacted with numerous investors, exciting his audience with the states agro-entrepreneurship, agro-allied and agro-processing potentials which will be adequately harnessed with the completion of the 1,000 hectares Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park with the complement of the 40 MW of electricity to be supplied by the adjacent Dadinkowa Hydro-Electric Power Station. The industrial park is meant to camp hundreds of firms, companies, industries and is projected to create over 100,000 jobs for the teeming youth of the state. Indeed, the Dan Majes overseas trip will undoubtedly translate into a positive outcome for the state to further bolster his administrations remarkable achievements and the untiring efforts of same towards putting the state on the trajectory of sustainable socio-economic development in line with his campaign promises. Misilli is Director-General (Press Affairs) Government House, Gombe Budding trees and blooming flowers. The return of robins, loons and other migrating birds. The return of bees, butterflies and frogs. Melting snow and lake ice. Longer days and light in the evening. Shedding the winter garments. The myriad scents of flowering trees and plants. Vote View Results Plattsburgh, NY (12901) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 57F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Overcast. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 47F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Featured with universality, Shaolin kung fu is a perfect exercise for people aged from 3 to 80. The online games received registrations from many families. "The Kung Fu contest is not only about skills, but also an expression of cultural heritage, and a display of the tiger-like spirit in the Chinese Year of the Tiger," said Abbot Shi Yongxin, who exalted the outstanding performance of contestants across the world. The online contest not only received extensive support from governments and enterprises but also got foreign media coverage. Austrian Ambassador to China Andreas Riecken sent a congratulatory letter to Abbot Shi Yongxin on January 28. The ambassador spoke highly of the contest: "The Shaolin Kung Fu Online Games help promote mutual understanding between Chinese culture and other cultures in the world through Shaolin kung fu." The Ambassador also wished the contest a complete success at the end of the letter. The temple also received congratulatory messages from government officials around the world including Heinz Fischer, former president of Austria and president of the Austria-China Friendship Association (ACFA), Slovakian Culture Minister Natalia Milanova, Mayor of Slovakia's Brezno City Tomas Abel, U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Austrian Buddhist Religious Society President Gerhard Weigrab, Chu Kwok-keung, member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR, and Macau Legislative Assembly Members Ma Chi-seng, Zheng Anting, and Pang Chuan. Italian TV channel Rai 2 produced a report on the contest, introducing Shaolin kung fu in detail and the Temple's donation to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local contestants also expressed their love for Shaolin kung fu in the report. The result will be announced on February 15. An award ceremony will be held and broadcast to audiences via live streaming. SOURCE Shaolin Temple MOSCOW, Feb. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the Russian one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine against coronavirus has been authorized by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Thus Sputnik Light has been registered in more than 30 countries with total population of over 2.5 billion people. A number of countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, UAE, San Marino and Philippines, have already authorized Sputnik Light as a universal booster. A preliminary study of the Gamaleya Center has found that Sputnik Light as a booster significantly increases virus-neutralizing activity against Omicron, which is comparable to titers observed after Sputnik V against wild-type virus, associated with high levels of protection. A unique comparative study[1] conducted at Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Italy by a team of 12 Italian and 9 Russian scientists led by Francesco Vaia, Director of the Spallanzani Institute and Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya Center has shown that Sputnik V vaccine demonstrates more than 2 times higher titers of virus neutralizing antibodies to Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant than 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine (2.1 times higher in total and 2.6 times higher 3 months after vaccination). The study was conducted in the equal laboratory conditions on comparable sera samples from individuals vaccinated with Sputnik V and Pfizer with a similar level of IgG antibodies and virus neutralizing activity against Wuhan variant. Sputnik V showed significantly smaller (2.6 times) reduction of virus neutralizing activity against Omicron as compared to reference Wuhan variant than Pfizer vaccine (8.1-fold reduction for Sputnik V in contrast to 21.4-fold reduction for Pfizer vaccine). Based on the data collected by the Spallanzani Institute and results of previous studies, heterologous ("mix & match") boosting with Sputnik Light is the best solution to increase other vaccines' efficacy and extend the booster protection period as optimal adenoviral platform configuration provides better protection against Omicron and other mutations. Sputnik Light is based on recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (the first component of Sputnik V). A one-shot vaccination regimen of Sputnik Light provides for ease of administration and helps to increase efficacy and duration of other vaccines when used as a booster shot. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, a major partner of RDIF in India, has conducted local clinical trials of Sputnik Light in India. Positive data from these trials have been presented to India's regulator and contributed to the positive decision by DCGI. Clinical studies and the real-world data in many countries have demonstrated Sputnik Light is a safe and effective vaccine when used both on a standalone basis and as a booster. A study in Argentina on heterogeneous regimens combining Sputnik Light and vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna and Cansino has demonstrated that each "vaccine cocktail" combination with Sputnik Light provided higher antibody titer on 14th day after administering the second dose as compared to original homogenous (same vaccine as first and second dose) regimens of each of the vaccines. Sputnik Light will add to India's national vaccine portfolio and join Sputnik V, which was approved in the country in April 2021. India is the leading production hub for Sputnik V. Sputnik V and Sputnik Light are based on a safe and effective human adenoviral vector platform and have not been associated with rare serious adverse events following vaccination, such as myocarditis or pericarditis. The highest safety and efficacy of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light was demonstrated in more than 30 studies and real-world data from more than 60 countries. Sputnik V has been authorized in 71 countries with total population of over 4 bn people. To facilitate the necessary production capacities, RDIF has reached agreements with the leading Indian pharmaceutical companies, including Serum Institute of India - the world's largest vaccine producer, as well as Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech and Morepen. Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said: "Authorization of Sputnik Light in India is another major step in successful cooperation between Russia and India in the fight against COVID. Sputnik Light has proven to be safe and effective both as a standalone vaccine and a universal booster shot to vaccines of other producers, helping to induce stronger immune response as compared to two shots of the same vaccine. The heterologous boosting approach using Sputnik Light is the solution to increase efficacy and duration of other vaccines, including against Omicron variant." [1] https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.15.22269335v1 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1698158/Russian_Direct_Invest_Fund_Logo.jpg SOURCE The Russian Direct Invest Fund (RDIF) WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service said it remains committed to working with all its stakeholders including Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as it pursues the fiscally responsible implementation of its Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) program, which is designed to introduce safer and more environmentally friendly vehicles and works towards the electrification of its delivery fleet as quickly as resources and infrastructure will allow. "Our commitment to an electric fleet remains ambitious given the pressing vehicle and safety needs of our aging fleet as well as our dire financial condition," said Postmaster General and USPS Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy. "The proposed action, which we are evaluating under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), includes an initial order plan for 5,000 electric vehicles, and the flexibility to increase the number of electric vehicles introduced should additional funding become available. Absent such funding, we must make fiscally responsible decisions that result in the needed introduction of safer and environmentally cleaner vehicles for the men and women who deliver America's mail." In the spirit of collaboration and dedication to modernizing its fleet, the Postal Service has made its top engineering, logistics, and labor staff available to key federal agencies as part of the process of better determining what is needed from an environmental standpoint for its NGDV. In preparing its Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") under NEPA, the Postal Service also consulted with several federal agencies and continues to consult with them as it moves to complete the NEPA process. The NEPA law ensures federal agencies carefully consider environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to a proposed course of action, and the Postal Service believes it has fully satisfied the requirements of the statute. Also over the past year, the Postal Service has made its teams available to policymakers in Congress, as they pursued efforts to secure funding to achieve a majority electric USPS delivery vehicle fleet over the next 10 years. Although congressional funding levels have varied, the Postal Service most recently discussed an ability to achieve 70% fleet electrification within a decade. "When you're an independent government entity running billion-dollar annual losses, and with a Congressional mandate to operate in a financially sustainable manner, we are compelled to act prudently in the interests of the American public. However, that responsibility should not be mistaken for an ambivalent commitment to operating a cleaner Postal vehicle fleet for our country," said Postmaster General DeJoy. "Moreover, comparisons of the Postal Service to private sector multi-national corporations that report yearly profits in the billions of dollars, and that are not required to go to 161 million delivery addresses in all climates and topographies six days per-week, are not relevant in view of our perilous financial condition and universal service mission. We will be resolute in making decisions that are grounded in our financial situation and what we can realistically achieve, while pushing hard to take delivery of safer, cleaner vehicles by next year. Given our large fiscal deficits and significant financial challenges, Congress is well aware of the additional resources that would be required if Congress would prefer the Postal Service to accelerate the electrification of our delivery vehicle fleet as a matter of public policy." The NGDV with an internal combustion engine would be a more fuel-efficient vehicle as compared to the current Long Life Vehicle (LLV), despite being larger. The NGDV's fuel economy without air conditioning running is 14.7 MPG, compared with the LLV's fuel economy of 8.4 MPG (which does not have air conditioning). The new vehicle would provide the Postal Service carriers with numerous modern safety features including 360 degree cameras, automatic front and rear braking, and a driver air bag. Recognizing that powertrain technology may change significantly over the available 20-year life of the NGDV, the Postal Service selected a flexible design platform that can accommodate advancements in technology. It provides a vehicle platform that can be delivered with either an internal combustion engine or battery electric drive train technology. The NGDV power train mix in the proposed action that is being considered under NEPA would have positive environmental impacts as compared with the current LLVs due to fewer required trips and better emission controls. These controls would decrease tailpipe emissions and help improve air quality when compared to the LLVs they are intended to replace. The Postal Service's cost estimates include the price of charging infrastructure rather than assuming the availability of public charging, because Postal vehicles must be charged at Postal Service facilities in bulk to accommodate the operational and logistical needs of its carriers. The Postal Service is analyzing state and local electrical grid capacity to determine potential necessary upgrades at the grid-level. The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast quality video, audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel, like us on Facebook and enjoy its Postal Posts blog. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com. For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Contact: Kim Frum [email protected] usps.com/news SOURCE U.S. Postal Service Dar Es Salaam, Feb 6 : Tanzania's ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has marked its 45th anniversary with its Chairperson, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, highlighting achievements made by the party. Addressing the east African nation from Mara region, Hassan on Saturday said Tanzania has made impressive socio-economic, political and cultural achievements under the leadership of the CCM. "Let us continue overseeing our party principles in order to fulfil expectations of Tanzanians," the President told her audience. She said following two decades of sustained growth, Tanzania reached an important milestone in July 2020, when it formally graduated to lower-middle-income country status, Xinhua news agency reported. Under the guidance of the ruling party, Tanzania has also been able to supply clean and safe water to its citizens by 75 per cent, said the Head of State. President Hassan said notable gains have also been made in education and health services. Bandar Seri Begawan, Feb 6 : The Brunei government launches a new tourism package to attract domestic and foreign tourists despite a recent surge in daily Covid-19 cases in the Southeast Asian country. According to Brunei's Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, the tourism products are designed specifically for Brunei-Muara district, where the national capital Bandar Seri Begawan is located and has various landmarks. The Ministry on Saturday said that the move was part of the government's efforts to support the local tourism industry, which is dramatically affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Xinhua news agency reported. The new package followed the recent launch of a similar one for Temburong district, and more others are expected to come for the remaining two of the country's four districts, Belait and Tudong. The Ministry added that the packages cover promoting places of interest, assisting tourism stakeholders such as hotels, tourist guides, and tourist agents in providing complete and flexible itineraries, and developing new tourist attractions. They are also meant to make preparations "for school holidays promotion in April, August and December this year" and "for tourist arrivals from abroad once borders are open". A country of over 420,000 population, Brunei has confirmed more than 17,000 infected cases in its second wave of Covid-19 which began in August 2021, with the tourism industry hit hard. The country announced being in the endemic phase under its National Covid-19 Recovery Framework in December 2021, with local infections dropping gradually after it imposed strict social distancing rules, including work-from-home for government and private sector employees as well as a curfew. However, Brunei has seen a rebound in daily Covid-19 cases, mainly local infections over recent days. It recorded 82, 133, 200, and 140 cases for the first four days of February. On Saturday, it reported 373 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total tally to 17,404 with 102 deaths. According to the Health Ministry, the newly recorded cases included 368 local infections and five imported cases. At present, 1,196 active cases are being treated and monitored in the country. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tehran, Feb 6 : Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has called for the removal of US sanctions that could benefit Iran economically. "Real, effective and verifiable economic benefit for Iran is a necessary condition for the formation of an agreement" in the ongoing Vienna talks, Shamkhani tweeted on Saturday. "A show of lifting sanctions is not considered constructive," he said in response to Friday's restoration of a sanction waiver by Washington, which allows civilian nuclear cooperation projects between Iran and the international community, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the recent US sanction waiver on Iran is "insufficient" for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA was signed in 2015. However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the pact in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, which prompted the latter to breach some of the deal's restrictions one year later, and advance its once-halted nuclear programs. Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held between Iran and other remaining parties in the Austrian capital of Vienna to revive the deal. Aden : , Feb 6 (IANS) The United Nations(UN) has announced that positive discussions with Yemen's warring parties had taken place regarding a proposal to solve the crisis caused by a rusting oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast. "David Gressly , the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, held constructive meetings last week on the UN-coordinated proposal to mitigate the threat posed by FSO Safer, an aging floating storage and offloading unit moored off the coast of Hodeidah," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Saturday in a statement. The statement said that Gressly held a series of meetings in Aden and discussed the proposal with Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, the Transport Minister, and the Safer Emergency Committee. "In our very positive discussions, the government officials confirmed that they support the UN-coordinated proposal to shift the million barrels of oil onboard the vessel to another ship," he said, adding "they want to see the threat mitigated as soon as possible". He also held very constructive discussions on January 29 with senior representatives of the Houthi group on the FSO Safer, Xinhua news agency reported. The Houthis "stressed their concern over the environmental and humanitarian risk posed by the tanker and their wish to see rapid action to resolve the problem, agreeing in principle on how to move forward with the UN-coordinated proposal," according to the statement. Gressly is currently "engaging in a broader conversation with interested member states, whose support will be crucial to realise the project," it added. The Safer has been moored at a port, north of the city of Hodeidah, since 1988 as a crude oil storage and offloading platform. The oil tanker is currently under the control of the Houthi militia, and its maintenance has stopped since 2015, which caused corrosion of the vessel's main body. The 45-year-old fuel vessel FSO Safer has 1.1 million barrels of crude on board. The UN officials reportedly called for access to the long-abandoned fuel tanker off Yemen's coast amid growing fears of a catastrophic oil spill. Vienna, Feb 6 : Eight people were killed in three separate avalanches in western Austria within 24 hours, the Austrian news agency APA has reported. Police on Saturday said the incidents happened in the states of Vorarlberg and Tyrol on Friday and Saturday. In one avalanche near the Austrian-Swiss border, four Swedish skiers and their Austrian guide were killed. Authorities have issued warnings of more avalanches on Saturday and Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. Kinshasa, Feb 6 : At least six people were injured in the explosion of a homemade bomb in a peripheral market in the city of Beni, in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to security sources told to Xinhua. The explosion took place on Saturday. There are women and children among the victims, according to local news outlet Actualite.cd, adding that one was seriously injured and was rushed to the Beni General Hospital. The zone of the explosion is now blockaded by the security forces and some elements in charge of mine clearance deployed to verify the situation and limit the damage in the market, Xinhua news agency reported. The security authorities on the spot called on the local residents to be vigilant, adding that additional details will be announced soon. At least eight people, including the kamikaze, were killed in the latest suicide bomber explosion in Beni on December 25, in the middle of Christmas celebration. Addis Ababa, Feb 6 : Senegal President Macky Sall has took over the rotating African Union (AU) chairmanship at the opening of the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly at the AU headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. This year's AU summit is being held under the theme "Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent: Strengthening Agro-Food Systems, Health and Social Protection Systems for the Acceleration of Human, Social and Economic Development". Sall replaces Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Xinhua news agency reported. In his acceptance speech, the Senegal President said Africa is facing big challenges with regard to the increasing unconstitutional change of government and the coronavirus pandemic that has hit the continent's health service and economies hard. "We still face many and urgent challenges related to peace and security, the fight against terrorism, the unconstitutional change of government, and protection of environment, health, economic and social development," he added. "We cannot take our face away from all these lives that are lost -- the bereaved family, the millions of displaced persons or refugees, the schools and health facilities that are closed and disintegrated social cohesion," Sall said. In his handing over speech, Tshisekedi highlighted some of the achievements under his chairmanship of the Union notably, the economic empowerment of the women and youths, the enhancement of democracy and good governance, among other development programs under Agenda 2063. The outgoing chair of the Union further underlined the initiatives undertaken under his leadership to address the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Varanasi, Feb 6 : Ajay Rai, the Congress candidate from Pindra Assembly constituency in Varanasi, has been booked for sedition and for allegedly spreading hatred against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by provoking people against them while addressing a public meeting on January 31. District Election Officer, Kaushal Raj Sharma said, "A case of provocative speech by Rai had come to light after which explanation was sought from him. The Returning Officer(RO) was asked to probe the matter. After the RO submitted his report, an FIR was lodged against Rai under sections 269 (act done unlawfully or negligently which is likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 124A (sedition), 153 (provocation for offence of rioting), 153A (promoting enmity or feeling of hatred), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of IPC and section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with election) of the Representation of The People Act." An FIR has been lodged on the complaint of a police Sub-Inspector, who was part of the four-member fact-finding team. The FIR mentions that on January 31, Rai held a public meeting in Rajit Tara village without seeking permission from any competent authority. During his speech at this public meeting, he had used undignified language against the Prime Minister and state Chief Minister which could promote hatred, enmity and disturb peace. Besides other alleged charges, the Congress MLA has been booked for violation of the model code of conduct and Covid-19 protocol by gathering people for public meetings without seeking permission and attempting to disturb peace as mentioned in the FIR. Reacting to the FIR, Rai said, "People were complaining against salt being distributed among them with free ration kits and from fair price shops. As health hazardous particles were found in such salt packets containing the photographs of Modi and Yogi, I had asked the people to keep it for burying on March 7. However, it was given a different colour and serious charges were levelled against me by misusing power." Incidentally, the Congress MLA had started his political career with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and had won Kolasla Assembly constituency three times in a row between 1996 and 2007 on a BJP ticket. He left the BJP after being denied ticket to contest Lok Sabha election in 2009 and unsuccessfully contested the election on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Later, he joined the Congress and won the Pindra Assembly constituency in 2012. He had also contested against PM Modi in 2019 Lok Sabha election and had voiced concern when buildings were being demolished for the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project. Kabul, Feb 6 : Afghanistan's Taliban-led government has denied denied a claim made by Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad that Islamabad was using modern military equipment against terror groups that was leftover from NATO's presence in Afghanistanthe war-torn country. Speaking to Pakistani media, the Minister had said: "They (the Pakistan military) use military equipment remaining from NATO forces. In my opinion, the Afghan Taliban made a large effort to dissuade the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), but they don't understand. They are settled in Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktia and Khost provinces, which are along the (Durand Line), and they launch attacks against Pakistan. The attacks have increased." On Saturday, the Taliban also denied the presence of any group, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, on Afghan soil, saying that the Afghan territory will not be used against any country, TOLO News reported. "We assure and pledge that there is no threat from Afghan soil to any country. The problem exists in Pakistan, it is their own internal problem," Taliban deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi said. Kabul, Feb 6 : More than one million Afghans have migrated over the past four months and most of them have crossed border areas into Iran and Pakistana media report claimed The head of a private transportation industry said that around 4,000 people are heading to Iran on daily basis, TOLO News quoted The New York Times report. Many of the migrants entering Iran are seeking to cross the borders of Turkey and from there go on to Europe for asylum. The New York Times said the mass migration has raised alarms in the region as well as Europe about a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis, when more than a million people, mostly Syrians, sought asylum in Europe. "Though many are choosing to leave because of the immediate economic crisis, the prospect of long-term Taliban governance - including restrictions on women and fears of retribution - has only added to their urgency," the report said. Refugee rights defenders in Iran expressed concerns over the status of Afghan refugees in Iran. "The Afghan refugees in Iran are facing various challenges such as lack of access to work and refugee identification cards. A refugee is always at risk of being back deported," Naqibullah Rasikh, a refugee rights activist, told TOLO News. Meanwhile, the Taliban government has said that efforts were underway to tackle the economic and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. "The statistics of the Islamic Emirate show that between 1,500 to 2,000 people are going to Iran from Afghanistan on a daily basis," said Bilal Karimi, the government's deputy spokesman. Kabul, Feb 6 : The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that journalists and media workers in Afghanistan are facing increasing "harassment" under the Taliban regime. RSF said the threats, interrogations and arbitrary arrests of journalists have increased and these actions are in violation of Afghanistan's press law, TOLO News reported. According to RSF, since the Taliban came to power in August last year, at least 50 journalists and media workers have been detained, lasting from several hours to nearly a week. "Threatening to rip out journalists' tongues in order to prevent them from covering certain subjects is completely unacceptable," said Reza Moini, the head of RSF's Iran-Afghanistan desk. "Journalists must be able to practice their profession without being under a permanent threat of arrest and torture. These unlawful threats, which violate Afghanistan's media legislation, are all the more horrifying for coming at a time of growing harassment and increasingly restrictive rules for the right to news and information." According to the RSF, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice had also issued a decree in November last year defining certain rules for media in Afghanistan. On February 3, the International Federation of Journalists also raised concerns on the status of media in Afghanistan, saying at least 318 media outlets have closed since the fall of the Western-backed government in 33 of 34 provinces in Afghanistan. "The crisis has hit newspapers the hardest with just 20 out of 114 continuing to publish," the report read. "Fifty-one TV stations, 132 radio stations and 49 online media outlets have ceased operations according to the report compiled for the IFJ." The Taliban, however, reacting to these reports, said it is committed to supporting press freedom. "The Islamic Emirate is committed to freedom of the press. The media have also an obligation to stay impartial and remain committed to religious and national values," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter on Saturday. He said the Taliban is trying to remove obstacles in the way of media. Mumbai, Feb 6 : Actress Sara Ali Khan, who is currently riding high on the success of her latest release 'Atrangi Re', has been hopping from one set to another, from one city to another, since the last few months. Sara will be next seen in 'Gaslight' and Laxman Utekar yet-untitled next. A source said: "After returning from Laxman Utekar's film from Indore, Sara has been running on a crazy work schedule. She's finishing all her brand commitments before going on the next film's set. Her day is filled with brand shoots, dubbing for them and daily workouts." The source shared that the actress has begun prepping for her upcoming films, "which are scheduled to go on floors soon". "She wants to be fully prepared once she gets on sets." New Delhi, Feb 6 : Unlike several other old temples that are hardly known beyond their devotees to the rest of the world, Goa's Mangeshi temple, about 21 km from Panaji, is popular on the itinerary of tourists who visit India's Sunshine State. Mangeshi is the place where the first family of Hindi film music traces its roots to -- Lata Mangeshkar and her siblings get their surname from Mangeshi, which is where their father, Master Dinanath, was born in 1900. Deep inside the heart of Goa, the Mangeshi hamlet, spread across less than 2 sq. km. with about 200 houses, is a part of the Priyol village on the winding Panaji-Fonda road. The main attraction is the little over 450-year-old Mangesh temple built in the typical Goan style, complete with a deep 'maal', a vertical decorative pillar with niches to keep earthen oil lamps, and a temple tank. The present temple was built in 1560 after the main deity was shifted from its original location at Kushasthali in the Salshet (Salcete) area, where the Portuguese had started committing atrocities in the name of conversion. The temple's present location was then a part of the Antruj Mahal area, which was never under the Portuguese. In these many centuries of existence, the entirely private trust-run temple complex underwent major renovations thrice. Mangesh or Mangirish, an avatar of Lord Shiva, is the principal deity of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) devotees of the temple. There are a number of peripheral temples in the complex that are well maintained and need a walk of almost a kilometre from the main road. Although Master Dinanath was born in Mangeshi, he shifted very early to Kolhapur to set up his own drama company. But before he left Goa, he underwent a name change. "Master Dinanath's mother was a devadasi at the temple. Dinanath himself was a sevekari," Bhushan Bhave, one of the priests at the Mangeshi temple, said. Sevekari is a term used for those who carry out various activities related to the temple as a hereditary duty. They resided in the village; many of them still do. The devadasi system was a matrilineal tradition where women, also known as 'kalavantin' because of their knowledge of the performing arts, dedicated their lives to the service of the principal deity. The British had first sought to stop such practices in the 1930s, stating that they led to prostitution. Goa, however, was then under Portuguese rule. "Some say his surname was Hardikar, but he came to be known as Abhisheki because he would carry out the 'abhishek' at the temple," Bhave told IANS over the phone from Mangeshi. "When Dinanath migrated to Kolhapur, however, he chose a new identity, Mangeshkar, which meant someone hailing from Mangeshi," Bhave added. None of the five Mangeshkar siblings ever lived at Mangeshi, but one or the other would visit the deity occasionally. Despite their occasional association, that tiny spot on the map of India will forever be famous because of the Mangeshkars. (Nivedita Khandekar can be reached at nivedita.k@ians.in) Mumbai, Feb 6 : In the past two years of the Coronavirus pandemic, Indians have coughed out a stupendous Rs 74,000 crore for 74 crore Covid-19 tests from dubious private pathological labs. Finally, around 4.20 crore positive cases were detected with more than 500,000 deaths, till date. A Nagpur-based consumer rights NGO, Grahak Bharati has said that Indians have taken various Covid-19 tests like RTPCR, RAT, TrueNAT, CBNAAT and other tests through (currently) 3,255 testing labs including 1,844 private and 1,411 government. Of these 3,255, only 2,141 (764 government and 1,377 private) labs are for conducting the much-in-demand, compulsory for most purposes and universally accepted RTPCR tests., and the remaining 1,114 (647 government+467) labs offer the other tests. In the initial stages of the pandemic, a test was costing around Rs 3,500 or more, but gradually, the figures have stabilised to around Rs 600, besides cheap home-test kits available for around Rs 250 now. "Considering an average of Rs 1000/test, Indians have been compelled to spend over Rs 74,000-crore only for Covid-19 tests, with private labs netting the major portion of the loot," Grahak Bharati Founder-President Barrister Vinod Tiwari told IANS. He claimed that a majority of these tests were virtually forced on the people even though they had no initial symptoms, or, unnecessary considering the low positivity rate, and ended up spooking the country in the name of coronavirus. Grahak Bharati has shot off a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the ICMR, top central and state officials and the Central Vigilance Commission, demanding a probe into the "massive unbridled dacoity" being perpetrated on gullible Indians. He warned that if the government fails to take priority cognisance of this nationwide racket, Grahak Bharati would file a PIL in the Supreme Court. Alleging that it is "a systematic mega-scam" with the connivance of government officials, unscrupulous private labs and their franchisees operating with the generous blessings of politicians, Tiwari contended that it violates provisions of the central Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and make such shady labs liable for severe penal action. Elaborating, Tiwari explained that many of the private labs are remotely located franchisees under the officially approved/recognised Advanced Laboratories (1,844) in India. Shockingly, many of these labs apparently conduct thousands of Covid-19 tests daily, ostensibly without proper approval, authority, quality control, infrastructure or qualified manpower. "The ICMR has said that on a single day on Feb. 4, there were an unbelievable 16,03,856 tests conducted... Were these necessary and practical? This only points to the possibility that a majority of the Covid tests are 'concocted' to scare the masses," alleged Tiwari. The worrisome aspect is that merely based on these illegally-conducted tests, the government has been taking major policy decisions like lockdowns, restrictions, curbs on inter-district, inter-state and even international public movements, which in turn has spelled the death-knell for the economy. India ranks second globally (after the USA) in terms of the total infectees notched up till date. "The so-called franchisee labs lack infrastructure, qualified post-graduate doctors, particularly Pathologist and Microbiologist and others compulsorily required for the RTPCR tests and to determine the Covid-19 positive patients, tests are conducted in remote locations and the test results are issued indiscriminately, with the digital signatures of the medicos at Advanced Laboratories thousands of kms away," fumed Tiwari. Grahak Bharati says there is no control on the procedures for sample collection, handling, proper testing or accurate determination which often lead to contradictory results. It recently happened with two Mumbaikars who got two different results - Covid negative and Covid positive - from two labs in 24 hours (IANS report - Jan. 12) but the Aarogya Setu portal remained unfazed. Tiwari said that the country is in the grip of the mild Third Wave but "there is no guarantee" how many more 'waves' will sink Indians unless the government immediately clamps down on this "blatant, organised scam". Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Lucknow, Feb 6 : Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma has claimed that the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress together will not be able to reach the three-digit mark (100 seats), while the BJP will win with a thumping majority in the state assembly polls. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Sharma said that the saffron party will win more seats this time as compared to the 2017 Assembly polls. On the Opposition charge that the BJP tries to divert attention from basic issues by doing politics based on Hindu-Muslim and Pakistan, he said Jinnah and Pakistan were mentioned by the opposition parties. They (opposition) does not have anything to tell. They are talking about the end time of the Prime Minister. They are using abusive language for the BJP leaders. They are annoyed... Instead of feeling sad that they could not carry out development work during their regime, they are behaving in this way.. It's not good, Sharma said. When asked that the farmers and Jats are unhappy with the BJP, the minister said the farmers are with us... All the farmers' leaders are in our favour. The BJP government has done a lot of work for the farmers. We have made policies for farmers and agriculture. The Opposition is spreading rumours. When asked that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief minister Maurya are contesting the polls, but you are not entering the poll fray, Sharma said I have come from the organisation. I have worked right from the ward level to the national level. In the BJP, everything is decided by the organisation. I will do whatever the party decides for me. When pointed out that though criminals should not be defended, Richa Dubey is trying hard to get the death certificate of her husband and slain gangster Vikas Dubey, Sharma said that he will not comment on the matter which is pending in court. "Our government is working on the policy of zero tolerance for crime. 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vishwas' is our aim. That is the reason why people are with us. On reports that workers of the saffron party are angry, the deputy chief minister said the BJP always takes care of its party activists. On outsiders joining the party and getting tickets, he said the BJP will take care of its party workers. On many BJP leaders switching to the SP, Sharma said that our three leaders are being discussed, but dozens of their lawmakers have come into our fold, it should also be discussed. Replying to another question, Sharma said that the BJP gives tickets on the basis of performance. One who has not got a ticket this time will get some other opportunity. The party respects Dalits, backwards. Our party does not work on the basis of caste, he added. When asked who will be the chief minister if the BJP wins, Sharma said Yogi ji is one of the top leaders of our party. We have worked under his leadership for five years and he will lead the state in the future too. The national leadership has given a statement in this regard earlier. There is no point in doubting that. On the SP's 'masterstroke' of promising restoration of old pensions and 300 units of free power if voted to power, Sharma said they (SP) have scored a hit wicket. They have not told the people that when the pension was scrapped in 2005, their leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister. They did not even deposit the Rs 10,000 crore contribution. The amount was deposited during the BJP government's tenure. Our government increased the contribution from ten per cent to 14 per cent. Many features of the old pension are being incorporated in the new pension by the state and the union governments. Sharma added that the SP makes announcements which it cannot fulfil. In 2012, the SP got forms filled for providing houses to 47 lakh people, but later, gave only 2,000 homes, while the BJP government in 2017 provided 45 lakh homes. Replying to a question on stray cattle, Sharma said that under the SP government, not even a rupee was given for 'goshalas' (cow shelters). But our government is giving a fixed amount so that cow shelters can be opened and managed in every district. Like the genie appearing from Aladdin's lamp, the names of criminals are surfacing in their candidates list for the polls. Amid apprehensions that Uttar Pradesh can become crime-prone again, the people will vote for the BJP in record numbers, the deputy chief minister claimed. Bengaluru, Feb 6 : The conviction of a police officer for the rape of a mentally challenged woman in a moving car in Tumakuru district of Karnataka made national headlines. However, the challenges overcome by the prosecution in getting the conviction of the police officer is not less than a thrilling story. The victim, though 34 years old, has the mental ability of a 6-year-old child. The prosecution had the task of proving the charges as the defence counsel was trying to prove that it was a consensual act. The prosecution was keeping its fingers crossed over the cross-examination as the mentally challenged, child-like victim had to face the cross-examination on her own. The victim not only faced the cross-examination confidently but her innocent disposition and straight answers convinced the court about the dastardly act committed by the policeman. She recognizes the convicted police officer as 'Umesh uncle' even today! The Karnataka local court had awarded 20 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine to Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Umeshaiah on January 31. The accused police officer had taken away the mentally challenged victim in a private vehicle on the pretext of dropping her home in the wee hours on January 15, 2017 and had raped her near Antarasanahalli Bridge near Tumakuru in the moving car. Judge H.S. Mallikarjuna Swami of the Second Additional District and Sessions Court had convicted the accused cop. V.A. Kavitha, the Public Prosecutor who fought and won the case, told IANS that it was a very challenging case. "The victim suffered from psychosis, which is a mental disorder where the patient's mindset will be fluctuating. The symptoms vary from patient to patient. The victim suffering from psychosis was having the mind of a four-and-a-half or five-year old kid when the incident took place," she says. "She can't use her intellect while answering and would answer any question in one word only in yes or no. For example if she is asked whether she had food, she would only say yes or no. When I took over the job of Public Prosecutor after being promoted, the case was four years old. The High Court direction was there in the case and the accused was moving a bail petition claiming health problems. More than that, the victim had no idea of court proceedings, witness box etc.," Kavitha explains. Kavitha started to take her to the court premises and brought her juice, snacks to get the victim used to the court environment. After about 15 days, the victim developed a bond with her. One of the fears was what if the victim showed wild behaviour after seeing the accused. Kavitha took a photograph on her mobile and showed it to the victim and asked whether she knew him. To her surprise, without any change in her behaviour, the victim identified the accused as 'Umesh Uncle' and she was able to tell what happened to her which could nail the police officer. When the proceedings started in the court, the advocates appearing for the accused claimed that the victim is being tutored. "But, after the victim faced cross-examination and answered their questions they had nothing to say. The victim faced cross questions better than the normal victims," Kavitha informs. The court treated the victim like its own child. The usually lengthy cross-examination was cut short, she was given a break and allowed to get fresh air for 15 minutes after 10 to 15 questions considering her state of mind. She was offered water while answering questions. The cross-examination was done for one and a half days. When the opposing counsel asked her why she didn't scream for help when the incident took place, the victim replied who would have heard her when all the windows were closed in the vehicle. When she was again asked why she didn't provide her brother's contact number earlier (after the incident the cop manages to get the phone number), the victim told the court that when she was gagged with a cloth, how could she have given the number earlier. The police investigation report, audio graph, FSL reports, potency test, police witnesses and records and the statement of the victim helped to get the conviction. The incident: The victim started off on her own towards Anjaneya (Hanuman) temple despite her mother's warning not to go on the festival day of Sankranti at about 7 p.m. from her residence. She had an attachment to the temple as her family earlier resided very close to that temple. She walked for about 9 kilometres and reached the temple by 11 p.m. The temple was closed by that time and she slept on the platform of the temple. She woke up much later after being bitten by mosquitoes and started walking towards her home. The victim did not remember the path and just started walking. After walking for about 4 kms, she sat near a tree and the accused police officer on night duty spotted her at 2 a.m. He said he would drop her home, stopped a vehicle and took her along. He then committed the crime in the moving car after threatening the driver. When she was finally dropped home at 4.30 a.m., the victim collapsed after seeing her mother. After being comforted, she told her mother that 'Umesh uncle' (accused cop) had bitten her on her chest, cheeks, scratched her, beaten her in spite her resistance and explained the act of rape. When her mother questioned the accused police officer why he did it, the accused maintained that he was like her father and why would he do that to her. The mother gave the victim a bath and put her to bed. They approached the police at 8 a.m., the next morning. Initially the police did not believe their charges but as they conducted a preliminary investigation and the medical test reports came, they booked an FIR against the accused cop. Kavitha, who secured the conviction, says that she has done the work entrusted to her. "I am neutral. I have started working on another case." Chandigarh, Feb 6 : With 'deras' or religious sects enjoying considerable clout in Punjab, particularly among a section of Dalits, they play a gamechanger role in vote politics in every election -- be it the parliamentary or the legislative assembly. As per estimates, in the 117-member legislative Assembly at least six 'deras' have direct influence on at least 46 seats that fall largely in the Malwa region through an internal appeal by asking followers to vote for a particular political party. Not just the Congress, almost every political party -- the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) -- have been hobnobbing with sect heads to gain votes in their favour through consensus. It is believed that out of the 2.12 crore electorate in Punjab, 53 lakh, or 25 per cent people, are directly associated with one sect or another. For them, an edict from the sect head, either delivered formally or informally, to vote for a particular party is sacrosanct. Among the prominent ones is the 'controversial' but 'influential' Dera Sacha Sauda sect, based in Sirsa district of Haryana, whose chief and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is undergoing a 20-year sentence for raping two disciples. It has a huge fan following in Punjab's Malwa region comprising Bathinda, Muktsar, Sangrur, Mansa, Patiala, Barnala, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur, Ludhiana and Mohali districts, say pollsters. The other prominent 'deras' include the Radha Soami sect of Beas, located 45 km from Amritsar, and Dera Sachkhand sect of Ballan village near Jalandhar. The Nurmahal-based Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission), established in 1983, near Jalandhar is another prominent sect. It was led by a long-dead spiritual guru Ashutosh Maharaj, whose body has been preserved in a commercial freezer by his followers and the sect management since January 2014 when he was declared "clinically dead" by doctors. His followers believe he is only meditating deeply, and will one day return to life. The Chief Ministers of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were among the prominent leaders who visited the dera several times. So is the Bhaniara Wala dera of the late self-styled godman Piara Singh Bhaniara Wala based in Dhamiana village in Ropar district. In the electoral season, Radha Soami Dera, whose chief had a closed-door meeting with Congress leaders Amarinder Singh and Rahul Gandhi just weeks ahead of the February 4, 2017, assembly elections, is all-important in Punjab. It formed a separate political wing in 2006 to take a call on the elections. Known as 'premis', its top functionaries this time have been maintaining a silence after its chief Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years in jail in August 2017. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the subsequent Haryana assembly polls, Dera Sacha Sauda, with the state's prominent sect at Salabatpura in Bathinda, had issued a public appeal for people to vote for the BJP. In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, the sect, which claims to have 60 million followers pan-India of which 4 million are in Punjab alone, supported the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance, but the party lost to the Congress. However, the sect had supported Congress in the previous Punjab Assembly polls in 2012 and 2007. With 84 campuses named 'satsang ghars' across Punjab, the Dera Sacha Sauda sect says it is not a religion but a humanitarian organisation. Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, if they follow the edict, hold the key to 35-40 seats in Malwa, the largest political region of Punjab with 69 seats out of the state's 117. Former Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh and incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi are from Malwa, the belt that was at the helm of the farmers movement against the three now revoked agricultural laws. In a bid to woo Dalit voters, who constitute 32 per cent of the total vote bank, Charanjit Channi, the state's first Dalit Chief Minister, on January 25 spent a night at Dera Sachkhand Ballan, a prominent Ravidassia community that has much influence in the Doaba region comprising Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts. The Radha Soami Satsang Beas is another prominent sect with its mass base in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Muktsar, Kapurthala, Kotkapura and Fazilka districts. It has the maximum following in dollar-rich Doaba, also the stronghold of Dalit politics. This region sends 23 legislators. It doesn't come out openly, but it believes in an internal appeal to vote for a particular party. Its appeal leaves an impact on 10-12 seats. Radha Soami Satsang Beas chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon called on Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi at his residence in December last. After the meeting, the government in a statement said the dera head appreciated the pro-people initiatives of the government, including efforts in tackling the Covid-19 situation by motivating people for vaccination. The head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas was in the eye of a storm when former promoter of Ranbaxy, Malvinder Singh, had filed a complaint against the dera head and others for allegedly siphoning off proceeds from the sale of Ranbaxy Laboratories. Over the years, it has attracted millions of followers across the world and amassed properties in India, the US, Australia, and Europe. The other big vote banks for political parties are the sects of Nirankaris, Namdharis and other smaller sects. Several radical Sikh bodies have been opposing the sects, labelling them pseudo-sects primarily anti-Sikh. Recalling the edicts against these sects by the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion, the radicals have been asking the parties to stay away from the sects. Exposing the 'holy alliance' between the SAD and Dera Sacha Sauda, Justice Ranjit Singh (retd), who headed a commission to look into the alleged incidents of sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent police firing on protesters in 2015 when the SAD-BJP alliance government was at the helm, in his recent book, 'The Sacrilege', wrote, "When Sukhbir Badal was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister on January 26, 2009, there were two outstanding issues pending at that time relating to Dera Sacha Sauda." "One was the case registered against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief and the other was the boycott of the Dera. Harsimrat Kaur Badal made her debut in legislative politics by contesting from Bathinda which she won in 2009 and the Dera had then extended support to her. "What can be assumed to be a confirmation of the retrospective tactical understanding between the Dera chief and the Akali Dal leadership emerged later." The book says, "Just five days before the assembly elections (January 27, 2012), Punjab Police had filed this cancellation report in the FIR (for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Sikhs) against the Dera chief." Pollsters told IANS as Punjab this time heads for a multi-cornered contest on February 20, where a small difference in the vote share can make a big difference, even smaller sects could upset many calculations. So far no sect has issued a public appeal for people to vote for a particular party. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in) Lucknow, Feb 6 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the Assembly elections in the state this month will be not even in the ratio of 80:20, but it will be 90:10 in favour of the BJP. "The people of Uttar Pradesh are going to choose a stronger double-engine government and not the spineless regime of the Samajwadi Party that hides behind the mafia," he said in a statement. Mounting a vociferous attack on the opposition, he said that there were no more bomb explosions in Uttar Pradesh but Kanwar Yatra were organised amid the chants of 'Bam Bam' (hailing Lord Shiva). Yogi Adityanath said that the development under the SP government was limited to the construction of boundary walls of 'kabristan'. "Now, they should also ask for votes there. Infrastructural development like airports, expressways, and giving respect to farmers has never been on the agenda of SP. Whenever they were in power, they gave shelter to criminals," he said. Recalling the Muzaffarnagar riots, the Chief Minister said: "What was the fault of youngsters like Sachin and Gaurav? They were just trying to protect their sisters and in return the goons killed both of them. Now these rioters are walking around begging for their lives with placards hanging around their necks. "There is no exodus from Kairana and Kandhla now. Every daughter of west Uttar Pradesh can now feel safe. There is guarantee of security to every woman by the double-engine government." Emphasizing on the policy of zero tolerance against crime, he said the bulldozer and development would continue simultaneously. "The bulldozer will automatically find illegal properties and money and run over it," he said. Taking a jibe at the SP-RLD alliance, he said: "This 'Do ladkon ki jodi' (Akhilesh and Jayant) has nothing new to serve. These people belong to dark zone. When the people were migrating from Kairana after Muzaffarnagar riots, these people were hiding in their dens. One of them sitting in Lucknow was responsible for riots. BJP leaders like Suresh Rana and Sanjeev Baliyan risked their lives for the safety of the people." -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Seoul, Feb 6 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in will preside over a Covid-19 response meeting on Monday as the nation is grappling with a surge in daily infections driven by highly transmissible Omicron variant, according to the presidential office on Sunday. It will be the first time in about six months that Moon presides over a virus response meeting, reports Yonhap News Agency. Due to the rapid spread of the highly contagious variant, South Korea has set daily records, but deaths have remained relatively low. The daily cases exceeded 38,000 on Sunday and the accumulated virus caseload surpassed 1 million, two years after the country reported its first Covid-19 case. To efficiently cope with the spread of omicron, South Korea enforced a new virus response system, including an expansion of rapid testing and a reduction of self-isolation periods. The new system is aimed at minimising disruptions and focusing on reducing critical cases and deaths. Under the new system, small hospitals and clinics administer tests and treat patients, and rapid antigen tests replace polymerase chain reaction tests at testing sites, except for those aged over 60 or high-risk groups. During the Monday meeting, Moon is expected to encourage small hospitals to participate in the new system. Lucknow, Feb 6 : With a decline in Covid cases in the state, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to reopen schools from Monday. For now, offline classes will resume for standard 9-12 and the state government has also ordered to reopen degree colleges. "Educational institutions for classes 9 and above, along with all degree colleges, will be restarted from February 7," said Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avanish K Awasthi. Earlier during the spike in the Omicron cases in January, the Uttar Pradesh government had ordered to shut all educational institutes until February 6. However, as the cases have begun to dwindle in the state, the state government has allowed seniot students to attend in-person classes. Darbhanga : , Feb 6 (IANS) Staying true to the spirit of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and women empowerment, two women from Bihar's Darbhanga district have started an online home-made pickle-making service which has fast gained the attention of people all over the country in a sport span of time. The identity of Maithili-speaking people in Bihar is well-known for three things -- 'Pokhar' (ponds), fish and 'Makhana'. But in recent times, people across the country are relishing the taste of home-made pickles of diverse flavours such as mango, lemon or red chillies being prepared in the Mithila region. Sister-in-laws Kalpana, 52, and Uma Jha, 51, have started an online pickle delivery service titled 'Jha Ji'. This online pickle delivery service is finding more and more takers all over the country in recent times. Usually pickles are prepared in every household in the Mithila region during the mango season but Darbhanga's sisters-in-law have made pickle-making a profitable business, which is being widely praised in every nook and corner of the country today. 'Jha Ji' pickle store has today become a household name synonymous with online delivery of pickles in the Mithila region. Speaking to IANS, Kalpana says, "From the beginning, like every other woman, we used to prepare pickles at home. My husband worked as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. But after his retirement I thought of taking time out for myself at home... that's when the idea of starting my own business came to my mind, and therefore I chose pickle-making business." She said that earlier she started this business after preparing 10 varieties of pickles, but today she makes 15 different types. This includes five types of pickles made of mango, garlic, green chili, cauliflower and tamarind chutney, etc. Initially Kalpana faced many hardships, but later the pickle-making business went on smoothly. "My sister-in-law Uma Jha also supported me for setting up this online business. I applied for a license for running this business in October 2020, after which I completed several formalities following which the 'Jha Ji' store was started in June 2021. My son Mayank took over the work of online marketing of the pickles etc. The pickle-making business today is working really well. The number of online orders received are increasing in number with each passing day." Initially, pickles were supplied to people while packed in 250 kg jars but now they are being supplied in jars weighing 250 and 500 grams. Kalpana said that the pickle prepared by her is cent per cent natural and contains no adulteration. Uma says, "The speciality of 'Jha Ji' pickle store is that it is prepared traditionally and contains aroma of Mithila region. There is a growing demand for pickles prepared by us in the traditional Bihari style across the state today." She says that she immediately agreed when her sister-in-law Kalpana spoke about starting the pickle-making business. Uma says that nearly 400 to 500 kg pickles are being prepared every day. She says that currently 10 women from our neighborhood are employed in this online service, including several youth as well. Majority of people gave online orders for pickles from the 'Jha Ji' store post the Covid-19 pandemic. Today there are thousands of customers placing online orders from this store. Kalpana told IANS that she receives maximum online orders for pickles from Delhi and its surrounding areas. "A lot of orders are being received from Mumbai, Bengaluru and West Bengal. People are placing online orders for hand-made pickles pickles prepared by our store." She claimed that home-made spices have been used in preparing pickles which have their own delectable aroma and taste. Kalpana said, "At present both (me and Uma) work from our home, but soon we are going to set up a new manufacturing unit." She said that the 'Jha Ji' store was started at a cost of Rs 6 lakh but today the monthly turnover of our store is nearly 10 to 12 lakh. San Jose, Feb 6 : A record 25 candidates are on Costa Rica's presidential ballot in Sunday's elections, which will choose both the President and the legislators that will lead the country in 2022-2026, with no favouritre among the general public yet. Among the presidential candidates, the country's former president and candidate of the National Liberation Party, Jose Maria Figueres, came first with only 17 per cent of the vote, according to the latest survey by the Research Centre in Political Studies of the University of Costa Rica. After Figueres were Social Christian Unity Party candidate Lineth Saborio with 12.86 per cent, and conservative Fabricio Alvarado of the New Republic Party, with 10.27 per cent, reports Xinhua news agency. Welmer Ramos, the candidate of the ruling Citizens' Action Party, barely garnered 1 per cent of the vote, despite the party having governed for two consecutive terms. "I cannot make any predictions. Anything is possible," said political scientist and analyst Francisco Barahona. For Barahona, the election has a high degree of uncertainty, a situation that he hopes will be reversed in the almost inevitable second round of elections that will be held on April 3 between the two front-runners in the first round if no candidate secures 40 per cent of the vote on Sunday. Barahona said the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic will also have an effect. Last month, Costa Rica recorded another 122,317 cases, a record monthly count of infections. Given all these elements, the country will experience an election day full of anxiety as Costa Ricans wait to find out if any of the candidates will win the necessary 40 per cent in the first round to succeed President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, who will leave office on May 8. Raipur, Feb 6 : Bastar, one of the districts in Chhattisgarh, well-known for its dense forests, is identified largely as a Maoist-dominated area. The state government, however, is set to give an overall makeover to the district by eradicating the Maoists from the area promoting the production of coffee to give the region a new identity in the country and at the global level. There are widespread talks about promoting coffee cultivation in Bastar, after the recent state visit by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. He had a cup of coffee at the Bastar coffee stall at an exhibition held in the terror hotbed. In order to promote coffee in the Indian and international market, Congress MP suggested that state Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel sign an MoU of 'Bastaria' coffee with international coffee brands. The life of the people in Bastar is completely dependent on agriculture and forest produce. Paddy is grown the maximum in terms of agriculture, but now innovation is slowly taking shape. Coffee is being cultivated on several hundred acres of land in Darbha, Kakalgur and Dilmili villages under the Darbha block due to which the forest dwellers and farmers are earning huge profits. The reason for the cultivation of coffee in the Darbha block of Bastar is that this cultivation can be done only in those areas which are located several metres high above the sea level. People associated with realising this initiative say that three things are necessary for the cultivation of coffee -- height from sea level, rainfall between February-March and area which is not under direct sunlight. The Darbha development block is located at an altitude of 600 to 1400 metres above sea level. Two varieties of coffee are being grown in Bastar -- Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta. Coffee was cultivated as an experiment, which has proved to be successful and now farmers have started cultivating it. Many other crops can be produced along with coffee cultivation. Bastar Collector Rajat Bansal told IANS that the people from the tribal community, who depend completely on forest produce and traditional farming, are choosing coffee cultivation as a profitable and viable option. Their life is undergrowing a transformation with their income doubling. The state government has formed a coffee board to encourage the cultivation of coffee in the state. The coffee produced here has been found to be of high quality by the coffee board of the country. Experts say that in a year, nearly Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per acre is the profit earned from the cultivation of coffee which is much more than other crops. In view of the adaptability of the climate in Bastar, coffee cultivation has been started on nearly 3,000 acre. The popularity of Bastar coffee is fast spreading in foreign countries as well. Coffee is currently being exported from the state to eight countries. Coffee cultivation can be of immense help for increasing the income of farmers in the state, that is why an action plan has been prepared for the coming six decades which will benefit the farmers on a large-scale. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Seoul, Feb 6 : With the South Korean presidential election fast approaching, the country's National Election Commission is hastening its preparations for the March 9 vote amid a surge in daily Covid-19 infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. According to the NEC, political parties' presidential candidates have to formally register on February 13 and 14, reports Yonhap News Agency. The candidates' official 22-day campaign period is set to kick off on February 15. Three rounds of TV debate among candidates have been scheduled during the official campaign period. Starting from Monday, gatherings of political party members will be banned under an election law. Overseas Korean citizens who are registered as absentee voters will cast their votes on February 23-28. Sailors will cast their votes aboard their ships from March 1-4. Advance voting will take place from March 4-5. It is not the first South Korean election to be held during the pandemic, but the upcoming vote comes as the nation grapples with a surge in daily Covid-19 cases. The NEC has said it is looking for solutions that allow people who have contracted the virus after the early voting period to cast their ballots in the March election. Meanwhile, Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party, is still neck and neck with ruling Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, two surveys revealed on Sunday. According to a survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), Yoon is leading Lee with 37.2 per cent support against 35.1 per cent. Another survey conducted by Realmeter, showed that Yoon is leading Lee with 43.3 per cent support against 41.8 per cent. Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, came third in both the surveys. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement on river linking projects, while presenting this year's Union Budget, has once again put the spotlight on the contentious issue of river water sharing between neighbouring states in the southern part of the country. The river linking projects in the south deal with the Godavari, Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery rivers. The idea is to transfer waters of under-tapped rivers to over-exploited rivers, thus utilising water that would have otherwise flown into the sea. However with claims and counter-claims over river water shares from various states, the situation threatens to turn muddy sooner than later. The Cauvery river takes birth in Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu. The Pennar too takes birth in Karnataka and traverses Andhra Pradesh, on its way to the East Coast. The Godavari, India's third largest river, is born in Maharashtra, passes through Telangana, Chattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh before joining the Bay of Bengal. Similarly, the Krishna river, also originating in Maharashtra, passes through Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. However, with its waters fully exploited, there is hardly any water left in the Krishna by the time it reaches its journey's end. It's a similar situation so far as the Cauvery and Pennar rivers are concerned. At the moment, Godavari is the only river with surplus water reserves. And the river-linking plans hinge upon using its waters to replenish the remaining rivers in the peninsula. According to the National Water Development Agency, out of an estimated 324 tmcft of surplus Godavari waters in Chhattisgarh, 247 tmcft water can be diverted to the Cauvery through the Krishna and Penna rivers. As predominantly agrarian states, and coupled with growing drinking water needs of urban populations, the clamour for the 'rightful' share of river waters has been growing with every year. Under the circumstance, neither Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Chattisgarh seem keen on letting go of their potential claims to the Godavari rivers. In the relatively new state of Telangana, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao literally scoffed at the proposal on the day it was announced in the Union Budget. "A Bachawat Tribunal verdict says that once Godavari enters the Telugu States, they have all rights on its waters." he reminded. In Andhra Pradesh too, the ruling as well as opposition parties have given a tepid response to the proposal. Over the years, the interstate water wars in south India have roused passions, incited violence, led to courtroom battles, and resulted in setting up of tribunals. The most bitter water wars are probably the ones between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery waters, several years ago. In the past, Karnataka has also had tussles with erstwhile Andhra Pradesh over Krishna river water sharing. In the recent past, new neighbours, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been sparring over their rights on previously common river waters. Predictably, the BJP-ruled Karnataka government is treading cautiously on the issue. It is stuck between party loyalties and local sentiments. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has planned to reach out to the party's central leadership over the state's concerns. However, smelling an opportunity to capitalise on emotions, the opposition Congress party has begun cornering the state government on the issue. Congress LOP and former Chief Minister S. Siddaramaiah went so far as accusing the finance minister of siding with Tamil Nadu because she hails from there. Incidentally, the union minister is a Rajya Sabha member representative from Karnataka. Talking to IANS, water expert Prof C. Narasimhappa said that the river interlinking project will not benefit Karnataka at all. The interlinking of rivers will benefit Tamil Nadu state and Andhra Pradesh will be benefited to an extent. Andhra Pradesh has interlinked River Godavari to River Krishna. The interlinking of projects would benefit Tamil Nadu to a maximum extent, he stated. While the draft Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have already been finalised as early as 2020, things will move on the ground only after the stakeholder states reach a consensus. Captain Raja Ram, a Karnataka water rights activist feels that Karnataka should use this opportunity to safeguard its interests. "Karnataka should see to it that its share is announced before the DPR is done for interlinking of rivers. The basic idea of interlinking of rivers is to provide water from river basins which have surplus water to deficit basins. Our state should not sit quietly but demand and get our share of water otherwise we should not agree to the project." At the moment, Tamil Nadu is the only southern state to have welcomed the announcement. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has been demanding the Centre for fast-tracking river-linking proposals. Pointing to the strong Tamil Nadu lobbying, political observers feel that the entire river-linking exercise seems to be tailored for helping the state. However, with none of the other states willing to let go of their rights in view of their own future requirements, river-linking may not be so easy to execute either. Meanwhile, concerns have been raised in other quarters, especially on the ecological impact river-linking could lead to. Speaking to IANS, Prof Kshitij Urs at the National Law School University of India, said: "Building small deviations like canals may not have much of an impact, but diverting an entire river's natural course can have potentially disastrous consequences for the surrounding eco-system. It could lead to adverse impact at the river source as well as the end-points." New Delhi, Feb 6 : An Afghan professor at the Alberoni University in Kapisa province claims that his fellow professors have accused him of blasphemy, Khaama Press reported. Yaqub Yasna, one of the professors at the Alberoni University claimed that his fellow colleagues who have accused him are currently lecturers in the faculties of religious studies, agriculture, and education of Alberoni University. Yasna on his Facebook post said that he had criticized ethnic politics in Afghanistan but a professor in the faculty of religious studies and other professors accused him of being irreligious. The university lecturer claimed that his colleagues and students accuse him of blasphemy but added that he has disrespected no religion. This comes as 229 university lecturers from the top three universities in Afghanistan have left the country after the Taliban takeover on August 15 last year. Officials at Albironi University and the Taliban have not commented on the issue yet. Press Release February 6, 2022 De Lima: Gov't must tap relevant institutions, groups to address pandemic-related mental health issues; stop stigmatization Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima urged the government to tap relevant institutions and private groups to address the emotional stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental-health issues people are experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, maintained that attending to the mental health needs of the public should be part of the present and future administration's pandemic response. "We are all facing an invisible enemy that ruthlessly attacks every aspect of human's health. COVID-19 virus causes turmoil of emotions and storms of anxiety which are greatly affecting people's mental health, especially now that nothing is certain and we're all unsure when to finally see the end to this pandemic," she said. "The government should reach out to institutions and mental health professionals to make counselling and psychosocial services accessible to all citizens to ensure that people's mental health issues are urgently addressed," she added. World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe earlier said that "the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a silent pandemic of mental stress and psychosocial issues in addition to disrupting the limited available resources for mental, neurological, and substance use disorder in the country." The Department of Health (DOH) reportedly estimates that at least 3.6 million Filipinos are facing mental health issues during the pandemic, including depression, substance use disorders, and mood disorders. The lady Senator from Bicol maintained that the government should approach mental wellness with firm and full resolve because COVID-19 can adversely impact people's wellbeing. "Hindi biro ang epekto ng pandemyang ito sa bawat isa sa atin. Matindi na ang pag-aalala na baka mahawa, paano pa kaya kung magpositibo na mismo sa sakit? May takot at pangamba sa kaligtasan, para sa pamilya, sa trabaho, at halo-halo pang agam-agam na nakakaapekto sa pasyente at sa kanyang mga mahal sa buhay," De Lima said. "The government must promote, protect and care for people's mental health, because mental health issues, if left unaddressed, could also be lethal," she added. De Lima, who principally sponsored the Magna Carta of the Poor Act, explained that she did so not only to address the basic needs of the poor, but also to address the mental health issues critically affecting them and the entire nation. "With this law, the government should hire more mental health professionals or tap relevant institutions, while raising awareness and removing the stigma of seeking help for psychological and emotional problems," she said. New Delhi, Feb 6 : Pakistan Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that Pakistan was ready to play its role in resolving the dispute between the US and China, The News reported. During his meetings with think tanks, Khan stressed that the world could not afford another Cold War, said Fawad. The Prime Minister, he added, would have a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday. During meetings with the Chinese leadership, the bilateral relations between the two countries would be discussed, Fawad added. He said water projects in Karachi and Faisalabad were discussed during Khan's meetings with Chinese investors. "The water supply project for Karachi (K-4), Hub Canal and water treatment plant in Faisalabad came under discussion in the meetings," Fawad said in a media talk. He would also meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in the evening, he added. The Information Minister said the Pakistani sportsmen were participating in the Chinese Winter Olympics for the first time. The Pakistani contingent was warmly welcomed by the people of China on its entry in the stadium, which was manifestation of the deep-rooted bilateral relations between the two countries. Fawad said Pakistan-China friendship was based on the expression of love between the people of the two countries, adding that Chinese investors were showing interest in investing in Pakistan. Chennai, Feb 6 : Several celebrities from the film industries in the south, including 'RRR' director S.S. Rajamouli, Mega Star Chiranjeevi and popular actor Mahesh Babu joined the creative community in grieving over the loss of Lata Mangeshkar. Taking to Twitter, Rajamouli said: "Lata Ji's passing away is a huge and irreplaceable loss. She will live on in our hearts forever. My heartfelt tribute to the Nightingale of India. May her soul rest in peace. Wishing the family strength and comfort in these difficult times." Chiranjeevi was among the first to share his pain. On Twitter, he said: "Nightingale of India, one of the greatest Legends #Lata Didi is no more. Heartbroken. The vacuum due to this colossal loss can never be filled. She lived an extraordinary life. Her music lives on and will continue to cast a spell until music is there! Rest in Peace, Lata Mangeshkar." Mahesh Babu tweeted: "Deeply saddened by Lata Mangeshkarji's demise. A voice that defined Indian music for generations ... Her legacy is truly unparalleled. Heartfelt condolences to the family, loved ones and all her admirers. Rest in peace Lata ji. There will never be another you." Mumbai, Feb 6 : Television actress and former 'Bigg Boss' contestant Yuvika Chaudhary has recovered from Covid. She said took this time to reflect and rejuvenate and connect to people on video calls that she has been missing but not getting the time to talk to. The actress, who has now tested negative, said: "When I turned Covid positive, people had started worrying a lot, especially Prince. It was a difficult time initially but the symptoms were mild. "I got a bit of a fever a few days later but I kept engaging with people who talked to me up. They were the backbone during this time. "I would watch fun stuff and always smile. The mind over matter was all the more important this time. I trained my mind to direct my body to keep it calm and recover fast. This virus can infect anyone. There is nothing to panic about." The actress, whose latest song 'Sakhiyo' featuring husband Prince Narula is out, suggested yoga, steam and having hot water helps a lot to fight Covid. "I started spending time with myself and went deep into mostly positive thoughts and one fine morning, I turned Covid negative." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tehran, Feb 6 : Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised Iraq's effort to enhance the region's security and stability, referring to Baghdad's sponsorship of the rounds of negotiations between Tehran and Riyadh. Raisi made the remarks in a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and thanked the the latter's efforts for hosting talks between Tehran and Riyadh, Xinhua news agency reported. A strong and cohesive government and a united society in Iraq have always been emphasized by the Islamic republic, he added. The Iranian President noted that his country is ready for further talks with Saudi Arabia if Riyadh is "willing to continue the talks in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect". Referring to regional security and stability, Raisi noted that problems of the region can be solved in case the extra-regional powers stop intervention in the regional affairs. He also expressed hope that the Iraqi government would be able to take the lead in a regional initiative to lift the siege on the Yemeni people. For his part, al-Kadhimi said it's important to initiate efforts to bring views in regional affairs closer, and to broaden bilateral cooperation and coordination in various fields and at all levels. The Prime Minister described the relations between Iraq and Iran as "distinguished, and Iraq is looking forward to expanding these relations". The call came a day after Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein discussed with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian the efforts to hold the fifth round of talks in Baghdad. Kanpur : , Feb 6 (IANS) In a seemingly shocking incident, a 78-year-old woman has accused her 82-year-old husband of harassing her for dowry. The woman also accused her husband of beating her up and throwing her out of the house. The incident has been reported from Chakeri area of the city. Acting on her complaint, police have registered a case against six people, including the woman's husband Ganesh Narain Shukla and their son-in-law. Ganesh Narain Shukla, who has been accused of dowry harassment, cannot even walk without support. Rajnish, the son of the elderly couple, told reporters that his mother behaves nicely with all family members and she has filed the case under the influence of some relatives. According to the sources, the whole matter is related to a family dispute. "My father was shocked when he came to know that he has been booked for dowry," he said. Meanwhile, advocate Shivendra Kumar Pandey said that according to the facts that have come to fore, the dowry law has been misused to implicate senior members of the family. "After so many years of marriage, the allegation of dowry harassment has no meaning. At present, the matter is in the arbitration centre so that the dispute can be settled by mutual talks between the two parties," Pandey further said. New Delhi, Feb 6 : The issue between Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra who was miffed with Presiding Officer Rama Devi during debate on the Motion of Thanks, is not the first one as similar tiff was witnessed when Samajwadi Party MP from Rampur Azam Khan allegedly used unparliamentary words for the chair during the debate on Triple Talaq in July 2019 and the Speaker expunged it later. While the recent episode is between Moitra and Rama Devi in which the TMC MP alleged that she was not allowed to speak despite time was left on Thursday, Rama Devi, who presided over the Lok Sabha proceedings in regular Speaker Om Birla's absence, was accused by Moitra of not letting her conclude her speech. Speaking to media outside the House, Moitra had alleged she was not allowed to speak for 13 minutes allotted to her. The MP claimed that she was told to end her speech before she could conclude it. Responding to the Bengal MP, Rama Devi said: "I just told her to speak in a soft tone, not to be so angry or aggressive while speaking in the Parliament. That is the established tradition of the House, and we all have been obeying it since decades." "I gave her proper time to present her views on President's address as per Lok Sabha rules... even favoured her as we both are women. I always support women who try to excel, so there was no point to discourage her," the BJP MP added. Rama Devi is one of the members on the Speaker's panel, who presides over the House proceedings if the Speaker is not present in the House. She had interrupted Moitra when the latter's allotted time to speak was about to end, which upset the Trinamool MP. On Friday, the Lok Sabha Speaker raised the issue in the Parliament and stressed on maintaining the decorum of the House, both inside and outside. A similar incident had happened in July 2019 when Rama Devi was presiding over the House. During debate on Triple Talaq, Khan, made statements that were termed unparliamentary, improper by several members from the treasury benches who got upset and urged the Chair to demand an apology from Khan. When Rama Devi at the chair asked Khan to apologise, he had said he meant no disrespect to the chair. He had insisted that he had long been in politics, and was ready to immediately resign if any remark he made was found to be objectionable. The Speaker had said maintaining the dignity of the House was the responsibility of all members. "A party may have more numbers, but the House runs on consensus... members want remarks to be expunged. But we should not make statements that have to be expunged. When people hear such statements, they form an opinion about MPs," Om Birla said. The comments Made by Azam Khan, and most of the exchange, between Khan and other members, were later expunged from the proceedings of the House. Bengaluru, Feb 6 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed grief at the demise of 'Gana Saraswati' Lata Mangeshkar. "Lata is an ever shining star on the Indian horizon of music. She has enriched the world of music beyond the limits of time. Her singing was not confined to cinema songs. She has mesmerised the music lovers through her bhajans, devotional songs and patriotic songs. Especially her rendition of 'Ae Mere Vatan Ke Logon' is as immortal as the Himalayas. The song brings tears brimmed with patriotic fervor even today. Her voice is so sweet and inspiring," Bommai said. Lata will remain in our hearts as long as there is music and singing in this world. She will live on eternally, Bommai said as he turned emotional. "Lata Mangeshkar has rendered Kannada songs too and she has a Kannada connect. Her songs are immensely popular. Her death has plunged us in sorrow. It is sad that the 'Nightingale of India' has stopped singing. Me and our generation grew up listening to her songs," Bommai recalled. "I pray to the almighty to bestow eternal peace for the departed soul and give strength to her innumerable fans to bear this grief. She will remain an eternally shining star in the world of music. Her songs are in the air every second in some or the other part of the country. Lata will remain in our hearts every moment," Bommai said in his condolence message. Chennai, Feb 6 : The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) is to procure a total of 1,000 Mega Watts of power to meet the summer demand of which tenders are to be floated for a purchase of 400 MW. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has given the go-ahead to TANGEDCO to purchase 1,000 MW of power and 400 MW will be purchased immediately. TANGEDCO officials said that the process has already commenced and that the immediate power purchase is to manage the summer demands. With commercial establishments set to commence activities and schools and colleges scheduling the examinations, the demand for power will be on the rise from March onwards coupled with the scorching summer that the state will have to go through. A TANGEDCO official while speaking to IANS said, "Presently there is an expected deficit of 1,253 MW of power in March as the demand is expected to be 15,500 MW while the availability is only 14,247 MW". He said that this shortage of power has led to TNERC giving the green signal to TANGEDCO to buy 1,000 MW of power of which 400 MW will be brought soon. The tender process will commence from the third week of February on the basis of guidelines of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. TNERC has been allowed to purchase power from March 1 to March 31, 2022, according to TANGEDCO official. He said that the TNERC has also agreed to get power through exchange system and 310 MW is already obtained for March while 260 MW will be provided in the month of April. The power will be obtained through exchange from North Indian states. The power will be returned during the windy season to these North Indian states after the month of August. Kabul, Feb 6 : At least 74 children died following an outbreak of measles in Afghanistan's northern province of Badakhshan, an official said Sunday. "There had been pockets of measles cases across several Badakhshan districts, including Kuf Ab, Darwaz, Kohistan as well as provincial capital Faizabad city and its outskirts in the past two months. At least 74 children died after being infected with the disease in Kuf Ab and Kohistan districts," Maazudin Ahmadi, head of the provincial Information and Culture Directorate, told Xinhua news agency. Most of the children who lost their lives were living in areas without the access of public health workers and local mobile vaccinators. The provincial health officials have repeatedly called on the population to stay vigilant and to consult the nearest health centers in case of children's symptoms, including fever, generalized rash, conjunctivitis, cough and cold. According to local officials, there had been a steady rise in measles cases in the Asian country, particularly in the mountainous northeastern region. Beijing, Feb 6 : China's meteorological authorities on Sunday issued an alert for heavy snow, mostly in regions in central part of the country. From Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, snowstorms are likely to hit parts of Hubei and Anhui, with 1-6 cm of snowfall expected, said the National Meteorological Centre. In some areas, snowstorms are expected to drop 10 cm of snow, Xinhua news agency quoted the centre as saying. It advised residents to stay indoors and urged local authorities to take precautions involving roads, railways, electricity and telecommunications. Amaravati, Feb 6 : The government employees in Andhra Pradesh dropped their plans to go on strike from Sunday midnight after a breakthrough in the talks with the state government over their demands. While the government accepted few demands of the employees' unions, the latter softened their stand on few demands, leading to an amicable solution. The breakthrough was reached late Saturday during the talks between the ministerial committee and PRC Sadhana Samithi, the apex body of employees' unions. Both sides announced the agreement at a joint news conference. The government agreed for a marginal upward revision in House Rent Allowance (HRA) and to continue City Compensatory Allowance (CCA). It also accepted the demand to implement an additional quantum of pension for pensioners aged 70. The government also agreed to the demand of employees not to resort to recovery of Interim Relief (IR) and continue the current system of a Pay Revision Commission (PRC) every five years. The government did not accept the demand to enhance the pay revision beyond 23 per cent. However, some sections of the employees and teachers opposed the agreement. Few leaders walked out of the press conference. They said PRC Sadhana Samithi failed to achieve their main demand of 27 per cent pay revision. United Teachers' Federation (UTF) president Venkateshwarlu said the talks between teachers and the government have failed. He said the agreement reached between the government and PRC Sadhana Samithi was not acceptable. He said all teachers' unions will be united to continue the struggle. Venkateshwarlu said the government was ready to give only 10 per cent HRA to teachers. He demanded that the government should pay a minimum 12 per cent HRA or continue the old system of HRA. The UTF president also demanded 27 per cent pay revision. He said denying them an opportunity to raise their demands before the chief minister was undemocratic. The employees have been protesting against Government Order (GO) issued last month fixing new pay scales as per the 23 per cent revision announced by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. They had claimed that with the implementation of the GO there will be downward revision in their salaries. Intensifying their protest, the employees' unions had organised a massive protest in Vijayawada on February 3. Despite police denying permission for 'Chalo Vijayawada' and imposing restrictions, thousands of employees from across the state had gathered in Vijayawada to press for their demands. Patna, Feb 6 : Lok Janshakti Party (R) chief Chirag Paswan has said he will organise an unemployment protest march in Patna on February 15. Chirag Paswan held a meeting of party officials and spokespersons and asked them to start preparations for the march to be successful. The protest march will start from JP roundabout to Raj Bhavan in Patna. The party did not participate actively in the RRB-NTPC massive protest in Bihar which was held by students recently, compared to other opposition parties like the RJD, Congress, the left parties and the Pappu Yadav's JAP. Even Jitan Ram Manjhi led HAM and Mukesh Sahani led VIP participated in the students protest. Though it was a close door meeting, the party insider said that Chirag Paswan expressed his anger at the party spokespersons and directed them to collect data on policies and initiatives of the Nitish Kumar government on the job front. "Find irregularities, loopholes and point out before media persons," he asked his party leaders. Chirag Paswan asked the officials to communicate with members of the party so that they were available during the protest march on February 15. While interacting with media persons at Patna airport, Chirag Paswan said: "Due to wrongful policies of Nitish Kumar, unemployment is a biggest issue in Bihar. A large number of youths are unemployed and are migrating to other states for jobs." "I will lead the protest march in Patna on February 15. If the administration would use force, we are ready to face them," he said. Chennai, Feb 6 : Malayalam stars Mohanlal and Mammootty on Sunday joined crores of Indians all across the world in condoling the death of India's singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, who breathed her last at the Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai. Taking to Twitter, actor Mohanlal said, "Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of the musical phenomenon, Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar. May she live on through her music. Sending condolences to her loved ones. (sic)" Actor Mammootty too expressed his condolences on Twitter. He tweeted, "India has lost our nightingale. Cinema and music will never be the same again. Lataji your immense body of work and your iconic voice will be unparalleled forever. #LataMangeshkar". Several stars and celebrities from film industries across the country have been expressing their condolences at the demise of the legend. New Delhi, Feb 6 : The Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertaking has asked the government to change the code 'GAY' for the 'Gaya International Airport. In its action taken report tabled in Parliament on Friday, the panel mentioned the issue and asked the government to make all efforts to take up the matter with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and concerned organisations as this issue pertains to inappropriate code naming of an airport of a holy city of India. The Committee also said that the use of 'GAY' code for Gaya airport is inappropriate for the holy city, therefore the government should try to replace this code with an appropriate one and also suggested an alternative code such as 'YAG'. According to officials in the Civil Aviation Ministry, the IATA, the trade association of world's airlines, has expressed its inability to change the code without a "justifiable reason primarily related to air safety". The IATA also stated that as per Resolution 763, the location codes allotted are permanent and to change this a strong justification primarily concerning air safety is needed. As per the aviation norms, the IATA allots station code for airports. "The GAY code for Gaya has been in use since the operationalisation of this airport, therefore, without any justifiable reason primarily concerning air safety, IATA has expressed its inability to change the code of Gaya airport," the ministry told the panel which was duly mentioned in the panel's report tabled on Friday. "The Committee appreciates the efforts of Air India being a member airline of IATA to take up the request with the international air transport association but, yet, re-emphasise the government to make all effort to take up the matter with the IATA...," the action taken report said. In the first report of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertaking tabled in Parliament in January last year, the panel had mentioned that it was apprised about a request received by the Civil Aviation Ministry regarding the change of the code name of Gaya airport. The panel had also recommended that the Ministry and Air India complete all the requisite consultations and formalities in a time-bound manner to change the code name of the Gaya airport. Ramallah, Feb 6 : Palestineheld the Israeli government "fully and directly" responsible for the Jewish settlers' practices in the West Bank and warned of its consequences on the possibilities of launching a real peace process. In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in several West Bank cities during the past few days and tried to set fire to Palestinian vehicles in East Jerusalem, reports Xinhua news agency. "The settlers' violations against defenseless civilians, their land, property, and trees throughout the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, are taking place without any punishment or deterrent," said the Ministry. "The Israeli settlers' practices are a direct reflection of the Israeli government's policy and decisions regarding the Palestinian cause," it said. Lisbon, Feb 6 : The Portuguese Council of Ministers has decided that a negative Covid-19 test is no longer required to enter Portugal from Monday onwards. From that date onwards, it is only necessary to present the digital vaccination certificate from the European Union or another proof "duly recognised", Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying. Within Portuguese territory, the government reduced the validity of the antigen test for entry into indoor public places, which now "has to be done within 24 hours before its presentation". Portugal recorded 41,511 new Covid-19 cases with 44 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the national counts to 2,884,540 and 20,171, respectively. New Delhi, Feb 6 : A survey conducted by community platform LocalCircles to understand how Budget 2022 would benefit India, found that two out of every three Indians believe the Budget will have a positive impact on the economy. Taxation of digital assets was also welcomed by the people. With the government announcing that the RBI will launch its own digital currency and gains from the sale of any digital assets will be taxed along with TDS to track all digital sales transactions, the survey sought to understand if citizens supported these moves. On digital assets, 58 per cent respondents supported the proposed launch of the RBI's digital currency, whereas 54 per cent supported taxation on digital assets. However, no relief on personal tax has made some sections of the people upset, the survey revealed. Also, 48 per cent of the respondents believed that the Budget allocation on health was not sufficient to handle the pandemic. The Centre has increased the capex target by 35.4 per cent from Rs 5.54 lakh crore to Rs 7.50 lakh crore, the social media platform said quoting Budget document. The survey received more than 40,000 responses from citizens residing in 342 districts of India. Of the total responses, 66 per cent of respondents were men while 34 per cent of respondents were women. Besides, 42 per cent of respondents were from tier 1 cities, 33 per cent from tier 2 and 25 per cent respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts. LocalCircles is a community social media platform which enables citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and enforcement interventions and enables the government to make policies that are citizen and small business centric. New Delhi, Feb 6 : The brokerage and investment firm JM Financial has given a 'buy' call for shares such as ITC, GAIL, Mahindra & Mahindra Financial, Welspun India, Apollo Tyres, Blue Star, V Guard Industries, JK Lakshmi Cement and Somany Ceramics. For ITC stocks, the brokerage has set a target price at Rs 295, as against the current price of Rs Rs 233.6. "With the government maintaining a benign stance in Budget 2022, we believe the stage is well-set for ITC's FY23E to be one of the stronger years in recent times on growth fronts," the brokerage said. For GAIL and Mahindra & Mahindra Financial, the target is set at Rs 185 and Rs 200, respectively. On Friday, these two shares settled at Rs 146.65 and Rs 154.15, respectively, data showed. For Welspun India, Apollo Tyres, Blue Star, V Guard Industries, JK Lakshmi Cement, and Somany Ceramics, the targets are Rs 188, Rs 330, Rs 1,100, Rs 290, and Rs 710, and Rs 1,100, respectively. For new-age stocks such as Nykaa, Zomato and Policybazaar which declined in the recent sessions, the brokerage believes that the longer-term growth story remains intact with sound company fundamentals and strong balance sheets positioned perfectly to leverage Indian government's focus on digital inclusion. "We also postulate that the primary impact due to the policy tightening scenario from central banks would be in the form of a rise in cost of capital with growth metrics sustaining thanks to the differentiated positioning carved out by these players in their respective verticals." It believes that the valuation premiums that these stocks have traded in comparison to their traditional peers as well as global tech peers might decline marginally but will continue to subsist in the medium to longer term period as risk-reward ratio seems to be in favour at current valuations. Chandigarh, Feb 6 : The Union Budget 2022 has rightly laid a significant amount of emphasis on the enhanced use of technologies. Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) is going to be launched aimed at empowering citizens with skill, reskill or upskill through on-line training, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya said on Sunday. Startups will be promoted to facilitate 'Drone Shakti' and drone as a service. The use of drones in agriculture will open up new vistas of opportunities for tech startups, he said. Taking the use of technology in the financial sector a step further, the newly proposed digital rupee will prove a very important milestone in faster, safer transactions, and cost effectiveness. It will be a big value addition to the ease-of-doing business, Dattatreya said in an article. In sync with the dynamics of new National Education Policy -- 2020, 'One class-One TV channel' programme of PM e-VIDYA will be expanded to 200 TV channels. Virtual labs and skilling e-labs will be set up to apromote critical thinking skills and simulated learning environments'. The move to create high-quality e-content to be delivered through digital teachers will add a new dimension to classroom teaching. For the world-class quality universal education with personalised learning experience, a digital university will be established, said the Governor. The role of emerging technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of things and hyper automation is going to be critical for the services sector. These technologies will create new job opportunities in the services sector. Even the universities are increasingly using new technologies for providing the best learning experience to students. At the macro level, technologies are already playing a critical role in nation building. From e-Passport to one nation, one ration card (ONORC) -- a technology-driven distribution system that makes food security portable across the country -- the increasing use of technology is empowering the common man, paving the way for inclusive and good governance. "During Covid-19, we saw the effective use of technologies by hospitals and doctors in attending to patients online. It is now becoming a preferential mode for doctors to attend to patients instead of calling them to OPDs. An open platform for National Digital Health Ecosystem, as is being envisioned by the Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, will add much needed resilience in our health system," he said. Similarly, 'National Tele Mental Health Programme' will make quality mental health counselling and care services a universal reality. Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) is the backbone of India's vaccination drive. The use of technologies by the Haryana government is quite pervasive. The state is moving fast towards paperless governance by making e-governance central to the functioning of almost every department. Auto Appeal Software (AAS), Antyodaya Saral Portal, CM Window Portal, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, and Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) are some of the initiatives which show the state government's resolve to go digital in governance in a comprehensive manner, said the Governor. PPP is a unique initiative, aimed at bringing the entire family under one roof so that holistic benefits of government schemes reach them. In fact, digitization does not only enhance delivery of services and benefits of welfare schemes transparently but also helps us plugging loopholes faster and reaching out to those left out swiftly, added Dattatreya. New Delhi, Feb 6 : Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris is slated embark on a three-day visit to India on Sunday during which he will meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, a bilateral meeting between Peiris and Jaishankar will take place at the Hyderabad House here on Monday evening. Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankan Minister will meet Shringla at the ITC Maurya, a Ministry spokeperson said There have been regular Foreign Ministerial exchanges between the two neighbouring nations. Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka on November 19, 2019 during which he met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had taken office just a day earlier, then Leader of Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sri Lanka's former Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardena visited India in January 2020. Prayagraj : , Feb 6 (IANS) Exchange of candidates between parties in the ongoing elections is now creating problems for political parties that have fielded these turncoats. The Samajwadi Party and the BJP, in particular, are facing issues over candidate selection in Prayagraj since both the parties have opted for 'outsiders', ignoring the claims of their own party leaders. Bara MLA Ajay Kumar, who quit the BJP on February 2, has entered the poll fray on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket now. The BSP had earlier declared Shiv Prakash as its candidate from Bara but then Ajay Kumar was given preference after cancelling Shiv Prakash's ticket. Ajay Kumar had revolted in the BJP because his Bara seat was being given to its ally Apna Dal (S). Two of its sitting MLAs Rajamani Kol (Koraon) and Vikramjit Maurya (Phaphamau) have been denied tickets. Aarti Kol, a former zila panchayat member, has been fielded from Koraon (SC) seat and Guru Prasad Maurya from Phaphamau seat. Maurya has previously been a BSP MLA and had later joined the BJP. There is trouble on the Allahabad North seat on which BJP has a sitting MLA Harshvardhan Bajpai. However, the party has yet to declare its candidate from the seat. There is also talk of BJP giving the seats of Karchana and Handia to its ally Nishad Party while handing over the seats of Bara, Pratappur and Soraon to its other ally Apna Dal (S). Devendra Pratap Singh, an advocate from the RSS background, has announced his plan to contest as an independent after Sidharth Nath Singh got the ticket from Allahabad West. Maximum dissent is being seen within the Samajwadi Party (SP). SP leader Vachaspati has switched sides and joined the Apna Dal (S) and entered the poll fray from Bara after SP fielded Ajay Munna from the seat, while party's former MP from Phulpur Nagendra Singh Patel, is also contesting the polls from Chail seat of Kaushambhi as an Apna Dal (S) candidate. Senior party leaders who are lobbying for tickets are voicing their protest on the social media. Former SP MLA Haji Parvez Tanki, who had sought ticket from Allahabad South, recently held a meeting with hundreds of supporters and raised questions on the party's policies and ticket distribution. Through the social media, he is raising questions about Raiish Chandra Shukla, the SP candidate from Allahabad South. Babban Dubey, who had claimed ticket from Allahabad South and had even put up posters and banners in his area, is now protesting after being denied a ticket. Similarly, Richa Singh, who was the SP candidate from Allahabad West in 2017 election, is also opposing on Facebook the party's decision of denying her a ticket. By releasing photos, videos of SP candidate with BJP leaders, questions are being raised over ticket distribution. Ranchi, Feb 6 : Jharkhand, which was carved out of Bihar in 2000, records three incidents of witch hunt violence per day and at least 1,000 people have been murdered due to the superstition in the past 22 years and 90 per cent victims are women. Chutni Devi from Jharkhand's Beerbans village in Saraikela-Kharsawan district, who faced extreme atrocities in the name of witch, was conferred with the fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind last year for rescuing and helping hundreds of women who have been facing atrocities over the years. When the daughter of a neighbour fell ill, Chutni was blamed for that and branded as witch. Panchayat imposed a fine of Rs 500 on her and charged that she wanted to kill the neighbour's daughter. Chutni gave the fine but when the neighbour's daughter didn't recover from illness, on the very next day, a group of 40 to 50 people attacked her house. She was dragged out of the house, mercilessly beaten, urnine and feces were thrown at her and she was stripped too. After the horrifying experience, Chutni started working for the upliftment of women and the fight against the superstition. Chutni's campaign is still continuing but the roots of evil is so deep in Jharkhand that such incidents continue even today. In 2022 itself, five incidents of witch violence have been reported in the state. On January 2, few people superstitiously declared a woman of Lukya village in Sisai police station area of Gumla district as witch. When the woman's sons Ajay and Sanjay Oraon protested against it, ten people tied them to a pole and thrashed them mercilessly. Ajay faced severe injuries to his eye. Police lodged a complaint against ten people including village gram panchayat chief Lakiya Devi. On January 30, police arrested four people, including a nurse Salomi Minj, working in Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) from Khunti for branding a woman as witch and murdering her. After killing the woman on January 27, the accused concealed the body in a car and left it in the forest under the Khunti police station area. During interrogation, Salomi said that her son Abhishek Tirkey had a sudden death and she had apprehension that her tenant Nora Lakda had taken his life by performing witchcraft. On January 12, in Kudpani village in Thethai Tangar police station area in Simdega, a man identified as Flurence held another woman Jhariyo responsible for the death of his wife and branded her as witch. Flurence along with his friends set Jhario afire. Till date, Jhario is fighting for her life in a hospital in Ranchi. On January 5, in Tirla villages of Adaki police station area in Khunti district, a couple was beaten to death on the suspicion of black magic. The incident remained unreported for five days, fearing assailant's wrath. On February 23 last year, eight people axed five people to death in the name witchcraft in Gumla District. Three people have died due to different reasons in the past two months in a Buruhatu Aamtoli village, post which a panchayat was held which was attended by 80 people including an occultist. The occult practitioner told the villagers that deaths are happening because of Nikodin Topno and his family, post which panchayat decided to hack the family to death. Eight people got drunk and killed Nikodin, his wife Jospina, son Vincent, daughter-in-law Sheelwanti and garndson Albin. Nikodin's granddaughter got saved as she was at her relative's place that day. Police had arrested eight people in this connection. According to police figures, in the past seven years, every year 35 murders are reported in the name of witch-hunt and related violence. According to Crime Investigation Department (CID), in 2015, 46 women were killed after branding them as witch, 39 in 2016, 42 in 2017, 25 in 2018, 27 in 2019, 28 in 2020. The figures for 2021 have not been compiled yet but it is being said that it is nearly 24. In seven years, more than 230 have been killed. In cases of harassment after branding a woman as witch, police have registered 4,556 cases in the year 2015 to 2020 which means that every day two to three cases are recorded. In the past six years, maximum number of incidents (1,127) were reported from Garhwa while Palamu reported 446, Hazaribagh 406, Giridih 387, Deoghar 316 and Godda reported 236 incidents. After branding women as witch, atrocities cross all limits, where they are forced to eat faeces, are stripped, their heads tonsured and private parts attacked. Chandoshree, who has been associated with social organisations and NGOs, said superstition and illiteracy are main reasons behind the witch-hunt but at times it is done with the ulterior motive of grabbing the properties of widow and helpless women. They are branded as witch for people's illness and death, even death of animals. Jharkhand High Court advocate Yogendra Yadav told IANS that 30 to 40 per cent incidents of witch violence do not even reach police. Most of the victims, mainly women do not even report it due to fear of the outlaws and social stigma. Most of the harassment is faced at the hands of family and such incidents are reported when all limits are crossed. In 2021, the state brought in Witchcraft Prevention Act but the increasing number of such incidents need a review of the law. The need of the hour is to make the law stricter, fast track courts for early disposal of such cases and intensifying campaign to spread awareness about the witch-hunt. Jharkhand's Rural Development Department secretary Manish Ranjan said that to eradicate the malpractice of witch hunt, the state government has been running Garima Pariyojana through Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society. The women who have been the victims of such violence are being associated with Sakhi Mandal to make them self-dependent. The affected women are being provided psychological counselling and legal aid. A total of 1,000 women who were affected have been identified. Over 450 affected women were provided employment opportunities through sakhi mandals making them self-dependent while around 600 were given psycholgical counselling. Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 6 : The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists on Sunday waved black flags at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his convoy in Kannur. A protest by the youth wing of the BJP was staged outside the Kannur airport over the revelations made by Swapna Suresh, an accused in the gold smuggling case. Swapna in a television channel claimed that the then Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, M. Sivasankar was in the know of everything that had transpired in her life for the past three years. She also said that Sivasankar was informed that the baggage that was in the custody of Customs had gold bars in it and that it was smuggled from UAE to India. The revelations came after the Kerala cadre IAS officer had in some excerpts of his autobiography said that he did not know that the baggage that was in Customs custody had gold bars or rather gold bars were smuggled through the Green channel. However, Swapna, in a television interview, refuted this claim and said that there was nothing in her life that Sivasankar was not aware of, and he was involved in all smuggling activities. Vijayan arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday night and in the morning he flew to his home district Kannur. The BJYM activists who were waiting outside the airport waved black flags at him. It may be noted that the Chief Minister had left the state on January 14 and had reached back On Saturday after a week's stay in Dubai. Chandigarh, Feb 6 : Incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi will be the Congress' Chief Ministerial candidate in the high-stakes Punjab Assembly elections on February 20, senior party leader Rahul Gandhi announced on Sunday. The party workers were asked by tele-calls to give their opinion as to who the Congress should have in this role. Most of the workers plumped for Channi. Punjab Congress President Navjot Sidhu on Saturday had said the Chief Minister nominee should be the one who can win 60 seats in the 117-member Assembly. It was on his insistence that Rahul Gandhi was forced to declare a CM candidate in Punjab instead of going for collective leadership. London, Feb 6 : Mercedes have confirmed that Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton will race for them again this year after the seven-time world champion ended his social media silence on Saturday, saying, "I've been gone. Now I'm back!". In reaction to Hamilton's social media post, Mercedes shared the image with the caption "I'm back". Hamilton had been absent from social media since December 11 after posting an image from celebrating his P2 qualifying at Yas Marina. Now, his future is poised to be clarified with some previously suggesting he'd retire and quit the sport he has dominated for many years. Hamilton missed out on the F1 title in 2021, with Max Verstappen claiming the prize in controversial circumstances. Although his social media return is not confirmation of his position on the grid, it appears extremely likely he will be in the Mercedes garage for pre-season testing in Barcelona. Aizawl, Feb 6 : With fresh influx of around 8,000 refugees in the last one week following the violent clashes between the Myanmar army and the local civilian defence forces in Chin state of the neighbouring country, the number of Myanmarese who crossed over to the bordering Indian state has risen to over 22,000, officials said on Sunday. According to officials, over 8,000 displaced people including women and children braving the chilly winter had crossed the international unfenced border and took shelter in Mizoram during the past one week. "The hapless men, women and children had crossed the Tiau river by small country boat and were tracking the forested routes reached in different districts of Mizoram," a Mizoram government official told IANS, refusing to be quoted. Though six of Mizoram's 11 districts -- Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Serchhip, Hnahthial and Saitual share an unfenced 510 km long international border with Myanmar's Chin state - the displaced Myanmarese also took shelter in Mizoram's other districts - Aizawl, Lunglei, Khawzawl. Among the Mizoram districts, over 8,000 immigrants took shelter in Champhai distirct alone. The majority of those who have taken shelter belong to the Chin community, also known as the Zo community, who share the same ancestry, ethnicity and culture as the Mizos of Mizoram. The mountainous northeastern state has been witnessing the influx of refugees from Myanmar since the military junta seized power through a coup on February 1 last year. The refugees include some lawmakers and Myanmar leaders. Chief Minister Zoramthanga had written several letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to provide relief, required aids and asylum to the Myanmar nationals as the state government was facing a financial crisis to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and related problems. Several delegations from Mizoram led by state's Lok Sabha member C. Lalrosanga and Rajya Sabha member K. Vanlalvena had also met Union ministers including Union Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister G. Kishan Reddy in Delhi and senior officials of Home and External Affairs Ministries over the Myanmar nationals and requested them to provide shelter officially and release financial assistance. Mizoram Planning Board Vice Chairman H. Rammawi, who is closely dealing with the Myanmar refugee affairs, said that the Chief Minister, besides writing letters, has also talked to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over phone on a number of occasions, requesting them to extend humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar refugees. Mizoram's MPs and Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, Rosangzuala are regularly in touch with Central ministers and officials to provide financial assistance and other support to the refugees. Earlier, Reddy while talking to the Mizoram MPs indicated to treat the Myanmar refugees as "tourists" not refugees. The decision of the Central government is significant as the Union Home Ministry had sent out an advisory earlier to four northeastern states -- Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh -- which share a 1,640-km unfenced border with Myanmar, saying that the states and Union Territories have no power to grant "refugee" status to any foreigner, and India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol. An MP from Mizoram, who closely monitors the refugee issue, told IANS that Union DoNER Minister had promised to help the state in dealing with Myanmar migrants. Currently the Myanmar nationals have in makeshift relief camps set up by various NGOs, churches and the villagers. A few reside with their relatives in the state and some others in rented houses.Mizoram officials and MPs said that intermittent clashes between the Myanmar Army and the civilian groups in that trouble torn country forced the people including women and children to cross over through the forested and riverine routes and seek refuge in the Indian state. "The distraught refugees from Myanmar with the help of local Mizos have been sometime crossing the Tiau river in small country boats to take shelter in the border villages of Mizoram," a Champhai district administration official said. The river Tiau, which flows along the Champhai district in eastern Mizoram, divides India and Myanmar. Mizoram's most influential NGO -- the Young Mizo Association, various churches including Presbyterian, Baptist and Roman Catholic are providing food, essentials, clothing and shelter to the refugees since March last year. Various NGOs and local organisations have formed the Myanmar Refugee Relief Committee and the organisation has been collecting donations, relief material, food, clothes and medicines to help the immigrants. The influx to Mizoram started after a state of emergency was declared in Myanmar, where power was seized by General Min Aung Hlaing after President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained by the military on February 1 last year. Panaji, Feb 6 : If the Congress government comes to power in the February 14 elections, the party would look to restart the state's mining industry within three to six months, former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Sunday. Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Chidambaram also said that a team of top legal experts would be consulted to draw a road-map to restart the mining industry which has been shut following a Supreme Court order in 2018. "We said that we will have a sustainable mining legal model ready in about a month or two. The model will be ready in a month and then we will begin to implement it immediately thereafter," Chidambaram told reporters. "Legal mining will start, in my estimate, legal mining should start between three to six months after the government is formed," the former Union Minister said. Chidambaram is camped in Goa as the Congress senior observer for the forthcoming state assembly elections which are scheduled to be held on February 14. Chidambaram's comments come a day after the Congress released its manifesto for the assembly polls which promises to take all "legal and sustainable" mining activities in Goa. Mining has been halted in the state after the Supreme Court in 2018 scrapped all mining leases, citing irregularities in the lease renewal process. "We shall investigate all allegations of corruption in the mining industry. A comprehensive mapping of all mineral resources of Goa will be undertaken," the manifesto had also said. New Delhi, Feb 6 : The recent events in Kazakhstan which witnessed action by Russia as a lead member of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation) comprising Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan has been a revealing factor for Turkey and has given the country an opportunity to review its role in the Central Asian region. While Turkey has been vying for influence in Central Asia playing the Turkic card and leveraging the potential of the Turkic connect ever since the independence of these states in1991, in situations such as the political disturbance that Kazakhstan witnessed recently, Turkey remained a mere witness without any ability to contribute to defending Kazakhstan or facilitating any form of assistance to the Kazakhs. Turkey has invested significantly in the Central Asian States (CASs) over the years, also ensuring intense Turkic cultural influence on these states. Besides trade and investment, Turkey has also systematically expanded its relations with each of these states focusing on the bilateral aspect as relevant to each of the CASs. Turkey has thus attained considerable visibility in these states and buoyed by this strong pro-Turkish sentiment prevalent in these states, Turkey went ahead to form the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) which was earlier known as the 'Turkic Council'. The change in the name from a 'Council' to an 'Organisation' drew the attention of the Russians as they felt this move was intended to form a more closer bond by Turkey with these countries. There is no doubt that Turkey's intention has been to include the CASs as part of its larger strategic goal of forming a strong bond between nations with a Turkic language base and drawing them under its influence. However, with Russia regaining its capability to play a more meaningful role in the central Asian region in the last few years, Turkish activities in the CASs have been seen as intrusive by the Russians. Russia considers the Central Asian region as its backyard and would prefer neither China nor Turkey to play any dominating role in the region. Russia has also been able to smartly leverage the fear and anxiety among the CASs as a result of the developments in Afghanistan by assuring the CASs of providing security to them. Russia has thus been able to establish a strong bond with the CASs in the last few years binding them as part of the CSTO, besides enhancing bilateral engagement with each of these states. Turkey and Kazakhstan As far as Kazakhstan is concerned Turkish investment over the years has been significant, besides the fact that Turkey was one of the first nations to recognise the independence of Kazakhstan. In 2009, Turkey and Kazakhstan signed a "Strategic Partnership Agreement" which resulted in Turkey becoming one of the most important political and economic partners of Kazakhstan in the region.Bilateral relations between the two countries include multifarious aspects such as trade, investment, culture, tourism, health, education and military issues based on the principle of mutual benefit. The total amount of investments made by Turkey in Afghanistan has touched $3.2 billion with both countries setting their common goal to increase this figure to $5 billion in the first stage and then to $10 billion. Turkey also offers attractive scholarships to Kazakh students and thus far more than 4,000 Kazakh students have studied in Turkey under this scholarship programme. Given this background, Turkey was caught in a difficult situation when the turmoil started in Kazakhstan and the Russians acted fast, side lining the Turks in any effort that they might have considered in dealing with the situation. Soon after the developments in Kazakhstan took an ugly turn, the Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that the Orgnisation of Turkic States (OTS), made up of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan would look into the situation in Kazakhstan, and was ready to offer any help it needed to overcome the security crisis. Turkey also organised a virtual meeting among the OTS member states to discuss the situation in Kazakhstan. The Turks sent out several signals to the Kazakhs for any assistance that they might need in the given situation. It was also interesting to note the somewhat hawkish statements the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar made during the Kazakh situation when he mentioned that "We believe that our brothers will overcome all difficulties with their own means and abilities. We declare that we are ready to provide all kinds of assistance and support to our Kazakh brothers". Significantly, Hulusi Akar went on to highlight Turkish successes in counter terror operations in Syria. He mentioned that since 2015 the Turkish Armed Forces had eliminated 33,275 terrorists in Syria, and ensured return of large number of refugees to Idlib. The Syrian reference was naturally made in the context of Russian activities in Syria. Significantly, the Defence Minister did not lose the opportunity to criticize Russia's role in Syria stating that the Russian Air Force has been periodically striking the North West of Syria causing irreparable damage and worsening the living conditions of local Syrians in the region. The tone and tenor of the Defence minister was clearly aimed at projecting the Russians as very intrusive with no concern for humanitarian aspects leading to adverse impact on the local population in Syria. By implication thus the Defence Minister has been trying to draw a parallel between the Russian action in Kazakhstan and Syria. At the same time, he referred to the Turkish role during the Karabakh conflict highlighting the Turkish capability to intervene in the Caucasus region close to Central Asia. Future course In this backdrop, some Turkish experts feel that the introduction of the CSTO troops by Russia inKazakhstan marks the collapse of the Turkish dream of building a "Turkic world". They feel that the enormous investments made over the years by Turkey in Kazakhstan would not ensure proportionate returns in the coming years. Turkish experts and political analysts have been urging the government to take a careful relook at the latest developments in Kazakhstan and reframe their policy towards Central Asia accordingly. Given the overwhelming Russian role in the region, Turkey might not be able to sustain its perceived long term objectives of forming a close grouping of Turkic nations that would enable them to play a more assertive role in the region. While the OTS formed by Turkey is not a military security alliance, in case of the CSTO the basis of formation of this organization is 'collective security' and hence the ability of the CSTO to intervene militarily in the Central Asia region if the situation so warrants. Moscow would thus further strengthen this bond using the Kazakh incident as a classic case of how the CSTO can be effective in bailing a Central Asian State from crisis. Developments in Kazakhstan thus have long term implications for the region as a whole and has been a wakeup call for the Turks in terms of the overall strategic depth they have been seeking in Central Asia. Moreover, given Russia's increasingly dominating role in the region, any aggressive posturing by Turkey in the region would place them at odds with the Russians, which is not a preferred option. Under the circumstances, there is no doubt Turkey would have to take a relook at its policy towards Central Asia and reframe the same to suit the present situation. Turkey has grand plans for Kazakhstan and in the language of the Turkish Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Ufuk Ekici in the next 10 years Turkey and Kazakhstan plan to take their relations to a new level covering areas such as high-tech, aerospace and satellite production, besides improving relations in the field of digitization and e-governance between Kazakhstan and Turkey. However, the latest developments in Kazakhstan and the lack of ability of Turkey to play any role in assisting Kazakhstan is bound to have an effect on Turkey's long term policy on Central Asia as a whole. Turkey's dreams if any of seeking strategic depth in the region has certainly got a hit -- at least for some time to come. London, Feb 6 : One cabinet colleague is reported to have asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sack Rishi Sunak, the capable Indian-origin Chancellor of the Exchequer in the same government. Two other ministers are said to have warned the Premier the Sunak is "on manoeuvres" for leadership of the ruling Conservative party. Both revelations were carried prominently by the Independent newspaper published out of London. Meanwhile, The Observer, a Sunday paper, headlined: "Johnson's removal is now inevitable, warns loyalist." Sir Charles Walker said in an interview: "It is an inevitable tragedy. He (Johnson) is a student of Greek and Roman (for he studies Classics at Oxford University). It is going to end in him going, so I just want him to have some agency in that." Earlier in the week, he told Channel Four News he would be stepping down as MP. He added: "It is just not going to get better." Sir Charles is a former Vice Chairman of the powerful '1922 Committee' of backbench Conservative MPs, who are vested with the role of conducting leadership contests in the event there is a motion of no confidence in an incumbent prime minister. For a motion to be triggered, 15 per cent of the party's MPs - 54 on the basis of its present strength in the House of Commons - have to demand such a vote. The Independent had a different take on "partygate", though, which has plagued Johnson for nearly two months. Conservatives MPs it spoke to, expressed the view that an "accidental" or premature no confidence vote could go in Johnson's favour. This means MPs are hesitant to bring him down before London's Metropolitan Police's investigation into whether Covid-19 lockdown laws were broken by the 12 "parties" at the Prime Minister's office-cum-residence at 10 Downing Street is complete. The outcome of this is expected in about a week. There are indications Johnson was present in at least three of the gatherings. Under Conservative party rules, a leadership contest cannot take place more than once a year. In other words, if Johnson survives an early test, he cannot be challenged for another year. While he promised a shake-up at Downing Street after a redacted report on "partygate" by senior civil servant Sue Grey found that Covid-19 rules had been serially violated within its premises, he was rocked by resignations of five close and senior aides before the weekend. His effort to bring in new staff have since apparently floundered. Unusually for Britain, he brought in fellow minister Steve Barclay as chief of staff, a post generally occupied by a bureaucrat. This gave the impression civil servants are not keen to take up positions at the centre of political power as they possibly think Johnson's future is uncertain. He also appointed a former BBC journalist Guto Harri as director of communications. Harri worked with him in the same capacity when he was Mayor of London, In between, this Welshman has been a critic of Johnson, once warning publicly he would be a "divisive" Prime Minister. Information filtering out of Downing Street over the weekend spoke of Johnson adopting a bunker mentality. Insiders were quoted as saying he had become "unpredictable and erratic". New Delhi, Feb 6 : The ongoing Covid pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems globally leading to widening the gap between treatment and patient care of non-Covid disease including cancer. Cancer is a major contributor to the disease burden worldwide. Several studies have projected that the global cancer burden will continue to grow for at least next two decades. The Covid pandemic has undoubtedly delayed the cancer screenings, diagnosis, and treatment around the world. The cancer cases in India increased at an average annual rate of 1.1-2 per cent from 2010-2019, and deaths in the country also went up at an average rate of 0.1-1 per cent in the same period, according to the analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington School of Medicine. The new cancer patients registration, follow up for old patients and surgery had recorded considerable decline in India between March and May 2020, compared to the same period in 2019 as per a Lancet study of May 2021. The ambidirectional cohort study was conducted at 41 cancer centres across India that were members of the National Cancer Grid of India to compare provision of oncology services between March 1 and May 31, 2020, with the same time period in 2019. A total of 54 per cent reduction was recorded in the new patients registration between this period. The number of new patients registered decreased from 1,12,270 to 51,760 between March 1 and May 31, 2020, as per the study. On the same line, a total of 46 per cent reduction, from 6,34,745 to 3,40,984 patients, was registered in the number of patients who had follow-up visits to the hospital. Dr Anshuman Kumar, Delhi based cancer specialist, told IANS that in the absence of decentralised cancer care centres in India, the patients have largely been ignored in the first and second Covid wave. "Patients coming from rural areas of different states were stopped to visit for follow-up and even for first time treatment as all transport communication channels was closed. All of sudden, premier health institutions like AIIMS and others started refusing patient admissions other than Covid which impacted the cancer care in India adversely. Highlighting the Lancet study, he said that 54 per cent reduction in the new patients registration among 41 cancer care centers nationwide was due to the illogical decision of shutting doors of premier health institution for non Covid patients. According to a study from AIIMS Oncology department, total 51 per cent reduction was recorded in new case registration in OPD and around one third reduction was noticed in the cancer surgeries. The Lancet study points out that the hospital admissions decreased from 88,801 to 56,885 (36 per cent reduction) and outpatient chemotherapy decreased from 1,73,634 to 1,09,107 (37 per cent reduction) in 41 cancer centres. These reductions were even more marked between April and May, 2020. Cancer screening was stopped completely or was functioning at less than 25 per cent of usual capacity at more than 70 per cent of centres during these months, the study said. The ongoing Covid pandemic has also impacted adversely the research and development in the cancer. "The COVID pandemic has impeded the R&D of cancer treatment in 3 ways. Firstly, patient enrolment in oncology clinical trials of chemotherapeutic drugs has gone down. Second, the trials of modes of administering these therapies also got impacted adversely. Oncotherapy medicines have to be protected from Bacterial Contamination and the health care worker (HCW) has to be protected from getting chemically contaminated by these drugs. Trials of advanced closed system transfer devices got stalled. Thirdly, R&D in Oncology also suffered as there was also a conscious effort by many cancer researchers to focus their effort on Covid," said Pavan Choudary, Chairman Medical Technology Association of India. (Avinash Prabhakar can be reached at Avinash.p@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, Feb 6 : Shares of Tata Power have risen around 180 per cent in the past one-year period evidently due to its strong investment in EV charging stations, solar infrastructure and other expansions. In early February 2021, the company's share price was Rs 90, and now it's over Rs 250, which is 183 per cent up. Tata Power is an integrated power company, present across the entire power value chain of conventional and renewable energy, power services and next-generation customer solutions including solar rooftop and EV charging stations. Analysts expect the additional allocation for the solar sector as PLIs is a positive for the solar manufacturers. In a report HDFC Securities pointed out that proposals such as additional financial allocation under the PLIs for manufacturing of solar modules will boost the sector. In the Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated an additional Rs 19,500 crore in PLI incentives to manufacture solar modules. Besides, the proposal to replace existing safeguard duty with basic custom duty on solar cells being increased from 20 to 25 per cent and on solar modules from 20 to 40 per cent is expected to aid the solar industry. Also, the proposal of issuing "green bonds" for mobilising resources for setting up green infrastructure projects in the public sector will further support the sector. India aims to take the country's total non-fossil-based installed electricity capacity to 500 giga watt by 2030. New Delhi, Feb 6 : Delhi Police has made two fresh arrests in the horrific sexual assault case of a 20-year-old woman in the city's Shahdara area. The police have so far arrested 20 people including the latest two, identified as Rajesh, 43, and Darshan Singh, 41, both residents of Kasturba Nagar, Delhi. Of the 20 accused, 4 are minor. The incident, that sent chills down the spine of the people, occurred on January 26 when the victim woman was allegedly attacked by a group of people, including women, who chopped off her hair, tore her clothes, blackened her face, and then paraded her on the streets of Shahdara area in the national capital wearing a garland of slippers. Apart from extreme humiliation, the woman was also allegedly gangraped by three minor boys. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R. Sathiyasundaram had earlier told IANS that a 10-member Special investigation Team (SIT) under ACP rank officer has also been formed for speedy and proper investigation of the crime. Soon after the incident, a video in which the victim woman was being paraded on the streets with a blackened face and a mob cheering in the background went viral on social media forcing the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to take suo-motu cognizance of the said incident. Since then DCW chief Swati Maliwal has been personally following up the case. A few days ago she had also summoned DCP Shahdara and sought immediate protection for the rape survivor and her family. The DCP on January 4, had assured Maliwal that they have given full protection to the rape survivor's family and soon will file a charge sheet into the case. New Delhi, Feb 6 : The Chhattisgarh unit of INTUC has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the adverse effects faced by industries located in Chhattisgarh due to the supply of coal outside the state by Southeastern Coalfield Limited, a subsidiary company of Coal India Limited. Sanjay Kumar Singh, President, State Branch, INTUC, Chhattisgarh in the letter to the PM said SECL is the biggest subsidiary company of Coal India Limited which produces approximately 165 million tons of coal every year. The coal produced by SECL is supplied to the industries situated in the state of Chhattisgarh and outside the state as well. "In the last 01 years, due to insensitive and ineffective management by SECL, there has been a continuous reduction in the supply of coal to the industries located within the state. This has negatively impacted the industries and it appears that the interests of the state of Chhattisgarh are being deliberately ignored by SECL. There is no one to take arbitrariness and CIL &SECL are working against the development of Chhattisgarh state," the letter said. Chhattisgarh accounts for 18 per cent (about 56 billion tonnes) of the country's total coal reserves. In the state of Chhattisgarh, there are more than 250 Captive Power Plants that require 32 million tons of coal every year for their smooth operation which constitutes only 19% of the coal being produced by SECL. SECL's annual production target is 165 million tonnes and 25 per cent of the total coal production of the region is produced in the state. At present, the Captive Power Plant of Chhattisgarh is getting only 40 per cent of the coal produced by SECL while the rest 60 per cent is being sent out of the state. In the state of Chhattisgarh, as per the contract, SECL is required to provide 65 million tonnes of coal to the non-power sector annually. In the month of October 2021, the contract between the non-power sector and SECL lapsed. But the execution of the new contract of Tranche-5 is still pending, the letter said. The Non-power sector of Chhattisgarh was given an assurance that after the end of the agreement, the coal shall be provided to the non-power sector through the auction of tranche-5 Coal. From the 65 million tons of coal produced annually, 50 lakh tons per month of coal was to be provided to the non-power sector in the state of Chhattisgarh through auction. However due to mismanagement of SECL in the last 4 months i.e., from October 2021 to January 2022, only 30 lakh tons per month of coal has been auctioned. Based on the above-stated statistics, it can be said that the thermal power plant does not have enough coal reserves as per the requirement. Even after this crisis, the SECL is providing coal to other states which are very disappointing, the letter said. Chhattisgarh INTUC (Indian National Trade Union Congress) has asked the Government of India to immediately instruct SECL to provide enough Coal as per the requirement to the industries located within the state of Chhattisgarh and take such steps where SECL gives priority to Captive power plants based in the state of Chhattisgarh, thereby safeguarding the interest of people employed in these sectors. In a situation where the above-mentioned demands are not met immediately, the Power plant may shut down leading to unemployment of thousands of workers that will give rise to economical & social unrest leading to IR (Industrial relation) issue which will have repercussions on the economy of the country, INTUC said. New Delhi, Feb 6 : An acid attack on a 24-year old female in Srinagar's old city has created ripples across Kashmir. The victim had reportedly refused the proposal of the accused which led to him taking the revenge in a barbaric way. Till 1990, when the Pakistan sponsored insurgency engulfed Kashmir, acid attacks were not even heard of in the land of sufi saints and rishis. Soon after the gun totting militants appeared in the Valley, they used acid as a weapon to terrify the fairer sex. In the beginning acid was thrown on women to make them wear a veil and later on it was used as a tool to confine them within the four walls of their homes. Pakistan along with a gun also gifted acid as a weapon to people of Kashmir to keep them engaged in a conflict, which has not given a common man anything except pain, miseries and sorrows. In 2001, a militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jabbar after carrying out an acid attack on a 14-year-old student issued a diktat that all women in Kashmir must wear a veil. The attack was carried out by four youths who were believed to be indoctrinated by the outfit for carrying out such heinous acts in the name of religion. Lashkar-e-Jabbar carried out a series of acid attacks in the Valley in the end of 2001 to ensure that edicts issued by the outfit are followed by women in letter and spirit. In some cases activists of radical women group Dukhtaran-e-Millat were also accused of throwing acid on females who refused to follow the diktats issued by the Lashkar-e-Jabbar. However, after the security forces tightened their noose around the militants the outfit was wiped out providing respite to the women. Roadside Romeos settle personal scores The tactics used by the militants to stifle the fairer sex were used by the disgruntled roadside Romeos to settle scores with the women, who dared to say no to them. And unfortunately acid attacks like drug addiction have become a part of the Kashmir society. Thanks to Pakistan and its stooges in the Valley. During the past three decades Pakistan has left no opportunity to pollute the minds of Kashmiri youth. The guns that were provided to them by the neighbouring country to fight the Indian Army-which defeated the Pakistan Army in conventional wars- have taken these youth to graveyards and have devastated the lives of their families. Security Forces fight psychopaths The barbaric acid attacks on women have ruined many lives. But the security forces in Kashmir have been at the forefront to curb such acts. The acid attacker involved in the recent crime has been arrested along with his two accomplices. The victim has been provided all the assistance by the government and is likely to be moved to Chennai for specialized treatment as she has lost her eyesight. No words are enough to express the trauma the young girl has undergone. Her face stands de-shaped and she has turned blind by an act of a psychopath, who will rot in jail for the rest of his life. Youth want gun-culture to end People of Kashmir too have realized that Pakistan during the past three decades has done no good with them. Instead it has used them as a tool to fight its proxy war. The recent acid attack has evoked condemnation from every section of the society. Young boys and girls have responded angrily and are mincing no words to make it clear that such heinous crimes have crept into Kashmir society due to the courtesy of Pakistan and the militants sponsored by it. People in Kashmir are civilized and they don't approve such acts. They are no more interested in Kashmir's merger with Pakistan or the so-called Azadi. They want to get rid of the gun culture which is the root cause of all the crimes prevalent in Kashmir. But Pakistan seems in no mood to let the people of Kashmir live a peaceful life. It wants the violence to prevail even after losing the three-decade long proxy war. Disruption part of Pakistan's Kashmir policy Acts like acid attacks, stone-pelting, shutdowns and vandalizing public property are the part of Pakistan's Kashmir policy as it helps the terror sponsors to keep the pot boiling. People of Kashmir are caught in a web and are finding it hard to come out of it. They don't support separatist ideology anymore. The militant sympathizers have realized that the guns which they reared have turned towards them and are devouring Kashmir's generation-next. But the people sitting across the Line of Control (LoC) are not ready to accept the defeat. The advent of guns into Kashmir has had serious repercussions on the people. The youth who could have become torch bearers turned into criminals. Had the security forces not tightened the noose these miscreants would not have allowed anyone to even come out of their homes? Till August 5, 2019-when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate J&K's special status and divided it into two Union Territories-stone-pelters at the behest of Pakistani stooges used to take entire Kashmir hostage by resorting to violence on streets. Call spade a spade But during the past two years Kashmir has changed for the good. The hate mongers have been dealt with sternly and the ones who preached secessionism, violence, separatism and hatred have been put behind the bars. The radical organizations preaching and justifying violence have been banned. People of Kashmir need to understand that the government only cannot help them. They have to stand on their own feet to end the gun-culture - the root cause of all the crimes prevalent in Kashmiri society - to live a dignified life. Till the gun and the militants sponsored by Pakistan keep on getting the support in Kashmir, people will continue to suffer. Senseless killings, acid attacks and other subversive activities will continue. If the people of Kashmir want to secure the future of coming generations they need to muster courage and call spade a spade. They can't act as mute spectators and expect the government to spoon feed them forever. Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 6 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who returned to the state capital early on Sunday after a visit to the US and the UAE, met Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at the Raj Bhavan. During the meeting, that lasted an hour, he apprised the Governor of the new ordinance that the state government is bringing on the Lokayukta and explained the reason for it. The Governor, according to sources in Raj Bhavan, informed Vijayan that the state opposition leaders had submitted a petition to him against signing the ordinance. Chief Minister, according to sources, however, told the Governor that Section 14 of the Lokayukta Act is against Articles 163 and Article 164 of the Constitution and that the Lokayukta infringes upon the rights of the cabinet. After the Chief Minister personally meeting the Governor, it is now for the latter to take a call on the ordinance on Lokayukta and if he does not sign the ordinance, then it will have to be discussed in the Assembly. The Kerala Government has brought in an ordinance to amend the Kerala Lokayukta Act in a manner that gives it powers to reject the report of the anti-corruption ombudsman. The state cabinet had, in a meeting, recommended to the Kerala Governor to issue the ordinance to amend Kerala Lokayukta Act, 1999, to give powers to the government to "either accept or reject the verdict of the Lokayukta, after giving an opportunity of being heard". During the previous LDF government led by Vijayan, Higher Education Minister, K.T. Jaleel had to resign after the Lokayukta had found that he had abused his office. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheeshan has, in a letter to the Governor, said that the proposed ordinance would curtail the power of the Lokayukta to mere advisory in nature. New Delhi, Feb 6 : World Champion powerlifter Mahant Gaurav Sharma mourned the death of Lata Mangeshkar, who was regarded as the Nightingale of India. Mangeshkar (92), one of the biggest music icons of the country, died due to multiple organ failure at a Mumbai hospital earlier on Sunday. "I am deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Lata Mangeshkar Ji. Thank you for all the music and the memories. Your music touched our soul and made us smile. Rest in Peace Lata Ji. Your legacy will inspire generations to come. "My deepest condolences to the family and the loved ones. Her melodious songs touched millions of people around the world," Mahant Gaurav Sharma told IANS. A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Awards, Mangeshkar was an icon of Indian cinema, having sung playback for an extensive list of Hindi films. She also sang in several regional languages including Marathi and Bengali. New Delhi, Feb 6 : Apex drug regulator, the Drug Controller General on Sunday granted emergency use approval to single-dose Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine in India. As per the vaccine developer RDIF, the interim data of the efficacy trial from Russia has shown an efficacy of 65.4 per cent against Covid-19, 21 days after immunisation. "DCGI has granted emergency use permission to Single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine in India.This is the 9th COVID19 vaccine in the country", said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a tweet. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic, he added. Sputnik Light is based on recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (the first component of Sputnik V). As per the RDIF, a one-shot vaccination regimen of Sputnik Light provides for ease of administration and helps to increase the efficacy and duration of other vaccines when used as a booster shot. "Sputnik Light has already been authorised in more than 30 countries," it said. "Each 'vaccine cocktail' combination with Sputnik Light provided a higher antibody titer on the 14th day after administering a second dose when compared to original homogenous (same vaccine as first and second dose) regimens of each of the vaccines, it said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, Feb 6 : Pakistan's patience with the interim Afghan government seems to be running thin as for the first time it publicly condemned the use of Afghan soil against it since the Taliban takeover after five of its soldiers were killed in exchange of fire with terrorists from across the border on Sunday, Express Tribune reported. Five Pakistani soldiers were killed after terrorists inside Afghanistan opened fire on troops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Kurram district, the military's media affairs wing said on Sunday, Dawn reported. "Terrorists from inside Afghanistan, across the international border, opened fire on Pakistani troops in Kurram district," a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, adding that Pakistani troops responded in a "befitting manner". "As per intelligence reports, due to fire of (our) own troops, terrorists suffered heavy causalties," the statement said. "Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and expects that (the) interim Afghan government will not allow conduct of such activities against Pakistan in future," the ISPR statement said. The Pakistan Army is determined to defend Pakistan's borders against the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve, it added. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) near Dial road in Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and killed a suicide bomber, the ISPR said. Security forces conducted the operation on "confirmed intelligence reports of presence of" terrorists belonging to the proscribed TTP. "During the operation, a suicide bomber has been killed," the statement added. New Delhi, Feb 6 : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said she will take up the issue of inclusion of Aviation Turbine Fuel under GST at the next meeting of the GST Council. She was speaking at an event organised by industry chamber ASSOCHAM as part of the post-Budget interaction. During the event, on behalf of the civil aviation, travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, Ajay Singh, Vice President, ASSOCHAM and Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet raised the difficulties facing these sectors because of Covid. Besides inclusion of ATF under the GST, he requested the Finance Minister to consider granting infrastructure status to these sectors to facilitate lending by banks and financial institutions, and she promised to consider it, SpiceJet said in a statement. New Delhi, Feb 6 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hit back to the allegations and issues raised by the Opposition leaders including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, in the second week of the Parliament's Budget Session, in Rajya Sabha as well as in Lok Sabha. A discussion was underway in both the houses on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address and during this, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and many MPs of opposition parties have criticized the Narendra Modi-led Central government fiercely on the floor of the House. Starting the discussion on behalf of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha on February 2, Rahul Gandhi had fiercely targeted the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Congress leader has accused the Modi government of ending employment opportunities in the country, eliminating small and medium industries, increasing the inequality gap between the poor and the rich, posing serious threat to national security due to "wrong policies" on China and Pakistan border. Besides making allegations, questions were also raised on the economic, industrial, strategic, foreign, internal and external security policies of the government. Rahul Gandhi had also made a scathing attack on the Prime Minister over the issues related to federalism and constitutional institutions. Slamming the government, he also said that the UPA government had brought 27 crore people out of poverty during its 10 year tenure while the NDA government pushed 23 crore people back into poverty. In the Rajya Sabha too, MPs of all opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, NCP, RJD had targeted the policies of the Modi government in the first week of the budget session. In the second week of the budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to respond to the leaders of all Opposition parties including Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi might reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Lok Sabha on Monday. During his speech, PM Modi, referring to the history of the tenure of the Congress-led government, will make a sharp counterattack on the allegations of Rahul Gandhi, as well as respond to the allegations of MPs of other opposition parties. Referring to the achievements of his government on all fronts including economic, strategic, foreign, security and industrial policy, PM Modi might answer each and every charge of the opposition parties. On Tuesday, the very next day after his speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Modi may also reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Rajya Sabha He will also be seen trying to deliver a political message to the voters of the five poll-bound states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint session of both the Houses of Parliament on January 31, the first day of the budget session. Nagpur, Feb 6 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said Hindutva is nothing but a true reflection of Indian Constitution, and has been derived from the 5,000-year-old tradition and culture of the country. Speaking on 'Hindutva and National Integration' here in Maharashtra, Bhagwat described Hindutva as the reflection of the preamble of the Constitution, like equality, fraternity, justice, liberty, social justice and "thread of unity" running through its diversities. Bhagwat made the remarks while speaking at a programme organised by Lokmat group of newspapers on the occasion of its golden jubilee. He said the entire population of the country was progeny of Bharat Mata and Vande Matram unites the people. "We should all walk together and it is the Hindutva that binds all of us together as Hindus. We have to give up all wrong doings and and sustain unity in diversity. "All inclusive and all encompassing truth is what we call Hindutva. It is our national identity. We talk about secularism, but it existed in our country for years and before the constituting the Constitution and it's because of Hindutva," he added. Bhagwat said the idea of unity in diversity has been path of the Indian culture since ancient times and Indian cultural identity is defined by Hindutva. "The world thinks that for unity you need uniformity. But in our country, the idea of looking for unity in diversity has been prevalent since ancient times." He further said that the word Hindutva was first coined by Sikh religious leader Guru Nanak Dev and not not Veer Savarkar as claimed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, without mentioning his name. "Hindu is a name of "Sanskriti" that is largely the lifestyle of people in the country. No one is free from religion," he said adding "we should change ourselves as the time changes and demands and does not oppose any religious rituals". Tehran, Feb 7 : An Iranian top security official has underlined cautious optimism about the progress in the Vienna talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, calling for a "balance" in the parties' commitments. "Despite the limited progress in the Vienna talks, we are still far from achieving the necessary balance in the commitments of the parties," Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, tweeted on Sunday. "Political decisions in Washington are requirements for balance of commitments to reach a good agreement," he said. Iran and world powers signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in July 2015. However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties to revive the pact, Xinhua news agency reported. The US government announced on Friday that it was waiving sanctions on Iran's civilian nuclear program, which allows international nuclear cooperation projects. Chennai, Feb 7 : Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Sunday paid floral tributes to the statue of Swami Vivekananda at the Vivekanda Illam here to mark the 125th anniversary of the return of Swamiji from Chicago after his historic speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions. The Raj Bhavan in a statement said that the Governor paid a visit to the Vivekananda Illam and saw the childhood exhibits and images in different phases of the life of Swamiji. The Governor also meditated at the meditating room where Swami Vivekananda stayed for nine days after he returned from Chicago. The Governor in a statement said that the most befitting tribute to Swamiji will be to build an India of his dream, socially cohesive and Atmanirbhar. Swami Goutamanandaji Maharaj, Vice President of Sri Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Retired Madras High Court Judge, Justice K. Chandru and K.N. Ramaswamy, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan were also present on the occasion. Ludhiana, Feb 7 : A virtual rally in Punjab titled "Aawaz Punjab Di" addressed by former Congress President Rahul Gandhi from Ludhiana has broken all records after its live telecast was viewed by 11 lakh people on social media, according to the party. The virtual rally was held on Sunday. Congress Social Media Head, Rohan Gupta said, "The unique thing about the rally was the large audience of more than 90,000 people, who watched the rally live, simultaneously at the same time on the Facebook page of Rahul Gandhi. With the current views of 8.8 lakh, 42,000 comments, 1.1 million reach and 6000 shares, making it one of the most successful virtual rallies." The rally was telecast on virtual mediums or social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube along with live LED screens across all districts of Punjab. The party claimed 90,000 live views on Facebook Live are unprecedented for any political leader in India, showing the massive impact and curiosity about the rally. The rally amassed massive curiosity as the Chief Ministerial face for Congress for 2022 Punjab Assembly elections was to be announced. Charanjit Singh Channi was announced as the state Chief Ministerial face by Rahul Gandhi. "It is Punjab's decision. It is not my decision. I didn't decide. I asked workers, candidates, MLAs, people and youth of Punjab. What people said has led me to my final decision," said Gandhi during his address at the 'Aawaz Punjab Di' virtual rally. He praised Channi for his humble background. Getting emotional on the announcement of his name as Chief Minister, Channi said that he has always been honest and never taken money from anyone, and will continue to work honestly. The rally was also addressed by important leaders of Punjab Congress such as Sunil Jakhar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi and All India Congress Committee state in-charge Harish Chaudhary. Addis Ababa, Feb 7 : Strict Covid-19 prevention methods enrolled at the ongoing African Union (AU) summit, underway for the first time physically since the onset of the pandemic, proved a game changer in Africa's fight against the infection, John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said. The Director on Sunday added that critics were labeling the summit, which was convened physically following a hiatus in 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as "a transmission event or a super spreader event". "We stood firm and we said, we want to be sure to understand the kinetics of infection during the summit. So when we pronounced ourselves and we said that the summit was Covid-19 free, we backed that with science," said Nkengasong addressing the media on the sidelines of the summit. As part of the strict Covid-19 preventive methods enrolled at the summit, an antigen test is mandatory for participants before accessing the AU headquarters compound in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. During the first three days of the event, comprising the meetings of AU Executive Council and AU Assembly, the Africa CDC managed to conduct more than 5,400 Covid-19 tests using temporary testing centers installed inside the AU premises, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the Africa CDC Director, some 25 positive Covid-19 cases were detected during the first three days of the summit, which began on Wednesday, with an overall positivity rate of around 0.6 per cent. "This summit has become a game-changer for the way that such conferences and meetings are organised in this continent, where people actually follow public health measures very strictly," he said. As of Saturday evening, a total of 10,896,302 Covid-19 cases were reported in Africa. The death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 241,112, while 9,917,757 patients have recovered from the disease. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Jakarta, Feb 7 : Thirteen people were killed and eight others wounded in a bus accident in Indonesia's Yogyakarta province, Spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Office, Yusuf Latief told Xinhua over phone. The accident occurred on Sunday in Bantul district at about 13:00 local time (0600 GMT), and all the victims were rushed to three nearby hospitals, the Spokesman said. A total of 40 passengers were aboard the bus, and the passengers were workers of a textile firm who planned to have a journey to the Parangtritis tourist destination in the southern coast of Java island, he added. One of the casualties was a child, and four people suffered serious wounds and four others got moderate and light injuries, Pipit Eriyanto, Press Officer at the Search and Rescue Office in Yogyakarta, told Xinhua over phone. Police Chief in Bantul district named only Senior Commissioner Ihsan said that the driver could not control the bus when it was passing through a downside road and hit a higher ground at the right side, Xinhua news agency reported. Police have been carrying out an investigation, including the cause of the fatal accident, he told reporters. Tehran, Feb 7 : Iran has so far received no proposed text from the US in the Vienna talks on the restoration of a 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranian Foreign Minister has said. Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Sunday said in an interview with IRIB state TV that Iran has seen "no serious or remarkable initiative" from the US. The negotiations, he added, will achieve progress based on expert views and agreements, the outcome of which will be a "good agreement" that would serve the interests of the country and its people. The Iranian Minister said Tehran welcomes any executive order or measure by the Biden administration that would lead to the lifting of the sanctions reimposed after the US unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "What is important to us is the American side's action. We look at what happens on the ground," Amir Abdollahian added. Asked about the possibility of a temporary two-year agreement, he said, "We are looking for a good agreement, not a limited one that lasts for a specific period of time." The US government announced on Friday that it was waiving sanctions on Iran's civilian nuclear program, which allows international nuclear cooperation projects. Jerusalem, Feb 7 : The Israeli Police Chief Kobi Shabtai has paid his first trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a bid to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries. Shabtai is expected to meet with senior officials of the UAE's Interior Ministry as well as the police commissioners of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, his office said on Sunday in a statement issued upon his arrival. He added that he intends to appoint a representative of the Israeli Police to the UAE who will base at the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and would be tasked with the coordination of the Israeli police activities in the UAE, the Middle East and Africa. The trip came three days after Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz flew to Bahrain and signed a security cooperation deal with the Gulf country, Xinhua news agency reported. Israel and the UAE, along with Bahrain, decided to normalise their ties in a US-brokered agreement in 2020. Baghdad, Feb 7 : Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has held a phone talk with Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss delays of the talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad. During the phone call, the two ministers discussed issues related to the security and stability of the region and the reasons for the delay in holding the fifth round of Saudi-Iranian talks, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Sunday said in a statement. "Iraqi government will make every effort and invest all its relations to create an appropriate opportunity for the understanding between Tehran and Riyadh," Hussein was quoted as saying by the statement. In a phone call with the Iraqi Minister on Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised Iraq's efforts to bring closer views and enhance the region's security and stability, referring to Baghdad's sponsorship of the negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 after protests were held outside its embassy in the Iranian capital in reaction to the kingdom's execution of a senior Shiite cleric, Xinhua news agency reported. However, Iranian-Saudi ties, seen as essential to the developments in the Gulf, have shown signs of detente since direct talks between the two sides resumed in April 2021 after a long pause. Iraq, acting as the mediator, has hosted rounds of talks between the delegations of the two regional powers. Warsaw, Feb 7 : A plane carrying US soldiers landed in southern Poland, on US President Joe Biden's order to deploy additional troops to Poland, Romania and Germany this week, amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The 1,700 US soldiers sent to Poland on Sunday will operate in the country's eastern-southern part, according to the Polish Defense Ministry. Logistics, equipment and a handful of soldiers arrived in other planes on Friday and Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are growing as the Western countries are stepping up military maneuvers near the Russian borders. Kiev and its Western allies have accused Russia of amassing troops near the Ukrainian border, further pointing to the possibility of an "invasion." Moscow has denied such claims, adding that it had every right to mobilise troops within its borders and defend its national security. Jerusalem, Feb 7 : Israel has announced sanctions against three Lebanese companies that allegedly supplied materials to the Lebanese Hezbollah's efforts to manufacture precision missiles. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed an administrative order to seize the assets of three Lebanese companies, Toufali, Moubayed and Barakat, his office said on Sunday in a statement. These companies focus on producing machines, oils and ventilation systems required for Hezbollah's production lines, including the precision missiles project, according to the statement. The order does not have immediate implications but it will allow the international financial system to blacklist the companies, the office said, adding that the order "will make it very difficult for (the companies) to continue operating". The order is part of the Defense Minister's efforts to elevate economic pressure on the precision missiles project in Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported. Israel and Hezbollah, two sworn enemies, had their last full-fledged war in 2006 which took place mostly on Lebanese soil. Nosara Beach Airport, Nosara Beach, Costa Rica [ NOB / MRNS ] If you are planning to travel to Nosara Beach or any other city in Costa Rica, this airport locator will be a very useful tool. This page gives complete information about the Nosara Beach Airport along with the airport location map, Time Zone, lattitude and longitude, Current time and date, hotels near the airport etc... Nosara Beach Airport Map showing the location of this airport in Costa Rica. Nosara Beach Airport IATA Code, ICAO Code, exchange rate etc... is also provided. 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Nosara Beach Airport Map - Location of Nosara Beach Airport Load Map Costa Rica - General Information Country Formal Name Republic of Costa Rica Country Code CR Capital San Jose Currency Colon (CRC) 1 CRC = 0.002 USD 1 USD = 661.991 CRC 1 CRC = 0.001 EUR 1 EUR = 695.858 CRC More CRC convertion rates Tel Code +506 Top Level Domain .cr Major airlines flying to Nosara Beach Airport, Nosara Beach This page provides all the information you need to know about Nosara Beach Airport, Costa Rica. This page is created with the aim of helping travelers and tourists visiting Costa Rica or traveling to Nosara Beach Airport. Details about Nosara Beach Airport given here include Nosara Beach Airport Code - IATA Code (3 letter airport codes) and ICAO Code (4 letter airport codes) Coordinates of Nosara Beach Airport - Latitude and Longitude (Lat and Long) of Nosara Beach Airport Location of Nosara Beach Airport - City Name, Country, Country Codes etc... 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However, the data that we use to make our housing choices have become increasingly sophisticated. Quantariums valuation models provide property valuations through a self-learning AI engine. Quantariums advances in Computer Vision (CV) technology is allowing AVM to transcend historical constraints; understanding their journey and the impact of AI is critical to the future of real estate. Quantarium is a leading producer and purveyor of value-added data in residential real estate. Their data and analytics scientists and experts illustrated great innovation in their approach to building the industrys leading RE data lake, so it is a team-wide validation to receive this distinction. When asked what the potential of this space is, Cannon explained: Residential Real Estate in the United States is in aggregate a $45 trillion space. In addition, homes are the most vital and valuable of most families investments/assets. As such, reliable, intelligent, timely, accurate, and usable data in real estate is vital not only to this vertical but to the entire economy. PropTech, as the area has been called, is a booming industry and were happy to not only be in the space but also to enhance the stories of other players. Quantariums product and customer journey is an interesting look at how artificial intelligence plays a role in real estate. They started as an idea and ended up building the leading Automated Valuation Model, AVM, that still breaks the tape in the AVM race. They leveraged their knowledge and experience to build a Data and Search platform for real estate, powered by the most comprehensive data lake in the industry. By emphasizing the platform aspect, they could power any company that leverages residential real estate data, from mortgage companies to banks to insurance. There is a lot of talk in the data industry about technology versus people, from the benefits of consistency and efficiency to the reduction of bias in housing prices and access. When Cannon was asked about this, he answered that Quantarium has never been purely technocratic, despite the fact that it is an AI company: We, like anyone, would affirm the unquestionable importance of human wisdom in all parts of society, including this vital area of the economy. Often, the debate is cast in binary terms, which we reject. Increasingly, it would appear the industry will benefit from, and work towards, an equipoise in understanding both the methods and instruments through which human wisdom and tasking are best applied and those areas in which machine learning technologies can be best advantaged we see the growing confidence in the category of hybrid valuation products as evidence of this. Cannon understood the importance of implementing this knowledge in this specific area of technology, which is why Quantariums Translucent A.I. is embedded in their Valuation Services Platform (QSVP) as an asset for human-assisted and enhanced technologies. It was intentionally constructed this way. Quantariums translucent A.I.-based technologies provide an auditable line of sight to offer the optimal platform for professional human input integration, as needed, towards maximum possible results. In fact, this should be the expectation; most computerized airplanes and spacecraft still provide manual controls for takeoff and landing, for instance. In other areas such as AVMs Quantariums advances in Computer Vision (CV) technology, AVM is now transcending historical constraints. These AVMs are crossing the threshold of not being able to understand property condition or see inside the structure to account for value adjustments other than assuming a static coefficient of average condition for the year built. Moreover, the fidelity of Quantariums CV can detect and eliminate occupants photos and other iconography that may be humanly interpreted to indicate racial, or ethnic identities that could consciously, or unconsciously introduce unwarranted subjectivity in the valuation, or QC process. This being said, it was important to Cannon to elaborate on the challenges of AI in addressing bias. At the end of the day, the challenge for AI to assist in addressing bias will need to be understood. Certain axioms remain, particularly about any technology being only as effective as the data it relies upon. Quantarium remains ever cognizant of this. Consequently, it understands that models rely on trailing data and that data unavoidably, at this juncture, has suffused within, whatever prior human biases contributed to skewed valuations. With this understanding in hand, Quantarium refrains from making any announcements regarding AVMs eliminating bias in valuation it is disingenuous and the challenge to eradicate this will take more than just technology. Can it be an asset in addressing the challenge? Absolutely and Quantarium is making significant R&D investments, with a focus on assisting the industry in addressing the challenge. Certainly, evidence for racial bias in real estate exists. But while technology is often considered a neutral tool, the data it relies on has bias built into it. So real estate data providers have a lot more work to do to identify and eradicate bias, and AI is an important part of that process. Quantarium has already devoted R&D resources to this area. Cannon is now looking towards the future and thinking about his vision for Quantarium in 2022. Like with all companies, Quantarium has had to adjust to the realities of a Covid economy and the impact that has wrought on the global business climate. Despite this, they are able to focus on strong tailwinds, such as Machine Learning, Computer Vision (CV), and Data Innovation. These tailwinds are in demand as they play a larger part in the future of both the commercial markets and the regulatory environment. Moreover, Quantarium has made a mark in several areas of this space and as a result are fortunate to have a set of relationships with incredible experts across the industry, including in the newly burgeoning PropTech space. Cannon explains, then, that their vision is to provide our quickly expanding customer adoptions with innovation and rapid deployments of proficiency technologies, spanning from our new Computer Vision APIs and Valuation services, through to our Smart Market Explorer within the Quantarium TerraVerse to help our customers navigate the industry challenges ahead. More on that soon! Along with other digital communities, data communities play a crucial role in bringing down barriers by providing use cases, datasets, and professional opinions from data experts all in one place. Find useful data and learn how to use the data you have. Whether you are a data leader, involved in data analytics, or a decision-maker needing to show growth, the DataHunters community is here to help you power your decision-making with the right data. ABC News suspended The View host Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks Tuesday after saying that the Holocaust was not about race during Monday's show. ADVERTISEMENT Kim Godwin, president of ABC News, said that Goldberg's comments were "wrong and hurtful," in a statement announcing the suspension. "While Whoopi has apologized, I've asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments," Godwin said. "The entire ABC News organization stand in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities." The 66-year-old actress and television personality apologized Monday and also addressed her remarks on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. During Monday's episode of The View, Goldberg and her co-hosts were discussing the recent banning of Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, by a school board in Tennessee when Goldberg said the Holocaust "isn't about race." "It's about man's inhumanity to man," she added. "These are two white groups of people." Her co-host Joy Behar disagreed, saying, "Well, they considered Jews a different race." Goldberg later apologized in a statement on Twitter. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! "On today's show, I said the Holocaust 'is not about race, but about man's inhumanity to man.' I should have said it is about both. As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League shared, 'The Holocaust was about the Nazi's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people -- who they deemed to be an inferior race.' I stand corrected," Goldberg wrote. "The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I'm sorry for the hurt I have caused," she said, adding her "sincerest apologies." On The Late Show, Goldberg explained that she approached the idea of race differently as a Black woman. "I feel, being Black, when we talk about race it's a very different thing to me," Goldberg said. "As a Black person, I think of race as something people can see. So I see you and what race you are." "People were very angry and they said, 'No, no, we are a race,' and I understand," she added. "I respect everything everyone is saying to me and I don't want to fake apologize. I'm very upset that people misunderstood what I was saying." Goldberg said people are now calling her anti-Semitic and a Holocaust denier. "I'm incredibly torn up by being told these things about myself. I get it, I accept that. And I did it to myself. This was my thought process, and I will work hard not to think that way again," she said. Bachelor alum Ashley Iaconetti is a new mom. ADVERTISEMENT The 33-year-old television personality recently welcomed her first child, son Dawson, with her husband and fellow Bachelor Nation star, Jared Haibon. Haibon shared the news alongside a video Monday on Instagram. "Baby Dawson is here and healthy! Ashley is recovering and doing well! It really couldn't have gone much smoother. He's so sweet & beautiful and has been sleeping all day. Unlike his Mom and Dad who are on no sleep right now but it's totally worth it!" he captioned the post. Fellow Bachelor Nation stars JoJo Fletcher, Tenley Molzahn and Emily Ferguson were among those to congratulate Iaconetti and Haibon in the comments. "Yay!! Congrats you two!!! Way to go @ashley_iaconetti!!" Fletcher wrote. "Welcome to the BEST chapter of your life Jared & Ashley! Congratulations. I'm so emotional over this," Molzahn added. "AHHHHH congrats so glad mama and baby are healthy!!!! Sending lots of love to the Haibon family!" Ferguson said. FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! Iaconetti and Haibon married in August 2019 and announced in July that they were expecting their first child. "Baby Haibon is due Feb 10th! We are very excited for that day to come! It's so cool to think I'm creating a human that's half me and half Jared!" Iaconetti said on Instagram. Iaconetti and Haibon met during Bachelor in Paradise Season 2. Iaconetti was previously a contestant in Chris Soules' season of The Bachelor, while Haibon appeared in Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette. Tuesday marks the start of the Lunar New Year and to celebrate Google posted online an appropriately themed doodle. ADVERTISEMENT Since 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, the colorful artwork features a GIF of a tiger wagging its tail and pawing at a cherry blossom tree, knocking a single flower onto its head. The graphic has a red background and features an assortment of festive floral designs, Asian lanterns and food. "In contrast to festivities tied to the solar Gregorian calendar, people around the world align their new year's celebrations based on the ancient lunisolar Chinese calendar system, which follows the cycles of the moon and sun," Google said in a statement. "A new year symbolizes a fresh start and many traditions capture this concept. Preparations begin 10 days before the lunar new year with many cleaning their homes as a way to clear out bad luck from the previous year. Traditional foods that represent good fortune such as fish (abundance) and mandarin oranges (auspiciousness) are prepared. Families decorate their homes with flowers such as peach blossoms; red lanterns; fai chun (red banners with phrases that wish people luck and prosperity); and exchange lai see (red envelopes filled with money)." By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 02/05/2022 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. star Lindsey Georgoulis has revealed she had told her new husband Mark Maher "I love you" before they argued about Mark wanting to slow things down on their honeymoon.Lindsey, 34, and Mark, 37, were matched for matrimony on Season 14 of by the show's experts Dr. Viviana Coles, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Pastor Calvin Roberson.During Wednesday night's episode of : Afterparty, host Keshia Knight Pulliam pointed out how Lindsey had talked to her fellow brides about falling in love with Mark while the cast enjoyed a honeymoon catamaran ride in San Juan, Puerto Rico."You said, 'I love Mark,' but you said, 'I'm not going to tell him yet,'" Keshia recalled.While Lindsey had told her female co-stars that she never would have picked Mark up in a bar, she admitted, "But he's the perfect man for me. I love him. He's The One. That's it."MAFS star Noi Phommasak therefore asked Lindsey on the latest Season 14 episode, "Did you tell him," to which Lindsey replied, "No, girl, I've got to keep some secrets! Come on, please!"Lindsey, however, shared with Keshia on Afterparty how she did, in fact, tell Mark how she was feeling about him during their honeymoon."I told him on the bus ride back after that [catamaran], because I remember when I was upset, he sat with me on the side and he was just really comforting," Lindsey explained."And I was on the bus ride home and I was like, 'I think I just love you and I'm going to support you,' and he was like, '[Wow] already?!'"Lindsey laughed and confirmed how that was the quickest she's ever said "I love you" to a man."I'm definitely not somebody who would say it first and I'm usually [like Steve Moy], where they say, 'I love you,' and then I'm like, 'Thanks! I'll get back to you in three to five business days.'"While Lindsey suggested her love profession to Mark was a happy moment, it also provides more context to her subsequent fight with Mark, when he essentially asked his wife to slow her roll.It's clear Lindsey had told Mark that she loved him before he attempted to pump the brakes on their relationship, and that's probably why she got so heated and upset during their "romantic" dinner out.Mark explained on Wednesday night's Season 14 episode how he and Lindsey had a lot in common but her fights with other cast members were affecting their opportunities to just bond and get to know each other better."It's like I can't breathe. I'm just trying to digest it," Mark said, adding how he didn't want to rush things."I want to go slow in the process... I want it to flow organically."Mark said he felt like he was drowning in the chaos Lindsey sparked, and he seemed to want to slow down the physical aspect of their relationship -- without coming right out and saying they had consummated their marriage already.Lindsey pointed out how Mark had initiated the intimacy to begin with, and she said, "I can pull back, but I pull way back. I pull all the way back. There is no in between for me."Lindsey then appeared to put her guard up and called Mark out for farting in bed and clogging their toilet, and so she said if he wanted things to slow down and have a little more romance, then she didn't need to see any of that.Lindsey complained to Mark, "You're giving me full frontal you -- chewing with your mouth open, farting with the door open. If you're telling me you want to get to know each other less and slow down, then take that note for yourself as well. I'm matching you."Lindsey found herself frustrated and mad, saying she never would have had sex with Mark had she known he felt that way.Mark said he just didn't want Lindsey to operate with the highest of energy at all times, but she was clearly offended and stormed away from their conversation and the dinner table."There is zero romance and I am ready for bed," Lindsey told her husband.Lindsey later scolded Mark for wanting to change the nature of their relationship when they had already jumped in head-first, but Mark insisted he just needed more time to process things.Lindsey sarcastically thanked Mark for a romantic dinner and said Mark had "really screwed up." Lindsey didn't want to talk to Mark or work things out, and she called him "a stupid idiot" for not knowing how his words would affect their future.'s fourteenth season, which currently airs on Wednesday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime, also stars Noi and Steve Moy, Michael Morency and Jasmina Outar, Olajuwon Dickerson and Katina Goode, and Alyssa Ellman and Chris Collette.Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group or click here to view our newspage!And click here for more updates on former cast members and info on where they are now! The BBC said it has ordered a second season of the British home-organization series, Sort Your Life Out. ADVERTISEMENT Stacey Solomon is returning as host for the six, new hour-long episodes. The show challenges families overwhelmed by their cluttered homes to take everything they own outside and decide whether to keep or toss each item. Meanwhile, cleaning and building teams prepare the space for the remaining possessions to be put away properly. "There's nothing that brings me more joy than decluttering my home, so it was amazing to share my tips and tricks with wonderful families in the first series of Sort Your Life Out," Solomon said in a statement Tuesday. "Letting go of belongings can be a really vulnerable, challenging and emotional experience. I feel lucky to help people through the process and sort out their homes for the better. I can't wait to be reunited with my dream team Dilly, Robert and Iwan for more incredible transformations." No premiere date has been announced yet. TRAVERSE CITY In a January newsletter to Michigan Methodists, Bishop David Alan Bard put his shoulder into encouraging vaccinations. Bard likened public health efforts today to a story in the Gospel, in which shepherds guard their flock from unseen dangers in the night. The latest on COVID-19 Continuing coverage of COVID-19 and its impact. If you have a question about the novel coronavirus pandemic and haven't been able to find an a Below that, he added a note. Finally, let me also say a word about The United Methodist tradition and religious exemptions for vaccinations. The United Methodist tradition of the Christian faith does not provide much support for a religious exemption for vaccinations, said Bard. He went on to say that it would be extraordinarily difficult to use our United Methodist tradition to substantiate a religious exemption claim for a COVID vaccination. Across the country, health care facilities have been left at odds with staffing shortages, some of which were made worse by a federal mandate requiring many health care workers to become vaccinated against COVID-19. In January, some facilities saw scores of staff leave, while other facilities have remained whole by allowing many workers to claim a religious exemption to the mandate. However, multiple faith leaders in the Grand Traverse County region spoke against issuing such waivers on the basis of religion or scripture. The clause cited by employees is a longstanding permission introduced in 1964 as part of the Civil Rights Act. A guidance issued by the federal agency which enforces the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, states the exemptions must be allowed for individuals with a sincerely held religious belief. The Title VII exemptions do not include economic, political or personal beliefs, the guidance clarifies. As a result of that guidance, thousands of Michigan health care workers have submitted forms stating that their sincerely held beliefs are at odds with COVID-19 vaccines, including 1,400 workers at Henry Ford, one of the states largest hospital systems. The waivers mean they can continue to work without a vaccine, which have been proven to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 one of the justifications for the mandate cited by President Joe Biden when he first presented the policy in November. At Munson Healthcare, which operates most of Northwest Michigans major hospitals, 10 percent of employees have sought out the exemption. Munsons total workforce hovers at around 5,000. All three mainstream vaccines Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have been fully approved by the FDA for individuals older than five. Some of the first religious rebuttals of the waivers came from Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is an act of love, said Francis last summer, following a declaration from the Vatican that found it morally acceptable to use COVID-19 vaccines, even if they were derived using cells derived from aborted fetuses. Vaccination is a simple but profound way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable, Francis said. A spokesperson for the Diocese of Gaylord, MacKenzie Ritchie, echoed the Popes position. While we deeply respect peoples individual conscience, and can appreciate the questions that are raised, nothing in our Catholic teaching supports the requested exemption and letters arent being provided at this time, said Ritchie. Other local pastors replied similarly. Linda Stephan, associate pastor at Central United Methodist Church, said she wouldnt be able to sign any waiver for a member of her congregation, and said Methodist teachings dont support a religious opposition to vaccination. Part of the Methodist tradition is reason, and reason would include something like science looking into the facts and the details, said Stephan. Stephan cautioned that there could well be members of her congregation who have made personal decisions not to get vaccinated, but I wouldnt be able to sign a waiver that says that Methodist tradition, in any way, would require them not to take the vaccine. Central United Methodist has also been vocal in its push to encourage vaccination. Church leaders like Bard have called on individual churches to educate parishioners and host vaccination clinics. United Methodist has also vaccinated transient individuals through its community outreach program. To Stephan, the suggestion that religion in some way is aligned with the anti-vaxx movement has become an unfortunate misconception. I do get frustrated at the idea that being anti-vaccination is described as the Christian or Evangelical perspective. If and whenever it is described that way, I want people to remember that we have been actively bringing vaccines into our building, said Stephan. And that is our Christian response. Several local Evangelical churches did not respond to requests for comment on the subject of vaccine waivers. While Northwest Michigan is overwhelmingly Christian, there are several synagogues in the region, including Congregation Beth Shalom in Traverse City. Rabbi Arni Sleutelberg, said that the Jewish tradition also offers little footing for the waivers. Im not aware in any of the branches of Judaism that there is a teaching that a Jew could use in any sort of official Jewish way to allow for an exemption, said Sleutelberg. Quite the contrary, there are a lot of teachings about remaining healthy, staying alive and doing whatever you have to do to maintain your health. But Sleutelberg also stressed that decision-making around the legitimacy of a waiver request could quickly become a gnarly problem for employers. I think the last thing the hospital, or any kind of government entity would want to get involved with is determining whose deeply held religious beliefs are legitimate and whose are not, Sleutelberg said. I sure wouldnt want to stand in judgment. The Lunar New Year marks the transitions between the Chinese zodiac signs in which this year will be the year of the tiger. This year the Lunar New Year is on Feb. 1, however with the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, celebrations in large groups will be more challenging. FALLS VILLAGE The David M. Hunt Library will hold an online Zoom artist talk with Marsha Altemus and Roger McKee in a one-hour conversation with Hunt ArtWall curator Garth Kobal, at 3 p.m. Feb. 19. Altemus, who lives in Falls Village and New Jersey, will discuss how, in retirement, she finds inspiration and challenges exploring art making, working in pastel and colored pencil after a 25-year career as a custom hand-weaver. Several dozen police and fire departments in Connecticut participate in the Ring Neighborhood Public Safety Service that allows authorities and the community to share information, photos and videos about crime and other safety issues. But only a few like the West Hartford and Bristol police departments have video sharing programs that allow residents to voluntarily sign up to be placed on a list, indicating they are willing to provide their home or business video footage to investigators if a crime occurs in their neighborhood. West Hartford has registered about 100 residences and businesses since launching its video sharing program about a year ago, Community Relations Division Commander Lt. Aaron Vafiades said. The program is voluntary with people providing basic information such as their name and location and whether their camera faces the street. When people sign up, their name goes into a database that can be accessed by officers investigating a crime or incident, Vafiades said. They pull out the spreadsheet and contact the person in that area and ask them to review their own cameras, Vafiades said. If they want to share it, great. Bristol police have had a similar program for years, Lt. Geoffrey Lund said. It saves time going door to door, he said. The database is updated regularly for detectives, Lund said. Its a good tool for them to use, he said. New Canaan police do not have a designated video-sharing program, but created a special website for people to upload videos in the Jennifer Dulos disappearance case, Lt. Jason Ferraro said. The disappearance drew international headlines when the mother of five vanished in May 2019. A neighbors security camera captured her returning home that morning after dropping off her children at school. The image of her vehicle captured the last activity before police believe she was killed by her estranged husband in her garage. Other videos, including of what police believe was Fotis Dulos riding a bicycle that morning in the direction of his estranged wifes home, were among the estimated more than 100 Ferraro said they received in the case. It was a massive undertaking to view the videos to determine which contained evidence in the disappearance, he said. Those videos and others from local school buses, state highway cameras and the Hartford public safety camera system built the case against Fotis Dulos, who died by suicide in January 2020 while facing murder, kidnapping and other charges in the case. But even before the Dulos case, Ferraro said the department has for years knocked on doors seeking videos when incidents have occurred. In 25 years, I dont think Ive ever heard someone say they didnt want to help in an investigation when something happened in their neighborhood, Ferraro said. West Hartford augments its video sharing program by participating in the Ring Neighbors app, which allows police to post requests for video or information and residents can share photos or videos and reports of potential crimes. The program is primarily used by people who have a Ring camera security system, but anyone can sign up to check on incidents in their area or post information. Dozens of Connecticut police and fire departments participate in the Ring Neighborhood Public Safety Service, but some use the program more than others, according to information on the companys website. Trumbull police have participated, but didnt post anything in 2021. Danbury police requested information on a shooting that occurred in late December. Other Danbury posts have received more than 2,000 views. The Ring app is useful because it allows police to interact with the public, share accurate information if neighbors are commenting about an incident and request video during a certain period, Vafiades said. We can send the request from an official PD account, Vafiades said. If you have a Ring device, it will pull the video in the time we requested for you to review. The Ring app and the video sharing program helps police save time when investigating a crime or an incident, he said. A lot of people are at work during the day, Vafiades said. This allows us to make a phone call and ask people if they can check their video. NORWALK Nearing two full years of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents want some relief for their children beginning with repealing the mask mandate in schools. Whoever wishes to continue to mask can continue to mask. But we want a choice, and we want it now, said Andrea DeGaetano, a Norwalk parent with a 7-year-old daughter in first grade, told Hearst Connecticut Media last week. Christine Cataldo, a mother of three children under 10, doesnt understand a single argument left for the universal mask mandate of children. Universal mask mandates were necessary at a point time which has long gone. We now know how a person protects themselves, she said. Connecticut now knows better and Connecticut must do better by our children. The decision to rescind the mask mandate in Connecticuts public schools will come to a head over the next two weeks when the governors executive orders, including the mask mandate inside all public schools, expire on Feb. 15. Gov. Ned Lamont said this week that he is watching the COVID numbers to determine whether to give local school districts the option to set their own masking policies. But while he may relinquish this power, the governor also asked the state legislature to consider extending 11 of his executive orders including the ability of the states education department to require masks in schools. Many parents want the state to stay out of the decision altogether. I am against the forced masking of our kids by the government, said Mary Meek, who has a 12-year-old in seventh grade and 8-year-old twins in third grade. Its time to stop this mandate and give the choice back to the parents. That is where it belongs. Norwalk parents who oppose the mask mandate expressed concerns for childrens speech development, their social interactions, and their general discomfort due to wearing a mask for most of the school day. Many also questioned the mandate when vaccines are widely available for school-aged children and masks come off while eating lunch. Kyle Baker, who has children in kindergarten and second grade, said her oldest caught COVID from a classmate even though he was properly wearing his mask. Baker has also heard from his teacher that she has trouble hearing her students through the masks. We have seriously skewed the risks, and this is harming a full generation, Baker said. At the start of the 2021-22 school year, Connecticut was one of 11 states to require masks in schools, according to the Pew Charitable Trust. New Mexico had a mandate requiring masks for unvaccinated students only. Ana Tabachneck, the mother of a kindergarten student, is opposed to a full repeal of the Connecticut mask mandate in schools, but she would be open to making masks optional based on a schools vaccination rate and a low level of community spread, or a students vaccination status. Norwalk Public Schools has seen the number of COVID cases and people in quarantine drop each of the last three weeks. As of Jan. 31, the district had 134 positive cases. The city reported on Friday that 83% of residents 12 to 17 and 30% of residents 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated. Given that we are about to have a newborn and elderly grandparents in the home, with the low rate (of 5 to 11 year old children vaccinated), Im not comfortable removing the school mask mandate, Tabachneck said. emily.morgan@hearstmediact.com Charred ruins in Mwe Tone village in the aftermath of the Jan. 31, 2022, arson attack. (Citizen journalist) New satellite imagery obtained by RFA reveals the destruction caused by Myanmar junta forces who witnesses say set fire to two villages, two miles apart, driving thousands of people from homes now reduced to ashes. The after-dark arson attacks against Mwe Tone and Pan villages in Sagaings Pale township, in the conflict-hit countrys northwest, took place Jan. 31. According to local residents, the villages were suspected of harboring anti-junta forces. The residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety, believe the burnings were retaliation for attacks launched the previous week in Inn Ma Htee village, which lies about four miles to the west of Pan, and Zee Phyu Kone village, about 14 miles to the north, by fighters from several local Peoples Defense Force, or PDF, militia that are battling the junta. PDF groups claimed responsibility for Jan. 23 raids on training camps of pro-junta militia, known as Phyu Saw Tee, in those villages, and claimed at least five junta troops or militia were killed in Zee Phyu Kone. RFA could not independently verify that information. Phyu Saw Tee groups, believed formed by operatives from the main pro-military party around the country, have become a player in Myanmars widening civil conflict which was triggered by the military coup against the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi one year ago. But junta forces are increasingly resorting to arson against civilian settlements as they struggle to contain the armed resistance and the popular opposition to the military rule of coup leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. A building on fire at Pan village during the Jan. 31, 2022, arson attack. (Credit: Citizen journalist) Residents told RFA that about 100 soldiers from Myaing township in neighboring Magwe region entered Mwe Tone and Pan villages and set buildings on fire. Troops destroyed some 220 of the 265 houses in Mwe Tone and nearly one-fourth of the 800 houses in Pan. The satellite imagery shows most of Mwe Tone is burned out, with just a few buildings on its periphery still intact. What appears to be a Buddhist temple or stupa still stands on the eastern side of the village. Mwe Tone Village, Pale Township, Sagaing Region. Earlier images are done by Google Earth CNES taken 11/11/2020. Recent images are done by Planet Labs analysis by RFA. According to residents, people fled when the soldiers entered the village, but were unable to take their belongings and lost their cattle in the blaze. Two miles to the west across arid rice fields is Pan village, which is a larger, more scattered settlement. The heart of that village is now also gutted, the imagery shows. Pan Village, Pale Township, Sagaing Region. Earlier images are done by Google Earth CNES taken 11/11/2020. Recent images are done by Planet Labs analysis by RFA. The military is burning down villages they think are strongholds of local PDF forces, a villager from Pan told RFA. Villagers from Mwe Tone cant go home now. Their village is a wasteland. The civilians are the ones bearing the brunt of the attacks. Photos and video shot by citizen journalists on the ground in the two villages in the aftermath show smoldering ruins, blackened palm trees and charred corpses of livestock. Residents said nearly 10,000 people from the two villages and surrounding area fled their homes during the attack and were taking shelter at monasteries, in nearby villages, at Pale town, and in makeshift camps. There were no immediate reports of death or injuries. Calls to junta spokesman Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun to ask about the village burnings went unanswered. Customarily, the military denies setting fire to villages and blames anti-junta militia instead. The denials carry increasingly little weight. Dozens of villages across Myanmar have witnessed arson attacks since the coup. According to the research group Data for Myanmar, from the start of the coup on Feb. 1, 2021, until Feb. 4, 2022, some 3,379 houses have been destroyed in fire, mostly in the Sagaing and Magwe regions and in Chin State. The project aims to open desert areas for development, but experts say it could dilute the Uyghur population. A secretive 500-kilometer-long irrigation project China is building to divert snowmelt from the Altay Mountains to desert areas in its restive Xinjiang region has developed a too-much-of-a-good-thing problem. Workers keep tapping into gushing flows of groundwater that have slowed construction to a crawl. Based in part on the 2,000-year-old karez (well) system designed by Uyghurs in Turpan (in Chinese, Tulufan), China began constructing the 514-kilometer-long (320-mile-long) project years ago in what is reportedly the longest underground irrigation canal system in the world. The project comprises three deeply dug tunnels, the longest of which is the 280-kilometer-long (174-mile-long) Kashuang Tunnel twice as long as the Delaware Aqueduct, the main channel supplying water to New York City. Despite the projects size, Chinas official media has yet to report on the irrigation network, which has given rise to a fair amount of speculation about what purpose the water line will ultimately serve, particularly as it is being built at a time of well-documented persecution against Uyghur Muslims who live in the area. A few details first appeared in a scientific report by Deng Mingjiang, a Chinese academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and his colleagues in February 2018. A second report he wrote for the Chinese peer-reviewed journal Tunnel Construction in November 2021 discussed the geological issues facing engineers. The high level of groundwater has consistently led to flooding and had adverse effects on the construction plans, according to the authors of the paper recently published in the Journal of Tunnel Construction. Workers have been hit by strong streams of water, forcing them to flee the site. The problem is having a serious detrimental impact on construction, according to the Tunnel Construction report. The tunnel excavation rate has dropped to barely 200 meters (656 feet) per month, half the average rate in arid regions such as the Xinjiang, the journal article states. About 60 percent of the project had been completed as of June 2021, with experts believing that the ongoing flooding might lead to more significant delays in construction. A Chinese team of engineers is now attempting to solve the problem. In one effort, they built an earthquake detector in the tunnel to anticipate the water flow on their excavation route so as to prepare for flooding, the report says. In addition to the problems caused by the complex geological conditions of the area, half of the projects road calculation estimates, which were based on geological assessments, have turned out to be incorrect, according to the report. 'Changing the ethnic balance' The tunnel project seeks to divert water from the higher reaches of the Irtysh River, the source of which is snow from Chinas Altay Mountains into the deserts of northern Xinjiang. The precise endpoint is not yet known. The river is an international waterway that flows through Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Russia into the Arctic Sea. The river the second-largest river in the Xinjiang is fed by some 11 billion cubic meters (388.5 billion cubic feet) of snow per year, according to the Chinese government. As engineers look to get the project back on track, much of the rest of the world is wondering what the Chinese governments ultimate aim is in building it in the first place. Sean Roberts, director of the International Development Studies program at George Washington University and the author of the book The War on the Uyghurs: Chinas Internal Campaign against a Muslim Minority, told RFA in December that the project could help to raise Xinjiangs population of Han Chinese, the countrys national majority ethnic group, as a counterweight to Uyghurs. We know that the Chinese government is very interested in changing the ethnic balance in the Uyghur region in favor of Han Chinese, and one of the difficulties that has created is that it has required moving Uyghurs, Kazakhs and others out of the region because of the environment [there], he said. It would be impossible just to bring more people into the region, and thats mostly because of the arid nature of the region, Roberts said. So, if they succeeded in irrigating this area with more water, that could theoretically expand the holding capacity of the regions population. The project also has the potential for changing the demographics of Xinjiang for years to come, he said. It could lead to many more Han being able to settle in the region and overwhelm those Uyghurs who remain in the region, so it could speed up the dispossession of Uyghurs and other indigenous peoples of this region [from] their connection to this particular land, Roberts added. The Chinese government sees the low population of Han Chinese, currently 8 percent in southern Xinjiang, as a security concern, according to an August 2021 report on Beijings population optimization strategy in southern Xinjiang by German researcher Adrian Zenz. A Chinese-made tunnel boring machine, in a file photo by Xinhua News Agency. Agriculture, industry, mining Stanley Toops, a cultural geographer at Miami University in Ohio, whose research focuses on the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, said the giant irrigation system could also be an economic development tool. It could be that they want to do agriculture or industry, or maybe some mining or there are minerals. Then, they [would] need water to expand the settlement. But currently, this area is a dry desert area, so theres no water. Part of the outside interest in the project is due to the fact that it is being built at a time when Western countries, the United Nations and human rights groups have condemned China over its mass internment campaign begun in the region in 2017 that has seen an estimated 1.8 million mostly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities detained in internment camps. Credible testimonies and well-documented reports also point to other rights abuses involving Uyghurs, including intrusive surveillance systems, the torturing of detainees, forced sterilizations of Uyghur women, the use of Uyghur forced labor, and the transfer of Han Chinese into the region. The project is not the first time China has attempted to direct water to Xinjiang and relocate a greater number of Chinese migrants to southern Xinjiang. In an earlier project, Chinese researchers planned to build a 1,000-kilometer tunnel to divert water from the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the Tibetan Plateau to the Tarim Basin. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. A Russian rocket attack destroyed an airport runway in Odesa, Ukraines third-largest city and a key Black Sea port, on April 30 as the country's president said it was hard to discuss peace amid public anger over alleged atrocities carried out by Russian troops, and Russia's foreign minister claimed that Western sanctions and arms shipments were impeding the talks. The comments by Ukrainian and Russian officials came as reports emerged that some civilians could be evacuated from the besieged southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol as Russia continued its offensive in Ukraine's east. Ukraines Operational Command South said late on April 30 that there was no way that the Odesa runway could be used as a result of the rocket attack. Odesas regional governor said that the rocket was fired from Russian-occupied Crimea. Maksym Marchenko said there were no reports of any injuries. Elsewhere, another mass grave was found in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, the scene of alleged mass executions of civilians before its recapture by Ukrainian forces in early March, the head of Kyivs regional police force said on April 30. That came as Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister said Russian invading forces have stolen several hundred thousand tons of grain in territory they hold. Today, there are confirmed facts that several hundred thousand tons of grain in total were taken out of the Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Taras Vysotskiy told Ukrainian TV. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his latest televised address on April 29 that Kyiv's forces were making tactical gains in the region, while a senior U.S. defense official said the same day that stiff Ukrainian resistance was slowing Russia's Donbas offensive. Zelenskiy's office had earlier said that an operation was planned to get civilians out of the huge Azovstal steel plant, where some 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are holed up together with about 1,000 civilians. Later in the day, TASS reported that 25 civilians, including six children, had left the territory of the Azovstal steel plant. Later, Ukrainian soldiers inside the besieged plant were quoted by Western news agencies as saying a group of 20 civilians were set to leave the plant. "Twenty civilians, women and children... have been transferred to a suitable place and we hope that they will be evacuated to Zaporizhzhya, on territory controlled by Ukraine," said Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment. Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, located in the country's northeast, was reportedly targeted by mortar and artillery shelling on April 30. Zelenskiy said in his televised address the night before that Ukrainian forces had recaptured a strategically important village near the city and evacuated hundreds of civilians. The Ukrainian military said in its daily briefing on April 30 that the greatest enemy losses were taking place near Izyum, in the region of Kharkhiv bordering the Luhansk and Donetsk territories. Aleksandr Bogomaz, the governor of Bryansk in Russia, said air defenses had prevented a Ukrainian aircraft from entering the region, and as a result shelling had hit parts of an oil terminal, Russian news agencies reported. The governor of another Russian region, Kursk, said several shells were fired from the direction of Ukraine on April 30 at a checkpoint near its border. Roman Starovoit said in a video on his Telegram channel that there were no casualties or damage. Seven Ukrainian soldiers and seven civilians have been released in a prisoner swap Saturday with Russia, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said. Were bringing home 14 of our people: seven military personnel and seven civilians," Vereshchuk wrote on Facebook and Telegram. To me, this exchange is special: one of the female soldiers is five months pregnant. Zelenskiy told the nation on April 29 that the constant "brutal" bombardments on infrastructure and residential areas "show that Russia wants to empty [the Donbas region] of all people," and said that the "defense of our land, the defense of our people, is literally a fight for life." He said that if Russian forces, which invaded Ukraine unprovoked in late February and have been accused of carrying out war crimes against civilians, "are able to realize their plans even partially, then they have enough artillery and aircraft to turn the entire Donbas into stone." Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Zelenskiy said that Mariupol, once one of the east's most developed cities, was now a "concentration camp among the ruins." Earlier the same day he told Polish journalists that Ukrainian people seek retribution for alleged atrocities by Russian troops, and "when that kind of attitude exists, it's hard to talk about things." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, has dismissed the need for the United Nations to help secure humanitarian corridors from besieged Ukrainian cities. He also called on the West to stop providing arms to Ukraine and said that "difficult" negotiations with Kyiv continue. Speaking to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV on April 29, Lavrov said that he appreciated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposals to help evacuate Ukrainian civilians from besieged cities, but that there is no need for anybody to provide help to open humanitarian corridors." Russia's Defense Ministry has confirmed that it had carried out an air strike on Kyiv during Guterres' visit to the Ukrainian capital on April 28, saying that "high-precision, long-range air-based weapons" were used in an attack it claimed had destroyed a missile-production facility in Kyiv. Journalist Vira Hyrych, who worked for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was among those killed when a missile hit her apartment. In comments published by China's official Xinhua news agency on April 30, Lavrov said that talks with Kyiv continue daily, with Moscow insisting on the "recognition of new geopolitical realities, the lifting of [Western] sanctions, and the status of the Russian language." Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have not met face to face since the end of March, with Russian troops accused of carrying out war crimes and Western nations tightening punitive sanctions against Moscow and increasing military aid to Kyiv. Lavrov told Xinhua that, if the United States and the Western NATO military alliance were "really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis, then first of all, they should wake up and stop supplying the Kyiv regime with arms and ammunition." The Russian foreign minister also said that Russia, which has been hard-hit by punitive sanctions over its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, could "retool" its economy to counter "unlawful hostilities." French President Emmanuel Macron told Zelenskiy during a call on April 30 that his country would step up military and humanitarian support for Ukraine. In Washington, Congress is preparing to consider U.S. President Joe Biden's request for $33 billion to support Ukraine, a massive jump in funding that includes over $20 billion for weapons, ammunition, and other military aid. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on April 29 that, in the month since Moscow announced that it would focus its military efforts in Ukraine on the country's east, it had made minimal gains. In the assessment of the United States, the official said, the Russian military was at least several days behind where they wanted to be in its attempt to encircle Ukrainian troops. The official described Russian troops' efforts to move from Mariupol to advance on Ukrainian forces from the south as "slow and uneven and certainly not decisive." The British Defense Ministry, in its latest assessment, said that Russia had "been forced to merge and redeploy depleted and disparate units from the failed advances in northeast Ukraine." However, British intelligence said that many of the units are "likely suffering from weakened morale" and "a lack of unit-level skills and inconsistent air support have left Russia unable to fully leverage its combat mass." Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week threatened unspecified retaliation for Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, while Lavrov said the West should not underestimate the elevated risks of nuclear conflict. Russia's invasion and heightened rhetoric has led to concerns that the war in Ukraine could spill into neighboring Moldova, whose separatist Transdniester region is backed by Moscow and hosts Russian forces. A series of recent blasts in Transdniester have led to accusations that Moscow is seeking to destabilize Moldova. When asked about the risk of war in Moldova during his April 29 interview with Al-Arabiya, Lavrov said that "Moldova should worry about its own future, suggesting that the country is "being pulled into NATO. With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters The authorities are putting pressure on journalists in Kyrgyzstan. On the evening of January 22, Kyrgyz police raided the office of investigative journalist Bolot Temirov, who regularly reports on his YouTube program Temirov LIVE about corruption, often involving powerful figures in the country. The raid came two days after Temirov reported allegations that relatives of the head of the State Committee for National Security (UKMK), Kamchybek Tashiev, were involved in a scheme to redirect petroleum products, skimming off the profits from the deal. Police claimed to have found drugs on Temirov, which he said were planted on him during the raid. A subsequent blood test on Temirov showed no traces of illegal substances. The raid was preceded by a plot to lure a female employee of Temirov's program into an intimate relationship that was filmed, then the video was used to try to blackmail the young woman into informing the UKMK about Temirov's work. On this week's Majlis Podcast, RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderates a discussion on the campaign against Temirov LIVE, and also the problems of Kaktus.media, an independent Kyrgyz news outlet facing charges of spreading propaganda for reposting an article by an independent Tajik news outlet during recent clashes along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. This week's guests are: from Sarajevo, Ilya Lozovsky, staff writer and editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which worked with RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, and local Kyrgyz news website Kloop.kg to produce detailed reports about the raid on Temirov LIVE; from Bishkek, Begaim Usenova, media expert and consultant, and formerly the director of the Bishkek-based Media Policy Institute; and Central Asia analyst Bruce Pannier. Listen to the podcast above oror on This week's Majlis Podcast features a discussion on the campaign against journalist Bolot Temirov as well as the problems of Kaktus.media, an independent Kyrgyz news outlet facing charges of spreading propaganda for reposting an article by an independent Tajik news outlet during the recent clashes along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. Cultural ambassador: Aras Amiri had organised exhibitions in Iran for the British Council (Handout) A Londoner who was detained in Iran on spying charges has been acquitted and has returned home. Aras Amiri, an Iranian national who resides in the UK, was arrested in March 2018 during a visit to her grandmother in Tehran after the regime accused her of spying. She was sentenced to ten years in jail the following year. Now Ms Amiri, an employee of the British Councils London office, has been acquitted of all charges by Irans Supreme Court. In a statement, the British Council said: We have always refuted the original charges made against Aras. We are very proud of her work in our London office as an arts programme officer supporting a greater understanding and appreciation of Iranian culture in the UK. This was important work which reflects the value of cross-border cultural collaboration. In 2019, an Iranian judiciary spokesman had accused her of using contacts with arts and theatre groups to "influence and infiltrate" Iran at a cultural level. The government spokesperson also claimed she confessed to working with British intelligence. Speaking from Tehran, her lawyer Hojjat Kermani confirmed her acquittal to the Associated Press saying her conviction had been against Shariah. Mr Kermani said she flew out of Tehran on Monday but had been free in recent months as she appealed a travel ban. During her sentence, Ms Amiri had been held in the same section of the infamous Evin prison as Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe. Hodad's co-owner Mike Hardin. K.C. Alfred Mike Hardin -- beloved burger master, philanthropist and co-owner of Hodad's, an Ocean Beach institution -- has died, leaving the community in mourning. As news spread of his death, mourners gathered and left remembrances in front of the Ocean Beach restaurant on Newport Avenue, creating a makeshift memorial. Restaurant employees and family members chose not to speak on Friday, an employee said, but a statement was posted on Hodad's website: "The Hodads family is completely devastated by the news of Mike Hardins untimely passing. We will remain closed until Sunday." The closure also applies to a second Hodad's restaurant, located in downtown San Diego. Hodad's also has an outlet at Petco Park. View the photo gallery: Hodad's Mike Hardin Known to locals as the "Boss Man" (the words were tattooed on his knuckles), Hardin was found dead Thursday afternoon in a hotel room in Chowchilla, Calif., in Madera County. A Madera County sheriff's detective assigned to the county coroner's office said Hardin's body was found by staff at a Holiday Inn off state Route 99 in Chowchilla about 2 p.m. Thursday. He said Hardin had checked into the hotel the night before. Friends said he had been in Oregon visiting his daughter. There was no evidence of foul play in Hardin's hotel room, but the coroner's office has ordered an autopsy because it was an unexpected death, the detective said. Wonderland segment on Hodad's A resident of Ocean Beach since he was 11, Hardin, 56, ran Hodad's with his late mother, Virginia Hardin, since the mid-1980s following his father's death. His parents acquired Hodad's in the mid-1970s when it sat opposite the main lifeguard tower at Ocean Beach and later moved the burger joint to Voltaire Street in 1980. Only after Hardin relocated the eatery to its current location on Newport in 1991 did it really start to thrive, recalled Ocean Beach residents. "When they moved to Newport, his business boomed, just like that," said Pat James, former co-owner of the James Gang, a longtime specialty printing business in Ocean Beach. "I remember he told me they went from 2 employees to 22." Casey Spidle made a stop at Hodad's burger restaurant to pay respect for Mike Hardin. Mourners gathered Friday and left flowers and small items at a memorial in front of the Ocean Beach eatery. Nelvin C. Cepeda While the restaurant, known for its mammoth, juicy burgers, onion rings and thick shakes, has long been a popular hangout for locals, it wasn't until 2007 when Hodad's was featured on Guy Fieri's Food network program Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives that the lines out the door grew even longer. Like the seaside community in which it sits, Hodad's has a decidedly funky feel, with its humorous vanity license plates crowding the walls and surfboards suspended from its ceiling. Fieri, in an email, said of Hardin, "Mike was one of the most generous people I have ever known and he embraced life with a tremendous amount of appreciation." In a tweet to his followers, he said, "RIP Mike Hardin 'boss man.' You helped the world in so many ways. We will miss you everyday." It was unclear Friday who would take over operation of Hardin's business, although friends say his son Shane is involved in the business. As much as Hardin will be forever known for his burgers, those close to him say he will be most remembered for his generosity, unceasing kindness and charitable works, having contributed to local schools and in recent years traveled overseas preparing Hodad's burgers for U.S. troops. "He's given jobs to people on parole, people down and out, they'd be high on drugs, he'd fire them and hire them back, and would give them second and third chances," said John Tieken, owner of Last Days Tattoo parlor. Tieken, who said he did the first tattoos for Hardin's children, said Friday he would be doing tattoos in honor of Hardin and whatever donations he received he would give to the kids. Denny Knox, executive director of Ocean Beach Main Street, described Hardin as selfless, always willing to give of his time when the need arose. He took good care of his employees, and if you were down and out, he was always the person to step up, whatever you needed, she said. Hed help sponsor events, cook for something, he never saw the bad side of people. And he never took his success for granted. He was very appreciative. In 2011, Hardin brought the Hodads brand to downtown San Diego following repeated construction delays and ballooning costs. He acknowledged to friends that business at the new location started out slowly, but he always remained confident it would grow. He always kept a positive outlook, said Saad Hirmez, owner of the Apple Tree Market, which he plans to reopen in Ocean Beach this year. He said it was slowly building up, people were starting to recognize it, and it was just a matter of people getting to know where it was. In a 2005 interview with the Union-Tribune, Hardin that he was the only one of his siblings who followed his parents into the business. "I think I grew up wondering what I would do for a living," Hardin said. "I'm the last of five kids. My brothers and sisters wanted nothing to do with the restaurant." View the photo gallery: Hodad's and its burgers A former county toxicologists effort to get her murder conviction for the killing of her husband overturned stalled Tuesday when a federal appeals court reversed its earlier decision to grant a hearing on key evidence in the case. Kristin Rossum was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2002 in the high-profile case in which prosecutors accused her of poisoning her husband with a fatal dose of the narcotic fentanyl. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. A year ago, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that Rossums trial lawyers erred by not challenging the prosecutions contention that her husband, Gregory de Villers, 26, died from an overdose of the powerful painkiller. The panel of judges said the defense should have tested de Villers autopsy samples for metabolites of fentanyl, which the body produces when the liver processes the drug. If none were found, it would show that de Villers had not ingested fentanyl and raised the possibility that the samples were contaminated in the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office. The panel did not reverse the conviction but sent the case back to federal court in San Diego, where a hearing would have been held to determine whether the defenses mistake not testing the samples affected the trials outcome. Advertisement Since then, the appeals court reconsidered its original decision after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion on a separate case in January. In that case, a man convicted of murder sought to have his conviction overturned because of mistakes the defense made in his trial. The Supreme Court determined that federal courts must defer to a state courts decision when considering such claims. Based on that ruling, the appeals court panel voted 2-1 not to order the hearing to determine how and when the autopsy samples in the Rossum case would be tested. Rossums lawyer for the appeal, William Genego of Los Angeles, did not return two calls Tuesday to comment. The Attorney Generals Office, which defended Rossums conviction on appeal, declined to comment on the decision. Rossum, then 25, was arrested in 2001 after Villers body was found on the living room floor of the couples apartment near the University of California San Diego. Investigators said the scene was staged to look as though it was a suicide. The case was dubbed the American Beauty murder, because of the rose petals that surrounded the body, evoking an image from the movie of the same name. U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner of Massachusetts, who sat on the 9th Circuit panel, wrote the dissenting opinion. In it, she said the panels original conclusions were entirely appropriate. Gertner said Rossum had made a strong showing that her trial lawyers should not have conceded that fentanyl was the cause of de Villers death without having the samples tested and that the defenses suicide-by-fentanyl theory was implausible in light of the toxicological evidence. An expert Rossum hired when she appealed her conviction said the extremely high levels of fentanyl in de Villers system were inconsistent with other evidence in the case. Press Release February 6, 2022 Bong Go encourages parents to have their eligible children inoculated as pilot vaccination for 5 to 11 years old starts Monday Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Christopher "Bong" Go has encouraged parents to get their eligible children inoculated against COVID-19 as the government set the pilot vaccination of those aged 5 to 11 on February 7. The schedule was moved to said date from February 4 due to logistical challenges according to health authorities. "Bagama't hindi mandatory ang vaccination laban sa COVID-19 at hindi pwedeng pilitin ang mga tao, hikayatin pa rin natin ang mga hindi pa bakunado na magpabakuna na dahil maiiwasan natin ang malubhang sakit o maging kamatayan dahil sa COVID-19. Ilapit na natin sa kanila ang bakuna at ipaintindi natin nang mabuti," Go said. Vaccinating children is an important part of the national immunization program, according to Go, as it provides them with the extra protection they need against the virus. The senator then reassured parents that the vaccines are effective and safe, and are the best weapon available to safeguard themselves and their families against COVID-19. "While we recognize that taking vaccines is a personal decision, we urge you to make the best decision for the benefit of not just yourselves, but also your community, particularly your loved ones," Go said. "Makasisiguro naman po tayo na ang mga bakunang ito ay ligtas at epektibo laban sa COVID-19," he stressed. The government had already chosen six locations in Metro Manila where COVID-19 reformulated vaccines would be administered to the qualified younger population. These are the Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children's Medical Center, National Children's Hospital and SM North EDSA (Skydome) in Quezon City; Manila Zoo in Manila City; and Fil Oil Gymnasium in San Juan City. The government aims to vaccinate over 39.4 million children between zero to 17 years old. As of February 4, the country has administered a total of 128,473,507 vaccines. Around 59.80 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated while 60.65 million individuals have received their first dose. Meanwhile, 8,012,011 booster shots have been administered. The country has received a total of 217,778,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, Go urged public and private sector partners to come up with innovative ways to encourage more eligible people to get their doses. "The vaccine is critical to us returning to normalcy and overcoming this pandemic as quickly as possible," he explained, reiterating the importance of protecting children and the elderly by getting vaccinated when the opportunity arises. Go then reassured that the country is on the right path to ultimately defeating the virus, thanks to the government's efforts and continued public cooperation. "This is not the time to be complacent as we work for a better tomorrow. Cooperation, compassion, and concern for others have the potential to save lives. So let us continue to collaborate with the administration so that we may properly heal and recover as a nation," he said. By David Brunnstrom and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken goes to Asia next week for talks with Indo-Pacific allies, including a meeting of foreign ministers of the four-nation Quad, the State Department said on Friday. Blinken is making the trip despite the mounting crisis over Ukraine and policy analysts say the aim is to show the Indo-Pacific region support and that pushing back against China's expanding influence remains Washington's top priority. Blinken will leave Washington on Monday and be in Australia from Feb.9-12 for the meeting of the Quad - the United States, Japan, India and Australia. Blinken will then meet Pacific Island leaders in Fiji before heading to Hawaii to confer with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts to discuss the North Korea issue. The State Department said the purpose of the trip was "to engage Indo-Pacific allies and partners to advance peace, resilience, and prosperity across the region and demonstrate that these partnerships deliver." The trip was announced even as China and Russia proclaimed a deep strategic partnership on Friday to balance what they portrayed as the malign global influence of the United States. The State Department said that in Fiji on Feb. 12 Blinken would discuss the climate crisis, COVID-19, disaster assistance, and "ways to further our shared commitment to democracy, regional solidarity, and prosperity" with Pacific Island leaders. He will be the first U.S. secretary of state to visit Fiji since 1985. A senior U.S. official has said President Joe Biden's administration plans to start a new Pacific Islands initiative with allies and partners that would bring together regional countries to "raise our ambition in the region, including on climate, maritime, and transportation issues." The official said it would at the same time finalize negotiations on Compacts of Free Association: agreements with three Pacific Island countries - the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau - that facilitate U.S. military access. They are due to expire in 2023 in the case of the former two states and in 2024 in the case of Palau. Story continues U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell has said that the Pacific could be the part of the world most likely to see "strategic surprise" - comments apparently referring to possible Chinese ambitions to establish Pacific-island bases. Washington had not done enough to assist the region and that there was a very short amount of time, Campbell said, to work with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and fellow Pacific power France, "to step up our game across the board." (Reporting by Susan Heavey and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Grant McCool) Since we are in a new year, I thought it would be interesting for our readers to try something new in this column. Each month I will try to present a piece of interesting information about Zonta that may not be known by the general public. So to begin this, I will describe how the name of Zonta was chosen as the club name. The word "Zonta" comes from a Lakota Sioux Indian word that means "honest and trustworthy." Therefore, in 1919 when the first Zonta club was formed, the founding members felt that the name of Zonta: "stood for the highest standards in the business and professional world, and seeks cooperation rather than competition and considers the Golden Rule not only good ethics but good business." In addition, the Zonta Club of Auburn is accepting applications for the Young Women in Public Affairs and the Jean M. Coon scholarships from high schools in Cayuga County, and below is a description of each of these awards. Each one is for $1,000. The Young Women in Public Affairs Award was established in 1990 by past International President Leneen Forde, who was the 22nd governor of Queensland, and because Zonta International believes that young women are the key to womens advancement in the field of public service. Therefore, it offers the Young Women in Public Affairs Award, which recognizes young women, ages 16-19, for demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to public service and civic causes, and encourages them to continue their participation in public and political life. The recipient of the local award is also eligible to be considered for an award on the both the district and international level. Information on how to apply is available at the Zonta International Foundation website, or students should check with their guidance counselor at their school. Jean McCoy Coon graduated cum laude from Syracuse University in 1951. She continued her education at Syracuse College of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 1953. Jeans legal career began as legal counsel for municipal affairs in the New York State Comptrollers Office. Returning to the Syracuse area when her father was ill, Jean served for a year as deputy clerk to the Childrens Court of Onondaga County. After her fathers death, she returned to the Albany area and, in 1956, joined the New York State Assembly staff as a research counsel. In 1957, Jean became an assistant attorney general for the state. In 1971, she became assistant solicitor general for the state. She ended her career as deputy counsel for the state Education Department. Jean argued many precedent-setting cases in the New York State Court of Appeals, and her reputation among the bar and the judiciary was unparalleled. Jean joined the Zonta Club of Saratoga County in 1962, transferring from the Zonta Club of Syracuse. She served as the governor of District 2 and was parliamentarian of the Zonta International Board from 1979 to 1980. She served as chair of the Zonta International By-Laws Committee. An active member of her Ballston Spa community, her humanitarian efforts were always with a small h and never self-serving. Good things just happened and most people never knew that Jean was the impetus behind the results. In 1982, Jean died at age 52. Shortly thereafter, District 2 established the District 2 Jean M. Coon Humanitarian Award to honor her many achievements, and to continue her example of doing good for others. High school junior or senior students who perform outstanding community service may apply by submitting an application. Information on how to apply for this award is available on the Zonta Club of Auburn website and the Zonta International District 2 website, or from the guidance counselor at their school. Questions regarding these awards can be emailed to auburn@zontadistrict2.org. Kathy Barnard is president of the Zonta Club of Auburn. For more information, visit zonta.org or zontadistrict2.org, or email auburn@zontadistrict2.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A massage therapist critically injured in a shooting at the Kume Spa in Oakland on Tuesday was helping hide his colleagues and customers when he was shot by a co-worker, the business owners said Saturday. Oakland police have said an employee of the spa walked into the building at 614 Grand Ave. near Lake Merritt shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday and opened fire, hitting one man before turning the gun on herself. The woman, a Berkeley resident, later died at a local hospital, police said. Authorities said the shooting appeared to have been an attempted homicide and suicide, and no other suspects are outstanding. The spas owners confirmed in a statement Saturday that the assailant was an employee. In a separate GoFundMe post, the spa said the injured therapist, who is hospitalized, has awakened from a coma and is recovering. When he regained consciousness, the first words uttered were to ask if his coworkers were okay, according to the GoFundMe post. The therapist was shot multiple times while making sure his other coworkers were hidden in safe places, the spa owners said in the statement. Another therapist, who was not injured, alerted the front desk to evacuate and call 911 when the shooting started, they said. We are so grateful and proud of these two employees who stepped up, risking their own lives, to protect their co-workers and clients, the spa owners said in the statement. Their bravery saved countless lives and we are honored to know, and work with, these heroes. The owners, identified only as Christy and Carrie on the Kume Spa website, addressed the statement to the community and emailed a copy to The Chronicle. They said that while they could not speak to the state of mind of the shooter, who was sadly one of our staff and later succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, this tragedy was a reminder to all of us that we never know what someone is experiencing in their private lives. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. This incident is a reminder to all of us that we should treat all with kindness, extend grace and take time to ask someone how they are doing, they said. At this time we are focused on healing, the spa owners said. We are grateful to our employees and community for their support, we need it now more than ever. Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez Kindergartener Zyla Conover stood before a microphone holding her mothers hand on the playground of her school, Prescott Elementary in West Oakland, Saturday morning a school that under a plan by Oakland Unified School District could close by the end of the year. Conover, her mother, father and toddler brother faced a diverse crowd of a couple hundred people, hoisting signs that declared Public schools are the heart of the community and Black Lives Matter. They had gathered in the school yard in the culmination of a week of protest actions against the districts proposal to close or merge more than a dozen schools to save money, citing financial troubles and low enrollment. I dont want my school to close down because its my favorite school, Conover said into the microphone. I dont want the brown and Black schools to close down. Nearly all of the schools on the districts closures list serve low-income students of color in less affluent areas. Since the list was released a week ago, the proposal drew more than 1,800 people to the last school board meeting and led two teachers at a middle school slated for closure to go on hunger strike until the district backs down. The school board will vote on the plan Tuesday. OUSD supports everyones right to protest, including protesting possible decisions by the Board of Education, district officials said in a statement Saturday. We know that our students, staff, and families all agree that we need a district of thriving schools, yet not everyone necessarily agrees on how best to get there. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle The district has said the move is necessary because of financial struggles caused by dropping enrollment, leading to a higher number of schools than other districts with comparable student populations, and schools on the closures list were chosen because of low student numbers. Officials and a third-party group of accountants previously said the district is projected to reach deficits of $12.3 million in 2022-23 and $7.1 million by the 2023-24 fiscal year. The school board recently voted on $40 million in cuts next year to balance the budget, yet the districts financial future is still in the red, officials said. In their statement, district officials said it has considered and implemented many alternatives to closing schools, but the fact remains that OUSD simply has too many schools and ... keeping these schools open negatively impacts all students and staff within OUSD. OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a school board meeting this week it was not easy for me to present this information, especially knowing that African American students and families will be the most affected by these recommendations. Oakland City Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Sheng Thao, along with school board members VanCedric Williams and Mike Hutchinson who oppose school closures, attended Saturdays rally and questioned the districts narrative. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle Hutchinson said the districts policy of giving families the option of applying to any school has reinforced the narrative that students must go to more affluent areas to get a better education, despite schools like Prescott performing well. He and others also criticized lack of investment in Prescott as contributing to drops in numbers. If this school goes, there is no other school left in this neighborhood, he said. Personally as a school board director, I dont care what the enrollment is, this neighborhood and community deserves a public school just like every other neighborhood does. ... And then if enrollment is low or theres not enough resources, then its our job as a school district to fix that. Hutchinson called the speed of the plan insanity and said if the district needed to be restructured, the community should be involved in the planning process. Ive been fighting school closures for 10 years in Oakland and nationally and Ive never seen anything like this before, he said. The schools listed for closure by the end of 2023 are Prescott Elementary, Carl Munck Elementary, Parker K-8, Brookfield Elementary and Grass Valley Elementary; The district recommended RISE Elementary merge with New Highland, Westlake Middle School merge with West Oakland Middle School, and Ralph Bunche merge with Dewey high schools. Horace Mann Elementary and Korematsu Discovery Academy are among the schools slated for closure by 2024, plus a recommendation for Manzanita Community School and Fruitvale Elementary. Oakland is among 14 school districts in California that the state Department of Education deemed at risk of becoming insolvent by the end of the 2023 fiscal year. Fife and Thao said they are calling on state elected leaders, with a budget surplus this year, to fill in the $57 million need statewide to avoid closing schools. Saturdays rally, which featured more than a dozen speakers, was organized by community organizations. One called Reparations for Black Students released a list of demands that included ending school closures and wasteful spending as well as creating racial equity plans and solutions to boost enrollment at majority Black schools. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle Keith Brown, president of the Oakland Education Association, the union representing teachers and other educators, said in his speech he took offense at the district proposing to close Prescott, open for more than 150 years, during Black History Month. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Weve educated generations of families, said Prescott Principal Enomwoyi Booker, who has headed the school for 15 years. This community has suffered a lot ... and we help step in to provide that other home for the students and the families. Students and their families at other schools on the closure list gave speeches during the protest. I am very sad, said Amr Mohamed, a 2nd grader at Brookfield Elementary who said he learned English at the school. If Brookfield gets closed, it will be very difficult for me to walk or take the bus to another school because its not safe. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle His father Mokhtar Mohamed called the proposed closures discriminatory because they would mostly impact students of color. Parents of children with special needs lamented the disruption closures could have. Carl Pezold stood at the microphone helping his son Max, a 2nd grader at Carl Munck Elementary, stand. Holding up Max on the other side was his teacher Sheila Deputy, who supports special needs students. They need stability and a familiar face to get where theyre going. If not, its very, very damaging for them, Pezold said, his voice breaking with emotion. My son has a right to a life of dignity. Your kids have a right to dignity. Whose schools? he yelled at the crowd. Our schools! they roared back. Editors note: This article has been amended to omit the incorrect distance to the nearest school to Prescott. Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench BINGHAMTON A man who shot a New York state trooper in the arm last year was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reported 45-year-old Scott Mawhiney was sentenced Friday after he was found guilty in November of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault of a police officer, along with other charges. Police said Mawhiney shot Trooper Ryan Thorp in the Delaware County town of Deposit while he was responding to a domestic dispute in the town near the Pennsylvania border. Prosecutors said Thorp would have been hit in the head if he had not ducked. He was wounded in the arm and his patrol car was struck multiple times. Mawhineys lawyer Ronald Benjamin says his client was intoxicated and shooting at random, not directly aiming at the trooper. Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak said Thorp is still recovering from the June shooting. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 2 Angry 0 One idea to fix Californias messed-up recall system is gathering support and seems like a smart, easy fix: When the governor is recalled, the lieutenant governor replaces them. Done. Californians would vote on a replacement to complete the rest of the ousted governors term during the next regularly scheduled statewide election. That means theres no second question on the ballot asking voters to sort through random replacements who are treating a campaign like a reality show to sell their branded swag. (Were looking at you, Caitlyn Jenner, and your $35 Caitlyn for California whiskey glass set.) Or as a shortcut to a rematch against a guy who creamed you by 24 points 21 months earlier. (Were looking at you, John Cox, who spent $36.80 on every vote he got some of it on campaigning with a live bear and finished a distant fifth among the wannabe replacements.) Most important, it would eliminate the most insane part of Californias recall process: While it takes a majority of voters to recall a governor, their replacement can become the leader of the worlds fifth-largest economy just by winning the most votes among the bear-dancers and swag-hawkers. That means there is a distinct possibility that more people could vote to keep a governor in office than to choose his replacement. Were looking at you, Larry Elder. After pulling together a panel of experts to look at Californias recall system led by Democratic former Gov. Jerry Brown and Republican former state Supreme Court Justice Ronald George California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said, The recall question should be a single question on the ballot: Should we or should we not recall the governor? We elect a lieutenant governor with the understanding that this person is prepared and will be prepared to step in, Weber told a joint committee in the Legislature last week that is studying recall reform. Our assumption is the lieutenant governor, like the vice president of the United States, is prepared to take office. A nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California poll recently found that 50% of likely voters supported the idea of the No. 2 replacing a recalled governor, either for the rest of their term or until the next statewide election. But theres an unlikely group of opponents to this idea: the states current lieutenant governor, and others whove previously held the job. One of their big hang-ups: the fear of a lieutenant governor-led coup. Really. It sounds like a plotline from The West Wing or more, realistically, Veep but the concern is real. Just ask Californias sitting lieutenant governor, Eleni Kounalakis. Kounalakis opposes this reform because you shouldnt have a system that incentivizes the lieutenant governor to want to see the governor fail, as she told an Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley recall post-mortem last year. Newsom has appointed Kounalakis to his council of economic advisers since they were both elected in 2018, and she holds other posts where she said they share confidential information. If the governor thought that over the last two years if a recall attempt qualified, why would he want me to be on the inside of any of his advisers, or with the people who advise him or on the inside of his thinking before he decides on which policies to move forward with? Kounalakis said at the UC Berkeley forum. Why would he trust me? Kounalakis said this even though she has been a longtime supporter of Newsoms since he was mayor of San Francisco, and, as she said at Berkeley, has a very good and collaborative relationship with her fellow Democrat. But what if the governor was a member of a different party? Would the Lite Guv be constantly offering the governor a glass of arsenic-tinged iced tea? We should want our political officials to succeed when they are working for the interest of the people, Kounalakis said. It is a huge amount of intrigue assigned to an office with little direct power or visibility. How obscure is Californias lieutenant governor? When a 1999 Public Policy Institute of California survey asked residents if they could name the lieutenant governor, only 8% correctly answered Cruz Bustamante. Nevertheless, Kounalakis isnt alone when it comes to fear of a lieutenant governor putsch should this reform happen. So is Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, who served as lieutenant governor under Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. I think that is a particularly terrible idea, Garamendi told me. Because youve set the governor and the lieutenant governor in a situation where the lieutenant governor is incentivized to undermine the governor. So like a Lite Guv coup? I think the word I used was quite satisfactory, Garamendi corrected. But, yes. Absolutely. Directly, indirectly, surreptitiously. Former Gov. Gray Davis told me that he experienced such behind-the-scenes maneuvering in 1995, when he was lieutenant governor and Republican Pete Wilson was governor. Wilson was running for president, and polls showed that his campaign was flailing. Davis told me that special interests who he declined to name came to him with an offer. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. They said, We want to put a recall on the ballot and we want to list your name as a candidate for governor, Davis related. I said, I dont want to do that. If Im going to run for governor, Im going to do it fair and square. Im not going to be part of a recall. And I never heard back from them again. Davis was, of course, part of a recall after all: In 2003, one year into his second term, Davis became the only California governor ever to be recalled. Schwarzenegger replaced him. Some partially attributed his demise to Davis lieutenant governor Bustamante running in the recall as a replacement candidate. Bustamante offered a campaign message that confused voters No on Recall, Yes on Bustamante. Davis said exit polls found that a third of Bustamantes supporters voted to recall him. (Bustamante did not respond to requests to be interviewed.) Davis solution: Have the governor and lieutenant governor run as a ticket. That way, voters will know theyre on the same page. Otherwise, he said, the governors advisers, theyre going to look at the lieutenant governor differently. It does make a difference in my mind in how the governor and lieutenant governor work together. Davis also wants to raise the threshold of signatures required to qualify a recall petition. Ultimately, he would allow the governor to run against all of the Jenners, Coxes and Elders challengers on a one-question ballot that resembled what voters regularly see in elections. It would make it more simple to understand for the voters, he said. The opinion of the Californias lieutenant governor alumni club matters to state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton. He introduced a change to the state constitution that would would require replacing a recalled governor with the lieutenant governor until the expiration of their current term. Newman himself was recalled in 2018, two years after being elected. He won the seat again in 2020. Newman said the best chance of persuading two-thirds of the Legislature to support putting a reform measure on the ballot in November is to keep it simple and try to get bipartisan support. Allowing the lieutenant governor and governor to run as a team would be seen by the voters as an attempt at an end-run to further reinforce one partys control of the government, he said. A decade ago, Newsom also suggested that the governor and lieutenant governor run as a team. Otherwise, Newsom told The Chronicle in 2012, get rid of the position. Newsoms job then: lieutenant governor. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli The lawsuit filed last month by the ACLU of Northern California and other advocacy groups calling for San Mateo Superior Court to end its use of civil assessments describes the courts process of imposing additional fines in traffic infraction matters as a hidden tax on those that can least afford it. But was it ever really hidden? Californians who miss payment or court deadline for traffic violations have been getting hammered by civil assessments since the 1990s. Those disproportionately impacted by the fees, which can be as high as $300, are poor Black and brown folks. The state only recently took steps toward lowering the fee. But it should be done away with completely, as should the courts power to turn minor traffic infractions into jailable offenses. Courts are able to do this by issuing a bench warrant for someone who has unpaid traffic tickets or has missed response deadlines. Like civil assessments, bench warrants are a relic of the states mass incarceration past. And ensuring they arent a part of the court systems future is the only path to true equity. California cant be talking about racial justice and reparations and then have all this data that shows the problems with the way our courts operate, said Brandon Greene, the director of the racial and economic justice program at the ACLU of Northern California. Its not enough to eliminate fees themselves. The question is what are we going to do next? Next should be having a more honest conversation about what enforcement tools courts have at their disposal, and whether theyre still needed. It was in 1996 that the state Legislature instructed courts to use civil assessments as a way to upcharge people whenever they missed a traffic court hearing or payment deadline. But this was a remedy to a self-inflicted wound. The states tough-on-crime approach in the 1990s, which included California enacting its three strikes law in 1994, pushed the prison system to a breaking point. Court budgets couldnt keep up with the skyrocketing judicial caseloads. Yet, instead of pursuing sustainable funding efforts at the state level, lawmakers decided fees against struggling Californians would be the crutch that kept the system upright. This remains the case almost 20 years later. According to the ACLU lawsuit, California courts raked in more than $750 million through civil assessments on traffic citations over the past decade. The revenue goes into the states Trial Court Trust Fund, which the Judicial Council of California then allocates to courts throughout the state. The money comes mostly from the cash-strapped pockets of Black and Latino people, who are overrepresented in traffic enforcement stops, according to state data. In San Mateo County, where a 2017 Stanford University study showed Black drivers were twice as likely to be pulled over than white drivers and where the ACLU lawsuit alleges the courts automatically impose the maximum $300 penalty for every missed payment or deadline, its added up to millions in extracted wealth. As my colleague Carolyn Said reported, the lawsuit says the San Mateo Superior Court raised more than $9 million through civil assessments over the past three years, and was able to keep $3.4 million. More equitable options exist. The San Francisco Superior Court has relied on means-adjusted fines based on income levels and better communication to actually improve collections on delinquent debt from recipients of traffic citations, according to a recent Financial Justice Project report. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Gov. Gavin Newsoms 2022-23 budget proposes cutting the maximum $300 civil assessment fine in half, which would be progress. But legislation to eliminate civil assessments was gutted last year and bench warrants remain an untouched topic, despite how disproportionately theyre used. In a 2016 report by the East Bay Community Law Center, Black drivers in San Francisco accounted for 48.7% of arrests for a failure to appear/pay traffic court warrant, despite making up just under 6% of the population at the time. California removing traffic-related bench warrants would be new territory. Other bolder states have already charted it. Nevada passed multiple pieces of legislation in 2021 that decriminalized most traffic offenses, including AB116. According to the bills text, on Jan. 1, 2023, Nevada courts will have to cancel outstanding bench warrants issued to anyone who failed to appear in court for a traffic citation. The equity-focused legislation was championed by Black-led groups, including the Free Black Mamas Initiative, a national campaign that pays cash bails for Black mothers and caregivers. For too long Californias courts have weaponized the fear of debt and incarceration against Black and brown residents. Eliminating civil assessments is one step in a slow march toward racial and financial justice. The next has to be bigger: Stopping courts from using bench warrants to lock up people for non-jailable traffic infractions. Or, as Greene said: California does a good job of talking and making policies that look good on paper, but now isnt the time to be skittish when we could be bold. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips appears Sundays. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips Forty-eight hours after Diatha Bell gave birth to a healthy baby boy at Oaklands Highland Hospital, she was back in a Hayward homeless shelter wincing in postpartum pain and eating instant ramen soup, the only food available. Unable to move much due to the wound from her caesarean section, Bell relied on her eldest daughter to carry out the tasks she could not. Guelandia, 11, carefully moved her baby brother from the bed to a frilly bassinet, a gift from a stranger, that was crammed in a corner of the tiny room. Bell wished her husband and son were with them. They had almost made it to Oakland in time for the babys birth, but were detained in Texas after crossing the border without visas. After nine days in detention, immigration authorities put them on a plane to Haiti, a country they hadnt been in for years. Bell and her two daughters have been left to rebuild life from scratch all on their own. When I heard the news that he was deported to Haiti, I just couldnt eat, I couldnt speak, I was very sad and I started crying, Bell said in Haitian Creole, translated by Laure Bottinelli of Partners in Health, a global health nonprofit. Advocates call it a different sort of family separation, this time under President Biden. Family separation was one of the most hurtful and shameful atrocities put into place by the Trump administration, said Juan Rivera, director of communications for CARECEN SF, a legal aid nonprofit for immigrants in the Bay Area. Biden called it cruel and promised to reunify all families. Yet new separations appear to be happening in a less obvious and untracked manner, as this familys case illustrates. Whether the family meets the criteria for asylum in the United States will be decided by a federal immigration judge, but advocates say a family should have the right to make their case together, even if they arrive separately. Bell, 32, fled her native Haiti for Chile in 2016 after robbers targeted her small fruit business. She lived in Santiago with her husband and three children for five years. In August of last year, a pregnant Bell and her two daughters embarked on a grueling journey from South America to the U.S. border. After a week of waiting under the Del Rio bridge in Texas, with no food or water or protection from the elements, they were released by Customs and Border Patrol. Bell was given a notice to report to an immigration office within 60 days. Her husband, Jean-Simon Colas, and 7-year-old son, Jeffly, left Chile one month behind the rest of their family, once Colas had saved enough money for bus tickets and smugglers fees. The delay would make all the difference. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Left: Diatha Bell shows a photograph of her husband Jean-Simon who was deported back to Haiti after living in Chile; Right: Guelandia and sister Maras feet rest on one another as they relax in bed at Banyan House. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) Left: Diatha Bell shows a photograph of her husband Jean-Simon who was deported back to Haiti after living in Chile; Right: Guelandia and sister Maras feet rest on one another as they relax in bed at Banyan House. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) A family separated Jeffly was just 4 when his family moved to Chile. As a result, he calls Bell by the Spanish word mama, and its this word he wails in the background as his dad tries to explain what went wrong. Its been a long time since he has seen his mom, Colas, 36, told The Chronicle in Spanish from his mothers home in northern Haiti. Colas and Jefflys journey from Chile took them two months longer than Bells trip as Colas had to stop along the way and find work to pay for the next leg. They arrived at the U.S. border days before Christmas and weeks before the birth of their newest family member. As he waded across Texas Del Rio river, Colas called Bell, jubilant that he and Jeffly had finally crossed into the United States. I really thought he would be joining us in California, Bell told The Chronicle. Then she didnt hear from Colas for over a week. He and Jeffly had been detained. The call Bell finally got came a few days after Christmas over a crackly line from Haiti. Colas and Jeffly had recently disembarked from their expulsion flight, one in which Jeffly sat next to his shackled father, feet and wrists tied to his waist. Colas said he was not given the chance to tell U.S. authorities that his pregnant wife was in California before he was expelled. Immigration didnt ask me anything, Colas said. They didnt ask me if I had any fear of going back to Haiti; they didnt ask me anything about family. For its part, Customs and Border Patrol says family reunification for migrants at a port of entry is not a reason to allow someone into the United States. Furthermore, the government claims it is not deporting most of the Haitians who cross into the U.S. without visas, but simply expelling them under a Trump-era pandemic policy called Title 42, a legal distinction that means expelled immigrants cant be prosecuted for illegal reentry if they try re-entering the country without visas. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Clockwise from top left: Diatha, Mara, new baby Quenndly and Guelandia at the homeless shelter. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) Clockwise from top left: Diatha, Mara, new baby Quenndly and Guelandia at the homeless shelter. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) Colas and Jeffly are just two of the nearly 14,000 Haitians the Biden administration has expelled under this policy since September 2021. Thousands more remain stuck in Mexico, unable to cross the border to make an asylum claim from inside the U.S. Advocates accuse the government of parsing words and not allowing migrants the chance to stake an asylum claim before returning them to Mexico the country they arrived from or their home countries from which some have fled for their lives. The administrations policy choices have continued to put asylum seekers in danger, punishing them to reinforce the callous message that the president, vice president, and their team have reiterated time and time again: Do not come, Felipe Navarro Lux, the manager of regional initiatives at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, said in a statement. This is not a humane or effective response to people fleeing for their lives. Colas said he is so scared to be back in Haiti, where a presidential assassination last summer was followed by two natural disasters, surging gang violence and last months attempted assassination of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Im not doing anything here (because) there is no work, Colas added. The situation is bad here, there is no president, and (there are) so many killings. I just stay home at my mothers house. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Left: Mara, 9 carries several boxes out of her room at Banyan House. Right: Mara gets help from volunteer Sana Salem (second from left) as she carries items with sister Guelandia, 11 (right) out of their homeless shelter. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) Left: Mara, 9 carries several boxes out of her room at Banyan House. Right: Mara gets help from volunteer Sana Salem (second from left) as she carries items with sister Guelandia, 11 (right) out of their homeless shelter. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) A newborn sons first home Back in Hayward, a depressed Bell felt nonetheless grateful to have a private room in the shelter with a bathroom. She could recover without having to share these most intimate moments with strangers. It didnt occur to her to let the shelter manager know the toilet didnt flush, and Guelandia dutifully filled cups of water to manually wash down waste after her mother exited the bathroom. Guelandia has also helped in other essential ways. With her mother unable to breastfeed, Guelandia chose from one of the few tins of infant formula. Do I add sugar to the formula? the girl wondered as she struggled to open the can. Bell shrugged. Guelandia squinted at the instructions on the can, written in English, a language this newly arrived family had yet to learn. Stacked around the sleeping newborn were boxes of diapers, overflowing bags of baby clothes and baby slings, donations from those who learned of Bells predicament. Few social services are available to families who arrive at the U.S. border seeking asylum. Bell was allowed into the country because she was pregnant, yet once here, Bell and her daughters were penniless and sleeping on the floor of an acquaintances apartment. Bell isnt eligible for safety net programs like subsidized housing or food stamps because she is considered undocumented until her immigration case is resolved. The current wait time between hearings is more than five years, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Left: Mara takes a moment to herself in the midst of moving out of the homeless shelter she has been living in with her family and into permanent housing. Right: Guelandia cleans the face of her newborn brother Quenndly as her mother, Diatha Bell, is trained on all the gadgets and appliances in their new permanent apartment in Alameda. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) Left: Mara takes a moment to herself in the midst of moving out of the homeless shelter she has been living in with her family and into permanent housing. Right: Guelandia cleans the face of her newborn brother Quenndly as her mother, Diatha Bell, is trained on all the gadgets and appliances in their new permanent apartment in Alameda. (Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle) Bell will qualify for a work permit 180 days after she files for asylum. After weeks of searching for free legal aid, she was relieved to learn that the San Francisco Public Defenders Office will represent her pro bono, starting with her first immigration hearing on Feb. 22. For now, Bells only source of income is the $25,000 thats been raised through a GoFundMe campaign, more than half of which came after The Chronicle published a story on the familys plight in December. Despite her crowdfunding money, Bell struggled to find a landlord willing to rent to her. As she was resigning herself to a long stay in the Hayward homeless shelter, Bell received news from an organization in Alameda, Shelter in Peace, which works with local landlords to provide housing for families who have no credit score or rental history. Her application to rent a furnished two-bedroom apartment costing $1,700 a month for a duration of 6 to 12 months was granted, and she moved in Feb. 1. Two nonprofit organizations that help refugees, New Anchor and Bay Area Community Services, each agreed to pay a months rent. The rest will be on Bell. The mother is also worried about how her daughters will fare in school. The Alameda Unified School District says on its website that it offers an English Learner Program, but did not respond to specific questions about how it incorporates non-English-speaking migrant students. Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle On a recent video call with his wife 5,000 miles away, Colas gazed at his new son, opening his eyes and uncurling a fist in the Hayward homeless shelter. I am really sad, Colas said, choking up. He has already begun planning how he and Jeffly will attempt to reunite with his wife and children in California, but first he must somehow save the thousands of dollars it will cost. Deepa Fernandes is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: deepa.fernandes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @deepafern Coronavirus cases have plummeted across the Bay Area since the peak of the omicron surge a month ago, and health officials increasingly are talking about the next phase of the 2-year-old pandemic: specifically, what living with endemic COVID might look like. But first it would help, these officials say, to define what endemic means. Or rather, what it doesnt mean. End is in the word endemic, and people are so sick of all this that theyre interpreting endemic as the end. And it does not mean that, said Dr. Scott Morrow, the San Mateo County health officer. COVID would instead join the ranks of dozens of other endemic diseases, including seasonal threats like the flu and illnesses of varying degrees of severity from the common cold to malaria. Endemic just means COVID is here and we have to figure out how to live with it, Morrow said. We need to manage it, probably forever. Endemic might also mean the end of the pandemic the era of chaotic peaks and valleys of infection and recurring concerns that hospitals will be overwhelmed for places like the Bay Area, with its widespread vaccination and, presumably, plenty of access to testing and treatments. Its possible the Bay Area could settle into an endemic stage once the omicron surge is over. Though COVID would not go away, and might remain a highly visible part of daily lives, endemicity could be a viral chapter that involves less stress than any other time over the past two years. People might still choose to wear masks indoors or get tested before visiting the grandparents, but those behaviors would be normalized and come with a clearer understanding of when and why to use them. There are caveats, of course, particularly with regard to the potential for troublesome new variants, and the same experts who are hopeful that COVID will calm down soon also caution that much uncertainty remains and admit that previous attempts to declare the pandemic over were premature. But parts of Europe that are emerging from omicron a few weeks ahead of the United States are already dropping restrictions and re-evaluating whether COVID remains an urgent, deadly threat or something to be lived with. And in the Bay Area, among the most restrictive places in the United States in terms of COVID control, health officials say that in the coming weeks and months they expect to relax, though not abandon completely, many of their protocols. Were beginning to see the end of governmental control of peoples lives. Those will probably over the next month or so begin to diminish, Morrow said. That doesnt mean people wont be asked, or expected, to maintain some protections like wearing masks; it just may rarely be required. Part of that process has already begun locally: San Francisco revoked its indoor mask mandate for certain groups last Tuesday, and on Friday, Contra Costa County said it would no longer require proof of vaccination for places such as restaurants and gyms. Californias indoor mask mandate could be retired as soon as Feb. 15, and several Bay Area counties have said they dont intend to extend local requirements once the state order is lifted. Specific mandates aside, many health officers said they hope that as COVID becomes endemic, they can establish rules for living with it that are predictable and relatively easy to follow. Were in a better place to start thinking about what the new normal might be, without necessarily emergency measures, said Dr. Nicholas Moss, the Alameda County health officer. He said he expects COVID protocols to continue to evolve in the coming months and even years, but I hope its not in a way that has that whiplash effect. We get a lot of curveballs with COVID, but Im hopeful we can design things now that are more consistent. Indeed, perhaps the simplest definition of endemic is a steady state: a disease occurring in some predictable, stable pattern. But stability does not necessarily mean safety, and it does not mean the disease wont require significant, community-wide efforts to control. For instance, influenza is endemic, as are several coronaviruses that cause the common cold, and many other respiratory illnesses. Then again, so are malaria and tuberculosis in much of the world and they kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. Some endemic diseases are allowed to spread unchecked because they dont cause much harm. Others, like measles which is no longer endemic in the United States may require major interventions: surveillance and testing across continents, intensive case investigation, and mitigation efforts from vaccination to education. People know how to protect themselves from the flu and what to do if theyre infected, and for most, its not a burden on their lives. Health experts are hopeful that people can develop a similar rhythm with COVID. COVID-19 is different from the flu, and we have to treat it differently from the flu. But the flu gives us a little bit of an outline, said Dr. Stephen Parodi, an infectious disease specialist and clinical lead for Kaiser Permanentes coronavirus response. Theres a mighty range to what endemic COVID might look like, and its dependent on both viral and human behavior. Abandoning COVID controls too fast or too soon could allow the virus to circulate at much higher levels than most health experts would prefer and put new strains on the health care system. The next variant could yet again upend best laid plans if it further evades immunity, and especially if it causes more serious illness. Thats the thing that keeps us up at night, said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, acting health officer for Contra Costa County. If another troublesome variant arrives, he said, even when were in an endemic state, we will need a massive set of responses. It could involve closures or restrictions, it could involve mass vaccination campaign, it could involve a new kind of vaccine or booster. We have to be prepared for that. Some key uncertainties about what endemic COVID will look like include whether it becomes seasonal, like the flu, and what kind of baseline level of disease might exist. When California reopened last June after vaccines had become widely available and people were feeling confident that COVID could be well controlled cases had dropped to fewer than 3 per 100,000 residents statewide. Most experts agreed that was a low enough level to live with over the long term. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Then the delta variant struck, and it became clear that much higher levels of immunity would be needed to prevent further surges. Omicron drove that point home even further. Since August, California has only dipped below 10 cases per 100,000 for a few days at a time. Under the states previous color-coded tier system, even that amount of virus would have prompted widespread economic shutdowns. And at the peak of omicron, the state was reporting more than 300 cases a day per 100,000 residents. Even now, as the surge wanes, well over 100 cases a day per 100,000 residents are being reported. Its not clear yet where the coronavirus might land in a steady state if the Bay Area, or anywhere, can get to a baseline of 1 or 2 cases per 100,000 residents, as previously hoped. And it may be many months, or even longer, before any consistent baseline is reached. Theres a desire for absolute clarity when is COVID endemic? We need to understand theres not an off-on switch, said Dr. Grant Colfax, head of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Omicron has shown us that we cant prevent every case, Colfax said, but it was also a valuable stress test about how the city can manage COVID even with a lot of virus in the community. If you had told me last year that we would have a variant that had us hitting 250 cases per 100,000 thats incredible. This test was emblematic of how far weve come in two years. We need to recognize that and understand that this helps guide us to managing a more endemic state. Tools that most people at least in the Bay Area have become comfortable using to protect themselves and others probably will remain in play for some time, maybe years. Mandates will be peeled away, and if they return they probably will be more targeted to certain spaces or populations. But people will be encouraged to do everything from getting boosters to putting their masks back on if or when cases surge again. Many experts note that once COVID is endemic, it will be as important as ever to protect the most vulnerable: whether theyre immunocompromised individuals, older nursing home residents, frontline workers without good access to health care, or families in Black and Latino communities that have been hardest hit throughout the pandemic. If we do get to endemic, COVID will still be a potentially harmful disease, especially for our most socially and physically vulnerable groups, said Martha Lincoln, a medical anthropologist at San Francisco State University. We have to make choices that are responsible for ourselves and for others, she said. As much as some of us would like to perhaps exit that reality, and imagine a timeline where we dont have to be thinking about COVID and about people who are more vulnerable than ourselves, those people are reality too. Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday After Patricia Dowd died at home suddenly on Feb. 6 at the age of 57, her family was in shock. The woman was in seemingly good health, so the coroners explanation was all they had: A massive heart attack likely killed her before she hit the floor. This week came another round of jarring news: Dowd was infected with the coronavirus at the time of her death. She is the first person in the U.S. known to have died from COVID-19. There were no symptoms, nothing, Dowds father told The Chronicle on Thursday, standing on the porch of the Mountain View home where he raised Dowd and her three siblings. The Chronicle, in accordance with its anonymous source policy, agreed to withhold the name of Dowds father over concerns about his privacy. He said his daughter got regular health checkups as part of her job. She was an auditor for Fremont semiconductor company Lam Research and traveled across the U.S. and around the globe. Because she had to travel, (her company) had her get checkups by doctors. So her blood pressure and everything was fine, he said. Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said this week that neither Dowd nor the two other people whose cases were classified as early coronavirus deaths had traveled outside of the country shortly before their deaths. Dowds father said his family is navigating life without Dowd and amid the stay-home orders that makes gatherings impossible. The family observed Easter Sunday on Zoom, he said, with family members signing in to the video gathering from their respective homes. Dowd lived in San Jose with her husband and adult daughter. Before the orders were put in place, the family hosted a memorial service for Dowd at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mountain View, where so many people packed the pews that some visitors had to stand. Mourners shared stories of Dowds easy smile, her laugh, and her friendship. On Thursday, Dowds father leaned against the curved entryway to his home and reminisced about the last major holidays she spent with the family. On Thanksgiving, the family packed into her San Jose home while she cooked two turkeys, one oven roasted and one deep-fried. She cooked the turkey every year, her father said. On Christmas, the family filled into his Mountain View home, where she cooked homemade split pea soup and lentil soup with leftover turkey a family recipe that has been handed down through generations. We were just talking, laughing, remembering all the bad things they did as teenagers, Dowds father said with a chuckle, his eyes blinking away tears. She was a good daughter. I was lucky. Dowd, who he has lovingly called my general since she was a young teen, had always moved with bouncy energy since she was a child growing up in Mountain View. She wasnt bossy, but when she says something, everybody pays attention, he said with a smile. When she wasnt traveling, Dowd would either bring her father a meal every Thursday, or take him to a local restaurant to eat. The years-long tradition brought him joy, he said, because they would talk over healthy foods like chicken and vegetables and she would share the latest news at her job. Of course I didnt understand what she was talking about, but I always agreed, he said nodding, pantomiming him listening with a chuckle. Dowds adult daughter now wants to continue that tradition, he said. I said, Oh you have your father to take care of now, and she said, Oh, its one day a week. And I said, OK, thats fine. Dowd was born Oct. 8, 1962, and her parents were one of the first Latino families in the Mountain View area, said family friend Cerafin Castillo. Dowds parents helped out Castillos immigrant mother. I cant tell you how much her family has done for my family, Castillo said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. A year behind Dowd, Castillo attended St. Joseph Elementary School and St. Francis High School with her. What she lacked in stature, she made up in spunk. She was as cute as a bugs ear, said Castillo, a 57-year-old Sunnyvale resident, who saw her as an older sister. More Information Inside the newsroom Anonymous sources: The Chronicle strives to attribute all information we report to credible, reliable, identifiable sources. Presenting information from an anonymous source occurs extremely rarely, and only when that information is considered crucially important and all other on-the-record options have been exhausted. In such cases, The Chronicle has complete knowledge of the unnamed person's identity and of how that person is in position to know the information. The Chronicle's detailed policy governing the use of such sources, including the use of pseudonyms, is available on SFChronicle.com. See More Collapse His mother called her chile de bolita, a little ball of spice. She was a popular high school student, a flag team member, he recalled. Dowd went on to San Jose State University, graduating in 1986 with a business degree. Dowds LinkedIn page listed her work history, but also volunteer work painting Habitat for Humanity homes in Contra Costa County, sorting food at Second Harvest Food Bank and cleaning up a wildlife refuge behind her work in Fremont. Her online obituary described a woman with a beautiful smile who loved reading, scrapbooking, traveling, watching movies, wine tasting and spending time with family and friends. On March 15, Dowds daughter posted a photo of the pair, her arms draped over her mothers shoulders. Im still in shock of how you were taken from us so suddenly. Its not fair. All I can say is Dad and I miss you so so much, her daughter wrote. To My best friend I love you so much. Thank you for the best 23 years. I will never forget them. And I just hope I can keep making you proud in heaven. Lauren Hernandez and Matthias Gafni are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez, @mgafni On Saturday morning, six women stood together in front of San Franciscos Tenderloin Linkage Center near the United Nations Plaza at Civic Center, holding a chain and posters plastered with pictures of young adults. We are here because we love the linkage center, and the linkage center needs to be a part of San Francisco, said Michelle Leopold, one of the organizers of the small protest with Mothers Against Drug Deaths. Theres just one problem, they said they dont want drug use to be allowed inside the center. As the women told stories about their children, some of whom are currently addicts living on the streets of San Francisco, another group of people gathered to counter-protest, arguing that allowing people to use in the linkage center is a form of harm reduction that helps keep them alive. The opposing groups agreed with each other that the Tenderloin is in crisis and that something must be done to help those who need it. But their disagreement over safe use represented just one flash point in an ongoing debate about how to best help alleviate San Franciscos opioid crisis. The Linkage Center, part of Mayor London Breeds initiative to address conditions and overdose deaths in the Tenderloin, opened just a couple of weeks ago. It is intended to connect people in the troubled area to housing, drug treatment and other services, while also offering a place to get food, clothes, bathe or use a bathroom. In 2020 and 2021, roughly 1,310 people died in San Francisco from drug overdoses, almost twice the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city. Nearly three-quarters of the victims were found to have the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl in their systems. I dont want any more moms to have this title that has no title, Leopold said. Theres widow. Theres orphan. There is no word for a mom whos lost her child, because it is the worst thing in the universe. Leopolds son, Trevor, died from a fentanyl overdose in 2019, she said, when he was a freshman at Sonoma State. He had struggled with addiction for years, and overdosed in his dorm room after purchasing a counterfeit oxycodone pill that he didnt know was laced with fentanyl. Trevor loved all things nature, she said he was an amateur birdwatcher, a hiker, a skateboarder and a snowboarder. Now, hes forever 18. The mothers repeatedly expressed their support for the linkage center and its goals, but were adamant that drug use shouldnt be allowed there. The center isnt technically a supervised consumption site, which would provide clean drug supplies and medical professionals to watch for overdoses, but the Chronicle has previously reported that the city is turning a blind eye to drug use there. Officials did not directly answer questions about what happens if someone tries to use drugs in the outdoor or indoor areas of the linkage center. This site is about getting people connected with immediate support, as well as long-term services and treatment, Francis Zamora, a spokesperson for the Department of Emergency Management, which is running the linkage center, previously told the Chronicle. Part of being a low-barrier site means bringing people in without asking a lot of questions. Saturdays counter-protesters, organized by the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, said that this strategy helps save lives. Catie Arbona, the former co-chair of the Toklas club, said that part of creating a welcoming environment is making sure that people have the space to take drugs safely, because theyre going to take one way or another. But she added that she sympathized with the mothers, and that the problem isnt easy to solve. Were trying to figure out ways to manage a very unmanageable problem, she said. Laura Thomas, who works for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said that, having lost a partner to overdose, she understands the grief of the mothers gathering but thinks their message of keeping drugs out of the center may do more harm. Providing healthy, welcoming services and drop-in services and places where people who use drugs can be safe is what will keep them alive, she said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The mothers many of whom do not necessarily oppose safe consumption sites fear that exposure to drugs at the linkage center, which addicts might visit in the very small windows of time that they are able to seek help, hurts their chances of following through. They need a place to get away from the drugs, said Jacqui Berlin, whose 31-year-old son Cory has struggled with addiction in San Francisco for ten years. The tension there is really, really difficult for a fentanyl user. As a recovering addict myself, I believe in this linkage center, added Gina McDonald, whose daughter Sam was a frequent user in the Tenderloin for a couple years. I dont believe that you should allow people to use there it doesnt work. McDonald said she was in a meth-induced psychosis when she was picked up and sent to mandated treatment by the Alameda County sheriffs office. It saved my life, she said. She said her daughter, whos now in treatment for the fourth time in Alameda County, was proud when she heard her mom was going to the protest. There is no consensus among addiction experts and advocates about whether allowing those who struggle with substance use disorder to get high at a safe site will help them connect to treatment. Some say it acknowledges a necessary reality on a journey to get help, while others call it counterproductive. But as leaders and advocates debate best practices, the crisis continues to take lives. People are trying to make this into a political thing. Theres nothing political about a humanitarian crisis, McDonald said. Everybody, everybody should be alarmed. An earlier version of this story misstated Catie Arbonas role with the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club. She is the groups former co-chair. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev It's no secret that renting an apartment in San Francisco is expensive, but it's no longer the priciest in the country! At least for now. Each week, we search through apartment rental listings and seek out the weird, the luxurious and even just the wouldn't-that-be-nice. The city by the bay has it all, but can you guess what it costs? Welcome to the series we're calling "Guess the rent in San Francisco." With a working fireplace, hot tub, wet bar and a "panoramic" rooftop deck, this 4,000-plus-square-foot house in Telegraph Hill is the type of home most San Franciscans can only dream about. Tesla's call for a tax cut in India has received a fresh blow, as the country has turned down the demand of Elon Musk's company by saying that rules already allow the automakers to bring in partially-built vehicles and assemble them locally at a lower cost, reports Bloomberg. (Also Read: Tesla Model Y electric car spotted during road tests in India) Vivek Johri, chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, said that the government has looked at the current tax structure to check if it needs to be rejigged, but some domestic production is already happening and some investments have come in with the current tariff structure. He also said that the current tax structure is not a hindrance, which indicates that the Indian government is not interested in reducing import tax as Tesla has been demanding. The Indian government has been encouraging Tesla to produce its electric cars locally in the country, while Elon Musk wants India to lower taxes for imported cars, which is as high as 100 per cent on the imported electric vehicles. The Indian government levies import duties between 15-30 per cent on parts shipped for assembly in the country. Tesla has been demanding a tax cut that would allow the company to import its fully built electric cars here and sell at a competitive price. However, this would irk several other companies that have been bringing their CBU (Completely Built Unit) electric cars in India and selling them here. Several auto companies have already expressed their concerns about Tesla demanding a tax cut for bringing its CBU electric cars and selling them in India. This strategy would disrupt the level playing field for them and give favour to Tesla, believe several automakers. Despite expressing its interest in selling its cars in India, Tesla is yet to present any plan for local manufacturing and procurement from India, even though the government has asked for it. India has asked Tesla to consider importing knocked-down units (CKD) or partially built vehicles, which would attract a lower import levy, instead of CBU models. In the meantime, at least five Indian states have shown their interest in providing Tesla facilities to set up its electric car manufacturing facility after Elon Musk said in January that the US electric vehicle manufacturer has been facing a lot of challenges with the Indian government. First Published Date: In 2021, Chinas smart electric vehicle company Li Auto saw many milestones completed. For deliveries, the company managed to sell over 10,000 per month in the last two months of the year while its annual deliveries exceeded 90,000 units. For production, its Beijing plant also started construction with production expected to commence in 2023. Another important thing for the company is that it listed on Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. in 2021. Photo credit: Li Auto The following are some important news of Li Auto in 2021. Li Auto aims to be NO.1 smart electric vehicle maker in China by 2025 Li Auto aims to be NO.1 smart electric vehicle maker in China, according to the startups 2025 Strategy announced on February 22. In an internal letter, Li Xiang, the companys founder, chairman and CEO, said that its target for 2025 is to obtain 20% market share in the worlds largest auto market. In the next five years, Li Auto will grow from one to ten with strong development momentum. The main challenge during this period is to be a leader by sales among smart electric vehicle brands in China and a contender for leadership in the global market. Li Auto predicts that China will sell more than 8 million smart electric vehicles in 2025. If a company wants to be a leader in the segment, it needs to gain at least 20% market share. That means the companys sales need to exceed 1.6 million units in 2025. Li Autos all models to come standard with autonomous driving system The entire model series of Li Auto will come standard with driver assistance and autonomous driving systems, which encompass software, data service, map service, computing hardware and sensors, Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, recently said via his personal Weibo account. He added these amenities will be standard to all models at any price range. The company will not charge consumers for either software activation or subscription. Li Auto establishes EV technology development subsidiary in Shanghai Chinese EV startup Li Auto set up its Shanghai branch on April 20 after it announced in early February the plan of launching a R&D center in this megacity. According to the corporate data platform Tianyancha, the subsidiary involves a registered capital of 1 billion yuan ($153.853 million) and is wholly controlled by Leading Ideal HK Limited. Located in Anting town, Jiading district, it has a line of business covering the development of the technologies related to automobiles, cloud platform and big data, the planning, R&D and design of EV charging and battery swapping infrastructures, as well as the R&D of the facilities and auto parts in relation to battery swapping station, charging pile and energy storage system. Li Auto unveils new Li ONE, expects monthly delivery to reach 10,000 soon Li Auto, an innovator in Chinas new energy vehicle market, unveiled the latest version of the Li ONE, its only vehicle model for sale currently, with improvements in powertrain system, driving assistance system, intelligent cockpit, and user experience. The price of the standard 2021 Li ONE stands at RMB 338,000 (about 52,762 dollars), with black, white, silver and grey body-color options while the Baby Blue, Tech Blue and Deep Green ones are priced at RMB 348,000 (about 54,323 dollars). The delivery will start from June 1. Li Auto lists in Hong Kong, reveals product plans Li Auto has passed the listing hearing of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 26, becoming the second Chinese electric vehicle startup listed on Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX) after XPeng Motors. Li Auto also unveiled its product plans in the filing. In 2022, it will launch the first model on its X platform, a full-size premium range-extended electric SUV, followed by two range-extended SUVs built on the X platform in 2023. The automaker is also investing in battery electric vehicle technologies. And it wants to develop battery electric vehicles with super fast charging capabilities. From 2023 on, the company aims to launch at least two high voltage battery electric vehicle models per year based on its Whale and Shark platforms. With its high-power charging network, charging will become faster, cheaper, and more accessible, the company added. Li Auto sets up joint venture with BMWs supplier for range extension system On August 27th, Li Auto signed an investment agreement with Mianyang Xinchen Engine Co., Ltd. (also known as PXC), a subsidiary of Xinchen China Power Holdings Ltd. to set up a new joint venture. The venture, named Sichuan Lixiang Xinchen Technology Ltd., will develop and manufacture next generation range extension system. PXC is one of China's leading independent automotive engine manufacturers in passenger vehicle and light commercial vehicle engine market, and an authorized third-party engine manufacturer of BMW. Li Auto releases OTA 2.2 with multi-section voice control Li Auto released its OTA 2.2 version recently which has been pushed to users already. The new version includes two significant updates, the application center and the free conversation function. The 2.2 version Li application center is more flexible as the function is no longer subject to OTA system updates. The improved function allows users to customize their app list, updating, downloading or removing applications as they please. Notably, the highlight of this update is the new and optimized voice control assistant, Li Xiang Tongxue (schoolmate Li Xiang in English). The assistant is updated in over 70 aspects, including useful functions like continuous conversation, four-section sound lock (in drivers seat, passenger seat, rear-left section, and rear-right section), and cross-section context dialogue. Li Auto cuts Q3 delivery forecast due to chip supply shortage Chinas new energy vehicle innovator Li Auto lowered its delivery outlook for the third quarter of this year due to the supply shortage of automotive chips. The automaker said in a statement on Monday that the production of chips dedicated for its millimeter-wave radar supplier has been severely hampered because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Since the recovery of the supply has been slower than expected, Li Auto expects its quarterly deliveries to be about 24,500 vehicles from a previous 25,000-26,000 vehicles. The automaker will continue to monitor the market conditions and work closely with its suppliers to minimize the impact of the chip shortage on its production. Li Auto breaks ground for Beijing plant, production starting 2023 Li Auto announced the ground breaking for its green and smart plant building on the automakers recently acquired former Beijing Hyundai first plant. Li Autos Beijing green and smart factory is located in Shunyi District. With over RMB6 billion to be invested in total, the automaker projected a production-ready date by the end of 2023, producing brand new battery-electric products in the future. The plant will utilize Beijing Hyundais existing workshops as much as possible, up to 60%. The new plant is expected to realize a production capacity of 100,000 vehicles annually, in phase one, Li Auto added. Li Autos 100,000th vehicle rolls off production line Chinas new energy vehicle (NEV) innovator Li Auto celebrated its production of 100,000th vehicle today at its Changzhou production base in Jiangsu province. Currently, the automaker only has the Li ONE for sale, so the cumulative production volume of the model amounted to 100,000, becoming the first single model to achieve the milestone among all products from Chinas NEV startups, including NIO and XPeng. Mr. Shen Yanan, president of Li Auto, said that it only took the company 708 days to realize the production milestone of 100,000 vehicles, indicating that the Li ONE is well received by the market and marking that the company has completed the capability building of the full chain, covering R&D and manufacturing system, sales service system and supply chain system. Li Auto forms framework agreement with Chongqing government Chinas auto startup, Li Auto, has inked a strategic partnership framework agreement with the municipal government of Chongqing. The local government authorities have great hopes for Li Auto to take the opportunity and actively participate in the development of Chongqings automotive industry. By focusing on the auto industrys technology and industrial innovations, Li Autos participation is encouraged to build an ecosystem for new energy and intelligent connected vehicles industrial development in Chongqing. Founder and CEO of Li Auto, Li Xiang, expressed that the company will play to its advantages, and further expand its investment in the city, to cement the relationship. Li Auto delivers 14,087 vehicles in December Li Auto set another new record for its monthly deliveries in the last month of 2021, the automaker announced on the first day of 2022. Last month, Li Auto delivered 14,087 Li ONEs, representing a year-on-year surge of 130%, while its quarterly deliveries amounted to 35,221 vehicles, up 40.2% quarter over quarter and 143.5% year over year. The quarterly results were much higher than its outlook (between 30,000 and 32,000 vehicles) the company announced in November. For the whole year, the companys deliveries soared 177.4% year over year to 90,491 vehicles. The cumulative deliveries of the Li ONE totaled 124,088 vehicles since its deliveries started. In music, tension is everything. Its the force exerted on and by every lyrical element in a piece. Its the propulsive nature of rhythm, the immersive power of imagery and the ambiguous quality of language itself. But the tension that holds each of these parts together and aloft is delicate. Its a high wire act that very few people can pull off whether it be in music or in life, and for the last two years, managing that act has proven to be more difficult than anybody could have anticipated. For Gretta and Kyle Miller, the two lead vocalists behind indie-folk band Towrs, it was all about finding the right spots to place their energy, and as parents, during a pandemic, with two kidsa boy named Solace and a girl named Rowenit was a challenge. At first it was just tricky time-wise, Gretta said. Either, [Kyles] with the kids or Im with the kids, and even though I feel like were really good at sharing that responsibility or taking turns, its hard to find time to work together. Before lockdowns and quarantines, the duo mainly worked from home already. While their kids were at school, they could be prolific with their work, writing music and producing new albums almost annually. Then, not long after the release of Towrs album New Nostalgia in 2019, everything began to shut down. Though it proved difficult at first, it was during quarantine that the Millers realized this strange and newfound lack of time could be an opportunity. I think Ive been in a season where Ive just been trying to let ourselves have the freedom to take our time, Kyle said. Especially on this next little piece of work were working on right now. By the time it comes out it will have been three years since weve put out a regular Towrs album thats not a Christmas album, Gretta added. It will be nice to be like, Okay we took three years, and really sat with these, and crafted them like that. As a band, Towrs has two projects in the works: a live, in-studio album and a four-week tour. Though they are keeping the details of the album discreet, they plan on recording sometime in July and releasing it in the fall of 2022. The tour on the other hand is right around the corner. Starting on February 12th, Towrs will be traveling as far south as Phoenix and as far north as Vancouver. Its the bands first tour since the pandemic, and after spending so much time looking after the kids and waiting for things to get back to normal, finding the right balance between tour life and family life has been imperative. I think it was right around the time we released our first album that we found out we were pregnant with our first kid, Gretta said. So in that sense, it was kind of like weve never toured without kidsIts been such a big part of the journey. As a compromise, the couple decided to bring Solace and Rowen along for half the tour, but even this small change represents a dramatic shift in Towrs routine. The children are deeply woven into the fabric of who and what the band is now. They inspire their parents in every way imaginable, but Kyle and Gretta agree that they also want to foster a full and vibrant life for them outside of Towrs. They do inspire us and are very much a part of what we do, Kyle said. But as the years go on, I think weve tried to create a little bit more of a separation between Towrs and them because I dont want them to grow up and feel like they were used. Its hard because its a part of who we are, but I think holding that healthy tension for me is really important too. Theres a track on New Nostalgia titled, Tightrope Walker. In it, the pair sings about a time that has passed, a love that is different and a tightrope walker kept steady by the weight of it all. For Gretta it is in many ways an homage to being a parent and a working artist at the same time. When youre pulled in different directions it doesnt have to be this negative thing. It actually can create a place of sturdiness, she said. I think we feel that sometimes, like most parents do with work and kids. It can be this pull from two different directions, but it can also be this beautiful tension to walk on. A foundation. Life imitates art, but in the case of Towrs, art also imitates life. Tucked within the indie-folk melodies, are lyrics that are thoughtful yet honest, open yet quiet, relatable yet deeply personal. It walks the tightrope, kept steady by tension and the weight of enduring love. The tension makes it cool. It makes it beautiful, Kyle said. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 LATEST Feb. 7, 1:52 p.m. After initial statements from Another Planet Entertainment estimated an early 2023 reopening of the Castro Theatre, a spokesperson for the company has now confirmed that a full slate of programming for 2022 will be announced soon on its website. Feb. 6, 10:44 a.m. Another Planet Entertainments senior vice president Mary Conde has apologized for the abrupt nature of the Berkeley-based concert production companys recent announcement that it would take over the Castro Theatre and convert it into a venue focused on live events. The future of the historical movie palace was the hot topic of the Castro Merchants Associations meeting last Thursday, per the Bay Area Reporter. Another Planets Jan. 19 press release left many neighbors and moviegoers feeling blindsided and unclear as to whether the theater would continue to prioritize repertory film programming, sing-along events and director-focused double features as it had in years past. I do understand that there was a bit of a fumble. I will acknowledge that, Conde said at the meeting, according to the Bay Area Reporter. There were some mitigating circumstances I cant really go into, but we were rushed to make this announcement and we were in the position where we had to make the announcement in a couple of days and I apologize for that. We did come out of the gate a little clumsy." The publics response was so severe at the time of the initial announcement that Another Planet CEO Gregg Perloff had to provide clarifications in a follow-up interview with the Chronicle, where he described the widespread unease as assumptions that are unfounded. (SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently of one another.) People have a fear of what might happen, he said Jan. 20, but we just signed the contract a week ago. Give us a moment to prove we will be good stewards of the theater. We dont plan on taking away any popular programming. Even so, a crowd of at least 25 people gathered that Sunday to scrawl more than 70 movie titles in chalk on the sidewalk in front of the theater, urging its incoming proprietors to continue to show film not just during festivals like Frameline and SFFILM but on a regular basis. Brian Darr, a volunteer for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, SFFILM and CAAMFest, told SFGATE that while he appreciated Perloffs clarifying comments, he still felt troubled by the news. I hope he understands that long-loyal Castro Theatre customers are wary of the kinds of sweeping changes discussed in the initial partnership announcement, which treated APEs takeover of a business thats been in near-continuous operation for a century as if it were just like their revitalization of a long-dormant property like the Fox in Oakland, said Darr, who has attended screenings at the Castro since he saw Fantasia there at the age of 6, and is married to a filmmaker he met at a festival hosted by the theater. I love the idea of the film and film festivals coexisting with other kinds of programming, but I worry about vaguely determined comments like The public will tell us what they want to see, and We dont plan on taking away any popular programming, Darr continued. Whats the definition of popular? Will the theater need to sell every available seat to make any event viable? The Castro Theatre will briefly open to the public again next month for a sold-out live event with podcaster Jon Lovett ("Pod Save America," "Lovett or Leave It.") SFFILM, San Francisco Silent Film Fest and Frameline are slated to go on in April, May and June, respectively, but other film programming still seems to be up in the air. At the Thursday meeting with the Castro Merchants Association, people expressed concerns related to transparency and communication from Another Planet and Bay Properties Inc., which currently owns the theater. However, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said he had been having an ongoing conversation with the proprietors and emphasized that clarity on the future of the venue likely wouldnt happen overnight, per the Bay Area Reporter. My sense is they are drinking from a fire hose and Im not sure they have all the answers yet but theyll do well if they keep talking to everybody and we can follow their progress, he said. The Castro Theatre is expected to reopen in 2023 after undergoing renovations later this year. Joshua Singh's love for San Francisco is evident through his photographs. "I'm really very grateful to live in San Francisco, where if you look in any direction, you're bound to find something beautiful to capture the hills, the bridges, the ocean," explained Singh. Instagram / josh7185 Through his Instagam @josh7185, Singh shares his self-described "moody street photography" with the Bay Area. Many of his images are photographed during San Francisco's foggy weather, sheathing them with a soft, ethereal and timeless beauty. Instagram / josh7185 "I love chasing the fog, especially when it's at ground level," explains Singh. "Fog gives the image an element of mystery and just adds a new dimension to any otherwise regular scene." Instagram / josh7185 Singh, who moved to the Bay Area five years ago, started spending more time photographing the city when the COVID-19 pandemic started. "I took it more seriously during the pandemic as it was an easy way to safely explore the outdoors and get some exercise," he said. "I ended up exploring more of the city either by walking or biking than I'd ever done before the pandemic." Instagram / josh7185 Singh visited new neighborhoods four to five times a week, often during the "golden hour," the period of time around sunset when the light is just right and fog often rolls into the city. Instagram / josh7185 "You have the lovely fog and also the golden hour light, which just makes ordinary images look incredible," explained Singh. "I try to add a human perspective to evoke an emotion of what I or the person in the photo may be feeling." Instagram / josh7185 After the pandemic restrictions eased, Singh noted he could still keep to his photography routine, capturing the beauty of San Francisco shrouded in fog. The weather conditions continually sparked his creative juices his most memorable experiences were shooting during heavy fog along the Great Highway and in the Twin Peaks neighborhood. Instagram / josh7185 Singh is selective with the images he posts to his page and has simple criteria to decide what to share. "For me, the criteria is quite simple. The image should make me feel something. If it doesn't, then I'm most probably not going to post it," Singh explained. "I don't always get it right, though, but I'm still learning." Instagram / josh7185 As for figuring out the best times to snap his images, Singh explains that being part of Escapye, which describes itself as a "weather service, community, and collective for photographers," helps him find the optimal conditions to take beautiful images. Instagram / josh7185 "It's been fun chasing fog and then capturing images around it," he added. He often uses a Sony mirrorless camera with a 50 mm f1.2 lens, allowing him to shoot in low light situations without a flash. Instagram / josh7185 "I also sometimes use the 100-400 telephoto lens to compress objects in a frame," Singh noted. "This comes in handy when you're in the city and trying to give the viewer a sense of the hills." Instagram / josh7185 During winter months, Singh adjusts his approach because the fog so often present during much of the year makes less of an appearance. Instagram / josh7185 "I haven't had much luck finding tule fog this winter, but looking forward to the summer fog to arrive," he said. Instagram / josh7185 But with his camera in hand, Singh is excited to continue his photographic journey through his adopted hometown. "I'm very grateful to live here and call the city by the bay my home," he said. "I hope to continue discovering and sharing images of the city in a unique way." Instagram / josh7185 To view Joshua Singh's photographs, follow him on his Instagram page @josh7185. He also sells prints and encourages other photographers to direct message him if they are interested in shooting or doing a collaboration together. 100 years ago 1922: Seeking cooperation from the Verde district in the movement was set on foot in Flagstaff to secure a road down Oak Creek Canyon connecting Flagstaff with Sedona, and then you have county highway that ends there, according to W. H. Campbell of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors. There is an effort to get U.S. Forest Service aid to match the $25,000 the Coconino County highway commissioner has available for the work, which is 22 miles long. Not only will Coconino County ask that a share of the nearly half million dollars of forest money allotted this state be spent on the Oak Creek Road, but they will also ask for some of it for the Flagstaff-Tonto basin, the Flagstaff-Winslow and the main Grand Canyon roads. Some persons with time hanging heavy on his hands and who has been reading about the recent Washington theater disaster started a rumor this week that the Orpheum Theater had been condemned as unsafe. As soon as she heard of it, Miss Mary M.Costigan, the proprietor, had two competent men inspect the building. They pronounced the building safe. Then, to blacken the eye of the canard even more thoroughly, Miss Costigan had Samsky brothers run some steel tie rods across the building. It would carry more snow than we ever have had or ever will have here and be safe. 75 years ago 1947: For the first time in at least a year, Coconino County jail was without a prisoner Thursday morning. The county sheriff departed for Phoenix with two men and a juvenile in custody for delivery to the state prison and industrial school. The juvenile was an escapee from Fort Grant who turned himself into the sheriff's office in Flagstaff on Jan. 31 after being at liberty for three or four months. The two men were Lauren Edwards, sentenced on the theft of a set of truck tools last week, and Joe Andrade, sentence Wednesday for grand theft to a term of from two-and-a-half years to three years. In addition to the grand theft charges, Andrade is wanted by the army as a deserter. Designed to alleviate the acute housing shortage in Flagstaff, the Donaldson Construction Company, with offices in Flagstaff, Winslow and Phoenix, has announced a housing package featuring a five-room pre-cut house. It has approximately 800 square feet of floor space and features two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen with dinette and a bathroom. Approved by the Federal Housing Administration for a 20-year loan, the house thus is insured for permanence and sturdy construction. The house comes complete with heating, wiring, plumbing and all hardware and permanent fixtures already installed. The floor plan was engineered to provide complete utility of space and maximum comfort. Total cost of the house excluding a lot is announced at $6,000. 50 years ago 1972: Burning of logging debris along the south base of Mount Elden and along Schultz Pass is to begin in the next few days. Unpredictable and adverse weather conditions have delayed the burning operation for about two weeks. Weather conditions and predictions have improved so that the controlled burning will be safe and smoke will be dispersed. This cleanup of debris will leave a safer, cleaner area to use and enjoy. Piling and burning of the debris was a part of the contract requirement of the gold timber sale and will be carried out by Passalacqua Lumber Company. The sale was to reduce the extreme fire hazard in the Mount Elden area. Voters in the coming March 14 Flagstaff city general election may have the added service of computerized voting but nothing is certain yet. City Clerk Dick Williams, official manager of the election, said today that he was in the process of exploring the possibilities of using Coconino Countys new computerized voting system in the general election, because there will be six council candidates and two mayoral candidates on the ballot and the possibility of one major write-in candidate for Council. In last Tuesday's primary election, paper ballots were used for the first time in almost a decade and election officials found themselves with an accounting problem. The addition of proposed charter changes would further complicate the counting process since the changes would necessarily be broken into several ballot propositions. 25 years ago 1997: Walmart may not be coming to Flagstaff after all. The discount department store chain planned to build a store at the corner of Interstate 40 and Milton Road, but the city's planning and zoning Commission denied its rezoning request this morning. The chain wanted the land rezoned from rural residential to commercial. A 22-year-old Flagstaff man has not had much luck owning a bike. The man reported to Flagstaff police Thursday morning that his $6800 mountain bike was stolen from his pickup truck Tuesday evening. He told police it's the sixth bike he's had stolen. The man picked up the bike from a repair shop Tuesday and locked it to itself when he put it in the back of the truck. He left it there when he drove downtown for dinner and then went to Northern Arizona University. He is unsure whether the bike was stolen while he was downtown or at NAU. The bike is a dark purple High Zoot Stealth and is a limited production model. All events were taken from issues of the Arizona Daily Sun and its predecessors, the Coconino Weekly Sun and the Coconino Sun. Bruce Carl Ertmann assisted with compiling the events. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Matthew McConaughey gazes out toward the galaxy before him, pondering its possibilities. Space. The boundary of human achievement. The new frontier, the actor begins in a new Salesforce ad that initially appears to be a callback to his role in Interstellar. Then, he makes a noise of indifference and decides to steer his aircraft a hot air balloon back to Earth. As it floats over the San Francisco skyline, he considers a laundry list of other ideas. Its not time to escape. Its time to engage. Its time to plant more trees. Its time to build more trust. Its time to build more space for all of us, says McConaughey, the companys new brand partner and adviser, to confused street-level passersby in the Financial District. While the others look to the metaverse and Mars, lets stay here and restore ours. You might have seen the minutelong spot during the Winter Olympics over the weekend, and its slated to air again at the Super Bowl on Feb. 13, unveiling Salesforces #TeamEarth campaign, which aims to address the companys commitment to fighting climate change through growing 1 trillion trees by 2030 and achieving near-zero carbon emissions by 2040, among other goals. But the commercial also reads as a bit of a tongue-in-cheek response to Facebooks proposed virtual reality platform and the billionaire space race helmed by British business magnate Richard Branson, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who announced plans in 2020 to sell all of his houses to fund a colony on Mars. The new frontier it aint rocket science, McConaughey says in the ad. Its right here. Another press release shared by Salesforce on Thursday appeared to have a similar, albeit more pointed, message: Lately, it seems some folks have their head in the stars, fascinated with the metaverse and Mars, it read. At Salesforce, our business is more grounded, and we believe we can defy gravity without ever leaving the planet. Watch the video below: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media BRIDGEPORT A Florida man, who sexually assaulted a teenage girl who had gone to him to be consoled for a prior, unrelated sexual assault, was sentenced Friday to five years in prison. This is embarrassing, 51-year-old Jason Zafrin told Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton as he stood before her. I am getting therapy and trying to do the right thing and this will never happen again, guaranteed. Search advertising giant Google has hit out at Australias media bargaining laws, telling a US government department the legislation would be unworkable and harm democracy in the worlds largest economy. Australias news media bargaining code came into effect last February. Google initially fiercely opposed the code, but it eventually relented with chief executive Sundar Pichai describing the laws to this masthead as the right construct allowing it to support news publishers. However, in a submission to the US Copyright Office, which is reviewing the countrys media laws, the search giant indicated it is still strongly opposed to the framework of paying publishers for the ability to link to their news stories. Google says the news media bargaining code should not be replicated in the US. Credit:Bloomberg While no digital platform has been designated under the code at this stage, we believe that it should not be replicated, the submission says. There are laws that govern some kinds of chequebook journalism. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 - for instance - says that money that a convicted criminal makes as a result of a crime, including from paid interviews, is classified as proceeds of crime and is therefore liable for confiscation by the Commonwealth. Former Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes says that money can distort the truth. Money changes everything Even if payment is not illegal or unethical, Jonathan Holmes, host of ABCs flagship program Media Watch from 2008 to 2013, says when money changes hands it can change everything. Money can distort the truth, thats the blunt truth of it, he says. Just as you suspect that it might distort the truth, in the case of a whistleblower, it might distort the truth in the case of this family. Im not saying it would, Im not saying that its doing that. Its just a lot of money. The other danger is that it makes everyone else whos got a story have exaggerated ideas of what they can possibly get from the media and thats bad for the news climate. For his part, Max Markson - the talent agent who signed the deal with Nine on behalf of Cleos family - said in 2016 that of all the deals hes brokered, hes never attached conditions that prevent any side of the story being told. He said at the time that criticism of payment usually comes from within the media, and almost always from competitors. Dr Sacha Molitorisz, journalism professor at the University of Technology who has a PhD in media ethics, does not believe there is an ethical issue with the payment. He believes the kind of journalism that is paid for - such as the interview that aired on Sunday evening - is different to public interest journalism. I dont think anyone likes paying. Theres a taint when youve got to pay for any aspect of the story, but thats the real world. Journalist Ray Martin Credible news media outlets have rules about not paying for stories, not paying sources, not paying for journalism, and I think thats a good position to take, he says. What do we have here? We have a major commercial media company paying a lot of money for a big story. It becomes something slightly different once money enters the frame. It is still journalism, but its a different type of journalism. This is more storytelling. Cleos family are certainly not the first to take money from a media organisation. When Chamberlain was acquitted of her daughter Azarias murder at Uluru, she was reportedly paid $250,000 by Nine for the rights to her story. As the sole survivor of the Thredbo disaster in 1997, Divers story was also highly sought-after. Seven won the television rights to tell his story, for a rumoured $250,000, and the Australian Womens Weekly to a print interview. He also became a commentator for Seven during the 1998 Winter Olympics. There are more controversial payments - the amount Seven paid Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce for a tell-all on his affair with former staffer Vikki Campion, the money paid to former PM Bob Hawke for a spread in Womans Day about his affair with wife Blanche DAlpuget or 60 Minutes involvement in the botched child-snatching of Sally Faulkners children in Lebanon. The survival of Stuart Diver is one of several stories that was told for a lucrative sum. Credit:Dallas Kilponen Two former magazine executives and a television executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that they often felt it was more appropriate to pay for interviews with everyday families that had experienced trauma, than pay for an interview with a celebrity who came with a range of strict rules to govern what could and couldnt be said. They felt it was more ethical to pay a sum of money than not. Mr Holmes, who also worked as executive producer of Four Corners, says that there may also be other benefits to securing exclusivity with one television network or publication. You no longer have to cope with every other media company in the world banging on your door 24/7, which, with a family like this, would be very difficult to deal with, he says. You sign up an exclusive deal with one relatively reputable outfit, and they will effectively protect you from everybody else, for their self-interest. If there is ethical concern, Mr Molitorisz says it is to do with the age of Cleo. Her well-being has to come first and that gets really tricky because she is so young and so vulnerable, and who knows what shes going to think when shes an adult, he says. As a journalist, you have a responsibility to your intervieweesand when those people are children, you have such a high degree of responsibility, you have a duty to them. Thats the real world While paying for interviews is not common practice for Australian newspapers, it is a reality for television networks and magazines. Ray Martin, who interviewed Chamberlain exclusively in the 1980s, put it bluntly in 2016: I dont think anyone likes paying. Theres a taint when youve got to pay for any aspect of the story, but thats the real world. Four-year-old Cleo Smith in hospital after her rescue in Carnarvon. Credit:WA Police Payment is common practice in other countries. In the US it is generally considered unethical, with most mainstream newspapers and news shows having a policy forbidding it. But some tabloid newspapers and television shows - which rely more on sensationalism - will pay for interviews. In Britain and throughout Europe, journalists paying for news is also common. Loading Mr Holmes said that the BBC pays small amounts for all interviews - even with politicians. When he worked on investigative program Panorama, Holmes said people got a small fee to secure the copyright of the interview. It was standard and indeed, expected by everybody, he says. These things vary from culture to culture. Mr Molitorisz says that research conducted by UTS Centre for Media Transition found that some conflict zone journalists would give money to their interviewees. But again it was a different circumstance. It was more a case of at the end of an interview, or at the end of a report, they would see that someone needed a bit of money to get to a hospital or to buy some food for their kids, and they would hand them $50, he says. Ultimately, Holmes says, ethical judgement on the deal should be reserved for how Nine handles the interviews and future work with the family. News Corp-controlled real estate listings portal REA Group has ordered an urgent review into its payroll over concerns some staff members may not have been paid the right amount in commissions. REA, which announced a record interim dividend payment on Friday, wrote to staff on the same day to inform them consultancy KPMG was reviewing payments over concerns that provider Ascender had not remunerated staff properly by miscalculating tax. REA Group has hired KPMG to conduct an urgent review of its payroll. Credit:Realestate.com.au Industry sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity, said the KPMG review will assess pay from July 2021 until now. The scale of potential underpayment is unclear. We recently informed a small number of REA employees that they had been impacted by a payroll issue where our external pay provider, Ascender, did not deduct the appropriate amount of tax from some payments, an REA spokesperson said. We are working with Ascender to efficiently rectify this. We take matters like this very seriously and have engaged KPMG to conduct a thorough third-party review. REA Group is not the only media company to review its payments in recent years over concerns it had underpaid staff. National broadcaster the ABC was embroiled in multiple underpayment scandals over the past few years. Large Australian companies such as Australia Post, Woolworths, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Coles have also been accused of widespread staff underpayments. The urgent review was announced to staff on the same day that the real-estate listings group reported a 27 per cent increase in the first half of the financial year to $368 million and a net profit increase of 31 per cent to $226 million. The growth was attributed to a bounce back in consumer confidence due to the end of lockdowns in Victoria and NSW. The results included the consolidation of REA India and Mortgage Choice. Excluding the acquisitions, earnings (before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) grew 27 per cent and net profit climbed 33 per cent. Revenue was up 37 per cent to $590 million. Mr Wilson said bank liquidity, low interested rates and the forecasted low unemployment rates would keep the market strong. REA Group shareholders will receive an interim fully franked dividend of 75.0 cents per share - a 27 per cent increase on the prior year. Mr Wilson appeared unfazed by plans outlined by former Domain boss and regional media executives, Antony Catalano, who confirmed he was hoping to list challenger listings portal Real Estate View on the ASX by the end of this financial year. The board of Real Estate View unanimously supported an increase Mr Catalanos stake to 72 per cent last week, paving the way for an eventual takeover. My nine-year-old daughter was one of the more than 2000 NSW schoolchildren who tested positive to COVID-19 last week. Her three siblings are also now in isolation, missing school because the states close contact rules are outdated. If we lived in Britain, her siblings would still be allowed to go to school, because isolation rules do not apply to those aged under 18 who are COVID-negative. In the United States, my two eldest could attend, because they are COVID-negative and fully vaccinated. We need similar rules in Australia to minimise the harm to children of missing out on school. Fully vaccinated people should not have to isolate if they are a household contact. Credit:Tanya Macheda My daughters infection, picked up with a rapid antigen test after her first day back at school, was a surprise. We had spent the holidays in semi-lockdown, trying to avoid higher-risk settings, and she had no symptoms perhaps because she received her first vaccine jab the day she had become eligible. In NSW, household contacts of a positive case have to isolate for a week, even when fully vaccinated, and even if they test negative and show no symptoms. Children are presenting with milder and often asymptomatic disease, yet have the same isolation requirements as adults. WASHINGTON -- Arizona outperformed the nation on its rates of premature births and infant deaths, despite having some of lowest rates of prenatal care among the states, according to a recent March of Dimes report. The annual report said 9.5% of live births in Arizona were preterm in 2020, compared to the national average of 10.1% that year. It also said the infant mortality rate in the state was 5.2 deaths per 1,000 births in 2019, compared to 5.6 per 1,000 nationally. But Arizona ranked fourth-highest in 2019 for its level of inadequate prenatal care, with 20.3% of women receiving less than half of the appropriate number of doctor visits during their pregnancies. Only New Mexico, at 24.8%, and Texas and Hawaii, tied at 20.4%, were higher. Deena Bradford, executive director of Market Impact for Arizona March of Dimes, blamed it on women who are uninsured or who live in underserved areas, what the report calls maternity care deserts. There is a lack of prenatal care in desert areas, and pregnant women are unable to get to prenatal appointments or understand the importance of prenatal care, Bradford said. We want to definitely see the trends where we see less preterm births and infant mortality, and that is where we are coming in with more education and more resources in the community. Resources like the Mobile Health Program, she said, a health unit that allows uninsured mothers to receive prenatal care they may not have before. The program, which focuses on parts of southern Arizona where health care can be scarce, services about 2,400 people a year, according to its website, which says no one is turned away regardless of ability to pay for services. We empower pregnant women to get an education and push them during the pregnancy to help them know all of the resources available to them, said Nury Stemple, a community health worker for the program. A lot of them cant get help so we bring the help to them. She said organizations and programs like hers are one reason the state can post relatively good maternal health numbers despite the lack of care in rural areas. But Stemple said nonprofit organizations can only do so much and they cannot serve every pregnant woman who is unable to get prenatal care. The sad part is that you see mothers and their babies die because they cant afford health care, Stemple said. There is something wrong with our system. Prenatal care cannot solve every pregnancy problem. Thats why Nicholas Hall started Grahams Foundation, a nonprofit that works with families of premature babies. The foundation is named for Halls son, Graham, who was born by cesarean section on Nov. 23, 2006, at just 25 weeks, after his mother developed preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication. Grahams twin sister, Reece, survived but Graham lived just 45 days, his short life spent in neonatal intensive care. The causes of prematurity are incredibly diverse, Nicholas Hall said. It isnt always something you can plan for and, unless its due to an issue caught early on, its not something that you can predict. Hall said having babies is a tricky and risky business for humanity, but he believes that hospitals are doing a better job of intervening and saving mothers and babies that go through a traumatic birth. But health experts continue to focus their efforts on prenatal care in hopes of preventing preterm birth and infant mortality. When youre looking at prevention, a lot of times it requires a significant amount of time before you actually see a significant drop in rates, said Patricia Tarango, chief of the Bureau of Womens and Childrens Health in the Arizona Department of Health Services. Tarango pointed to a 2019 action plan developed by the health department to address maternal mortality in the state. The goals highlighted in the plan include increased awareness of warning signs, improved access to care and more. What were really hoping for is some stability, and then identifying evidence-based strategies that can be implemented to really help us hone in on where the disparities exist, Tarango said. Dr. Mary Ellen Rimsza, pediatrician and chair for the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program, said the most important strategy to implement is access to prenatal care, the area where the state is lagging most. Rimsza said a lot of preterm births are due to an unhealthy pregnancy and poor maternal health, which could be headed off with access to prenatal care. Its often hard to know the specifics of how we can prevent the deaths, she said. But one of the factors we do know is important in preventing births, and deaths, of premature babies is prenatal care. Bradford is hopeful that rates will continue to improve with the help of nonprofit organizations, programs such as the mobile health unit and collaboration with health care providers across the state. This is a long road ahead of us and I feel it will improve little by little, Bradford said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Peter Dutton is likely organising his numbers for a challenge. Graham Russell, Clovelly Peter Hartcher paints a grim picture of an incompetent government with an even more incompetent leadership, which has no right to be re-elected (The underdogs new tricks fall flat, February 5-6). Despite this, Morrison has three months to convince the electorate that he deserves to continue as PM. As an inveterate marketeer, Morrison knows that he can turn things around in a short time as he did in 2019, so look forward to the traditional Coalition tactics of security scaremongering and claims of Opposition economic inadequacy, together with measures designed to appeal to an electorate easily influenced by the back pocket. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne Premier sets the standard for leadership with flag decision Dominic Perrottet, you make my heart sing (Aboriginal flag to fly on bridge, February 5-6). Reading that you are determined to deliver better outcomes for Indigenous Australians was the first time in my seven and a half decades I have heard such positive messaging for our First Nations People from a leading politician. How overdue, how necessary and, dare I hope, how wonderful. As a non-Indigenous grandma and lover of country you will have my full support. This is what leadership looks like. Veronica Payne, Camden South We could build the Harbour Bridge in the 1920s, but we cant even place a flagpole on it in 2022, laments the Premier. It will be a century overdue that we get to permanently acknowledge the original owners of this great land from the countrys most visible icon, but its a great move, Premier. And the right one. Vic Alhadeff, Kirribilli Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: Bravo Perrottet, at last a politician who appreciates what a national treasure we have in our First Peoples and their culture, understands that they deserve respect and will walk the talk to close the gap. He follows in the footsteps of Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd, who also took big strides and showed leadership. Symbolism is a good start, but genuine concern and action must follow. Ted Anderson, Narrabeen I have been reluctant to accept the Premier with any great enthusiasm. However, his decision to fly the Indigenous Australian flag permanently from the Harbour Bridge along with his comment at the slowness of erecting the flagpole has melted me somewhat. Like many before him, sympathetic words regarding our Indigenous population are easy to say, its delivering the results and solutions that speak loudest. Time slips quickly away, leaving nothing to show for the words and promises. Perhaps the timeframe for erecting the flagpole is an indicator of the bureaucratic machinations that plague not just flagpoles, but the entire nation and especially our Indigenous Australians. Susan Durman, Pyrmont For once we have a chance to check the honesty and integrity of a politician. We can wait and watch to see if the Aboriginal flag turns up on top of the bridge. Will he keep his promise? Nedra Orme, Neutral Bay Good on the Premier for his plans to rehabilitate Goat Island in the name of the Gadigal peoples culture and heritage. But please dont wait a year for the bureaucrats to build a third flag pole. Simply fly it on the NSW flag pole. It will have a bigger impact; and theres no time to lose in bridging the gap. Peter Walton, Greenwich If Perrottet wants to get the Aboriginal flag up on the bridge as soon as possible he could fly it instead of the Australian flag. Chris Ghent, Wentworth Falls PM must urgently tackle the COVID crisis in aged-care More than 600 dead in a little over one month; 40,733 residents yet to receive their boosters (Defence called in for aged care boosters, February 5-6). Residents isolated and not receiving care due to more than 30,000 staff infected and others leaving the profession in droves. Our leader trying to decide whether this is a crisis or a situation. I will not stop shouting: our elderly need protection now. Mark Paskal, Austinmer Your editorial signed off: The lives of older people are no less valuable than anyone else (Aged care requires major surgery to heal COVID crisis, February 5-6). As a patient advocate I can assure you that is not true. The vast majority of my clients are relatives of people fighting ageism in public hospitals or dreadful standards in residential care facilities. They cant all be wrong. Dorothy Kamaker, Sydney Rather than sending defence into old-age homes why not give this sector a healthy slice of the billions they are investing in arms deals? Geoffrey Dyer, Bundanoon Modern slavery Corporatisation of the world has changed all aspects of the labour force for the worse (Call for always on workers to be given the legal right to switch off, February 5-6). Not only is there the casualisation of workers, blue-collar workers with insecure hours and pay, reduced penalty rates, lack of sick and leave entitlements, but the profiteering tentacles of big business are now ensnaring traditional so-called white-collar workers. The ploy might be different the appeal to a workers moral sensibility never to be away from the office, but the outcome is the same: business profiteering on the backs of its labourers, this time by non-payment of overtime. Anyone working 60 or more hours a week is doing a job requiring the wages of two humans, not the slavery of one. Collectives and unions used to have bargaining power to make these changes, but decades of corporate capital donations to neo-liberal governments have put an end to that. Shall we start with transparency of political donations as an easy first step, or straight to a general strike? Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi Religious freedom Just because a Christian school like Citipointe teaches the biblical claim that same-sex activity is a sin does not mean those who have engaged in or want to have such sex are going to be hated, belittled or treated differently and told they are unlovable (Liberal moderates refuse to back religious bill, February 5-6). Indeed, the Bibles message is that every person has sinned and can be forgiven through Jesus. We are all called to treat every human being with dignity and respect. The Christian school is only instructing what someone who seeks to follow and obey Jesus should do. Each child is free to accept or ignore such teaching, not ask that such religious instruction be censored. Polly Seidler, Darlinghurst Of all the important issues Parliament could be dealing with, the Liberal party has prioritised a Bill which will increase discrimination and ignored calls for a much-needed Federal ICAC. How brave of these moderate Liberals to stand up to the machinations of the religious right in their party and defend the rights of an already marginalised LGBTQ+ community. Lets hope Labor politicians heed the call. Debbie Ditchfield, Vaucluse Scott Morrison thinks the most important political outcome Australians want is to allow some religious organisations to discriminate against some basic human rights. That encapsulates where the Coalition is at in these troubled times. Greg Thompson, Bega Help Ukraine Ben Saul is right. Ukraine is lonely prey for Russia (We need to step up for Ukraine, it could be us next, February 5-6). No country has undertaken to fight for Ukraine, but individuals could. An example of this is the Spanish Civil War, in which people from a number of countries, including Australia, took part. Australian volunteers could go to Ukraine to assist both in a military or humanitarian capacity. One day Australia, too, may need to call on others for help. Geoffrey Williamson, Woollahra Lost cause I liken the Australian governments stance on protecting the Great Barrier Reef to this analogy: Australia is like a 1950s weatherboard house with a black roof, no insulation and surrounded by concrete front and backyards, trying to protect a valued ice sculpture in the house that is rapidly melting (Breaking coral codes to help save reefs, February 5-6). Meanwhile, Australias neighbours, in their modern glass and metal houses, are busily planting more fire-retardant trees around their insulated properties and trying hard not to sneer. Valentina Bellio, Corrimal Lunchtime legend Is there anything Stuart Robert, the acting Federal Education Minister, cannot do (Western history back at fore, but minister wants to streamline, February 5-6)? Gee whiz, if Scott Morrison falls over before the next election this bloke, whos a legend in his own lunchtime, could be our next PM. Laugh or cry? Make up your own mind. Col Shephard, Yamba Royal shackles Your correspondent believes the British monarchy has by and large, brought about governmental and social stability (Letters, February 5-6). I, on the other hand, would suggest that it was the outcome of the English Civil War between 1642 and 1651, which resulted unambiguously in the supremacy of Parliament over the monarch, that has seen Britain and its former colonies enjoy more than 400 years of relatively stable systems of government and therefore, societies. It is nothing other than shameful that no Australian citizen can aspire to the position of true head of state of this country: to suggest that the governor-general is somehow our head of state is nothing less than a fantasy. The fact that his or her appointment must be ratified by a foreign king or queen 16,000 km away says it all. Martyn Yeomans, Sapphire Beach Suds over substance If Scott Morrison washed a womans hair to attract the female vote, perhaps this Pentecostal PM, cognisant of someone else, could wash the feet of an aged care resident to woo the vote of the elderly (Labor in a lather over PMs shampoo stunt, February 5-6). Michael Petras, Thornleigh Prime Minister Scott Morrison washes the hair of an employee of Cocos Hair Salon in Mount Eliza on Friday. Credit:Paul Jeffers Is the Prime Ministers shampooing of some hapless woman trapped in a hair-dressing salon chair a Tony Abbott onion eating moment? Tony Brownlow, Glebe We need to wash that man right out of our hair and send him on his way (with apologies to Mitzi Gaynor in South Pacific). Robert Baker, Chatswood Scott Morrison - hair today, gone tomorrow. Susan Lynch, Bateau Bay Out of the box I have an old telly you could have, Ashley Collard (Letters, February 5-6). Works most of the time. Sometimes you have to thump it, but thats quite therapeutic. John Buchanan, Ultimo I havent watched Australian TV since Grace Sullivan was on the wrong end of V-bomb. It still hurts to think about it. Jeff Apter, Keiraville As Noel Coward famously said, Television is for appearing on, not looking at. Gordon Phipps, The Entrance The Prime Minister has announced a number of excellent initiatives to encourage the return of international students to Australia now that our borders have reopened, from extending working rights to rebates on visas. Behind these initiatives is a recognition that international students are critical contributors to our economic prosperity and crucial to filling workforce shortages in key industries. This is equally true at a state level. Pre-COVID, spending by international students and their visiting families helped to support more than 95,000 full-time equivalent jobs in NSW, not just in education but also in sectors such as hospitality and tourism, pouring $30 million a day into the NSW economy. And the vibrancy of the diverse cultural life international students bring underpins the character of a globally connected community. Charli Ronander Berge, a UTS fashion student, was one of the first international students to return to Sydney. Credit:Louise Kennerley International students hold our education system and qualifications in high regard nearly 90 per cent are satisfied with their study experience at an Australian university, according to government surveys. They also see Australia as a safe and enjoyable destination. But during the past two years, many international students who would otherwise have studied in NSW have instead gone to countries with fewer border restrictions like the United States, Britain and Canada. Or they have simply decided to study at home. That meant a $5 billion hit to the NSW economy in 2021, and potentially another $6 billion this year. Underworld shooting Frederick William Harrison, a notorious Melbourne gunman and waterfront standover gang leader, was shot dead on a wharf in South Melbourne this afternoon. Minutes before, he had left a ship. Police believe his murderer drove away, but homicide detectives have found no one who can describe the man. The shooting is believed to be part of a running underworld feud which has been threatening the Port Melbourne-South Melbourne area for months. Australians lauded English critics have praised the Australian singers who took all three leading roles in Rigoletto at Covent Garden. It is the first time in the history of the Royal Opera that Australians have filled all leading roles. Joan Sutherland has appeared at Covent Garden before, but Albert Lance and John Shaw were making their debuts there. The Times said: Miss Sutherlands purity of tone and expressive phrasing made her Gilda a delight. Right royal trek The human toll of the COVID pandemic in Queensland is inching towards 300, with nine deaths in the latest reporting period. The fatalities brought the states total COVID death toll to 277, a fraction of the 4155 reported nationally. Queensland aged care residents should have received their booster shots, but Deputy Premier Steven Miles says the COVID death rates show many have not. Credit:AP Deputy Premier Steven Miles said more than half of those deaths, 141, were in residential aged care, which he called the epicentre of whats going on right now. Mr Miles said all staff and residents in such facilities should have been double vaccinated and boosted, but that clearly was not the case. Victoria Police told barrister Nicola Gobbo they would pay for her to flee overseas, including to a country without extradition treaties with Australia, so she could avoid criminal investigation or prosecution into her work as a police informer. The offer was made in 2020 by a senior officer in the polices covert operations unit while the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants was investigating the potentially corrupt actions of the former lawyer and Victoria Police. Barrister-turned-police-informer Nicola Gobbo, pictured in 2008. Credit:Joe Armao A source familiar with the plan, who cannot be identified because they were talking about confidential operations, said Ms Gobbo was told police would arrange and fund her permanent relocation to one of several overseas destinations that placed her out of the reach of authorities. The officer said accepting the deal would mean Ms Gobbo was safely beyond the jurisdiction of Victorian prosecutors or the courts before the start of any formal criminal investigation or any charges could be laid in what has become the worst legal and police scandal in the states history. A landmark long-term strategy to ensure the LGBTQ community feels safe, included and confident in Victoria was released on Sunday, coinciding with Melbournes Midsumma Pride March and as the Liberal Party ramps up efforts to broaden its appeal to progressive voters. The $6.5 million Pride In Our Future LGBTIQ+ strategy is Victorias first blueprint towards equal rights and equitable services for sexuality and gender-diverse individuals. The 2022 Midsumma Pride March on Sunday. Credit:Chris Hopkins The road map plans to deliver awareness and sensitivity training for Victoria Police staff, improved public fertility care access, and implement the recommendations of the review into decriminalising sex work in Victoria. Speaking at the Midsumma Festival on Sunday, Minister for Health and Equality Martin Foley said there was more to be done when it came to supporting the LGBTQ community in Victoria. Sydneys property market has soared to new heights, with house and unit prices across much of the city slipping out of reach of first-home buyers. Aspiring homeowners with a healthy budget of $800,000 the price cap for Sydney buyers using the federal governments first home loan deposit scheme would be unable to afford the median house price in the majority of Greater Sydney suburbs, Domain figures show. Typical unit prices across half of the city would also cost more than the price cap. Median house prices across most Sydney suburbs are above $800,000, with a growing number of apartments slipping over that price point. Credit:Peter Rae With Sydneys median house price now sitting at about $1.6 million, house hunters would need to look to the citys west and south-west, the Central Coast, and a handful of suburbs in the Blue Mountains, to find homes within budget. The cap of $800,000 for the federal governments first home loan deposit scheme, which allows buyers to purchase with a low 5 per cent deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance, was increased last July from an earlier limit of $700,000. Hidayat Nur Wahid, a senior figure in the Islamist faith-based Prosperous Justice Party and the deputy speaker of Indonesias upper house, was also scathing. He said he believed the museum to be a ploy by Israel to try and normalise relations with Indonesia, which has long rejected diplomatic ties because of its support for the Palestinian cause. Its an issue that has been in the headlines lately after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the prospect of establishing formal relations between Indonesia and Israel during a visit to Jakarta in December. The controversy about the photo exhibition prompted reporters to last week again pose questions to Indonesias foreign ministry about where it stands on Israel. Indonesias position, though, remains unchanged. We support the Palestinian people and we continue to work for the independence of Palestine within the two-state solution framework, foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said. Most Indonesian are not aware of the presence of a small Jewish community in the country Munim Sirry, assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame Baruch insists the exhibition in Tondano has nothing to do with conflict in the Middle East. He told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age he forbids members of the synagogue displaying the Israeli flag because it only provokes people. I support the [Indonesian] governments position, he said. We are talking about faith here, we are not talking about politics. The furore over the museums opening, however, offers a glimpse into the life of the tiny Jewish community in a nation of 230 million Muslims. Baruch estimates there are about 50 Indonesian Jews across the archipelago, descendants of Dutch colonialists and immigrants from Iraq, and a further 500 expatriates living in Jakarta and Bali. It is difficult to find them because they hide their identity, he said. Baruch inside the synagogue, the only one in Indonesia. Credit:Ronny Adolof Buol Indonesia has traditionally been known for its moderate form of Islam and in Tondano as well the nearby provincial capital of Manado, which has a large Christian population, the small Jewish community is embraced and feels safe to openly display and practise their faith and mark holy days. Before the pandemic, visitors from a prominent Islamic boarding school in Gontor, East Java, even came to the synagogue twice a year to study Judaism. Rising religious conservatism and intolerance in Indonesia, though, has given the sprinkling of Jews beyond that inclusive corner of Sulawesi extra reason to keep a low profile. I had a bad experience when I was in Jakarta, Baruch said, recalling an incident in the capital a decade ago. I was with my [pregnant] wife at a mall and five big men shouted at me saying crazy Jew. They said they would kill me unless I took off my kippah. They wanted to hit me but the mall security suddenly arrived and saved us, so we could get away. Baruch at the synagogue in Tondano, where he has established a Holocaust museum. Credit:Ronny Adolof Buol When he has returned to Jakarta since, he has led religious rituals behind closed doors inside a five-star hotel for security. Maureen Elias, a 73-year-old Jewish woman who lives on the outskirts of the Indonesian metropolis, knows all about worshipping in secret. We do the Sabbath by ourselves and its just ourselves celebrating our own festive days, she said. Were not looking for trouble. Safety first. The most important thing is that the soul goes to heaven. She believes it is very sad, however, that people arent buried according to Jewish customs as Judaism is not one of the six officially recognised religions in Indonesia. We can choose what [religion] to state in our ID cards, be it Islam, Christian, Hindu, whatever. But my grandma chose Christian, she said. So, we will be buried in the Christian way as stated in our ID card. It is the norm in Indonesia. Discrimination is deeply embedded. Research in 2014 by the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish non-government organisation, concluded as many as 75 million Indonesians, or 48 per cent of the adult population, harboured anti-Semitic attitudes. It was a figure eclipsed in south-east Asia only in Malaysia, according to the ADL. Munim Sirry, an assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in the US, conducted his own study in 2018 and 2019, interviewing 700 university students around Indonesia as well as 500 high school students in East Java province. Asked to rank who they disliked the most, Jews came in third behind LGBTI people and communists, he said. Loading Indonesia, in the past few years, underwent certain type of radicalisation. [Anti-Semitism] is certainly a very serious problem there, Sirry said. But most Indonesians are not aware of the presence of a small Jewish community in the country. And they cannot even conceptualise Judaism as a religion because Judaism is not one of the officially recognised religions in the country. Ultimately, Baruch would like the minute Jewish minority in Indonesia to be comfortable in revealing their true religious identity, arguing that concealing it was a problem in itself. London: Prince Charles has thanked his mother Queen Elizabeth for publicly stating her desire that his wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort when he becomes king. The Queens statement made to coincide with the 70th anniversary of her accession to the British throne should remove any discussion about future titles upon her death. Queen Elizabeth and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall pictured here at Royal Ascot have increasingly appeared together in public. Credit:AP The 95-year-old Queen said it was her sincere wish that Camilla be known as Queen Consort after Charles takes the throne. Charles responded on Sunday as he led tributes from world and religious leaders to mark the Queens milestone one not reached in almost 1000 years. London: A super-trawler that was banned from fishing in Australian waters is being investigated after reportedly dumping more than 100,000 dead fish in the Atlantic Ocean. The Dutch-owned trawler FV Margiris the worlds second-largest fishing vessel spilled its catch after its net ruptured, according to the industry group that represents the vessels owner. Sea Shepherd estimated the super-trawler left as many as 100,000 dead fish. Credit:Sea Shepherd In a statement, the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA) said the spill occurred involuntarily on Thursday and was a very rare occurrence. But French authorities have opened an investigation after an environmental group disputed this account, saying it was an illegal discharge. Scholzs central mission for his Washington visit has to be restoring German credibility, said Thorsten Benner, a founder and the director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. Its not how Mr Scholz envisaged his first US trip as chancellor, Benner added. But international security was never near the top of his agenda. Loading Scholz, 63, has been a familiar figure in German politics for more than two decades. He was general secretary of his party and mayor of the northern port city of Hamburg before serving in two governments led by Merkels conservatives, most recently as her finance minister. An industrial relations lawyer and lifelong Social Democrat, Scholz narrowly won the election in the fall on a platform promising workers respect and a higher minimum wage, while nudging Germany on a path to a carbon-neutral future. Foreign policy barely featured in his election campaign, but it has come to dominate the first weeks of the new administration. Rarely has a German leader come into office with so many burning crises. As soon as Scholz took over from Merkel in early December, he had to deal not just with a resurgent pandemic but with a Russian president mobilising troops on Ukraines borders. Then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, right, drinking a glass of beer with then-Social Democratic member of German parliament, and future Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their visit to the Holsten brewery in Hamburg in 2005. Credit:AP It wasnt the plan, said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, vice president of the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund. This is a government that has huddled around an ambitious plan of industrial transformation, but the reality of a crisis-ridden world has interfered with their plans. Of all of the crises, the standoff with Russia has proved particularly uncomfortable for Scholz. His Social Democrats have traditionally favoured a policy of working with Moscow. During the Cold War, Chancellor Willy Brandt engineered Ostpolitik, a policy of rapprochement with Russia. The last Social Democratic chancellor, Schroder, is not just a close friend of Putins, he has also been on the payroll of various Russian energy companies since 2005, notably Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, the two gas pipelines connecting Russia directly with Germany under the Baltic Sea. It was not until last week, after Schroders comments about Ukraine, that Scholz felt compelled to publicly distance himself from the former chancellor. There is only one chancellor, and that is me, he told public broadcaster ZDF. There is only one chancellor, and thats me, says German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Credit:AP His partys divisions over Russia are one way to explain why Scholz has shrunk away from taking a bolder lead in the standoff with Russia, prompting some to lament the loss of leadership of his conservative predecessor. Scholz won the election last year primarily by convincing voters that he would be very much like Merkel. Terse, well-briefed and abstaining from any gesture of triumph, he not only learned to sound like the former chancellor, he even emulated her body language, holding his hands together in her signature diamond shape. But now that he is running the country, that is no longer enough. German voters are hungry for Scholz to reveal himself and increasingly impatient to learn who he is and what he actually stands for. Loading As the current crisis unfolds, Scholzs imitation of Merkel is also less and less convincing. She was understated and studious, and often kept her work behind the scenes, but she was not invisible. In the spring of 2014, after Putin invaded Crimea, Merkel was on the phone to him almost every day. It was Berlin that united reluctant European neighbors behind costly sanctions and persuaded President Barack Obama, distracted by domestic affairs, to focus on a faraway conflict. At that point, of course, Merkel had already been chancellor for nine years and knew all of the protagonists well. The crisis came very soon for Scholz, said Christoph Heusgen, a veteran diplomat and Merkels foreign policy adviser during the last Ukraine crisis. Scholzs advisers have been taken aback by the level of criticism, arguing that Scholz was merely doing what Merkel had so often done: Make yourself scarce and keep people guessing while engaging in quiet diplomacy until you have a result. When Scholz has spoken up on the current crisis referring to the Russia-owned gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 as a private-sector project before pivoting to saying that everything was on the table he has conspicuously recycled language that Merkel used before. But given the escalation in the current crisis, that language is long outdated, analysts say. Hes overlearned the Merkel style, Kleine-Brockhoff of the German Marshall Fund said. Hes Merkel-plus, and that doesnt work in a crisis. After facing mounting criticism from Kyiv and other Eastern European capitals, Scholzs leadership is increasingly being questioned at home, too. In a recent Infratest Dimap poll, Scholzs personal approval rating plummeted by 17 percentage points, to 43 per cent from 60 per cent in early January, the sharpest decline for a chancellor in postwar history, the firm says. Support for his Social Democrats fell to 22 per cent, lagging the conservatives for the first time since last years surprise election victory. Scholzs team announced that after returning from Washington, the chancellor will pivot to a full schedule that he hopes will shift German diplomacy into high gear. Following his meeting with Biden, he will meet with Macron; the Polish prime minister, Andrzej Duda; and the three leaders of the Baltic states. The week after, he will travel to Kyiv and Moscow, in that order. Senior diplomats say it is high time for such a pivot, starting with Mondays visit to the White House. Scholz has a seeming center-left ally in Biden, who has so far refrained from publicly criticising Berlin. Not since President Bill Clintons second term have both the White House and the German chancellery been in the hands of centre-left leaders, and for all of the wavering on the German side, the two administrations have been in close contact throughout. But patience is running thin, and Scholz will have to bring something to the table. There has to be a visible sign of commitment to the alliance, Kleine-Brockhoff said. Thats what other allies are doing: The Spanish, the Baltic countries, the Poles, the Brits everyone has offered something to strengthen deterrence on the eastern flank. German lawmakers have started preliminary conversations about beefing up their troop presence in Lithuania, officials say. Other options include more naval patrols in the Baltic Sea and more air patrols in Bulgaria and Romania. As important as any material commitment may be the words Scholz uses or does not use to publicly communicate that commitment. Maybe for the first time he could mention Nord Stream 2 by name when talking about possible sanctions, Kleine-Brockhoff said. Ottawa: Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Monday AEDT declared a state of emergency to help deal with an unprecedented 10-day occupation by protesting truckers that has shut down much of the core of the Canadian capital. (This) reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government, he said in a statement. Police officers form a line in front of counter protesters blocking a convoy of truckers opposed to COVID-19 health measures and vaccinations, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Credit:AP Watson, who complained earlier in the day that the demonstrators outnumbered police and controlled the situation, did not give details of what measures he might impose. The Freedom Convoy began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government. Jefferson Lee IV Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who dedicated his life to the Civil Rights struggle. His leadership in that area is honored each year by Southwest Minnesota State University, which bestows an MLK Humanitarian Award, presented this year to Jefferson Lee IV. JayLee, as he is affectionately known across campus, is the Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; Access Opportunity Success; and the Mustang Pathways program. Lee is an SMSU alumnus who, along the way to receiving his degree, fell in love with the university, the region, and its people. During the course of his day, Lee meets students of varying backgrounds. His goal is to help each student achieve their fullest potential. Each student is different and our office hopes to help them achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality, he said. Lee is humbled by the award. The department didnt create this award for me to receive it I saw myself as the one giving it. Im surprised, and grateful. Lee is a friendly face across campus and has worked tirelessly over the years for equity and inclusion. Its a passion for him. Lee is active on campus and within the community, and puts students first. He makes sure that students from all backgrounds have a place that they feel welcome and comfortable. Helping those students find academic and personal success is his goal. The Minnesota State system has started an Equity 2030 initiative, which hopes to eliminate the educational equity gap by the year 2030. Its a system-wide goal, and one Lee has personally pursued for years. Hes a champion of students of color. My passion is centered around understanding and helping people. Theres no greater gift than giving back and helping others, he said. Addis Ababa, 6 February 2022 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polsario Front, Brahim Ghali, has informed African leaders of the successive and dangerous developments recorded in Western Sahara after November 13, 2020, the date of violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Makhzen regime. Intervening in the debate on the report of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU submitted to the 35th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the AU, President Ghali stressed that "the Sahrawi Republic wishes to express its deep concern over the successive and dangerous developments in Western Sahara after November 13, 2020, the date of the violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Kingdom of Morocco and the illegal military occupation of several parts of the territory of the Sahrawi Republic. "The Moroccan forces have targeted defenseless Sahrawi civilians and civilians from neighboring countries with sophisticated weapons, which suggests a policy of systemic extermination, and the Sahrawi territories under Moroccan occupation have seen an upsurge in human rights violations, as evidenced by the abuse inflicted on the Sahrawi citizen Sultana Khaya and her family, not to mention the plundering of Sahrawi natural wealth. "The legal status of Western Sahara is becoming clearer day by day and has been further reinforced by the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in September 2021 annulling the agreements concluded by the European Commission with the Kingdom of Morocco relating to Western Sahara, deemed illegal in the sense that Morocco and Western Sahara are two separate and distinct territories," he added. The President of the Republic is taking part in the work of the 35th Summit of African Union Heads of State and Government, held Saturday and Sunday at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is accompanied by a delegation comprising Minister of Information, Government spokesperson, Hamada Salma, Counsellor to the Presidency of the Republic, Abdati Brika, Legal Counsellor to the Presidency of the Republic, Ahmed Sid Ali, Ambassador to South Africa, Mohamed Yaslam Bessat, Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, Lamine Baali. 062/T As we finally head back to normal times after two years of the coronavirus pandemic, one constant worry is more intense than ever: Companies struggle to find the right employees as workers look very closely at where they might earn a living. Its a tough match-up game out there, all the more with the unemployment rate falling back to pre-pandemic levels. How can a business gain an advantage? If youre hiring, one of the most effective claims you can make is that youre a Top Workplace. That means the Hearst Connecticut Media Top Workplaces awards for employers in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield counties. Were now starting our 12th year, a great time for anyone whos hiring privately owned businesses, nonprofits, publicly traded corporations, even government agencies to showcase all the ways theyve valued employees throughout the coronavirus crisis. Nominations are open for the 2021 competition. Click here to see coverage of the 2021 winners. Watch this animated video about how Top Workplaces works. Click on www.topworkplaces.com/nominate/hearstct/ to nominate your company whether youre the CEO or the newest employee. Ask Maria Coutant Skinner what it has meant for the combined company where she is CEO, McCall Center for Behavioral Health and Help Inc., the mental health and addiction services nonprofits in Litchfield County and the Waterbury area. With employees having many options of where they want to go to work, CEO Coutant Skinner said, We point it out. Companies say the recognition works for recruitment, it works for the information they receive through employee surveys and it works for morale at a tough time. Like many workplaces, especially in the healthcare field, we experienced heart wrenching challenges, but our staff never faltered with their unwavering commitment and dedication to their colleagues and clients, said Coutant Skinner, at the two nonprofits that are merging this year. She tells a story about last months peak of the omicron variant, when upwards of 20 percent of the staff herself included was sick or unable to work. every person who wasnt sick stepped in, she said, including the director of outpatient services flipping pancakes for residential clients. Top Workplaces celebrates that spirit. Were looking to honor the best places to work, regardless of what kind of employers they are. A company need not have its headquarters here to compete. The contest is open to any employer with 35 or more people in the three counties. Recognition is given for small, midsize and large organizations, and the contest also rewards the best executives including Coutant Skinner, last years midsize winner. Dont wait, nominations close Friday, March 11. The cost to compete and win is zero. Last year, Hearst Connecticut Media honored 56 employers from across the region. Awards are based on short, 24-question employee surveys by our partner, Energage, about how well employers value their ideas, communicate, puts their strategies to work, operate ethically and create a culture of teamwork and competence. The currently reigning top winners from 2021 include Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties (1st place among large employers for the fourth consecutive year), and Bridgewater Associates at No. 2 for the large size category. Gaylord Specialty Healthcare was No. 3 among large employers. For midsize employers, Splash Car Wash won the top spot after many years of coming close. No. 2 was High Watch Recovery Center and No. 3 was HAI Group, a specialty insurer to housing authorities, based in Cheshire. Criterion, a small but global software developer in Norwalk, won 1st place among small employers for the second time in its two years in the contest. Autism Behavioral Health, a Danbury company, was No. 2 among small employers for the second straight year. The Star Supply Co. of New Haven was No. 3. Only one company, ICON International Inc., the corporate barter firm based in Greenwich, has made the winners list all 11 years. All of these winners, and all 56 from the 2021 list, have amazing stories to tell about working through coronavirus. And they can tell you why their Top Workplaces designation matters. Hearst Connecticut Media Top Workplaces winners will be featured in the Connecticut Post, The News-Times of Danbury, Greenwich Time, The Stamford Advocate, The Norwalk Hour, New Haven Register and The Register Citizen of Torrington in September and will be highlighted on all of the associated websites. For complete coverage of last years winners, go to any of those media outlets websites and type /topworkplaces such as www.ctpost.com/topworkplaces. Energage carries out the Top Workplaces surveys for more than 40 metro newspapers including some of the biggest. The company has surveed more than 20 million employees at tens of thousands of organizations. Energage launched its Top Workplaces USA designation in 2022, with the best of the best winners that have at least 150 employees. McCall/Help and several of our other 2021 winners made that national list this month. Employers can be nominated online at https://topworkplaces.com/nominate/hearstct or by calling 203-617-0727. Dan Haar is associate editor and columnist at Hearst Connecticut Media Group. dhaar@hearstmediact.com STAMFORD In Stamford, a proposed block schedule for next school year remains wildly unpopular among teachers, but two educators in California who use the system themselves say there are definite benefits. At San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, students take classes in a four-by-four block schedule they take full courses in the span of one semester in either the spring or the fall, meeting daily for 90-minute classes. The school has used the model since the 1990s. Alexander Sheldon, an assistant principal at San Marcos High School, said he sees the benefit of the block schedule they employ. One big plus, he said, is that teachers have fewer students to teach in any one semester. That means educators can give students feedback quicker and have fewer papers to grade, he said. Michael Kiyoi, the instrumental music director at the school and a former student there, said no system is ever perfect, but hes a fan of the four-by-four. To me, it allows for more in-depth learning each day, he said. Both Sheldon and Kiyoi took part in a virtual panel discussion last week with Stamford administrators. Teachers were invited to watch and listen and submit questions through the chat feature. About two weeks ago, Stamford school administrators announced they would move to a block schedule similar to the one at San Marcos for the next school year, but after angry pushback from teachers, they changed their plan. Now, the district is planning on sticking with the four-by-four model, but allowing certain classes such as Advanced Placement courses, band, journalism and agricultural science to be taught in an alternating every-other-day model that runs for the entire school year. The shift hasnt won over teachers. Stamford students and parents have been similarly opposed to the concept. Among Stamfords high schools, only the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering currently uses a block schedule. Both Westhill High School and Stamford High School use a seven-period schedule of 48-minute classes. At AITE, every class is offered in an A/B model with four 90-minute periods every day. That means a student attends four classes one day, followed by four different classes the next day. Many students and parents, like teachers, have said they would rather the district implement the current schedule at AITE across all high schools. Claude Morest, a social studies teacher at AITE, recently spoke during the public comment portion of a Stamford Board of Education meeting, and said one of his biggest concerns is keeping students engaged in the proposed four-by-four. Daily classes can be a grind, especially if they are 90 minutes long, he said, describing the districts planned block schedule as wildly unpopular among teachers. Morest also brought up a common concern among teachers, parents and students: that the four-by-four leads to major lapses in instruction as students can go an entire summer and the following semester without any class time in a subject. Sheldon and Kiyoi said learning loss has not been a major challenge at San Marcos, though they recognized that students do lose retention of information with any break. I would say that its a concern from parents when they come in the door as freshman, Sheldon said. Ive never heard that from our parents after theyve been in our system for a couple years. Lori Rhodes, the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at the secondary level for Stamford schools, previously said that research shows that learning loss under the block schedule is not as much of a concern. For Aishwarya Sivasubramanian, a senior at AITE, learning loss is one of her biggest concerns. The summer slide is an incredibly focused-on topic by the district, and yet somehow, the eight month gap is dismissed, saying there are studies that prove it doesnt exist, she said, in comments she made to the Board of Education last week. Id like to ask if going by studies and not what the teachers say is the way the district wants to approach this. Sivasubramanian touted AITEs current model, and said the districts preferred plan of a hybrid four-by-four would turn class time into a slog. Having the same class every day for 90 minutes will get boring, she said. Kiyoi said he understands that argument, but said his experience has been positive, both as a student and a teacher. I can definitely see both sides, but I personally love it, he said. As a performing arts teacher, he said one major benefit is not having to move gear around from one place to another, which would be likely in an alternating block schedule. Since his class meets every day, he can keep his class set-up in place. That allows Kiyoi to spend more time on instruction. Sheldon said he hears students tell him that the schedule helped prepare them for college. When students come to San Marcos where they take 83-minute classes from junior high, where classes are 45 minutes, they have to get used to the new schedule. Kids adjust to it, he said. According to Kiyoi, San Marcos teaches more instructional minutes than the other two public main high schools in the area: Dos Pueblos High School and Santa Barbara High School. Each of those schools recently moved to a block schedule. Amy Beldotti, associate superintendent for teaching and learning, has said in the past that the district didnt choose to implement AITEs current block schedule because eight classes per semester would be too much to manage for some students and could lead to burn-out. And, Beldotti said, the district wants all high schools to be implementing the same schedule moving forward. One of the drivers for the new move was adjusting to the states requirement that high school students have 25 credits to graduate, starting with the freshman class of 2019-20. By the next school year, all high school students will need the 25 credits. The new schedule would give students at Westhill and Stamford High more opportunities to gain the 25 credits, which administrators say they hope will result in more students graduating. Under the new schedule, students can earn up to 32 credits over four years. Currently, students at Westhill High School and Stamford High School take seven 48-minute classes each year which translates to 28 credits over four years. ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com About 18 percent of Connecticuts 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program candidates have ties to Stamford or Greenwich. Twenty-three students hail from or attend school in those two communities, taking the lions share of the states 128 nominees. Students do not apply to the program but are selected by achieving one of the states top ACT or SAT scores or through nomination. Of the more than 5,000 current candidates, 600 semifinalists will be announced in April and their information forwarded to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars for selection of up to 161 scholars. Presidential Scholars do not receive a monetary award but are honored with a medal and visit to Washington, D.C. Afterward, alumni are encouraged to network with other Presidential Scholars. Most of the 23 students attend private schools in the area, but several are seniors at public schools in Stamford and Greenwich. Stamford resident Mikael Petersen attends the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering; Greenwich High School has five candidates: Lucie Bai, Steven Blank, Benjamin Cooper, Cecile Whittle and Joanna Zhang. As for the private schools, Greenwich residents Jackson Schwartz and Aidan K. Marks are representing Brunswick School. Brunswick is so proud of these boys. In addition to their consistent excellence in the classroom, they each contribute bedrock character and citizenship to our community on a daily basis, Douglas Burdett, Brunswick Schools assistant head of school and director of college placement, said in a statement. Angelique Wheeler, of Chappaqua, N.Y., qualified from Sacred Heart Greenwich. From Greenwich Academy are: Katherine Keil of Greenwich; Sachi Laumas of Stamford; Aiyanna A. Ojukwu of Stamford; and Natalie Shell of Greenwich. Im so proud of Aiyanna, Katie, Natalie and Sachi, Greenwich Academy Head of School Molly King said in a statement. These bright young women are going to change the world. I cant wait to see what they accomplish in the years to come. In Stamford, King School students Ronald Harvey of Stamford and Carson Perlman of New Canaan are also potential Presidential Scholars. A number of Stamford and Greenwich residents also attend private schools elsewhere. Rye Country Day School in Westchester, N.Y. boasts Greenwich resident Campbell Babiarz and Stamford resident Andrea Chang. Greenwich resident Liana Rodriguez, a student at the Brearley School in New York City, is also among the honored candidates. The following Stamford residents also made the list: Maxwell Dayan and Mira Rosovsky at SAR High School in New York City; Jeremy Lin at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass.; Kyle Nicholson at Regis High School in New York City; and Jonas Rice at The Putney School in Vermont. annelise.hanshaw@hearstmediact.com Following the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of the Treasury froze Afghanistan Central Banks reserves. The Taliban is currently on the Treasurys Specially Designated Nationals list. In the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, many commentators and analysts have argued that the economic sanctions should be lifted to address the dire economic situation in the country. While the effectiveness of economic sanctions is widely debated, a number of studies illustrate that economic sanctions are effective when levied against countries with small economies and when modest policy goals are the goal. Why shouldnt the U.S. lift the economic sanctions? First, economic sanctions are a conventional coercive policy instrument deployed primarily to achieve foreign policies such as curtailing financial sources of terrorism. The Treasury has more than 30 active sanctions programs against countries and entities such as Islamic State, al-Qaida and the Taliban -- which blocks their access to U.S.-based funds. By appointing a number of individuals who are on various designated terrorist lists (see the Department of State-designated foreign terrorist organizations) to key Cabinet posts, the Taliban has made diplomatic engagement very difficult. A case in point is the recent inclusion of Anas Haqqani in a diplomatic delegation to Norway. Haqqani, is a senior leader in the terrorist Haqqani Network, which has been implicated in numerous deadly terror attacks including an attack at Serena hotel in Kabul leading to the death of seven foreigners including a Norwegian journalist. His presence sparked outcry among Norwegians and calls for his arrest. Reportedly, the Taliban were concerned about the potential arrest of Haqqani by the Norwegian police and were preparing to take a number of civilians in Mazar-i-Sharif as hostages to exchange for Haqqani if he was detained in Norway. Furthermore, given the Talibans close ties with a number of terrorist organizations (al-Qaida, ISIS-K and others) currently present in Afghanistan, lifting economic sanctions will inevitably lead to easier access of these groups to financial resources. Second, economic sanctions send a strong message, not only to the Taliban but also to other insurgent and terrorist organizations, that overthrowing a democratically elected government will have consequences. Should the sanctions be terminated, the message to other terrorist organizations is that they can rise to power through violence and be met with few consequences. The Talibans victory has already boosted the morale of many terrorist organizations. More concessions will further embolden these terrorist groups. Third, the Taliban cannot be trusted. Lifting the sanctions does not mean that the Taliban will meet international demands. While the U.S. made significant concessions such as unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and releasing Taliban prisoners, the Taliban made very few promises, and delivered on even fewer. A condition of the U.S.-Taliban agreement was that the Taliban should engage in intra-Afghan dialogue in order to reach a political settlement. Instead, the Taliban took control militarily. The Taliban, emboldened by a successful agreement and a sweeping victory, views itself as the de jure sovereign. It regards any pressure by the international community as interference in Afghanistans internal affairs and has threatened to resort to violence if it is not recognized by the international community. There is no guarantee that terminating sanctions will compel the Taliban to stop its harsh policies toward women, its oppressive behavior toward minorities, or its retaliation against the former government officials and security personnel. Furthermore, there is a real possibility that international aid and Afghanistans frozen assets will be misappropriated by the Taliban rather than reaching Afghan civilians. Finally, womens rights and the unfolding humanitarian crisis are Talibans bargaining chips. The Taliban has adopted a hard-bargaining tactic including extreme demands such as foreign recognition, unfreezing of Afghanistans reserves and termination of sanctions before addressing womens education and employment. The Taliban leadership believes that the international community will eventually concede given the humanitarian crisis. If alleviating the dire economic condition was the Talibans priority, they would have agreed to the Norwegian proposition of opening an international bank in Kabul so that Afghans could have access to cash. Instead, the Taliban delegation in Norway has demanded that aid and funding should be transferred to bank accounts under their control and that the Taliban should be removed from the list of terrorist organizations. Given that redeployment of U.S. forces is highly unlikely, economic sanctions remain the only foreign policy tool for the United States to exert pressure on the Taliban. The Taliban might be malleable under economic sanctions, but it certainly will not pay any heed to international demands should the sanctions be removed. Weeda Mehran is co-director of the Centre for Advanced International Studies (CAIS) and program director at the Department of Politics at University of Exeter in England. She wrote this for InsideSources.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WARREN DILLAWAY | Star Beacon Jane Timken, a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Ohio completes a drive-a-long with Lt. Steve Murphy from the Ashtabula County Sheriffs Department on Saturday afternoon in Jefferson. Timken was campaigning in the area and showing support for safety forces throughout the county. Economic sanctions have, in recent years, become one of the most important tools of U.S. foreign policy. There are currently more than 20 countries subjected to various sanctions from the U.S. government. But if more Americans knew how many innocent civilians actually die as a result of these sanctions, would the worst of them be permitted? We may be about to find out in Afghanistan. Sanctions currently imposed on the country are on track to take the lives of more civilians in the coming year than have been killed by 20 years of warfare. Theres no hiding it any more. Projections through the winter estimate that 22.8 million people will face high levels of acute food insecurity. This is 55% of Afghanistans population, the highest ever recorded in the country. An estimated 1 million children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition this year. Children who are malnourished are more likely to die from of diseases, even when they can get enough calories and nutrients to survive. Already, 98% of the population is not getting enough food, according to the U.N. World Food Programme. The biggest and most destructive sanction currently facing Afghanistan is the seizure of more than $9 billion of the countrys assets that are held at the U.S. Federal Reserve. This is equivalent to about half of Afghanistans economy, and about 18 months of the countrys imports which include food, medicine and infrastructure needs that are vital to public health. But the effect of this loss of Central Bank assets turns out to be much deadlier than the loss of essential imports. The assets confiscated are in dollars; countries need these hard currency international reserves in order to maintain a stable financial system and economy. Since the freezing of the countrys reserves, Cash shortages and the loss of correspondent banking relationships have crippled Afghan banks, reports the International Monetary Fund. Press reports from the ground describe the calamitous human cost of the disruption that results when these reserves are lost: desperate mothers seeking medicine for emaciated children; soaring numbers of people going without income; farmers giving up on working their land. Afghanistans currency has depreciated by more than 25% since August, driving the price of food and other essentials beyond the reach of many people in what was already the poorest country in Asia. Banks have imposed a $400 limit on cash withdrawals, and also restrictions that make businesses unable to meet their payrolls. This pushes more people into unemployment and acute hunger. Supporters of the sanctions, in the U.S. government and elsewhere, have responded that people who are starving, malnourished or unemployed as a result of sanctions can be helped with international aid. However, it is clear that the logic of destroying an economy and then trying to save people with aid does not work. Aid will replace only a very small fraction of the countrys loss of income, which the IMF estimates could fall by an astounding, unprecedented 30% in the months ahead. And there are enormous difficulties in delivering the aid: the banking system is hobbled, international banks and even some aid groups are reluctant to take the risks involved in transferring funds, and there are breakdowns in transport, as well as other essential services because of the sanctions and resultant economic contraction. Washington and its allies have argued that sanctions are a necessary response to Taliban human rights abuses, including repression of women. But its the people, especially the poorest, who pay the price. How many tens or hundreds of thousands of women and girls should be sacrificed in order to punish the Taliban? Western governments, led by the United States as during 20 years of war, are not likely to get any concessions from the Taliban by destroying the Afghan economy. But an enormous price will be paid by millions of innocent people, many of whom will die, as food, health care, employment and income become increasingly scarce. Members of the U.S. Congress are starting to push back: four dozen sent a letter to President Joe Biden in December noting: The U.S. confiscation of $9.4 billion in Afghanistans currency reserves is plunging the country deeper into economic and humanitarian crisis. This collective punishment is hideously wrong and immoral. The Biden administration can remove the biggest contributing factor with the stroke of a pen. They should do so immediately, before it is too late. Mark Weisbrot is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. He is the author of Failed: What the Experts Got Wrong About the Global Economy (Oxford University Press). He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada sent a message for young people on Wednesday, when the World Day of Orthodox Youth was marked. He urged them to keep faith and grow in virtue so that they may overcome all challenges. I urge you to be in the light of Christ! wrote the hierarch. This year is the Solemn Year of prayer in the Churchs life and the Christians life in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Reflecting on the importance of this theme, we are all urged to pay special attention to prayer in our lives, transmitted Bishop Ioan Casian, according to basilica.ro. Through the effort of your parents, and with our care in prayer at home and in the community, we have you young people, the present and future of our church, here in the diaspora. We pray that your aspirations, enthusiasm, purity, and values of this God-blessed age will be defended and encouraged. The hierarch quoted an exhortation made by St Basil the Great: We claim that we must love and follow with all our might those who can help us in the preparation of the other life, and those who do not aim for that life, to overlook them, as worthless (Homily of XXII to young people). Even if the world in which we live, urges us to be superficial, indifferent to our neighbor, and to live a fast-forward, life, we invite you to be wise and spiritual, well anchored in prayer and faith, His Grace added. The bishops message continues with some items of advice for young people: Love Him and feel close to Christ as a brother, friend and parent, and so you will have and feel the whole world around you and obstacles of any kind will seem to be non-existent. Be dedicated, present and active in the churches. We are convinced that this will help your generation to discover and testify to the cultural, Orthodox and Romanian identity. Be proud of your roots! Cultivate and preserve the treasure of friendship with sincerity and fidelity, reject and discourage any form of aggression and lack of love for ones neighbor. Cultivate beauty and plant with enthusiasm and dedication the joy of the gift, in everything you undertake. Let your deeds and thoughts be humble. Be humble toward your parents, toward your teachers, and toward your peers, as the first witness of humility, Christ, did. Trust in His help. May your spiritual joy, noble thinking, and the hopeful enthusiasm of your youth be your guide. Share them around you! May the Orthodox faith be your foundation, guide and support here in Canada. I urge you and I wish that at the moment of the old age you look with joy and optimism at the generations that will come after you, as we look at you. Eternal life is gained through love of God and neighbour. From all the trials of these troubled times, nothing will help us more than deep prayer, the steadfast faith in our God, in our Savior, in the Holy Gospels, in the Church, in the Holy Sacraments. His Grace Ioan Casian concluded the message to the young people with a blessing. In June 1992, Syndesmos, the World Orthodox Youth Organization, established the day of February 2 as the World Day of Orthodox Youth. The positivity rate for the COVID-19 tests performed is 31.19%, the Ministry of Health (MS) informed on Sunday, Agerpres reports. Within a period of 24 hours, 16,108 positive people with the SARS-CoV-2 virus were registered in Romania, out of a total of 51,644 RT-PCR and antigen tests performed.According to the MS, increasing the testing capacity and especially testing of people with an increased risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 have the role of early detection of the disease, in order to provide rapid treatment to those who have contracted COVID-19, but also to prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible, by limiting the contact that virus carriers have with other people.To support this activity, people who have symptoms that may indicate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus (fever, cough, fatigue, headache, loss of taste and smell, etc.) are asked to call their family doctor, Public Health Directorate - DSP - call centres, or the 112 single emergency number, to request testing.Also, people who show symptoms and are in Bucharest or Ilfov County can travel by their own means, not by public transport, to the centres specially created for the collection of samples for COVID-19 testing.People whose tests are positive can go to the COVID-19 assessment centres (http://www.ms.ro/centre-de-evaluare-covid-19/) to receive the necessary consultation and treatment."If you have severe forms and aggressive symptoms, call the 112 single unique emergency!," the ministry informs.At the same time, on Sunday, out of the 1,065 people in ICUs, 917 are unvaccinated.Moreover, of the 82 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours, 61 occurred in unvaccinated patients. Border guards from Satu Mare Border Police, together with workers from the Petea Border Crossing Point, found hidden in a minibus three citizens from Egypt, whom the driver, a Romanian citizen, from Maramures, intended to illegally transport over the border to Hungary, Agerpres reports. According to the Border Police Inspectorate General (IGPF), on February 4, around 17:00, at the Petea Border Crossing Point, a Romanian citizen, aged 29, from Maramures County, presented himself at the exit from Romania, at the wheel of a minibus registered in Romania.Following a check on the means of transport, the border guards noticed a specially arranged place under the back seat, and three men were found hidden inside it.As a result, measures were taken to escort the hidden persons hidden, together with the driver, to the Border Police headquarters, in order to continue the investigations.Preliminary verifications have established that the three are citizens of Egypt, aged between 19 and 31, according to the quoted source.The Maramures resident said he intended to help the three to illegally cross the border into Hungary with a view to reaching Western Europe.In this case, the border guards are conducting investigations under the coordination of a prosecutor from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Satu Mare Tribunal regarding the crime of attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border for the three foreign nationals, as well as the crime of trafficking, for the Maramures driver. The state of Georgia requires you to pay taxes if you are a resident or nonresident that receives income from a Georgia source. The state income tax rates range from 1% to 5.75%, and the general sales tax rate is 4%. Jurisdictions located in the state may charge additional sales taxes. Georgia state offers tax deductions and credits to reduce your tax liability, including a standard deduction, itemized deduction, disaster assistance credit and a low-income tax credit. Georgia Income Tax Brackets and Rates: Single Filers Georgia Income Tax Brackets and Rates: Married Filing Jointly or Head of Household Georgia Income Tax Brackets and Rates: Married Filing Separate Income Tax Deductions for Georgia Standard Deduction The state of Georgia offers a standard and itemized deduction for taxpayers. The 2021 standard deduction allows taxpayers to reduce their taxable income by $4,600 for single filers, $3,000 for married filing separate and $6,000 for married filing jointly. There is an additional standard deduction of $1,300 for those aged 65 or over, and blind. Itemized Deductions Generally, if you itemize your deductions on your federal return, you must itemize them on your Georgia return. Exemptions The state of Georgia has personal exemptions to lower your tax bill further. The exemption is $2,700 for single filers, heads of households or qualifying widowers, $3,700 for married filing jointly and separately, and $3,000 per qualifying dependent. Georgia State Income Tax Credits Child and Dependent Care Expense Credit Taxpayers with dependents can claim a credit for qualified child and dependent care expenses, such as money spent for care outside of your home. The credit is worth 30% of the credit claimed on your federal income tax return. Disabled Person Home Purchase or Retrofit Credit A permanently disabled person that buys a single-family home with accessibility features (such as a no-step entrance) can claim a credit up to $500. If a permanently disabled person retrofits an existing single-family home with accessibility features, they can claim a credit up to $125. This credit can be carried forward for three years. Disaster Assistance Credit If you receive disaster assistance (such as grants from FEMA or Small Business Administration loans in response to a declared disaster) during the tax year, you can claim a credit up to $500. This credit is nonrefundable, which means it cant trigger a tax refund, but it can be carried forward until its completely claimed. Eligible Single-Family Residence Tax Credit The state of Georgia offers a tax credit for those who bought a single-family residence in the state. The credit amount is less than 1.2% of the purchase price or $1,800. This credit is nonrefundable, which means it cant trigger a tax refund, but it can be carried forward until its completely claimed. Other States Tax Credit Full-year and part-year residents can claim a credit for income tax paid to another state to avoid paying tax on it twice. Qualified Caregiving Expense Credit If you paid for caregiving expenses (adult day care, health care equipment, etc.) for a qualifying family member (which can be yourself or some related to you by blood, marriage or adoption), you can claim 10% of the costs, up to a $150, on your Georgia state tax return. The credit is nonrefundable, which means it cant trigger a tax refund, and it cant be carried over to the next year. Qualified Education Expense Credit Qualified education expenses, such as tuition and student activity fees, can be claimed on your Georgia state tax return. You must request pre-approval electronically to claim the credit. The state of Georgia will only give out up to $100 million in this credit per year, so its on a first-come, first-serve basiswhich means youll want to take action as soon as possible to claim it. Qualified Education Donation Tax Credit Those who make qualified education donations can claim a credit for them on their Georgia state tax return. The state of Georgia will only allow $5 million in this credit each year (through 2023) and you must request pre-approval electronically before claiming it. This credit is on a first-come, first-serve basiswhich means youll want to take action as soon as possible to claim it. Low-Income Credit If your federal adjusted gross income is less than $20,000, then you are eligible for Georgias low-income tax credit. Part-year residents can only claim this credit if they were residents at the end of the tax year. This credit is nonrefundable, which means it cant trigger a tax refund. Do I Have to Pay Income Tax in Georgia? You are required to file a Georgia tax return if you receive income from Georgia and you fall into one of the following categories: Full-year resident: Your legal residence is in Georgia, even if you are absent from it or live out of state temporarily during the year. Your legal residence is in Georgia, even if you are absent from it or live out of state temporarily during the year. Part-Year resident : You were a legal resident of Georgia for only a portion of the tax year. : You were a legal resident of Georgia for only a portion of the tax year. Nonresident: You didnt live in Georgia but received income from Georgia sources, such as wages, lottery winnings and rent. Sales Tax and Sales Tax Rates Georgia charges a sales tax of 4%. However, different jurisdictions may charge an additional sales tax. Property Taxes and Property Tax Rates Property Tax Exemptions Georgia provides property tax exemptions for homeowners, people aged 62 and older, disabled veterans and the surviving spouses of U.S. service members and peace officers or firefighters. The exemption amount varies. Capital Gains Taxes Georgia doesnt have a capital gains tax. Inheritance and Estate Tax and Inheritance and Estate Tax Exemption Georgia doesnt have an inheritance or estate tax. More from Forbes Advisor ST. LOUIS A former St. Louis high school math teacher is facing a charge of possessing child pornography. Charging documents say that on Feb. 1, police served a search warrant at the home of Max Connor Wiley, 24, of the 900 block of Bates Street, and seized numerous electronic devices. Wiley was charged Tuesday with one count of possession of child pornography. Wiley had taught math at the Carnahan High School of the Future at 4041 South Broadway since 2020, according to a Missouri teachers database. He resigned after the charge was filed. Wiley admitted viewing and sharing child pornography, police said in court documents. Police said they found a video on a cellphone of an underage girl engaged in sex acts. A St. Louis Public Schools online bio for Wiley, removed since Saturday, said he previously taught in a suburb of Indianapolis. Court records say a St. Louis judge on Wednesday released Wiley on his own recognizance. Wiley's lawyer, Matt Fry, said Wiley has no criminal history and that he will be monitored while out on bail. He declined further comment. A spokesman for St. Louis Public Schools said he was unaware of the charge and unable to reach anyone at the district Saturday for more information. Shake off your afternoon slump with the oft-shared and offbeat news of the day, hand-brewed by our online news editors. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper was slightly injured Saturday morning when his car was struck while he was working at the scene of a previous accident. Trooper Leif A. Dezner, 26, was on the exit ramp from westbound Interstate 70 onto southbound Interstate 270 with his lights on. At 10:21 a.m., a 2007 Kia Spectra was traveling too fast for the icy conditions and hit the car, causing mild damage, according to a Highway Patrol report. ST. LOUIS Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Saturday waded into the controversy over the release of a domestic assault suspect by St. Louis police last month, accusing Mayor Tishaura O. Jones of insulting the alleged victim in an exchange on social media. Schmitt retweeted a KSDK (Channel 5) online article on the sharply worded Facebook exchange, saying Jones is a national embarrassment. Insulting victims. Defunding the police. Unbelievable. Nick Dunne, Jones spokesman, didnt comment Saturday on Schmitts political attack. But he said the mayor in the Facebook exchange made it clear that she had no involvement in the decision to release Mac Payne, who was charged later the same day by prosecutors with two felony counts of domestic assault. Moreover, Dunne noted that the mayor had expressed concern to the woman for what had happened to her. Jones interim public safety director, Dan Isom, has acknowledged that the release of Payne, 36, on Jan. 4 before he was charged was a poor decision and that a police internal investigation is underway to determine why it happened. However, Isom has denied a police union attorneys accusation that the release was due to a Jones administration policy shift in which many suspects are released after they test positive for COVID-19. No such policy change has occurred, he asserted. Payne was rearrested Jan. 21 and released Jan. 24 after a judge allowed him to post bail. The victim initiated the Facebook exchange on Jan. 26 after she noticed an online video of a woman dancing that some people had speculated was Jones. The woman posted the video on her Facebook page with a comment saying she has time to dance but not care about her constituents needs. Tishaura O. Jones can definitely go to the nearest hell, she added, tagging Jones personal account. Jones later responded by saying thats not me!! Now what you got to say? The woman then complained that you can respond to this but not the fact that YOUR policies and YOUR judges are letting violent criminals out because of covid. Jones, in response, said she doesnt appoint judges. Learn how government works, then you can talk. #GurlBye. The woman then posted that it doesnt help getting snippy with me and that she had sent a couple quite pleasant emails nearly begging you to assist with this person being locked back up. Jones then replied by saying she never got the womans email. And seriously, Im sorry for what happened to you, the mayor continued. But dont come for me like this and not expect me to respond the same way you came at me. The womans next post says she is seething because if it was a woman of another color her abuser would still be in jail. The woman, like the mayor, is Black. The woman goes on to say she knows everyone is presumed innocent until proven otherwise but that my skin and my childs eyes saw what happened. According to a probable cause statement filed by police, the woman said Payne pushed and struck her and threw a pot of hot soup on her, resulting in burns. Payne has pleaded not guilty. Jones responds by saying again, I dont control the courts. Or who gets prosecuted or let out of jail. The mayor adds: Youre directing your anger at the wrong office. The circuit attorney controls who gets prosecuted. Judges are appointed by the Governor. The woman in a telephone interview Saturday night said she still hasnt gotten a reply from the email she had sent to the mayors office. Jones and Schmitt, in a series of tweets, have clashed previously over their differences on police issues and mask mandates. She denies being an advocate of defunding the police but moved last year to delete money earmarked in the police budget for long-vacant positions. Jones, a Democrat, and her aides have repeatedly accused Schmitt of attacking her to help his campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Jones health department has issued an indoor mask mandate to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus; Schmitt has gone to court to attempt to get it overturned. Originally posted at 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5.(tncms-asset)9d8924f4-7ef8-11ec-b746-00163ec2aa77[1](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)01a5d6ec-7d3e-11ec-a6c4-00163ec2aa77[2](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)30650da6-7b1b-11ec-8fcb-00163ec2aa77[3](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)fafd3cce-7a39-11ec-8baa-00163ec2aa77[4](/tncms-asset)(tncms-asset)685f8d4e-7977-11ec-a415-00163ec2aa77[5](/tncms-asset) Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Louisianas Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, has a lot of explaining to do after evidence surfaced that he was complicit in perpetuating a lie about the 2019 police killing of detainee Ronald Greene. The Associated Press reports that Edwards was informed within hours after state troopers arrested Greene and reported having had a violent, lengthy struggle with the detainee, who was in restraints at the time. Edwards denies impeding justice. Troopers insisted after Greenes death that he died as a result of injuries sustained in a high-speed car chase, and Edwards went along with that implausible story for two years even though he had information that should have caused him to challenge the story without hesitation. But, alas, he was in the middle of a tight reelection bid and, well, um, apparently didnt want to look like he wasnt supporting law enforcement. If Edwards had an ounce of character and courage, he would have stood for the cause of justice over the cause of his own reelection. Opting to perpetuate a lie rather than speak the truth is exactly why this newspaper has criticized so many Republican leaders at the national and state level. In Edwards case, our hope is that GOP lawmakers in his state are relentless in their quest to hold him accountable and that the standard they set with Edwards will continue to be one they uphold in all other cases. Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, a Republican, accurately accused Edwards of gross misconduct and the highest level of deceit for his role in defending the officers lie about what happened to Greene. In May, The Associated Press obtained troopers body-camera footage that made clear what had actually happened to Greene, who was Black. The footage showed the white troopers jolting him with stun guns, punching him in the face and dragging him by his ankle restraints while Greene begged for mercy. It was only after the AP reported on the video that Edwards condemned the troopers for what he called their criminal actions. Nevertheless, when Schexnayder proposed a legislative inquiry, Edwards tried to steer him away, insisting that Greene had died in a wreck. Would that wreck have happened after Greene had supposedly slipped his restraints, escaped from stun-gun-wielding troopers, recovered from his beatings and somehow driven away in a car? Or did he die of the car-wreck wounds before the abuses recorded on video? Edwards cannot explain his way out of this one. Greenes mother has called for him to resign, which would be a proportionate action, given the governors willful deceit and assistance in obstructing justice. Its up to Louisiana Republicans to hold Edwards accountable. And they should find willing partners among the states Democrats, unless they have suddenly succumbed to the national trend of blindly defending their partisans, regardless of the crime. In the Civil Rights Movement, reproductive justice, literature and the arts, in politics and science, there is not a single realm that Black women have not had a lasting impact on. In Flagstaff, where the following three women, each featured in the 2019 exhibit, "Resilience: Women in Flagstaff's Past and Present," live or have lived, the story is no different and highlighting their role is important both during Black History Month and year round. "Resilience" was a collaboration between Northern Arizona University students, the Martin Springer Institute and the Northern Arizona Historical Society Pioneer Museum, among others. Shirley Sims In 1944 Shirley Sims' father, mother and three older siblings boarded a train in central Louisiana headed to Flagstaff. Sims, longtime assistant pastor at Flagstaff's First Missionary Baptist Church, was not yet born. Her father, a worker at a lumber company in the small community of Rochelle, Louisiana, heard from an uncle that timber workers in Arizona were receiving higher wages than their counterparts in the South. Her father found a job in Flagstaff immediately. The family initially moved in with the pastor of a local church on Flagstaffs Southside, Sims said. She was born the next year. As she was growing up Flagstaff was still divided along racial lines, which a young Sims sought to disrupt in various ways. It was the 1960s, the American civil rights movement was gathering steam. As a student at the then-segregated Dunbar School (now the Murdoch Community Center), she saw the discrimination first hand. From a walkout she lead at Flagstaff High School after the parents of the white prom queen refused to let her be paired with the Black prom king, Moses Winsley, to a sit-in at a local restaurant. Ive always been that person that would take a stand, for what is right or for someone I felt couldnt speak for themselves. Doesnt matter what color. Thats just who I am, Sims said. Sims was just 14 when she and a group of NAACP youth members walked into the El Charro Cafe on 409 S. San Francisco St. At the time, September 1960, the Mexican restaurant had a policy not to serve black customers, Sims said. So it came through the senior NAACP to use the youth, she said, adding they had all been given a little money so they could order dinner. The group of students who walked in that day were not served. But because we initiated that, then it came back to the NAACP and the resolution was [the restaurants owners] would integrate and allow African Americans to be able to frequent the restaurant, Sims said. So it was not something that was very hard to accomplish, it just needed someone to stand up and say, This is not OK. Joan Dorsey A photo of Joan Dorsey, the first Black flight attendant for American Airlines, shows her in a pressed work uniform at the base of a large aircraft. Dorsey grew up in Flagstaffs historically Black Southside neighborhood in the 1940s, in the family home on OLeary Street where her niece, former mayor Coral Evans, also grew up. Dorseys mother was a homemaker and her father, like many other early Black residents of Flagstaff, worked at the Southwest Lumber Mill, which formerly stood on West Route 66. Life for Dorsey, she said, was wonderful growing up in a neighborhood she remembered as diverse and community-oriented. She, like Sims, attended the Dunbar School and later studied at the University of Arizona, graduating in 1962. Not only was Dorsey the first Black flight attendant for American, she was also the first in a supervisory role with the company. I was interviewed [for the job] five times. You know no one else had to go back that often. But I kept coming back and coming back, she said. You have to be resilient, I think, growing up as an African American woman, and eventually deciding what you want to do in life. Dorseys job took her around the world. One particular job had her working on the charter flight for Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon Johnsons vice president to-be, for an entire campaign season. She and other flight attendants sat down with Johnson at his ranch, where she told him about her work. Humphrey was one of the main authors of the Civil Rights Act, something that was constantly in the back of Dorseys mind during her time flying with him. It was fighting for equality, which was what the message was. And equality was a big issue and I was right there also pursuing equality for everyone, she said. Dorsey retired from American in 1999. Coral Evans Coral Evans joined Flagstaff City Council in 2008, later running for mayor and winning in 2016. The decision to enter politics was one prompted by her fight to save the Dunbar School from demolition. Evans' mother, among other family members had been one of its students. The city was slated to sell the building, but Evans, along with the Southside Community Association, fought to keep it standing. The push proved successful and the school was renamed and re-designated as the Murdoch Community Center, a place that now serves as a historical landmark and community gathering space. The Dunbar School was desegregated in 1954. I grew up with stories of Dunbar. Then when I heard that the city was looking to sell it and tear it down, I knew we needed to save it, Evans said. This is a part of history. I grew up with an appreciation of this history, knowing where you come from, knowing not to make the same mistakes again. Evans began her bid for mayor the same year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She decided not to make the news public, but continued campaigning with a team of people that helped her juggle her mayoral run with the cancer treatment. I love my community and I think its such an honor to be able to represent them," she said. "I love the way we come together when we have major issues, the conversations we have about the struggles and the conflicts we have with our different values and the best way to move forward from them." Evans currently works as the Northern Arizona director for Senator Mark Kelly. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 When future historians seek to pinpoint exactly when it was that the Republican Party stopped being a legitimate political entity promoting a coherent set of principles and was transformed fully into a cult of personality organized around a would-be autocrat, Feb. 4, 2022, might be in contention. That date last Friday was when the Republican National Committee formally censured two Republican House members, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, for clinging to genuine conservative ideals while refusing to promote the toxic populism and contempt for democracy that now defines their party. As if to further detach themselves from reality, Republicans declared that the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection constituted legitimate political discourse. Former Sen. John Danforth told us this declaration should make all real Republicans sick, adding, It is now the official position of the Republican Party that the storming of the Capitol, including attacks on police officers, physical intimidation of members of Congress and destruction of government property, is legitimate political discourse. It is a complete reversal of what we always have been and should be. The House committee investigating the attack has an urgent mandate: to bring out all the facts surrounding the first-ever significant attempt from within to violently overturn the result of an American presidential election. The decision by Cheney, of Wyoming, and Kinzinger, of Illinois, to participate in this important endeavor, defying their own partys intransigence, was a display of selfless patriotism. The RNCs unprecedented sanction against both of them for that action confirms that the GOP no longer stands for anything beyond blind allegiance to the former president who fomented the violence. The censure resolution itself is a marvel of alternate-reality thinking of the kind that former President Donald Trump is so good at. Among many other scoff-worthy passages, it claims the partys primary mission is to support the United States Constitution. That lofty declaration is rendered ridiculous by the partys continued and fervent support of Trump even after recent revelations that he personally pressed to have federal authorities seize state voting machines to get the election outcome he wanted. That the Capitol attack and other outrages are todays GOP version of legitimate political discourse should in itself settle the question of whether this is still a rationally functioning political party. Clear-headed Republicans like Danforth obviously are asking the same question. Cheney responded with clarity about the deteriorating values of her party: The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy. Im a constitutional conservative and I do not recognize those in my party who have abandoned the Constitution to embrace Donald Trump. History will be their judge. Those words should be engraved in stone and stand as a memorial to a once-great political party that no longer exists in any recognizable form. Regarding Wentzville School Board bans acclaimed novel from high school libraries over obscenity complaints (Jan. 26): When an R-rated movie is shown on TV, the most graphic parts are edited out. Im sure The Bluest Eye has much to recommend it, beyond scenes that are not suitable for 14-year-olds. This could apply to many of the school-banned books. Why not have some expert editors do some minimal abridging on it and other adult books of value for high school use? Present them as abridged, and leave it up to the parents to see if adult versions are suitable for their child. Abridgement does not rewrite; it just omits questionable material. On January 17, 2022 the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) was used in combat for the first time. One of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) batteries launched at a hostile missile and destroyed it. The Iranian missile was launched from Yemen and accompanied by cruise missiles and armed UAVs. Iran wants the UAE to withdraw all its forces from Yemen but the UAE continues to refuse those demands. The UAE bought THAAD to defend itself from potential Iranian use of ballistic missiles and that was how it was first used. To that end, they are spending $7 billion on American missile defense systems with half of it going to buy two THAAD batteries. The UAE first proposed buying THAAD in 2008 and has, so far, spent nearly $700 million on the two TPY-2 radars alone and over a billion on other costs of assembling and installing the system. UAE bought 96 THAAD missiles and their first battery was operational by 2018. The first export customer for THAAD was Saudi Arabia, which made a billion dollar down payment on its $15 billion order for THAAD systems. The down payment enabled the manufacturer to start production on items that take a long time to produce. The Saudi order was the largest ever for THAAD. The Saudis bought 44 launchers, 360 missiles and radar and control stations for seven batteries. In addition, this deal paid for an upgrade of Saudi radar warning and communications infrastructure as well as bases for the THAAD batteries and maintenance facilities. The cost covered the training of over a thousand Saudi personnel to operate and maintain the THAAD batteries and associated early warning radar systems. The Saudis used a lot of contractors early on to assist with operations and maintenance. At the time of this order the Saudis had developed a lot of effective operators and maintenance personnel because of recent combat experience while operating its Patriot systems that have intercepted over a hundred ballistic missiles (most provided by Iran) fired from Yemen. The THAAD contract covered upgrades still in development or planned. THAAD was developed to defend against longer-range ballistic missiles that come at their targets at higher speeds than Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile missiles can handle. For the Saudis this THAAD purchase is a long-term investment. It took five years to get most of these batteries operational. The Saudis expect the presence of THAAD to be a major deterrent to any Iranian ballistic missile attack. THAAD wont make such an attack impossible, just more difficult. Iranian use of ballistic missiles fired from Yemen and their inability to get past Saudi manned Patriot defenses makes the Saudi purchase of THAAD a meaningful deterrent to the Iranian missile threat to Saudi Arabia. Only the U.S., UAE and Saudi Arabia have purchased THAAD, but a number of other countries have, in effect, rented THAAD batteries when they faced a threat and the Americans offered to ship batteries if the host country paid for the travel and operating expenses. Only South Korea used this option when there was a major threat from North Korea. The U.S. will not release data on how many THAAD batteries have been manufactured. It is known that there are nearly twenty batteries purchased or in use by the U.S., UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as batteries needed for testing and development. Each THAAD battery has 48 missiles and six launchers (an 8x8 truck carrying eight missiles in storage/firing containers) plus an AN/TPY-2 radar (on a tractor-trailer vehicle) and two truck mounted mobile tactical control stations. Two more tactical control stations are bought for spares and training as well as two spare launchers. Total cost for each battery is about a billion dollars. The 6.2- meter (18 foot long) THAAD missiles are 340mm in diameter and weigh 900 kg (1,980 pounds). This is about the same size as the Patriot anti-aircraft missile, but twice the weight of the smaller PAC-3 anti-missile version of the Patriot. The range of THAAD is over 200 kilometers, max altitude is 150 kilometers, and top speed is 2,800 meters (9,000 feet) a second. THAAD is intended for short (like SCUD) or medium range (up to 2,000 kilometer) range ballistic missiles. THAAD has been in development since the late 1980s. Originally the U.S. Army planned to buy at least 18 launchers, 1,400 missiles, and 18 radars. That goal has been adjusted as the number of export customers increases. The Saudi order increases the number of THAAD batteries by over 50 percent. THAAD is a step up from the Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile, which is an anti-aircraft missile adapted to take out incoming missiles. PAC-3 works, but has a limited (35 kilometers) range. The navy has also modified its AEGIS software and Standard anti-aircraft missile system to operate like the PAC-3. This system, the RIM-161A, also known as the Standard Missile 3 (or SM-3), has a longer range than THAAD (over 500 kilometers) and max altitude of 160 kilometers. The Standard 3 is based on the Standard 2, and costs over three million dollars each. The Standard 3 has four stages. The first two stages boost the interceptor out of the atmosphere. The third stage fires twice to boost the interceptor farther beyond the earth's atmosphere. Prior to each motor firing, it takes a GPS reading to correct the course for approaching the target. The fourth stage is the nine kg (20 pound) LEAP kill vehicle, which uses infrared sensors to close on the target and ram it. In addition to Patriot, Aegis and THAAD there is GBI (ground-based interceptor), a system specifically designed for intercepting ICBM warheads and only stationed in North America. The last two tests for THAAD were in 2017 and both were successful as were the other six such tests since 2010. There have been 28 test firings of THAAD since 1995 and 22 were successful. Many of the tests before 2005 did not involve attempting to actually intercept an incoming missile warhead. Many of the tests since 2008 were to verify new features, like the ability to hit targets closer to the surface and to share data with Patriot anti-missile systems, as well as verifying that the overall system worked. THAAD entered service in 2008 when the first THAAD battery was deployed. This followed a 2006 firing test that used regular army personnel and not developer technicians. In 2009 the second battery was formed. By 2012 there were five batteries and six years later that number had more than doubled. Many nations that were interested in THAAD, like South Korea, Israel and Japan did not buy it because of the cost and the fact that they had the ability to design and build similar systems. (Tribune News Service) The corridor in Building J-50 at Naval Station Norfolk doesnt look anything like the weeks-long round of at-sea drilling most sailors do before deployment but then, the Blue Crew of USS Lewis B. Pullers sailors are a bit different. Their ship is nearly 7,000 miles away in the Persian Gulf. As the Norfolk-based Blue Crew prepares to depart in a few weeks for another five-month tour, replacing the Pullers Gold Crew, a half-dozen sailors are in the combat systems cubicle, getting a typical at-sea briefing. A few steps down the corridor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Jones is poring over technical briefs and updates on aviation fuel handling. We dont have the usual phased in for readiness. We have to be always combat-ready, said Capt. Daryle Cardone, the Blue Crew commanding officer. We could be here in Norfolk on Monday, and on Friday, in contested waters with an Iranian-flag vessel approaching. During the Blue Crews last deployment in Bahrain, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kendra Barrow whose official job is to cook was scrambling up to the flight deck to document encounters with Iranian ships. I never had a chance to get out of the galley before, she said. It makes me feel like Im really in the Navy. She regularly acts as messenger of the watch as part of the Pullers navigation team that drives the warship in addition to cooking for her shipmates. Blue Crews 100-plus sailors often take on jobs outside their official rating. Along with a team of civilian mariners who handle some navigation and the engine room, they run one of the largest and newest kind of ships in the Navy. The 765-foot Pullers job is to get close enough to shore for Marines and Navy special warfare operators to launch missions. Built on the hull of a Navy tanker, it has a flight deck that handles helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft. Its two huge rudders mean the big ship is surprisingly maneuverable, even in the tight spaces of the Gulf. The Blue Crew is just over one quarter the size of the crew on the newest guided missile destroyers. For Petty Officer 1st Class Jessica LeCour, the Blue Crews independent duty corpsman, that means she gets to know her shipmates state of health well. That gives her more scope for preventive and wellness care. On her previous ship, she was in charge of a department that did not have a doctor, but with a crew was over three times as large. My phone was ringing all the time I couldnt get out of medical at all, she said. On the Puller, though, shes still on call 24 hours a day, and has had anti-terrorism and flight deck safety watches. She stands CDO command duty officer watches during Pullers typically brief stops at its official home port in Bahrain. Basically, that means her job is to free up Cardone to take care of non-routine issues or even, he jokes, take a brief liberty stay onshore. But when Jones, whose job is to shepherd thousands of gallons of explosive aviation fuel safely, has an problem with the complex system of pipes and pumps and valves that make up Pullers fuel system, hes free to go directly to Cardone. I dont go to him with every little thing, Jones said. But if I need to, I can. And hell listen. The way Jones and his shipmates step up to take on a range of tasks outside their official duties means daily life with Blue Crew feels different than time on other ships. I know they can do anything we need to do, Jones said. Command Senior Chief Jerry Gonzalez, the Blue Crews top enlisted sailor, said the need to take on many different tasks gives sailors a leg up on the advancement ladder. Though his own rating had been as an electrician, Gonzalez regularly pitches in alongside Barrow in the galley making his trademark pizza. Everybody likes that, Cardone said. I know everyone is willing; the lieutenant will come in to the galley an get his hands dirty, Barrow said, pointing to Lt. Joshua Croft, the supply officer who is her department head. The unusual five-months-onboard, five-months-in-Norfolk cycle between Blue Crew and its counterparts on the Gold Crew works out better for many sailors than sea-duty usually does, said LeCour. On a DDG (destroyer), youre always going out for a week or two or more, even before a typical six-months-plus deployment in the Mediterranean, Middle East or eastern Atlantic, she said. Even pierside, sailors often have to sleep aboard. But we have a lot of ways of keeping in touch when were on the ship, she said. I dont worry about how my cats are doing or whats with my car. And, says Gonzalez, the schedule means sailors on deployment dont have to worry that a special meal like his pizza signals an unexpected extension of time away from home. I tell my wife, Im off for five months and she says Oh? only five months, the 22-year Navy veteran says. The Puller was the first of whats now a threesome of expeditionary sea base ships, commissioned in 2017 and based out of Bahrain since then, with crews coming from Norfolk. Its mobility, and capacity to be a base for aircraft and small boat operations, give the Navy options for a rapid response to challenges on distant shores, Cardone said. And it allows Navy and Marine forces to be places without sending the kind of signal that a carrier strike group or amphibious ready group would. There isnt a rule book yet for ESBs, Cardone said. What these sailors are really doing now is writing one. dress@dailypress.com 2021 Daily Press (Newport News, Va.). Visit dailypress.com. Rescuers pulled a boy out of a 100-foot well in Morocco on Saturday after tunneling toward the 5-year-old in a four-day operation that transfixed the country and anxious observers across the world, but the royal palace said in a statement that the boy had died. King Mohammed VI called the boy's parents to express his condolences, the statement read. Reuters news agency also quoted two government officials saying the boy had died. The emergency team's Saturday night extraction of the boy, identified in the king's statement as Rayan Oram, marked the end of a mission that involved teams of first responders and topographical engineers working round-the-clock with heavy equipment that included bulldozers and backhoes. An ambulance took the child away as people prayed. The boy's condition remained unclear for a brief period before local and regional media began reporting the palace's statement that he had died. The team had remained hopeful of getting Rayan out alive. "It's hard to determine his condition . . . but there is great, great hope," team member Abdelhadi Tamarani said earlier Saturday. For four days, the team worked to safely retrieve Rayan, who fell into a dry well and became trapped between its narrow walls, in the village of Ighran in Morocco's northern Chefchaouen province. The dramatic race to save him gripped Morocco and neighboring countries, with crowds gathering to join his parents and broadcasters live-streaming the efforts. Rayan fell into the well Tuesday evening. The village contains numerous deep wells that provide irrigation for the cannabis crop that serves as the primary source of income for many in the remote region, the Associated Press reported. The boy's parents heard his voice and spotted him down the well with the help of a flashlight, according to Morocco World News. Unable to descend into the well themselves, emergency workers deployed bulldozers and began digging. "It's my well, and I was fixing it while Rayan was next to me," the boy's father told local outlet Le360 before the child was extracted. Rayan's grandmother told Agence France-Presse that the boy was "very loved here in the village" and not just at home by his family. Government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said soil conditions were too dangerous to try to widen the hole, Al Jazeera reported necessitating major excavations around the well. On Friday, the team began digging a horizontal tunnel with the help of topographical engineers as hundreds of people looked on. They manually chipped away the final stretch, local media said. The motors of heavy machinery stopped, and silence descended on the scene. The last few feet appeared to be the hardest, as the nerve-racking prospect of a wall collapsing or shaking soil threatened days of delicate work. Rescuers peered over the edge of a pit the team had dug to reach the boy, watching for their colleagues to bring him out. Messages of support poured in through social media, where the hashtag #SaveRayan became a rallying cry. Regional media covered the rescue operation closely including in neighboring Algeria, which has a tense relationship with Morocco. Algeria and Morocco severed diplomatic ties in August. But Rayan's rescue mission provided a unifying moment for the feuding nations, especially as the news brought back memories of the 2018 death of 26-year-old Ayyash Mahjoubi, who was trapped in a well for six days in Algeria, according to Al Jazeera. "Oh, Lord, show us the miracle of your kindness," Ahlam Mostghanmi, an Algerian novelist, wrote on Twitter, including a clip of an apparently breathing Rayan. She joined a chorus of Algerians from soccer stars to ordinary residents sending prayers and well-wishes. Social media platforms were inundated by messages conjoined by emoji of the two countries' flags. Some shared photos of themselves glued to their televisions, watching news updates of the operations. "A big thank you to our Algerian brothers, you made me cry. . . . We hope that this is the way to reconcile the two countries," a Moroccan user commented on a Facebook stream of Rayan's rescue. Rescuers used rope to send oxygen down to the child and a camera to monitor him. The camera showed the boy lying on his side facing a wall, making it hard to determine how he was faring as the team inched closer, Tamarani said. Saturday evening, the sound of what appeared to be a small landslide triggered worried shouts from the crowd around the pit. As night fell, cries in Arabic from onlookers of "God is great!" grew more numerous and plaintive. Cheers broke out sporadically as the mission seemed to be nearing its end. But the operation stretched into Saturday night with no news about the boy's condition. The temperature outside dropped to about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Chants, whistles and prayers picked up in the moments before the boy emerged from the well. Floodlights and the glare of rescue workers' reflective jackets pierced the darkness as the attention of the crowd and the world fixated on the mouth of the man-made tunnel on which a nation had pinned its hopes. An ambulance, helicopter and medics were at the site to take the boy to a hospital. Rescuers formed a wall around the child as they pulled him from the pit and rushed him into a waiting ambulance, which quickly drove away around 9:30 p.m. local time. Messages of condolence and support for Rayan's parents filled social media after news of the boy's death. The palace's statement conveyed the king's appreciation for the authorities, rescue workers and local residents who had endeavored to save the child and for the "strong solidarity and broad sympathy" shown to his family. But the four-day rescue was one that rippled across the world welding so many in hope and then unifying them in grief. "Amid a pandemic and years of collective & individual loss, it was so beautiful to see people from around the world, even 1000s of miles away from Morocco, empathize, pray for & put every ounce of hope into 5 year old Rayan's safe recovery," Mai El-Sadanya, the legal and judicial director at The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said on Twitter. "Makes it that much more crushing." Moroccan soccer player and Paris St. Germain star Achraf Hakimi was among the thousands of people posting about "le petit Rayan" or little Rayan. Posting a montage of the boy's smiling face superimposed with the silhouette of rescuers and his country's flag, Hakimi shared a final message in Arabic about the rescue that had tugged at heartstrings far and wide. "We belong to God and to him we shall return," Hakimi tweeted. Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. TOKYO - The Tokyo metropolitan government has requested hospitals to increase their number of emergency beds to accept patients at night and on weekends and holidays, as emergency medical care in the capital is in a critical situation due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. The request was made to medical institutions in Tokyo on Tuesday as an emergency measure, effective through March 31. Medical institutions in Tokyo had been asked to do something different in early January: to increase the number of beds for COVID-19 patients as much as possible. But the request put many hospitals in the difficult situation of being unable to provide sufficient beds for non-COVID patients. Among the causes were the occurrence of in-hospital cluster infections and shortages of hospital staff. At some hospitals, the situation was so serious that they had no choice but to restrict the acceptance of emergency patients. Rejection of emergency patients has rapidly become common, and the number of serious incidents such as patients being refused by five or more institutions exceeded a daily average of 250 in the week to Tuesday. The labor shortage is becoming more and more serious as medical staff get infected or become close contacts one after another. The latest request was directed to 150 of the emergency hospitals designated by the metropolitan government. Each of these hospitals already has three or four emergency beds, and the request asked them to secure one more each. Hospitals are also allowed to temporarily utilize beds allocated for COVID-19 patients for non-COVID emergency patients. The emergency medical system at hospitals in Tokyo is in a critical situation. Japanese Red Cross Omori Hospital in Ota Ward, Tokyo, has stopped accepting emergency patients with problems such as bone fractures since Jan. 12. According to the hospital, it avoids emergency patients who require orthopedic treatment and gives priority to patients whose lives are in danger if they are not treated immediately, such as those suffering stroke or myocardial infarction. The hospital has 344 beds, but beds for general patients are always full. In response to a previous request from the Tokyo government, the hospital increased the number of beds for COVID-19 patients from 22 to 42. As a result it had to reduce the number of general beds by about 50. Previously, the hospital accepted about 20 emergency patients a day, but now it is said that the total number is only about 10. Kugayama Hospital in Setagaya Ward has also curbed the acceptance of emergency services since mid-January, and sometimes stopped accepting emergency outpatients at night due to a lack of medical staff. As of Wednesday, more than 20 employees had become unable to work because they got infected or became close contacts. The hospital has 199 beds, 14 of which are secured for COVID-19 patients, but these beds are already full. The COVID-19 inpatients require more than twice as many nurses as non-COVID patients. Moreover, a large number of elderly patients -- due to a cluster infection at a nearby facility for the elderly -- increased the burden for the staff. The hospital said that the situation is barely manageable, and if the number of absent staff members increases by even two or three, restrictions on outpatient treatment will be unavoidable. According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, medical institutions nationwide had a record number of 116 cluster infections in the week to Jan. 30. This is significantly higher than the peak of the third wave last winter, when there were 49 cases, and the fifth wave last summer, when there were 30 cases. "At the time of the fifth wave, there were many patients, but hospital functions were maintained. This time it is a really difficult situation," one hospital official lamented. Montana Make It With Wool representatives showed off their talents with during the 74th annual competition as part of the 2022 American Sheep Industry Convention held Jan. 20-22 in San Diego, California. Kiara Sherman of Ronan participated in the junior category, while Mary Baeten of Billings participated in the senior category. Montanas adult winner, Jan Alexander from Miles City. Sherman constructed an off-white textured 100% wool double-breasted coat featuring a floral rose waterfall machine embroidery design along the shawl collar which highlights the color of her dress. Senior contestant, Mary Baeten competed in her first MIWW contest in 2021. She created a voyageur style capote. The capote is fashioned out of a Hudson Bay 3 point blanket that was purchased at an estate sale. Montanas adult winner, Jan Alexander designed a cape and western styled skirt for her entry this year. The lambswool skirt has a deep slit in the side to show off her fancy boots. In the National MIWW contest there were 21 junior contestants, 18 senior contestants, and 21 adult contestants representing 28 states. Currently, there are 31 states with active Make It With Wool programs. For more information on the Make It With Wool program, please visit mtsheep.org. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 STUTTGART, Germany Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division are slated to begin arriving Sunday in southeastern Poland with more forces to follow in the days ahead, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement. The deployment of the Fort Bragg-based paratroopers into central Europe comes on the heels of the arrival of Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd , who landed in Poland on Saturday, USAREUR-AF said. Without getting into specific timelines, the 82nd Airborne Division personnel are scheduled to begin arriving today and over the coming days, USAREUR-AF said in a statement. Last week, the first contingent of 18th Airborne Corps troops arrived in Europe, where they will form a joint task force in Wiesbaden, Germany. The contingency headquarters, called Task Force Dragon, will be led by 18th Airborne Corps boss Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla. Kurilla is expected to arrive in Wiesbaden in the coming days, an Army spokesman said Sunday. The task force will fall under the command of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, which is led by Gen. Christopher Cavoli. In all, 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg are taking part in the mission in Germany and Poland, which is focused on reassuring allies worried about potential Russian aggression connected to Moscows military buildup around Ukraine. On Thursday, U.S. forces in Poland began setting the stage for the arrival of the 82nd in Poland, operating out of an airfield in Rzeszow, a southeastern Polish town not far from the Ukrainian border. In other moves, the U.S. Army also is preparing to soon send 1,000 soldiers from the Vilseck, Germany, 2nd Cavalry Regiment to Romania to bolster defenses there. A date has not yet been announced for the push into Romania, where U.S. European Command already has about 900 troops positioned on regular rotation. In Poland, the 82nd soldiers will join a force of roughly 4,000 U.S. service members already operating in various parts of the country on a rotational basis, including hundreds of soldiers supporting a NATO mission just 50 miles from Russias military exclave of Kaliningrad. ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - The head of U.S. Central Command arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to build on recent measures announced by the Pentagon to help reinforce the UAE's defenses after attacks by Iranian-affiliated rebels in Yemen. U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr. is expected to meet with UAE leaders and offer a plan to enhance information-sharing on air defenses and to hear out requests for any additional assistance the Emirates might need. Last week, the Pentagon said it would send the guided missile destroyer USS Cole and a squadron of advanced F-22 fighters to the UAE, where recent missile attacks have fueled alarm and triggered a response from U.S. troops who are stationed here. "The purpose of my visit is assurance," McKenzie said in an interview, and to "make sure that they know we're a reliable partner." The United Arab Emirates is part of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that for years has been conducting airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in a bid to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government. The Houthis control large parts of the country - including Sanaa, the capital - and are thought to be supported by Iran. "The equipment they are firing is certainly Iranian," McKenzie said of the Houthis. "If Iran didn't approve this specific attack, they're certainly morally responsible for it." The Houthis and the UAE have long been on opposite sides of the fighting in Yemen, but the strikes on UAE soil mark a dramatic change in tactics. U.S. troops stationed here at Al-Dhafra Air Base have fired Patriot missiles to intercept Houthi-launched missiles on at least two occasions in recent weeks. The attacks forced the Americans to scramble for cover in reinforced bunkers. McKenzie, who moved up his trip to Abu Dhabi in light of the attacks, surmised that a "confluence" of factors had precipitated this turn of events - but that the key development was Iran's loss of influence in Iraq and a need for new fronts in its bid for regional dominance. "The Iranians have accused the UAE of being involved in the Iraqi election. Iran needs culprits because the election didn't go well for them," McKenzie said. "In Iraq in particular, Iran thought they had a political way forward to eject the United States from Iraq . . . now I think they're grasping at alternatives, and some of those alternatives may be kinetic and violent." The general stated during a forum last week sponsored by the Middle East Institute that he was bracing for further attacks. The hardware being sent to the UAE is intended to help stave off that threat. McKenzie said in the interview that the USS Cole, with its "great radar," and the superior "look-down capabilities" of the F-22s are intended to improve the tracking of and response to shipments of contraband heading toward Yemen, including potential shipments of missiles. The USS Cole will hover in the waters around the Emirates, he noted, and the F-22s will be housed at Al-Dhafra, where no U.S. fighter jets are currently based. It is unclear whether the measures will trigger any political backlash in the United States, where the military relationship with the UAE has come under scrutiny because of the mounting humanitarian toll in Yemen - and evidence that the Saudi-led coalition had targeted civilians. Under congressional pressure, the Trump administration reduced the U.S. participation to information-sharing with the coalition, a limitation that persists. The effort to restrict support to the coalition continues: A group of Democratic lawmakers is pushing legislation that would deny State Department licenses to U.S. companies that provide maintenance support to the Saudi air force. Still, the Pentagon's latest moves fall into a slightly different category of consideration. Although lawmakers have vocally objected to efforts to sell heavy materiel to the UAE, there has been greater acceptance that moving assets under U.S. control is necessary to monitor and stave off Iranian aggression. There are other reasons for such displays of solidarity, as well. McKenzie's visit comes as negotiations over Iran's future nuclear posture reach a critical phase. On Friday, President Biden announced that he would waive sanctions on Iran's civil nuclear program, in an attempt to woo Tehran into accepting terms similar to those that governed its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, effectively fell apart three years later, when President Donald Trump pulled the United States from it. Amid the UAE visit, the United States is engaged in a global effort to shore up alliances ahead of what most officials view as an inevitable Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to trigger sanctions and export controls designed to cripple the Russian economy. The success of such measures, however, depends on limiting Russian President Vladimir Putin's ability to lean on other partnerships and markets to make up for the predicted shortfalls. Those particulars are not part of McKenzie's agenda during his UAE visit. But he acknowledged that they form an inescapable backdrop, as "everybody's looking at Ukraine," he said. "The fact of the matter is, when the United States moves forces anywhere, there's global repercussions." "My visit here, and to some degree repositioning, is all designed to send a very careful, calculated message that the United States is a reliable partner . . . we're not going to forget this part of the world," McKenzie said. "We've got a lot of ships, we've got a lot of problems. We've always got an ability to help our friends." Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See more stories here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. Andrew Markert respects the coronavirus. It has messed with his livelihood, a D.C. pub called Beuchert's Saloon, forcing him to close, move outdoors and adjust in countless other ways. But the time has arrived for him to move forward and stick to his plans, come what may in the next round of the pandemic. And he's betting there are a lot of people like him. So Markert plans to open not one, but two new restaurants in the next couple of months Fight Club, a few doors down from Beuchert's, in February and the upscale Newland around the corner in April. "I'm cautiously optimistic that we're at the end of it," he said as workers scraped and primed Fight Club's interior last week. "I'm mentally over it, but physically still cautious." Fatigued, frustrated and frazzled by five surges over two years, some parts of the U.S. population have decided to simply live with the coronavirus and move on. And with a triple-shot of vaccine on board or protection acquired from prior infection - alongside case numbers falling precipitously, polls show their numbers are increasing. The Atlantic last month declared some of them the "Vaxxed and done," and Time magazine this week is exploring "How Covid Ends," its cover a hopeful portrait of the spiky red virus fading to black. Some municipalities and schools are shedding mask requirements. Elected officials no longer even talk about conquering the virus, as President Biden did just seven months ago, in the short-lived glow of the vaccine rollout. A bipartisan group of governors told Biden last week at the White House it is time to "move away from the pandemic," in the words of Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. "People are striving for more normal life," Hutchinson told reporters. In Seattle, Joe Inglish, 30, isn't throwing all caution to the wind. He said he's still avoiding indoor dining and limiting unmasked, indoor gatherings with friends. But as soon as he was vaccinated in March, Inglish was ready to return to attending the concerts he had missed since the pandemic began. Inglish attended 27 shows in 2019 and none in 2020, a major lifestyle shift. He knows that returning could expose him to covid-19. But with a KN95 mask, he said he feels relatively protected, and he's no longer willing to give up something so important to him. "Given all the other precautions I've taken," he said, "I'm allowing myself this one minor risk." In a January Monmouth poll, 28% of Americans said the country would "never" get the outbreak under control and return to normal up from 9% in March 2021. An Axios/Ipsos poll taken about the same time found that 61% believe the vaccine allowed them to return to something like their pre-covid routine. And a KFF poll found that 77% of Americans believe most people will inevitably develop covid-19 anyway, a sentiment that crosses party lines. Polling during the pandemic is volatile; as Ariel Edwards-Levy, a polling and elections analytics editor at CNN has pointed out, since it tends to reflect the state of the pandemic at the moment. But experts said we should not be surprised if these sentiments are growing. Most people are averse to uncertainty, said Maurice Schweitzer, a behavioral scientist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and the past two years have seen nothing else. Many people are beyond exhausted. "We'd like to be done," Schweitzer said. "The problem is, it's a virus. It's not getting tired." People realize that "if I keep waiting for the right time, it would be a long wait," Schweitzer said. "If you're starting a business or starting a family . . . you might think, 'Well let's do it now, let's move forward.'" Others arrived at this point long ago. Of course, we've been here before. Several times. "Today, while the virus hasn't been vanquished, we know this: It no longer controls our lives. It no longer paralyzes our nation. And it's within our power to make sure it never does again," Biden said on July 4. "It's going to disappear. One day it's like a miracle it will disappear," President Donald Trump said on Feb. 27, 2020. "And from our shores, we you know, it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We'll see what happens. Nobody really knows." Today we do know: Predictions of the virus's demise have been wrong every time. Most experts have given up trying. We are just one variant away from going through it all over again. Even as case numbers are plummeting, they are still at staggering, record levels for the entire pandemic - a seven-day average of over 300,000 on Sunday, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. The daily death toll has surpassed the total in every other wave but last winter's. The U.S. death total has reached 900,000. Only 64% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, and the proportion that has received booster shots lags well behind that. Children under 5 are not yet able to be vaccinated at all, though the shots could be available by the end of the month. The same polls that show people exhausted by the pandemic also reveal that many are more worried about infection during the omicron surge than they were during some previous waves. Kim Hauriel of Naples, Fla., is flummoxed by those who argue it's time to get back to normal. Two years into the pandemic, the 51-year-old, her husband and children remain extremely cautious about covid, even after being vaccinated. They have not gone out to eat, considering even outdoor dining to carry too great a risk. They avoid gatherings of all sizes. And they always wear masks N95s for Hauriel and her husband and KF94s for the kids. "It's not that difficult to lift your pinkie finger and just put on a mask, be a little safer, avoid unnecessary gatherings or have them more safely outdoors, still masked," she said. "It's difficult to relate. I'm not giving up." Hauriel said she worries about the risk of long covid and the chance of spreading the virus to the vulnerable. And she doesn't want to take up a hospital bed "just for being careless." Once people move on, it will be even more difficult to reverse course if another surge occurs. When Colorado Democrat Gov. Jared Polis said in December that "the emergency is over," because of the widespread availability of vaccines, Colorado Medical Society President Mark Johnson pushed back. "I think the governor speaks for probably 70% of people who say, 'I'm through with this.'" But hospitals are still seeing an overwhelming number of patients, and although most made the choice not to get vaccinated, health-care workers "don't have that luxury of saying, 'It's your own fault; let's move on," he said Thursday. People respond differently to the stress of the pandemic, said Todd Farchione, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Boston University. Some may feel comforted by restrictions and mandates and others may be feeling "done" with the pandemic, he said. "Then there's everything in between," he said. In any risk assessment, a person may consider, "'what are the real risks here relative to what's important to me in my life, and what I need in terms of caring for and being there for friends and family, being part of life?" Markert's step forward came by chance, when two spaces for new restaurants opened unexpectedly last year just a few steps from Beuchert's. He wasn't looking to expand in the middle of an unpredictable pandemic. But he also didn't want to let the prolonged upheaval stand in his way. "What it comes down to is opportunity," he said. "The opportunity was there and it's not every day you get a chance to open a restaurant four doors or five doors down from your current restaurant. . . . And obviously when we started going down this path, omicron wasn't even a thing. Cases were dropping. Delta variant wasn't that prominent in the area." "Just sort of exhausted by it," added Bart Hutchins, chef and co-owner of Fight Club, "and hoping that we're at the tail end of it." Kevin Volpp, director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, noted that before the omicron wave, some workplaces were encouraging employees to return to pre-pandemic in-office work schedules. "It's a little bit like riding a roller coaster and everyone is wondering: Are we going to be going up or are we going to be going down?," Volpp said. "Omicron kind of threw everything out of the window at least temporarily. But things are starting to recalibrate - people are starting to make plans again." Unless a new variant arrives, current conditions are "leading to an opening up again in a way that I think will probably continue to evolve steadily in the coming weeks," he said. "I feel like people collectively have been carrying around this huge burden of worrying about covid, and it affects their lives, their performance in lots of ways. People are really worn out by that." - - - The Washington Posts Emily Guskin contributed to this report. Virginia Military Institute will make changes to its student-run honor court to make the system fairer to cadets accused of lying, cheating, stealing or other transgressions that can lead to expulsion. VMI detailed the reforms in a progress report Friday in response to a state-ordered investigation into racism and sexism at the nation's oldest state-supported military college. The 70-page report, which the college gave to General Assembly members and the Virginia secretary of education, describes initiatives approved, enacted or begun last year, including mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training for administrators and members of VMI's Board of Visitors, and changes to the Lexington school's one-strike-and-you're-out honor court system. Black students at VMI were expelled by the honor court at a disproportionately high rate, according to data obtained by The Washington Post for the three academic years between the fall of 2017 and the spring of 2020. Though Black cadets made up about 6% of the student body, they represented about 43% of those expelled for honor code violations. Twelve out of the 28 VMI students dismissed in those three academic years were Black. When students of color were included in the count, the number of expelled rose to 15, or about 54% of the total, even though minorities made up about 21% of the student population in that three-year period. Barnes & Thornburg, the law firm hired by the state to investigate racism and sexism at VMI, recommended in its final report that the college "consider changing" its policy of allowing convictions without unanimous verdicts by student juries. But VMI, which received $21.6 million in state funding for the 2021-2022 academic year, reported Friday that it will keep allowing student prosecutors to win cases with non-unanimous verdicts. The school did make one major concession: The student juries will expand in size and guilty verdicts will require nine out of 11 jury votes instead of five of seven votes. The move, the college said in its progress report, "increases the Court's burden of proof and further reduces the potential (real or perceived) of forcing a guilty verdict based on insufficient or circumstantial evidence." Another key honor system change will allow cadets to use pro bono attorneys during their trials. VMI used to allow lawyers to represent cadets during the proceedings, but stopped about a decade ago because of complaints that the professional litigators prosecuted the system itself and that only affluent students could afford them. Now, VMI will draw up a list of pro bono lawyers willing to work with cadet defendants and their "defense advocates" - typically VMI faculty or staff members - before and during trials. But the attorneys will be allowed only to observe and consult their client or their defense advocate during the hearing, not argue the case themselves. The college also said it will begin retaining "key demographic data" to "monitor the fairness of the system." VMI's chief diversity officer, Jamica Love, the report said, will help "facilitate annual reviews" of the honor system. All of the new honor court changes will go into effect in August 2022, at the beginning of the next academic year. Though there has been intense resistance from some alumni, students and parents to VMI's cultural makeover, the progress report chronicled the college's efforts to "temper" its links to the Confederacy. The 182-year-old school sent many of its cadet to fight for the South during the Civil War. More than 250 cadets fought at the Battle of New Market in May 1864, and 10 were killed in battle or died later from wounds. Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson taught physics at VMI before the Civil War. The reported noted the school's decisions to remove many of the tributes to Jackson, including his 108-year-old statue that stood at the campus's center, plus his name that was emblazoned on the student barracks. But VMI is still deciding whether to preserve many more Confederate tributes, including an award and another monument partially named after and honoring Jackson, and a bronze statue of its first superintendent, Francis H. Smith, who enslaved nine people and served as the commander at abolitionist John Brown's execution in December 1859. The progress report noted that VMI's new commandant, retired Col. Adrian Bogart III, has instituted an "open-door" policy on Fridays that the school hopes will encourage students of color "to discuss participation in any activity that has the potential to stir cultural or other demographic sensitivities." The school also detailed numerous trainings for cadets meant to crack down on racist jokes, slurs, misogyny and sexual violence. VMI's chief diversity officer, Love, has also begun training freshmen on "inclusive excellence" and will educate the remaining students later this academic year. According to a survey the college conducted on the sessions, three-quarters of the freshmen were "mostly or completely satisfied" with the program; 88% found that it helped "connect them with their peers"; and 94% said the activities "helped initiate dialogue about inclusivity." Much of the racism and sexism at VMI is also found online, especially via the social media app Jodel, where cadets anonymously denigrate one other day-in, day-out. The report said the school's communications and marketing team monitors Jodel's traffic and said that "there has been a noticeable decrease" in inflammatory posts on the app and an uptick in "corrective or regulating" posts when provocative comments surface. "Both the Superintendent and the Commandant have clearly and publicly - on numerous occasions and in various venues - expressed to the Corps of Cadets and the greater VMI community what is and is not acceptable behavior," the report said. "These incontrovertible statements by VMI leadership establish straightforward expectations for moving VMI forward to a more diverse and inclusive environment that is also a physically and emotionally safe place of higher learning." VMI completed the progress report at the behest of Barnes & Thornburg. In its final investigative report, released in June, the law firm the said that school suffered from an "overall racist and sexist culture." Barnes & Thornburg said the college should issue these reports every quarter for three years to its Board of Visitors, the General Assembly and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, an agency that makes higher education policy proposals to the commonwealth's lawmakers. "VMI will likely follow through on its promised reforms only if it is forced to do so," the Barnes & Thornburg report said. "For the betterment of the school, VMI must be held accountable to its promises and plans to change the current culture." The Jewish movement known as Chabad Lubavitch has announced plans to open a center in Billings where adherents can gather and worship. It will be the fourth Chabad center to open in Montana; the other three are in Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell. "I've been keeping an eye on Billings for 15 years," said Rabbi Chaim Bruk. "It became clear that the need was strong." Chabad Lubavitch, based in Brooklyn, New York, is a branch of Hasidism, which is part of the Orthodox Judaism movement. Billings is also the longtime home to Congregation Beth Aaron, a Reform Judaism movement that meets at the Beth Aaron Temple on Broadwater Avenue. Bruk has lived in Bozeman since 2007, where he and his wife Chavie opened the first Chabad center in Montana. Bruk pointed out that Chabad has had a rabbinical presence in Montana since 1957, but nothing permanent existed until the Bozeman center opened. The Billings center will open this summer, led by Rabbi Shaul Shkedi. He and his wife, Mushky, along with their infant daughter Zelda Rochel, will move to Billings to take on the new duties. Bruk sees the Billings center as something that augments a Jewish life and culture that already exist in Billings. He said they're not there to compete with Congregation Beth Aaron, explaining that it's not about numbers or synagogues. "Around the state we need things that are permanent," Bruk said. And so in that sense Chabad will add to what's already in Billings. "The goal is about creating opportunity for Jewish life," he said. "That's what really creates vibrancy." Bruk acknowledged that rural settings, particularly the Rocky Mountain West, can seem like a strange place to find Jewish people or nurture Jewish life. But he said a large chunk of the country's Jewish population either lives in a rural area or has lived there in the past. "We know they can live in rural places," he said. And in some ways it's more accommodating to living a traditional Jewish life away from large urban areas and significant Jewish populations, he said. A Jew in these small rural communities stands out a little bit, he said. And as a result, they tend to lean into their beliefs, they find a vitality with it, he said. It can also increase a community's diversity, which helps increase understanding and tolerance on all sides, he said. Famously, Billings gave birth to the Not In Our Town movement in 1993, after a paving stone was thrown through the bedroom window of 5-year-old Isaac Schnitzer, startled and then moved the Billings community to action. Isaac's window had been decorated with stickers depicting the Star of David and the menorah. The incident followed a string of antisemitic vandalism in Billings through the fall and into the winter. Billings has grown both in diversity and population over the last three decades and Bruk sees that growth as a reflection of the community's bright future for its Jewish members and their neighbors. "You don't solve the problem of ignorance with hatred," he said. "You solve it with education." Love 13 Funny 4 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BOSTON (Tribune News Service) Facta Non Verba. That's Latin for "Deeds Not Words." It's the motto for Boston's Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, a patriotic organization formed in 1638 to train young officers to serve the commonwealth, and a virtue that its first Black member, retired Lt. Col. Enoch "Woody" Woodhouse II, said he wished more people would embody. "The last two or three years, it has become more divisive because certain elements have surfaced," Woodhouse, one of "20, 25" remaining members of World War II's legendary Tuskegee Airmen, the all-Black fighter pilot unit, said on the state of race in American society. Two recent examples came to his mind: The hardline racist messaging of neo-Nazis who protested last weekend outside Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and President Biden saying he will nominate a black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. "He should have said, 'I'm going to nominate the best person, man or woman,'" Woodhouse said. An announcement colored by racial and gender labels applies stigma to the nominee, he said, while the "virtue signaling" benefits only Biden in a world that puts words before deeds. Woodhouse, who turned 95 last month, experienced racism since he was born at Boston's Lying-In Hospital, now Brigham and Women's, on Jan. 14, 1927. His dad, a second-generation Methodist minister who took his son to every Harvard commencement speech to inspire a love of higher education, had tried to get young Woody admitted to Boston's Latin School but failed due to prevailing discrimination at the time. Woodhouse graduated from Boston's English High School in 1944 and kicked off a life full of "hope, unity, and optimism," topics he still speaks on with great humor and insight on the lecture circuit and on phone calls with leaders and newsmakers all day long. Finally landing at his current apartment building, where he spoke in a laugh-filled conversation with the Herald this week, a mere block or two from his birthplace in the Mission Hill neighborhood, represents a circle that saw him navigate around both the world and its history. Spurred by his mother's concern over the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, Woodhouse's parents signed his enlistment papers on his 17th birthday, and he boarded a train after high school graduation for training in Texas with about 20 of his classmates. His own ride on the scheduled trip came to a stop at the St. Louis station when an "Archie Bunker-type" conductor told him to get off. Left at the station with about $7 in his pocket and his white friends on the train passing into the distance, Woodhouse was approached by a Black porter who asked if Woodhouse had ever been south before. His response: "Yeah, I've been to New York." That told the porter all he needed to know. He gave Woody a chicken sandwich from his own kitchen not accepting payment and told him the train he was allowed on would be there in 9 hours. The coal-fired train arrived at base nearly a day late, and the receiving sergeant was not impressed by the soot-covered teen who had limited ways to express what had happened with the three military-approved responses: "No, sir; Yes, sir; and No excuse, sir." Such an inauspicious beginning would be short-lived: With Woody too young to serve in combat, Col. Benjamin Davis, Jr., the first Black commanding officer of a base, sent Woody off to finance school for him to serve as paymaster for the Tuskegee Airmen. He saw the military desegregated in 1948 and continued to serve in reserve for the newly-formed Air Force until retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1997. He went on to graduate from Yale in 1952 with what he called a B.A.A., "Before Affirmative Action" he said degrees have been stigmatized by being perceived as not being earned on merit and received his law degree from Boston University in 1955. He had his own trial law practice and served, he said, as the first African American courier for the U.S. State Department, a gig that had him in Paris, London, deep behind the Iron Curtain, the Middle East and on the last flight out of Havana in 1959, from which he saw Fidel Castro wave a rifle from the control tower. He and the other Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. The last Tuskegee Airmen member to pass was Brigadier Gen. Charles McGee, on Jan. 16. Woodhouse met his wife, Stella, who is white and a contributing factor in his concern over the divisiveness of race today, in an Albany, N.Y., snowstorm, "and I mean a blizzard," when he had her and her two friends join him in the last taxi available to the bus station. They've been married for 40 years. "All I want to do is just be treated like anybody else," Woodhouse said. "I don't want special treatment. I don't want special consideration." ___ (c)2022 the Boston Herald Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (Tribune News Service) On a recent January evening, a panel of Dayton Veterans Affairs physicians and administrators took dozens of calls from area patients. Among them: Caller Matthew had questions about a prescription for a device he believed would help him monitor his diabetes. He said he was denied the prescription. I was still wondering why the pharmacy has the right to deny me when Im a diabetic, he asked. Dr. Kevin Connolly, chief of primary care for the Dayton VA, answered on the other end. We require certain criteria in order to get this device, Connolly told him. He promised Matthew someone would call him soon to follow up. Such exchanges, and others like them, happen at least once a month. VA administrators call them telephone town halls. Dayton VA Director Mark Murdock said the hospital tries to include rotating groups of patients, from Middletown to Lima, inviting hundreds of patients to participate on the calls, which can last an hour. Eligible VA patients receive automatic robocalls inviting them to participate, giving them a date, time and number to call. Veterans can ask questions or make comments to VA leadership team members and doctors, Murdock said. If they dont get to all the calls, patients can leave voicemails and Murdock said they can expect a response. Army veteran and Huber Heights resident Carl Smith, 73, said he appreciates the process. If you have questions, you can get on these town hall meetings, you dont have to go through three or four people, Smith said. You ask the question, and if they cant answer a question, theyll get back to you. In an interview, Murdock said the town hall events were born of the 2014 crisis in how the VA delivered and failed to deliver care to veterans. The VA system was embroiled in national attention eight years ago on massive wait times for patients. Congress and federal regulators examined accusations that the VA underreported how long it took veterans in Phoenix and elsewhere to get the care they needed. Congress mandated more oversight, funding and greater access to private health care for veterans. But one early observation from that time was that the VA didnt have good forums for communication. We really werent reaching out very much to our veterans and our stakeholders, Murdock said. Those stakeholders number in the tens of thousands. The Dayton VA had 276,072 primary care appointments last year, with 33,054 veterans enrolled. Those numbers do not include mental health services patients, a Dayton VA spokeswoman said. Actions speak very loudly In 2016, then- Dayton VA Medical Center Director Glenn Costie, who had worked for the Phoenix VA system, told the Dayton Daily News that he drew on lessons learned in Dayton to push a cultural transformation to deal with a backlog of patients at the troubled Phoenix system. Costie spent four months in Phoenix at the time, where he oversaw the addition of about 400 more workers to the VA staff, signed leases for a new outpatient clinic and a center for services to homeless veterans, and eliminated a backlog of hundreds of patients. Actions speak very loudly to veterans and once they saw that they could get an appointment, either walking in the door or getting it the same day, or be having it scheduled within 30 days, they began to believe that change had come to the Phoenix VA, Costie said after returning to Dayton in November 2016. Murdock was acting director in Dayton at the time of the scandal; Dayton VA officials tried to rebuild trust by holding an initial in-person forum, hosting a town hall event on the VA Medical Centers West Dayton campus. The forum did not go well, Murdock recalled in his recent interview. It was kind of a bloodbath in a way, I can tell you, he said. There was a lot of pent-up angst among Dayton-area veterans, he said. After that, the VA launched a monthly schedule of face-to-face local forums, with gatherings in Lima, Middletown and elsewhere. That angst began to settle down only well after that, Murdock said. Sometimes the in-person VA meetings attracted about 20 veterans. Eventually, VA leaders determined there was a better way to spend their time. Thus, the telephone town halls began in 2016. One heck of a job Its not like every veteran has a question or a comment, VA spokeswoman Rhonda Moore said. Sometimes they just get on the call because they want to listen in. If they want to participate or speak, they press a number to connect with a call screener. We have a group of leaders in our conference room. For an hour, we go through those calls, Murdock said. On a recent evening, the VA panel allowed a Dayton Daily News reporter to listen. Caller John told the VA panel: The service (from the VA) has improved tenfold from top to bottom in recent years. John told listeners he had undergone cataract surgery and suffered neuropathy all over his body. Id just like to compliment you because you have been doing one heck of a job servicing me, John said. Murdock maintains the VA needs to gauge the trust or lack of trust veterans have in the system. So VA leaders in Dayton and elsewhere started measuring it, through surveys, questionnaires and other means. Baseline measurements found a 40% trust level at first, the Dayton director said. Today, across the national VA, trust is measured at over 90%. At the Dayton VA, the system has a 92% trust level. Said Murdock: Were not satisfied with that. But it demonstrates improvement since 2014, he believes. We are on a trend right now where we get tremendous compliments for our front-line staff for veterans, he said. Its really been a shot in the arm for employees as well. The town hall panels get a full spectrum of questions how to improve access, about individual needs, refills of meds, benefits changes and much more. Murdock talks of inviting veterans according to more precise areas of health conditions, including body mass index, eye care or some other area of concern or medical care. And some calls can be reserved for women veterans, he said. Dave Weeks, 64, an Air Force veteran and Vandalia resident, has participated in two or three town hall calls. A lot of good feedback, and I believe they take notes very well, he said. The upper management does get back to you. It has been improved, God, 300% over the years, Weeks said of VA service overall. (c)2022 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Visit at www.daytondailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Tauranga residents now have the chance to upsize or downsize their rubbish and recycling bins. In 2021 Council rolled out its new kerbside rubbish and recycling collection programme. All households were issued bins for general waste, recycling, and food scraps, along with the previously issued glass recycling bin and an optional green waste bin. This year Council is providing an opportunity to upsize or downsize the waste (red lid) and recycling (yellow lid) bins to suit household sizes using bin bundles. All households currently have the standard bin bundle, which includes a 140L rubbish bin and a 240L recycling bin. There will be two new bin bundle options available. The small bin bundle is suitable for households that dont produce a lot of rubbish and recycling. It includes an 80L rubbish bin and a 140L recycling bin. This will cost $190 for the 2022-2023 rates year $30 less than the standard bin bundle. The large bin bundle is suitable for households that produce a lot of rubbish and recycling. It includes a 240L rubbish bin and a 240L recycling bin. This will cost $320 for the 2022-2023 rates year - $100 additional to the standard bin bundle. All bin bundles include the fortnightly collection of rubbish, recycling and glass, and the weekly collection of food scraps. Stay with your standard bin bundle, pictured, or choose to upsize or downsize your bins. Tauranga City Council Manager of Sustainability and Waste, Sam Fellows, says the new bin bundles will further build on the success of the kerbside rubbish and recycling collection programme by giving people more options. The community has done a brilliant job embracing the new bins, and now we want to give them an opportunity to ensure their bins are appropriate for the amount of household waste they are producing. Sam says the new bin bundles will also allow for reusing existing bins. To minimise waste, your new bin/s will likely be a sanitised second-hand bin, or we will swap the lid of one of your existing bins. For example, your existing 140L rubbish bin may be turned into your 140L recycling bin by swapping the lid from red to yellow. If people are happy with their current standard bin bundle, they dont need to do anything. To upsize or downsize your waste and recycling bins, visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/binchange, call 07 577 7000 or download the Tauranga kerbside collections app which can be downloaded to your device from the App Store or Google Play. The app has several functions. As well as a portal to the Council contact centre to report a missed or broken bin, or request an alternative bin bundle, this app can let you know when and what bins are due for collection and send you reminders. The option to change your bin size is restricted to the homeowner, or households with an individual rating valuation number. This means that people living in rental properties and some multi-unit dwellings will need to speak with their landlord, or the council to discuss available options. New locations are being considered for Margaret Mahys lion as part of the Civic Centre upgrade. The bronze statues position has been a sore point with some Whakatane residents since the relocation of the library to Esplanade Mall in 2012. The lion, a character from Mahys first published childrens book, the Lion in the Meadow (1969), has been in Margaret Mahy Court since 2007. It was commissioned from Wellington artist Jonathan Campbell by the Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust in recognition that Whakatane is the birthplace of the much-loved New Zealand childrens author. The site was chosen for the statue, and the courtyard it lounges in, because at that time it was at the entrance to Whakatanes library where many of her books are enjoyed by children. When the library was moved to its current location at Te Koputu a te Whanga a Toi, some people felt the lion should have gone with it, while others argued that it should stay in the courtyard named after the author. The recent consideration of the move was brought about by a letter to Mayor Judy Turner by Julie Smith, a receptionist at Whakatane Intermediate School, who was worried the statue would be forgotten about in the redevelopment and that its current location was not prominent enough. Margaret Mahy and her Lion in the Meadow should be celebrated in this town, she says. He is currently even more forlorn behind metal gates while the building is under construction. She says she's spoken to the librarians, who agred with her that the lion should be outside the library where he could be seen and enjoyed by all, especially children. Turner told the Beacon she had asked staff to look into the idea as it had been out there in the ether for some time and there were mixed views as to where the lion should be. This has come up on numerous occasions. I have some sympathy with Julies idea. This is about childrens books. Children are going to the library and [the lion] is a lovely thing for them to be able to touch and enjoy where they are getting books. That makes sense to me, as well. She says one of the issues around moving the lion statue to the grassy area outside the library is that that area is not owned by the council but by a corporate body, so the council will need to seek permission to do that. The other thing is that theres some people who think that the lion should stay [where it is], because of the name of the court. I have talked to two of the councils senior managers and the two councillors who are on the steering committee for the Civic Centre upgrade project and asked them to see what they can do. We all accept its important. Nobodys trying to get rid of it. She thinks the lion might need to be relocated anyway as part of the upgrade, as there is going to be a doorway leading into the new ground level Council Chamber where it is. She says if the corporate body that owns the lawn area arent open to having it there, other options to look at will be the footpaths around the library or the space where it links into New World where there is some seating, or even inside the library. She is thankful to Mrs Smith for raising the issue as with the events of the past two years such as Covid-19 and the Whakaari eruption it had fallen off my radar. -Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air Members of the public are asking how they can best support the residents at Radius Lexham Park aged residential care facility in Katikati, following the announcement on Friday of one of the residents testing positive for Covid-19. Were getting questions from people asking how they can help, says Radius Cares communication team member Fred Russo. On Friday 15 new cases were reported In the Bay of Plenty, of which six were in Tauranga and nine in the Western Bay of Plenty. "We are reporting a case in a resident at Radius Lexham Park aged residential care facility in Katikati. The case is linked to a previous case in a staff member at the facility who tested positive on 27 January," says a Ministry of Health spokesperson. "All residents have been self-isolating and daily Rapid Antigen Tests are being carried out for all staff and residents. "The facility is following the recommended response measures including staff wearing full PPE." Fred is welcoming messages of support from the community for the residents at Radius Lexham Park. Obviously, people cant enter the facility and packages are also problematic given the circumstances - they need to quarantine too," says Fred. But, if anyone wants to send our residents and staff well wishes and kind words they can email Clare Tulett, the activities coordinator, at the facility." The nurses and health care assistants will read these to the residents as well as post them around the building, says Fred. Im sure theyd love the support of their community. To send messages of support to the residents email Clare Tulett on Clare.Tulett@radiuscare.co.nz The Ministry of Health is reporting 208 new community cases in New Zealand on Sunday. Twelve people are in hospital and one in ICU. There are 19 new cases identified at the border. There were 48,947 booster doses administered on Saturday, taking the total to date to 1,561,837. Also, 4,807 paediatric doses were given on Saturday, bringing the total to 197,471. Of the 208 new community cases, 14 of the new cases are in Northland, 128 in Auckland, 49 in Waikato, one in Lakes, 11 in Bay of Plenty, five in Hawkes Bay, three in Wellington, four in Nelson Marlborough, and one in Canterbury. In addition, the ministry is announcing a case in Whanganui that was first reported as part of the Waikato numbers on Saturday. Seven cases in Northland and one in Nelson Marlborough were reported after the Ministrys cut off and will be added to the case numbers later. Bay of Plenty There are 11 cases to report in Bay of Plenty today. Of these cases, ten are linked to previously reported cases and one is under investigation. Three cases are in the Western Bay of Plenty and eight are in Tauranga. There is one case in Tauranga Hospital. Lakes The Ministry of Health is reporting one new case in the Rotorua district today. This case is linked to a previously reported case. Northland There are 14 new cases in Northland today, seven of which are being reported in todays numbers and seven more that were notified after Ministrys cut-off and will be added to the numbers in due course. Of these 14 cases, six of these cases are in Kerikeri, one in Hokianga North and two in Whangarei. These cases all have linked to previously reported cases. The remaining five cases are under investigation. Auckland There are 128 cases to report in Auckland today. Health and welfare providers are now supporting 2,191 people in the region to isolate at home, including 861 cases. Waikato Today the Ministry of Health is reporting 49 new cases in Waikato. Twenty-three of these are linked to previously confirmed cases and public health staff are continuing to investigate the remaining cases. There are 20 reported for Hamilton, two in Ohaupo, one in Cambridge, one in Huntly, one in Matamata, one in Walton, and the remaining with locations under investigation. Hawkes Bay Today we are reporting five new cases in Hawkes Bay. One has been linked to a previously reported case and the other four remain under investigation. Whanganui We are announcing one new case in the Whanganui district today. The case is a household contact the Whanganui case reported yesterday. The case was isolating when they tested positive and, at this stage, local public health staff have assessed there are no exposure events associated with this case. The case was first reported yesterday in Waikatos figures, as they were recorded as having a Waikato address. Wellington We are reporting three cases in the Wellington region today. In addition, there are three more cases residing in the Wellington region registered to Auckland addresses, who are included in Aucklands reported numbers today. Of this total of six cases, four are in Wellington city and two in Porirua. Two cases are linked to previously reported cases and four remain under investigation. All cases are isolating at home. Case investigations continue and any new location of interest linked to these cases will be published as they are identified on the Ministry of Health website. Nelson-Marlborough There are four cases to announce in Nelson-Marlborough today, one of which came in after the Ministrys cut-off and will be officially added to the Ministrys numbers in due course. Three of these cases are based in the Nelson-Tasman region and one in Marlborough. Two of these cases are household contacts of known cases and have been in quarantine during their infectious periods. One case was linked to an Air NZ flight on 23 January. The source of infection for the remaining fourth case, identified while staying at Tahuna Beach Holiday Park, is currently under investigation. Tahuna Beach Holiday Park in Nelson has been added as a new location of interest today on the Ministrys website. Mobile testing is now offer at the park until 3pm today. Canterbury Today we are reporting a case with a South Canterbury address. The case is currently in a managed isolation and quarantine facility in Christchurch. Public health staff are currently investigating the case to determine any links to previously reported cases. The cases household contacts are all isolating and have so far tested negative. Public health staff are not expecting any Timaru locations of interest arising from this case. With Omicron in New Zealand, one of the best things you can do is get your booster as soon as it is due, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson. Boosters lower your chances of getting very sick and being hospitalised. Being boosted also helps slow the spread of the virus. If youre over 18 and your booster is due, please get it now. Waitangi weekend reminder We are reminding you that if you are away this Waitangi weekend, you should have plans in place in the event you are identified as a close contact, get Covid-19 symptoms, or find out you have Covid-19, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson. You are likely to need to self-isolate wherever you become a close contact or test positive, so there may be extra costs involved in paying for additional accommodation and changing your travel plans. COVID-19 vaccine update Vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people): 4,047,421 first doses (96%); 3,972,866 second doses (94%); 1,561,837 booster doses (50%) Vaccines administered yesterday: 560 first doses; 1,101 second doses; 4,807 paediatric doses; 48,947 booster doses. Maori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 514,362 first doses (90%); 489,002 second doses (86%). Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 278,157 first doses (97%); 270,648 second doses (94%). Paediatric vaccines administered to date (percentage of 5-11-year-olds): 197,471 first doses (41%) Maori (percentage of eligible people aged 5-11): 26,744 (first doses (23%) Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 5-11): 15,520 first doses (31%) Vaccination rates for all DHBs (percentage of eligible people aged 12 +) Northland DHB: First doses (89.9%); second doses (87%) Auckland Metro DHBs: First doses (97%); second doses (96%) Waikato DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (93%) Bay of Plenty DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (92%) Lakes DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (91%) MidCentral DHB: First doses (96%); second doses (94%) Tairawhiti DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (89.6%) Whanganui DHB: First doses (92%); second doses (89.6%) Hawkes Bay: First doses (97%); second doses (94%) Taranaki DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (92%) Wairarapa DHB: First doses (96%); second doses (94%) Capital and Coast DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (97%) Hutt Valley DHB: First doses (97%); second doses (95%) Nelson Marlborough DHB: First doses (96%); second doses (95%) West Coast DHB: First doses (93%); second doses (91%) Canterbury DHB: First doses (99%); second doses (98%) South Canterbury DHB: First doses (95%); second doses (94%) Southern DHB: First doses (98%); second doses (96%) Hospitalisations Cases in hospital: 12; North Shore: 2; Middlemore: 3; Auckland: 2; Waikato: 2; Rotorua: 2; Christchurch: 1 Average age of current hospitalisations: 59 Cases in ICU or HDU: 1 (Rotorua) Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region wards only): Unvaccinated or not eligible (1 case / 17%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (N/A cases / 0%); fully vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (5 cases / 83%). Cases Seven day rolling average of community cases: 157 Seven day rolling average of border cases: 40 Number of new community cases: 208 Number of new cases identified at the border: 19 Location of new community cases: Northland (7), Auckland (128), Waikato (49), Lakes (1), Bay of Plenty (11), Hawkes Bay (5), Wellington (3), Nelson Marlborough (3), South Canterbury (1) Number of community cases (total): 13,078 (in current community outbreaks) Cases epidemiologically linked (total): 9,565 Number of active cases (total): 1,686 (cases identified in the past 21 days and not yet classified as recovered) Confirmed cases (total): 17,397 Contacts Number of active contacts being managed (total): 5,142 Percentage who has received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements): 77% Percentage who has returned at least one result: 70% Tests Number of tests total (last 24 hours): 16,873 Tests rolling average (last 7 days): 19,330 Auckland tests total (last 24 hours): 7,847 Wastewater No unusual detections to report. NZ COVID Tracer Poster scans in the 24 hours to midday yesterday: 2,423,179 Manual diary entries in the 24 hours to midday: 37,499 My Vaccine Pass Total issued to date: 5,058,000 Total yesterday: 14,284 Police have launched an appeal for any witnesses to come forward after several people were assaulted and numerous pieces of property were damaged in Rotorua this weekend. Three people were seriously injured in the Western Heights area of the city during the incident in the early hours of Sunday morning, with one remaining in hospital. Rotorua Police say they were called to a disorder event at Tania Crescent at around 2.30am on Sunday. On arrival Police established there were multiple areas where activity had taken place and a number of injured people who had been assaulted, says Rotorua Field Crime Manager Inspector Lindsay Pilbrow. Several vehicles and a fence were damaged during the course of this incident. The offenders responsible are said to have fled the scene in several motor vehicles prior to police arrival. The incident took place on Tania Crescent. Image: Google Maps. We want to reassure the public that we take this behaviour extremely seriously, says Lindsay. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of this incident. Anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any footage which may assist, is asked to contact Police by calling 105 and quoting file number: 220206/0704 YWCA Billings has received a $550,000 grant to support development of a second domestic violence shelter on the organizations campus. YWCA launched the project in January 2021 following an unrestricted $1 million surprise gift from philanthropist, MacKenzie Scott. The latest grant comes from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The new shelter will be a two-story, 24-hour secured facility. The building will house 25 studio apartments, laundry facilities, a food pantry, counseling and case management offices, and YWCAs 24/7 help lines where 4,775 callers were assisted in the last year. Safety is one of our core needs as humans. We appreciate the work of organizations like YWCA Billings that provide critical support to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking. This new emergency shelter will help more women and children find safe haven, support and healing. That kind of healing is a blessing not only for those individuals and families, but for the community as a whole, now and into the future, said Steve Moore, executive director of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The new Gateway Horizons Shelter will provide women and children who desperately need protection from their abusers with life-saving housing and life-changing services, said Merry Lee Olson, YWCA CEO. YWCA Billings programs serve to end family homelessness caused by domestic violence and poverty, the top two causes of homelessness and more than 98 percent of the people YWCA serves are experiencing both. YWCA Billings existing Gateway Emergency Shelter is the only 24-hour year-round secured facility in an 18,512 square mile area. Last year, the people who came there for protection were from 22 of Montanas 56 counties, three American Indian reservations, and seven other states. If these victims must resort to homelessness to escape abuse, they join the growing number living on the streets as a result of domestic violence. The Gateway Emergency Shelter has provided refuge for victims of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking since 1998. Prior to COVID, YWCA provided an average of 8,5009,500 shelter nights annually. Then COVID increased the demand. Requiring people to isolate themselves with an abuser coupled with financial stress created a ticking time bomb for relationships, Olson said. Home isolation meant there was no protection from abuse. Once stay-at-home restrictions lifted, requests for sheltering and services went up. YWCA has struggled to keep sheltered people healthy in its outdated communal living facility that does not provide health-protecting separation. With the significant upward trend in the number of domestic violence cases and the severity of the violence, we shifted our development focus from building more affordable housing apartments to constructing a new emergency shelter that will protect women and families in individual units that would each have a kitchenette, private bathroom, and sleeping areas, Olson said. Through the generosity of the Murdock Trust, MacKenzie Scott, NeighborWorks MT, and other funders and donors, YWCA has received and has awards pending that total $2.6 million of the $4 million needed for the project. With groundbreaking scheduled for early spring, we are now racing to the finish line funding-wise. We are reaching out to the community to help us get there, said Olson. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to nonprofit organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest that seek to strengthen the regions educational, social, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. For additional information or to make a donation to the Gateway Horizons project or the organization, call 406-252-6303 or go to www.ywcabillings.org or Venmo @ywcabillings. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Tahlequah, OK (74464) Today Showers and thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Strong thunderstorms likely. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. Low 49F. SSW winds shifting to WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. The New Mexico Department of Health on Friday (Feb. 4) renewed pandemic restrictions related to the pandemic. A surge in cases of the Omicron variant have begun to decline after a steep increase in infections in early 2022. Pinellas County Commission returns to the historic Clearwater Courthouse for future meetings after conducting its affairs from the Magnolia Room in the Extension Building in Largo for several months due to COVID-19. I recently sat in awe as I listened to 94-year-old Montana Constitutional Convention Delegate Wade Dahood, one of twelve remaining delegates of the original 100, talk about his convention experience fifty years ago. From his Anaconda law office, Dahood addressed a camera and a reporter for an interview, part of a series noting and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Montanas 1972 Constitutional Convention where the delegates drafted what is arguably the best state Constitution in the nation. Dahood, Chair of the conventions critically important Declaration of Rights Committee, mostly answered questions about the important rights conveyed to Montanans by Article II. Under Dahoods guidance, the committee, and the entire convention, made the conscious decision to maintain every right Montanans had under the 1889 Constitution, then added immeasurably to those personal rights. As a result, in the thirty-five sections of Article II Declaration of Rights, the citizens of Montana have been guaranteed more constitutional rights than any other American citizen things like the right of privacy, right to know, right to participate, right of individual dignity, right of suffrage, right to a clean and healthful environment, and more. The reporter asked about the importance of the unusual alphabetical seating in the Convention as a means of reducing partisan rancor. While addressing that, Dahood reflected concern about the bitter divisiveness of todays political climate, yet voiced an optimism, tempered by time and experience, that Montanans and our elected officials can return to the time of civil discourse where we can be opponents without being enemies, where we can argue ideas yet still come together, sometimes compromising, to do what is best for our state and country where we can understand that we all are striving to find a common good and find good faith in the efforts of all. Dahood, a Republican delegate, spoke eloquently about the efforts of Democratic Convention President Leo Graybill Jr. of Great Falls and the other officers to operate the convention with shared responsibilities, even though Democrats had a significant majority (58 Democrats, 36 Republicans and 6 Independents). Republicans like himself chaired some committees and the vice chair of each committee was the opposite party of the chair. Delegates sat alphabetically, with no aisle to accentuate partisanship. Side by side delegates sat and grappled with the issues as Montanans, not as members of a political party. Every delegates ideas were duly considered and every delegate was fairly heard. When Dahood was asked what thing about the 1972 Constitutional Convention brought him the most pride, he didnt point to any victory on any particular issue by himself or any other delegate or caucus or party. He told the interviewers that on the final day of the convention, after 56 days of vigorous debate, the final version of the new Constitution was laid upon the desk of Convention Secretary Jean Bowman (Republican from Billings) and made available for the 100 delegates to sign if they so chose. He recounted how, one-by-one, every one of the 100 delegates came forward and put their signature on the document, even those who would oppose it when it was placed on the ballot. All one hundred. Tears came to Dahoods eyes as he noted the pride he felt when all 100 diverse Montanans could unite as signers to the Constitution, effectively recognizing that they had done this important job together, not as partisans, but as Montanans. Those same tears were in his eyes on March 22, 1972, the signing day, as he watched all 100 unify as Montanans. Tears came to my eyes as Dahood described that moment from 1972, as he confirmed his continuing optimism that Montana and Montanans, perhaps even our elected leaders, can rise above the current rancor and prove once again that Montanans are the best people in the Last Best Place. I share Wade Dahoods optimism and will continue to do whatever I can to bring Montanans together, firmly advancing our political ideas, but doing so with respect and civility. Wont you commit yourself to that and demand the same from those who ask for your vote? Evan Barrett lives in historic Uptown Butte after retiring following 47 years at the top level of Montana economic development, government, politics and education. He is an award-winning producer of Montana history videos who continues to write columns and commentaries and occasionally teaches Montana history. Love 7 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Thank you for Reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and Purchase a Subscription to continue reading. Customers are the heart of businesses, and the best way to set forth unrivaled customer support is using conversational AI. After all, customers communicating with customer support seek genuine concern regarding handling issues and other irregularities. By conversation automation, this is entirely possible. As an enterprise, you continuously struggle to respond to your customers correctly. Sometimes it may even cost a lot to do so. But there's a shortcut to that -- a conversational AI chatbot. What Is Conversational AI and How Does It Work? As the name suggests, conversational AI classifies as artificial intelligence that automatically generates conversational exchange between customers and computers. In other words, conversational AI allows people and computers to have a real-time conversation similar to that of humans. So how does it work? For starters, the concept of conversational AI covers a variety of technologies -- not just one. This includes machine and deep learning, natural language processing or NLP, and contextual awareness. Thanks to these technologies, conversational AI won't need scripts, unlike traditional chatbots. No scripts means conversational automation and personalized resolutions for customer services. Also, chatbots and conversational AI chatbots are not entirely similar. This is because there are chatbots that don't use conversational automation. Hence, it would only generate generic responses derived from scripts. What Is the Best Conversational AI? As artificial intelligence goes off the charts, so do conversational AI companies. There are conversational AI platforms that are widely accessible for professional and personal use as we speak. Truly, conversational AI is breaking new ground in the industry of customer service. But not all businesses might have the same sentiment when it comes to conversational automation platforms. That being said, we recommend these top 5 best conversational AI chatbots for all purposes. #1 IBM Watson Assistant IBM Watson Assistant is AI-driven conversational automation that provides access to fast, accurate, and consistent responses across multiple platforms, applications, devices, and channels. With Watson Assistant, artificial intelligence and natural language processing are used to improve the ability to solve problems your customers come across with. Doing so eliminates the frustration that comes with long wait time, intricate searches, and unreliable chatbots. When a misunderstanding occurs, traditional chatbots frustrate customers. But IBM's conversational AI is different and is more than a chatbot. It knows when to ask for clarification, search through a knowledge base, and refer users to a human agent for further clarification and support. There are currently 13 languages supported by this conversation AI, and it can be used in either a cloud-based or on-premise environment. Features & Benefits 13 languages Lets you build your chatbot Easy to set up and use No programming needed #2 TARS TARS is a conversational AI trusted by 500+ global brands, including Vodafone, American Express, and more. This conversational AI chatbot provides the marketing and customer support teams the capacity to optimize conversion funnels. Additionally, TARS makes the best customer service happen by conversational automation to recalibrate customer experience through chatbots powered by artificial intelligence. Moreover, TARS boasts a Conversational Landing Page, so visitors receive a more human-like greeting from an automated chatbot. Customers will also receive only the relevant information about your products/services and are asked for their contact information for a more tailored experience. This approach shaped by TARS helps eliminate the overwhelming amount of information on static landing pages. Plus, it urges customers to richly focus on speaking to the chatbot only, increasing the chances that they'll want to provide their information and convert it to leads. You can build automated chatbots with TARS in over 100 languages and browse over 950+ chatbot templates across industries and use cases, making it one of the biggest chatbot templates in the industry. Features & Benefits Intuitive platforms for SMB businesses Easy to use with no experience required Has a responsive support team for your questions Great for marketers wanting to build conversational platforms #3 e-bot7 e-Bot7 is a conversational AI for customer service that integrates artificial intelligence throughout different channels to improve customer service efficiency. With conversational AI, employees can automate answers and processes, thereby drastically reducing costs and increasing revenue for businesses. One outstanding feature for e-bot7 is its hybrid agent AI solution that companies of all sizes can benefit from. With this solution, you can increase productivity by up to 80% while simultaneously increasing Net Promoter Scores by more than 32%. e-bot7 took home over 20 awards for its conversational automation that provides support for businesses. It also frontlines several features to make things easier, such as plug-and- play with no software development needed, easy setup process, omnichannel supporting Facebook, WhatsApp, Webchat, and more. More than that, this conversational AI platform has a contextual dialogue editor so you can customize your service funnel, as well as features for teams to onboard their colleagues and collaborate. Furthermore, although e-bot7 has received recognition on a global scale, the conversational AI company remains improving its services to fit your business needs. Features & Benefits Compatible with businesses of all sizes Offers hybrid agent solution Easy to use and setup Supports different platforms for integrations Great for teamwork operations #4 ChatBot ChatBot is an all-in-one chatbot solution that allows you to build, deploy, and maintain your bots across multiple channels. Although not all chatbots use artificial intelligence for conversational automation, this one is different. Surely, you can use ChatBot right out of the box. But its artificial intelligence algorithms help you improve responses over time. Plus, with the help of AI, you can create chatbots in minutes with diverse templates and start automating key tasks. You can simply drag and drop elements into any template to customize them according to your needs. Moreover, you can build stronger relationships with your customers by designing smooth conversational experiences. ChatBot lets you dispatch dynamic responses to entice customers to chat and interact well with your chatbot. You also have the choice to combine text, images, buttons, and quick responses to showcase your brand or products and services. Most importantly, ChatBot works with multiple platforms and channels via one-click integrations, including Facebook Messenger, Slack, LiveChat, WordPress, and more. By integrating via API, webhooks, and Zapier, chatbots can be integrated into just about anything. Features & Benefits Offers flexible workflow builder Lets you customize from scratch Extensive API integration Creates analytics so you can gain insights Easy to use and suitable for small businesses #5 Cognigy Cognigy first made its services known in 2016 and since then has bloomed to become a global leader in customer service automation through omnichannel and AI-powered chatbots. Cognigy's worldwide client portfolio includes BioNTech, Bosch, Daimler, and Lufthansa. Not just that. During its time in the industry, Cognigy has bagged achievements and awards for understanding user intents by enabling natural dialogues in over 100 languages and counting. Through Cognigy.AI, Cognigy created a conversational AI platform that allows businesses to build intelligent voice and chatbots via natural language to automate customer and employee service.. The low-code platform, which operates as SaaS and on-premise system, is easily scalable and pluggable. The low-code approach combined with flexible deployment options and strong integration capabilities enable anyone, even those without technical expertise, to program voice and chatbots and automate business processes. Businesses benefit from this conversational automation platform by reducing operational costs, improving service quality, and supporting their teams at every level. A great part about Cognigy is that you can easily switch your customers to a human agent and at the same time continue supporting them with artificial intelligence to resolve the issue. Therefore, it gives you the chance to fully integrate conversational automation in your workforce for better customer service. Features AI-powered voice gateway for the deployment of virtual voice agents to automate phone conversations. Improves customer experience and operational efficiency with data-driven insights from conversational AI analytics. Manages all the conversational flows of your text and voice bots in a single place. Integrates third-party solutions with intuitive plug & play extensions. Connects to any third-party system whether it's out-of-the-box or customized. Overall, although already recognized as a global leader, Cognigy stands as a clear front runner for contact centers with its conversational automation platform that lets you serve customers with ease and efficiency. Plus, supported by helpful features, you'll get everything you need for a chatbot and more. Artificial intelligence is ringing out its many uses, and Cognigy manages to use it well. Conversational Platform for Customer Service Conversational AI is taking a huge leap forward so you can boost the customer service experience. Indeed chatbots are helpful, but customers are looking for authentic concern whenever they encounter issues, and scripted responses would just add insult to injury. But by conversational automation, you won't have to risk losing one customer at all. With conversational AI chatbots like Cognigy, IBM Watson Assistant, Tars, e-bot7, and ChatBot, your businesses will see a spike in trust and customers. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. (Photo : Unsplash/Nadine Shaabana) Ford Ford is reportedly forced to reduce its manufacturing output as the global chip shortage problem continues. The North American automaker will cut production at 8 of its factories across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Ford to Cut Output In an interview with Reuters on Feb. 5, a spokesperson for Ford said that the automaker would begin its shutdown on Feb. 7. Among other factories, the decision will heavily affect the Ford plant in Kansas City, where the F-150 vehicles are produced. The F-150 is the automaker's most popular model. This is not the first time the automaker had to limit its production of vehicles because of global chip shortages, and it is not the only one affected by the crisis. In September, General Motors or GM suspended production of all models at all of its factories, except for four plants in North America. Also Read: Ford Mustang Mach-E to Produce 200,000 Units Per Year in 2022 Due to 'Incredible Demand' like F-150 Lightning Last month, the US Commerce Department stated that the chip shortage may last until the end of this year. Gina Raimondo, the Department Secretary, said that there hadn't been a concrete solution to the chip shortage problem yet. Automakers like Ford have come up with their own solution. Last year, the automaker partnered with Global Foundries to increase the production of semiconductors in the United States, but the results of that partnership may not be visible for a while. Ford expects to increase its production volume in the second half of 2022. Ford Earnings Decline The chip shortage did not just affect Ford's production, it also affected its earnings. The automaker reported a drop in its fourth-quarter earnings, but it promised to improve the numbers this year. According to CNN, Ford had an income of $1.1 billion in the last three months of 2021. It is a significant drop from the $1.4 billion it earned in the last three months of 2020. The New York Times is expecting the automaker to end up with $1.7 billion in the last three months of 2022, especially since Ford had teamed up with Global Foundries to fix the chip problem. The number of cars that Ford sold globally decreased 11% last year. The shortage of chips and issues in the supply chain has forced several automakers to close their factories and limit the production of their models. It resulted in tight inventories of new car models. Since production was so limited, car prices had increased. It also reduced the need for car companies to offer incentives and discounts to attract customers. Analysts believe that Ford would go head-to-head with its rivals, like GM, which reported better earnings on Feb. 3. Analysts are also expecting Ford to increase its profitability even if there is still an issue with the supply chain. The car company said that it is expecting to increase its full-year operating earnings to 25% as it will work in areas such as China and Europe to return its profits. Ford CEO Jim Farley told investors that there had been progressed outside North America in the past few months. The company officials insisted that the results were looking good and that they had done an excellent job overcoming the issues they faced in the last months of 2021. Related Article: Ford to Boost Electric F-150 Lightning Production | Target Now Surges to 150K After Tripling Mach-E This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Sophie Webster 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tehachapi, CA (93561) Today A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 68F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 41F. Winds WNW at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Gov. Doug Burgum has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced through a statement late Saturday afternoon. After testing negative on Friday following an exposure notification, I experienced cold and flu-like symptoms this morning and tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, Burgum said. I am isolating and consulting with my physician. The governor is vaccinated against COVID-19 and has received his booster shot, his office said. Burgum planned to isolate through Thursday. No additional details were released regarding the exposure notification. Burgum is the second North Dakota statewide elected official to test positive this week. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., on Tuesday said he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Hoeven planned to be in quarantine through Sunday, following advice from the Senate doctor, according to his statement. Once again, the anti-vax politician has failed to control the situation. This South American country set a new local record: 1,308 deaths in less than 24 hours. On Saturday, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga acknowledged that Brazil has not yet reached the peak of the Omicron wave. Once again, the Jair Bolsonaro administration has failed to control the situation. This South American country set a new record: 1,308 deaths in less than 24 hours. The health crisis continues. Bed occupancy rates in intensive care units remain too high. On Saturday, the National Council of Health Secretaries (CONNAS), which brings together the authorities of 27 states, confirmed 107,442 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the number of accumulated infections to 26.4 million. The figures, however, may be even higher, due to the fact that Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, two of the most affected states by the pandemic, have been facing computer problems since Friday, which makes it difficult to collect data in real time. Covid 19, casos e obitos diarios: evolucao no Brasil, Estado de SP, capital e interior ate 05/02/2022 https://t.co/AZdnQPXNTJ Paulo Paixao (@PaixaoP7) February 6, 2022 The meme reads, "Evolution of COVID-19 cases and related deaths in both Brazil and the state of Sao Paulo's capital city and interior areas. Data as of Feb. 5." Authorities also confirmed that health professionals detected five cases of BA.2, an Omicron sub-variant that could be more transmissible as it has some 40 different mutations in relation to the original strain. These cases were detected in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Santa Catarina. Brazil has remained in second place in the global death toll practically since in 2020. This tragic circumstance has shown that "Bolsonaro's strategy has reached a limit," as O Globo highlighted on Sunday. The pandemic figures worry the far-right, which seems unable to stop the victory of Lula da Silva, the Workers' Party candidate, in the October presidential elections. For this reason, Bolsonaro's political allies are trying to convince the anti-vax Brazilian President to get vaccinated, as reported by outlet Ultimo Segundo. We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. While you may not always feel like working out, getting your blood moving does have its benefits, especially when what you're doing is yoga. From helping improve strength and flexibility to making it so you can relax and get a better night's sleep, you'd be surprised how much going into downward dog every once in a while can do you for physical and mental well-being. Before you drop some major green on some foufy yoga studio membership, you may want to consider the fantastic, top-rated courses offered in YogaWorks. Featuring over 1,3000 yoga classes 24/7, you can explore different Vinyasa, yoga, and pilates workouts on-demand, right from your phone, laptop, and more. And the best part? An entire one-year membership costs just $59 bucks, which is a far cry from those private classes you've been eyeing. Deemed "the best program out there right now for yoga fanatics" by Today and named one of the "top 10 best home workouts" by USA Today, YogaWorks continues to give users accessible, quality workout classes on one, easy-to-navigate platform. That's because YogaWorks is a leader in the industry with over 30 years of experience under their belt, knowing just how to create dynamic, challenging classes for all different skill levels. Unike other online yoga classes out there, YogaWorks provides users with quality content they simply won't find anywhere else. Led by expert instructors, each class helps you unlock your hidden potential, strengthening the body and mind without ever requiring you to step foot in a yoga studio. Whether you perform the workouts in your room or out on the beach, the accessibility of YogaWorks is simply unmatched. Normally valued at $239, an entire year of YogaWorks On-Demand costs just $59 bucks that's a 75% discount! Prices are subject to change. No lawmaker will say it aloud, though several privately admit to the strategy of asking the courts to redistrict Louisiana should Republican legislators fail to voluntarily give up power particularly over whether this state sends two Black congresspeople to Washington, D.C. or leaves it at one. Reapportionment is basically a math problem guided by law, specifically Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits dilution of minorities' electoral power packing all available Black people into some districts and dispersing the rest over multiple majority White districts where they have little influence. In Louisiana Republicans, who hold majorities in both chambers at the State Capitol and can pass whatever they want, seem perfectly happy with a map that would keep five White Republicans and one Black Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. About 250 advocates showed up Wednesday to point out that the last year's Census shows Black people make up 33% of the state. One-third of six congressional districts equals two Black majority districts. Hence, testimony that develops a record for court. Louisiana GOP lawmakers outline opposition to two majority-Black congressional districts Republican lawmakers on Thursday detailed their opposition to creating a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, amid threa My response to one-third of six is two, said state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican and chair of the upper chambers redistricting committee, is that the Voting Rights Act does not guarantee representation based on proportionality. Hewitt said a district needs to be about 58% Black to ensure that Black voters can elect their candidate of choice, and that it isnt possible to draw two majority Black districts with substantial enough margins in either seat to ensure that. You could potentially risk not having a minority elected to either one, Hewitt argued for her Senate Bill 5, which tinkers along the edges but maintains the status quo. Democratic state Sen. Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge, who submitted his own proposed legislation with two Black majority districts, agreed that the Voting Rights Act doesnt say X number of minorities equals X number of minority representatives. But if the minority population is compact enough, he said, a second minority district is needed. His maps do that. Fields said an African American candidate has a far greater chance of getting elected in a district with 54% Black voters than in a district with 70% White voters. Since becoming the 18th state in 1812, Louisiana has sent 171 individuals to the U.S. House and 63 to the U.S. Senate; five have been Black. The first, Charles E. Nash, had the protection of the U.S. Army in 1875. The remaining four have been elected since 1991 from majority Black districts. Michael Pernick, redistricting counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., was more direct: Hewitts SB5 violates the Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court laid out preconditions such as the availability of workable alternatives when minority populations are large enough and live in a compact area to create a district, plus a history showing Black voters have virtually no chance to elect their candidates in White-dominated districts, he argued. All of this, from both sides, isnt idle chatter. These are points that need to be shown in court. The Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments Jan. 26 on that states congressional maps. Republican lawmakers in North Carolina argued to that states Supreme Court Wednesday that gerrymandering wasnt specifically forbidden. The U.S. Justice Department has sued Texas over its GOP-leaning congressional maps. Sitting before the U.S. Supreme Court is Merrill v. Milligan, the case challenging Alabamas mapping of only one minority-majority congressional district. On Jan. 24, a federal court Donald Trump nominated two of the three justices ruled that Black voters, who make up 27% of Alabamas population, live in sufficiently compact areas to create a second minority-majority congressional district and that the state has a history of racial polarization. Alabamas Republican majority counters that too much attention was paid to race in the maps outlining a second majority Black district. The exercise should first consider race-neutral factors, such as linking rural areas and other common interests, according to the states filings with the U.S. Supreme Court. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican, filed a brief supporting Alabama. Over the last decade, this Court and the lower courts have consistently told legislatures that race cannot predominate when they draw representative districts, Landry argued. Like in Alabama and elsewhere, Louisiana has congressional elections set for November that cant proceed until the courts or legislators decide which redistricting maps to accept. Governments are being urged to broaden their focus beyond trade apprenticeships to other occupations in business, hospitality, aged care and childcare to address labour shortages across Australia. Higher education researcher Peter Hurley from the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University said while job vacancies in occupations relating to trade apprenticeships and traineeships had grown, they represented only about 10 to 17 per cent of total vacancies advertised on the internet. The federal government has reported the largest increases in job advertisements in December were for hospitality, carers and aides and food trades workers. Apprenticeships and traineeships are excellent examples of pathways into work that have proven to be effective. But they are specific to certain occupations, Dr Hurley said. Dr Hurley said apprentices and trainees made up about 10 per cent of the pathways people take into the workforce. He said policymakers needed to create better vocational education and training (VET) courses to give young people stronger options outside universities and apprenticeships. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The parents of Cleo Smith say their four-year-old daughter is happy, bubbly, sad and angry in the aftermath of her extraordinary abduction, with the family revealing new details of how the little girl was snatched from their tent as they camped. During an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon said Cleo was still coming to terms with being held captive by a stranger for 18 days. Cleos mother Ellie Smith and stepfather Jake Gliddon during their interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday night. Credit:60 Minutes Ms Smith, 24, said the abductor, Terence Kelly found the family at the Quobba Blowholes campsite in Western Australias north because they had a bike outside their camp site. Ms Smith said when she awoke on the morning of Cleos disappearance on October 16 she found both sides of the tent had been unzipped and her girls sleeping bag was gone. Every day is a new day, every day and night is different, but shes OK, Ms Smith said. Shes happy, shes bubbly, shes sad, shes angry, but shes getting there. Cleo was rescued from inside a locked house 2 weeks after being taken from the tent while she was sleeping. Advertisement Ms Smith, 24, said Kelly drove into the remote campgrounds sometime after they had arrived that Friday evening. Apparently we werent a target, it was just the time and the place that he could do it, she said in the paid interview with Nine - which owns this masthead - reportedly worth $2 million. Cleo Smith at home with her stepfather Jake Gliddon. Credit:60 Minutes Cleo had a bike at the front which indicated we had a child in that tent and that was all he needed to know. Ms Smith said when she woke at 6am and realised Cleo was missing, she discovered both sides of the tent had been unzipped and her girls sleeping bag was gone. He obviously didnt know what side of the tent she was in. He must have looked in ours ... might have put his head through and realised, Yep, shes not on this side, and gone on the other side and thats where she was, she said. Hes taken a step in there, grabbed our child and we were sleeping right next to it all ... we were a metre away from them and it was just so gut-wrenching that someone could step into a tent and take our child. Advertisement Within moments of realising Cleo was missing, her parents knew their girl had been taken, with police later discovering a large, unidentified footprint in the tent beside where Cleo had been sleeping, and someone elses DNA. The abduction sparked one of the largest missing person searches in Australian history. Cloes bike outside the family camp site on a remote beach north of Carnarvon in Western Australia. Credit:60 Minutes After being barred from assisting in the search, Ms Smith and Mr Gliddon refused to leave without Cleo, and waited helplessly inside one of the beach shacks for her return. Mr Gliddon, Cleos stepfather, said they were told early on of the grim reality that children who were abducted in similar circumstances were usually killed within the first three to six hours. [Police] were explaining it to us pretty much every day how the odds were dropping ... they didnt want to give any false hope to us, he said. On day six, the search was called off and the couple, inconsolable, were forced to return to their home town of Carnarvon, 70 kilometres south. Advertisement Loading It was a long drive home, one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do, Mr Gliddon said. Less than two weeks later detectives made a breakthrough, bringing together mobile phone data, CCTV footage and number plate recognition to home in on a suspect, 36-year-old Carnarvon man, Terence Kelly. In the early hours of November 3, police raided his home and discovered Cleo locked inside a bedroom filled with dolls. Thats what he wanted, he wanted a little doll. Its just so sickening and disgusting, Ms Smith said. Cleo Smith reunited with stepfather Jake Gliddon and mother Ellie Smith. Credit:Getty Kelly has since pleaded guilty to kidnapping Cleo but is still facing other charges. Advertisement During the 18 days Ms Smith was without her daughter, Kelly was following the mother-of-two on Facebook. Its so heartless, I was begging for my daughter and someone had her and was reading me begging for her back, she said. [Cleo] told us that she was scared, she was locked in a room ... and she didnt know where we were. Cleo Smith is getting back to a normal life at home. Credit:60 Minutes Ms Smith said Kelly lied to Cleo and told her she had been taken away from her family because her baby sister, Isla, was sick and her parents needed to help her. But the parents have not pushed Cleo to relive any more of her ordeal than she is willing to share. We dont know the full story, but its just minor things she would say, her necklace was taken off her, and shed turn and say, But mum, my necklace is still at that place, Ms Smith said. Advertisement Mr Merlino said the running tally of students who had tested positive for COVID-19 was now at about 4500, or 0.6 per cent of the total student population. About 800 education workers had also tested positive since the start of the 2022 school year, the equivalent to less than 1 per cent of the workforce. He said 964 students tested positive on Friday, as well as 150 teachers. Over the weekend, [an additional] 607 students reported that they were positive, he said. Its better to support those many hundreds of students and teachers than have 1 million students at home remote learning, and thats the commitment we gave. He said the positive detections showed the system was working, and no schools had been forced to return to remote learning because of coronavirus outbreaks. Yes, were getting many hundreds of students, hundreds of teachers, but put it in perspective, he said. Weve got more than a million students in Victorian schools and more than 110,000 staff. Mr Merlino said authorities were discussing whether the states four-week trial of free rapid antigen tests in schools should be extended. Kids urged to exercise one hour a day Mr Merlino also announced a campaign aimed at encouraging Victorian children to do physical activity for an hour a day in 15-minute chunks. It is part of a $24.2 million active schools initiative that enables schools to apply for grants to upgrade sports equipments and playgrounds, upskill physical education teachers and engage local organisations to deliver sports programs before and after school. Weve had two years of long periods of remote learning. Weve had two years of significantly increased screen time in our kids. Weve had a couple of years when community sport has been disrupted, or in fact had to cease altogether, he said. Deputy Premier James Merlino with North Melbourne AFLW captain Emma Kearney (far left), and player Kaitlyn Ashmore (far right) at Mondays press conference. Credit:Eddie Jim So now two years [into] the pandemic ... this message is just so critical. Seven deaths, 8275 new COVID-19 cases Victoria recorded 8275 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths involving people aged in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s on Monday. A total of 2178 Victorians have died with the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. On Monday, there were 638 people in hospital being treated for coronavirus. Of those, 72 were in intensive care units and 26 on a ventilator. Another 13,486 Victorians, including 1111 children aged between five and 11, received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, taking the proportion of the population aged 18 and over who have received three doses to 45 per cent. About 7954 Victorians aged 16 and 17 have received a third dose of the vaccine at state-run clinics, GPs and pharmacies since becoming eligible last week. Loading Of the new coronavirus cases, 5967 were self-reported from positive rapid antigen tests, while 2308 were positive results from 16,338 PCR tests processed by health authorities on Sunday. The figures come as several Australian jurisdictions scale back the use of QR codes for checking in at venues as contact tracing winds down and case numbers decrease. Queensland, South Australia, and the ACT have limited the use of the codes, reserving them for use at high-risk settings. The definition of a high-risk setting varies from state to state, but includes venues such as aged care homes, hospitality venues, bars, nightclubs and gyms. NSW is yet to decide whether restrictions, including the use of QR codes, will be wound back when current rules expire on February 27, but Premier Dominic Perrottet said the state was on track to make an announcement soon. In Victoria, epidemiologists, civil libertarians and businesses have questioned the need to require people to keep checking in when that data collected is no longer used for contact tracing. Monash University head of epidemiological modelling James Trauer told ABC Melbourne on Monday the state should have moved away from using the codes as soon as contact tracing was halted. Weve asked a lot from people, for them to engage with the public health response, to do things to keep control of COVID, Associate Professor Trauer said. Loading So I think that comes with a responsibility to make sure that were moving away from things as soon as we say that theyre not helpful. Elective surgery resumes From Monday, private hospitals and day procedure centres across Victoria were allowed to resume day surgery at up to 50 per cent of their normal levels in Melbourne and 75 per cent in the regions; the first step in the state governments plan to bring back elective surgery. Mr Merlino said elective surgery would ramp up as soon as we are able. Were waiting on capacity within our health system [before we increase elective surgery], he said. We heard very clearly from the nurses last week their comment, absolutely, that theyre not robots. This has been a workforce under extreme stress for more than two years. We still have hospitalisations, we still have COVID patients in ICU. Health Minister Martin Foley said last Friday the decision to increase elective surgery would depend on the seven-day average for hospitalisations continuing to decline, and formalising arrangements with hospitals to boost their capacity. A growing number of GPs are prescribing nicotine vaping products to people who want to quit smoking after restrictions around the importation of e-cigarettes were tightened and large fines introduced for illegally selling or importing the products. On October 1 last year after a delay amid fierce backlash from within the Coalition the federal government increased restrictions and introduced tough sanctions against people or businesses importing nicotine-based vaping products without a prescription. It has been four months since the federal government began enforcing a prescription-only model for e-cigarettes. Credit:Eddie Jim But there are claims that gaps in the system have allowed some telehealth doctors to provide 12 months worth of prescriptions to patients. Data from the Department of Health shows the number of GPs approved as authorised prescribers of nicotine vaping products rose from 27 in July 2021 to 354 in October that year and 618 in January. The surge workforce organised by the federal government to support Omicron-stricken aged care homes has been labelled inadequate and is covering only a fraction of the weekly staffing shortfall, prompting the sector to renew its calls for urgent support from the defence forces. The lack of staff has left aged care homes struggling to meet the basic needs of elderly residents, including providing fresh jugs of water, as nearly 1200 facilities across the country battle outbreaks. In the first five weeks of this year, there were 533 coronavirus-related deaths among aged care residents. Credit:Louie Douvis Nationally, in the past week, 1605 aged-care residents have contracted COVID-19 and 149 have died. Sean Rooney, chief executive of aged care peak body Leading Age Services Australia, said despite ongoing talks with the federal government, there were providers who were struggling to get help. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size text-to-speech on some articles. We are triallingon some articles. Share your thoughts Australias military identity is inexorably linked to the army. Historically, our notion of war has been largely informed by the two world wars, when Australias significant contributions involved heavy losses young men who were willing to put their lives on the line from the bloody catastrophe of Gallipoli to the desperation of Kokoda. More recently, the army has played a key role in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as in peacekeeping and stabilisation missions in Bougainville, East Timor and the Solomon Islands. But with Chinas enormous military build-up, there is growing concern that Australia needs to prepare for a war with a major power. While the likelihood of an actual war is still remote, Beijings actions which include militarising disputed features of the South China Sea and increasing military pressure on Taiwan have made the prospect of a conflict more likely, especially with the US intent on remaining a major power in Asia. In this new era, the Australian Army has struggled to explain to the public its role and relevance in modern warfare. For example, why do we need tanks? Australia has not used a tank in anger since the Vietnam War. In a war with China in the South China Sea or Taiwan Strait, it is difficult to imagine Australias two amphibious warfare ships successfully landing a sizable contingent of soldiers and tanks on land in east Asia. Surely they would be sunk by enemy submarines, aircraft or land-based missiles before they got close to the foreign battlefield. Advertisement A $42 billion investment in the army Over the coming years, Australia will spend up to $42 billion on armoured vehicles, including replacing its 59 Abrams tanks with 75 newer Abrams and building 450 tracked infantry fighting vehicles. That significant investment raises a pertinent question: could these billions of dollars be better spent on more submarines or jet fighters? Marcus Hellyer, a senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and former adviser in the Department of Defence, says the fundamental problem with tanks and other heavy land capabilities is that they have a huge logistics trail. Loading Thats OK if we are going to go up against an insurgent force, or some kind of state that doesnt have an air force or a navy, because you can deploy all this stuff there and sustain it, he says. But if youre up against a major power adversary that has significant maritime denial capabilities, how are you getting those heavy land forces there and how are you sustaining them? Hellyer says he isnt against all armoured vehicles, but the focus should be on lighter, more deployable alternatives that can be sent to Australias near region, noting that the wheeled Bushmaster proved to be a good choice in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Peter Dutton says he understands the arguments against Australia buying more tanks, but it is impossible to predict the future and the ADF still needs to prepare for as many contingencies as possible within a finite budget. Advertisement Dutton says Australian tanks may in the future be sent to help a country fight off a terrorist insurrection, or respond to another 9/11, as much as I hope and pray thats never the case. What would be the requirements on the ADF if we were to join, in 30 years time, some strike back against ISIL or al-Qaeda? It would likely involve tanks, Dutton says. The idea of the tanks is to provide support and protection to the infantry. And that has been a well-established military principle and one that we adhere to the existing tanks have a shelf life and need to be replaced, and its a costly business. Why a balanced force? Ever since World War II, Australias military planners have been committed to what is called a balanced force. According to this objective, the Australian Defence Force should, at the very least, be able to do a little bit of everything. This means maintaining a capable army with dozens of tanks and other heavily armed vehicles. Advertisement Australia subscribed to this objective because for decades the advice from its Defence planners was that it would have a 10-year window to build up its defences against a major threat. Realising communism couldnt reach Australia, especially with the anti-communist president Suharto in Indonesia, the army was downgraded after the Konfrontasi a three-year conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia between 1963 and 1966 and the Vietnam War. Loading Instead, the navy and air force were given greater prominence in the 1970s and 80s under the Defence of Australia policy. The army returned to the forefront in the public consciousness during the 1990s with peacekeeping missions in the near region such as East Timor, followed by the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. But the 2020 Defence Strategic Update changed everything, cautioning that Australia no longer had a decade of warning time to prepare for an attack. This now compels the government to make difficult choices, even with its promise to spend at least 2 per cent of gross domestic product on the military. And tanks are in the firing line. Military strategist Hugh White has long argued for Defence to stop spending billions of dollars on tanks, saying money would be better spent on more jet fighters and submarines. Advertisement The only role for the army and this is bad news for the army is to perform the kind of important and relatively low-level operations in the immediate neighbourhood, White says. What you need for that is highly mobile, relatively light vehicles like the Bushmaster and up to the light armoured vehicle the LAV style wheeled rather than tracked. But John Blaxland, professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University, believes Australia would need tanks in a potential war with China. This is because for Australia to make a significant contribution to a wider conflict, it will need to be able to send its jet fighters from bases deeper into the region, such as Indonesia. If we were to operate our F-35 Joint Strike Fighters through an airfield like at Ambon Island in Indonesia, you would need to provide protection around the airfield out to about 10 kilometres, he says. They have to be protected with a force robust enough to fend off a would-be counterattack. And that takes military muscle. Were talking about a situation, potentially, where the adversary is already well and truly muscled up and is developing the ability to project force through its amphibious capabilities from pretty much anywhere in the archipelago. So its a pretty grim scenario to think about. You dont buy tanks and armoured vehicles to sing Kumbaya; you do it to fight wars or to deter an aggressor from thinking that they can beat you in a war. And its about demonstrating that you are not easily beaten. Advertisement A Liberal Party backlash is likely to widen a federal government split over a draft law to enshrine religious freedom, with backbencher Bridget Archer saying she is ready to cross the floor against the bill. The government is struggling to gain a consensus among the Liberals and Nationals after putting the contentious bill on the agenda for Parliament this week, fuelling calls from some MPs for the issue to be shelved because there can be no agreement. Liberal MP Bridget Archer is prepared to cross the floor over a draft law to enshrine religious freedom. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered a compromise late last week to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to prevent schools expelling students because of their sexuality, but some government MPs want this extended to cover teachers. Ms Archer said the protection for gay and transgender students and teachers should be legislated, but that she would not change her concerns about the Religious Discrimination Act because she believed it would entrench a privilege for religion not available to others. With a federal election looming this year, Josh Frydenberg has been spruiking the benefits of tax cuts favouring younger Australians. Younger Australians (if you exclude the unemployed) have apparently gained $11 billion from personal tax cuts over the past three years. The federal Treasurer also said young apprentices and students under 25 and working part-time were better off on average by $2430 as a result of these cuts. This election pitch to younger Australians makes sense. Of the nearly 17 million Australians enrolled to vote, over 1.6 million are young people aged 18 to 24. Students at the School Strike 4 Climate protest in Melbourne last May. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Such financial inducements miss a key point. Last year, as the worlds largest iceberg broke off an Antarctic ice shelf, thousands of school students (and future voters) assembled for school climate strikes in more than 50 locations around Australia. In our 2021 Australian Youth Barometer of young people aged 18-24, nearly two-thirds reported that failure to adequately address environmental issues was a cause of significant stress. According to another recent survey, young people see climate change and the environment as the No.1 challenge facing Australia today. An overwhelming majority (93 per cent) think the government is not doing enough to address this. Almost three quarters would vote for, or support, political leaders taking bold action on climate change. Ernst Valery is a successful businessman today, but he brings a unique background and perspectives when he looks at Buffalo and its opportunities. Born in Haiti with a hardscrabble childhood, Valery grew up in New York City, then earned degrees in urban planning, policy analysis and real estate development from Cornell University and Columbia University. He set to work trying to change the urban landscape, starting out small in South Philadelphia and then Baltimore, with a vision to create more opportunity for underprivileged communities. In graduate school, he met his friend and now business partner, David Alexander, whose father was already active in affordable housing development. Valery and Alexander eventually teamed up to take over the company as second generation leaders, pursuing affordable and senior housing projects in Buffalo like The Forge on Broadway and Pilgrim Village, while developing new avenues to nurture and encourage minority entrepreneurs. Q: What draws you to Buffalo in the first place? A: I first came to Buffalo because my business partner is from here, and theres something in the water that always pulls people back. David and I met in grad school, and when we became business partners, we had to come to Buffalo and do a project there. The architecture gets you right away. The sense of civic pride. People in Buffalo just love everything thats Buffalo. Thats amazing. So we started looking at projects here and meeting here. The other thing is you can quickly meet some of the greatest people. I met Mayor Brown, and my "auntie" the Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and shes just the most genuine politician that Ive ever met. Shes the greatest politician I ever met, who just cares and just wants the right things to happen. Its stuff like that. Ive got to be here. The city and the state have just been so supportive. I grew up in New York State, so I know New York can be so expensive but it also can be very supportive. All the tax dollars they take, they actually do things with them. Q: What do you like about doing projects in Buffalo? A: For us, we were one of the first people to go to the East Side. As an urban planner, I wanted to just orient myself in the city, and you quickly find out what it means to be east or west of Main Street. I love all the things happening west of Main Street, with Elmwood and all these neighborhoods and perfect homes and cafes. But I like the underdog. I started my business in Philadelphia. In south Philly, you could see some really grimy things. I went to the East Side, and there were just as beautiful homes. People had small businesses. They werent A-class-level businesses, because they didnt get the investments they needed upfront, but they were wonderful small businesses. The East Side is not that bad. I really believed in the East Side. And so it gave me a purpose. I thought, once I orient myself here, I could really make a difference here, because I could tell these people the truth, that they were wonderful, and someday someone is going to see it. That someday has come faster than I thought it would. Just to see the apartments that have jumped Main Street, two, three, four blocks east. I saw things jump over that you didnt think would jump over that soon. Im just proud because we were there before. Q: What does it mean that the city is now growing in population for the first time in decades? A: Its something that a lot of larger cities havent been able to accomplish. To get that growth means that not only do the people in the city see the positive and see the gem, but theyve been able to market themselves effectively and show people who arent from here how incredible this place is. If you start to think whos come here, the major developers from D.C. are coming here and saying, wait a minute, whats happening here? And major corporations are coming here as well. I think this city might double in the next 20 years, and it has the infrastructure to do it. Businesses arent going to come to a place that doesnt have the infrastructure, and this place has it. And so theres going to be major growth in this city, and not just people coming back because theyre from here. Youll get a healthy number of people that come to UB. UB is a major institution and so is SUNY Buffalo State. People from downstate, this is the place they come to to get a great education, and a lot of them are staying and building lives here. I think those institutions, as they grow, thats the youth, and its an educated force, and now you have educated folks that are staying here, so corporations that are looking for an educated workforce, theyll come here as well. Q: Does it build off itself? A: Thats exactly it. And then beyond that, I dont know what they put in the water, but somebody spends a year here, and suddenly they think the Buffalo Bills can do no wrong. Once somebody stays here, they talk about it, they go home and they come back, and they never really let it go. When I look at just my connection to Buffalo, Im trying to figure out ways to spend more time here. And sometimes I think, wouldnt it be great to have one of those houses here? Once global warming does its thing and we have shorter winters, I may be a resident here as well. Q: What does growth mean for Buffalos potential in terms of development and business? What are the opportunities? A: When you start to look at the skyline and some of the new things that are being built, Buffalo is a very classic city. It has lots of classic architecture. But when you look at the [federal] courthouse and you look at some of the architecture, thats some of the most exciting things. Youre going to have a lot more forward-facing and innovation in architecture. This is this global city waiting to happen, where people will want to live here, and theres going to be the architecture to match it, there's going to be the civic and cultural institutions that are going to expand tremendously to match it, and people are going to just want to live here. This is a Toronto waiting to happen, and its going to be sooner rather than later. But right now, theres so much more that can be developed, and people are going to start to say we can develop it, because rents are going up. So you can build those buildings, and were going to make a case for being able to build those marquis buildings, and its going to feed on itself. Buffalo Next Must-read local business coverage that exposes the trends, connects the dots and contextualizes the impact to Buffalo's economy. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. London: Carrie Johnson has blamed bitter ex-officials for allegations she has too much influence on government policy. Carrie Johnsons role in Downing Street is under fresh scrutiny after a biography containing claims about her wanting to control everything was serialised. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, watch England celebrate after defeating Denmark in their Euro 2020 soccer championship semifinal at Wembley stadium in London in July. Credit:AP The book by Lord Ashcroft, the pollster and former deputy chairman of the Conservative party, claims that Carrie Johnson used her husbands phone to direct his staff during his leadership campaign, with advisers believing the instructions were from him. It also claims that Carrie Johnson orchestrated the sacking of a member of staff she did not like. Ford Used Car Dealers Partner With Autotrader For 14-day/1,000-mile Money-Back Guarantee SEE ALSO:Ford Joins Other Car Makers To Go Head To Head With Third-party On-line Used Car Disrupters (Carmax, Vroom, Carvana and Others) - Offers Shoppers Online Used Car Marketplace Option SEE ALSO: Another Nail In The Coffin Of Wall Street Funded 3rd Party Used Car Sellers; GM Joining Used Car Direct Sales Fray This Spring - Going Head To Head With Digital Used Car Lots Carvana, CarMax, Vroom, Cars.com, Edmunds, TrueCar and Others Ford Blue Advantage, powered by industry leader Autotrader, lets customers search a wide selection of Ford and non-Ford products to find their ideal used vehicle through a personalized shopping experience that includes a search-by-vehicle option and preference for home delivery, at-home test drive and video walkaround .New 14-day/1,000-mile money-back guarantee is the best offered by any full-line automaker and its dealers, and is designed to improve the customer experience and drive vehicle sales in a competitive marketplace To deliver more peace of mind, all Ford Blue Advantage vehicles are inspected by a factory-trained technician and backed by Ford Motor Company warranties under two different levels Gold Certified or Blue Certified; the money-back guarantee applies to both levels DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 27, 2022 Ford is enhancing its used-vehicle digital marketplace, offering buyers increased peace of mind and ensuring Ford dealers remain leaders in the used-vehicle space. Beginning in February, vehicles sold under the Ford Blue Advantage platform will include a 14-day/1,000-mile money-back guarantee. Ford Blue Advantage, powered by industry leader Autotrader, lets customers search a wide selection of Ford and non-Ford products to find their ideal vehicle through a personalized shopping experience that includes a search-by-vehicle option and preference for home delivery, at-home test drive and video walkaround. All Ford and non-Ford vehicles listed through the program are inspected by factory-trained technicians and backed by Ford Motor Company warranties under two different certification levels Gold Certified or Blue Certified. The money-back guarantee applies to both levels and is the best guarantee offered by any full-line automaker. The new platform meets customer demand for a seamless shopping and purchase experience by providing dealers best and widest selection of used Ford and non-Ford vehicles. It has proven successful internal data show that since the inception of FordBlueAdvantage.com, traffic to the site is up 500% over the prior Certified Pre-Owned site, while Ford certified used vehicle sales rose by 26% in 2021. The Ford Blue Advantage platform provides the opportunity to build long-term relationships with our customers by offering the peace of mind of a certified used vehicle, a comprehensive warranty and the power of FordPass Rewards points Fords industry-leading loyalty program, says Andrew Frick, Ford vice president of sales, U.S. and Canada. Ford-backed certification, benefits All Ford Blue Advantage vehicles include additional warranty coverage backed by Ford Motor Company. With the ability to now certify vehicles under the Gold or Blue level, participating dealers can cover up to 90% of their used-vehicle inventory. Gold Certified vehicles pass a 172-point inspection and come with a 12-month/12,000-mile (whichever comes first) comprehensive limited warranty and a seven-year/100,000-mile (whichever comes first) powertrain limited warranty. Dealers can certify Ford vehicles at the Gold level for up to six years and at less than 80,000 miles Blue Certified vehicles those 10 years or newer, with 120,000 miles or less pass a 139-point inspection and come with 90-day/4,000-mile (whichever comes first) comprehensive limited warranty coverage. This level allows dealers to certify both Ford and non-Ford vehicles up to 10 years and at less than 120,000 miles. Both levels come with 24/7 roadside assistance[i] and complimentary FordPass Rewards points that customers can use for future service visits or vehicle purchases at dealerships 11,000 points for Blue Certified and 22,000 for Gold Certified. Additionally, Ford runs a CARFAX Vehicle History Report on every Gold and Blue Certified used vehicle to ensure it meets rigorous Ford Blue Advantage standards. About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, that is committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The companys Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of connected, increasingly electrified passenger and commercial vehicles: Ford trucks, utility vehicles, vans and cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles. The company is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, connected vehicle services and mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 183,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com. About Autotrader Autotrader is the most recognized third-party car listings brand, with the most engaged audience of in-market car shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for todays empowered car shopper looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotraders comprehensive marketing and retailing solutions allow consumers to build their deal online, and guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit https://press.autotrader.com/ About Cox Automotive Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global companys more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Clutch Technologies, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com. This is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass. To hear his lawyer tell it, the Rev. Joseph Klos is just a man of God who received a windfall after caring for a parishioner. In 2016, the Diocese of Buffalo priest inherited the lions share of an estate worth at least $467,000 from a widow he befriended while he was pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Lancaster. In addition, he made $242,500 from the sale of a Florida condominium that was once owned by the widow and her late husband, property records show. People have the right to give their hard-earned money wherever they see fit. There was nothing to our knowledge that was nefarious about this case or that will, said Frank LoTempio, whose law firm represented Klos. This is a guy who was taking care of a lady who was grieving, which is a part of his calling to help people. Its not unusual for people to turn to priests in this situation. Two other court-appointed attorneys agreed and then-Erie County Surrogates Court Judge Barbara Howe signed off on the inheritance. But five years after Mary Ann Serabjit-Singh died at the age of 81, some of the late widows family and friends are still bitter about the situation, even though they did not challenge the will in court. They contend Klos took advantage of Serabjit-Singh, a devout Catholic who lived alone after her late husband, a radiologist at various Buffalo hospitals, died in 2006. The priest drove Serabjit-Singhs luxury car, had an ownership stake in her Florida condominium and accepted other gifts, according to her friends, family, other priests in the diocese and public records obtained by The Buffalo News. Those records show a bank teller once called Lancaster Police when the widow tried to withdraw $174,000 her entire account balance at the urging of the priest. Serabjit-Singh wrote three wills in the 10 years before she died. She originally intended to leave the bulk of her money to 23 relatives, family friends and charity organizations, including St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital. But in her last will, written a year before she died, she removed those family members and made Klos the prime beneficiary. Something had to happen to Mary Ann like she was brainwashed, said Cindy Wheeler, a second cousin. Months before Serabjit-Singh died in 2016, Klos retired from the diocese and moved to Poland. He did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story, but a spokesman for the Diocese of Buffalo said Klos remains a priest in good standing and retired due to health issues. While diocesan priests are not subject to the practices of many religious orders that require a vow of poverty or mutual sharing of possessions and personal assets, I expect all priests to embody and demonstrate the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to live simply and without extravagance, Bishop Michael W. Fisher said in a statement, when asked about Klos. Also, they are called, as I am, to be good and faithful stewards of Church property and assets. Priests of this Diocese should avoid any hint or appearance of seeking personal financial benefit from those they serve in ministry. Klos is not the only Buffalo Diocese priest who inherited a substantial amount of money from a parishioner. The News reported Jan. 9 on an unrelated case involving Rev. David M. Bialkowski, who inherited $125,000 from a 93-year-old widow and, as executor, controls her $2 million estate. In that case, still unresolved in Surrogates Court, two court-appointed guardians charged that Bialkowski took advantage of the widow. A passion for St. Jude The former Mary Ann Kowalski was the laboratory supervisor at the former St. Francis Hospital on Main Street when she met Dr. Jag Deao Serabjit-Singh, the hospitals radiology director, in the late 1970s. Mary Ann Serabjit-Singh had no children, but her passion for kids found other outlets. She collected expensive porcelain dolls and founded the Buffalo Regional Doll Club. In her first two wills, she left detailed instructions about which dolls she wanted her cousins daughters to inherit. She was like a second mother to me, said Karen Rizzo, a second cousin. She was a very, very well-loved woman a special lady. The Serabjit-Singhs also became members of the Danny Thomas St. Jude Society and made donations to St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital. Mary Ann Serabjit-Singh received a personal tour from Danny Thomas daughter, the actress Marlo Thomas, at the hospital in Tennessee, said Wheeler, her goddaughter. My husband and I, she had multiple meetings with us and told us when she died that all the money was going to St. Jude, Wheeler said. St. Jude would have received most of Serabjit-Singhs estate if her second will had been her final one. Instead, her third will left only the proceeds of an auction of her rare doll collection totaling roughly $43,700 to St. Jude, according to records filed in Surrogates Court. Family and friends say Serabjit-Singhs plans changed after she met Klos. Klos migrated from his native Poland to Buffalo in the 1990s. The canon lawyer was named pastor of Sacred Heart Church on Genesee Street in Lancaster in 2013. She started going to church there and she had a fancy car. She started taking him for rides and out to breakfast, Serabjit-Singh's friend Patricia Lang said. Lang was one of the many people and charity groups affected by changes in Serabjit-Singhs will. The first will left Lang $100,000, the second will left her a collection of tea cups and dessert plates. The third will left her nothing. Lang, who worked with both Serabjit-Singhs, said she was never interested in inheriting their money. They told me they were leaving that, and I said, I dont even want to know about it, Lang said. Serabjit-Singh also allowed Klos to drive one of her luxury cars, according to a relative she spoke with. A fellow diocesan priest, who would only talk with a reporter if he was given anonymity, said Klos told him he was only driving the BMW so that the brakes did not seize up because of a lack of use. When Klos had health problems, Serabjit-Singh cooked for him, family members say. She also traveled to Poland with Klos at least once on a group trip for her church, records show. A lot of it was hush hush with her, Rizzo said. She didnt want to say too much. I think he wooed her. She kind of adored him. He was a lot younger than her. She had money. Serabjit-Singhs final will directed most of the remaining the funds in the estate to Klos for charitable purposes as determined by him and also, for his own needs and well-being. None of the court documents gives an exact value of how much Klos received from the estate. LoTempio said he could not disclose the amount because of attorney-client privilege. The documents show that in 2018, Serabjit-Singhs estate paid $43,779 to St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital, $2,000 to Buffalo Regional Doll Club and $1,000 to Roswell Park Cancer Institute, according to court records. In January 2019, Klos signed for $1.00 or more of the estate at the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, Poland. Because the estate's attorney, Richard H. Murphy, filed an informal closing statement rather than a formal closing statement, documents filed in Surrogate's Court do not indicate exactly how much Klos received from the estate, according to an estate attorney who reviewed the case for The News. Timothy J. Brown, the estate's executor, declined to clarify the figures or specify exactly how much Klos received. When the estate was closed in 2019, its gross value totaled $467,000, according to the informal closing statement filed with the court. Mary Ann Serabjit-Singh had a soft spot for priests, according to Kirk Singh, 57, the youngest of three children of Dr. Jag Deao Serabjit-Singh and his first wife, Eva Mae. LoTempio said that is not unusual, especially for older parishioners who have lost their spouse or loved ones. There are plenty of times that we see family members who are removed from the will and are quite upset afterwards and challenge the will, said LoTempio, whose law firm represented the priest in the estate matter. Sometimes it goes to people that you would not expect. In this case, a husband died and it may be possible that Father Klos was someone that she relied on and leaned on for emotional support and other support. Attorneys approved will changes Two court-appointed legal guardians who examined the Lancaster womans final will found it to be valid. Attorney Catherine E. Nagel was appointed by then-Surrogate's Court Judge Barbara Howe to serve as guardian for unknown heirs of Serabjit-Singh. After reviewing the case and interviewing the deceased womans attorney, James J. OBrien, Nagel said she found no indications that Serabjit-Singh was subjected to any fraud or undue influence in making her final will. Nagel said OBrien told her that Serabjit-Singh developed a deeper friendship and respect for Klos after her husbands death, something Klos attorney said is common among some elderly people. The woman was very insistent and very clear in her wishes that the priest be recognized in her will, and OBrien said he had absolutely no concerns about her capacity to make out a will, Nagel wrote in her report. OBrien, 90, is retired, according to his wife, Betsy, who is identified in court papers as a witness of Serabjit-Singhs last will. Betsy OBrien said she recalled nothing unusual or improper about the will. I can see no reason why it should be disputed, she said. Howe, the since-retired judge, also appointed attorney Rocco Lucente II to represent two teenage relatives who were disinherited from an earlier will. Lucente wrote in court filings that he was satisfied with the validity of the will. He concluded that Serabjit-Singh was of sound mind and memory and was not under any undue influence when she signed her last will. Bank teller called police But family members are not so sure. They say in the year before her death, Serabjit-Singh who always kept a tidy home began to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior, including hoarding furniture and other items she bought at estate sales. Lancaster police and town code inspectors responded to Serabjit-Singhs Greenbriar Drive home seven times during that time period and observed that all points of entry in the residence, doors and windows, were barricaded with dolls, clothing and other various items that Singh has been hoarding. I dont think she was really in her right mind there at the end, said Rizzo, the second cousin. Records obtained by The News through a Freedom of Information Law request show on Jan. 28, 2016, a teller at KeyBank on George Urban Boulevard in Depew called Lancaster Police after Serabjit-Singh and Klos attempted to empty the widows bank account. Serabjit-Singh requested to wire transfer $174,000 to somewhere in Poland, police reports stated. The victim asked to wire some money and when the teller asked how much, OTHER (Klos) asked how much does she have? When the teller advised them that there was $174,000 in the account, OTHER (Klos) stated all of it. During a follow-up conversation with police the next day, she told police she owned a property in Jupiter, Fla., and was exploring purchasing more property. She told police it was none of your business where she wanted to transfer her money, according to the police report. A representative from KeyBanks fraud department told police it was not their usual policy to call the police when customers try to withdraw money. She said the bank would also notify Erie County Adult Protective Services. Police filed no charges, and the police report does not indicate if Serabjit-Singh succeeded in withdrawing the money. As for the property in Florida, the Serabjit-Singhs purchased the Florida condo in 2001, and Serabjit-Singh added Klos name to the property deed in January 2015, according to Becky Robinson, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County property appraisal office. Joseph Klos was listed as the only owner of the property when he sold it for $242,500 on March 27, 2017, records show. I was so angry, I almost felt like writing the bishop and saying, Can you investigate this guy? said Doreen Park, a second cousin to Serabjit-Singh. Siobhan O'Connor, the former executive assistant to retired Buffalo Diocese Bishop Richard J. Malone, said the diocese received a complaint about Klos' financial relationship with Serabjit-Singh from a financial adviser. A diocesan source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the pastor who succeeded Klos at Sacred Heart also raised concerns to the diocese. Diocesan spokesman Gregory Tucker confirmed the diocese received a report about Klos owning property with Serabjit-Singh in Florida. Tucker also said the diocese "was made aware of a concern of a financial adviser who had served Ms. Serabjit-Singh, and the Diocese ensured that the executor and attorney for the estate were advised of the concern. Three second cousins who spoke with The News said they had no interest in inheriting any money, though Wheeler would have inherited a diamond ring had the second will been the final one. Wheeler and her husband from Florida say they came to multiple court hearings, but court officials did not allow them to speak. We werent trying to get money, Wheeler said. We were trying to show what this priest did. Singh said he believed his father, who was not a supporter of the Catholic Church, would be rolling around in his grave, there would be a cyclone in his urn if he knew his second wife had left all of their property and inheritance to Klos. He knew the church meant a lot to Mary Ann and I think he would have understood her giving money to the church, but not giving everything to one individual priest, Singh said. Klos is listed in the Diocese of Buffalo directory as living in Ostrowite, Poland. Family members of Serabjit-Singh say they were disappointed they were never able to discuss the situation with Klos. He was gone, said Park. He never came and provided her a funeral service at the church. But LoTempio said when he last spoke to Klos, he sensed no ill intent about the priests departure. I think he just wanted to go home, LoTempio said. We never got the impression this was to run away from anything, other than thats where hes from and thats where he wanted to go. Family and friends of the widow say they are saddened by the situation. They regret the day Serabjit-Singh started attending Mass at the parish in Lancaster. I wish she had never gone there, Lang said. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Charlie Specht News Staff Reporter Charlie Specht is a member of the Watchdog Team. A Buffalo native, he has won state, regional and national awards for investigative reporting. Follow Charlie Specht Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com. Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks. Police tape is seen in this stock photo. (Simaah/Pixabay) 1 Dead, 2 Injured in Colorado Church Shooting: Police Authorities said that one person was killed and two others were injured in a shooting inside an Aurora, Colorado, church on Friday evening. Authorities said the suspect knew at least one of the victims, Aurora Police spokesman Matthew Longshore said Saturday. The incident occurred at the Iglesia Faro De Luz Church. The suspect was identified by police as Jose De Jesus Montoya Villa, 31, according to news reports on Sunday. The exact relationship is not going to be released at this point, Longshore said at a news conference. It wasnt just a random shooting inside this church, he added. The woman died at the scene, police confirmed. Two men who were shot were taken to a nearby hospital and are expected to survive. Police told 9News that there were approximately 15 to 20 people inside the church when the shooting occurred. Churchgoer Javier Orduna told local media that he was inside the church when the shooting unfolded. They are recovering. Some have had surgeries the others are just recovering but they are going to fight this, Orduna told CBS4. The woman who died, he said, was considered a dear member of the church. What I can say for sure is the person closed their eyes in church and opened them in heaven, Orduna said. Officials are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Montoya Villa. Officers have a warrant charging him with first-degree murder, Longshore said, according to The Associated Press. The names of the victims have not been released. Police have not released a motive in the case. PARIS, FranceCourbevoie mayor Jacques Kossowski was a happy man on Jan. 15, 2022. My Santa Claus was very kind to me, he said with a smile as he and his wife were being interviewed by NTD after the Shen Yun performance at the Palais des Congres in Paris. The mayor had granted himself two hours of escape to discover the 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture presented by Shen Yun, a New York-based classical Chinese dance company whose international tours spark joy in audiences each year. As the mayor of Courbevoie for 27 years, Mr. Kossowski paid tribute to the divinely inspired values of ancient China, which are central throughout Shen Yuns program. It is a pity that Shen Yun cannot be performed in China, he said, alluding to the fact that despite being the premiere Chinese culture stage performance in the world, its outspoken advocacy of human rights has resulted in it being banned. It would give so much pleasure to all the Chinese who are of a certain age, it would be wonderful, he added. For the youth, it means, Lets not forget the past, lets keep the past! We are lucky to have this future, but its because of this past. If we are lucky enough to be in this country today or elsewhere, it is because we have traditions, lets keep them! This does not prevent us from evolving. Courbevoie Mayor Jacques Kossowski and his wife at the Shen Yun performance on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2022, at the Palais des Congres in Paris. (Yifan/The Epoch Times) Courbevoie is one of the most influential cities in France, due to the presence of the district of La Defense, which includes the headquarters of some of the largest national and international companies. Mr. Kossowski praised the presentation and Shen Yuns talent. The quality is remarkable! Frankly, its remarkable! There is not even one bad step! And when you see the cohesion of these dancers How many years of work did it take, 15 years, 20 years of work to get there They had to start at 4 or 5 years old to reach this level of perfection! As for Mrs. Kossowski, she was particularly pleased with the live orchestra, which blends Chinese and Western instruments. He was the one who was very interested in this show, she said. But I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised, much more than I expected. I really enjoyed the storylines, all the tales, the stories every show has a story! Reporting by NTD. The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006. Americans Leaving Jobs to Start Their Own Businesses at Record Pace The pandemic has triggered a wave of entrepreneurshipat least in thought. Among Americans, 2 in 5 plan on starting a business in 2022, according to a Digital.com survey. New business applications soared to 5.4 million in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, exceeding the previous record in 2020 of 4.4 million. The increase is 53 percent above the number of businesses created during the same period in 2019. For some new business owners, the journey to being self-employed began when their employers cut positions at the onset of the pandemic. Joshua Nelson of Amarillo, Texas, spent several months unemployed due to COVID-19. He then decided to start his own company, Allstate Bail Bonds. As a side hustle, he carries out home remodeling projects. Shanay Walker, founder of luxe candle brand Obsidian: The Signature BLK, told The Epoch Times: I started my business venture in March 2021 and officially launched in July 2021. It has been one of the most rewarding journeys of my life. Walker decided to shift after losing a position in human resources she had at her previous employer. Rather than looking for another HR job, she took a four-month break to explore other possibilities. I decided to try my hand at candle making, Walker, who is based in Edgewood, Maryland, said. The process itself was so therapeutic for me, just being in a zone with music playing in the background. After making a few candles, she decided to look for ways to make the fragrant products available to others. The response has been overwhelming from those who have bought or even had a chance to smell my candles, Walker said. With todays technology, she can easily communicate with customers and ship products internationally. For many, the freedom to leave set working hours behind is a significant attraction. You get to be your own boss, said Kyle Kroeger, entrepreneur and founder of TheImpactInvestor.com, a platform that provides advice on sustainably responsible investments. If youre not keen on 9-to-5 hours, no problem; you can set your own hours. Plus, the income cap disappears. You are not restricted to earning a pre-decided amount. Your own business can be expanded as and when you see fit. For example, you may want to expand in a direction that allows you to generate passive income. While the sky is the limit for earning potential, one also faces the risk of financial uncertainty. In the case that losses are incurred, the owner has to bear them personally, Kroeger said. In addition, extra hours may need to be added to workdays and weekends to generate the revenue required to maintain your lifestyle. Walker said, There are times when I am up late into the night working on orders, answering emails, and checking on inventory. The operating costs can add up quickly too. Walker currently has health insurance through her husbands plan, but notes that if she hires help in the future, shell need to offer health insurance to employees. I must be extremely careful of my spending in ordering supplies because I do not have funding coming in from an outside source, she said. She orders some materials in bulk to keep costs as low as possible. On your own, the task list can be endless. In a corporate job, your role and tasks are clearly defined, Kroeger said. In your own business, this is often not the case, especially if you have a new startup. You may have to partake in a wide range of operations, such as shelf-keeping, accounting, customer relations this can become overwhelming. I am the maker, the inventory specialist, the customer service rep, the PR person, everything, Walker added. I wear so many hats and it gets exhausting. As these new companies grow, the challengesincluding dealing with a tight labor marketare not likely to subside. One of the most pressing challenges business owners today face is the difficulty of finding quality workers as a result of The Great Resignation, Nelson said. Businesses are having to be more competitive when it comes to offering employee wages and benefits. Additionally, many businesses today are striving to accommodate teleworking, which opens them up to a whole new set of obstacles surrounding the software solutions and productivity. This issue of finding solid workers may strike some as ironic, since workers are leaving companies to strike out in search of their own fortunes and look for ways to improve their pay and benefits. Still, the trend may develop to be a subsegment of new business owners setting the path for more flexible working conditions. Despite the tough sides of being self-employed, Walker says she wouldnt want it any other way. If someone were to ask me why I wont go back to a 9-to-5, I would simply say, Im so free. I truly love it here. DUMda DUMda DUMda DUMda Like the constant beat of drums at a tribal gathering, the rhythm of the poem reverberates in our hearts: BY the SHORE of GITche GUMee, BY the SHINing BIG-Sea-WAter We hear its rhythm as it carries us through the epic travels of the first legendary American hero, Hiawatha. This was not the first long poem that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, but The Song of Hiawatha, published in 1855, embodies the spirit needed by a nation on the verge of civil war. Longfellow got the story of an Onondaga tribal leader from historian and ethnologist Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who had collected the oral history of the Ojibway of northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Longfellow also heard stories from his friend, an Ojibway chief, who told him of the legendary tribal leader Hiawatha. Marble sculpture, 1891, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens of Hiawatha in thoughtful reflection. (Public Domain) The historical Hiawatha lived in northern New York state circa 1580 and is known to have united five tribes into the Iroquois Confederacy. He charged the tribes never to disagree among themselves. He called anger disgraceful. He required great patience and goodwill among the tribes when deliberating. His way was to have peace among the tribes and cultivate friendship and honor. Legendary Leader Like Homers Odysseus, Longfellows Hiawatha sets out on epic journeys that cover great expanses of the new land. Our hero grows up near the shores of Gitche GumeeLake Superior. Then as now, Longfellow describes the lake as plentiful with sturgeon: Level spread the lake before him; from its bosom leaped the sturgeon. Our hero sets out for the Rockies to confront Mudjekeewis, his father and Ruler of the West Wind, because he abandoned Hiawathas mother. He struggles with his father, who then becomes the Spirit of the West Wind. Just as Odysseus did, Hiawatha cultivated special friendships. There is a Hercules-type companion, Kwasind, who once hurled a huge rock into the river that was so big it could be seen at all times. Hiawathas musician friend, Chibiabos, sings our heros praises as they travel together. Painting by Frederic Remington for Canto 6 for the 1891 publication of The Song of Hiawatha. (Public Domain) The great love of his life is Minnehaha, Laughing Water, whom he meets among the Dacotahs on his return from sending his father to the hereafter. This is truly a love for the ages. No one is more beautiful than this Dacotah maiden: Minnehaha, Laughing Water, Handsomest of all the women In the land of the Dacotahs, In the land of Handsome women. Hiawatha fearlessly accepts any challenge to help his people. Like the courageous heroes of the past, he engages gods, demons, and other-worldly beings. Just as Jacob wrestled an angel, Hiawatha successfully battles the corn spirit Mondamin whose body magically gives the people maize, which feeds them during famine. Hiawatha takes on Pearl Feather, the evil magician who brings disease and death. Spirits watch over him and his loved ones, even if it is to bring sad news. He listens with sadness as small gray spirits foretell Minnehahas death. Whatever he does is for his people. Hiawatha never fights for personal gain but stands strong for peace to build prosperity and power. And the gods reward him. What could be a cliche in a Western becomes very moving when Hiawatha rides into the sunsets portal to the realm of the hereafter. Epic American Literature Hiawatha is a bona fide epic poem by any standard. Longfellow gives us a legendary hero who serves his people through courage and vision. Our hero engages supernatural beings with strength and skill. As the epic hero, Hiawatha travels to many lands in his quest to serve his people. The poem is built on 22 poems in eight sections, called cantos. The poetic rhythm is written in trochaic tetrameterfour pairs of stressed-unstressed syllables in each line. This is similar to the Finnish epic, the Kalevala, which Longfellow may have discussed with Schoolcraft since Finns had settled in the upper Midwest where the story is set. Prominent American artists of the day contributed their talents to making Hiawatha memorable. For a deluxe edition of the poem in 1891, Frederic Remington painted a series of 22 black-and-white paintings using the grisaille technique (monochromatic tones). He created one for each canto, including a painting of Hiawathas friends Chibiabos and Kwasind for Canto 6. In 1874, Thomas Eakins presented our hero poised in silhouette between the earth and the spirit realm in the sky. Augustus Saint-Gaudens completed a marble sculpture in 1891 of Hiawatha sitting in quiet reflection. Renowned landscape artist of the American West, Albert Bierstadt chose to depict Hiawatha leaving his earthly realm as a reward for his heroic deeds in the final scene of the poem: Westward, westward Hiawatha Sailed into the fiery sunset, Sailed into the purple vapors, Sailed into the dusk of evening The Departure of Hiawatha, 1868, by Albert Bierstadt. It depicts the final scene of Song of Hiawatha. (Public Domain) Legacy of Peace and Power In planning his work, Longfellow said: I have at length hit upon a plan for a poem on the American Indians. It is to weave together their beautiful traditions into a whole. In the tradition of all great literary works, Longfellow has given us a leader who thinks of others first, fosters peace over war, and battles invisible forces without hesitation. The poem made its mark on Americas landscape. Character names from the poem appear in geographical locations throughout North America. Parks, trails, and waterways are named for our hero. A waterfall in Minnesota is named for Minnehaha. Each generation that inhabits this land can benefit from an understanding of this epic poem. It not only weaves together the traditions of Native Americans but of all Americans, of every group and every age, as it nurtures the epic power of peace. Chiwuike "Chi-Chi" Owunwanne grew up in a village in Nigeria. The lessons he learned from his grandparents in Akirika-Uku stayed with him when, at nearly 12 years old, Owunwanne left to join his parents in Buffalo. KeyBank names new corporate responsibility officer KeyBank has named a new corporate responsibility officer and community relations manager for its Buffalo and Rochester markets. From the Five Points neighborhood, Owunwanne began an educational and career journey that ultimately led him back to Buffalo. After graduating from SUNY-Geneseo, he worked for a hedge fund for 10 years. Then, he earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania and took a series of jobs with the Pennsylvania state government. In 2019, Owunwanne came back to Buffalo for a position leading the University at Buffalo Regional Institute's East Side Avenues initiative. His passion for community and economic development recently led him to a new role, at KeyBank: corporate responsibility officer and community relations manager for the bank's Buffalo, Rochester and Eastern Pennsylvania markets. Owunwanne, 41, talked about his life's journey and the opportunities he sees to help keep Buffalo's neighborhoods intact by training more people in commercial development. Q: What does it mean to be corporate responsibility officer? A: At the core of it is me being able to elevate the voice of the community within KeyBank, and also be the voice of KeyBank within the community. Those voices can sometimes be loud, boisterous. And to some degree, I understand, because the relationships with banks over the decades, the history, is full of some promises some kept and some broken. To some degree, the bank itself creating the opportunity that would allow those voices from the community to be heard, I think that's a wonderful thing. Q: You grew up in Nigeria and moved to Buffalo. How did that come about? A: My parents came here back in the '80s when the University at Buffalo had a robust student visa program. (My father) came here to finish his education. My grandfather, who ultimately raised me, he believed in the power of education, what an education can do for a people. And growing up in a small village in Nigeria, with less than 2,000 people, being educated was something he himself did not have an opportunity for, but he understood the value in it. So he decided to pave the way to ensure his sons were able to come here and educate themselves. The plan was for them to come here and educate themselves, acquire some knowledge and bring it back home to help lift the village. Unfortunately, that did not happen. My parents, along with three of my uncles that came, they never went back. My grandparents raised me, and I did not know my parents. I met my dad when I was 9, and my mother when I was 12. I just came here to Buffalo and had an already-made family. I have two younger siblings who were already here in Buffalo. Q: After graduating college, you worked for a hedge fund. What did you take from that experience? A: It was certainly an opportunity that I very much cherish until today, because it gave me an exposure to something I don't think I would have had an opportunity to do. I bought my first house in 2011, so I was doing very well for myself. However, the Black and brown communities, especially the ones that surrounded the office, which was Trenton (N.J.), they were not doing so well. Sort of watching all of that unfold had a profound impact on me and what I wanted to do with the rest of my career. Q: After earning your master's degree, you worked for the Pennsylvania government in economic development. What impression did that make on you? A: As I was traveling the state monitoring and closing grants, it afforded me the opportunity to witness how some of our most cherished communities were just hollowed out as a result of people just fleeing those places into major cities. It just deepened my passion for community and economic development. Q: When you were program director for East Side Avenues, what did neighborhood residents say were their priorities? A: One of the most profound things that I did hear was, there were a lot of East Side residents that owned commercial properties, perhaps passed on from a family member or that they bought when they were just 19 years old and held onto to. What I heard was there were folks coming in and knocking on their doors, wanting them to sell those properties. And that, to me, was a challenge, or an issue, in that this is how, essentially, displacement starts to happen. This is how gentrification comes into communities. We thought that we should do something about that. We ultimately came up with the Community-Based Real Estate Development Training Program. It's simple, but it's impactful. It's basically an adult education that teaches folks who own commercial properties the nuts and bolts of commercial real estate development. The idea behind that was, if we were able to essentially build a bench of citizen developers, they then can be the drivers of the economic development within their communities. I recognized the great impact that it could have in the community, in terms of keeping the fabric of the neighborhoods intact, and also building a bench of Black and brown people in an industry space in which you often don't see Black and brown people, which is real estate development. Q: How will you measure success in your job? A: A measure of success is something I'm still essentially trying to figure out. But I will tell you one area I'm incredibly focused on. Given all the federal packages that we're hearing about, I feel that this is a great opportunity just removing KeyBank from the equation for a second to provide financial wellness and education to low- and moderate-income communities. As far as Key's concerned, this is something we've already started doing at the Delavan-Grider branch. We had put out almost $50,000 in grants for small home repair, windows, things like that. Those are areas I would really, really want to double down on. Part of the problem in (low- to moderate-income) communities, especially the ones that are Black and brown people, is the valuation of property has always just been depressed. By doing some of these little repairs, we can certainly see an appreciation in home values. We know that home ownership is one of the levers to wealth creation in this country. We know that by having a home that you own, you can leverage that home to send your kids to school, for a loan to start a business. By doing some of those small repairs, we can ensure that home values are right, that the values keep going up with those repairs, so that folks can leverage those homes to further themselves economically. Matt Glynn The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. President Joe Biden, accompanied by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, left, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second from left, attends a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 1, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) Biden Administration Says Ukraine Invasion Could Come Any Time Now A top White House aide asserted on Feb. 6 that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time now amid a weeks-long standoff between Moscow and Washington. It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet, Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC News. Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now. We believe that there is a very distinct possibility that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine. It could take a number of different forms. It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet, Sullivan said, stressing that the United States is still trying to pursue a path of diplomacy. Russia has amassed a significant number of troops along the RussiaUkraine border in recent weeks. Troops have also been deployed in nearby Belarus. However, during the ABC News appearance, Sullivan insisted that U.S. military forces that have been recently deployed to Europe are not meant to fight Russian forces in Ukraine. Sullivan also didnt directly address reports that the White House has briefed lawmakers that a full Russian invasion could lead to the quick capture of Kyiv and potentially result in as many as 50,000 casualties as he made appearances on a trio of talk shows on Feb. 6. Meanwhile, U.S. troops and equipment landed on Feb. 6 in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine following Bidens orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport. Those troops have been sent to defend NATO territory because we have a sacred obligation under Article 5 to defend our NATO allies and to send a clear message to Russia, that if it tries to take any military action or aggression against our NATO allies, it will be met with a stiff response, including by the U.S. forces who are on the ground there now, Sullivan told ABC. A U.S. Army Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan following a widely criticized evacuation strategy as Taliban fighters swiftly took over the country and its capital, Kabul. Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together, Donahue said at the airport over the weekend. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Russian tank T-72B3 fires as troops take part in drills at the Kadamovskiy firing range in the Rostov region in southern Russia, on Jan. 12, 2022. (AP Photo) Bloomberg Responds After Publishing Erroneous Russia Invades Ukraine Headline Bloomberg News apologized after it published and kept the headline Russia Invades Ukraine on its homepage on Feb. 4 We prepare headlines for many scenarios and the headline Russia Invades Ukraine was inadvertently published around 4 p.m. ET today on our website. We deeply regret the error. The headline has been removed and we are investigating the cause, Bloomberg said in its statement hours after publishing the headline. Its not clear why Bloomberg had decided on Feb. 4 to prepare Russia Invades Ukraine as a scenario. According to screenshots reviewed by The Epoch Times, the influential financial news website had a headline on the top of its homepage that read: Live: Russia Invades Ukraine. A Kremlin analyst, Olga Lautman, told the New York Post that the headline was up on the front page for about 30 minutes. I went on the site and saw the breaking news but knew it wasnt real because I deal with Ukraine and will be one of the first to know. It is bizarre and a pretty big mistake to make considering this is a potential large-scale invasion and everyone is on edge, she said. Lautman also posted a screengrab of Bloombergs front page that showed the erroneous headline. .@BloombergLive care to explain this breaking news? Wth pic.twitter.com/rRcOtjkd7g Olga Lautman (@OlgaNYC1211) February 4, 2022 When one tried to access the story, it directed the user to a page that read, 500 Internal Server Error. The erroneous headline drew a response from chief Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who told the Russian TASS news agency that it hardly was a provocation, there is no need to exaggerate it. However, this situation makes it clear how dangerous such tensions are, which have been triggered by daily aggressive statements that we keep hearing from Washington, European capitals and London, because it is these statements, the deployment of troops near our borders and daily activities to pump Ukraine with weapons that lead to these tensions, and any spark is dangerous amid tensions, Peskov said. On Sunday, White House aide Jake Sullivan said that U.S. officials believe that Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment now, as tens of thousands of Russian troops remain positioned near the Ukraine-Russia border. Previously, Russia has denied wanting to invade Ukraine, but its top leaders have repeatedly demanded that NATO not allow Ukraine into the security organizationa demand the United States and NATO have rejected. We are in the window. Any day now, Russia could take military action against Ukraine, or it could be a couple of weeks from now, or Russia could choose to take the diplomatic path instead, Sullivan said during a Fox News Sunday interview. The Epoch Times contacted Bloomberg for comment. Border Patrol Union: Lucky If We Seize 5 Percent of Fentanyl Pills Coming Across Border Border Patrol agents are so busy processing large groups of illegal aliens that, in one Arizona area, only four agents are available to patrol a 150-mile section of the border. Now that 150 miles of border normally takes about 75 to 90 agentswe had four agents out there, said Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council. Judd testified at an unofficial House hearing at FreedomWorks in Washington on Feb. 1. Cartels control the border right now, he said. They dictate to us what our operations are going to be. That should never happen. The amount of drugs being seized at the border has correspondingly plummeted, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics. If we seize even 5 percent of whats coming across the border, were lucky, Judd said, referring to a question about fentanyl pills. And if theres nobody there to detect you and apprehend you, the cartels are going to push it through between the ports of entry when they know that there is absolutely no chance that were going to apprehend that narcotic. During the first three months of fiscal year 2022, agents have seized 316 pounds of deadly fentanyl coming across the border between ports of entrymore than triple that of the same period in fiscal year 2021. At the ports of entry, where most drugs are seized, agents have seized 2,390 pounds of fentanyl thus far in fiscal year 2022, compared to 10,183 pounds in the same period in fiscal year 2021. Two milligrams of fentanyl can be a fatal dose. Cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine seizures have also been significantly reduced this fiscal year compared to the same period in fiscal year 2021. More than 100,000 Americans, a record amount, died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl was involved in almost two-thirds of those deaths. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid thats 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, highly addictive, and deadly. Buyers may be unaware that the drugs they purchase are laced with illicit fentanyl. The substance is most often manufactured in Mexico by using chemicals supplied from China and trafficked across the southern border by Mexican drug cartels. Fentanyl is mixed with other narcotics to increase potency as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills that are made to look like blue Oxycodone prescription pills and are commonly known as Mexican oxys. In mid-December 2021, law enforcement authorities seized a record 1.7 million fentanyl pills in Scottsdale, Arizona. There have been no new operations, policies, or programs put in place since this administration has taken office to help the border Border Patrol go after criminal cartels and the profits that they are generating, Judd said. We have allowed the criminal cartels to create billions of dollars in revenue at the expense of U.S. citizens who are dying at a record rate in 2021. In an indictment of the Biden administrations management of the border, Judd said Border Patrol agent morale is in the tank and more agents have left the agency in the past year than were hired. We go home every single day defeated. We feel like our time is wasted. Our only goal is to protect the citizens of this great nationwe are not allowed to do that at this time. Frustrated Border Patrol agents confronted Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, and Raul Ortiz, the U.S. Border Patrol Chief, in recent meetings along the border. For evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Thats exactly whats happening here, one agent said, according to a leaked video. Good men are doing nothing. Youre allowing illegal aliens to be dropped off in our communities. Judd said, I would absolutely say that this administration is aiding and abetting in the smuggling of individuals to include allowing them to make false asylum claims. He told lawmakers that the agency doesnt need more funding or resources and that the immediate border crisis can be fixed through policy. I would argue that we must start with the illegal immigration because if we can control illegal immigration, we can then go after the cartels and their profits, Judd said. But as long as our hands are continually tied with the millionsbecause it is millions of people that cross the border illegallywere always going to give the cartels the upper hand to continue to cross their products and create artificial gaps in our coverage. Immediately after taking office, President Joe Biden dismantled several key border security initiatives that the Trump administration had established, ordering a freeze on deportation and construction of the border wall, as well as the Remain in Mexico program, which contributed to up to an 80 percent drop in catch-and-release by requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico until their final court judgment. A Supreme Court decision in August 2021 required the Biden administration to restart the Remain in Mexico program. However, Judd said fewer than 100 illegal immigrants per day are currently being registered, yet anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 such immigrants are being apprehended on a daily basis. Most are being released into the United States to wait for a future court date that can be set years into the future. Were not even a speed bump, Judd said. Were actually facilitating, because when we release these individuals we are giving them a de facto legal status to be here. We are rewarding them for violating our laws. Canadian Judge Blocks Unvaccinated Dad From Visiting Children, Dismisses Personal Research on Vaccine A divorced man from New Brunswick, Canada, has been blocked by a judge from visiting his three children in person after refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report. The parents, who were not identified in the court ruling, had shared custody of their children, including an immunocompromised 10-year-old daughter, since their divorce in 2019. The mother requested last year to have the custody agreement altered, citing concerns over the father and his new partners resistance to receiving a vaccination for COVID-19, CBC News reported. Justice Nathalie Godbout ruled in favor of the mother to suspend the fathers rights to in-person visitation, saying that the decision was made with a heavy heart but that it was for the best interests of the children, especially the daughter who is receiving specialized care for non-cancerous tumors in her blood vessels. As the parents who are caring for [the child] 50 percent of the time, in close quarters, unmasked and unvaccinated, they are well-positioned to transmit the virus to [the child] should they contract it, this despite their best efforts, Godbouts ruling read. The judge also dismissed the research the father said he had done on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on his own. The Canadian government has approved seven COVID-19 vaccines, including ones from Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). His own anecdotal research on such a highly specialized topic carries little to no weight in the overall analysis when measured against the sound medical advice of our public health officials, Godbout wrote. While being denied in-person contact with his children, the father is allowed to have video chats with them via Zoom. The judge ruled that he can return to court to ask back his in-person visitation rights once he gets vaccinated. The ruling comes weeks after a judge in Montreal issued a temporary safeguard order on an unvaccinated father, blocking him from visiting his 12-year-old son who has already received COVID-19 vaccine shots. It would normally be in the childs best interest to have contact with his father, but it is not in his best interest to have contact with him if he is not vaccinated and is opposed to health measures in the current epidemiological context, Justice Sebastien Vaillancourt wrote in the Dec. 23, 2021 ruling. The order remains in effect until Feb. 8. The judge also described the father as a conspiracy theorist based on his social media posts, saying that gave the court strong reasons to doubt that he respects health measures as he claims to do in his written statement, reported CTV News. A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2014. (Tami Chappell/Reuters) CDC Signals Changes to COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule, in Part to Address Heart Inflammation The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Feb. 4 outlined an expected change to the COVID-19 vaccine schedule for people with weak immune systems and signaled that a different alteration is coming for the general population to try to cut the number of post-vaccination heart inflammation cases. The CDC told its vaccine advisory panel that its planning to adjust guidance for people with compromised immune systems, a group that doesnt respond as well to vaccines as the general population and is the only population that is advised to get four doses of the Moderna or Pfizer messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Current CDC guidance for the immunocompromised says they should receive three doses of an mRNA vaccine within two months, and a fourth dose at least five months after the third dose. The revised schedule would recommend the population get that fourth shot as soon as three months after their third one. For recipients in the population who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, the updated guidance says they should get a second dose at least 28 days after their vaccination, and a third dose as soon as two months later. The guidance update applies to people 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines, and people 12 and up who received the Pfizer jab. The rationale for the adjustment includes small studies that indicate the immunocompromised are better protected if they get the fourth shot sooner, Elisha Hall, a health education specialist at the CDC, told the panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The goal is to help this population that may not be as well protected get their booster dose sooner, particularly with concerns about initial immune response, loss of protection over time, and high community transmission due to the Omicron variant, she said. Omicron is the dominant variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus in the United States. The CCP virus causes COVID-19. The vaccines already were waning in protection over time against infection while the Delta variant was dominant in the country, and have performed even worse against the Omicron strain. A vial of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles, Calif., on Dec. 15, 2021. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images) Dr. Camille Kotton, an infectious disease expert at Massachusetts General Hospital and a panel member, said she had seen many immunocompromised patients in the past two months who followed all the rules, including the recommended vaccination schedule, but still became infected with the virus. The updated guidance will help dramatically, she said. The other likely change would apply to the general public and deals with the length of time that elapses between the first and second shot of the mRNA vaccines. Both have a two-dose primary schedule. At present, the second Pfizer dose is recommended around 21 days after the first, and the second Moderna dose is recommended around 28 days after the initial shot. However, surveillance data show that among many age groups, particularly young males, who have received the vaccines, there has been a higher than expected rate of heart inflammation. Data from Canada and England, which have both extended the interval, suggest an extended time period between the first and second doses increased vaccine effectiveness and lowered rates of myocarditis and pericarditis, two forms of heart inflammation that have cropped up following mRNA vaccination. The longer interval resulted in lower myocarditis rates, whereas the shorter interval had higher myocarditis and pericarditis rates, said Dr. Bryna Warshawsky of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Dr. Grace Lee, a medical officer at the Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital and the advisory panels chair, said the data presented are fairly convincing that an extended interval is not only potentially safer from a myocarditis standpoint, but also potentially more effective. The data pertain to when Delta was the dominant variant in much of the world. Omicron displaced Delta in December 2021 in the United States. Some countries have halted or curtailed the use of the mRNA vaccines, particularly Modernas, among youths due to the heart inflammation issues, but U.S. health authorities have so far continued to recommend the shots for all Americans 5 and older, asserting the vaccines prevent more hospitalizations than the heart inflammation cases they cause. The panels COVID-19 vaccines working group, after analyzing altered vaccine schedules from various countries, endorsed an interval of eight weeks between the first and second dose of an mRNA vaccine primary series. The CDC hasnt yet decided whether to follow the advice. If changed, the revised schedule could affect millions of people. Some 33 million Americans aged 12 to 39 remain unvaccinated, as well as tens of millions of Americans in older age groups. It would also push back booster shots, which are currently recommended five months after the Moderna or Pfizer primary series, and two months after the initial Johnson & Johnson shot. Dr. Walid Gellad, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, called the expected change a big deal. At the same time, it is troubling that it took so long for US policymaking to catch up to other countries, Gellad, who is not on the panel, wrote on Twitter. Panel members said they hoped the change would help convince unvaccinated people to get a jab. I think that it affords a level of safety and also demonstrates to the public that we are very focused on doing this in the right way, said Dr. Oliver Brooks, chief medical officer of Watts HealthCare Corp. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk toward a hall in the Kremlin to hold talks, in Moscow on June 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File) China, Russia, Iran Pose Rising Threats to US, Free World: Experts Decades-long divides between China and Taiwan, Russia and Ukraine, and Iran and Israel are capturing the worlds attention as tensions mount in each of the three distinct areas of the world. Experts spoke to The Epoch Times about the role of the United States in each potential conflict area. David Wurmser, a senior analyst at the Center for Security Policy, a Washington-based think tank said, its inescapable that the United States is in a period where theres significant domestic exhaustion with foreign policy, partly because of the internal consumption of the countrys own upheavals, both culturally and ideationally. He said it is important to recognize that the country is not in the place it was during the Cold War, when the nation fundamentally and profoundly understood that every aspect of its way of life was tied to freedom in the world. At this time, it was a vital national interest to aggressively defend freedom in as broad and as robust a way as possible, everywhere possible, Wurmser said. The world has not changed, he said, adding that there are still serious threats to freedom represented by various nations around the world. These include, but are not limited to, the Chinese regimes embrace of communism and heightened interest in seizing Taiwan, Russias designs against Ukraine, and Irans modern Islamic theocracy and its desire to annihilate Israel. Wurmser is convinced each of these poses a fundamental and profound threat to the free worlds way of life. The United States cannot enjoy the luxury of being an isolationist or being hands-off on any foreign policy or foreign military action, today. The world is in need of a much more present America, he said. It is past time to establish a seriousness internationally that the United States is returning to the international scene. There are nations under persistent threat, and they are looking to the United States to be the champion of freedom, Wurmser said. The United States must start exacting a price on its enemies and send a signal that we can make life miserable for each of them in some way or another. China The United States maintains robust ties with Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, under which Washington is obliged to supply self-ruled Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The U.S. government has also adopted a policy of strategic ambiguity in relation to the island, wherein Washington is deliberately vague on whether it will come to Taiwans defense in the event of a Chinese invasion. According to global strategist Col. Dan Steiner (USAF-Ret.), if a sustained operation were to commence between China and Taiwan, it would be difficult and time-consuming, [adding that] it would also greatly increase the chances of open confrontation between the United States and China. Lt. General (ret.) Jerry Boykin, executive vice president of Christian non profit Family Research Council and founding member of the Armys Delta Force, doesnt believe an escalated conflict would bring American foot soldiers to the region. Steiner agreed, stating that an open conflict with China over Taiwan would be an extremely hard sell to the American people. Whats more, he said, the Chinese regimes superior force density in the region give them quite an advantage. As a result, it would be in the best interest of the United States to prioritize the supply of warfighting materiel to Taiwan and the gathering of intelligence, according to Boykin. Additionally, Wurmser said the United States has been inattentive for at least the last 20 years, creating serious supply and trade dependencies on our adversary, including the Chinese regime. The United States, he said, needs to begin to reorient our economy and our dependency on allies rather than on adversaries. Rather than merely sanctioning China, Wurmser also suggested the United States make its best attempt to sever its ties to China. Returning to a Cold War structure where two separate economies begin competing with each other with little interaction would almost certainly cause the Chinese threat to fade away, as Chinas economy survives only because its integrated into the U.S. economy. Ukraine A second flashpoint is rapidly unfolding in Eastern Europe. Boykin said a looming Russia-Ukraine conflict appears inevitable. With Russian President Vladimir Putin acting as essentially an oligarch, his actions could provoke military action. Although some U.S. citizens may have an emotional desire to want to defend Ukraine, Boykin said he does not believe the American people want to put American lives at risk by putting boots on the ground. In light of the 20-year war in Afghanistan, Boykin said America does not want to see the young men and women of America dying while coming to the aid of another country. What the United States is doing right now is what should have been done at least six or more months ago. The U.S. and allies are sending weapons and supplies into Ukraine as the fear of war mounts. By providing lethal aid to the Ukrainians, Boykin said the country has a better chance of making it a bloody fight for the Russians. And this, he said, would make the Russian people themselves question if [a fight for Ukraine] is really worth it. The goal is to have Putin question his decision to enter Ukraine without deploying U.S. troops to the battlefield, he added. Steiner agreed, saying that bogging down the Russians is not a matter of U.S. troops on the ground, but providing specific types of weapons systems that make it extremely difficult for their enemy to maneuver in the open. Supplying Ukraine from its western borders is a viable option given the nations natural boundaries with Poland and other members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Steiner pointed out. Ultimately, the hope is that Ukraine will be able to prevent Russia from getting such a foothold in Eastern European country in such a way that would topple the government, he said. Russias ability to overcome Ukraine is not in doubt, but their ability to effectively control the area, post-conflict, could be greatly impacted by U.S. support, Steiner said. An important question to ask, according to Steiner, is should Russia take the Ukraine, do they actually have the ability govern it thereafter? In the end, he suspects a move by Russia to invade Ukraine would become nothing more than a money and manpower drain to the Russian people. Wurmser concurred, saying that Russia is already not playing with a strong deck, economically. If the United States were to impose heavy sanctions, he said Russias internal economic crisis would be further exacerbated. In the long term, he said, the already suffering economy could bleed down the same way the Cold War essentially buried them, to the point where they were no longer competitive. Israel A third U.S. ally, Israel, continues to find itself in the crosshairs of a nuclear-capable Iran that wants nothing more than to wipe the country off the earth, Boykin said. Even as negotiations in Vienna continue over Irans return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet recently stated that the Israeli strategy [to protect themselves] doesnt depend on whether theres an agreement or not. In the event of a full-scale attack by Iran against Israel in the future, Boykin said it would be imperative to provide the latest materiel to the already formidable U.S. ally. Historically, the United States has helped supply Israel with weapons systems to fend off its adversaries, dating all the way back to the Yom Kippur War of 1973, he said. Unlike the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in this scenario, Boykin believes putting boots on the ground is a scenario that could likely be tolerated by the American people. But Americas decision to do so could be greatly affected by who is president of the United States at the time. If the Israelis wanted the assistance of U.S. troops on the ground, Boykin said, the odds of it happening would dramatically increase with conservative leadership in the White House that is supportive of the Jewish state. Boykin said a conflict over Israel wouldnt necessarily require foot soldiers, suggesting that air support and assistance in reconnaissance operations may be enough for the Middle Eastern country to defend itself. Immediate support operations to any conflict between Israel and Iran would be critical to Israels overall success, Steiner said. Such support could include deploying forces to key nations in the region such as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. Like Boykin, he said, this kind of support should be based on providing defensive air support of Israel, intelligence gathering, as well as logistical support for follow on operations. Wurmser said that sustaining Israel is particularly important to the rest of the world. The rise of Israel as a center of innovation and long-term abstract thinking in technology has made [the country] an outsized importance to new economies developing around the world. Thus, he said, the anchoring of Israel to the West and the preservation of Israel is a fundamental national importance. He added that Iran needs a lot of money to conduct a robust foreign policy that projects an image of power. Sanctions could weaken Iran in many ways, including the stifling of its ability to build weapons and sustain its nuclear threats against Israel. Protesters on horseback participate in the Truckers for Freedom demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 5, 2022. (Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times) Closure of GoFundMe Fundraiser Only Strengthens Truckers for Freedom Effort Commentary Opponents of the Truckers for Freedom convoy have been celebrating the decision by GoFundMe to shut down the fundraiser for the protest. They may want to temper their jubilation over this development. The dissolution of the growing fund for the convoy is actually a blessing in disguise. Nobody had ever seen a grassroots fundraiser explode like this one did. Organizer Tamara Lich had set a modest goal of raising perhaps $10,000 to even $100,000 to help offset costs for people travelling in the convoy to Ottawa. Lich, along with many other Canadians, was stunned as the fund raised over $10 million in a couple of weeks from well over 100,000 individual donors. The sheer volume of donors and dollars generated was a victory in itself. The fund demonstrated that support for the convoy ran far beyond just those who were travelling to Ottawa to protest. People across the country wanted to support this effort and if they couldnt attend in person, they offered support financially. It gave a visible indication of how broad support really is for the convoy beyond the thousands of trucks and people converging upon Ottawa. The fund itself became an international story. As did the cancellation of it. The problem that always happens when a large amount of money is gathered in one spot is that somebody will want to take it. The $10 million pot sitting for all to see was no exception. Lawyer Paul Champ has launched a class-action suit against the convoy over the annoyance of the horns being honked by trucks in Ottawa. In what is surely not a coincidence, he is seeking $10 million. Doubtless, his suit would have matched the fundraising pool for the convoy no matter what it was. No sense demanding more than they have or less than could be snatched. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson openly mused about launching a legal action to seize the funds in order to offset local policing costs. This had never been done before with protests but then again, never has such a large pool of money been sitting there. As long as that big fundraising plum was dangling there, opportunists would feel compelled to snatch it. Now its gone and it is a good thing. If the money had remained in the GoFundMe account, one or another of the legal actions would eventually manage to get a hold put on the funds until the matter was resolved. The money could be tied up for months or even years. That would have been a setback for the convoy. With GoFundMe shutting it down, donors can get full refunds and dedicate the fundraising elsewhereand that is exactly what they are doing. In less than 24 hours, a new fundraiser at GiveSendGo raised over $1 million for the Truckers for Freedom convoy. The site has been crashing and overwhelmed by the sudden influx of donors, but the funds are getting through. People are dedicated to supporting the convoy and for each fundraising initiative that gets shut down, more will surface. Authorities will be wasting their time playing whack-a-mole chasing down the new fundraising sources. People will bring cash directly to the protests if they have to. Convoy protests are happening across the country. Many people getting refunds from GoFundMe will be dedicating that to local actions now. The central protests never really needed such a massive fund in the first place. Spreading support across the country will actually make them more effective, and much more difficult to block. The Truckers for Freedom convoy already withdrew $1 million from the initial fundraiser and will be getting at least that much more from new ones. They are not at risk of being defunded. Supporters of the convoy are galvanized all the more in the face of the craven actions of GoFundMe and the efforts to shut down their means of fundraising. They will be feeling more inclined to go out in person to demonstrations rather than just sending money. Again, a good development for the convoy. The Truckers for Freedom convoy is making history. We have never seen so many Canadians choosing to stand up and push back against government overreach before. The protests are continuing to gain momentum, and something is going to have to give soon. The closure of the GoFundMe account was not a setback for the Truckers for Freedom participants. It only strengthened them. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Everything about cinemas first blockbuster, The Birth of a Nation (1915), seemed new: its three-hour running time, complex narrative, large cast of characters, and its powerful emotional effect on audiences. Its director, David Wark Griffith, was born in 1875, the son of a Kentucky farmer. A mediocre actor, he toured the country for years with ragtag theater troupes. He never hit it big, but he did gain a thorough knowledge of stagecraft, plays, and above allaudiences. In 1908, he fell into film directing almost by accident. In the over 450 short movies he cranked out for the Biograph company, he expanded the narrative and pictorial possibilities of film, pioneered new techniques like crosscutting and flashbacks, and set the stage for his Civil War epic. The Birth of a Nation grossed an incredible $11 million$300 million in todays moneybut its triumph was tainted by controversy over its treatment of the Reconstruction era. Griffith was stung by the backlash. His social conscience had been evident since A Corner in Wheat (1909). He wanted his next film to remind his critics that he had always sided with the poor against the rich, the weak against the strong. While editing The Birth of a Nation, Griffith had begun The Mother and the Law, a drama about a young couple struggling against poverty and injustice. It came out well, but Griffith and his team worried that an hour-long populist potboiler would be a weak follow-up to Birth, so he looked for a way to make it bigger and more important. The result was Intolerance, a sprawling epic that took on nothing less than 2,500 years of mans inhumanity to man. Griffiths wildly ambitious plan added three new stories to The Mother and the Law: the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C., the massacre of the Huguenots in 16th-century France, andas if that werent enoughthe Passion of Christ. The great currents of history were pictured through the eyes of ordinary people victimized by the machinations of the powerful, their stories intercut to draw analogies and comment on one another. That a filmmaker conceived such a project in 1915 is amazing. That he realized it so brilliantly is astounding, and he did it without a script. He had it all in his head. New Methods Everything Griffith learned, invented, and developed in his Biograph movies paid off in The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. Discarding the static, stage-bound conventions of early film, he discovered exciting new ways of staging scenes in motion, for and with the camera. Its as if a single artist had bridged the gap between Neolithic cave paintings and the early Renaissance masterworks of Giotto. Griffith didnt invent the close-up or the moving camera, but he and cameraman Billy Bitzer deployed them as never before to drive the story, reveal characters thoughts, and stir powerful emotions in the viewer. Historian David Cook wrote: In the brief span of six years, between directing his first one-reeler in 1908 and The Birth of a Nation in 1914, Griffith established the narrative language of cinema as we know it today. One year later, he took that language to another level with Intolerance. David Wark Griffith. George Grantham Bain collection at the Library of Congress. (Public Domain) Scenes Commenting on One Another The movie begins with a symbolic image that will tie the stories together: a woman (Lillian Gish) rocking a mystic cradle. Griffith gives his leads coy names: the Boy, the Dear One, Brown Eyes, the Mountain Girl, and so on. In the modern Mother and the Law story, the Upliftersprudish busybodies who believe, like todays social justice warriors, that its their sacred duty to condemn and reform everybody elseraid cafes and nightclubs until dancing and drinking are banned. We must have laws, they announce, to make people good. Silent film star Lillian Gish appeared as the Eternal Mother. U.S. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. (Public Domain) When the husband of the Dear One (Mae Marsh) is arrested on a false charge, the Uplifters barge into her apartment. Declaring her an unfit mother, they brutally beat her, ripping the terrified baby out of her arms in a scene as shocking and heart-rending today as it was 107 years ago. Meanwhile in France, Catherine de Medici urges her weak-willed son, the king, to crush the growing power of the Huguenots, a religious minority. Cutting to Judea, Griffith contrasts Jesuss mercy to an adulteress and creation of wine at Cana with the Uplifters harsh prohibitions. A scene in the French court where the king decides to crush the Huguenots. (MovieStillsDB) In Babylon, a scheming high priest betrays the city to its Persian enemies. The connection to intolerance is vague, but the spectacle is mind-blowing. These days, movies fake large sets and crowds with computer graphics, but not this Babylon. Its walls, wide and strong enough to run chariots along the top, rose 150 feet and ran for a mile along a still-unpaved section of Sunset Boulevard. The elaborate scenes for the Babylon story include 3,000 lavishly costumed extras and dancers. (MoveStillsDB) Even grander, reports Gary Krist in his book The Mirage Factory, was the 200-foot-tall colonnaded palace where King Belshazzer and 3,000 lavishly costumed extras and dancers celebrate his temporary victory over the Persians. Bitzer had to invent a new technique to capture the dazzling panorama: the cinemas first crane shot. When the Persians launch another attack, Griffith pulls out all the stops. The battle scenes surpass even the epic ones in Birth. Thousands of soldiers clash in a gargantuan, terrifying melee. Men are speared, slashed, thrown to their deaths, even graphically beheaded. A flame-throwing war engine mows down attackers, while real elephants propel gigantic siege towers against the walls from which arrows, stones, and boiling oil rain down on the Persians. (The extras really got into it. On one shooting day, an ambulance was called 60 times, according to an unpublished manuscript cited in Griffith and the Rise of Hollywood.) Griffith loved spunky, self-reliant heroines like the Babylon storys Mountain Girl (Constance Talmadge). When lecherous men approach, she mocks and rejects them, defiantly munching raw onions. When the city is attacked, she grabs her bow and fearlessly picks off Persian soldiers like ducks in a shooting gallery. Constance Talmadge, who played the Mountain Girl, in 1919. J. Willis Sayre Collection of Theatrical Photographs. (Public Domain) As the film proceeds, it cuts between the stories faster and faster until, at the climax, the Dear One races with a reprieve to stop her husbands execution as Persians breach the walls of Babylon, soldiers slaughter the Huguenots, and Jesus shoulders his cross in Jerusalem. There had never been a film like this before. Theres never been one quite like it since. In the words of critic Iris Barry, History itself seems to pour like a cataract across the screen. The imminent execution of the Dear Ones husband in a scene from Intolerance. (MovieStillsDB) Clear Storytelling Intolerance has its flaws. It can get preachy, the French and Judean stories are skimpy, and the acting is variable, but these defects are minor. In recent historical and superhero movies, you can lose track of whos fighting whom and whythe filmmakers cant even keep one storyline straight. Intolerance intercuts four stories and, incredibly, we are never confused. The clarity of Griffiths storytelling and his way of humanizing history and social issues through characters we care about, and intimate moments that touch the heart, may be his greatest achievement and his greatest gift to later filmmakers, many of whom he trained, including Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind) and Tod Browning (Dracula). Intolerance opened to good reviews, but its innovative structure confused some viewers, and its pacifist message wasnt welcome as President Wilson pushed the country into World War I, as Gish said in her book The Movies, Mr. Griffith, and Me. It wasnt a flop but it lost money, most of it Griffiths. By the mid-1920s, the directors sentimental sensibility was out of fashion. His career fizzled and he died in 1948, cast aside by the industry he had practically invented. You can watch Griffiths movies on disk or stream them on Prime or YouTube. Other standouts include the poetic Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920). Gish plays an abused girl in both films, prompting one wag at the time to call for a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Lillian Gish. FBIs Most Wanted Fugitive Caught in Mexico After 16 Years An alleged killer on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was captured in Mexico after being on the run since 2006, the FBI said on Feb. 4. Octaviano Juarez-Corro, 48, is alleged to have killed two people and injured three others during a Memorial Day 2006 picnic at Milwaukees South Shore Park on Lake Michigan, according to the FBI. His estranged wife was one of those who were injured, the bureau said. The FBI said Juarez-Corro allegedly pulled out a gun and shot two victims and wounded three more. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, before the shooting, Juarez-Corro confronted his wife and demanded to see his 3-year-old daughter. After he was told he couldnt, the suspect, who was involved in a divorce, allegedly pulled the gun and demanded that five people at the party get down on their knees, according to the report. Juarez-Corro then shot them execution-style, said the FBI in the Journal Sentinel report. His wife suffered several gunshot wounds but survived. The Journal Sentinel reported that hundreds of people were in the park at the time. Juarez-Corro was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Juarez-Corro, who was added to the list in September 2021, was located in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, by local authorities, said the FBI on Feb. 4. Its not clear if Juarez-Corro has an attorney or if hell be extradited back to the United States. Octaviano Juarez-Corro spent the last 16 years running from law enforcement, hiding in another country, and believing time and distance was on his side, Special Agent in Charge Michael Hensle said in a news release. The FBI has a long reach and extraordinary law enforcement partnerships across the globe. I commend the tireless efforts of all our partners from Milwaukee to Mexico in closely coordinating with the FBI in capturing this wanted fugitive and helping to bring this violent offender to justice, as well as closure to the victims and their families, the release added. The Milwaukee Police Department appreciates all of the efforts by the FBI and assisting law enforcement agencies involved in the apprehension of Octaviano Juarez-Corro, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman also said. With his capture, we are one step closer to bringing justice and closure to the victims, the victims families and everyone that was impacted by this tragic incident. I am committed to working with our community and system partners to build sustainable neighborhoods free of crime that are built on positive relationships. A 2022 Chinese New Year greeting card from a former public security official in China to the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi. (Courtesy of Minghui.org) Founder of Falun Gong Receives Greetings From Mainland Chinese People on Chinese New Year The founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi, has received a large amount of greetings from people in mainland China over Chinese New Year, the most important holiday for Chinese families. Well-wishers come from 26 provinces and four direct-controlled municipalities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing. Li brought the ancient spiritual practice of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, to the public in 1992. It helps relieve stress and increase energy with five slow-moving exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance. Its following in China grew to 70 million to 100 million people by 1999. Then the Chinese regime, deeming the practices popularity a threat, launched a nationwide persecution campaign to eradicate it. Despite the regimes ongoing persecution, members of the Chinese public wished Li a happy Chinese New Year on Feb. 1. Because of the persecution, they are only identified by their surnames. A woman in her 60s, surnamed Zhao, from the city of Yongzhou in central Chinas Hunan Province, told The Epoch Times how she benefited from Falun Gong. She recounted how she fell to the ground and fractured her skull a few years ago. Due to her low platelet count and poor blood clotting, and after using well known blood-clotting agents, she couldnt stop the bleeding. She later began reciting Falun Dafa is good and truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are good, and said that soon after, her bleeding ceased. Another woman, surnamed Gao, in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, had a relative who was a Falun Gong practitioner and who told her the real situation of the practice in China. A few years ago, when I was giving birth to my son, his neck was wrapped around by the umbilical cord twice, Gao remembered. Then I just recited Falun Dafa is good and truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are good. Before long, my delivery became much easier. I know the Master of [Falun] Dafa helped me remove the disaster, added the woman, using the traditional mark of respect, Master, to refer to Li Hongzhi. Its [Falun] Dafa that has blessed our family with good fortune. So my whole family believes that Falun Dafa is wonderful. She said her family is happy, adding that both she and her husband have good jobs and healthy children. She and her son joyfully shouted out New Years greetings to Li. A man, surnamed Wang, in Chengdu city, southwestern Chinas Sichuan Province, is a family member of a Falun Gong practitioner. He described the community of adherents as a miracle that brings light and hope. While people degenerate and lose themselves in worldly desires and wants, said Wang, Falun Gong adherents exhibit courage and goodwill through their self-discipline, determination, peace, and resilience. The founder of Falun Gong also received greetings from well-wishers from more than 60 other countries. Gao Miao, Li Yun, and Hong Ning contributed to this report. The City of Buffalo already has received half of its $331 million allotment of American Rescue Plan funds. Officials identified 26 ways to spend the stimulus money and compiled them into the Buffalo Transformation Fund. On Tuesday, Mayor Byron Browns administration will update the Common Council on the status of the projects from March through December last year. Some of the project updates include: Water and Sewer Debt Forgiveness Program. An agreement with Promise Network was executed last month. Program guidelines and a marketing strategy will be developed through March. The program is expected to be open for enrollments in April and continue through December 2024, or when funds are expended, whichever is sooner. The city budgeted $13 million for the program. Garbage User-Fee Assistance Program. A working group has been with the Water and Sewer Debt Forgiveness Program to consolidate administrative procedures and determine uniform applicant eligibility criteria. The city expects to contract with Promise under a cooperative purchasing clause in the contract with Water. A total of $5.5 million was earmarked. Wraparound Services Support for Job Training. A working group was established to discuss the development and rollout of the program, and planning conversations are underway. About $16 million is budgeted down from $20 million for the program aimed at nonprofits that train residents for jobs in the fields of medicine, technology and information sciences and advanced manufacturing. The funds would provide enrollees in training programs with money to defray the costs of child care, transportation, clothing, medical costs or other financial burdens that often force residents to end their training before finishing. Northland Workforce Training Center Scholarship. An agreement with NWTC is in negotiations. The program, which was allocated $2 million, is for residents of color and female students who are typically underrepresented in the advanced manufacturing field. It would provide assistance for transportation, learning supplies, child care and other expenses. Neighborhood Improvement Clean Up Corps. $9 million was budgeted to provide jobs for individuals who will advance the citys neighborhood improvement efforts, parks improvement projects and other community service efforts. The corps would have 50 members and five supervisors. A feasibility study will take place this year. Minority-Owned Business Assistance Fund. A working group was established to discuss the development and rollout of the $3.5 million program to support minority-owned businesses. Park Access Equity Fund. The citys Department of Public Works, Parks and Streets filed a request for Tuesdays Council meeting to hire Young & Wright for $425,000 as consultant to provide architectural and engineering services for the Shoshone Park New Indoor Field House. The equity fund is budgeted for $20 million to improve at least eight city parks with the purchase of new playground equipment and other capital improvements. Masten Park/Johnny B. Wiley Reconstruction Project. Design for this $23 million project is 50% complete. Affordable Housing Fund. A working group was established to discuss the development and rollout of the program for which $16.3 million was allocated. Healthy Homes Inspections Program. Budgeted at $1 million, the program supports city inspections of housing to prevent lead poisoning and other environmentally rooted causes of health disparities. About $84,000 has been spent to cover personnel salary and fringe costs. Neal Dobbins Restorative Justice and Public Safety Fund. A preliminary budget is under review. A working group was established to discuss the development and rollout of the $6 million program for technology and community-based antiviolence programming to improve neighborhood safety and encourage resident-driven crime prevention programs through targeted interventions and mentoring service. Smart Sewer and Water Infrastructure Buildout. The city earmarked $40 million. Personnel were hired last year and project coordination is underway. Potential project locations are to be determined. Construction contracts should be awarded in the summer, with construction commencing in October. Replacing Old Lead Lines (ROLL) Expansion. Of the $10 million set aside, about $2.5 million has been spent since March 2021, and 238 residential properties have had their lead water service lines replaced. Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures. The Management Information Systems Department is purchasing software and technology infrastructure to enhance the security of the citys computer network. Stimulus funding totals $2.2 million. About $195,000 has been spent. Road Maintenance Fund. This $7.6 million project up from $4 million is currently in the planning phase, including drafting the list of potential locations for construction. Construction to start in May. Buffalo Urban Development Corporation Operating Assistance. $1.2 million was allocated. A Memorandum of Understanding between the city and BUDC is in negotiations. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Thousands of protesters gathered in a massive "Freedom Convoy" to protest the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions at Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022, (Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times) Freedom Convoy Raises $3 Million on GiveSendGo After GoFundMe Removes Campaign The Canadian Freedom Convoy raised more than $3 million on GiveSendGo after GoFundMe removed its campaign amid controversy over how the nearly $10 million would be handled. A new petition from the Canadian Freedom Convoy raised some $3.2 million out of a $16 million target on GiveSendGo, which was down on Saturday. The company said that it was being targeted by heavy DDOS and bot attacks, but on Sunday morning, the fundraising platform appeared to be online. In spite of all of this we still have managed to raise funds 5X faster than the gfm did, the company said, referring to GoFundMe. GFM raised 10mil in 3 weeks. GSG campaign has already raised over 1.1mil in just over 12 hours! The original GoFundMe appeal had raised some $9 million before the platforms management said it would withhold money to the truckers in the midst of a public pressure campaign. Several Republican attorneys general, including Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, said they would investigate whether any laws were broken by GoFundMe. GoFundMe confirmed last week that it is preventing the funds from going to the Freedom Convoys organizers and would send the money to other charities. The platform said that law enforcement officials have evidence that the previously peaceful demonstration has become an occupation, with police reports of violence and other unlawful activity, without elaborating on how it has become an occupation. Jon Carpay, the head of Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, a legal group representing the convoy organizers, told The Epoch Times late last week that GoFundMe needs to make the evidence public. Police officers in Ottawa, Carpay added, are using tactics often used by authoritarian countries to remove the right of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Thousands gather around Parliament Hill in support of the Freedom Convoy truck protest in Ottawa on Feb. 5, 2022. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) In their GiveSendGo fundraiser, the organizers of the convoywhich has been parked in downtown Ottawa, Canada, in a bid to overturn COVID-19 vaccine mandatessaid the truckers and others are taking our fight to the doorsteps of our Federal Government and demanding that they cease all mandates against its people. Small businesses are being destroyed, homes are being destroyed and people are being mistreated and denied fundamental necessities to survive, according to the fundraising page. We are a peaceful country that has helped protect nations across the globe from tyrannical governments who oppressed their people, and now it seems it is happening here. Over the weekend, billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted that GoFundMe appeared to previously support the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP, also known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, during weeks of George Floyd-inspired rioting and violence in Seattle during the summer of 2020. Several deaths were reported in CHOP, including a 16-year-old teen, before police dismantled it. GoFundMe has not yet responded to a request for comment. Prone Position Eases Breathing During Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Lying in the prone (face-down) position, in which your chest is down and your back is up, could be a simple way to improve outcomes in cases of severe respiratory distress. This topic has received renewed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, as invasive mechanical ventilation is conventionally delivered with the patient lying on their back in the supine (face-up) position. Mechanical ventilation is the main supportive treatment for critically ill patients infected with novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), according to a February 2020 study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. However, reports suggest that many COVID-19 patients put on ventilators dont make it. In a JAMA study that included 5,700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New York City area between March 1, 2020, and April 4, 2020, mortality rates for those who received mechanical ventilation ranged from 76.4 percent to 97.2 percent, depending on age. There are many reasons why those on ventilators have a high risk of mortality, including being more severely ill to begin with. However, given the poor outcomes, some physicians are now trying to keep patients off ventilators as much as possible by using alternative measures, including having patients lie on their stomachs (prone) to allow for better lung aeration. Its also possible that prone ventilation, which is ventilation delivered with the patient lying in the prone position, may help patients who arent responding to conventional ventilation in the supine position, as well as reduce mortality in those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prone Positioning Lowers Death Rate in Those With ARDS ARDS is a lung condition that causes low blood oxygen and fluid buildup in the lungs. As fluid builds up in the lungs and surfactant, which helps the lungs fully expand, breaks down, the lungs are unable to properly fill with air. A person with ARDS will have shortness of breath, which can progress to low blood oxygen, rapid breathing, and rattling sounds in the lungs when breathing. ARDS is a common complication among seriously ill COVID-19 patients, with one study suggesting that 100 percent of COVID-19 patients who died in one study had suffered from ARDS. In 2013, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that early application of prone positioning may improve outcomes in people with severe ARDS. During the study, 466 patients with severe ARDS were randomly assigned to receive prone-positioning sessions of at least 16 hours or to stay in the supine position. After 28 days, 32.8 percent in the supine group had died, compared to 16 percent in the prone group. After 90 days, the supine group had a mortality rate of 41 percent, compared to 23.6 percent in the prone group, with researchers concluding, In patients with severe ARDS, early application of prolonged prone-positioning sessions significantly decreased 28-day and 90-day mortality. Not only have previous studies found that oxygenation is significantly better among patients in the prone position compared to the supine position, but prone positioning may also prevent ventilator-induced lung injury. Why Prone Positioning Benefits ARDS Patients In the video above, Jonathan Downham, an advanced critical care practitioner in the UK, explains why prone positioning can be so beneficial for those with ARDS. Using a simple example of a sponge filled with fluid, he shows how the direction of drainage changes depending on the sponges position. In ARDS, the lungs air sacs, or alveoli, become damaged. Fluid leaks through the air sacs damaged walls and collects. Fluid in the lung will increase its weight, which then squeezes out the gas from the dependent regions. If the sponge represents a fluid-filled lung, in the supine (on the back) position the dependent regions are at the back of the lung. While the fluid in an ARDS patients lung is more evenly distributed than the sponge model suggests, it helps to show how the increased lung mass squeezes out the gas of the gravity-dependent lung regions, and why the lung densities shift when moving from the supine to the prone position. According to Downham, this shift can occur in a matter of minutes after changing a persons position. Differences in shape of the lungs and chest wall also come into play. Imagining that the lung is like a slinky, Downham then shows how, when a patient is in the prone position, the weight becomes much more evenly distributed, allowing for better ventilation. When in the supine position, several factors, including gravitational forces and increased pressure from the wet lung combine to have a detrimental effect on the alveoli in the lower lung. The prone patient, however, suffers less from these effects. Other benefits also occur with prone positioning, including: Prone positioning can also help with stress and strain on the lung. It also reduces lung inflammation in ARDS patients and may reduce the severity and the extent of lung injury caused by mechanical ventilation. Support for Early Use of Prone Positioning Increasing research suggests that prone positioning should be used systematically in the early management of severe ARDS, and not reserved as a rescue maneuver or a last-ditch effort. As noted by a pathophysiology-based review published in the World Journal of Critical Care Medicine, Current evidence strongly supports that prone positioning has beneficial effects on gas exchange, respiratory mechanics, lung protection, and hemodynamics as it redistributes transpulmonary pressure, stress, and strain throughout the lung and unloads the right ventricle. The researchers suggested that prone positioning seemed to be beneficial in most cases of ARDS and recommended that early use of prolonged prone positioning in conjunction with lung-protective strategies decreases mortality significantly. For best results, other researchers have suggested that prone ventilation sessions should last 12 to 18 hours per session and should be begun early, within 36 hours of diagnosis. A small study of patients with severe COVID-19-related ARDS who required mechanical ventilation in Wuhan, China, also revealed that lying in the prone position for 24-hour periods was better for the lungs. Unfortunately, despite the many potential benefits, prone positioning remains an underused technique. One study suggested that only 13.7 percent of patients with ARDS, and 32.9 percent of patients with severe ARDS, were placed in the prone position. Awake Proning Is Also Beneficial Much of the research into prone positioning for respiratory distress has focused on its use during mechanical ventilation. However, at least one study has been planned to determine whether the use of prone positioning in awake self-ventilating patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS could improve gas exchange and reduce the need for invasive mechanical ventilation. Previous research also suggests that awake, spontaneously breathing patients who arent intubated can also benefit from prone positioning, which leads to improved oxygenation. Another study of care involving critically ill COVID-19 patients in Chinas Jiangsu Province recommended the use of awake prone positioning, which, the researchers noted, showed significant effects in improving oxygenation and pulmonary heterogeneity. Its also been suggested that the physiological changes that occur with prone positioning may be even more favorable in spontaneously breathing patients than in those who are intubated. A 2003 study found, in fact, that the prone position led to a rapid increase in partial pressure of oxygen, or PaO2, which is a measure of how well oxygen moves from the lungs to the blood, among patients with respiratory failure. All of the patients in the study were able to avoid mechanical ventilation. In the case of COVID-19, some experts suggest that all patients who are awake and able to adjust their own position should use the prone position for two- to four-hour sessions, two to four times a day. How to Use Prone Positioning at Home Some hospitals have also released instructions for self-proning, which can be used at home for people with cough or trouble breathing. If youre struggling to breathe, you should seek emergency medical care. However, in cases of cough or mild shortness of breath being treated at home, guidelines from Elmhurst Hospital recommend not spending a lot of time lying flat on your back. Instead, it suggests laying [sic] on your stomach and in different positions will help your body to get air into all areas of your lung. The guidelines recommend changing your position every 30 minutes to two hours, including: Lying on your belly Lying on your right side Sitting up Lying on your left side This is a simple way to potentially help ease breathing difficulties at home and, if you or a loved one is hospitalized, can be used there, too. If your health care providers dont suggest it, ask whether prone positioning could help. Playfulness creates a loop: Feeling autonomous lets you get lost in the activity. Joyful tinkering leads to feeling competent, and you want to try it again. Everyone talks about the benefits of playfulness for learning and development. But what do we do to become playful? What helps or hinders us on that road? And what is it like to stay on that road? If we can map out the path, including its obstacles and its benefits, it will be easier to create the circumstances under which children all of us can benefit from play. We might also better understand why and when attempts to become playful misfire, those moments when we see a chance to play and get creative, but it does not work out. We can come to see that this probably happens because one or more of the stepping stones is missing. Our research has identified four stepping stones that seem essential to becoming playful: autonomy, absorbed interaction, surprise, and feeling competent. First, individuals at play need to feel autonomous. The choice about what to do, say, or make should belong to the player. It should not be claimed by another person who is orchestrating what is going on, whether an ambitious parent or a stressed boss at work. Second, when people become playful, they lose themselves in what they are doing and become absorbed in the interaction. There is a blurring between them and the materials or the activity in which they are engaged. In tinkering with a material or a person, sensing the possibilities of an interaction by making them happen, it is no longer clear how a result came into being. Who built this tower? Who got that idea? Was it me, the other person, or the Lego bricks? It was all of us. Surprise is the third key feature of becoming playful. In the interactions described earlier, players tend to be less circumscribed by a set plan of what to do. They engage in actions not previously thinkable, which can introduce surprises. Things happen that are unexpected and have not been designed deliberately. This unmapped exploration, leading to surprises, delivers the fourth feature of playfulness: a sense of increased competence. Surprising oneself is a big deal. In our research, we found that people gained an unexpected boost about what they felt able to do, and this motivated them to see how much further they could go. Becoming concrete by building ducks Our research does not start with definitions or discussions of playfulness. Rather, we arrange an encounter and let people walk us through their experience of turning a specific situation into a playful interaction. For example, in one study, we gave five small plastic bags to 22 adults. Each bag contained six Lego bricks of varying sizes. Four were yellow, one of which had an eye on either side, and two were red. We then asked the participants to use the bricks to build five ducks across two rounds. In the first round, they were asked to build the ducks in ways that felt playful. In the second, they were encouraged to build them in ways that did not feel playful. Immediately after each round, we asked the participants how they had approached the task and what they had experienced during different parts of the process. We found that the change of mindset made a big difference. When advised to become playful, participants said they felt a conscious need to become autonomous, to not think about the experiment but, instead, to do whatever they liked. Some even decided not to build ducks at all, but to construct cars or buildings or whatever they felt like. In contrast, when asked not to be playful, participants told us they tried to get into a mechanical mode, building according to the instructions. Typically, they built five identical ducks, often the same as a prototype we had shown them. They also described different ways of touching the Lego. Being playful seemed to make them engage in a more tentative way, sensing the bricks before beginning to build. Their sense of autonomy seemed to allow ideas to flow freely within this absorbed tinkering. It was as if the bricks took over, they said. It was only when being playful that people surprised themselves with the novel-looking ducks that emerged. Being surprised by their own actions led them to feel competent. Oh, I made this! they said. They felt like they wanted to make more ducks that would be more novel and surprising. Because they felt autonomous, they would say, Lets do it again. They were motivated to see what else they could make. In contrast, very few participants described the non-playful condition as enjoyable and motivating. Following advice mechanically does not lead to many surprises. It might be somewhat fun to get faster at building, but such joy can quickly turn into boredom when confronted with an easy, repetitive task. Playfulness enhances motivation to learn This experiment demonstrated how playfulness enhances and increases intrinsic motivation: it provides a drive to do things out of personal interest, not because of some external demand or incentive. This fostering of an internal drive helps explain why learning is enhanced by playfulness. Learning requires motivation for individuals to return again and again and not get tired of what they are doing. Playfulness supports a virtuous circle of experimentation, creativity, and learning, which generates the personal rewards that encourage people to repeat the process again and again. Enhance the features of playfulness These experiments tell us that, if we want to support playfulness and learning, we should try to enhance the four stepping stones, or experiences, mentioned earlier: autonomy, absorbed interaction, surprise, and feeling competent. How do parents, teachers, and others responsible for supporting childrens (and adults) development encourage these features? Let us start with autonomy. In a kindergarten or other classroom, a teacher should explore the opportunities for children to be autonomous. Is the environment unnecessarily restrictive, forbidding, or intimidating? Which rules are absolutely necessary? Which could be replaced by more open frameworks? Some kindergartens have yes wrist-bands that represent a simple agreement: The child can do anything that day as long as his or her actions do not hurt anybody or damage equipment. Teachers love this simple idea, with many saying that it allows them to avoid constantly say no and thus interrupting or hindering play. What about art galleries or even public libraries? Many feature a lot of rules for what visitors can or cannot do. People are expected to remain quiet and not interact with other visitors. They have to move carefully. They cannot eat or drink. There are alternatives: The Aarhus Library in Aarhus, Denmark, has large, dedicated playgrounds indoors and outdoors. It has a large cafe, but visitors can bring their own food and drink and consume them wherever they like. People of all ages and backgrounds mix and mingle there. For those who need silence, the library has soundproofed, silent reading and working rooms. Similarly, Trapholt Museum in Kolding, Denmark. shows its permanent collection in a setting where visitors are asked to curate their own personal exhibition. They can view the artworks and if they like a particular one, hold a chip to its nametag that saves the details electronically. Visitors are then asked to create their own exhibition, starting with this artwork, creating a title, and bringing together other artworks that fit the theme or intention. Once visitors have collected eight artworks, they can visit a virtual room to place them in an exhibition space that others can visit virtually. While the visitors have never touched any of the artworks, they have engaged with them, selected them, thought about them, brought them into relationship with each other, and placed them into their own exhibition. They have exerted agency and probably had fun. Often, strangers show their personal exhibitions to each other and laugh about their ideas. Supporting absorbed interaction How might children be encouraged to become absorbed with materials? Simply by offering them interesting materials and asking them to get engaged with them (without telling them precisely what to do). For example, an adult might roll out some old wallpaper in the yard and place finger paints nearby. He or she could tell the children that they cannot find the brushes and ask them to help find something else to paint with. Can they paint with a stick? With its sharp end only? How does it look if, instead, the stick is rolled over the paper? What about using leaves? Stones? Feet? Yes, it can get messy, but if the adult makes sure nothing valuable gets in the way, children will play for hours. Adults should take care not to throw away childrens artwork after they are finished. Instead, they can hang it on a line to dry and next time, ask them to cut or rip the works into interesting pieces and glue them onto postcards to make birthday cards. Playfulness produces so many possibilities. Generating surprise and competence Adults should also think about what generates surprise. One day, my daughter and I were walking through a wooded area and I asked her, What if everything we see stares back at us? Like the tree, for example. She looked a bit puzzled. The tree? she asked. Yes! I replied. But it has no eyes! she answered. Are you sure? I feel it sees us. And did you know that cabbages pull their leaves closer when snails are approaching? She giggled. And then she whispered, The tree is my friend. How do you know? I asked. I can feel it! It likes my green trousers! Then she came closer and whispered, But I think the dandelions are afraid of Solveig (my second, 2-year-old daughter). They know she will feed them to the sheep. I giggled, too. But maybe it just tickles getting eaten? I suggested. We went on for quite a while, going from surprise to surprise. And I found I learned a lot during this conversation. Katrin Heimann is interested in subjective experience, the complex ways you and me and others perceive and interact with this world, and especially art and play, in any millisecond. Exploring this rich realm of sensations, thoughts, feelings and other resonances and micro-gestures of adults and kids via practices of radical listening and embodied thinking brings me surprise and joy every single day. A member of Team Norway goes through security after arriving at the Olympic Village ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 1, 2022. (Anthony Wallace - Pool/Getty Images) I Cry Every Day: Olympians Blast Conditions at Beijings Quarantine Hotels Winter Olympic athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 have had enough of Beijings quarantine hotels. My stomach hurts, Im very pale, and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day. Im very tired, Russian biathlon competitor Valeria Vasnetsova said on Instagram from one of the hotels. A picture she posted on Feb. 3 shows a tray of plain pasta, orange sauce, charred meat on a bone, a few potatoes, and no greens. That had been her breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five days, she said. Vasnetsova said she was starving because it was impossible to eat much of the food, and she was surviving on a few bites of pasta. Today I ate all the fat they serve instead of meat because I was very hungry, she said, noting that she was losing so much weight that her bones are already sticking out. Vasnetsova said she believed athletes were getting worse fare than others. She shared a photo of food served to her team doctor living two floors below her who had also tested positive. The meals consisted of fresh fruit, a salad, and prawns with broccoli. I honestly dont understand, why is there this attitude to us, the athletes?! she said. Vasnetsova was far from the only one complaining. Unpalatable food or the sheer scarcity of it, along with hygiene and others issues have made Beijings Winter Olympic quarantine hotels the target of criticism. More than 350 Olympic participants have tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving at Chinas capital since Jan. 23. To get out of quarantine, athletes need to be symptom-free and present two negative tests 24 hours apart. When Eric Frenzel, a Nordic combined skier who has won three Olympic gold medals, headed into an isolation room after testing positive on Feb. 4, his team quickly found the conditions there to be unacceptable. Cleanliness, the quality of food, and WiFi conditions all need immediate improvement, Germanys team chief Dirk Schimmelpfennig told reporters on the following day. He noted that the team has been in intensive talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Beijing Winter Olympic organizers. People wearing personal protective equipment, designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, stand inside Beijing Capital International Airport ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Jan. 31, 2022. (Phil Noble/Reuters) The hotel room is unacceptable, so we will have to find a way to change this, Schimmelpfennig said from the Olympic Village in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. These hotels were not shown to us in advance, and we have the situation that the athletes rightly ask for improvement. The public attention has worked in the athletes favor. After Belgian skeleton star Kim Meylemanss tearful social media video about being transported to a second quarantine location when she thought she was going to be released, the IOC intervened, and she was given a room to self-isolate inside the Beijing Olympic Village. Belgian skeleton athlete Kim Meylemans at the departure of athletes of Team Belgium to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem on Jan. 29, 2022. (Laurie Dieffembacq/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images) Meylemans said on Feb. 3 that she felt safe after getting back to the village. It seems like the video and especially also the efforts of my Olympic committee have really paid off, she said in an Instagram video. Meal conditions for Vasnetsova appear to have improved as well, according to Sergei Averyanov, the spokesperson for her team. Two days after her complaints, Averyanov posted a picture showing salmon, cucumbers, sausages, and yogurt for Vasnetsova. Vasnetsova is already smiling, and thats the main thing, Averyanov wrote in a social media post. The Associated Press contributed to this report. When an extremely rare yellow northern cardinal showed up in his backyard, a Florida bird lover reached for his camera and started filming. Three months, and over 500 hours of filming, later, a special relationship with the bird had formed. Jeremiah Vreeland, 39, from Port Saint Lucie, told The Epoch Times that he and his neighbor first noticed the yellow cardinal in early April of 2021. I had seen him briefly, two to three times, chasing red cardinals around our back yard, Vreeland said. At the time, I did not know how rare yellow cardinals were. Towards the end of April, my neighbor asked if I had seen the cardinal and explained that they are very rare. Elsewhere in Port Saint Lucie, someone had filmed a yellow cardinal during 2019 and named him Sunny. Convinced his cardinal must be the same bird, Vreeland kept the name. He fed Sunny a combination of wild bird mix, black sunflower seeds, nuts, and berries to make him feel welcome in his yard. In return, Sunny provided Vreeland with hours of riveting footage. From April 29 to Aug. 5, I spent every day trying to film Sunny, he said. The time spent filming was filled with special moments that will never leave me. If he entered my yard, I would usually see him coming; if I didnt see him, I would listen for cardinal songs, maybe indicating he was in the area. Sunny would sometimes visit multiple times a day, sometimes not at all. Vreeland recalled that, sometimes, the little bird would just pop in for a snack at the feeder, while other times, he would spend up to an hour doing various things: chasing the other male cardinals, ground-feeding with his mate, or just hanging out in the trees. Quoting ornithologist Geoffrey Hill of Alabamas Auburn University in a social media post, Vreeland explained that the rare yellow cardinals color owes to a genetic mutation. The enzyme that would ordinarily convert the yellow pigments in the plants and insects they eat into red feathers is missing. It is believed that only 10 to 12 yellow northern cardinals are alive at any given time in North America, he added. As his footage of Sunny amassed, Vreeland began sharing photos and videos on social media, including dedicated Facebook and Instagram pages. He was bowled over by the overwhelmingly positive response. Posting his favorite video on Oct. 29, Vreeland explained, I am sitting 15 feet away from him, right after putting down fresh food and water. Nothing between us but air. Sunny puts down the peanut, looks right at me really seems like he is thanking me for the food?! Vreeland knew little about cardinals before filming Sunny, but his feathered friend inspired him to learn from articles and videos between filming. As he observed the best lessons of all, in his own backyard, he found that dominant Sunny seemed to love chasing one male target in particular. He named him Red. He also chose a name for Sunnys mate, Ada, and believes the paircardinals are typically monogamoushad at least two offspring. Vreeland, who maintains he is borderline novice at photography, filmed his original footage of Sunny in 1080p on two iPhones, a GoPro, and a Canon HD camcorder. He used Premiere Pro to edit videos, and Lightroom for stills, claiming all photos came from video screenshots. Sunny has since disappeared as he has not been seen by Vreeland since Aug. 5, 2021. But while the rare yellow cardinal may be gone, he is certainly not forgotten. The photographer said, His two believed offspring still visit our yard. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Bright newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Memphis Black Lives Matter Founder Sentenced to 6 Years for Illegally Voting A Black Lives Matter organizer in Memphis was sentenced to prison after she was convicted for illegally registering to vote. Pamela Moses, described by some outlets as the founder of a BLM chapter in Memphis, was sentenced to six years in prison last week after she was convicted in November 2021 for illegally registering to vote in Tennessee, according to prosecutors. Moses had felony convictions in 2015, making her ineligible to register to vote. Judge Mark Ward, while handing down her prison sentence, accused her of making false statements to the probation department to register to vote. You tricked the probation department into giving you documents saying you were off probation, Ward said in court last week. After you were convicted of a felony in 2015, you voted six times as a convicted felon. Moses in 2015 pleaded guilty to felony charges of tampering with evidence and forgery. She also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of perjury, stalking, and theft under $500, according to local media. Public records also show she was arrested in 2016 and charged with inciting a riot. Those charges were later dropped. I did not falsify anything. All I did was try to get my rights to vote back the way the people at the election commission told me and the way the clerk did, Moses said at her sentencing hearing on Jan. 26. A local activist in Memphis alleged that her conviction was erroneous, and her sentencing is too harsh for the crime she committed. Elected officials have used incredible amounts of resources in a time when theres a backlog in this justice system unlike any weve seen before. They use resources to try and convict this woman for trying to vote, said Josh Spickler, executive director of the left-wing group Just City, in a news conference. Moses previously said she never actually voted and only registered unknowingly. She faulted officials for not telling her about her ineligibility after she began probation on the 2015 charges. I relied on the election commission because those are the people who were supposed to know what youre supposed to do, Moses told News Channel 3 in December 2021. And I found out that they didnt know. However, prosecutors said during her trial that Moses knew that she was ineligible to vote. Even knowing that order denied her expiration of sentence, Pamela Moses submitted that form with her application for voter registration and signed an oath as to the accuracy of the information submitted, prosecutors argued. Pamela Moses knowingly made or consented to a false entry on her permanent registration. Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 2, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) MP Says She Hopes GoFundMes Cancellation of Convoy Fundraiser Was Not Politically Influenced Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis says government and industry should be independent of each other, after GoFundMe cancelled a fundraiser for the trucker protest in Ottawa that had garnered almost $10 million in donations. I certainly hope that GoFundMes decision to defund the Trucker Convoy was not politically influenced. Governments must be independent of industry, and vice versa, Lewis said in a Twitter post on Feb. 5. On Feb. 4, the crowdfunding platform said it would block the release of the money raised for the Freedom Convoy protest and would instead give the money to established charities verified by GoFundMe. The following day it said would automatically refund all the donations. GoFundMe said its reason for cancelling the fundraiser was that it had evidence from law enforcement of violence and other unlawful activity, without giving details of the allegations. John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms which represents the convoy organizers, told The Epoch Times in a previous interview that the claim of violent or unlawful activity on the part of the protesters is unfounded. I would like to see what evidence there is, Carpay said. Thats political spin. In a Feb. 4 Twitter post, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson thanked GoFundMe for listening to the plea made by the City and the Ottawa Police to no longer provide funds to the convoy organizers. Im hopeful that limiting their access to funding and resources will restrict their ability to remain in Ottawa, Watson said. On Feb. 3, the House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security voted unanimously to have GoFundMe testify about the source of the funds raised and what safeguards were put in place to ensure the money wouldnt be used to promote extremism. GoFundMes initial announcement that it was closing the convoy fundraiser and giving the money to charity raised concerns among several U.S. Republicans. On Feb. 5, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted that it was a fraud for the platform to commandeer the money and give it to causes of their own choosing. DeSantis said he would work with the states attorney general Ashley Moody to investigate these deceptive practices. The same day, GoFundMe announced that it would refund the donations. Floridas Lieutenant Governor Jeanette M. Nunez also voiced support for the Freedom Convoy and denounced the cancelling of the fundraising account. The same @gofundme that supported Antifa, BLM, and CHAZ/CHOP just shut down fundraisers for the Canadian truckers protesting against vaccine mandate, Nunez said on Twitter. Florida stands with the Freedom Convoy. The same @gofundme that supported Antifa, BLM, and CHAZ/CHOP just shut down fundraisers for the Canadian truckers protesting against vaccine mandate. Florida stands with the Freedom Convoy. Jeanette M. Nunez (@JeanetteNunezFL) February 5, 2022 The attorney general of Louisiana Jeff Landry, and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, said they would look into whether GoFundMe had violated their states laws. After GoFundMe cancelled the fundraiser, the Freedom Convoy organizers set up an account with GiveSendGo. As of Feb. 6, it had raised over US$3 million. The Epoch Times reached out to GoFundMe for comment but did not receive a response. U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in "surf immersion" during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif., on May 4, 2020. (MC1 Anthony Walker/U.S. Navy via AP) Navy SEAL Candidate Dies, 2nd Hospitalized After Hell Week One Navy SEAL candidate died and a second was hospitalized after they completed the Hell Week that ends the first phase of assessment of the special operations force candidates. Naval Special Warfare Command said in a statement to news outlets on Feb. 4 that the SEAL candidates cause of death is not yet known. The injured candidate is in stable condition at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, officials said. The Navy confirmed on Sunday that 24-year-old Seaman Kyle Mullen died at Sharp Coronado Hospital in California on Friday. We extend our deepest sympathies to Seaman Mullens family for their loss, Rear Admiral H.W. Howard III said in the statement. We are extending every form of support we can to the Mullen family and Kyles BUD/S classmates, Howard added. The trainees were not actively training when they reported symptoms and were transported to receive emergency care, the Navy said. My prayers are with the family and loved ones of the deceased during this very difficult time, and I wish for a full recovery of the other candidate reported injured yesterday, House Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) said in a statement, local media reported. He added: These courageous, talented sailors were on their way to becoming some of our countrys most elite military personnel. We must find out what transpired so we can do whatever we can to keep others safe. In the days and weeks ahead, I look forward to learning more as the Navy conducts a thorough investigation. The last SEAL candidate to die during the assessment phase before the death on Feb. 4 was in 2016. James Derek Lovelace, 21, was treading water with his gear in a massive pool when an instructor pushed him underwater at least twice. The San Diego County Medical Examiner initially ruled his death a homicide. The Navy said in 2017 that it would not pursue criminal charges after an investigation was carried out into Lovelaces death. An autopsy revealed that Lovelace had an enlarged heart and other health issues that may have contributed to his death. Hell Week, which refers to a portion of the first part of SEAL training, consists of 5 1/2 days of cold, wet, brutally difficult operational training on fewer than four hours of sleep, according to a NavySeals website. Hell Week tests physical endurance, mental toughness, pain and cold tolerance, teamwork, attitude, and your ability to perform work under high physical and mental stress, and sleep deprivation. On average, only 25 percent of SEAL candidates make it through Hell Week, the toughest training in the U.S. Military, it says. It is a miserable time, it is well-named, said Paul Anderson, a retired Navy Seal Chief, FOX5 reported. Its a gut check. You get approximately four hours of sleep the whole week. You are constantly doing physical evolutions whether its physical obstacles, going in and out of the surf zone with your boats, running, you are constantly wet and you are always sandy. The Naval Special Warfare Command has launched an investigation into the death, said the military. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Parents File Lawsuit After 12-Year-Old Girl Attempts Suicide Twice at School After Secret Meetings A counselor endorsed the belief that the child 'could be a boy' After a 12-year-old girl attempted suicide on school property twice after months of secret meetings with a school counselor, her parents have filed a lawsuit. On Jan. 5, Wendel and Maria Perez received a call from Destiny Washington, who identified herself as a school counselor at Paterson Elementary School (PES) in Fleming Island, Florida, part of Clay County District Schools. Washington told Mr. and Mrs. Perez they needed to come to the school immediately. Washington said it was about their daughter, a sixth-grader, but would not reveal any further information. When the Perezes arrived at the school they waited in the lobby for 20 minutes before someone came to escort them to a room where Washington, PES Principal John OBrian, Vice Principal Courtney Schumacher, and a Clay County Schools Police officer were waiting. Mr. and Mrs. Perez were instructed to sit down. According to the federal lawsuit obtained by The Epoch Timesfiled Jan. 24 by Child and Parental Rights Campaign, Inc. on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. PerezWashington told the Perezes the reason they were called to the school was because their daughter had tried to commit suicide by hanging herself in the school restroom. Washington then informed the parents the reason why their daughter tried to kill herself was because of her gender identity issue and the fact they would would not be in agreement with these changes because of their Christian Catholic religious beliefs. As the Perezes sat reeling, Washington stunned them again. The Jan. 5 suicide attempt was the second effort. Their daughter had also tried to hang herself the day before. Without explaining how the child survived the first attempt, Washington insisted school staff was not aware of the first attempt prior to the second. According to the complaint, the daughter sought guidance from the counselor because she was being bullied. She liked video games, which is something her peers say boys do. A friend confided she thought she was transgender, and the girl thought she could be transgender as well because she wanted to be strong and free like a boy.' When the child went to speak to Washington, she saw a lot of posters, literature, and other promotional materials related to LGBTQ pride in Washintons office. The girl thought those materials were cool and asked Washington if she supported transgender people. Washington said she did, at which point the child told Washington, In that case call me M and he. Through weekly private meetings over the next few months, the complaint alleges Washington endorsed the belief that the child could be a boy and called her by the male name and pronouns. Washinton promised she would not tell the girls parents. However, the promise of confidentiality did not extend to the childs peers. Washington began addressing the child by the male name in front of her friends without the girls permission. The child was humiliated. The bullying, for which she sought help from Washington, escalated. As the child became more confused and depressed, Washington told the girl she would get all of the teachers to start calling her by the male name. After being told their daughter had tried twice to hang herself on school property because their Christian Catholic beliefs conflicted with her new identity and being told they had been kept in the dark about the months of private meetings because of confidentiality issues, the Clay County Schools Police officer then informed Mr. and Mrs. Perez that their daughter had already been placed in the back of a police car and was going to be transported to a mental health facility under the Baker Act, regardless of whether or not they approved. According to the complaint, Mr. and Mrs. Perez were not given the option of transporting their traumatized daughter to the facility or even traveling with her to provide comfort. Instead, their suicidal 12-year-old daughter was taken in a police vehicle to an emergency room, where she stayed until 4 a.m. when she was transferred alone, without the comfort and/or support of her parents, to another emergency room and then admitted to the behavioral health unit at Wolfson Childrens Hospital. Screenshot of a complaint filed Jan. 24 by Child and Parental Rights Campaign, Inc. on behalf of Wendel and Maria Perez, whose 12-year-old daughter attempted suicide on school property twice after months of secret meetings where a school counselor encouraged the child to identify as a boy. (Courtesy of Vernadette Broyles) The Lawsuit Named in the lawsuit are David Broskie (individually, and in his official capacity as Superintendent of Clay County District Schools), John OBrian (individually, and in his official capacity as Principal of Paterson Elementary School), Courtney Schumacher (individually, and in her official capacity as Assistant Principal of Paterson Elementary School), and Destiny Washington (individually, and in her official capacity as counselor at Paterson Elementary School). Twelve causes are outlined. A jury trial is demanded. The first four causes in the lawsuit are related to Violation of Civil Rights., 42 U.S.C. 1983, as granted by the U.S. Constitution. First, for denying the Perezes due process of their fundamental parental right to direct the education and upbringing of their child. The second cause is for violation of their fundamental right to direct the medical and mental health decision-making for their child. The third cause of action is for violation of their right to familial privacy by implicitly affirming that Mr. and Mrs. Perez unreasonably not agree with their daughters assumption of a male name because of their religious beliefs and therefore cannot be trusted to be informed of or involved in decision-making related to her identity. Cause four is for violation of the Perezes right to free exercise of their Catholic Christian faith and for targeting their beliefs regarding the created order, human nature, sexuality, gender, ethics, and morality which constitute central components of their sincerely held religious beliefs. The fifth cause of action is for violation of the Perezes right to free exercise and enjoyment of religion under Article I, 3 of the Florida Constitution: there shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. The sixth cause is for violation of the right to privacy, granted in Article 1, 23 of the Florida Constitution. The seventh is for violation of their right to substantive due process under Art. I 9 of the Florida Constitution, and the eighth is for violation of the Parents Bill of Rights, Florida Statutes, Chapter 1014, signed into law by Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 30, 2021. The ninth cause is for violation of Florida Statute 761.03, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The tenth cause is for violation of the right to choose medical treatment for their child as granted by Florida Statute 743.07. Cause eleven is for intentional infliction of emotional distress and the twelfth is for negligent infliction of emotional distress. Screenshot of Wendel Perez during a Zoom interview with The Epoch Times regarding the lawsuit against Clay County school officials on Jan. 31, 2021. (Patricia Tolson/The Epoch Times) The Fathers Story This counselor said we were there because our daughter tried to commit suicide, Wendel Perez recalled of that day to The Epoch Times. The counselor alleged that it was because of her gender identity issue, and they knew we would not be in agreement because of our religious beliefs. Were Catholic Christians. When I asked why they didnt notify us about these surreptitious meetings with the school counselor, we were told by an administrator that confidentiality issue prevented them from telling us about them. Confidentiality was the same reason given to January Littlejohn after she discovered school officials in Leon County, Florida, held a private meeting with her daughter. As reported by The Epoch Times on Aug. 23, several school officials met with her daughter in secret to draft a transgender gender nonconforming student support plan, which was used to record her childs new non-binary status, preferred name, and preferred pronouns. The 13-year-old child was even allowed to determine she would be comfortable rooming w/either sex on overnight school trips without the knowledge or consent of the parents. Staff also decided the parents would not be informed of anything involved in implementing this plan, and staff were instructed not to include gender-specific pronouns when speaking w/parents. Asked about his daughters conversation with her transgender friend and Washington regarding the idea she might be transgender, Perez believes the idea was encouraged, not inherent. My daughter never exhibited any gender confusion, Perez insisted. She never questioned her biological sex. From all he has seen, including the Littlejohns case, Perez said he is convinced there is an underground movement to push the transgender ideology on children through schools. I believe its implanted, Perez said, explaining that his daughter simply wanted to be strong and that in her mind, the way to be strong would to be a boy because boys are strong. His daughter also has interest in video games, which she plays with her brother. Because of this, kids were bullying her at school, calling her derogatory names. She is a she, Perez insisted. In fact, just before the incident, the complaint states the child had told her mother that she believed that people who say they are transgender have a problem with their minds because if youre a boy, youre a boy, if youre a girl, youre a girl. When the Perezes asked why they had not been told about the secret meetings until the second suicide attempt, Schumacher told them school officials were not required to tell the parents about the weekly private meetings because of confidentiality issues. However, according to the complaint, neither she nor anyone affiliated with the school provided legal authority for these assertions. Perez said when he and his wife arrived at the hospital, they were under the impression their daughter was going to be with someone. But they discovered their daughter had been by herself the whole time. More disturbing was when she was moved into the behavioral health unit, where one of the staff members called their daughter by the boys name used by Washington. Perez said his daughter immediately corrected the staff member, saying that was not her name and she told him her real name. What Perez wants to know is how the hospital staff member knew to address his daughter by the fictitious name in the first place. Who was in charge? Perez asked rhetorically. We werent allowed to go with her. The school was in charge. The school provided all of the information to the hospital. The school coordinated with the hospital. She was away from us for a week, with limited access to family, Perez said. Then she was released to us on January 12, and shes been with us since then. Asked how his daughter was doing now, Perez said shes doing great. Shes a happy girl like she was before. She is relieved she isnt at the school anymore and she does not want to go back. She is getting her schoolwork from her teachers and doing her work from home. Vernadette Broyles, president, general counsel and founder of Child and Parental Rights Campaign, Inc. (Courtesy of Vernadette Broyles) The Attorneys Perspective Vernadette Broyles, president, general counsel and founder of Child and Parental Rights Campaign, Inc., was present during the Zoom interview with Perez. Its so important to understand that to endorse a childs discordant gender identity that is in conflict with her biological sex is a serious mental health decision that school personnel are not competent or qualified or authorized to make, Broyles told The Epoch Times. How important it is for school officials to immediately involve parents. According to Broyles, school officials hide behind the kids in their effort to push an agenda in secret. They hide behind the kids and say, the kids dont want us to tell the parents so were just honoring their confidentiality. That is not the law. They are foolishly authorizing children to both defy and exclude their parents when they need their parents more than ever. These are kids. They are immature. They need guidance. Asked if she had a message to relay, Broyles said if I could stand on a roof somewhere and scream any message she would tell school officials, stop! You are damaging these children you claim to be championing who are in distress and having confusion. This story is about a child and her family but its bigger than that, Broyles said. This is happening to so many. Our organization is hearing from parents all around the country. Were overrun. We cant handle them all. These school officials are sending the message to kids that they need to be protected from their parents, not protected by their parents. That is an extremely dangerous and frightening message. In order to protect the identity of the 12-year-old child, The Epoch Times asked if the parents preferred to speak under the condition of anonymity. Were in the public domain already, Broyles said, adding that Mr. and Mrs. Perez dont want to go by John and Jane Doe. Theyre real people. They want to stand by this, Broyles asserted. Theyre taking a courageous stand because this cant happen to anyone else. We have to tell the story and not hide in some way. We just have to tell this story so no one else experiences this and people realize this is going on. Asked if he had a message for other parents, Perez said parental rights are for everyone. They are for me as a Catholic. They are good for my neighbor as a Muslim. They are good for liberals. They are good for conservatives. They are good for blacks, for whites, for everyone. Parental rights are for everyone, even LGBTQ couples. The School Districts Denial The Epoch Times reached out to Broskie and OBrian. A Clay County District Schools spokesperson replied on their behalf. Clay County District Schools has not been served with any legal process and cannot comment on the content of any pleading filed with the court, Terri Dennis, Clay County District Schools chief of staff, replied. The district performed a thorough and complete investigation into this matter as it was presented to us and has determined that the allegations made by this out-of-state organization are completely false, fabricated, and appear to be intended solely for the purpose of inciting the public. All employees of the district consistently work to ensure that the best interest of all students are served. The district will have no further comment on this matter. The Attorneys Rebuttal Clay County District School officials claim that they did a thorough investigation into the Perezes allegations, Broyles stated. However, the District did not follow its own published policy regarding claims of discrimination, which provides that all persons involved shall be questioned. No one in the Perez family has been questioned regarding their claims, so whatever investigation was done, it was not done in accordance with the districts required procedures. What is more, these allegations are not being made by an out-of-state organizationthey are being made by two Florida parents, one of whom is a practicing attorney, who know their rights under Florida law and, yes, they hope to encourage other Floridian parents to stand up for theirs as well. The Governors Response Governor DeSantis has led the way on standing up for parents rights, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis press secretary Christina Pushaw told The Epoch Times. In Florida, parents have the right to make health and education decisions for their own kids. Good teachers and school administrators see parents as essential partners in their kids education, not as adversaries. Schools must never keep secrets about a child from that childs parents. Encouraging any student to lead a double life, without informing the parents or guardians, is completely unacceptable. Not only does it violate the spirit of protections for parents rights, but such confusing dynamics can cause serious challenges for a childs mental and emotional health. Governor DeSantis will always stand up for parents rights to be involved in their childrens education and to make decisions for their own sons and daughters. As a father, Governor DeSantis feels that parentsnot activists or politiciansknow whats best for their own kids. Parents should play the most important role in their kids education and upbringing; they must not be marginalized by ideological directives from activist groups. Schools need to work alongside parents as partners in their childs education, and not hide important issues from parents or interfere with the relationship between a parent and his or her child. Photographed in the snow with baskets of fruit, the children depicted in this series of images look like little Russian dolls, bundled up in tiny fur coats against picturesque backdrops. These toddlers with rosy cheeks appear like characters in a fairy tale. Photographing children is a special pleasure, child and family photographer Elena Algazina, 44, from St. Petersburg, Russia, told The Epoch Times. And most importantly, they never pose, they are real. The rustic series which showcases little kids in fur coats in the picturesque location of the Russian village of Shuvalovka was born when Elena found a brown coat from her childhood that was kept in her closet. My mother kept it as a keepsake, Elena said. It laid in the closet for more than 30 years many Soviet children had such fur coats, felt boots, hats, and scarves in their childhood. So when her son turned 2, Elena wanted to photograph him with her fur coat. To complete the entire look, she sourced felt boots at a flea market and rented a traditional hat. The resulting image was shot against a picturesque wooden house background. With the success of the first image. Elena was encouraged to buy another miniature-sized beige fur coat. However, for this image, she pictured her frame with two kids, preferably a brother-sister duo around the age of 2. Everything began to take shape like a puzzle, Elena said. I found a location in St. Petersburg, not far from the world-famous Peterhof and the famous fountains. The Russian village of Shuvalovka, she said, was perfect for her as a backdrop. After finding the perfect location for her series, she was lucky to find models among her friends kids. As the kidsElisha and Natalyasat down on a staircase, with a bagel each in their tiny hands, exquisitely dressed in thick fur coats and hats, woolen shawls, and adorable boots, a cat entered the frame, creating the right mood. Shooting the first pair, Elena said, was unforgettable. Next, she snapped pictures of real siblings, Sasha and Marusya. While Elena says she doesnt have any major challenge photographing children, the only real difficulty is the freezing temperatures. I dont really like frost and cold, Elena said. You have to take off your gloves, your hands are freezing. But time flies by, two hours is like five minutes. Then you can warm up in a Russian restaurant, and eat hot tasty borscht. After Elena posted a picture of the rustic series on her page, it went viral. Some people thought that these were old photographs, in authentic clothes, Elena said. With several of her other images going viral, Elena says artists from different countries often write to her seeking permission to draw pictures in oil paint or watercolor works from her photographs. However, there is no denying that Elenas little models are the real stars that actually bring out the magic in each image. They are all completely different, she said. I love positive and smiling children hugging animals. Elenas interest in childrens photography sparked when she gave birth to her son in 2010. With her husband teaching her to click pictures, the couple snapped a lot of pictures and videos of their son, especially in the first year of his life. A child never changes outwardly so rapidly as from the moment of birth to a year, Elena said. The couple then compiled the photos capturing many beautiful memories into photobooks. Reflecting on her own experience, Elena advises parents to click as many pictures of their children as possible. Dont wait for a special birthday or new year, Elena urged. Do it at any time, because kids grow up so fast. Here Are More Pictures From the Series: Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Bright newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter School superintendents across the state want Gov. Kathy Hochul to set some definite statistical goal that would result in the end of the mask mandate in schools. Hochul seems most interested in one specific metric the number of children vaccinated against the virus as the one that would trigger any decision to unmask New York's children. Hochul's mask mandates, imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the winter surge caused by the Omicron variant of the virus, currently are supposed to expire Thursday for indoor public places and Feb. 21 in schools. Hochul never has set a definite statistical goal that must be met to end those mandates. "I can't sit here today and say I have a number where magic is going to happen," Hochul told The Buffalo News Jan. 24. "I don't think it's too many more weeks out in the future, maybe a few more months, I'm not sure. But there will come a time." While we continue to make progress against Omicron, there is no single metric or threshold that will tell us when we can safely stop requiring masks. Covid-19 transmission remains high, and too many New Yorkers remain unvaccinated, especially kids," the state Health Department said in a prepared statement Saturday. The spike in Covid cases caused by Omicron is disappearing almost as rapidly as it emerged. On Friday, according to data released by Hochul's office, the statewide positivity rate sank to 3.76%, down from a record of 23.2% on Jan. 2. It was the first time since Nov. 26 that the statewide daily percentage of positive Covid tests was less than 4%. In Western New York, defined by the state as Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, Thursday's tests showed a 7.8% positivity rate, down from an all-time record of 23.3% on Jan. 7. The last time the region's rate was below 8% was on Dec. 18. Erie County's Friday positivity rate was 7.6%, according to the county Health Department. So we're getting there, but I would love to see that trend line of younger children more vaccinated as we start making decisions about schools," Hochul said Friday in Kingston. "So that's a message to all parents and school leaders and teachers and influencers, that the more children we have vaccinated, the safer they'll be when they go to school, and get to the time we get to when they won't need a mask anymore, which we're striving for, but we're just not there yet," Hochul said. "But let's know that there's a very safe way to get there. And that is getting more kids vaccinated." Statewide statistics show that as of Thursday, 37.1% of children ages 5 to 11 had received at least one vaccine dose, and 28.8% had completed a vaccine series. For 12- to 17-year-olds, 75.5% have received a jab, while 67.7% have completed a series. In Western New York, 34.6% of 5- to 11-year-olds and 62.1% of 12- to 17-year-olds have received at least one dose. Full series have been completed by 28.3% of 5- to 11-year-olds and 57.3% of those ages 12 to 17. Last week, 51 Western New York school superintendents signed letters urging Hochul to make definite plans for how and when the mask mandate will end. The New York State Council of School Superintendents did likewise in a letter to Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. "We believe we have now reached the time where the state needs to transition schools out from a pandemic learning environment," the state superintendents' group wrote. "We have deferred to public health experts when it comes to universal masking and rules for indoor settings, and we do not seek to engage in a debate on its merits. The critical issue with mandatory masking in schools at this moment is the urgent need for school leaders and parents to know the plan moving forward with concrete assurances from the state," the superintendents' council wrote. Their letter called for "clear guidance on universal school mask requirements and when and how those will evolve. The best way to do this is to provide reasonable, understandable and achievable metrics based on recommendations from medical professionals for when masking rules will eventually be changed. Absent this clarity, families might assume that current rules and regulations will continue in perpetuity," the superintendents' group wrote. "Gov. Hochul and the Department of Health remain committed to doing everything possible to keep children, teachers and staff safe, and our schools open," a Hochul spokesman said Saturday. "As the governor has done throughout the pandemic, we will continue working with superintendents, school leaders, and parents and guardians to monitor Covid rates and protect the health and safety of everyone in our schools." Assemblywoman Monica P. Wallace, D-Cheektowaga, joined the superintendents in looking toward an end to masking. "Now that cases are declining, I encourage the Department of Health to heed this request and develop metrics for determining when discretion will be returned to local school districts," Wallace wrote Friday to Hochul and Bassett. "We need public health guidance that balances the risk of infection with the need to maintain the mental health and well-being of our children," Wallace's letter said. Wallace and the statewide superintendents' group both warned that the public's patience is running out. "Requiring masks in schools regardless of declining or low infection rates will only frustrate the public, sow mistrust, and lead many to disregard any future public health measures that may become necessary," Wallace wrote. "We believe thoughtful changes now could help to sustain acceptance of masking and other rules while they remain necessary," the superintendents' council wrote. "It is crucial to recognize that rules which defy common sense or are inconsistently applied threaten to undermine public acceptance of all rules, including those that remain essential." On Jan. 24, a judge in Nassau County invalidated Hochul's mask mandates, saying they violated a state law passed in early 2021 that took away many of the governor's powers to impose such orders without State Legislature consent. There were reports of many Western New York children going to school without masks the next day. However, the Hochul administration won an appellate ruling that allowed the mask mandates to stay in place while it fights the Nassau ruling. On Jan. 28, Hochul extended the indoor business mask mandate to Feb. 10. That has produced signs on store doors telling customers to wear masks, but Hochul left enforcement up to county governments, most of which have not lifted a finger to enforce her order. However, Democratic Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz imposed his own public mask mandate before Hochul did. Thursday, the County Legislature voted along party lines seven Democrats vs. four Republicans not to take away Poloncarz's emergency powers. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. People rally against provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and in support of Ottawa protesters, outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg on Feb. 4, 2022. (The Canadian Press/John Woods) Police Identify Driver of Hit-and-Run at Winnipeg Trucker Protest Winnipeg police have identified the driver accused of running his vehicle into a crowd of protesters participating in the Freedom Convoy rally at the provinces legislature on Feb. 4, injuring four people. David Alexander Zegarac, 42, is facing 11 charges, including four counts of assault with a weapon. Zegarac is also charged with with dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, dangerous operation of a conveyance, and failure to stop at scene of accident. The driver accused in Friday nights hit & run has now been identified as David Alexander Zegarac, 42. He faces 11 charges including Assault with a Weapon. Winnipeg Police (@wpgpolice) February 6, 2022 On the night of Feb. 4, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) was informed of a motor vehicle collision near Broadway and Memorial Boulevard, where a Jeep Patriot drove through a group of protesters at the Freedom Convoy rally. The driver then fled the scene. The Jeep fled west down Portage Avenue, where numerous witnesses reported it travelling at high speeds and passing through red lights, the police said in a statement on Feb. 5. WPS officers stopped the vehicle on the 4800 block of Portage Ave., with the help of the RCMP. The driver was arrested after a brief struggle and has remained in custody since. WPS said in a post on Twitter that police remain on scene of the protest. Zegarac was not part of the trucker convoy protest against the federal governments COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, according to WPS public information officer Rob Carver. The accused was not participating in the protest. What some comments he made after his arrest suggested is that his motivation was not specifically about the underlying causes of the protest or the mandates,Carver said in a press conference on Feb. 5, when asked to comment on the motivation of the accused. The police said four adult males were injured in the Jeep incident. Three sustained minor injuries that did not need medical attention, while the fourth was treated in hospital and released. Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute and founding member of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, in Washington on June 17, 2019. (York Du/NTD) Propaganda, United Front Tactics Are CCPs Magic Weapons Against US: Steven Mosher The three magic weapons possessed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are propaganda, united front tactics, and the Chinese militaryranked in that order, according to Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute. United front tactics, propaganda efforts always precede military action, and in some cases, they make military action unnecessary, Mosher told EpochTVs Crossroads. The magic weapons concept was invented by former CCP leader Mao Zedong and was successfully used by the CCP during the Chinese Civil War, which was fought between the Chinese Nationalist Party Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek and the CCP under Mao, according to Mosher. The war, lasting intermittently between 1927 and 1949, was won by the CCP, which established the most brutal totalitarian communist regime on earth: the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). During the war, the CCP always advanced firstnot militarily, but by using a massive propaganda barrage in the nationalist areas, in which they placed stories favorable to the Party, softening up the opposition in those areas and creating an opening for the CCP, according to Mosher. Then, the CCP moved into political organizations and entities of nationalist China, taking them over by using united front tactics. Then from those bridgeheads, from those stepping stones, then moving into control of the largest society, and oftentimes, military action not only came lastit came after the battle had essentially been won by these other two magic weapons: propaganda and united front tactics, Mosher said. According to a 2018 report by the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission, the Chinese regime uses united front work to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the CCPs policies and authority. The CCPs United Front Work Department (UFWD)the agency responsible for coordinating these kinds of influence operationsmostly focuses on the management of potential opposition groups inside China, but it also has an important foreign influence mission, the report reads. CCP leader Xi Jinping also talked about these three magic weapons in the same order several years ago, according to Mosher. Everyones paying attention to the buildup in the Peoples Liberation Army [the Chinese military], which is real and which is frightening, he said. But preceding that is this even more important buildup in propaganda efforts. And then, of course, theres the united front tactics. One of the propaganda arms of the Chinese Communist Party that effectively operates on U.S. soil is a radio station located near Washington that broadcasts news and information at all times to the most important audienceat least in terms of public policy in the United Statesthe audience in and around the nations capital. The United States does not have a comparable radio station in and around Beijing, broadcasting news and information from the Voice of America or Radio Free Asia or stories from The Epoch Times into China, Mosher said. So this is a very one-sided effort. Among other means of the CCPs propaganda are advertisements placed in major publications in the United States, he said. One of the united front tactics is the establishment of Confucius Institutes within the body of academia in the United States and around the world, said Mosher, author of the book Bully of Asia: Why Chinas Dream is the New Threat to World Order. Confucius Institutes seize control of the institutions within which they operate, at least in terms of dictating what they can talk about, and what theyre forbidden to talk about in regards to China, the author said. Since 2004, more than 100 Confucius Institutes have opened in universities across the United States, although this number has diminished in recent years. These institutes, many offering for-credit courses in Chinese language and culture, are largely staffed and funded by an agency of the Chinese governments Ministry of Education, known as the Hanban, according to a report by the National Association of Scholars. Official Hanban policy requires Confucius Institutes to adhere to Chinese law, including speech codes. Chinese teachers hired by, paid by, and accountable to the Chinese government face pressures to avoid sensitive topics, and American professors report pressure to self-censor, the report said. Mosher said, Confucius Institutes, for example, have enabled the suppression of discussion of the persecution of the Falun Gong the discussion of the Uyghur genocide, of the oppression of Tibet, of the freedom that people enjoy on Taiwan, and of the ongoing suppression of the democracy movement in Hong Kong. A free society which prizes the free flow of information, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association is particularly vulnerable to these first two magic weapons. If you lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the people, and if you lose control of some of your major institutions in a free country like the United States, the third magic weapon is almost unnecessary because youve already surrendered your minds and your institutions to the Chinese Communist Party. Its a battle that we are not very well equipped to fight at this present moment. Main Perils to CCPs Rule The two main perils the CCP perceives as a threat to its rule are an accurate discussion of the history and the ideology of the CCP itself, Mosher said. At the time of the Tiananmen demonstrations in 1989, a new generation of Chinese were disillusioned by their experience and the experience of their parents and grandparents under communismwhich has killed tens of millions of Chinese over the decadesdisillusioned by the Cultural Revolution, with its massive destruction of traditional Chinese culture and traditional Chinese views, he said. There was a hope that in recoiling against that, they would come to admire and emulate the West and that the Chinese Communist Party would collapse under its own weight as people fled the party, as millions of people resigned from the party in the early 90s, he said. Yet in reaction, the Chinese Communist Party, which was shocked by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, decided to embark on a massive propaganda exercise putting in place in the schoolsbasically kindergarten through collegenational-patriotic education programs. And they were able to stave off collapse. The CCP increasingly moved toward totalitarian control of China, and continues doing so to the present day, Mosher said. Nanotechnology scientist Charles Lieber, former chairman of Harvards Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, was co-opted around 2012 into the Thousand Talents Plan, the CCPs well-financed job recruitment program, for one reason onlyhe was successfully implanting microchips in the brains of laboratory rats and mice, the expert said. In Moshers opinion, the CCP would be interested in that technology because it wants to control the very thoughts of the Chinese people. Although the CCP using microchips in the brain to control people may be fairly far off, the regime has been using artificial intelligence to track people, their actions, their thoughts, their purchases with the goal of trying to control [peoples] very thoughts, Mosher said. Out of the 20 cities in the world with the highest density of surveillance cameras per capita, the top 19 of those cities are located in China, the expert noted, adding that 24/7 surveillance on social media has also been used by the CCP. Some people in the West realized that people who control high tech or run the largest investment firms on Wall Street that invest heavily in China have come to admire, and even want to emulate the Chinese system, Mosher said. Were a long way from replicating the Chinese social credit system in the United States in one sense. And yet, in another sense, we see that we have our own battalions of censors monitoring the internet. In China, its done by the state. [Here] its being done by nominally private companies. And yet those private companies seem to be very, very closely tied to the current administration. We are moving all too rapidly in the direction of becoming like China. Cathy He and Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report. Ella Kietlinska Reporter Follow Ella Kietlinska is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. and world politics. Protesters gather on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to demonstrate against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions on Feb. 5, 2022. (Annie Wu/NTD) Republican AGs Pledge to Investigate GoFundMe After Trucker Fundraiser Taken Down Several Republican attorneys general vowed on Feb. 5 to investigate GoFundMes move to take down a fundraiser for protesting truck drivers in Ottawa, Canada. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey signaled that they would be looking into the matter. My office will be looking into whether or not #GoFundMe violated our state law, Landry wrote on Twitter. Morrissey said on Twitter on Feb. 5, Were not done yet & will not tolerate shady practices. On Feb. 4, GoFundMe said it would redistribute about $9 million in donations for the convoy, but on Feb. 5, it reversed course and said it would refund all donations. This refund will happen automaticallyyou do not need to submit a request. Donors can expect to see refunds within 7-10 business days, GoFundMe wrote on Twitter. Previously, the company said it would redistribute the money to other charities. GoFundMe took down the trucker fundraiser after claiming it violated the websites terms of service, although it didnt provide any evidence. GoFundMe has not responded to a request for comment. Fundraisers are now using GiveSendGo to raise money, having gathered some US$3 million as of Feb. 6. Think about what occurred here. You have a business that essentially makes money off people out of the goodness of their hearts wanting to contribute to a cause thats important to them. You have a big business that encourages that. They take a percentage, Moody told Fox News. GoFundMe, she said, makes money via donations, and without any notice to anyoneand no donor knows this before they make a contribution[GoFundMe is] going to make some political judgment that this isnt a worthy cause anymore, and just shut down after raising millions of dollars. Protesters have amassed in downtown Ottawa, the Canadian capital, for more than a week. They want the Canadian government to end all COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including one for truckers who cross into the United States. One trucker involved in the protest, named Andrew, told Fox News: I got guys that come up to my door and offer me cash donations. I refuse. I dont want cash. Im not doing this to make money. Im doing this for the choice, for everybodys choice, for freedoms. Another trucker, Mat, said that the support has been overwhelming. Theres been so many people coming up to us and shaking our hands and helping us with food and drinks and whatnot, he told Fox. Ive never seen anything like it. Ive never been more proud to be Canadian. Andrew Bremberg, president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, in Washington on Feb. 3, 2022. (Bao Qiu/The Epoch Times) Shame on the IOC: China Shouldnt Be Olympics Host, Former US Ambassador Says The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should never have allowed the Chinese regime to host the Winter Olympic Games, according to Andrew Bremberg, a former U.S. representative to the Office of the United Nations. What else does a country need to do in terms of terrible human rights abuses and bad behavior to merit a response from international organizations like the IOC? Bremberg said. Bremberg, whos currently the president and CEO of the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, made the remarks during a recent interview with EpochTVs American Thought Leaders. Its incredibly distressing to see the organization allow itself to be used yet again as a vehicle for the CCPs [Chinese Communist Party] propaganda, he said. That is what we saw that happened in 2008, both from a domestic and international perspective. When Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2008, many criticized the IOCs decision, given the regimes severe human rights violations. While rights groups pleaded with the IOC to not make the same mistake again with the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the international organization ignored the calls and selected Beijing over Almaty, Kazakhstan, in July 2015. China has a long record of human rights abuses, targeting dissidents, Tibetans, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong adherents, as well as the recent clampdown in Hong Kong following the enactment of a draconian national security law. Policies enacted in the Xinjiang region, where more than 1 million Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities are held in internment camps, have been designated by several Western governmentsincluding the United Statesas genocide and crimes against humanity. The IOC is hardly the only one to blame, according to Bremberg. Its a failure of leadership of much of the world, of the international community, he said. Bremberg applauded Washington for the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Games. However, he said the United States needs to do more. Id love to see the president of the United States talk sometime in the next three weeks. Why is there a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics? What is happening in China today? he said. It is an opportunity for our leaders to say, Well, you may be seeing or hearing this [CCP] propaganda. But were going to tell you the truth of whats really happening in China. If we come out of this in March with the American population much more aware of whats happening [in China], thats a way for us to turn this into a defeat for the Chinese Communist Party. Bremberg also criticized the IOC for putting athletes in a difficult position, saying its not their job to publicly condemn whats happening in China. I have deep sympathy for every athlete that is forced to stand in Beijing, and to compete in the Olympics, and be put in this situation, he said. Shame on the IOC. They never should have been put in this situation. The IOC did this to the athletes. Demonstrators supporting Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Hong Kongers take part in a protest against the Chinese Communist Party as they march along Regent Street toward the Chinese Embassy in London on Oct. 1, 2021. (Matt Dunham, File/AP Photo) US Companies Bremberg also said he hopes that a recent report published by his foundation and U.S.-based independent consultancy Horizon Advisory will start a process in which U.S. firms change their behavior with regard to the Chinese regime. The report, Corporate Complicity Scorecard, assesses eight U.S. companies on whether they directly or indirectly contributed to Chinas military modernization, surveillance, and human rights violations. The report found that two Chinese firms that identify Dellone of the eight companies under scrutinyas a partner have assisted in [the] development of surveillance and censorship systems in China, including in Xinjiang. Dell is also directly involved in more explicitly problematic areas of Chinese government programming, including military modernization and surveillance, the report reads. The report also found that Dell has partnered with commercial businesses that support the Chinese regimes military-civil fusion (MCF) strategy. Dell also has worked with regional Chinese governments, such as with their smart city projects. The U.S. State Department has warned about Chinas MCF strategy, saying that it involves acquiring and diverting the worlds cutting-edge technologiesincluding through theftin order to achieve military dominance. Two other companies in the reportGE and Intelwere also found to have connections to the strategy, with the former appearing to be involved in technology-sharing with Chinese core players in MCF and the latter investing in Chinese high-tech and MCF firms. If U.S. companies fail to change, it would be up to Congress and U.S. policymakers to force that change, according to Bremberg. He applauded Congress for approving the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in banning imports from Xinjiang. The legislation was signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2021. I think we need to see Congress take more action to make clear to companies that direct involvement in the surveillance state of China is not going to be allowed or direct involvement with militarization by the PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] with China cant be allowed, Bremberg said. Representatives for Dell didnt respond to a request for comment by press time. The Epoch Times has previously requested comments from GE and Intel. Actions Bremberg said there are a number of actions that people can take, starting by not watching the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. How much moral courage does it take for you not to watch the Olympics, not to buy a product made with forced labor from China, he said. Bremberg recommended that people share short videos available on the foundations Twitter account as they talk with their friends about the Winter Games in the coming weeks, so that more individuals can be informed of whats actually happening in China. The free world can no longer claim ignorance about China's use of forced labor. It's time to take a stand against the CCP. pic.twitter.com/I5Mt1E8utA Victims of Communism (@VoCommunism) December 8, 2021 The 2022 Winter Games started in Beijing on Feb. 4 and are scheduled to end on Feb. 20. If we cant start taking those actions ourselves, were kidding ourselves if we think our political leaders are going to take much harder actions if we cant do this, Bremberg said. Frank Fang journalist Follow Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan. SoCal COVID Waning; New CA Bill Introduced to Allow Schools to See Whos Vaccinated LOS ANGELESAs the winter Omicron surge subsides, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health updated the mask compliance requirement for the post-surge period while a new state bill was introduced on Feb. 4 to grant schools access to students COVID-19 vaccination records. On Feb. 4, Los Angeles County reported 15,427 new COVID-19 cases and 85 new deaths. For the seven days before Feb. 3, the daily average number of hospitalizations has dropped to 3,233for the first time below 3,500 in the past few weeks. The average number of daily new cases reported in the past seven days is approximately 15,600, down from 28,000 the previous week. The daily average positivity rate has also declined to 8 percent. However, the number of new deaths has remained flat, with dozens of people reportedly losing their lives to COVID every day. During a media briefing on Feb. 3, Barbara Ferrer, director of the Department of Public Health, said that once hospitalizations drop below 2,500 for seven consecutive days, Los Angeles can be considered as post-surge. The post-surge masking requirement allows residents to go mask-free outdoors, including outdoor mega-events and outdoor spaces at school and child care facilities. However, masks will still be required for most indoor settings, such as offices, public transits, and health care facilities. Mask wearing is a very effective strategy for reducing COVID-19 transmission. Thus, as we move through the short term, masking will continue to be a key part of the post-surge COVID-19 strategy, Ferrer said. In Los Angeles, as the number of people testing positive continues to plummet, some residents are pushing for repealing the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for indoor spaces. On Feb. 3, the Los Angeles City Clerk approved a petition for circulation. The petition asks the city council to repeal the requirement of showing vaccination proof before entering certain indoor spaces, such as restaurants and gyms, and outdoor mega-events. The petition needs approximately 65,000 signatures15 percent of registered Los Angeles votersto become effective, according to the city clerks office. In Orange and San Diego counties, data from the past week show the Omicron variant on the wane, according to public health agencies. On Feb. 4, Orange Countys Health Care Agency reported 2,795 new cases, with 746 existing hospitalizations and 12 new deaths. In San Diego County, 3,736 new infections were reported, with 1,014 existing hospitalizations and 29 new deaths, according to the countys Health and Human Services Agency. Despite the overall drop, Assemblywoman Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) and San Diego school district leaders announced a new bill on Feb. 4 to give school districts the right to access the states immunization registry to see who is vaccinated against COVID-19. Currently, schools already have access to vaccination records for diseases such as measles or mumps, but not COVID-19. In addition, the bill also requires the vaccine administers to input immunization data into the immunization registry, which has been voluntary and never mandated by law. This makes it very easy for the school districts, it makes it easy for the families. So we know who is out there, who has their immunization, who needs their immunization, Weber said. Webers bill came as San Diego Unified School District is appealing a lawsuit against its vaccine mandate. The lawsuit, filed in October 2021 by parent advocacy group Let Them Choose, argued that only the state, and not the school board, has the power to add a vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for on-campus learning and pointed out that the district doesnt allow for personal belief exemptions as required by state law. San Diego Superior Court Judge John Meyer tentatively ruled in the groups favor on Dec. 20, 2021, and the school district appealed the decision the very next day for the case to be reviewed by an appellate court. [The proposed bill] is just kind of another example of the state really getting ahead of themselves and being too sure of themselves and overreaching, Sharon McKeeman of Let Them Choose told CBS8. If the bill is passed, it can take effect starting next school year. The bill is supported by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), who recently introduced the Keep Schools Open and Safe Act, which makes COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for students to attend K12 schools in person. Two Ministerial CCP Officials Given Suspended Death Sentences Xi Jinping probably faces his allies being picked apart by political enemies: expert Two of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinpings former henchmen and important allies have recently been sentenced to death. Experts believe that some of Xis political allies might have been alienated from within by anti-Xi forces. The two ministerial officials given suspended death sentences are Dong Hong, former deputy head of Central Inspection Group which supervises the partys leadership at the provincial (ministerial) level; and Wang Fuyu, former deputy secretary of the Guizhou provincial Party committee and chairman of the provinces committee of the Political Consultative Conference. Dong Hong was an assistant to Wang Qishan, vice chairman of a CCP committee for years, while Wang Fuyu was the former deputy assistant of Li Zhanshu, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. Wang Qishan was a united force in Xis attempts to crack down on his political opponents, taking down hundreds of senior officials spanning the party, political and legal systems, as well as the military between 2013 and 2017. Li Zhanshu is widely considered to be the closest ally to Xi among seven members of the Standing Committee. As an intimate aid to Xi for nearly 40 years, especially during his previous tenure as director of the Central Committee Office, Li often accompanied Xi visiting outside responsible for scheduling, document handling, and security. Two ministerial officials Dong Hong(left) and Wang Fuyu(right) were given suspended death sentences in January 2022. The background photo is of Zhongnanhai, where the CCPs power center is located. (Mark Schiefelbein-Pool/Getty Images) Ji Da, a China expert, told The Epoch Times that Wang Qishan and Li Zhanshu were so supportive to Xi as if they were the two arms of Xi. The heavy sentencing of both men indicates a rift in Xis relationships, and it can be inferred that their political alliance might have been disrupted by anti-Xi forces. Xi has purged a large number of people from the faction of former CCP head Jiang Zemin in his nearly 10 years in power, offending many people, and as a result, there is a huge anti-Xi force in the party, Ji said. The 20th Congress, which redistributes the highest power in the CCP, will be held later this year, and Xi has been seeking reelection. Consequently, the infighting between the parties in Zhongnanhai, where the CCPs centralized power is situated, will be more intense. A severe storm is coming, Ji predicts. The two men sentenced have many similarities: they were convicted of similar crimes, received similar amounts of bribes, were sentenced to the same penalties, and sentenced only 11 days apart. Even their ages are nearly the same, Dong Hong is 69 years old and Wang Fuyu is 70. On Jan. 28, the Qingdao Intermediate Court sentenced Dong Hong to death with a two-year stay of execution, deprivation of political power for life, and confiscation of all his personal assets for accepting bribes. Dong was accused of illegally accepting more than 463 million yuan ($72.8 million) in property from 1999 to 2020. On Jan. 17, Tianjin First Intermediate Court sentenced Wang Fuyu to death, suspended for two years, for accepting bribes and using influence to accept bribes. He was deprived of political rights for life, and all of his personal property was confiscated. Wang Fuyu was accused of illegally accepting property amounting to 451 million yuan ($71 million) from 1995 to 2021. Dong Hong was Wang Qishans assistant for many years and was known as Wangs big butler. In 1998, when Wang was vice governor of Guangdong Province, Dong was deputy secretary of the provincial party committee. When Wang returned to Beijing to become director of the Office of Economic Reform of the State Council, Dong worked as the director of the Offices Industrial Systems. In 2003, during the SARS epidemic, Wang took over as mayor of Beijing, followed by Dong as deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. In 2012, after the 18th Congress, Wang became one of the highest-ranking officials as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, with Dong Hong rising to the deputy ministerial inspector. Wang Fuyu and Li Zhanshu have worked together in the same provincial leaderships for roughly 7 years. In northern China of Hebei Province, Wang Fuyu was the provincial party committee secretary (19821986) and Huailu countrys party committee deputy secretary, secretary, and governor (19861989), while Li Zhanshu was Wuji countys party committee secretary (19831985) and the secretary of the Communist Youth League (19861990) in the province. In southwest China of Guizhou Province, Li Zhanshu served as party committee secretary (20102012) and Wang Fuyu served as the deputy secretary in the same period. Xis resolute move against top ministry officials at the start of the new year reflects the complex and fierce infighting within the CCP. This predicts that the political balance in China has been shattered and there would have big changes coming at the power center of the CCP, Ji said. A Long March 7Y4 rocket carrying the Tianzhou 3 cargo ship launches from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in China's southern Hainan province, on a mission to deliver supplies to China's Tiangong space station on Sept. 20, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) UK Universities May Be Helping China Develop Hi-tech Weapons: Report British universities have drastically increased their collaboration with institutions linked to the Chinese military and could be helping the communist regime develop hi-tech weaponry, the Times of London has revealed. The number of research collaborations between UK scientists and Chinese institutes with deep connections to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has tripled to more than 1,000 in six years, according to an investigation conducted by the paper. Since 2015, British universities have accepted 240 million ($325 million) from Chinese institutions, many of which have close links to the PLA. A major source of funding has been telecommunications giant Huawei, which has contributed 40 million ($54 million) to UK institutions. A further 20 million ($27 million) came from other companies sanctioned by the U.S. government for supplying the PLA with fighter jets, missiles, and communications technology. British academics have collaborated with military-linked Chinese universities on sensitive dual-use research, involving technology that can be used for both military and civilian purposes, including drones, electromagnetic technology that can fire projectiles, aerospace materials, radar, jamming equipment, and high-performance batteries, the report said. Britains then chancellor George Osborne (left), Madame Peng Liyuan (second left), Chinese leader Xi Jinping (center), and Prince Andrew, Duke of York (second right) listen to Professor Yike Guo (not pictured) during a visit to Imperial College London on Oct. 21, 2015. (Anthony Devlin/WPA Pool /Getty Images) For example, Imperial College London has received 55 million ($74 million) from Chinese sources since 2015, the paper revealed. Some 5 million ($6.8 million) worth of funding, dedicated to research on high-tech aerospace materials, came from three PLA-linked companies that are sanctioned in the United States, two of which are subsidiaries of a major defence contractor that manufactures fighter jets for the Chinese military. Other examples cited in the report include an academic at the University of Southampton having co-authored 18 papers on materials science with a Chinese warhead designer, and an engineer at Swansea University who has conducted research on helicopter parts and advanced wing technology with staff at two top Chinese military research universities. Naivety and Greed This is not the first time concerns have been raised over British universities potentially contributing to Chinese weapons programs. In February 2021, Civitas, the Institute for the Study of Civil Society, said in a report that the pervasive presence of Chinese military-linked conglomerates and universities in the sponsorship of high-technology research centres in many leading UK universities was being largely overlooked. It said top British universities may be unwittingly assisting Chinas military forces in its development of weapons of mass destruction by allowing it access to cutting-edge research. Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat asks a question as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (not pictured) gives evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee in London on Sept. 1, 2021. (House of Commons/Screenshot via PA) Commenting on the report, member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons, said some British universities have been motivated by a mixture of naivety and greed. In opening the doors of our universities to China, we are bargaining away our competitive advantageand, for a price, handing over the secrets that will help an often-hostile country become the greatest military power of the 21st Century, he wrote in a commentary. Repeated Warnings In recent years, British security officials have repeatedly raised the alarm over the threat posed by the Chinese regime. Lt. Gen. Jim Hockenhull, Britains Chief of Defence Intelligence, told British media in September 2020 that the Chinese regime poses the greatest threat to world order. Ken McCallum, head of the MI5 intelligence agency, said in October 2020 that though Russia currently poses the biggest state-based threat to Britain, China will become more dangerous in the future. Jeremy Fleming, director of Britains GCHQ intelligence agency, said in April 2021 that Chinas tech growth is posing a serious threat to the security of the UK and the West in general. Speaking in November 2021, Richard Moore, head of the MI6 intelligence agency, said the Chinese regime poses a serious challenge to global peace and has become the single greatest priority for his organization. The Times of London quoted a UK government spokesman as saying that international research collaboration was central to our position as a science superpower. But he added: We will not accept collaborations which compromise our national security and the government continues to support the sector to identify and mitigate the risks of interference. A woman uses her computer keyboard to type while surfing the Internet in North Vancouver, B.C., on Dec. 19, 2012. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward) UK Widens Scope of Online Safety Bill to Include New Offences More criminal offences have been added to the UKs Online Safety Bill to force social media firms to quickly eliminate the most harmful illegal content and criminal activity, the government announced on Saturday. Offences including revenge porn, hate crime, fraud, the sale of illegal drugs or weapons, the promotion or facilitation of suicide, people smuggling, and sexual exploitation have been added to the list of extra priority illegal offences, which firms have to proactively filter or remove instead of acting after users report them. Terrorism and child sexual abuse were already included on the list. The government said that naming these offences on the face of the bill also enables the proposed regulator Ofcom to take faster enforcement action against firms that fail to remove them. Three new criminal offences, recommended by the Law Commission, are also to be added to the bill in an effort to make criminal law fit for the internet age, the government said. The new offences cover communications that are sent to convey a threat of serious harm; those sent to cause harm without a reasonable excuse; and those sent which are known to be false with the intention to cause nontrivial emotional, psychological, or physical harm. The government said the new communications offences will protect people from harmful online behaviours such as coercive and controlling behaviour by domestic abusers; threats to rape, kill, and inflict physical violence; and deliberately sharing dangerous disinformation about hoax COVID-19 treatments. But it also said the court would have to prove the person sending hoax COVID-19 treatments knew the information wasnt true before posting it. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the government is legislating to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online while enshrining free speech. Damian Collins, chairman of the Joint Committee on the Draft Online Bill which led the scrutiny of the bill, said he welcomed the changes, which will give social media businesses more clarity on whats expected of them, and users more certainty that they will be protected, especially children. Meanwhile, Labour has called for the bill to introduce tougher sanctions for senior executives at firms that breach the new laws. The draft Online Safety Bill proposed having criminal liability for senior managers as a secondary power that could be introduced two years after the implementation of the billhowever, ministers have since said they want to accelerate this to within three to six months of implementation. But shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell called on the government to go further and introduce criminal sanctions for executives as soon as the bill comes into force. The ambitious Online Safety Bill is set to be the first major set of regulations for the internet anywhere in the world. The UK government has said it aims to protect people from harmful content as well as to uphold democratic debate online, but civil liberty groups say theyre concerned the new rules are too vague and could lead to free speech being eroded. PA contributed to this report. US F-15s Scrambled to Intercept Russian Jets Over Baltic U.S. F-15 jets in Estonia were scrambled late last week to intercept Russian jets over the Baltic region, NATO confirmed. On Feb. 4, NATO Allied Air Command revealed an intercept incident the day before, as tensions between the U.S.-led bloc and Russia remain on edge. US F-15Es scrambled and intercepted Russian fighters operating near Allied air space over the Baltic Sea while Norwegian and British aircraft intercepted Russian aircraft in flying from the Barents into the North Sea on Thursday February 3, 2022, NATO said in a message on its website. NATOs air operations center then ordered a scramble from the enhanced Air Policing detachment at Amari Air Base, Estonia, to investigate and respond to unknown aircraft near the Baltic region. The incident involved at least five Russian aircraft, according to NATOs statement. The U.S. F-15 aircraft positively identified two Russian Su-35s and two MiG-31s, which had not filed flight plans and were not communicating with Air Traffic Control, NATO added. During the intercept, it was confirmed that these fighters were escorting a Russian TU-154 transport aircraft. At no time did the Russian aircraft enter Allied airspace and all interactions were safe and professional. The incident comes days after the Biden administration sent additional air deployments to NATOs primary Estonian base. Six American F-15 jets landed in an Estonian airbase on Feb. 2 for a deployment lasting more than a week, according to the Reuters news agency. Meanwhile, U.S. troops and equipment landed in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine on Feb. 6 following President Joe Bidens orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport. A U.S. Army Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan following a widely criticized evacuation strategy as Taliban fighters swiftly took over the country and its capital, Kabul. On Sunday, White House National Security adviser Jake Sullivan claimed that Russia could invade Ukraine any day now. It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet, he told ABC, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A serviceman stands holding his machine-gun in a trench on the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants at frontline with Ukrainian government forces in Slavyanoserbsk, Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, on Jan. 25, 2022. (Alexei Alexandrov/AP Photo) We Can Stop Putin Without Recourse to Troops and Nukes Commentary Without recourse to deploying troops and nuclear weapons, America has the means to help Ukraine defeat an invasion by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and to prevent his likely subsequent military attempts to reassemble the old Warsaw Pact and destroy the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. By giving Ukraine several hundred BLU-105 bombs, each armed with 40 individually targetable sensor fuzed weapons (SFWs), it is possible to give Ukraine the means to destroy up to thousands of Russian armored systems and essential logistic support vehicles. Developed during the 1980s to counter vast Soviet armored formations that threatened Europe, but not purchased until the early 1990s after the collapse of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, SFWs are about the size of a Big Mac and combine an infrared/laser sensor with an explosively shaped molten-metal projectile. With a spin-stabilized body, the sensor searches the battlefield below and can find a hot target like a tank engine, and at the correct altitude, fires the explosively formed molten metal slug at a supersonic speed so that it will penetrate most armor and metal. It could hit a tanks ammunition and cause an explosion, or slice through the engine and halt the tank or truck. During a late August 2003 air support sortie during Operation Iraqi Freedom, one U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber dropped two BLU-105 SFW bombs that decimated the first third on an Iraqi tank column, forcing those at the end to surrender to U.S. Marines. The ideal time for employment would be at the beginning of an offensive, when Russian armored vehicles and trucks will be generating great heat standing out in the freezing winter, presenting ideal targets for SFWs. There is little defense against the supersonic molten metal slug once it is fired. One issue is that Ukraine would have to use most of its 125 or so combat aircraft to deliver the BLU-105s against Russias sophisticated multi-layer missile and anti-aircraft gun air defenses, perhaps the most formidable in the world. A BLU-108 that dispenses four sensor fuzed munitions, seen at a 2015 Air Force Association exhibition. (Courtesy of Rick Fisher) However, when used in coordination with unmanned decoy aircraft or hundreds of loitering munitions, combined with the chaos of the initial stages of the Russian offensive, it is possible that some aircraft will deliver their SFWs and blunt many axes of the Russian attack. A better alternative would be to arm short-range ballistic missiles or long-range artillery rockets with SFWs, as these are far less vulnerable to Russian short-range air defenses. The United States would have to begin a crash program to develop missile warheads armed with SFWs, as it has produced only about 3,000 BLU-109 bombs, and no SFW armed missiles. This happened because of early political opposition to SFWs and as they became targets of a global campaign to eliminate cluster munitions. In an August 1991 report, the usually anti-weapon General Accounting Office (GAO) recommended against the production of SFWs, commenting rather dismissively: The Air Force developed the Sensor Fuzed Weapon primarily to counteract the Warsaw Pacts numerical advantage in tanks in Central Europe. However, this primary threat has changed considerably over the last year with the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and, according to intelligence agencies, the defensive posture adopted by the Soviet Union. Luckily, the U.S. Air Force did not heed the GAO and purchased SFWs. The GAO did not predict that in 2022 the Russian Army would be close to assembling up to 100 of its battalion tactical groups (GTGs) for its assault on Ukraine. Such a force could potentially include 1,000 tanks, 1,100 armored fighting vehicles, and 1,800 tube and rocket artillery pieces. Should Ukrainian combat aircraft break through Russian air defenses and deliver the bulk of 400 BLU-105s within hours of the Russian force starting their engines, enough tanks, armored vehicles, trucks, and artillery could be destroyed to significantly increase the effectiveness of Ukraines tanks and anti-tank missiles against the remaining Russian invaders. Should Ukraine be able to destroy a large proportion of Russias assembled tanks, fighting vehicles and artillery, that would then greatly deflate Russias ability to threaten the Baltic States and Poland. A large enough surprise defeat by Ukraine may even destabilize Putins regime, prompting a possible coup. Should Russia be so destabilized by a surprise military defeat, that would shake Chinas confidence in its deepening strategic alliance with Russia, which it hopes will vault it toward hegemony on Earth and on the moon. Unfortunately, while the U.S. Air Force may retain its inventory of BLU-105 SFW bombs, reports indicate that SFW manufacturer Textron halted their production in 2016 after the Obama administration halted a shipment of 400 to Saudi Arabia. Due to a 15-year campaign by leftist groups, the SFW had been lumped in with cluster munitions, even though the SFW is largely harmless if its hits the ground unfired, whereas there are plenty of other anti-personnel cluster munitions that could cause such unintended harm. If the Biden administration truly wanted to give Putin a destabilizing bloody nose without having to deploy thousands of U.S. troops to Europe, while also decreasing Putins threat to the Baltic States, Poland, and the survival of the NATO alliance, it would immediately transfer hundreds of BLU-105 sensor fuzed weapons to Ukraine. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Our Covid-19 numbers are tumbling. Fast. Like a brick, said Dr. John Sellick, a Buffalo-based epidemiologist. Our masks might just follow; we might be able to drop them, too. Might. Not certainly, and not permanently, but heres cause for hope: Western New Yorks Covid-19 case count, which shot above 3,500 in mid-January, has plunged below 800. Hospitalizations are falling, too. The trend here is following what infectious disease experts expected: The Omicron variant hit, numbers shot high, then dropped hard. That means thousands of people in this region and beyond likely have some immunity to Omicron, and if they have been vaccinated and boosted, that protection should be even stronger. Couple that with the warmer weather that within a few months will offer us a reprieve of fresh, outdoor air, and its conceivable that masks may no longer be part of our daily existence. Or at least they wont be a required accessory whenever we go anywhere in public. Thats not quite true yet, but medical professionals acknowledge that were getting there, said Sellick, who is an infectious disease specialist with Veterans Affairs, Kaleida Health and the University at Buffalo. I think a lot of us are looking toward the next couple months as the weather gets better and we get outside more that well get back to where we were last year and the year before in summer and fall. How we get to that point and more vitally, how we stay there is the subject of this weeks Pandemic Lessons. First, do we actually need masks now? Technically, yes. Practically? Probably still yes, at least in many situations. On the public policy side, a statewide mask-or-vaccination requirement for public places is still in effect. A Nassau County judge ruled last month that Gov. Kathy Hochul is not empowered to mandate masks, but the state quickly appealed and the ruling has been stayed. Hochul has also said shell evaluate the need for the mandate every two weeks, so it presumably could be softened or lifted soon. Locally, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz also has a mandate in effect, but he said late last month that if Covid-19 case numbers continue dropping, theres a possibility well be able to lift the (county) mask requirement in February. Those statements, combined with a decreasing caseload and a seeming increase in the number of people willing to defy mask mandates (and challenge them in court), suggest that were likely to see fewer face coverings by spring, when the milder weather has more people outside. But in the meantime, remember that our Covid numbers are still fairly high. Our seven-day average for positive tests was 9.5% on Feb. 3. Thats better than halved from mid-January, but nearly 48 times higher than late June 2021. If the objective is to have a minimal spread of Covid-19, were doing a lot better than three weeks ago. But were not actually doing well yet. If your goal is to avoid getting Covid-19, keep wearing those masks at least for now. Mandates aside, when do you know its responsible to wear masks less? That depends on your situation: If youre 70 or older, or have immunocompromising conditions or health problems (obesity, cardiac disease, hypertension, diabetes, and so on) that make you more susceptible to bad Covid-19 outcomes, youre wise to be especially cautious, even if vaccinated. If you had a symptomatic case of Covid-19 since the Omicron rise, you likely have a reasonable level of immunity to the variant, though reinfections are possible and theres hot debate among scientists and doctors over the reliability and durability of post-infection immunity. The short version: The prior infection probably helps, but its not a magic elixir that will prevent you from getting Covid-19 again. If you are vaccinated and boosted, on the younger side and healthy, your risk is minuscule, and its game on, said Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalos Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. But, Russo warns, you could still be lightly or asymptomatically infected, and if in your extended social bubble you interact with someone who is vulnerable whether theyre unvaccinated, in the higher risk groups, or vaccinated but unboosted, or even boosted but in the higher risk groups then that becomes problematic. Its not an issue for you, but you could put someone else at risk. Otherwise, he added, its endemic mode unless and until medical professionals learn that protection wanes and requires another booster and/or a variant arises that evades (the) acquired protection. So theres really no straightforward guidance on when to wear masks less, or not at all? No. Mandates and requirements aside, its based on your own risk factors and comfort level, plus your sense of social etiquette. For example, if youre grocery shopping around a group of older people who are wearing masks, they may appreciate it if you do, too. So may the cashier, who has to speak to dozens of customers in a shift. If you want to be reasonably careful, what should you avoid? Large crowds? Long durations of time in one place? People you dont know? The answer depends on your risk tolerance another concept well be applying to our lives in an ongoing manner and can be viewed multiple ways. Acquiring an infection like Covid-19 requires a certain amount of viral load. A tiny exposure may result in minimal or no infection; a larger one is more likely to stick or become symptomatic. People infected with Omicron tend to have a higher viral load than what has been found in earlier Covid-19 variants, which is why it spreads so easily. Being around fewer people makes you less likely to get exposed for the obvious reason: Theres a lesser chance that someone in the room is contagious. If you are around one or more people who are infectious, there are two ways youre likely to catch the virus yourself: One is what Russo refers to as the splash: A cough or sneeze that puts a high amount of virus particles into the air in a short timeframe. The other is the cloud: A collection of Covid-19 particles lingering undetected in the air, like an invisible and odorless cigarette smoke, getting breathed in. There may be multiple people contributing either to the splash, if youre in close quarters, or the Covid cloud for inhalation, Russo said, noting that people can also acquire two simultaneous infections like Covid-19 and influenza the same way. Being outdoors or in a well-ventilated indoor space will lessen that risk. Can you feel safe going places in public? Largely, yes. Nearly two years into pandemic life, we know enough about the virus, how it transmits, and how to protect ourselves to make decisions that lower risk and maximize safety. Unless you have a distinct reason not to go somewhere youre immunocompromised, or it just feels too crowded for your comfort then you can feel comfortable heading out. Here are some points to consider: You can still wear a mask. Treat them like tissues or breath mints: Keep one or two with you, and break it out when needed. I suspect there will still be a lot of people who will wear masks, especially when they go to a crowded venue, Sellick said, referring to events such as indoor sports games or concerts. Remember, too, that KN94s, KN95s, N95s and the equivalent are best. Second to them are surgical masks. Cloth masks are far less helpful. Evaluate your environment. If youre old enough, think back to how 9/11 changed travel: We had to get to the airport earlier, and needed more paperwork (and time) to cross the U.S.-Canada border. Likewise, living a normalized life with Covid will require us to change the way we view going places. Well need to have more awareness of where were headed, be willing to assess a situation when we arrive, and possibly switch our choices if we see fit. Shopping, for example, is generally OK. If the store is busy, youll also want to consider the layout: Is it cramped and tight, or airy and spacious? The density of the crowd is going to matter, said Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech engineering professor who is an expert in airborne virus transmission. Marr has taken a carbon dioxide sensor, which can measure the amount of exhaled air in a room, into grocery stores. As you would expect, she has found the high-ceiling stores have less carbon dioxide in the air than the more intimate stores with lower ceilings and dense crowds. If its really crowded, she told The News in a December interview, you're not going to be able to escape other people's exhaled breath. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Why I Support the San Francisco School Board Recall Commentary I support the recall of three members of the Board of Education in San Francisco in an election that is taking place on Feb. 15, 2022. Because some liberal Democrats have attempted to criticize anyone taking this position, specifically by alleging that its a Republican-led effort and part of a movement by conservatives to attack left-leaning school boards around the country, I want to defend my position and explain what seems to me to be fairly obvious. First, while recall efforts can be abused, like any electoral procedure, the electorates power to recall is rooted in longstanding progressive traditions that remain vital and which we should be proud to be able to access. Second, there is little about this election that resembles the recalls in other parts of the country. In this instance, these school board members have failed the voters who previously elected them. The reasons to vote for the recall are quite unique to the mismanagement by these individuals and should be viewed as a specific moment in our citys history. For that reason, I believe Democrats like former Mayor Art Agnos, who once led many progressive reforms in the California State Legislature, and former Congressman and State Senator John Burton, also a Democrat, support the recallas does Democratic San Francisco Mayor London Breed. In my case, it all started when the school board voted to destroy historically important New Deal-era murals painted by Victor Arnautoff at George Washington High School because of objections that the murals, depicting various stages in the life of Washington, included racist and offensive scenes. One panel includes a Native American lying face downpresumably deceasedas Washington and other settlers and Founding Fathers stand upright. In another, enslaved Black Americans are seen laboring on Washingtons Mount Vernon plantation. Both are relatively small vignettes in what is a 13-panel mural that spans hundreds of feet along the walls of the school. It measures 1,600 square feet, with one panel standing over 1 stories tall. A pair of students walk past a historic mural that includes slaves and a dead Native American at George Washington High School in San Francisco. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) Ignoring that it was quite courageous to render these now allegedly troubling scenes in 1936 when the mural was first painted, the board voted in 2019 to have the murals whitewashed because they were offensive. The school board was quite dismissive about any alternative actions that would preserve the rare frescos made by an artist who had once worked with Diego Rivera. The school board eventually retreated from their position because of staunch opposition from the schools alumni association, which filed a lawsuit alleging the school district had not complied with the California Environmental Quality Act (known as CEQA). The school district lost. Political actors at every level are tempted to circumvent what they consider to be inconvenient legal requirements in order to advance parochial political agendas, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo wrote in a 42-page published opinion. The hallmark of our system is that whether it concerns the president of the United States or a local school board, the rule of lawthe processis more important than the result. Regardless, the school board has continued to expend district resources appealing the decision. Later, in a highly publicized name change proposal, the school board voted to change the names of 44 schools so as to remove any names honoring white supremacy, colonization, slavery, and those who had inhibit[ed] societal progress. While many San Franciscans support such a proposal generally, the manner in which it was done has irked everyone I have spoken to. Essentially, the board haphazardly ascribed historically offensive acts to innocent persons as a reason to change the name of a particular school. For instance, Paul Revere was criticized for participating in an attack on Native Americans; the only problem is that he didnt. The committee apparently confused his role as an artillery commander in the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 as an effort to colonize the Penobscot people, when in fact it was an assault on a British fort in the center of a small peninsula in Massachusetts Penobscot Bay. Businessman James Licks name was deemed worthy for removal because, nearly two decades after his death, a foundation in his name funded an offending installation. The committee also determined that U.S. Senator Dianne Feinsteins name should be removed from a school because in 1984 she had directed a confederate flag, removed by a protester from the plaza in front of City Hall, be replaced; she had in fact ordered its permanent removal when told about it. It was the Recreation & Parks Department that had the confederate flag temporarily restored. Ironically, her male predecessor, former Mayor George Moscone, was allowed to keep his name on a school though he had allowed the confederate flag flown in Civic Center Plaza. The custom displaying 18 flags in San Franciscos history had been initiated in 1964. No one would accuse me of being a political associate or supporter of Dianne Feinstein. But I understand that my opposition to her political views and positions should not govern my assessment of her record for the purposes of honoring San Franciscos first woman mayor. The school board, by casually and irresponsibly ordering the renaming of schools with little apparent concern for basic accuracy, trivializes and undermines serious efforts to revisit our history. In at least one renaming matter, the issue wasnt historical accuracy, but rather the balancing that is necessary as we evaluate complex lives and historical circumstances. Abraham Lincolns name was deemed worthy of removal because his administration continued to implement discriminatory 19th-century policies against Native Americans. He is also implicated in failing to intervene in the death sentences imposed by the U.S. Army against many Native Americans for hostilities against white settlers during the Dakota War in Minnesota in 1862. Lincoln did assert his power to commute the sentences of 264 individuals, and one of the condemned captives was granted a full reprieve. However, 38 captured Native warriors were executed after Lincoln chose not to intervene. While the criticism against Lincoln is grounded in fact, we should hesitate to require purity among anyone that might be honored with public recognition, otherwise we might be left without anyone who would qualify. In Lincolns case his Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves and his role in preserving the Union is what we honor when we name a school after him. I question whether this school board can fairly consider historical facts when making such decisions. Whether you agree names should be changed or notI believe many shouldwe ought to be able to agree that historically offensive acts should not be ascribed to innocent persons. This happened repeatedly in the process created and supervised by the school board. When confronted in an interview with The New Yorker (published 2/6/21) board president Lopez, in effect, argued that historical accuracy didnt matter as long as the concerns of the renaming committee were satisfied. But it actually gets worse. San Francisco public schools are currently ranked in the bottom 5 percent for academic performance in the State of California, according to the California Reading Report Card. Facing a budget deficit of over $125 million, which is expected to grow significantly, one of the commissioners of the school board, Alison Collins, filed a $87 million lawsuit against the district she was elected to serve, alleging she had been slandered. The frivolous lawsuit, summarily thrown out of court, was rooted in her upset over being removed from her post as vice president of the body for once sending what many consider to be racist tweets. Those messages, wherein she accused Asian Americans of using white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead, and equated them with a house n****r, were not sensitive to, nor conducive to, positive public discourse. School board president Gabriela Lopez, a staunch supporter of Collins, has presided over all of the school districts mismanagement and struggled to explain why the board prioritized school renaming in the middle of the pandemic, at a time when parents were eager to see remote learning improved and the school district prepare plans to reopen schools. State education officials have intervened to monitor San Franciscos efforts to restore fiscal stability to the school district, and have demanded a fiscal stabilization plan, something typically reserved for troubled districts, but the school board has failed to meet necessary fiscal cuts to meet state targets. School board member, and former vice president, Faauuga Moliga has feigned innocence as he defends his tenure. But inactivity is not a reason to keep someone in office. He was the school board member tasked with overseeing the districts bond implementation (Bond A, 2016), as part of the Building and Grounds Subcommittee, but took no action to see a Citizen Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) seated. As a result, a number of irregularities have arisen. When public pressure mounted and the committee was finally selected and empowered 2 years later they discovered that some bond monies had already been spent irresponsibly. Specifically, resources earmarked for a school, in the predominantly black Bay View neighborhood, were redirected elsewhere and monies to repair Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School were not spent for five years. All three commissioners facing recall have taken the wrong position on critical issues facing the school district. The board has also invited further legal battles incurring legal expenses fighting claims they violated Californias sunshine law, the Brown Act first passed in 1953, which applies to all local city and county boards. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman ruled against the school district, yet again. The decision to commit greater financial resources to these various lawsuits should be contextualized: The School Board had received a letter dated Sept. 15, 2021 from the California Department of Education directing it to not incur any discretionary expenditures unless operationally necessary. Failing to heed this cautionary plea, it is estimated that the School Board has thus far spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Voters should be alarmed that these school board members are making other decisions that require maturity and due consideration, qualities these members have shown they lack. The move to revoke merit-based admissions policies at Lowell High School, and other decisions that change our city in ways that we need to reflect on, should be handled carefully. Rather than eliminate San Franciscos sole academic merit-based admissions high school because it is admitting too many Asians, shouldnt the school district be tackling the question of what they need to do to improve middle schools that dont traditionally send students to Lowell? Lowell High School in San Francisco on Oct. 29, 2020. (David Lam/The Epoch Times) Opponents of the recall are attempting to label all recalls as Republican-inspired. This may be a good tactical election ploy, but it isnt anywhere near the truth. Recalling elected officials in California first arose as a populist effort, in the era of progressive Governor Hiram Johnson, as a tool seeking to curb the power and influence of railroads and corporate interests who dominated California politics so as to maintain their railroad and shipping monopolies. Progressives won battles ensconcing the initiative, referendum, and recall in Californias Constitution. In the recalls over 100-year tenure, Republican and Democratic legislators have both suffered early defeats as a result. In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, will name the successor to any of the board members removed during the recall. No one has claimed these three Democratic school board members will be replaced by members of a different political party. This is why this recall does not resemble efforts in other parts of the country, where removed school board members fighting over curriculums and the content of textbooks, will likely face replacement by conservative appointees. Critical Race Theory and curriculum battles is not what this current election is about; rather, it is about fundamental competence and decency in how a public body engages the communities it serves. It is true that some Republicans have helped fund the recall. But this doesnt detract from the fact that a record 80,000 San Franciscans signed recall petitions, the majority Democrats. It is not reasonable to dismiss these San Franciscans as all Republicans or conservativesor to use the specter of the GOP to detract from the issue herethe dissatisfaction of residents of diverse backgrounds and views with the performance and decision making of these officials. School district parent Siva Raj and his partner Autumn Looijen, both Democrat-leaning Independents, launched the grassroots campaign hoping to motivate the school board to regain its focus. Importantly, and perhaps the larger political lesson is that sometimes disparate political actors agree on an issue. It is naive to think political alignment must always be in concert with a host of unrelated issues. Yes, I will concede that learning that some big donors to the recall have previously contributed to conservative Republicans is a reason to pause. But it turns out they have also donated money to many Democrats, including Gavin Newsom and Hilary Clinton. At the end of the day all it demonstrates in this case is that the effort has support among a wide array of people, including conservatives. It manifests a single point of unity. Moreover, its worth noting that recent data shows that over 80 percent of the individuals contributing to the recall are San Franciscan residents, while opponents of the recall are getting over half of their contributions from outside the city. I believe it is an open question under what circumstances a recall should be allowed to proceed to the ballot and any reforms necessary should be explored, particularly campaign finance limits. But to suggest recalls per se are all illegitimate misses the mark. Recalls should be evaluated on their merits, not sideshows and false claims. Facts matter, and the facts here compel voters to take action. While reasonable minds can differ, the will of the voters will decide this issue Feb. 15. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. QUINCY - 2x4s For Hope, a 501(c)(3) global organization founded in May 2015, helps build tiny homes for homeless and at-risk veterans. These 576-square-feet homes come completely furnished and constructed by members of the community. Once completed, the selected veteran is given the keys. In late January, the 2x4s For Hope Board of Directors met with our core volunteer and charter leads to discuss the future of the organization. After lengthy discussion, it was decided that tiny homes would be built in 2022. Our organization has faced some difficult situations since removing our founders in November. However, the 2x4s For Hope Board of Directors remain steadfast in continuing the mission. We owe it to our volunteers, donors and, most importantly, our veterans to continue on, no matter how difficult it may be. We are pleased to announce that we are joining forces with Quincy Medical Group in June 2022 to move forward. Quincy Medical Group (QMG) and the QMG Foundation announced its plans to partner with 2x4s For Hope and bring another worthy veteran under roof in the summer of 2022. Its important for us to support this organization, despite the circumstances they had to endure, said Morgan Parker, director of community relations at QMG. Their mission still stands true, and we believe that moving forward with our build will provide meaningful change in a veterans life for years to come. "This partnership with Quincy Medical Group is an enormous step in a positive direction," interim board president Kevin Murphy said. "We assured the foundation leadership when meeting with them that we were committed to being good stewards to all donations - both corporate and consumer - as we push forward to provide our country's heroes with quality affordable housing." 2x4s For Hope has built 11 tiny homes, all in Illinois, since 2018. The public can find our tiny homes in Adams, Brown, Hancock, Schuyler, Logan, and Madison Counties. There are plans to expand into Lee County, Iowa as well. Our project leads were unanimous in their decision to continue the mission which means we hope to partner with these counties and our volunteer base in them. Our organizations charter leads are anxious to keep moving forward, and they have been working around the clock to see this mission continue with fundraising efforts already in earnest. Individuals interested in donating time or monetarily should call 2x4s For Hope at 217-779-8779. Visit www.2x4forhope.org to learn more about the organization and its mission, as well as instructions on how to sign up to volunteer for upcoming builds. Monetary donations can be mailed to PO Box 183, Quincy, IL 62306. Please specify which charter group you wish for your donation to go towards. EDWARDSVILLE The Edwardsville Community Foundation has announced its plans for distributing funds through the ECF Relief Fund. The fund was activated in December in response to the EF-3 tornado that destroyed one of Amazons warehouses in Edwardsville the night of Dec. 10. The tornado killed six people, 45 others were transported safely away, and one person was hospitalized. On Dec. 11, Amazon announced that it will donate $1 million to ECF. The Edwardsville Community Foundation has been deeply moved by the profound and generous influx of financial gifts following the devastating tornado event of December 10, ECF Executive Director Pam Farrar said. The Edwardsville Community Foundation values trust, transparency, compassion, excellence and equity and seeks to promote philanthropic ideals connecting people, resources and solutions to create a lasting impact to our shared world. According to a press release, the purpose statement for the ECF Relief Fund noted that the focus is to serve all members of the community by: 1. Providing assistance to individual victims in a public class of sudden and unexpected natural, manmade, and civil disasters as declared by the U.S. President, Illinois Governor, or the local governing top official. The relief fund may provide assistance in the form of funds, services, or goods to ensure that victims who are needy or in distress have the basic necessities, such as food, clothing, housing (including repairs), transportation, and medical assistance (including psychological counseling). 2. Providing assistance to organizations who are financially needy or otherwise distressed as a result of sudden and unexpected natural, manmade, and civil disasters as declared by the U.S. President, Illinois Governor, or the local governing top official. 3. Providing crisis counseling, rescue services, or emergency aid such as blankets or meals in the immediate aftermath of a disaster without a showing of financial need. 4. Providing support to area police, fire, public service, and emergency management departments for disaster preparedness and disaster recovery needs. 5. Meeting long-term needs of the community as determined by the Board in accordance with each event and the gifts received. ECF will offer a period of seven days for feedback from the community and invites all feedback to be sent via email only to pam@edwardsvillecommunityfoundation.org. This is the time for the community to let us know their thoughts," Farrar said. Well be opening the grant application process on Feb. 15, and well go from there to meet the needs of the community. Thanks to donations from the community. the ECF Relief Fund has grown beyond the initial $1 million donation from Amazon, "Weve had such a wonderful response from the community from across the state and all over the country. We have received a lot of gifts, whether its $10 from an individual or larger grants, Farrar said. People have reached out to make generous gifts to support our relief effort and were thankful for that. We are working diligently to meet the needs of the community with these funds. The press release also listed ECF Relief Fund criteria and priorities related to the Dec. 10 event, including: A. Consistent with Relief Fund Purpose Statement Criteria 5: Endow a Disaster Relief Fund at ECF to fund future costs of individuals, and organizations. Provide a lasting scholarship to SIUE for students majoring in fields related to disaster preparedness or disaster recovery. SIUE maintains the principal and the interest would provide the scholarships annually. B. Consistent with Relief Fund Purpose Statement Criteria 4: Provide grants and in-kind gifts to area police, fire, public service, and emergency management departments for disaster preparedness and recovery needs. Could be equipment, infrastructure,technology, etc. C. Consistent with Relief Fund Purpose Statement Criteria 1: Provide assistance to individual victims to ensure that victims have the basic necessities, such as food, clothing, housing (including repairs), transportation, and medical assistance (including psychological counseling). D. Consistent with Relief Fund Purpose Statement Criteria 2: Provide assistance to organizations that are financially needy or otherwise distressed. The service region for the relief fund will be for those individuals and organizations located in Madison County, with primary consideration given to needs for assistance within Edwardsville District 7. Relief grant applications will be available Feb. 15 on the ECF website, www.edwardsvillecommunityfoundation.org The ECF will provide a public attestation and disclosure after funds have been fully distributed. Submitted for use The Edwardsville Rotary Club honored Edwardsville High School student Mitchell White with the Student of the Month Award for the month of January. White was nominated by science teachers Marvin Allen and Julia Doll. White is a member of National Honor Society, National English Honors Society and the Spanish Honor Society. He is also an Illinois State Scholar and has placed first at the Science Olympiad Regionals and third at the Science Olympiad State Competition. He serves as co-captain of the Science Olympiad. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide felicitates His Excellency, The Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as he is turbaned the Dan Amanar Daura by His Royal Highness, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk, the Emir of Daura on Saturday February 5, 2022. The Emir explained that Dan Amanar Daura means the Trusted One of Daura, stressing that the Daura Emirate conferred the traditional title on Amaechi in recognition of his contributions to the socio-economic development of the country, especially for ensuring that a Transportation University was sited in Daura as well as ensuring that the Kano-Maradi Standard Gauge Railway line passed through the town Ohanaeze has watched with admiration the upward political trajectory of Amaechi as the Secretary of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State; Special Assistant to the Deputy Governor of Rivers State; Rivers State's Secretary of the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN); Member, Rivers State House of Assembly; Two-time Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly; Chairman, Conference of Speakers in Nigeria; Two-Time Governor of Rivers State and Two-time Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum; and the current Minister of Transport, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ohanaeze Ndigbo is proud of Amechi as one of the Ikwere sons that has never equivocated on his Igboness. It is pointed out that Igbo is like a religion, the more one embraces it, the more fulfilled in the benefits. In other words, the more professed in Igbo the more endowed with the Igbo resourcefulness, ingenuity, tenacity and audacity. The Igbo sons who by accident of history have imposed on themselves an identity crises, have the Amechis to emulate. We have no doubt whatsoever that Amechi is well-adjusted for more exploits in Nigeria. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor expresses immense delight for the recognition of our noble son, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi by the Katsina Emirate Council and calls for more of such cordial inter-ethnic relations across the country. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide An Anambra-born philanthropist, Mr. Israel Ezeadiruo has offered full scholarship to over one hundred students from different higher institutions across the country, and the FCT. Mr. Ezeadiruo, who hails from Ebenator in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, disclosed this on Sunday in his social media posts to mark his 30th birthday. According to him, 3 beneficiaries will be selected from each of the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, and their school fees fully paid till their graduation from their various institutions. While revealing that the exercise is championed through the ISRAEL EZEADIRUO FOUNDATION, the Abuja-based philanthropist and business mogul, who is a Political Science graduate of University of Abuja, also recounted his experiences and 'hard days' as an undergraduate, and further noted that the scholarship is exclusively for indigent students. Titled For My 30th Birthday Celebration, Full Scholarship to One Hundred and Eleven (111) Nigerian Undergraduate Students, the post reads: It's a great 30th birthday for me. Going down the memory lane and considering my achievements so far, it will be unfair not to count my blessings; and as well in my own little way, give back to the society. This decision is within the purviews of my commitment to uplift lives, even as mine is being uplifted. My days as an undergraduate were not rosy, as it was filled with thorns or hardship. From support from a petty business, to borrowing in other to pay my fees and foot other bills...all thanks to my mother. And yes, there were debts I had to eventually clear, years after graduation. At my inauguration as Patron of National Association of Political Science Students at University of Abuja, many students came to me amidst tears, and their plea was the difficulty in paying their school fees (44,000). I was moved when it dawned on me that I spend like N50,000 (Fifty thousand naira) and above at a sitting with my colleagues, on just drinks or fun, when someone else somewhere is quitting school because of a lesser amount. Hence, I found it a burden upon myself to return the same support I received, to those who are currently where I was, especially to students who are at the verge of quitting their academic pursuit, sake of inability to pay school fees. So, in earnest pursuance of this course, I, Ezeadiruo Israel have decided to support a total of one hundred and eleven (111) poor undergraduate students from different universities across Nigeria, with their yearly school fees up to their graduation. The benefactors will comprise of 3 underprivileged students from each of the 36 states in the country (108) including FCT, making it 111. This selection pattern is anchored on the resolution that the impact must cut across different ethnics, languages, and religions. The 111 students will be graduating from the university after 4 years. It would be glad if I can take at least 111 students every year for fours and see to their graduation, but I am only acting in the confines of my pocket which limits me to these 111 students. I wouldn't hesitate to add more years later if my pocket can carry more without disrupting what is mapped out for my business. Honestly, I would have done more than this, in a bid to ensure in my own little way, that someone's dream is being realized. This is enough to even make me live longer, as the thoughts alone gladdens my heart (Smiles). As earlier stated, the beneficiaries will be strictly poor students who are unable to stay in school or continue their academic activities because they are unable to pay their school fees. Measures are currently being put in place to ensure transparency to a large extent hence setting up a team, few months ago, to help scout for students across Nigeria, who fall into the category as already stated above. To further aid in actualizing this purpose, a foundation, ISRAEL EZEADIRUO FOUNDATION, has been established and commissioned for this purpose and related ones. This foundation shall also in due time, provide financial assistance to help selected young Nigerians to start up their choice businesses or secure jobs. It is necessary to emphasize that none of the qualified benefactors will receive the fees in cash, but it will be sent to their respective heads of department who will then pay to the school and issue them the appropriate receipt for clearance. We have made efforts in this regard, within the past one month, and set up national and regional teams to serve as point of contact for the system to work efficiently and effectively. If you are convinced you fall under this targeted student, feel free to reach out to us and we shall conduct proper investigation and evaluation before the final list is published by my team. I'll at this point extend my profound gratitude to Gilbert Igweka Global Concept, Samjones Haulage Monger, and Chris Ilo Merchandise who have within the past two years employed over 20 graduates recommended by me. The target is to have over 1000 Nigerians employed and we are getting there. May we all be successful. For more enquiries on the application processes, you can write us on: [email protected] Also go to the website: isrealezefoundation. org (for application). Download, fill and upload the application form on the website Attach and upload all necessary documents as listed using the buttons provided for each If you face any challenge, send a mail to the email address stated above If you have any technical issue, please write to [email protected] For quick enquiry write +234 9055999699 (WhatsApp Only) Like and follow our social media handles: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Israel -Ezeadiruo-Foundation-104389682155839/ Instagram: https://instagram . com/israelezeadiruo_foundation?r=nametag Twitter: https://twitter . com/ezeadiruoisrael?s=11 . The developer of a planned 7-megawatt, 46-acre solar power project on a Town of Lockport farm has offered 30 years of payments to Niagara County and the Royalton-Hartland Central School District, but only a one-time payment to the town. "All the numbers are low and those numbers will be negotiated," Supervisor Mark C. Crocker said Friday. Sheep and honeybees to tend Lockport solar power project The $11 million, 7-megawatt project on Slayton Settlement Road had been tangled in red tape and neighborhood opposition for months, but now it looks like construction will start as soon as the spring. In August, the town Planning Board granted a special use permit for the solar panels to be installed on the Kowalski family's farm on Slayton Settlement Road. The project could generate enough electricity to power about 2,000 homes. But the board specified that the developer, San Francisco-based Renewable Properties, could not obtain a building permit until the company made a deal with the town for a host community agreement or a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT. Thursday, project manager Brian Madigan presented the company's opening offer to the town Industrial Development Agency. Lockport to alter solar law to allow approval of controversial project The Lockport Town Board voted 3-2 Wednesday against a proposed moratorium on solar power projects. Based on $3,500 per megawatt, Renewable Properties offered a $24,500 annual PILOT for 30 years, with almost three-quarters of that amount going to Roy-Hart, one-quarter to the county and 0.7% for the Lockport Public Library. The company also offered a single host community payment of $75,000 to the town, which does not have a general property tax. Also, Renewable Properties would pay a $142,386 project fee to the town Industrial Development Agency. Thomas A. Sy, the town's economic development coordinator, said the IDA charges a fee of 1% of the investment value of any project it handles. Sy questioned the flat annual $24,500 payment, saying annual increases are typical in PILOTs for solar projects. "In our current proposal, there is no escalator," Madigan said. Town of Lockport is latest focus of solar opposition as farmer plans small project Several towns in Niagara County have seen loud opposition to solar energy projects, and the Town of Lockport is the latest site of such controversy. The company's payments for 30 years would total $810,000, not counting the IDA fee. Also, the company would pay Lockport's normal special district taxes. The IDA board will have to hold a public hearing before voting on the PILOT. Sy said the board had numerous questions after hearing Madigan's presentation, and will seek answers before its next meeting March 10, so the hearing won't be held before April. The town code requires the recipient of a special use permit to begin construction within a year after the permit is approved, which means the work is supposed to begin by August. "We are flexible on this issue," Crocker said. If the PILOT is unsettled by August, but negotiations are ongoing, the town may give the developer an extension. The Slayton Settlement Road project is considered a community solar project, meaning town residents with electric service from New York State Electric & Gas Corp. may apply for a 10% credit on their electric bills. Madigan also pledged to make a commitment to hire local construction labor for the project. The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LAFIAGI BUA Foods Plc (the company) has received commendations from the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) over the level of progress made at its wholly owned subsidiary, LASUCO Sugar Company Limited (LASUCO) which sits on 20,000 hectares of arable land in Lafiagi, Kwara State. Over the years, BUA foods has invested heavily in the backward integration program of the Federal Government under the supervision of the NSDC. When fully completed, the over $300million integrated sugar factory will comprise of a sugar mill with a capacity of 10,000tons of cane per day, a sugar refinery with an annual capacity of 220,000metric tonnes, a 35megawatts power generating plant to fuel the factory with potential to supply the national grid, and a 20million litres per annum ethanol production plant. The plantation also has a 3km airstrip of international standard, built to support its operations. L R: Labaran Saidu, Senior General Manager, Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO); Ayodele Abioye, Ag. Managing Director, BUA Foods Plc; Adedeji Zacch, Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council and Abdulrasheed Olayiwola, Chief Finance Officer, BUA Foods Plc during the councils visit to the Industrial Complex of LASUCO in Lafiagi, Kwara State. Addressing the NSDC team in Lafiagi, the acting Managing Director, BUA Foods, Engr. Ayodele Abioye said the visit was timely as it restates the companys drive to ensure the advancement of the food sector and the Nigerian economy. According to Abioye, We thank the National Sugar Development Council. We are glad you like the level of work that has gone into this plantation and remain committed to fully attaining the backward integration program. Its role in conserving foreign exchange, boosting local capacity, creating jobs, enhancing skill acquisition and ensuring that less emphasis is placed on imported raw materials is clearly understood We believe at take-off; this enormous project will make a huge impact to our business and the aspirations of the council. Speaking during the working visit to the plantation, the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) Zacch Adedeji, said the President Muhammadu Buharis led Government is committed to revamping the sugar industry through the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan, (NSMP) which has the capacity to ensure we grow what we eat, and eat what we grow while providing job opportunities for millions of Nigerians. His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Kawa, the Emir of Lafiagi flanked by the Executives of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Executives of LASUCO and BUA Foods Plc at the Emirs palace in Lafiagi, Kwara State. Adedeji who thanked BUA Foods for its resilient commitment towards the Backward Integration Programme (BIP) expressed satisfaction with the level of progress made at the integrated sugar factory adding that Nigeria is a step closer to achieving self-sufficiency in sugar production. At the sugar council, our aim is to locally produce 70% of Nigerias sugar consumption which is currently at 1.7metric tons per annum. LASUCO is expected to play a pivotal role in achievement of this goal as its expected to contribute up to 25% of the targeted local consumption based on its capacity. Adedeji added that I am impressed with the level of progress I have seen here. All thats required is to further develop the field to which I have seen the commitment of the BUA team to meet that. L R: Labaran Saidu, Senior General Manager, Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO); Habib Abdullahi, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC); Abdulrasheed Olayiwola, Chief Finance Officer, BUA Foods Plc; Adedeji Zacch, Executive Secretary, NSDC; Ayodele Abioye, Ag. Managing Director, BUA Foods Plc; and Adewunmi Desalu, Communications Director, BUA Foods Plc during the councils visit to the Sugarcane plantation at LASUCO in Lafiagi, Kwara State. The company is working towards supporting farmers through an out-grower scheme to increase sugar cane production and provide a springboard for expansion of its local sugar production while impacting the host community and Nigerian economy at large. Earlier, Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Kawa, the Emir of Lafiagi described the project as a game-changing initiative that will spur development of the community. According to him, For us, the BUA-LASUCO project is a dream come true for Lafiagi as there are only a handful of towns that can boast of a $300m dollar investment. We are proud of this project and very happy it is situated in our area. The potentials are huge, the type of transformation this project will bring Lafiagi beats the imagination. Today, we are on the world map due to the 3km runway. We are very happy and committed to this project; There is nothing BUA needs that we will not accommodate. Baan Nam Khem Tsunami Museum opens PHANG NGA: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday (Feb 4) by teleconference presided over the opening ceremony of the Baan Nam Khem Tsunami Museum in Phang Nga, a village devastated by the Asian Tsunami in 2004. disastersculturetourism By The Phuket News Sunday 6 February 2022, 10:00AM Attending the opening ceremony in person were Minister of Culture Itthiphol Kunplome and Permanent Secretary Yupa Thawiwatthanakitworn, and Phang Nga Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada. Although the disaster happened more than 17 years ago, those affected and their relatives still remember the scale of the tragedy, including loss of human lives and damage to property. This can be seen from the annual commemorative activities in the affected areas, PM Prayut said. The Baan Nam Khem community was the most damaged area in the six provinces affected by the tsunami, and the psychological impact here was dramatic, PM Prayut noted. The museum will be a source of historical knowledge for people and also bring additional income to the community, explained Culture Minister Itthipol, whose ministry funded the project. The museum would also serve as a learning centre, which would help avoid, or at least mitigate, such suffering from future disasters by means of proper surveillance and relevant actions, he added. Before Dec 26, 2004, Thai people had never experienced an earthquake and a tsunami. Mr Itthipol said. Now people from all around the world travel to Thailand to commemorate the event every year, so the Baan Nam Khem Tsunami Museum can also be a cultural tourist attraction and a centre for community arts and culture dissemination activities, he added. The project will also help to drive the grassroots economy, create jobs and generate sustainable income for people in the area, which is in line with the vision of Culture and Creativity playing a leading role in the development of economy and Thai society. Thus the project will have both social value and economic value, Mr Itthipol said. The Baan Nam Khem Tsunami Museum, located in Takua Pa District, occupies more than five rai of land. The main exhibition building is a one-story building. The front is designed as a curve representing a wave. There is a spherical aperture in the shape of a wave bubble spreading along the length of the building, making the inside of the museum. There is also an empty space resembling the bottom of a long wave throughout the exhibition room. Outside, there is a warning tower with a design inspired by traditional fishing tools. It serves as a landmark that allows visitors to ascend the structure and view the surrounding area. The exhibitions within the museum are divided into four main sections: Section 1: Exhibition outside the building with two fishing boats that the tsunami swept ashore with the traces remaining an important witness of the event. Section 2: Information service stand, souvenir shop and a multimedia room. Section 3: An exhibition of stories of the disaster. Section 4. Park area and facilities. Visitors including foreign tourists can visit the Baan Nam Khem Tsunami Museum every day from Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30am-4:30pm. COVID-recovered Phuket Sandbox tourists exempt from quarantine, hotel isolation PHUKET: Sandbox tourists who test positive for COVID-19 on landing because they still have high levels of the virus in their system after recovering from being infected do not need to observe the mandatory 10-day isolation in Phuket if they are asymptomatic. tourismCOVID-19Coronavirushealth By The Phuket News Sunday 6 February 2022, 09:30AM The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) announced the measure in a notice marked as the Past Infection Guideline for Sandbox Travelers. The notice, which was provided to The Phuket News, is marked Updated on 3 February 2022. However, Phuket officials have yet to publicly announce the measure through the usual government channels. Sandbox Travelers who test positive for Covid-19 in Phuket but were infected before arriving into Thailand can be considered for no quarantine or isolation, the notice explains, in English. In order to be eligible for exemption of the quarantine or isolation measures, travellers must satisfy three criteria: 1. They must be asymptomatic. 2. Their CT level from the RT-PCR test in Phuket must be more than 30 in both genes. 3. They must provide a medical certificate to prove their COVID-19 infection within the last three months. All three criteria must be met in or for travellers to qualify for the exemption, the notice said clearly. If the above criteria are not met, you must be quarantined or isolated for 10 days from the first day of your RT-PCR positive test, the notice confirmed. The notice explained that to apply for the quarantine exemption travellers must submit the medical certificate of their past infection to the hotel where they are booked to stay after arriving. Submit a lab result in Phuket that shows your CT more than 30. The SHA Plus Manager of your hotel must keep records of your documents for future reference with the Phuket Provincial Health Office. If you are able to present the above documents, you will be released, the PPHO assured. Of note, while the notice is clearly marked to apply to Sandbox tourists, it has yet to be confirmed that the exemption also applies to Test & Go tourists. Isan man arrested for stealing Greek tourists holiday money PHUKET: Phuket Police has arrested and charged the man suspected of stealing 4,900 (about B182,400) from a Greek tourists car in late January. The suspect has already admitted committing the crime. crimetourismpolice By The Phuket News Sunday 6 February 2022, 03:05PM Tourist Police investigate the crime scene. Photo: Phuket Tourist Police As reported previously, the victim Alexandros Alexiadis, or just Alex arrived in Phuket on Dec 26 with his wife Lesia and their three children: 14-year-old son Illia; 11-year-old daughter Liza; and their youngest, 5-year-old daughter Vasiliki. The family is due to fly home to Greece on Feb 25. The family stayed in Karon Sub-District, namely in Kata Ocean View Condominium Phase 3. The Greeks kept their holiday cash in a rented car as condo staff said they were unable to open the safe in their residence. The option of placing the money in the management office safe was not suggested, leaving Alex not to know they had one. The cash was not left in the room either due to cleaning staff concerns. On Jan 25 Alex parked his car in the parking lot and next morning found the cash gone. I found the driver door partly open. At first I thought I probably left it unlocked, but I see now that the car autolocks if it is not driven, Alex explained. The car was parked in a blind spot from the developments CCTV security cameras, yet other parts of the parking lot were covered by the CCTV. The entrance [to the parking lot] is visible from the cameras but the car was parked in a blind spot, he said. Having learned about the theft, the tourist offered a reward for the full or partial return of his holiday money but to no avail. As part of his efforts, Alex posted on the back window of the car a message in Thai saying, "You took all my money. i am here with family and three kids. if you want to return the money, you can keep some part and i will not involve you with the police." "I posted a copy of this on the car and everywhere in the parking area, because i wanted to touch his/her feelings," Alex explained. However, Alex and his family received B51,000 from an anonymous donor to help the family for the remainder of their holiday. The money was delivered by a representative from the Knights Border Facebook page, which acts as a police and community support network. The donor, through the representative, expressed sympathy for the family and hoped that the money would help the children enjoy the remainder of their holiday and for the family to know that Thais have not abandoned them. More good news followed later. On Feb 5, Phuket Police gathered enough evidence to get a warrant to arrest the suspect, Mr Kanaphong (First) Sakorncharoen from Udon Thani province. Around 5.00pm on the same day he was apprehended in front of a Family Mart store at the entrance of Soi Pramote off Chaofa West Rd in Chalong. The man was taken to Karon Police Station and charged with theft at night using a vehicle. During the arrest and following procedures officers also seized 500 in cash (the leftover of the stolen foreign currency), a Phuket-registered Honda Scoopy motorcycle (the vehicle used to commit the crime), a black hoodie, trousers and Fila sneakers (worn by the suspect on the day of the incident). Mr Kanaphong admitted committing the crime. The man explained that he noticed an unlocked car in the parking lot, got inside it and escaped with the cash found in the vehicle. Mr Kanaphong said he exchanged most of the money for spending, until 500 was left. It is not clear if the suspect has already spent the rest of the cash or some money is still intact in Thai baht. Man drowns as longtail sinks near Coconut Island PHUKET: One person died and another was rescued after a longtail boat capsised and sank on its way from Koh Maprao (Coconut Island) to Phuket yesterday afternoon (Feb 5). The body of the deseased has already been found, the survivor is recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital. deathmarine By The Phuket News Sunday 6 February 2022, 01:33PM A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police A longtail with two men on board sank on its was from Koh Maprao to Phuket. Photo: Phuket Marine Police Marine police were notified of the incident around 4.45pm. According to the report, a longtail boat with two men on board left Koh Maprao for Phuket with a load of steel. The boat was driven by Sompong Anukroh, 50, from Koh Kaew Subdistrict of Phuket. Also on board was Teeranan Chotian, 48, from Rassada. Some 300 metres from Koh Maprao the boat capsised and both crew member found themselves in the water. I tried to wriggle out to take a breath until I drank several gulps of water. I saw my friend swimming on a paddle stick and saw a foreigner coming to help me try to cling to a water bottle until I was almost unconscious. After that I didnt wake up until I found myself in a car and slept in the emergency room of Vachira Phuket Hospital, Mr Sompong recalled. It took the search team until 7.45pm to locate the spot where the longtail sank. Mr Teeranan by that time was already dead, his body was found nearby and brought to Laem Hin Pier. The officers on duty together with a forensic specialist examined the body and sent it to Vachira Phuket Hospital morgue. Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy skies with periods of light rain this afternoon. High 17C. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 9C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. M&T Bank making 100 branches into multicultural centers is smart business and shows a way to make Buffalos 2020 population growth into a powerful economic engine. Buffalo grew in 2020 the only upstate metro to do so because of immigrants. Thousands of refugees and immigrants live here. From Grant Street to 43North, Broadway-Fillmore to Amherst, SUNY to the Buffalo Public Schools, their success changes us for the better. The foreign born are the only growing population in the U.S. They are workers, entrepreneurs, homeowners and taxpayers. Western New York cant grow its economy without more population. Attracting and supporting the success of immigrants needs to be a priority. A 2016 analysis by the Fiscal Policy Institute shows after 10 years refugees are employed as much or more than native-born. New American Economy found foreign born people in metro Buffalo paid $643 million in taxes in 2016. Here are five things Western New York can do to accelerate the success of refugees and immigrants, benefiting us all: 1. Include refugees and immigrants in tourism, workforce and economic development strategies. Engage refugee communities Burmese, Bangladeshi to attract immigrants in the U.S. to Buffalo. Our region lacks workers to replace boomer retirements. Expand immigrant access to training and help foreign-educated professionals recertify. 2. Become a national model for language access. Government, businesses, school districts and nonprofits must improve access for limited English speakers. Use universal signage. 3. Increase support for immigrant entrepreneurs. Immigrants start businesses not only at West Side Bazaar. Many of 43Norths founders are immigrants. Attracting, supporting and retaining immigrant entrepreneurs is critical. But they wont come to Western New York, or stay, if they dont see a place for themselves. 4. Make supporting the foreign born everyones business. Our region has advantages, including nonprofits expert in immigrant integration. We are fortunate they are here. But the work cant be theirs alone. Leaders in all sectors and everyday residents can make Western New York welcoming and supportive. Our rich history of immigration helps us understand diversitys potential. Most of us, including me, are here because of immigrants. 5. Remember that we are in competition. Many cities especially in the Great Lakes are working to attract immigrants. Remember, nonimmigrant groups we want to attract millennials also value multiculturalism. Look at Toronto to see results. University of Toronto researchers predict metro Toronto will double population within 50 years, ranking third behind New York City and Mexico City in North America. Toronto ranks third now among North American technology centers. This is our chance. Lets build on 2020 growth and distinguish WNY as a multicultural community for everyones benefit. Eva Hassett is former executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo and former finance commissioner for the City of Buffalo. President Biden wants the United States to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of this decade, an ambitious target that reflects the diminishing amount of time the world has to change its climate course. Meeting this goal will require massive deployment of green energy. That, in turn, will require Mr. Biden to do everything he can to restrain the costs of wind, solar and other clean energy sources. He can start by finally ending a long-running, ruinous trade war with China over the price of solar power equipment, which has made these products more expensive than they need to be. His first step should be rejecting calls to extend tariffs on solar products such as the cells that make up solar panels, the fate of which Mr. Biden must decide by Monday. SPRINGFIELD Nutrient loss is one of the most serious pollution threats faced in the U.S., causing a Rhode Island-sized dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, poisoning local lakes and streams and causing serious health problems for people and domesticated animals. This year, Illinois lawmakers are considering how to best direct state resources to help reduce nutrient runoff, particularly in the agriculture sector and suburban sewage runoff. One goal is to incentivize farmers to adopt nutrient runoff reduction strategies through government incentives and other policy changes. Its an effort to better fulfill a runoff reduction strategy that began in 1995 but hasnt led to the results lawmakers had hoped for. Illinois is one of 11 states in the Mississippi River basin that have pledged to develop strategies to reduce the nutrient loads leaving their borders. Illinois aimed to reduce nitrates and nitrogen by 15 percent and phosphorus by 25 percent by 2025, but the latest update showed that nutrient loss increased by 13 percent and phosphorus losses increased by 35 percent, compared with a baseline period from 1980 to 1996, according to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Implementation Biennial Report. The state is making headway on its goal to reduce nutrient discharge from wastewater treatment facilities. From 2019 to 2020, funding tripled for investment in water treatment, resulting in more than $200 million in investment for improvements at wastewater plants. Clear guidance was in place to help wastewater operators understand what improvements needed to be made and how to get funding to make them, according to the report. Agriculture has not seen the same reductions. Increased and more intense rains fueled by climate change complicated those nutrient loss efforts, experts say. While developing agricultural strategies to address nutrient loss, they are complicated by geography and financial considerations for the 72,000 farmers who farm 27 million acres across the state. Farm conservation is, by far, the most effective way to combat nutrient loss, but it can be costly for individual farmers to implement, said Michael Woods, division manager of the Division of Natural Resources for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Some of the key agricultural practices to combat nutrient loss and help reach the goal of a 45 percent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus pollution are conservation tillage, testing the soil before applying phosphorus fertilizer, using the maximum return on nitrogen rate for nitrogen fertilizer, putting grass buffers on waterways, and using cover crops. A state program offers a $5-per-acre discount on crop insurance, but demand for the program is far outpacing the availability even as its funding was doubled this year. In 2019, the first year of the Fall Cover for Spring Savings, the program covered 50,000 acres. It took 12 days for the applications to be filled. IDOA estimated 70 percent of the applicants were new to planting cover crops. In 2022, the acreage limit was doubled to 100,000 acres. It took less than 12 hours to fill the first-come, first-served program. It shattered records, Woods said. This program is in high demand because it is not cheap to employ conservation methods. This program offsets some of those costs. Legislative efforts State Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, is the sponsor of a measure that has thus far stalled in the General Assembly that would have extended state runoff reduction efforts. Though this isnt an issue that hits the front page, it is an important one and one that we should make sure we make a priority, he said. Villivalam filed Senate Bill 3471 earlier this month that would extend a program run through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Partners for Conservation Fund, through 2032 and allow it to receive private funds. It would also allow for fund transfers from other state funds to conservation efforts and give the Illinois Department of Revenue better grant-making guidance. It also increases funding for runoff reduction efforts. We have made progress on this in appropriations, Villivalam said. We will continue to work to make funding available and to make sure that funding is used appropriately to combat this problem, as well as seeing what other gaps exist. The funding will rise over the next 10 years from $10 million to more than $25 million in 2027, extending through 2032. The bill asks for agricultural management on state-owned and leased lands to support nutrient loss reduction efforts. It also directs much of the current allocation to the Illinois EPA toward implementation of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and infrastructure projects for nutrient capture. In 1995, the Illinois Legislature passed Conservation 2000, a comprehensive, six-year, $100 million initiative designed to promote ecosystem-based management of privately held land in a public-private partnership and create partnerships between the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Natural Resources. It became Partners for Conservation in 2008, but it was scheduled to expire in 2021 as legislation to extend it failed to pass. The latest legislative effort will extend that program and provide additional guidance on setting goals and targets to advance conservation efforts, expand the eligible uses of the Partners for Conservation Fund, including funding for the Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program, and enhance reporting to the Legislature on progress through the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. The bill will not only help align state programs with the NLRS, but it creates a framework that will help agency staff direct state and federal conservation dollars toward nutrient loss programs. It creates partnerships that would measure data, track success and devise strategies that would allow for easier application to get those federal dollars, said Max Webster, Midwest policy manager for American Farmland Trust. It would also stabilize state funding for the programs allowing for matching federal money, Webster said. Villivalam filed the bill Jan. 19. Other obstacles Participation in voluntary incentive programs, like the cover crop program, might not be enough to meet the goals in the NLRS, said Catie Gregg, agricultural program specialist for Prairie Rivers Network. If we continue to not see improvements, or things are getting worse, as seen in the 2021 NLRS report, we will need to look at a broader range of strategies that may include both voluntary programs and requiring certain best management practices, Gregg said. Conservation tillage, maximum return rate for nitrogen, and testing the soil for phosphorus before applying fertilizer should be part of those strategies, Gregg said. For Illinois to meet those nutrient loss reduction goals, agriculture programs should be scaled up, Gregg said. New agriculture programs are at the scale of millions of dollars, whereas wastewater treatment facilities have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in reducing nutrient pollution in their plants, often funded by the state revolving fund. It is not surprising that we are seeing nutrient pollution reductions in wastewater, but not from agriculture, Gregg said. We will need that same level of funding if we are to see reductions in runoff at the same scale from agriculture. Farmers want to protect their land and environment, but they have to consider the bottom line when starting a new regimen on their farms, such as planting cover crops or installing buffers, said Lauren Lurkins, director of natural and environmental resources for Illinois Farm Bureau. Financial incentives can offer inducement to try conservation measures. Each year, every farmer will have to look at their own situation to decide. This year, everything is higher; seeds, fertilizer, everything. They may decide that the program alone isnt enough to justify the additional costs, Lurkins said. Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, who farms 1,600 acres in Washington County, echoed that sentiment. Ten years ago, when cash crop prices were high and fertilizer prices were reasonable, Meier said, it made sense to try to maximize yield. This year, the fertilizer prices are high and supplies are harder to source, making it a good time to push conservation efforts. But Meier points to inadequate state agriculture budgets and a lack of commitment to address the nutrient loss problem. The soil diversity across the state also means that incentive programs must allow for flexibility so the farmer can be successful and continue to use conservation methods after the incentive period ends. Farmers compete. You look at your neighbors fields and you want to do as well or better than they are, Meier said. Farmers dont want mandates. Farms across the state are different. What works for a farmer in Champaign County may not work in Monroe County. Farmers want flexibility to do what works for them. Meier participated in the federal Conservation Stewardship Program on his farm money that came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service. He created buffers along the waterways to absorb nutrients, targeted areas for fertilizing with testing and GPS, planted cover crops in the fall where he will plant cash crops in the spring and milkweed for pollinators in less productive areas. But the federal program guidelines can be complicated and the paperwork and documentation can be daunting, especially for farmers who also work off of the farm, according to Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri. And Meier said successful implementation of any cover crop program requires farmers to be continuously learning about technology and employing what works for their farm, being adaptable and embracing change. Some Illinois farmers are making changes, not only to reduce runoff but to lower their costs and improve their soil quality and improve their yields and the quality of the yields while reducing their use of fertilizers. Mark Litteken operates a hog and cattle farm on 120 acres in Clinton County. He also grows corn and soybeans. Litteken started planting cover crops in 2010. Litteken chose not to use the state or federal programs so he could be more flexible in his choice of cover crops and how he used them. He grazes his cattle on the grass, clover and radishes he grows. This isnt really new. This is stuff my grandfather used to do, Litteken said. There is science behind it, but you also have to know your goals and your ground. You can mark it on your calendar. Every four years Olympics. Every 17 years locusts. And every 10 years politicians incensed over reapportionment mandated by the Constitution. Back in the 1780s when the Founding Fathers crafted that document, it seemed like a good idea to adjust representation according to population. It still is, because things change. New York boasted 45 congressional districts in 1950. But other places outpaced even the Empire State in ensuing years, and the new plan calls for only 26. Similar population shifts have affected representation in the State Legislature, and now Republicans especially are howling over the unfairness of a process dominated by Democrats. State Sen. Ed Rath is unhappiest of them all. Finishing his rookie term in Albany, the Amherst Republican looms as a major redistricting casualty. Rath must work hard to compete in increasingly Democratic Amherst, relying on other towns and Republican turf in Genesee County. But now his home is lumped in with a Buffalo dominated district represented by Democrat Tim Kennedy. Chairman of the important Transportation Committee, Kennedy has almost $1.5 million in his campaign treasury. Some tout him as a future Buffalo mayor. And in the new overwhelmingly Democratic district, even the most optimistic Repubs believe that barring court action, Rath faces bleak prospects. For sure, the senator recognizes the politics involved he comes from a long line of GOP pols. But he notes voters have twice in the last seven years endorsed the Independent Redistricting Commission concept at the polls, only to have the Democratic Legislature and governor control the process this year. We said we didnt want partisan gerrymandering, and thats exactly what we now have, he said. And whats really frustrating is the lack of inclusion from the other side of the aisle. They had a partisan strategy and they fulfilled it to the Nth degree. But wait a minute, Sen. Rath. Didnt your partisan Republicans carve out their own ruby red districts during all those years they dominated the Senate? Please show me when Republicans had a super-majority in the Senate and Assembly and also held the Executive Mansion, he counters. Theres no way you can say they did the same thing. It all leads Rath to freely quote the absolute power corrupts absolutely mantra. Another old chestnut enters this conversation: Elections have consequences. And voters elected those super-majorities and a Democratic lieutenant governor who is now governor. Some Dems in the Assembly, like Pat Burke of Orchard Park and Monica Wallace of Lancaster, emerge stronger from the process just like Politics 101 dictates. Burke acknowledges some cutthroat politics at work here, and also that the new lines strengthen him from the former district where the GOP occasionally pulled off a win. But he remains disappointed by a congressional reapportionment that could see two Republicans representing Democratic Erie County. I dont like to see Democrats throw in the towel on the working class groups we have to bring back, Burke said last week, noting that Reps. Chris Jacobs and Claudia Tenney voted against certifying President Bidens 2020 victory. It allows a dangerous ideology to dominate our media market, he said. I made my displeasure known. Burke noted the phone call he received last week from Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, whom he supported for president in 2020. The prospect of reducing New Yorks Republicans in the House of Representatives from six to three causes that kind of consternation in Washington. For Republicans like Rath, arguments about separating communities represented together for the last six decades probably wont sway the map makers of the moment. Many in the GOP are now looking to the courts for consideration, though veteran observers say raising money for such efforts rarely succeeds. It all raises another tried and true mantra quoted by philosophers throughout the ages: Politics aint beanbag. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. ALTON No injuries were reported in a Saturday afternoon house fire. At 4:17 p.m. Saturday, Alton firefighters responded to a one-and-a-half story house on fire in the 1000 block of Diamond Street. They arrived to find flames showing in one corner of the unoccupied house. Alton Fire Chief Jesse Jemison and Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Fischer were both summoned to the scene. A box alarm for mutual aid was not initially struck, but firefighters on Saturday afternoon advanced hose lines through both the front and rear of the house to extinguish an active fire. The fire was reported to 911 by several neighbors. This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. MADDY BARRETTE, Chariho, Softball, Sophomore; Barrette hit a two-run single in the seventh inning, lifting Chariho past Cumberland. For the week, Barrette was 4 for 8 with three RBIs and a double in three games. MADDIE STEPSKI, Stonington, Softball, Senior; Stepski hit two home runs in back-to-back games for the Bears. In three games during the week, she was 10 for 13 with four homers, two doubles and 12 RBIs. Stepski is hitting .750 for the season with 22 RBIs and six home runs. MICHAEL POOLE, Westerly, Baseball, Freshman; Poole struck out 14 Rogers batters to earn his second win of the season. Poole pitched a four-hitter and allowed just one earned run. For the season, Poole has 19 strikeouts in 12 innings with a 1.14 ERA. SEAN BERGEL, Wheeler, Baseball, Sophomore; Bergel pitched a complete-game two-hitter in a 1-0 win against Putnam. Bergel struck out seven and did not walk a batter. He is 2-1 with a 1.68 ERA this season. Vote View Results Some of us are old enough to remember when Remington shaver company owner Victor Kiam advertised his wares on television with the catchphrase 'I liked the product so much, I bought the company'. It was an advertising sensation in 1979, but Kiam's strategy remains an attractive one for investors today. Buying shares allows investors to own a slice of the businesses they use every day. And being a customer gives investors an advantage as they have personal experience of the company and a window into what it is getting right and wrong. Big screen: It is possible to buy shares listed abroad, such as Disney who make films like Encanto, if you're based in the UK But what can investors do when so many of the brands we know and use daily, from Disney to Apple and Samsung, are listed on overseas stock markets? The good news is that it is possible to buy shares listed abroad if you're based in the UK. The less good news is that you pay more in charges, and may have extra administration to contend with. From Ford, to Disney, LVMH... the powerhouse names The UK stock market is packed full of world-class energy companies and banks. But to gain access to a wider range of sectors, investors have to look further afield. For example, European exchanges are home to some of the best luxury goods firms including LVMH, maker of Louis Vuitton bags while Japan has strengths in electronics and robotics. The US hosts most of the world's big tech firms. We asked investment experts for their top picks of companies that are household names in the UK, but that are not listed here businesses they believe will continue to thrive on the back of a powerful brand. Keith Bowman, analyst at investment platform Interactive Investor, is excited about the future of US motor business Ford, which is competing with Tesla for market share of electric cars. 'I think Ford will emerge as the clear number two electric vehicle maker in North America,' he says. Ford is investing more than $30billion (22billion) in electric car production. Its shares are up 82 per cent in the past year, but still look cheap when compared with Tesla, up 6 per cent in the past year. Bowman also likes Disney, and believes investors currently have a good opportunity to buy as shares are down 13 per cent this year after it missed its earnings forecasts. Investors in Disney own a slice of superhero franchise Marvel, animated films giant Pixar and the Star Wars movies and merchandise all of which now fall under the Disney company umbrella. It has also reopened its theme parks and relaunched its cruise ships after closures during the pandemic. 'Subscriber growth and a broader recovery are likely to continue longer term,' says Bowman. Russ Mould, investment director at platform AJ Bell, says investors should look towards Western Europe for global leaders. 'Some of the high-quality names investors should be looking at just roll off the tongue,' he says. 'France's LVMH is a leader in luxury goods and Switzerland's Nestle in consumer brands.' He adds that the Continent is also a good source of dividends for income seekers. Jason Hollands, managing director at investment platform BestInvest, likes US-listed trainers brand Nike. Due to its loyal customer base, Nike has the power to pass on costs when it needs to and to cut the number of retailers that sell its products to refocus instead on selling through its own website and stores where profits are higher. Darius McDermott, managing director of investment platform Chelsea Financial Services, says that investors need to look to the US for the big tech companies we use every day. Alphabet which owns Google and delivery giant Amazon are both US-listed picks. Neither are cheap options. Alphabet's share price is up 39 per cent in the past year, while Amazon's is down 16 per cent over the same period having fallen 17 per cent in the last month alone. The best ways to buy stocks listed abroad Most investment platforms and stockbrokers allow you to buy stocks abroad but there may be extra charges. These come in two forms a charge from the platform for buying the shares themselves, and a foreign exchange 'margin rate', which is a percentage added on to the exchange rate between the currency you are using and the one that the stock is listed in to make profit for the company doing the trade. If you frequently trade in stocks listed abroad, these charges can add up. For example, although Interactive Investor charges the same for investors to buy US shares as it does for UK shares (up to 7.99 a trade), it charges investors on two of its subscription plans 19.99 to buy shares listed outside of the UK. Share dealing apps can offer a cheaper route A new breed of share dealing apps is challenging the traditional DIY investing platforms and can offer a lower cost route to buying some overseas shares. Freetrade, Trading 212 and eToro both offer the chance to buy overseas shares without any share dealing fees, although investors may have to pay a currency conversion commission. Not every platform charges extra to buy overseas shares. AJ Bell charges 9.95 to trade international shares online, and 29.95 to buy them by phone, which is the same as UK listed shares. Hargreaves Lansdown also charges the same amount 11.95 online or one per cent if you deal over the telephone. However, the extra costs associated with foreign exchange conversion can still weigh on investment performance. The foreign exchange 'margin rate' means you lose money every time you convert currency with your broker to buy overseas shares. Generally, the more currency you can convert at once, the lower the margin rate you are charged, which means that you may want to buy large amounts of overseas shares at one time. Interactive Investor has a margin rate of 1.5 per cent which means you'll be charged 1.5 per cent more than the interbank rate, which is what large institutions charge among themselves. This rate tapers down if you buy big amounts of shares. You can also hold cash in an overseas account and use it later, meaning that you can avoid the higher charges by converting large amounts at once. Hargreaves only allows you to hold sterling cash balances, and when you buy overseas shares you will be charged up to 1.5 per cent above the interbank rate, depending on how big your deal is. You should also watch out for costs when you receive dividends in a foreign currency which have to be converted back into sterling before being paid to you. In the bag: Luxury brand LVMH's stable includes Louis Vuitton handbags Investors may also have to pay withholding tax, which is levied by some countries on overseas shareholders who receive dividend income. It may be possible to reclaim this tax from some countries, where the UK has an agreement known as a double-tax treaty in place. The US government charges non US residents a withholding tax of 30 per cent on any income received from US investments. UK investors can claim a rebate so the most they pay is 15 per cent. Germany also has a 25 per cent to 30 per cent withholding tax charge, but you can also reclaim some of this so that you pay 15 per cent. You use different forms to reclaim for each country. For example, a W-8BEN form in the US. Hollands reassures: 'The good news is that the W-8BEN isn't onerous and covers you for three years.' Investors in overseas shares also need to be aware of what the experts call 'currency risk'. If a share is traded in a different currency, the movement of that currency against the pound can erode or magnify your returns. For example, if you invested in a fund that tracked the S&P 500 (the US's major stock index), the returns you receive will differ depending on whether you look at them in pounds or dollars. In pounds, total returns for the last five years are 103 per cent, but in dollars they add up to 120 per cent. Funds and trust can provide an easier option If the thought of extra charges and currency fears put you off buying overseas household names directly, you might want to consider investment funds that hold them. These still carry currency risk, but some use a strategy known as 'hedging' to keep it in check. The principle of hedging is simple. It is a way of managing risk by taking an opposite position in something related to the risk you are holding in order to offset it. Life insurance is a way we 'hedge' the risk of a major earner in our family being unable to provide for us. A fund manager might use a financial instrument known as an 'option' so they can mitigate the risk of any currency movement having an adverse impact on the portfolio they manage. James Carthew, head of investment companies at QuotedData, likes Polar Capital Technology for those who believe the recent slump in tech company shares is temporary. Its biggest holdings include Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Facebook's parent company Meta, and graphics giant NVIDIA. Shares in Polar Capital Technology have fallen 11 per cent in the last six months, but profits are up 90 per cent overall in the past three years. A less racy tech option might be Alliance Trust, which has exposure to Alphabet, Visa, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook. But they only account for 15 per cent of its portfolio. Ryan Hughes, head of investment research at AJ Bell, picks investment trust Fidelity European for access to European brands. It is up 33 per cent over three years. Investment fund Stonehage Fleming Global Best Ideas is very clear about how it makes money for clients. It identifies strong growth businesses preferably with a global reach and then holds them in the expectation of rising earnings being reflected in higher share prices. It's an investment approach that has been employed since the fund was formed eight and a half years ago and as far as investors are concerned it's proved a winning formula. Since launch, the 1.9billion fund has delivered an overall return of 212 per cent 96 per cent over the past five years. The fund is run out of London by Gerrit Smit. It holds shares in 27 companies, most of which are listed in the United States. There are few surprises in the portfolio the biggest holdings are all growth businesses, primarily benefiting from the digital revolution: the likes of Alphabet, Microsoft and Accenture. Although Smit accepts concerns that shares in many technology companies are overpriced, he believes his approach means the fund steers clear of those businesses where share prices have got ahead of themselves. 'We are only interested in investing in sustainable, staple technology businesses that are now playing key roles in how we live our lives,' says Smit. 'They're profitable companies that have been around a while, are hugely cash generative and they will remain profitable in the future.' He compares such robust businesses the likes of Alphabet and Microsoft with what he describes as 'moonshot' technology companies. These, he says, are currently not profitable with their share prices reflecting more the expectation (or hope) of profits. These companies such as Uber and Deliveroo are the ones he will not touch. 'When we buy a company for the fund,' says Smit, 'our intention is to hold the shares indefinitely.' A number of the company's big positions in consultancy group Accenture and Google (now Alphabet) have been held since the fund's launch in August 2013. Smit says he looks for four key things when buying a company. It must be a growing business with the growth being organic and not through acquisition. It must also have quality management, be profitable now rather than merely a promisor of future profits, and have strong cash flow. Provided the company's shares are not too expensive, it then becomes a potential buy. Occasionally, external factors upset the applecart. It happened last year when the Chinese State announced curbs on private tutoring while denouncing online video games as 'spiritual opium'. It triggered a slide in the shares of Chinese tech company Tencent. Smit's response was to offload the fund's holding in Tencent. 'The risk premium was too high,' he says. The proceeds were invested in Dutch company ASML, a provider of equipment to the semiconductor industry. 'Digitalisation is a big theme across our portfolio,' he adds. 'A large beneficiary of such an industrial revolution is the semiconductor sector.' Another key fund holding is USlisted Cadence Design Systems which provides computer software to microchip makers. Smit says the companies he holds are forecast to grow earnings by 18 per cent per annum over the next three years. Although he doesn't think the holdings are likely to deliver equivalent investment returns for investors over the same period, he is adamant a portfolio of some of the world's most successful growth companies will deliver outstanding long-term results. The fund's total annual charges are 0.84 per cent and the stock market ID code is BCLYMF3. A metal detectorist who went searching for hidden treasure to keep his children entertained discovered a coin that sold for a record-breaking 648,000 last month. While such findings are rare, anyone can participate in the fascinating and often lucrative world of coin collecting and make money without even having to dig in a field. Gregory Edmund is coin specialist at auction house Spink which sold the medieval King Henry III gold coin discovered by Michael Leigh-Mallory. Gold dust: The Henry III coin, left and bottom right, and the gold noble, top right He says: 'The market for coin collectables has exploded over the past couple of years with the value of the most sought-after rarities rising by as much as 50 per cent. The price achieved for the sale of this incredibly rare 1257 coin discovered by Michael reveals how buoyant the market now is.' While some may want to do a Leigh-Mallory and chance their luck on what riches a metal detector may uncover, others will prefer a more sedate approach to collecting coins. They will want to make profits as a numismatist, the industry term for a coin collector. Here's what to look for and where you might find it. Where to start... As fascinating as getting involved in collecting coins should be, it can also seem intimidating when starting out. The British Numismatic Society is the best place to begin and offers a wealth of information and support for those dipping their toe into this fascinating hobby with details of local groups who can share details of their collections and even trade coins with you. New members pay just 15 for the first two years. In return you enjoy access to a wide range of articles about coins covering details on pieces from the Iron Age, through to Roman, Anglo-Saxon, medieval and beyond. You also get a hard copy of the society's annual journal which reviews coin sales over the past year. A great place to start is with Roman coins, collecting examples with the heads of different emperors with bronze or silver coins typically costing from 20 each. The British Numismatic Society has a coin gallery showing coin images, while magazines such as Coin Collector and Coin News also help whet the appetite and provide interesting articles on sales and unusual finds. Website Coincraft provides information on prices, as do specialist traders including Spink, Chards and AH Baldwin & Sons. You might like to visit a coin fair, where you can rub shoulders and chat with experts about their interest without parting with any money. Details can be found at coinfares.co.uk. The Midland Coin Fair at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, takes place a week today. Global demand Following the cryptocurrency craze, a growing number of people are waking up to coin collecting as a welcome escape from the digital world. Edmund says: 'Many of those entering the coin collecting market are investors who think that if there is money to be made in virtual money, then why not try the real thing. Others are attracted because they do not trust cryptocurrencies or perhaps they have had their fingers burned by them.' He adds: 'There is also an increased globalisation in coin collecting with the Chinese and Japanese in particular taking a keen interest and pushing up prices of high value rarities.' An Una and the Lion five-pound gold coin minted in 1839 to celebrate the newly crowned Queen Victoria who became queen two years earlier at the age of 18 sold for a record 620,700 two years ago. A decade ago it might have changed hands for only 30,000. The character Una comes from a poem The Faerie Queene and depicts Queen Victoria leading a lion on the tale side of the coin. Only 400 of these valuable coins were ever produced. Another coin with global appeal is the 1847 Gothic crown limited to just 8,000 pieces. This silver piece is valued for its medieval-style image of Queen Victoria and typically changes hands for up to 20,000. But a top quality 'first strike' Gothic sold for 97,000 last month. Ancient bargains There have been price hikes right across the board starting with coins from ancient and medieval times through to more modern ones Edmund believes those who are seeking value for money should take a close look at ancient pieces. The coin auctioneer points to examples such as a 4th Century BC silver drachm with an image of Alexander the Great on the head when he was the king of Macedonia. This can now be bought from as little as 50 up to 500 if it is in great condition. Medieval marvels The King Henry III gold coin that sold for a record price in January this year was unearthed on Devon farmland in September 2021. It is one of only eight known to exist and was one of the first gold coins minted in medieval times. There are few survivors because most were melted down for their gold as this was more valuable than their face value of four shillings (20p). Andrew Shirley is editor of the wealth report for estate agent Knight Frank, which tracks the price of alternative investments such as coins in a luxury index. For collectable coins specifically, Knight Frank says prices have risen by 9 per cent over the past 12 months and 72 per cent over the past ten years. The data is based on market valuations of more than 1,000 top-quality coins. Shirley says: 'Such buried treasure that Leigh-Mallory discovered has a fascinating hidden story. The gold coin may have changed hands for many reasons. Could it have been part of a dowry, and what happened to those who buried it?' He adds: 'Interest in coins is rising partly because of their tangible appeal in a remote digital age. With an ancient coin you can touch a piece held by others centuries ago.' Another medieval coin that captures the imagination of collectors is the gold noble, which started to be struck during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th Century. Metal detector rules Those considering investing 200 in a metal detector should be aware that the chances of a life-changing discovery are rare. There are also strict treasure seeking rules. Under the 1996 Treasure Act for England and Wales, any hoard that is more than 300 years old and contains at least ten per cent gold or silver is deemed as treasure and belongs to the Crown. It must be reported to a coroner within 14 days of being unearthed otherwise you risk three months in jail or a 5,000 fine. Treasure is independently valued and payment usually split equally between a finder and landowner where the coins are found. The U.S. Senate committed a rare act of bipartisanship in the spring when it approved the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act by a vote of 68-32. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer was a champion of the bill, which evolved from the Endless Frontier Act. Strengthening American global competitiveness and boosting domestic manufacturing and our nations ability to produce semiconductor chips are top priorities of the bill. It would also support the awarding of multimillion-dollar grants to develop technology hubs, for which Buffalo would be a leading candidate. The bipartisan luster wore off when the bill got to the House of Representatives, which on Friday passed its version, the $350 billion America Competes Act, by a vote of 222-210. Exactly one Republican voted yes and one Democrat no. Significant differences in the two bills will need to be worked out by a conference committee before a law emerges. It will be unfortunate if amendments pushed by progressive Democrats slow the bills progress. Most of its provisions will unfold over several years, but there must be a sense of urgency in catching up to China in many areas, not the least of which is the making of microchips. The global shortage of chips has led to costly delays for U.S. manufacturers. General Motors and Ford both temporarily idled plants in 2021 due to the chip shortage. That and other supply chain problems have meant new cars are in short supply, with prices shooting up. The chips are also a central ingredient in smartphones, medical equipment and other technology. The House bill would provide $52 billion over five years to boost semiconductor research, design and manufacturing in the U.S. That price may be negotiable, but the need is not. CNN, citing the Semiconductor Industry Association, reported that the U.S. share of microchip manufacturing capacity has fallen from 37% in 1990 to 12% today. That will take years to address, but it cannot be ignored. Packing legislation with extra amendments is nothing new, but the progressive priorities attached to the House bill many of which address worthy concerns are likely to inflame partisan divisions and make reaching consensus with the Senate a harder slog than it needs to be. House Republicans, who say they were not consulted on formation of the bill, object to provisions for clean energy, climate resilience and climate diplomacy, along with the designation of $8 billion in contributions to the Green Climate Fund, an international initiative established by the Paris Agreement to help developing nations. Supporting renewable energy sources to deal with climate change does demand action at the federal and state level, but that case can be made on its own without attaching it to a bill about competing with China. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush sought an amendment that would bar microchip companies receiving U.S. subsidies from paying dividends or repurchasing company stock. There is also an extensive section called Buy American Seafood and one for monitoring seafood imports to combat human trafficking. We dont minimize any of these issues, but overstuffing this bill is like trying to cram too many bags into an airplanes overhead bin. The results are often not pretty. China has emerged as the most significant economic threat that the United States faces on the world stage. Beijing has taken notice of this legislation and made unspecified threats to retaliate. That could take the form of withholding certain Chinese goods that the U.S. counts upon in its supply chain. Nonethless, Beijings worries bolster our belief that the legislation promoted by Schumer will do plenty for American competitiveness. Lets hope obstructionists on either side of the aisle can give way to a compromise bill that puts our national interest first. The Senate did. Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing. Two of Britain's biggest companies are set to hand out a combined 8billion in dividends this week, after suffering blistering attacks from US activist investors. Emma Walmsley, chief executive of drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline, will pay out 4billion to shareholders, including an army of small investors along with Elliott Management, a US hedge fund that has demanded that she reapplies for her own job. And beleaguered Unilever chief Alan Jope is expected to unveil a 3.7billion payout. He has been criticised by several of the Marmite-to-Magnum group's top shareholders, including Terry Smith, Nick Train and Bert Flossbach. Payout: GSK chief Emma Walmsley is set to hand 4billion to shareholders The latter is the owner of German investment group Flossbach von Storch, which holds more than 1billion in Unilever stock. The dividend payments come after GSK rejected a series of bids from Unilever for its consumer arm last month. The division is a joint venture with Pfizer of the US and includes the Sensodyne and Panadol brands. The final offer 50billion angered Unilever investors, who said it was too high. Trian, a US activist run by billionaire Nelson Peltz, has since appeared on Unilever's share register, prompting speculation that he will press the firm for rapid improvements. Jope, who last month slashed 1,500 jobs in a management overhaul, will hope to use Thursday's results announcement to get investors back on side. He is expected to shake up Unilever's portfolio of brands after seeing shares tumble over the past year. Unilever is forecast to post a 2.8 per cent rise in annual sales to 52.1billion (44billion) and to notch up operating profits of 9.5billion. The final dividend would represent a small cut from the 1.48 per share paid in 2020. But analysts expect the payout to return to that level next year. By contrast, Walmsley will present a picture of declining dividends in its results on Wednesday. GSK is likely to hold the payment at 80p a share, equivalent to 4billion, in 2021 before cutting the 2022 payout to 54p. Russ Mould, investment director at stockbroker AJ Bell, said the dividend was a 'sacrificial victim' of Walmsley's strategy for the 34billion turnover company. Plans include floating shares in the consumer business on the stock exchange this summer and building up its pipeline of new drugs. As well as the Unilever approach, private equity firms are understood to have considered a buyout of the consumer arm. CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson said: 'Time will tell whether Glaxo, as well as its co-partner Pfizer, is able to obtain the price it thinks the business is worth. If not 50billion, then how much?' GSK is expected to announce data on the efficacy of its Covid-19 vaccine before the end of March. Telecoms giant Vodafone has embarked on a secret overhaul codenamed Project Galaxy as it faces mounting pressure from a powerful activist investor, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The FTSE 100-listed company is reorganising its global enterprise division, which serves large corporate customers, as part of a sweeping overhaul of its operations in the UK and continental Europe. Separately, bosses have discovered the company overestimated money coming in from some multinational clients at the division. Last night Vodafone blamed the accounting glitch on the pandemic. In touch: Vodafone is reorganising its global enterprise division, which serves large corporate customers The overhaul is part of plans by Vodafone chief executive Nick Read to simplify the way the company is run and give overseas divisions more independence. Analysts say the measures could make it easier to sell off parts of the group. The division is an important part of Vodafone's business, providing telecoms and IT services to some of the world's top firms, including investment bank Morgan Stanley and insurer Aviva. It is understood to have about 900 contracts. The division, which serves countries worldwide, has historically made more than 1billion a year in revenues, but these are understood to have decreased in recent years. Vodafone, which has recently attracted the attention of Europe's biggest activist investor, Cevian Capital, currently deals with its international customers from hubs in the UK and EU. In future, it intends to handle contracts with big overseas clients locally, in their home countries. Vodafone said this would enable it to provide more 'responsive' support. It is understood the restructuring has resulted in nearly 100 staff departures and job losses. The division is also at the centre of an accounting error that could run to millions of pounds involving billing estimates for a small number of clients that were higher than the amounts eventually received. Vodafone said the bills were overestimated because it had not factored in the drop in business travel during lockdown, which resulted in lower roaming charges. It said that the sums involved were not material to its overall accounts and that the mistake had been rectified for its half-year results to September 2021. Cevian was last week revealed to have taken a stake in the 37billion company. Its arrival heaped further pressure on Read, who has seen shares slide to 1.35 from 1.60 when he took charge in 2018. Backlash: Masayoshi Son is head of SoftBank Politicians are calling for the foreign owner of technology giant Arm Holdings to float the company on the London Stock Exchange to return stewardship of the 30billion business to Britain. Japanese multinational SoftBank chaired by billionaire Masayoshi Son bought the UK chip designer five years ago. It has been locked in protracted talks to sell Arm to US semiconductor giant Nvidia, but the deal now looks close to collapse. In November, the UK Government ordered a full investigation into the tie-up on national security grounds, adding to doubts over the sale. MPs last week spoke out to call for Arm to stay in Britain on the grounds of national security. There is resistance within SoftBank and Arm itself to a stock market listing and it is understood that this is regarded as a Plan B should the Nvidia deal collapse. Arm employs about 3,000 people in Cambridge. If it listed in London, it would be one of the largest companies in the FTSE100 index. However, SoftBank may instead seek to float the pioneering and strategically important company in New York. Anthony Browne, the Conservative MP for Cambridge South, said: 'Arm is a leading British technology company of national strategic importance and a major local employer. 'If it is floated on the stock market, it should do so in London rather than New York or elsewhere to ensure its interests and those of its investors are aligned with our national interest. 'Ownership matters particularly of such strategically important companies,' he added. Damian Green, Tory MP for Ashford, said: 'Arm Holdings is a world-beating British company that should stay British. I would very much hope that if it lists anywhere it does so in London.' The planned sale comes at a time when electronics manufacturers are struggling due to microchip shortages. SoftBank was approached for comment. New rules designed to ensure communities will still have access to cash when their last bank shuts are likely to result in a fierce consumer backlash in the coming weeks as some of the country's major high street banks embark upon a fresh round of branch closures. Banking experts believe the new requirements, thrashed out late last year by the big banks and the Access to Cash Action Group, are well merited, but currently remain far too lenient towards the banks. Many communities, they argue, will still lose their last bank branch without benefiting from any improvement in alternative access-to-cash services (a post office for example) that they thought the rules were designed to ensure. Sign of the times: Closures have become a familiar sight as major banks axed branches in their droves Banking experts believe between 700 and 800 branches are likely to be culled this year as the major banks seek to cut costs and attempt to stem the march of new digital banks. The first announcements of the year on bank branch closures are expected to come this month or next with Lloyds and NatWest rumoured to be closest to confirming their plans. 'There are going to be a lot of disappointed small businesses and angry branch-dependent customers out there once branch closures start getting announced,' said one banking source close to the new arrangements. They added: 'As a result of the new rules, they are going to think a white knight will come rushing to their rescue and insist that the banks fund the installation of a new cash machine in their community or even a new-style banking hub that all bank customers can use. But it won't always be the case.' Showaddywaddy star: Towns like mine must get support they need Plea: Music star Dave Bartram The market town of Syston in Leicestershire will host one of five banking hubs to be launched this year as a result of an agreement struck late last year with the banks and the Access to Cash Action Group. These will complement any hubs recommended by Link in response to last bank in town closures announced this year. Syston has lost all of its four banks in the past decade. NatWest exited eight years ago, followed by HSBC, Barclays and Santander, which pulled the plug last summer. Walk down the high street today and the Santander and Barclays branches are boarded up, while NatWest is home to a firm of solicitors and HSBC has become an optician. The old Barclays branch is currently an eyesore, white paint peeling off the dilapidated building. Yet it is expected to be home to the banking hub by the summer. Dave Bartram, former frontman of 1970s pop group Showaddywaddy, grew up in this 13,000-strong town and regularly comes back to visit close family and friends. The 69-year-old, who now lives near Bingham, Nottinghamshire, says news of the banking hub is 'welcome'. Yet he believes banks have helped damage the fabric of many communities like Syston by shutting branches, often indiscriminately. He says: 'In the music business, if you fail to deliver you do not last. The banking world seems to play by different rules. We trust them with our money and in return get precious little back. Banks should not reward our loyalty to them with branch closures, but show their support for communities like Syston.' Husein Jamaly, owner of Syston DIY and Hardware store, is equally unimpressed. The 56-year-old says: 'Since the banks started pulling out of this town, the footfall for local shops in the area has fallen by more than a third as people have gone to other nearby towns for their banking needs. I fear this new idea is no substitute for a traditional high street bank.' Shirley Wright and Lindsay Rook run the Let's Party shop across the road from Husein's business, selling everything from helium-filled balloons to greetings cards. Shirley, 63, says: 'It is a shame the high street banks have deserted us. The town continues to grow, it's a great place to live, and the economy is buoyed by being home to food company Pukka Pies. Of course, we welcome a new banking hub.' The other four hubs will be in Acton, West London; Brixham, Devon; Carnoustie, Angus; and Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Toby Walne Experts also believe the new rules need the backing of supporting legislation, otherwise the banks will look at ways to comply with them while spending as little as possible on funding alternative banking services. The Government said it would legislate to protect access to cash two years ago, with any subsequent rules enforced by the Financial Conduct Authority, but it has yet to do so. Derek French, a longstanding campaigner for shared branches or banking hubs as they are now referred to, says: 'The new rules do not represent a big enough leap forward. 'The banks should be required by legislation to be doing more to preserve banking services on our country's high streets. That means a nationwide network of banking hubs funded by the big banks, not a pick 'n' mix assortment of cash machines and cashback services.' French says there are between 200 and 400 communities up and down the country that should be homes to these hubs, but he doubts whether the new rules will result in any more than 30 being set up. The new rules on closures came into force at the start of this year. They were devised by the Access to Cash Action Group, a committee chaired by 'cash champion' Natalie Ceeney and set up by banking trade association UK Finance to look at ways of preserving access to cash. The rules require 'independent' oversight of all branch closures ahead of their announcement by an individual bank. This role has been given to cash machine network Link which is actually owned by the banks. If a bank has drawn up a list of closures, it must submit them first to Link. It then applies an algorithm, devised by the banks, to all the branch closures that will leave a community bankless. Closures in towns where there is a rival bank still on the high street will not be investigated. This algorithm will then determine whether the closure is allowed to take place without any remedial action from the banking industry. Or it could signal that the closure can happen only if the banks collectively fund the provision of alternative access-to-cash services in the community or improvements to existing ones. These could take the form of a new free-to-use cash machine, a bolstering of the local post office service (for example, the installation of an extra counter), or a banking hub. The hub would be operated by a third party such as the Post Office, with staff from the big banks coming in on specific days to meet customers who need to discuss more complex financial issues, such as arranging a home loan or dealing with probate. Such hubs have already been successfully trialled in Rochford, Essex and Cambuslang near Glasgow. The algorithm takes into account a host of factors in deciding whether alternative banking services need to be provided or existing ones improved. These include the age demographic of the community those with a large elderly population will be looked upon more favourably because such an age group has a greater need for high street banking services. Other factors considered include whether the community has a big network of small cash-generating businesses that need to bank takings on a regular basis; whether the local post office can cope with an increase in demand for its services once the last bank shuts; and the proximity of the nearest town with a remaining bank branch. Once the algorithm identifies those communities needing new banking services to make up for the loss of the last branch, Link's role will be to determine which of the three solutions is best. It has put together a small team to visit the communities and assess what is the best way forward. The banks will then be required to carry out and fund Link's recommendation. It is the fairness of the algorithm that some experts are questioning. They believe it has been set up to minimise the costs that the banks must pay. It will also not be applied to communities that have already lost their last bank and there is nothing to stop a bank shutting the last branch, even if a banking hub is recommended by Link and the closing branch would be the best place for it to be located in. Some believe it will be Link that will end up taking the criticism when communities losing their last branch feel short-changed not the banks. 'The rules aren't good enough,' said one source last week. 'Link will be seen as the ultimate decision maker and will take the flak when it's the banks that should be getting it.' When a bank announces details of its closures, Link will be allowed to publish shortly afterwards which of the closures it has identified as requiring additional banking services. The MoS understands some of the banks have already submitted closure lists to Link ahead of official announcements. Yet none of the banks, nor Link representatives, would confirm this. Lloyds said: 'As we continue to respond to our customers' changing behaviour, and make sure that we have the right branches in the right places, we expect that we will continue to make changes to our branch network. Any potential closures across our brands will go through the independent assessment process, which is an important step in maintaining access to cash for people and businesses who need it.' NatWest said: 'Having helped to design and develop the industry framework to ensure continued widespread access to cash through the Access to Cash Action Group, we are fully supportive, committed to its requirements, and an active participant in the group.' Nationwide told The Mail on Sunday: 'Branches remain a key part of the way we serve our members and we recognise how much they are valued. This doesn't mean we will never close a branch sometimes we have to, for example where we have a number of branches in the same area or a branch requires a lot of financial investment.' Santander stated: 'We haven't submitted a list [to Link] as we don't have any announcement [on branch closures] planned.' It shut 111 branches last year. John Howells, Link chief executive, said: 'I am pleased Link has been asked to take on the role of maintaining access to cash and we have our sleeves rolled up to support communities across the UK. Cash use continues to decline, which is placing pressure on ATMs and bank branches.' Natalie Ceeney said: 'Access to cash and banking services are really important for millions of people and to small businesses. If a community does lose its last branch, there's now an effective way to make sure no one is left behind. 'Whether that's a new ATM, an enhanced Post Office or a banking hub, we have the tools to support communities.' Instant unlimited access to all of our content on tillamookheadlightherald.com. The Headlight Herald E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) remaining of SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Funeral services for Mollie Lillian Mirick will be held at 11:00am on Thursday, April 28, 2022, at Trinity Baptist Church with Pastor Ken Burgess officiating. Interment will be in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Mollie Lillian Mirick, age 81, of Thomasville passed away on April 26, 2022. She was The Spanish Film Academy announced on Friday that its first-ever International Goya Award will be received by Cate Blanchett. Currently presided by Mariano Barroso, the Spanish Film Academy created the award to honor artists that have contributed to cinema as a medium that brings together different cultures and people. In Fridays announcement, Blanchett was recognized for her impactful work both on and off the screen worldwide as an award-winning actor, producer, artistic director and humanitarian. She will receive the award at a gala ceremony on Feb. 12 in Valencia, Spain. More from Variety Blanchett has earned two Oscars, three BAFTAs and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. The Australian actors recent film credits include Guillermo del Toros Nightmare Alley and Dont Look Up. Other credits over the years include Carol, Blue Jasmine, The Aviator, and Elizabeth. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with many prominent filmmakers including Adam McKay, Steven Soderbergh, Anthony Minghella, Sally Potter, Wes Anderson and Ridley Scott. Blanchett most recently wrapped production for Todd Fields Tar, in which she will star and executive produce. She is also set to star in Pedro Almodovars upcoming A Manual for Cleaning Women. She is producing through her banner Dirty Films, along with El Deseo. In addition, Blanchett is currently in pre-production for the Apple series Disclaimer (directed by Alfonso Cuaron), for which she will both star and executive produce. Cate Blanchett recibira el primer Goya Internacional el 12 de febrero en Valencia. La @Academiadecine crea este reconocimiento para personalidades que contribuyen al cine como arte que une culturas y espectadores de todo el mundo. pic.twitter.com/9m2YJMwRXC Premios Goya (@PremiosGoya) February 4, 2022 Outside of Blanchetts onscreen achievements, the actor is also a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, a lifetime member of the Australian Conservation Foundation and supporter of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy. Blanchett has received a Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos for her work with UNHCR, the Chevalier de lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture, as well as multiple Honorary Doctorates of Letters from the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, and Macquarie University as well as the Companion of the Order of Australia in the General Division for her arts advocacy and support of humanitarian and environmental causes. Story continues Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Princeton, KY (42445) Today Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 82F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Showers this evening then scattered thunderstorms developing overnight. Low 66F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Kingsport, TN (37660) Today Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 82F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Dr. William H. Turner, a prominent scholar on the African- American experience in Appalachia, will present two lectures on Monday, Feb. 7, as part of the King University Institute of Faith & Cultures Listen to Your Life series. Queen Elizabeth II WPA Pool/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II began her reign 70 years ago when her father, King George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952. She is currently the fourth-longest-reigning monarch in world history, behind Louis XIV of France, Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, and Johann II of Liechtenstein, according to The New York Times. She will need to reign for 92 more days to pass Johann. Elizabeth has met 13 American presidents and been served by 14 prime ministers. "She takes her duties seriously, but she doesn't take herself very seriously," Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told BBC, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised her "unwavering dedication to this nation." On Saturday, the queen hosted a small reception for her Platinum Jubilee at her country estate, Sandringham. She greeted members of volunteer groups, cut cake, and spoke with 88-year-old former culinary student Angela Wood, who created a dish known as "coronation chicken" for a banquet on her coronation day in 1953. Public celebrations of the queen's Platinum Jubilee will be held in June. The queen also announced in an address that she wants Duchess Camilla of Cornwall the second wife of her son and heir, Prince Charles to have the title of queen consort when Charles becomes king, BBC reported. This decision marks a reversal of the queen's previous policy toward Charles and Camilla. At the time of their 2005 marriage following Charles' acrimonious divorce from Princess Diana, "it had been officially decided that Camilla would use the title Princess Consort if Charles were to become king," according to CNBC. You may also like Woody Allen goes out with a whimper South Texas butterfly sanctuary closes indefinitely due to QAnon conspiracies, escalating threats The fantasy of a Trump-slaying Republican Thousands of people demonstrated in Canadian cities, including the financial hub Toronto, on Saturday as mostly peaceful but noisy protests against vaccine mandates spread from Ottawa, the capital. The Freedom Convoy began as a movement against a Canadian vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but has turned into a rallying point against public health measures and Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government. Were all sick and tired of the mandates, of the intimidation, of living in one big prison, said Robert, a Toronto protester who did not give his last name. We just want to go back to normal without having to take into our veins the poison which they call vaccines. Protesters have shut down downtown Ottawa for the past eight days, with some participants waving Confederate or Nazi flags and some saying they wanted to dissolve Canadas government. The protesters in Ottawa have made their point. The entire country heard their point, said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, who urged protesters to go home and engage elected officials. Ottawa police said hate crime charges were laid against four people and they were investigating threats against public figures jointly with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The well-organized blockade, which police say has relied partly on funding from sympathizers in the United States, saw protesters bring in portable saunas on Saturday to combat frigid temperatures. One man rode through the area on horseback, carrying a Trump flag, social media videos showed. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken out in support of the truckers against the harsh policies of far-left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane COVID mandates. GoFundMe took down the Freedom Convoys donation page on Friday, saying it violated the platforms terms of service due to unlawful activity. The group had raised about C$10.1 million. The website originally said it would give refunds for any requests made by Feb. 19 and would remaining funds to verified charities, but on Saturday GoFundMe said it would refund all donations automatically. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has previously criticized vaccine mandates, called GoFundMe professional thieves. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republican state lawmakers vowed to investigate the California-based company over the move. About 5,000 people demonstrated in Ottawa, police said, while hundreds more gathered in Toronto, Canadas biggest city, and Quebec City, coinciding with the citys annual winter carnival. Four people were injured in Manitoba after a pick-up truck drove into a crowd late Friday, police said. In Toronto, about 500 healthcare workers and supporters rallied downtown in opposition to the trucker convoy, according to a Reuters witness. Several Toronto healthcare workers said they received advice from their hospitals to not wear hospital scrubs in public in light of the protest. The notion that we have to somehow skunk around or be afraid of who we are and what were doing, I think, is offensive and regrettable, and I think, a sad commentary on our society, emergency room doctor Raghu Venugopal told Reuters. Some Ottawa residents, who have endured near-incessant honking, smashed windows and harassment for wearing masks themselves, criticized Ottawa Police earlier this week for not doing more to end the blockade. One resident filed a class-action lawsuit against convoy organizers, seeking up to $10 million in damages and an injunction to end the protests. Ottawa police, which warned on Friday of a crackdown on the protest and dedicated more officers, do not have enough resources to end the protests, the citys police chief said on Saturday. Trudeau ruled out the use of troops against truckers in the capital earlier this week. This is a city under siege, this is a threat to democracy, this is a nationwide insurrection, this is madness, Chief Peter Sloly said at a police services board meeting. We have done our very best. SOURCE: REUTERS Oh, man! His melodies, the emotions, my goodness! Arturo Sandoval is gushing about his all-time favorite composer. The eminent Cuban American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and 10-time Grammy winner could be speaking of any number of jazz greats, including his mentor, the late Dizzy Gillespie. But Sandovals favorite is the deeply romantic and quintessential classical composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. To me the most beautiful piece ever is the Piano Concerto No. 2. Ive never heard more emotion. When I hear a good melody theres nothing like it, he says. Classical music, it turns out, is familiar ground to Sandoval and audiences can hear it for themselves when he performs with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on Friday, Feb. 18, at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in a presentation by the Troy Chromatics. The following night the forces regroup to perform the same program in Carnegie Hall. Sandoval will solo in the American premiere of his Trumpet Concerto, No. 2, and in the world premiere of 90 Miles (Afro-Mambo) by the contemporary Cuban composer Aldo Lopez-Gavilan. Also, Sandoval will play and sing Every Day I Think of You, his tribute to Gillespie. Finally, Orpheus -- famous as the chamber orchestra with no conductor -- will perform new arrangements of Gershwins Cuban Overture and Lecuonas Andalucia. Sandoval, 72, received his formal training in music at the National School of Art in Havana, where he studied for three years. He recalls the environment as disciplined and exclusively classical. Its funny, we were forbidden to talk about, play or listen to anything but classical. That was OK, I got familiar and learned so much, he says. Later on I discovered jazz and my mind expanded. Known for his clear and powerful high notes, Sandoval was already well established in the Cuban music scene and playing with the band Irakere when he met Gillespie, whod come for a gig. Their first encounter makes for a memorable episode in For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, a TV film from 2000. Sandoval volunteers to be Gillespies driver and takes the opportunity to tell the legend from America what a big fan he is and how he knows all his recordings. Yet he never quite gets a chance or summons the courage to speak about his own talents and ambitions. That evening at a nightclub, Sandoval (played by Andy Garcia) is killing it with his band. Gillespie arrives in the middle of the set and is dumbfounded to see his driver up there onstage and playing so brilliantly. Its a huge privilege and blessing when your hero becomes your friend. It doesnt happen every day and Im very grateful. I never got a trumpet lesson, but I listened to him every night and that was the best schooling. I learned from him how to handle music and an audience, says Sandoval. Gillespie also opened doors for Sandoval, both professional and cultural. It was when the two were on a European tour in 1989 that Sandoval defected to the U.S. In the movie, Gillespie escorts his protege to the American embassy in Athens. The scene takes place in the middle of the night and the embassy is closed and watched by an armed guard. But when Dizzy Gillespie, whos wearing a dashiki, announces himself the gates practically fall off their hinges and a diplomat hustles out to greet the two musicians. Asked if it really happened that way, Sandoval confesses that they got to the embassy as it opened in the morning for normal hours. For the movies, they have to make things more dramatic, he says with a chuckle. Though the film depicts prolonged skepticism from U.S. immigration officials, Sandoval was ultimately given asylum and he became a U.S. citizen in 1998. In 2013 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. He currently lives in California. In Sandovals vast discography, theres one disc that might seem a red herring yet it highlights a sometimes overlooked side of the artist. The Classical Album was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and includes selections by Mozart and Hummel, and is anchored by Sandovals Trumpet Concerto No. 1. A few classical cuts are also in Sandovals 2003 release Trumpet Evolution. Here Sandoval plays in the style and milieu of 19 important trumpet players. In honoring his forebears and contemporaries in such a manner, Sandoval also showcases his extraordinary range. A critic for AllMusic described the release as a journey through the great trumpeters from jazzs and orchestral musics past and easily the finest moment of Sandovals long career. Ten years after the completion of Sandovals first concerto came the Trumpet Concerto No. 2. It was premiered in Europe in 2015 and, according to the composer, was subsequently taken up by a few different European artists. The performances with Orpheus mark its American debut. Everything I write comes from the piano. I improvise and then translate it into a score. I dont premeditate or think about structure, I improvise, says Sandoval. Faced with a dearth of concerts during the COVID era, Sandoval made improvising a daily practice and hes been sharing the prolific results on the internet. He makes frequent posts to Facebook and Instagram of short videos of himself playing the trumpet or an electric keyboard. Sometimes hell have a friend join him. I just record for my own pleasure. Some people listen and others dont. But doing this pleases my heart, he says. Sandoval estimates that hes made 500 such posts. Considering that between the two platforms he has more than 200,000 followers, its clear that people are still listening to Arturo Sandoval. If you go Troy Chromatics Concerts presents Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Arturo Sandoval, trumpet When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18 Where: Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, 30 Second Street, Troy. Tickets: $45-$55. Call 518-273-0038, or visit: troymusichall.org. See More Collapse Joseph Dalton is a freelance writer based in Troy. ALBANY New daily positive cases of COVID-19 in the Capital Region might not be dropping at the rate New York City is experiencing, but the number of coronavirus patients in local intensive care units is at its lowest level since mid-November. Data from Saturday shows that 35 COVID-19 patients are in ICUs, a number not seen in the Capital Region since Nov. 11, before the highly contagious omicron variant wave began. The total number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide is still triple what it was in November. But severity of illness appears to be down; 16 percent of hospitalized coronavirus patients statewide were in ICUs as of Friday, compared to 22 percent Nov. 5. Also, Gov. Kathy Hochul revealed in early January that preliminary data showed that a little less than half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide went to the hospital for something else, and were only found to have coronavirus after they arrived at the hospital. The Capital Region's percent testing positive rate sat at 7.8 percent as of Saturday, compared to 4.9 percent statewide. The Times Union is using a seven-day testing average as it takes into account variations that impact data such as weather events, weekends, holidays etc. The region, however, is solidly in the middle of where other regions are statewide in terms of continued coronavirus spread. The North Country is still experiencing the most, at 11 percent of tests coming back positive, according to state data released Saturday. New York City's five borough's percent positive rate is the lowest statewide, at around 3 percent. In Albany County, another COVID-19 patient died overnight Saturday, a woman in her 60s. Overnight Friday, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s also died from the disease. The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote. But hospitalizations in Albany County continue to decline, with 64 residents with coronavirus hospitalized as of Sunday. The number was well past 100 hospitalized daily during the omicron surge in January. Positive cases more than doubled overnight - but Albany County said it was because testing data from one facility was delayed and came in all at once. There were 387 new positive cases identified as of Sunday, compared to 158 on Saturday. Our new overnight hospitalizations are down, which is a good sign. However, we have lost another Albany County resident to the virus and my thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, McCoy said in a statement. ALBANY Decades ago, numerous homes across the Capital Region that were once inhabited by powerful white families were turned into museums; historic sites that would preserve the important history of the individuals who once lived there. These include sites such as Historic Cherry Hill, Schuyler Mansion and Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany and the Crailo State Historic Site in Rensselaer, which trace their roots to some of the region's most prominent Dutch Colonial ruling families: the Van Rensselaers, Ten Broecks and Schuylers. But in recent years, researchers at those sites began to explore different stories: those of the Black people whose lives intersected with those residences, whether through enslavement, indentured servitude or employment of some nature. For a long time, this part of history was written out of history, said Heidi Hill, historic site manager at Crailo and Schuyler Mansion, which are owned and run by the state. History was curated by the people with power, and certainly told the story as they wanted. Indeed, racism both individual and systemic has played a primary role in the ignored stories of Black people at these historic sites, researchers said. Jennifer Burns, a lecturer in Africana studies at the University at Albany, said the history of white immigrants has often taken precedence when it comes to funding and general public interest. Other times, it can be deemed unnecessary to do research on Black communities or issues more than once, she said, determining enough research has already been done. It's just the reverberations of the impact of racism, systemically, on people's priorities, and even their knowledge base, Burns said. The newfound interest in Black history at white historic sites in the Capital Region did not develop, for the most part, before until about 2015. For example, the Crailo and Schuyler Mansion sites put together an exhibit about enslavement in New York; other sites, such as Cherry Hill, began going through their materials to uncover the stories of Black people and began digitizing them. Its something that should have happened much sooner, historians say, but given the countrys history of dismissing and demeaning the importance and significance of the Black experience, the delay is not surprising. Now, of course, we see that diversity and equity need to be done differently instead of people just talking about equality, we have shifted to an anti-racist platform of saying that equity is part of this, said Burns. So part of the equity movement is that people reconsider how they're funding institutions to get at this information that helps us to better understand really how race relations have evolved over time, and to get more of the information that has been omitted purposely or innocently. The work in recent years by the historic sites surrounding Albany has resulted in a clearer picture of the Black people who lived and worked there. Historians have looked at account books, receipts of payment, diaries and letters, etc. to piece together people's stories. Here are three of them. Roseanna Vosburgh: From enslaved woman to abolitionist At the age of 20, Roseanna Vosburgh went from being enslaved in Columbia County to working as a paid house manager at one of Albanys most prestigious residences: the Ten Broeck Mansion, home of Gen. Abraham Ten Broeck and his wife, Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, and, later, 19th-century banker Thomas W. Olcott. Roseanna worked for the Olcott family for 64 years, until her death. But more significantly, Vosburgh spent her life serving her community. She was a prominent abolitionist involved with the movement to end enslavement before the Civil War. And after the Civil War, she used her life savings to set up a trust for the leading African American women of Albany likely widows. Shes transformative, shes a leader, said Kathryn Kosto, executive director of the Ten Broeck Mansion. This is an area that we want to continue doing research on. People like Roseanna are often left out of history, so its harder to find evidence. But it doesnt mean its not there its just we have to look harder. Andries: An expert in equine care In the year 1655, Andries was transported from his home of Curacao in the southern Caribbean where he was enslaved by the Dutch West India Company to New Amsterdam (now New York City), where he was sold to a Van Rensselaer family member two years later. The Van Rensselaers emigrated from the Netherlands in the 16th century and claimed hundreds of thousands of acres of native lands around Albany as their own. Andries was particularly valuable because of how skilled he was in horse husbandry the veterinary care and breeding of horses. In fact, he was so talented in equine care that two Van Rensselaer brothers fought over him through letters for months. The brother who lived in the Netherlands had a horse infected with worms and wanted Andries sent to him to provide care for his horse. But the younger brother said, Well, no, our elders here have advised me that I should not send him to a free country. Because slavery wasn't allowed in the Netherlands, said Schuyler Mansions Heidi Hill. And so it would be pure folly to send someone who not only is so skilled, but also is smart enough to know that he's not going to be enslaved. In the end, Andries stayed. What became of him when he died, where he's buried, whether he had family in the U.S. is not known. James Knapp: A butler who later worked as a musician Where Albany Countys office building currently stands, William James Knapp used to work, unpaid, as a butler for members of the Van Rensselaer family. After his mother, Jane Jackson, died in childbirth, James and his sister Minnie were brought to Albany by the Van Rensselaers from their birthplace of Hudson. The children (James was 9) were divided between Van Rensselaer families upon their arrival, Minnie at Cherry Hill on South Pearl Street where it is believed her great-grandmother Diana Jackson had been enslaved and James at 112 State St. For years, James worked as a butler for brothers Richard and Bernard Van Rensselaer. No receipts for payment have been found, suggesting James was unpaid, aside from being provided room and board. When the brothers died in 1880, James received an inheritance from them ($1,000 from Richard and a few hundred dollars from Bernard), but had to quickly pivot to find new employment and a new place to live. The Van Rensselaers who lived at Cherry Hill quickly swooped in to find a new job for James, taking him to explore different opportunities including Hadley Music Store, where James is believed to have ultimately been hired. The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote. James also became a musician (if he wasnt one already). He played violin, flute and piano, and may have also played the banjo and guitar. Hundreds of scores of sheet music with James stamp have been discovered at Cherry Hill, as well as a gig book with evidence he performed at an infamous venue, Tweddle Hill, which was at the corner of State and North Pearl streets until it burned down in a fire in 1883. In addition to working at the music store and performing, James was an in-demand piano tuner in Albany. James autonomy was short-lived, however. In 1885, he died after a prolonged battle with tuberculosis. James family lineage, researchers say, also offers a vivid picture of how gradual emancipation worked. The 1799 state law technically freed the children of enslaved people if they were born after July 4, 1799, but bound them to indentured servitude until they were young adults. When James grandmother, Dinah Jackson, was born to his enslaved great-grandmother, Diana Jackson, her labor was owed to her mothers enslaver until the age of 26 per the agreement in the bill of sale for Diana continuing the enslavement to the next generation. Then Dinah stayed at Cherry Hill even after slavery in New York ended in 1827. What we kind of concluded is that she was 50 years old, said Shawna Reilly, education coordinator at Cherry Hill, about Knapp's grandmother staying with her owners even after slavery was abolished. What were her other options, what kind of options do you think would be present to people like her? Challenges to historic sites But while historians at sites work to document Black history, there are more challenges facing them including connecting with their surrounding communities, and raising the funds needed to continue the work. Paul Stewart, co-founder of the Underground Railroad Center on Albanys Livingston Avenue, noted a study that came out a few years ago that determined historic houses across the country are struggling and shouldnt be prioritized anymore. I can certainly appreciate that from the standpoint of, what are the resources, etc., said Stewart. But its sort of like, now we finally get to the point where there are many developing African American historic sites around the country. And now these thinkers are wanting to say, You know, you should do something different. Were going to change the rules. Stewart himself received $1.1 million in grants over 20 years to restore the historic site he established in 2004, which was once the residence of 19th-century Black abolitionists Harriet and Stephen Myers and served as a stop along the Underground Railroad. But Stewart said there were plenty of naysayers along the way. Other historic sites often need funding not for restoration, but the manpower required to do the research. Uncovering Black history at these sites can present numerous challenges, historians said, including finding primary accounts from Black people themselves as many were illiterate at the time and interpreting the subjective accounts of white people. Engagement with their work is yet another struggle some historians face especially trying to garner that interest from communities of color, considering the sites were originally established to glorify white families who, more often than not, enslaved Black people. The Ten Broeck Mansion, which is situated in the predominantly Black neighborhood of Arbor Hill, is a museum that has been taking steps to bridge the gap and serve its community. Dayonna Bowles, an Arbor Hill native and former intern for the mansion, conducted a small study herself to gauge how the community perceived the mansion. "It turned out to be what I called dismal results," said Bowles, who is currently a fellow for the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Bowles surveyed 10 Arbor Hill and West Hill residents and was turned away by many more all of whom said they had not visited the mansion, did know much about the mansion and did not feel like the mansion contributed to the surrounding community. As a result, the leadership at the Ten Broeck Mansion has ramped up its engagement and outreach efforts, including knocking on neighbors' doors, providing free children's programs, and planning the launch of an outdoor community center at the mansion. "For me, the Black American struggle to survive and prosper in this country continues even as we sit here, February 2022. The patterns of racism and inequality established 100 years ago still persist," said Bowles. "Within the museum world, it is our practice and responsibility to start conversation, discussion and dialogue. Conversation should be like a web of connections among the community." In April 2019, famed race trainer Jorge Navarro fired off a text to a New York veterinarian someone he had come to depend on as a key contributor to his winning record. 1,000 pills ASAP, Navarro texted Seth Fishman, according to a federal indictment that later charged both men with manufacturing, receiving and distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Fishman quickly placed a call and arranged for a batch of the drugs Navarro needed to be sent to him in Florida, the indictment states. In the previous two and a half years, Navarro had allegedly paid Fishman tens of thousands of dollars to buy various cocktails of drugs to administer to his thoroughbreds, which raced around the country and internationally. Prosecutors say Fishman, who was convicted Wednesday in Manhattan on two counts of creating and distributing "untestable" performance-enhancing drugs for use in professional horse racing, had supplied Navarro and other trainers with illegal mixtures like his Frozen Pain shot. His client list included about 2,000 businesses and people many of them trainers around the country, including 265 in New York, according to a copy presented during Fishmans trial and later obtained by the Times Union. Fishman knew what he was doing. According to federal prosecutors, on the same day the vet placed Navarros order, he told a prospective client, (D)on't kid yourself: if you're giving something to a horse to make it better, and you're not supposed to do that ... that's doping. You know, whether or not it's testable, that's a different story." Indeed, the drugs were not detected by tests run by the state regulators who oversee horse racing. Before his 2020 arrest, Navarro who trained 16 horses that raced at Saratoga Race Course in 2019, earning $354,152 had gone 13 years without a drug violation in New York or 14 other states, regulatory data reviewed by the Times Union showed. But nevertheless, Navarro pleaded guilty last year to distributing adulterated drugs. Will Waldron/Times Union Will Waldron/Times Union LEFT: A technician at the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory works mass spectrometer testing equipment to check for medications and performance enhancing drugs in samples drawn from racehorses on Sept. 10, 2021. RIGHT: Exterior of the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory in Ithaca. New York's lab performs drug testing for thoroughbred and harness races held throughout the state. It can look for thousands of drugs, but there are still alleged performance enhancing substances in use by trainers and veterinarians that the lab cannot detect. (Photos by Will Waldron/Times Union) TOP: A technician at the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory works mass spectrometer testing equipment to check for medications and performance enhancing drugs in samples drawn from racehorses on Sept. 10, 2021. BOTTOM: Exterior of the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory in Ithaca. New York's lab performs drug testing for thoroughbred and harness races held throughout the state. It can look for thousands of drugs, but there are still alleged performance enhancing substances in use by trainers and veterinarians that the lab cannot detect. (Photos by Will Waldron/Times Union) New Yorks Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory is considered one of the most preeminent in the country, but its director, George Maylin, and his team acknowledge their lab can test for and identify only a portion of the substances found in the thousands of samples taken from New York racehorses every year. "Heres the problem: The so-called performance-enhancing drugs, no one nobody knows what they are, Maylin said. Nobody has a test for them. Maylin also said the amount of samples collected from racehorses for drug testing by the Gaming Commission has decreased by more than 20 percent since 2015, before accounting for disruptions to racing during the pandemic. Fewer samples result in less testing and fewer opportunities to identify illicit drug use. In the past few years, the horse racing industry has been rocked by a series of doping scandals. As the New York Racing Association fights to suspend arguably the most high-profile trainer in the sport, Bob Baffert, its attorneys recently argued that drug use is an existential threat to horse racing one that has the real possibility of sending the "sport of kings" to the graveyard of passe pastimes alongside greyhound racing or circus animal acts. In May, Medina Spirit, a thoroughbred trained by Baffert, tested positive for drug use after placing first in the Kentucky Derby. Change is coming from a new federal authority that may begin regulation of thoroughbred racing this year. But how much progress will be made is still in question as committees and industry representatives negotiate new rules and plans. About this series Horse Racing Unbridled The Times Union spent more than six months examining the horse racing industry in New York and beyond, conducting dozens of interviews with key stakeholders, from trainers, owners, scientists, investigators, track operators and lawmakers to advocates who believe the sport is cruel and should be shut down. The newspaper also sifted through court records and reviewed data sets on testing, injuries, equine deaths, taxpayer subsidies, enforcement and more. Until now, regulating horse racing and conducting equine drug testing has been left to the states. The New York Gaming Commission, which assumes responsibility for regulations in the state, declined to make any of their employees or officials available for an interview. The commission also declined to answer questions from the Times Union regarding equine drug testing. Joel Leveson, the Gaming Commissions former lead investigator and self-described sheriff of New York horse racing, said the problem now is just as bad as when he was chasing dopers from 1995 to 2014. Theres always been drugs in racing, Leveson said. Theres always been owners who wanted more. Mark Casse, a leading thoroughbred trainer, said he believes some horses' race performances can't be explained by training alone. Obviously, its not as bad as it once was, thanks to some recent arrests and convictions," Casse said. "I still think there is more to go. Theres things out there that I see happening that I dont like. With thousands and sometimes millions of dollars on the line in each race, the harm caused by doping goes beyond damage done to the sport's reputation: It's a contributing cause to the deaths of many racehorses every year. Underfunded and time-consuming, equine drug testing and research cant keep up and the horse racing participants who are willing to cheat seem to know it. This really is a game of cat and mouse, said Ken Peck, associate director of the New York Equine Drug Laboratory. The sophisticated cheater in this industry is very good at being a mouse. Will Waldron/Times Union Nearly undetectable In October 2019, New York-based standardbred horse trainer Thomas Guido III allegedly made a request to Louis Grasso, his equine veterinarian and drug supplier. Guido kept his horses at Grassos Golden Shoe Training Center in the Orange County village of Montgomery, multiple sources confirmed to the Times Union. Guido wanted 4,000 units of erythropoietin, or EPO, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production; it was one of the doping agents used by champion cyclist Lance Armstrong as part of his extensive cheating regimen. EPO increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, stimulating endurance and delaying fatigue all of which make it enticing to people who want the fastest horse on the track. Trainers in the industry told the Times Union that 4,000 units of EPO isn't a large amount for a horse but could be used for a popular technique called "micro-dosing," and it was enough to catch the eye of the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors described the communication between Guido and Grasso in a criminal indictment related to the Navarro and Fishman cases. That alleged transaction, in part, helped investigators uncover what they described as a much larger operation. Like Fishman, Grasso had built a business supplying adulterated and misbranded performance-enhancing drugs to trainers across New York and the rest of the country for years, prosecutors alleged. It wasn't Grasso's first federal indictment: In 1992, the vet had been convicted of selling anabolic steroids, and his license to practice equine medicine at racetracks was stripped by the state of New York. So how did the alleged doping network go undetected for so long? Part of the answer is that some medications and drugs, like EPO, are exceedingly difficult to trace. The EPO molecule becomes undetectable to current testing in a horses body within hours or minutes, depending on the quantity, even though the key benefit of the drug the enhanced red blood cells that it produces lasts for about 120 days, said Kenneth McKeever, professor of animal science at Rutgers University. The medication first went on the market in the late 1980s to treat kidney failure in humans, but quickly began cropping up in equine circles, McKeever said. EPO has never been permitted for use in racehorses under New York regulations. According to the state Gaming Commission, between 2003 and 2006, 12 standardbred horses racing on New York harness tracks tested positive for EPO, but none have been identified more recently. Still, some experts believe those caught using the drug represent just a small fraction of people in the industry who actually use it. Skip Dickstein/Special to the Times Union Who are you kidding? In two squat, unassuming buildings tucked between a jail and a post office in Ithaca, New Yorks equine drug laboratory is widely respected as one of the most advanced in the U.S. Since 1971, the laboratory has conducted over 5,000 drug trials and has its own herd of horses for research. It's able to test for over 4,000 drugs, Maylin said. But the New York Equine Drug Testing Lab and most similar facilities across the U.S. can only test for three varieties of EPO, while scientific literature cites 82 kinds of EPO worldwide, he said. Are they being used? I dont know, Maylin said in a recent interview. But theyve been synthesized; theyre available. So if youre testing for EPOs and youre only doing three and there are another 70-plus out there, who are you kidding? Mary Scollay, executive director and chief operating officer of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), said she's heard allusions to a "rainbow" of EPO varieties, but she hasn't identified all of them and doesn't know where one would get them. Maylin said that his lab is working to develop more EPO tests, but the research is difficult, time-consuming and expensive. It can take months or years to identify a tiny trace of a substance showing up in a horses hair, urine or blood. More time is required to develop a reliable way to test for that compound. Research needs to be conducted to determine the effect of the substance on the horse and in what concentrations, if any, it should be permitted. Sometimes the lab will spend months working on a test for a substance only to find that trainers or owners willing to cheat have moved on to something else, Peck said. Researchers suspect that some racing participants have shifted to using substances that spur the horses own natural production of EPO in the spleen instead of injecting EPO directly into the body, McKeever and Maylin said. Indeed, Fishman, the convicted veterinarian, was caught on wiretaps touting the benefits of an "EPO mimetic." Thats sort of the cutting-edge thing, McKeever said. If youve got something that will stimulate EPO production and its something we cant detect, (these) molecules theyre a threat. Scientists at Maylins lab spend time each month researching new drugs being released worldwide and looking at scientific research. But so do those looking for an advantage in horse racing rogue scientists he refers to as "garage chemists." Those individuals monitor the literature, and theyll find a source almost always from China and theyll incorporate that into their work, Maylin said. Will Waldron/Times Union The 81-year-old scientist with tidy white hair pulled open the vault-like door to his freezer and revealed floor-to-ceiling rows of preserved samples over 500 vials of blood and urine in clear tubes the length of a finger. Each was drawn from a racehorse and has been set aside because it contains a peculiar, as-yet-unknown substance. Maylin is working and waiting for the day when he has the right test or technology to identify each one. Some samples are 10 years old, he said, closing the door and plunging the mystery samples back into darkness. Hell keep them until he runs out of space. Caught by the DOJ It wasnt Maylin or his lab who caught Navarro, Fishman, Guido and Grasso, and the wider drug scheme they were allegedly a part of. It was the FBI. In 2020, the two men and 27 other defendants were indicted by the Department of Justice in a series of doping cases that ensnared trainers, veterinarians and their partners across the standardbred and thoroughbred racing industries. The indicted trainers include Jason Servis, a thoroughbred trainer who in 2019 won $29 million in purses for himself and his owners at New York tracks; Michael Tannuzzo, who trained thoroughbred horses in New York; and standardbred trainers Rene Allard, Richard Banca and Conor Flynn, who kept their horses in Middletown. All of those trainers have pleaded not guilty to federal charges and are awaiting trial. The case also brought charges against veterinarian Kristian Rhein, who practiced at Belmont Park; Alexander Chan, who worked for the New York Racing Association as an examining veterinarian from 2012 to 2015; and distributor Lisa Giannelli, who allegedly shipped drugs to trainers and other racing participants around the state. Gianelli and Chan pleaded not guilty, while Rhein pled guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison. Allard, through his attorney, denied the allegations made against him. Banca's attorney said he declined to speak to the Times Union and would vigorously fight the allegations. Attorneys for the other indicted individuals named in this story declined to comment or did not respond. Thoroughbred trainers Navarro and Tannuzzo never had a positive drug violation in New York prior to their arrests, Gaming Commission data shows. Servis had one in 2005. Standardbred trainer Banca had three positive drug violations in New York in the 11 years prior to his arrest, Gaming Commission data shows. Allard and Flynn each had one. Asked why the performance-enhancing drugs described in the federal indictments were not caught by his tests, Maylin said he can test for some of those drugs, but not all. He is not familiar with some of the compounds described the indictments, and therefore cannot test for them. He has requested samples of those drugs from the Justice Department. "I don't believe anybody doing drug testing knows what the heck these things are, if they're anything," he said. New Yorks Equine Medical Director Scott Palmer said that when the state in 2020 tested the thoroughbreds in New York belonging to the federally indicted trainers, 77 percent tested positive for clenbuterol, a drug that can help with respiratory issues and also builds muscle mass. About 200 standardbred horses and 100 thoroughbreds were tested. The Department of Justice said this month that its investigation is continuing. Matthew Stockman/Getty The Allard death camp The federal cases have shaken loose details about the ways people in horse racing are cheating to win. In addition to giving horses EPO, various indicted individuals were allegedly applying analgesics including snake venom to deaden a horses nerves and block pain; bronchodilators to increase oxygen intake and lessen fatigue; and other drugs, including Viagra, to induce performance-enhancing effects, according to federal prosecutors. Some fed baking soda to horses as a way to mask the presence of prohibited substances in their urine, according to prosecutors. Horses that received the substances targeted by the FBI won high-profile races including Maximum Security, which placed first at the Kentucky Derby in 2019 before a disqualification for interfering with other horses. But other animals have died from doping. According to a Department of Justice complaint, Allard's practices made him one of the most winning standardbred trainers of his era, but other indicted racing participants called his barn "the Allard death camp." The complaint noted that Grasso, who worked with Allards horses, said three died. Likewise, Grasso counseled the trainer Guido after a horse he was training died after receiving a performance-enhancing drug that Grasso gave Guido. "I've seen that happen 20 times," Grasso told him. Drug money Maylins lab, which is associated with the State University of New York at Morrisville, has an annual budget of about $5.5 million, funded by the state through fees it collects from the racing industry. Maylin was paid about $235,000 in 2020, according to a tax document filed by the Morrisville nonprofit that helps administer the lab. He requested another $450,000 from the state to support lab operations in the upcoming fiscal year. Maylin contends a lack of funding has inhibited his ability to test for more drugs. Another million would help a great deal, he said. "The program was deficient in money for a number of years from 2010 on. ... Right now we have as much research money in budget as any lab in the U.S. Wayne Duer, a former equine drug laboratory director in Florida, said the labs nearly always need more money because of the great expense of their research and equipment. Will Waldron/Times Union Sampling has dropped A lack of resources has been choking off the number of samples that state regulators have been collecting and sending to Maylins lab, he said. The scientist reported that the number of samples sent to his lab has dropped significantly since 2015, even prior to 2020 when racing was reduced. The Gaming Commission collects and pays for the vast majority of samples collected for drug testing from standardbred and thoroughbred horses in New York. Not every horse is sampled; typically, top performers are sampled on race day and some are subject to a limited amount of out-of-competition testing. Thousands of samples are collected by the Gaming Commission. The New York Racing Association also pays for some sampling and testing of its own. A routine test of blood or urine costs about $180 per sample, while testing a hair sample costs about $250, Maylin said. Everything started getting expensive, Maylin said. COVID really messed things up. But collecting samples is an ordeal for the regulators. You have to have veterinarians; you have to have skilled assistants. And for that reason, the number of samples decreased. And the number of samples taken are strictly in the domain of the Gaming Commission the regulators. Asked to explain the decline, the Gaming Commission through a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochuls office said it was attributable in part to a reduction in races in New York. Only a tiny fraction of samples collected from racehorses are flagged as positive for drugs detected in violation of racing regulations. Some illicit drugs and steroids always trigger a positive. Some therapeutic drugs are not allowed in certain concentrations or in certain time frames around race days. Out of thousands of samples collected, the Gaming Commission reported in 2018 that there were 44 post-race positives among race horses; in 2019, the number was 43. The vast majority of the positive tests were among standardbred horses that race separately from thoroughbred horses. In 2020, when racing was reduced by COVID-19, the Gaming Commission reported 16 post-race positives. But Maylin said in 2019 there were 176 positive tests total including samples from out-of-competition testing and horses at the state fair, as well as hair samples, all of which are not reflected in the numbers the Gaming Commission shares publicly. In 2020, with reduced racing and testing due to COVID-19, the lab found 86 positives, Maylin said. Not all positive tests result in violations depending on what is found and when. Jeffrey Gural, a New York horse owner, breeder and operator of two New York harness tracks and the Meadowlands in New Jersey, said the Gaming Commission has done the minimum to root out drug use. Its unfortunate that the state wasnt given the resources to clean it up on their own, and pretty much turned a blind eye to whats going on, Gural said. I think (the Gaming Commission has) done as little as possible. In fairness, they dont have the resources but I dont think they really ever made a big deal out of not having the resources. NYRA declined to comment on the performance of the Gaming Commission in drug testing and identifying violations. Patrick McKenna, vice president of communications at NYRA, said New York's equine drug rules and protective measures are among "the strictest and most comprehensive in the nation." He noted the steps NYRA has taken to combat doping, including out-of-competition testing, employing investigators and, most recently, advancing its own disciplinary measures against trainers accused of drug violations, like Baffert. Will Waldron/Times Union Will Waldron/Times Union LEFT: Test kits for equine performance enhancing drugs are stored at the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory on Sept. 10, 2021, in Ithaca. Horse racing drug test samples stored in the lab go back decades. RIGHT: Dr. George Maylin pulls a frozen racehorse test sample from a storage freezer at the lab, which he leads. He said his work has been limited by a lack of funding. (Photos by Will Waldron/Times Union) TOP: Test kits for equine performance enhancing drugs are stored at the New York Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory on Sept. 10, 2021, in Ithaca. Horse racing drug test samples stored in the lab go back decades. BOTTOM: Dr. George Maylin pulls a frozen racehorse test sample from a storage freezer at the lab, which he leads. He said his work has been limited by a lack of funding. (Photos by Will Waldron/Times Union) Change ahead Over the years, drug testing has improved significantly, but labs are still trailing the cheaters. In 1983, Maylin told Congress in a hearing that "since my involvement in 1971 there has been a constant infusion of drugs into racing. At the time, Congress was considering a proposed bill to deliver uniform rules for drug use and testing for racehorses across the country. It was not until 2020, after the sprawling federal case exposing horse racing doping, that Congress finally approved a law to establish national regulations for the sport and replace the current balkanized system of rules and enforcement varying by state. The federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is now in the process of creating the new rules that will govern thoroughbred horse racing and shopping for a new enforcement agency to oversee drug use in the sport, after failing to reach an agreement with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to do the job. HISA is expected to take over regulation of the sport in the next year or so. Who will be HISA's new partner on drug testing and how they will remedy the issues that have challenged state drug testing operations is still unknown. "It's going to come down to one thing, finances," Maylin said. "If (a new enforcement agency) takes over and the pot of money is no different than it is now, don't expect much." Residents on Nassau Lake will now be able to apply for a share of $388,000 in grants to help pay for septic system improvements. Rensselaer County announced last week that households with septic systems on both sides of the lake in Schodack and Nassau are eligible. The county said septic service improvements "support ongoing revitalization efforts around Nassau Lake." Many lakeside residences are being renovated by buyers, and the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail, part of the Empire State Trail on the west side of the lake, is a draw, county officials said. Nassau Lake is a picturesque and historic lake, and we look forward to future investments in and around the lake area. These grant funds will help improve health, safety and quality of life in the lake area and also encourage new growth, County Executive Steve McLaughlin said in a statement. Nassau Supervisor David Fleming also said the septic grant funds will also have a lasting impact on maintaining the quality of the lake as a natural resource. Upgrading septic systems can not only improve real estate values, but it also works towards stopping any system failures that would lead to seweage directly leaking into the lake. The county received one grant of $170,000 from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Environmental Facilities Corporation. Under the grant, homeowners are eligible for up to 50 percent of qualified septic system upgrades, up to a maximum of $10,000 per project. The funding can only be used for the replacement of septic systems and cesspools, which are shallow, underground systems for disposing of sanitary waste, that are within 250 feet of Nassau Lake. The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote. The second grant of $218,000 comes from the Housing Trust Fund Corporation and Office of Community Renewal as part of the 2021 NYS Community Development Block Grant program. Rensselaer County officials said staff from the county Health Department will be meeting with residents and groups in the Nassau Lake area soon to discuss the grants. Interested residents and property owners in the Nassau Lake area can call 518-270-2675 or email derrick.gardner@rensco.com to learn more and inquire about how to apply for the grant monies. Donald Trump stripped away any pretense of disapproval for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection when he suggested at a recent rally that if he is re-elected president, he will pardon the rioters. If I run and if I win, we will treat those people from Jan. 6 fairly. ... And if it requires pardons, we will give them pardons, Mr. Trump told a crowd Jan. 29. Take a moment to consider the implications of that: A former president openly expresses sympathy for violent insurrectionists, and declares that he will reward them with pardons if hes restored to power. Whats to stop him in the next election from assuring another mob that it will be immune from prosecution under his regime if they attempt another coup on his behalf? What indeed. Mr. Trump remains a leading figure in Republican and conservative circles. He has floated the idea of running again and continues to raise money. Hes the star speaker at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference. And while a few figures like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Lindsey Graham voiced disapproval of the idea of pardons, we saw this dance two years ago, when both voted to acquit Mr. Trump in an impeachment trial for incitement of insurrection. Yet the evidence only keeps growing that Mr. Trump was no benign player in the attempt to subvert the 2020 election and block the peaceful transfer of power. Before leaving office, he discussed a blanket pardon for the insurrectionists, Politico reported this past week. Multiple news outlets report that Mr. Trumps advisers drafted executive orders to have the departments of Defense and Homeland Security seize voting machines in key states he lost. In seven key states, supporters of Mr. Trump filed fake lists of alternate electors and documents that falsely asserted that Mr. Trump, not Democrat Joe Biden, won the election an effort that appears to have been coordinated by the Trump campaign. Theres more, straight from Mr. Trumps own mouth and news releases: the recorded proof of him pressuring Georgia officials to find votes for him after the election; his call, at the same rally where he talked about pardons, calling for the biggest protests we have ever had if hes brought to justice in various investigations he faces; his statement last Sunday that former Vice President Mike Pence should have overturned the election when he was presiding over the Jan. 6 vote by Congress; and of course, his incessant repetition of the incendiary lie that the election was rife with fraud, and his claims that all the proof is out there proof his lawyers never produced in more than 60 losing court cases. Sign up for the Observation Deck newsletter Read the latest Times Union opinion, perspective and letters to the editor on Mondays by signing up for our Observation Deck newsletter. More revelations are likely to come as the Jan. 6 House committee continues its work, journalists unearth more details and a local investigation into his interference in Georgias elections comes to fruition. But the time is long past for Republican and conservative leaders to do more than tut-tut over this or that comment, as if Mr. Trump is just some occasionally intemperate fellow. He was the leader of the Jan. 6 insurrection. He is engaged in ongoing sedition aided by supporters in state legislatures around the country who are working to change election laws in ways that would allow them to hijack future elections. He is openly sanctioning violence and promising to use the power of the presidency, if he gets it again, to pardon those who rise up against our government on his behalf. What more will it take for the leaders of the Republican Party and the conservative movement to renounce him? Indeed, are there any left who will put America before Donald Trump? Kenya Airways. Thomas Dutour/Shutterstock African airline Kenya Airways said it will stop the shipment of lab primates after a truck crash in Pennsylvania. All 100 monkeys escaped, though three were shot and killed, prompting animal activist groups to speak up. Animal rights organization PETA said it is "happy that Kenya Airways is washing its hands of this bloody business." African carrier Kenya Airways said it will stop flying lab monkeys to the US after a crash on a Pennsylvania highway led to the escape and death of some of the animals. In a letter sent to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Kenya chair Michael Joseph said the airline will not renew its contract with an undisclosed shipping company that paid the carrier to fly 100 monkeys from the African island nation of Mauritius to New York. "[T]he current contract for the transport of the Macaques (captive-bred for export) will not be renewed when it expires at the end of February," the letter read. Kenya CEO Allan Kilavuka echoed the chair's message in an email to the Associated Press. The flight made up half of the total transport of the monkeys to a US research laboratory. The second half involved driving the primates via truck to a CDC-approved quarantine facility to be monitored for disease, reported the New York Times. However, the vehicle was involved in a crash in Pennsylvania after the driver hit a dump truck, causing the animals to escape. CDC spokesperson Kristen Nordlund told AP that all 100 of the monkeys were accounted for, though three were shot and killed during the search. Crash scene in Pennsylvania where 100 monkeys escaped. Jimmy May/Bloomsburg Press Enterprise via AP The primates that survived are at the CDC facility, according to the agency, though the specific location was not made public. Cynomolgus macaque monkeys, which is the breed involved in the event, have been in high demand since the pandemic for research and vaccine testing purposes because their DNA resembles that of humans, reported AP. After the crash, PETA called on Kenya to stop the shipment of the animals, saying the practice caused the monkeys to be "tormented in experiments." Story continues Kenya is not the only airline that has come under fire for flying animals, though most global carriers have stopped the transport of research primates in response to animal activists, according to PETA. However, PETA said Air France is the only airline that has not confirmed to the organization that it has stopped the practice. According to AP, the Paris-based carrier believes animal research is essential for human health, despite years of pressure from animal rights groups and primate expert Jane Goodall. Air France did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider A homicide report from this morning is worth noting given the consistently rising rate of killing in Kansas City proper and across the nation. Again . . . KANSAS CITY CONTINUES TO OUTPACE LAST YEAR'S MURDER COUNT!!! This is a big deal for a lot of reasons but mostly because last year KCMO HIT THE 2ND HIGHEST RATE OF HOMICIDES IN OUR HISTORY. Check the report . . . Homicide 40th and South Benton This morning at 5:15am officers were dispatched to 40th and South Benton Ave on a sound of shots call. While officers were on the way additional calls reported a shooting victim down in the street. When officers arrived they located the victim, an adult male who appeared to have been shot, in the street unresponsive. EMS responded to the scene and declared the victim deceased. There is not any suspect information at this time and no one is in custody. Detectives are canvassing the area for any witnesses and crime scene investigators are processing the scene for all the evidence. Anyone that has not talked to police and was in this area and heard or saw anything or has any information is asked to contact the Homicide Unit directly at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS, There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case. ################ Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . . 1 dead in KCMO deadly shooting near 40th and South Benton KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Police Department is investigating an overnight deadly shooting Saturday morning. Police were called into an area of 40th and South Benton Avenue on a shooting call around 5:15 a.m. While officers were arriving, additional calls reported that a shooting victim was lying on the street. Man dead in early morning Kansas City, Missouri, shooting KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is investigating an early morning fatal shooting Saturday at 40th Street and South Benton Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri. According to police, officers responded to a call at 5:15 a.m. on the sound of shots fired. KCPD working overnight fatal shooting KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The Kansas City Police Department is investigating an overnight shooting. The incident happened near 40th and South Benton. The shooting is fatal, according to police. They did not release any victim information. More information will be released as crime scene investigators work the scene. Developing . . . This weekend locals on the Country Club Plaza argued for a moment of pause amid escalating tensions over the fate of an Eastern European nation. What's interesting about this conversation is that arguments against war are coming for both committed progressives and MAGA-style conservatives . . . And they reveal a growing divide between the American public and their elected leaders. First up, a quick look at the local conversation . . . Anti-war protestors in Kansas City voice concerns over Russia, Ukraine dispute KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV/AP) - Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force and air defense during a four-hour mission. And then a news link roundup of peace'nik protestations elsewhere via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . . "We Need Peace": War in Ukraine Would Be Humanitarian Catastrophe for Millions in the Region As tensions grow between Russia and NATO over a potential invasion of Ukraine, up to 2 million people in eastern Ukraine are at risk of massive displacement and violence if the conflict escalates. We speak with the Norwegian Refugee Council's Jan Egeland, who is on the ground in Ukraine and says a war could roll back nearly a decade of humanitarian progress made in the Ukrainian region. There's a big tent opposing US intervention in Ukraine. Tucker Carlson is stretching its limits. Fight disinformation. Get a daily recap of the facts that matter. Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter. There are not many issues that can unite Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), liberal journalist Peter Beinart, and guerrilla activist group Code Pink, but the looming possibility of a war between the United States and Russia over Ukraine is one of them. Opinion: Josh Hawley joins Tucker Carlson in ripping a gash in GOP's Ukraine stance Frida Ghitis writes that GOP Sen. Josh Hawley's desire to block US support for Ukraine joining NATO proves the lawmaker has joined the Trump-Carlson branch of the party, which preaches isolationism and strongly advocates against US involvement abroad. Ukraine crisis exposes rifts inside both parties: The Note If there's potential for foreign policy to be a wedge issue for either party, it might feature angles that wind up cutting in both directions. The current standoff over Ukraine is creating unusual political circumstances. "There Is No Military Solution Out of This Ukraine Crisis" The State Department continues to signal that the United States is searching for a diplomatic solution to mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine -with a senior official announcing last week, "The United States does not want conflict. We want peace." Most Americans Don't Want War With Russia. Where Are Progressives? A new Data for Progress poll shared exclusively with the Prospect finds that the majority of Americans favor diplomacy with Russia over sanctions or going to war for Ukrainian sovereignty. Most Americans are not particularly animated about the escalating conflict in Eastern Europe, the poll shows, despite round-the-clock media coverage. Activists host peace rally in Nashville NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) - The nationwide anti-war organization CODEPINK hosted a ' Peace with Russia Day of Action' to ask the U.S. to commit to deescalation and negotiations. The tension building between Russia, Ukraine and NATO has sparked anti-war protests across the country, including here in Nashville. Iowans protest, call for peace as tensions rise over possible Russian invasion of Ukraine Activists came from down the street and across the state to Des Moines Saturday to raise a white flag in support of a peaceful solution to tensions between Europe and Russia. The protest occurred just hours after the Iowa Army National Guard announced mobilization orders to head to Poland. 'We just want peace' - what it's like living in Ukraine right now International tensions are high as Russian troops and military equipment continue to be amassed at its border with Ukraine, creating an uncertain future for millions of Ukrainians. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Tuesday that any military confrontation with Russia would result in a "full scale" war on European soil. Pope appeals for peace in Ukraine as threat of war looms - Vatican News As Christians hold a day of prayer for peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis prays that world leaders will work towards peace as political tensions rise between Russia and Ukraine. By Vatican News staff writer At the conclusion of his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis asked the faithful "to pray for peace in Ukraine, now and throughout this day." Developing . . . A recent report reveals that practical training for the workforce suffers despite growing demand and desperate need for higher paying jobs. Even worse . . . CHECK MORE PROOF THAT 'VIRTUAL LEARNING' WAS NEVER THE SOLUTION IN LOCAL CLASSROOMS!!! Here's today's lesson in local practicality . . . While most lecture courses were able to go virtual, it was nearly impossible for on-site labs and workshops, where students learn by working with tools, machinery and equipment. All of the hands-on courses were dramatically shaken to the core because we could not meet in person, said Kendall Davis, a welding instructor at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. Davis said he had a 72% failure rate in the spring of 2020. When we finally did get together, with social distancing and masking, all the lectures and the information that we [studied] they basically forgot all that information, he said. I almost had to reteach lecture courses, and it was quite a learning curve Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Bad news for locals who wanted a change from the current 12th & Oak status quo . . . In her debut remarks, the new KCMO Health Department Director seems dedicated to politicizing her office just like the old boss . . . Dr. Rex. What's worse is that even the most faint criticism of any public official during this COVID epoch in American history is tantamount to a hate crime. Proof about the political bent of this "rising star" politico . . . Check the tacit anti-gun rhetoric that locals have had to endure for the past decade with absolutely no progress . . . This is something the health department and public health as a discipline should address, Jones said. Its predictable and we know the risk factors that make it more likely. The uptick of murders being committed with firearms is seeing in crime totals from the Kansas City Police Department. Homicide counts have been high during the past three years, and at least 90% of those crimes are being committed with various forms of guns. Its immediately urgent and concerning. We know having any type of engagement or interaction with violence can change the life course of everyone it involves parents, siblings, Dr. Marvia Jones said. Jones said she hopes to see the Kansas City Health Department partner with public schools in hopes of keeping more people in classrooms, and with anti-violence groups to strengthen their efforts. She mentioned poverty and low graduation rates as being key factors in this problem. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . . Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. The mother of a Black man who was shot Thursday morning on Madisons Far East Side said a state law enforcement officer shot her son at least five times in the back while he was unarmed. Quadren L. Wilson, 38, underwent surgery Saturday because of the gunshot wounds, his mother, Stacy Morris, said in an interview Saturday. The Dane County Sheriffs Office, which is investigating what it said was an officer-involved shooting, characterized the injuries as non-life-threatening. Morris, 53, said she received an update from the hospital that Wilson made it through the surgery. Authorities still have not released the name of the man who was shot, nor who shot him. The Sheriffs Office has described the incident as an officer-involved shooting in which shots were fired around 8:20 a.m. near the intersection of American Parkway and Eastpark Boulevard on Madisons Far East Side. In a brief update Friday, the Sheriffs Office said the man shot was 38 and wanted on a state Department of Corrections warrant. Wilson has an open disorderly conduct case and several other criminal convictions that he has served sentences for, but its unclear whether those are related to the warrant. Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said Madison officers were assisting agents with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation with an investigation when the shooting happened and that no Madison officers fired their weapons and no officers were injured in the shooting. Dane County Sgt. Jeremy White said Saturday the investigation is ongoing and the Sheriffs Office had no further comment. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. Wilsons younger brother, Mane Morris, said in an interview Saturday he believes authorities arent providing more information on the shooting because a white officer shot his brother, who is Black. Morris said police officials he didnt remember the names of the officers because his family has talked with so many of them told him that a white officer from the Division of Criminal Investigation shot his brother. Morris said he believes the shooting of his brother was an example of racism, saying he didnt think this would have happened to a white person. We feel like they tried to kill him, Morris said of his brother. We feel like theyre trying to cover up their tracks. And theyre not telling the community the truth of what happened because their officer was at fault. Why cant they tell the honest truth about what happened? Wilsons father, Nora Morris, 54, said. Thats all Im looking for is honesty. And its not happening. Stacy Morris said she was able to talk to her son for about five minutes at the hospital but then was told she needed to leave. Wilson told her he was at a stoplight when the truck in front of him started backing up into him, she said. Wilson tried to back up, but then another truck pulled up behind him and smooshed him in the middle, Morris said. Then undercover officers jumped out of the trucks, Morris said. They smashed his windows and said, Put your (expletive) hands up in the air, Morris recalled her son telling her. She said he leaned forward over the steering wheel and put his hands up in the dashboard area. He was scared to make any type of move in the car. So his hands went straight to the dash, she said. And when he did that, he said, Mom, they just got to firing on me. He told me he heard over 20 gunshots. A Wisconsin State Journal photo shows a silver sedan wedged between two SUVs at the scene of Thursdays shooting. A doctor told Morris that her son was shot several times in the back, she said. She asked how many several was, and the doctor directed her to police. Wilson told her he thought he had been shot at least five times, she said. Mane Morris said part of why his family wanted to talk to the media is because they want to be able to be able to see Wilson. Stacy Morris said Wilson told her that he was unarmed and didnt know why law enforcement was after him. He didnt do nothing wrong, Mane Morris said. Nothing. But being Black. Thats whats wrong, Nora Morris added. Mane Morris said authorities are holding Wilson on a probation violation. Thats why the hospital is saying his family cant see him because Wilson is technically in custody, Morris said. Wilson was on extended supervision for second-degree recklessly endangering safety in 2017. He was sentenced and served two years in prison for the conviction. He has previous convictions for fleeing police, disorderly conduct, bail jumping, trespassing, intimidating a victim, battery, theft and resisting. Stacey Morris said she doesnt understand why police needed to corner Wilson and shoot him when he had a GPS ankle monitor. She said he had recently checked in with his probation officer. Theres no getting away. They know where hes at at all times, she said. I dont know why they did this. State Journal reporter Chris Rickert contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 STAMFORD A new K-8 school could become a reality in south Stamford if a new master plan comes to fruition. And that wouldnt be the only change to Stamfords roster of school buildings. The plan also calls for closing four schools Dolan and Cloonan middle schools, Toquam Magnet Elementary School and KT Murphy Elementary School while expanding Roxbury and Westover Magnet elementary schools into K-8 facilities, and building a new K-8 Hart Magnet Elementary School at the current location of Cloonan. Even before the master plan was presented, the district had identified four schools that needed to be torn down and replaced: Westhill High School, Cloonan, Hart, Roxbury and Toquam. Now more details are emerging on the proposed future of the district. The master plan was formally presented Thursday night by contractor SLAM Collaborative to members of the Board of Education and the Long Term Facilities Committee, which is made up of officials from a variety of boards and committees across the city. The potential new school in south Stamford, which would either be located in Shippan or the Cove, would have a capacity for 1,050 seats, making it the third largest school in the district, behind Westhill and Stamford high schools. We really see this as a big positive step forward to not only reduce the physical footprint of the schools, but also improve utilization and alignment of enrollment, said Kemp Morhardt, principal at SLAM, referring to the closing of schools and addition of the southern facility. Finding a location for the south school could be a challenge. Board of Representatives member Megan Cottrell, who represents the Cove area, said residents are very concerned about a new school being located at Cove Island Park. Superintendent Tamu Lucero said the park is one of the locations currently being considered by city and school officials since it is city-owned property. That would be an ideal location for a south side school when you look at the neighborhoods that the students would be coming from, she said. Cottrell said the location is more than just a park, as it serves as a migratory spot for endangered birds. People in my neighborhood are extremely passionate about the park, she said. They dont want you to so much as cut down a tree in that park. State Rep. David Michel, who represents Shippan, did not speak during the meeting but was strongly opposed to the concept of building at Cove Island Park. As the state tries again to add climate change in education, what kind of message would it send to cut a forest down to build a school, adjacent to a marshland? We should be planting trees to help with air quality and flooding, he said in a written statement. Other highlights from the plan include expanding Turn of River Middle School by 100 seats, building a new Westhill school and creating a new facility on Lockwood Avenue for a pre-school program. One eye-opening part of the presentation was when representatives from SLAM said they are assuming a reimbursement rate of 95 percent from the state for a new Westhill. That is a dramatic increase from the 20 percent rate the state agreed to pay in December. It is unclear how Stamford would get such a high rate, but the citys state delegation could potentially file for special legislation to secure the extra funding. The reconstruction of Westhill is estimated to cost $258 million, according to the states Department of Administrative Services. The current 50-year-old structure has had a variety of problems, including water coming in from leaky roofs, windows, doorways and the exterior facade. The presentation also assumed a rate of 80 percent reimbursement for the Lockwood facility, which like Westhill, also secured a 20 percent reimbursement rate late last year, as well as an 80 percent rate for the possible new school in south Stamford. Board of Education member Andy George was surprised to see the 95 percent number. Lucero said the figure was a placeholder and that officials are working with the state delegation to get more funding. Thats the guidance that weve been given at this point, she said. In an emailed message, schools spokesperson Justin Martin reiterated that the rate is only a placeholder, but that it is based on our understanding of what is and may be available at the state and federal level. As we move forward, gain feedback and perspective and suggestions from our community, this plan will change and be revised, he wrote. The full master plan could be realized by 2033, according to the presentation. The next steps, after acquiring funding for Westhill and Lockwood, will be applying for state funding this year for the new south Stamford school, estimated to cost $112 million. That building could be completed by 2027. The schedule also calls for applying for funding this year to expand Turn of River, a roughly $45 million project, provide interior improvements to Stamford High, for a price tag of $40 million, and extend Roxbury, at a cost of $55 million. Dolan, Cloonan, Toquam and Murphy would all be closed in 2027, according to the plan. In all, the city would be on the hook for roughly $540 million over 12 years, if the plan were to be implemented in full and all of the assumptions are met. We are talking about a lot of money and its not easy to tackle this large type of a project, Morhardt said. A series of community group meetings will be scheduled for this month and March to go over the specifics of the plan and get feedback. ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com TRUMBULL From language quirks in the Declaration of Independence to limiting hate speech in social media, Trumbulls We the People team was on top of the issue at the recent state championship competition. But while Westports Staples High School was this years state champion and will be competing in the national finals, theyll be joined by Trumbull, which placed runner up overall and earned yet another trip to the nationals. During these difficult times, the 21 seniors in my class worked incredibly hard throughout the pandemic to achieve success at the state level, said Katie Boland, a Trumbull High social studies teacher and faculty advisor to the team. Unlike previous years, the 2020 competition was conducted online, with students broken into six units to hold mock Congressional debates on a set of diverse topics. It definitely took a while for me to become accustomed to it (online debate) said Erin Melia, who debated use of hyperbole in media and the separation of powers with Unit 2 of the six-unit team. There are so many differences when it comes to public speaking over a computer. Instead of making eye contact with a human, you have to keep eye contact with a camera. I had to be consciously aware the entire time of speaking up, so my microphone picked up the sound, and then trying to focus on over exaggerating the inflections of how I talk, so I didnt come off monotone, Melia said. The team also had to prepare for the possibility of technical issues, something they had never had to deal with before, she said: It added a whole new level of complexity to the competition. Lauren Buck called going to a national competition through her laptop screen a once-in-a-lifetime experience and said it presented unique challenges. Through trial and error, my classmates and I have learned how to gesture to one another when we want to speak on Zoom, how to bond and create team chemistry without daily class and weekly Starbucks meetings and how to come across as passionate and personable people through a laptop, she said. It has prepared us for the times when we may need to take part in a Zoom interview or seminar, and most importantly, to be respectful of others while voicing our own strong opinions. Gianna Socci, captain of Unit 1, debated grievances in the Declaration of Independence and their modern implications. She attributed the teams continued success eight nation finals appearances in the past nine years to resilience, hard work and team chemistry. Everyone demonstrated intense dedication and drive through hour-long zoom calls, late nights researching, amazing hearings to some of the worst performances youve ever put on, she said. Every day in that class and every practice competition was a challenge, but more importantly a reminder that if you meet the challenge head on you will emerge stronger and more prepared. The team has learned to trust their teacher, Socci said. But Boland herself puts her trust in their preparation, Socci said. Ms. Boland always tells us to trust the process and shes right, Socci said. Every failure and every day filled with confusion only allows you to fix the errors and grow to become a complete master of something which was once foreign to you. The team also trusted each other, Socci said. We managed to be incredibly close despite sitting behind screens and I truly believe this is what gave us the final push to our success, she said. My unit met almost every day after school on FaceTime, Zoom or Google Meet, to go over speeches, practice questioning or even just to hang out with each other. It was hard work, but also fun, she said. Youre working with people who you love and enjoy being around, she said. Madeline Marsh agreed, saying that the daily practices served as a reprieve from the social unrest and other conditions that defined 2020. Nothing about this year makes sense, but these people made sense, she said. She also grew accustomed to hard work that was also fun and fulfilling, she said. Ive gotten the chance to speak with law professors, heads of civic education, Native American leaders and senators in this class, she said. Being able to have educated, researched discussion with them makes my voice feel heard as a young person. Now the team is heading back to work preparing for a whole new set of questions and debate topics. The national finals, normally held in Washington, D.C., will be held online April 24 to 26. Then the team, composed of 21 seniors, will likely begin to prepare to head off to college and their post-Trumbull High lives. But they will carry with them confidence from their shared experience, Marsh said. I know the next months, and even years, are still unwritten, but now I can be excited more than scared, she said. deng@trumbulltimes.com About the partnership Since: 2021 Location: Kenya and Canada In 2021, with the generous support of the Mastercard Foundation, under their COVID-19 Recovery & Resilience Programme, UNHCR was able to expand access to, and capacity to deliver, digital learning interventions to refugee children and young people in and out of school. This involves leveraging digital learning solutions through the extension of the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD)s content and integrated support for refugee and host community youth. The project intends to build back better in the wake of school closures due to the pandemic, thereby supporting displaced youth affected by lost learning time and increased drop-out rates. By strengthening capacity to deliver digital learning solutions during the COVID-19 response and recovery period, it is intended that children and youth out-of-school prior to COVID-19 (approximately 50% of school-age refugee children) will benefit from alternative pathways for learning. The hardware and software procured to support online and distance learning will be leveraged to improve learning outcomes as the situation stabilizes and was developed to reach both newly at-risk youth and vulnerable youth who were out-of-school before the pandemic. Together with our partners, UNHCR is delivering these interventions in primary and secondary schools in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps and Kalobeyei settlement, as well as expanding to include some urban schools in Nairobi, all in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Activities are being delivered with special attention to physical distancing, lost time, possible trauma, psychosocial issues and adaptation and expansion of digital learning to support remedial work, and associated training. Impact at a glance Expansion of connectivity, digital infrastructure and equipment. Strengthened ICT integration targeting learners, teachers and parents with digital learning. Improved coordination of digital learning interventions and alignment with national policy, plans and standards. Delivery of supplementary learning and teaching materials, including audio-visual and multimedia content. Sustainable Development Goals in focus Annie Charnley Eveland is a retired newspaper editor and journalist. A freelance writer, she produces the weekly Etcetera column Sundays in the Union-Bulletin. Send news with contact name and daytime phone number to acereporter1979@gmail.com. Walla Walla Community College officials were considering two buildings from the 1974 Expo in Spokane as a theater arts structure to add to the college campus on Tausick Way: the Republic of China pavilion, left, or the Pacific Northwest Bell building. (Originally published in the Union-Bulletin on June 20, 1974.) Bob Carsons upbringing in Rockbridge County, Virginia led to a life of geology, mountaineering and whitewater. He taught geology and environmental studies at Whitman College for 40 years, and now teaches for Quest at WWCC. His books include Hiking Guide to Washingtons Geology, Where the Great River Bends, East of Yellowstone, Many Waters, and The Blues. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 5) The Paris-based International Astronomical Union (IAU) has named an eight-kilometer-wide asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter "7431 Jettaguilar," in honor of Dr. Jose Francisco "Jett" Aguilar, a neurosurgeon and an amateur astronomer. "I am really at a loss for words not even in my wildest dreams have I imagined having an asteroid named after me," Aguilar said in a statement Friday. "Honestly, I sincerely believe that there is a long list of more deserving Filipino amateur astronomers ahead of me, but I guess there had never been a Filipino, or American, neurosurgeon yet who had received such an honor!" Asteroid 7431 Jettaguilar was discovered on March 19, 1993 from the European Southern Observatory in Chile and was initially introduced as 1993 FN41, according to IAU's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) the sole organization responsible for assigning names to asteroids, comets, satellites of minor planets, and other small solar system bodies. The United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration has recognized more than 1.1 million asteroids, which are remnants from the early formation of the solar system about 4.6 million years ago. WGSBN described Aguilar who works at the Philippine Children's Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, and Cardinal Santos Medical Center as "a Filipino neurosurgeon who has saved over one thousand children in the Philippines by volunteering his time and surgical expertise to treat their congenital malformations and brain tumors." "He is also an amateur astronomer and serves as vice president of the Astronomical League of the Philippines," read WGSB's bulletin. Aguilar has been giving neurosurgical services to children for more than two decades. In 2019, he successfully removed a parasitic twin from a three-week-old infant, nicknamed "Baby Ned." The 60-year-old is also the clinical director of the Philippine Movement Disorder Surgery Center, which pioneered the "Deep Brain Stimulation" surgery for patients with a rare genetic movement disorder. Despite his busy schedule providing neurosurgical services to children, Aguilar has been an avid astrophotographer with his photos of the Sun, the transit of Venus, lunar eclipses, and other celestial events published in astronomy websites spaceweather.com and skyandtelescope.org. Aguilar is also known as an avid eclipse chaser, and has traveled abroad to observe and photograph total and annular solar eclipses in China, Indonesia, Singapore, and the United States. Other asteroids named after Filipinos Asteroid 7431 Jettaguilar is an addition to the growing number of asteroids named after Filipino astronomers and scientists. The first Filipinos to have asteroids named in their honors were astronomers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre. In 1995, IAU named asteroid 1980 TS4 "6283 Eswelda," a combination of their first names, in recognition of their accomplishments in Astronomy. In 2005, the IAU named asteroid 1988 VB3 "4866 Badillo" after Jesuit astronomer Fr. Victor Badillo, the former director of the Manila Observatory and co-founder of the Philippine Astronomical Society. In 2007, asteroid 1988 RK8 was named "6636 Kintanar," in honor of Dr. Roman Kintanar's service as director of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. The IAU also named 2000 EL157 "30100 Christophergo" after astrophotographer Christopher Go, in recognition of his expertise in high-resolution imaging of the planet Jupiter and its satellites. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian believes the booster card requirement in highly vaccinated areas like Metro Manila will encourage more people to get the additional shots. Presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion earlier suggested that areas with high vaccination rates should require COVID-19 booster cards for additional protection against the disease. I'm for the boostering, I agree with it and people should be looking for a booster card," Gatchalian said. "Making the booster cards mandatory -- they will also get time to get boosted." But National Task Force Against COVID-19 special adviser Ted Herbosa said requiring booster cards is a form of elitism and would restrict the mobility of so many people. "Mababa pa ang ating booster vaccinated status [Our boosted vaccinated status is still low]. Our booster status is about 7 or 8 million pa lang [only]. If you only have few, problema pa yan di ba [its still a problem, right]?" Herbosa said. He added that mandating booster cards is not timely, as many are still waiting for their second dose. "There will be much more people who will complain than the people who will be able to comply. Yan ang problema sa policy na yan [That's the problem with the policy]. Very elitist ang policy," said Herbosa. Royce E Josey, 91, of Milledgeville,went to meet Jesus on Sunday, April 24. He was born on Sept. 13, 1930, to Lee Roy and Alva Josey in Milledgeville, one of four children. Royce was a veteran of the Korean War, where he served honorably in the Army as a lineman from 1951-1953. He told the t The new and elegant copper finish of the Noon basin from Not Only White with HIMACS After the success of the Noon collection from Not Only White with HIMACS, the Dutch brand has been inspired by the elegance and subtlety of its models to design a new version of the Noon model. This latest new launch from the company, designed by Marike Andeweg and in collaboration with the solid surface material from LX HAUSYS, is coated in a thin layer of copper and seeks to give bathrooms a sophisticated hint of colour. The new version of the Noon model, like the original, is made from HIMACS, chosen from a wide variety of materials because its properties mean it is possible to create uniform pieces that are totally seamless, among other advantages. This characteristic gives the basic a completely pure and smooth surface, allowing it to be positioned on a worktop or directly on the wall. A classic from this brand, with its traditional shape and the fact that it is the smallest round basin in the collection, the new model is also distinctive for its copper coating, achieved thanks to the use of the new Synergy 3D technology that enabled the coating to be 3D printed. With its subtlety and delicacy, this thin layer of copper gives the basin a bright reddish gleam that contrasts with the white of the solid surface. This play between contrasts and colours turns the Noon basin into the hero of the bathroom, transforming it into a stylish and minimalist space. The model is available in white with a copper coating, and it is possible to combine it with all kinds of colours and textures. It comes in a single size, 424 mm in diameter and 160 mm in height. A bathroom needs the highest standards of hygiene and functionality - which HIMACS meets with ease. Its completely seamless finish provides a totally smooth surface, preventing the accumulation and spread of dirt, mould and bacteria. Moreover, its resistance to the most aggressive cleaning agents guarantees a long-lasting durability. For use in bathroom fixtures and fittings, the robustness, hygiene and functionality of HIMACS make it the most highly recommended solid surface material. PRODUCT INFORMATION: Collection name: Noon Collection, from Not Only White Design: Marike Andeweg, Not Only White Production: Not Only White Material: HIMACS Alpine White Dimensions: 424-mm diameter x 160-mm height Price: 1,486.00 excluding VAT, RRP Photo credits: On a hazy morning (@FahadShabbir) Ighrane, Morocco, Feb 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Feb, 2022 ) :Moroccan emergency crews found a five-year-old boy dead at the bottom of a well late Saturday in a tragic end to a painstaking five-day rescue operation that gripped the nation and beyond. "Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well," a statement from the royal court said. Through the days-long operation to extricate little Rayan from the bottom of the 32-metre (100 foot) well shaft, authorities had cautioned that they did not know whether the child was dead or alive. But news of his death sent a chill through the cold mountain air of his home village of Ighrane in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco where thousands of volunteers and well-wishers had gathered this week in a show of solidarity with his family. It was well after dark when rescue teams finally broke through to the well shaft where the boy was trapped, from the deep cut in the mountainside they had excavated in recent days. AFP correspondents saw the boy's parents walk down the slope into the cut, visibly crushed, before returning and boarding an ambulance without saying a word. After a period of confusion, the crowd of onlookers began dispersing in sombre silence. There was no official word on the boy's condition until Moroccan media carried the palace statement. The boy's ordeal since he fell down the well on Tuesday afternoon had gripped residents of the North African kingdom and beyond, also sparking sympathy in neighbouring Algeria, a regional rival. By mid-afternoon Saturday, rescue crews, using bulldozers and front-end loaders, had excavated the surrounding red earth down to the level where the boy was trapped, and drill teams began work on excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach him from the side. But progress slowed to a snail's pace as the drill teams worked by hand to avoid any vibrations that might bring the brittle soil down on the stricken child, local authorities said. The more time passed, the more fears mounted over Rayan's condition. Rescuers did not give up hope of recovering the child alive, although officials acknowledged they had no firm evidence of his condition. Onlookers applauded to encourage the rescuers, sang religious songs or prayed, chanting in unison "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest). Rescuers had tried to get oxygen and water down to the child but it was not clear whether he was able to use them, AFP correspondents reported. - 'Showing solidarity' - Thousands of people had gathered and even camped in solidarity around the site in recent days, where AFP reporters have said the tension has been palpable. "We are showing solidarity with this child, who is dear to Morocco and the whole world," said onlooker Hafid El-Azzouz, who lives in the region. The shaft, just 45 centimetres (18 inches) across, was too narrow to reach Rayan, and widening it was deemed too risky -- so earth-movers dug a wide slope into the hill to reach him from the side. The operation made the landscape resemble a construction site. Red-helmeted civil defence personnel had at times been suspended by rope, as if on a cliff face. Overnight they worked non-stop under powerful floodlights that gave a gloomy air to the scene. "I keep up hope that my child will get out of the well alive," Rayan's father had told public television 2M on Friday evening. "I thank everyone involved and those supporting us in Morocco and elsewhere." He said earlier in the week that he had been repairing the well when the boy fell in. The drama sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the trending Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan. One Twitter user paid tribute to rescue workers working around the clock for days, saying, "they are real-life heroes". Police reinforcements were deployed and metal barricades erected in an effort to prevent a swarm of onlookers from impeding rescuers. The boy's ordeal echoed a tragedy in Spain in early 2019 when a two-year-old child died after falling into an abandoned well 25 centimetres wide and more than 70 metres deep. Julen Rosello's body was recovered after a search and rescue operation that lasted 13 days. Tunis, Feb 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Feb, 2022 ) :Tunisian President Kais Saied on Sunday dissolved a top independent judicial watchdog accusing it of bias, the latest controversial move since he sacked the government last year. Saied has broadened his grip on power since July 25, when he sacked the government and froze parliament before moving to rule by decree in Tunisia -- the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that ousted a series of autocratic leaders. Many Tunisians welcomed his moves against a political system described as corrupt and ineffective, in the only democracy to have emerged from the revolts. But political figures and rights groups have warned of a slide towards authoritarianism, and world leaders have expressed deep concern. In a move expected to spark further unease, Saied early Sunday announced he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) during a meeting with government ministers. The council "is a thing of the past", he said according to video footage released by the Tunisian presidency. He accused the CSM, an independent constitutional body set up in 2016 to guarantee the good functioning and independence of the judiciary, of serving political interests. "In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations," said the head of state. "You cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," he added. Observers say the government is seeking to clamp down on the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, which has controlled parliament and the various governments since the 2011 revolution toppled veteran leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The president accused the CSM of corruption and of delaying politically sensitive investigations into the 2013 assassinations of left-wing opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi. The Islamic State group claimed both killings, while Ennahdha, which has denounced Saied's power grab as a "coup", has been accused by many of blocking the investigations. "Unfortunately, in this country, some judges in the courts have manipulated the Chokri Belaid case," said Saied in the video. Belaid was shot three times outside his home in February 2013, and Brahmi was killed in similar circumstances in July the same year. The "July 25 movement" -- composed of Saied supporters -- on Saturday called on the president to dissolve the CSM in order to "purge" the judiciary of "corrupt magistrates". Saied has called on supporters to "protest freely" later Sunday, when a demonstration is also due to be held to mark the ninth anniversary of Belaid's murder. Protesters are expected to rally outside the Tunis headquarters of the CSM. Saied -- who has also already called for a July referendum on constitutional reforms -- said on Sunday he was working "on a provisional decree" to reorganise the judicial watchdog. "One of the key rights of Tunisians is to know the truth," he said in a statement. Tunisians, he said, are entitled "to have a just judicial system whose conduct is overseen by judges who only implement the law". The CSM had been already targeted last month by Saied, when he stripped its members of social and financial benefits, including fuel subsidies, transport and living allowances. Created in 2016, the watchdog has 45 members, two thirds of whom are judges elected by parliament, who in turn chose the remaining third. Raoudha Karafi, honorary president of the Tunisian association of judges, has been among critics of Saied's power grab. She has criticised Saied in recent press remarks of seeking to undermine the independence of the judiciary, saying: "Justice is a red line." WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2022) At least four people were injured when a man drove his vehicle through a group of demonstrators who were protesting against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada's Manitoba Province, the city police said. The hit-and-run incident occurred on Friday night. Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Rob Carver said on Saturday, as quoted by the Canadian Global news, that the driver was arrested "after a brief struggle." Three people suffered minor injuries and were treated on the scene, while a fourth person was taken to the hospital, Carver told reporters. The 42-year-old suspect faces several charges. According to police, he was not one of the participants in the Freedom Convoy rally, which was held outside the Manitoba Legislative Building. The current wave of protests against COVID-19 measures in Canada started at the end of January, when thousands of truckers and other demonstrators gathered in Ottawa expressing strong opposition to vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. The protests have been generally peaceful, but several criminal investigations have been launched into a series of incidents connected to the demonstrations. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson said there is no truth to a report that he spent the most on traditional media advertisements in 2021. "I asked my campaign team, volunteers and supporters about this. They insisted that they never saw, much less had this much money. No way we could have spent what we didn't have. I asked them to check againsame answer," Lacson tweeted on Sunday. Lacson was commenting to a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) that cited a study by Nielsn saying he spent 915.3 million last year on television, radio, print and outdoor billboard advertisements. The PCIJ said after Lacson, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (735.44 million) and Vice President Leni Robredo (500.47 million) spent the most followed by Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (330 million). Moreno, Robredo and Marcos have not yet issued statements on the PCIJ report. The report comes just days away from the start of the campaign period on Feb. 8. The Commission on Elections, meanwhile, said candidates cannot be held accountable for premature campaigning. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2022) The New York Times reported on Sunday on up to 50,000 possible deaths among civilians in the event of a military escalation in Ukraine, citing US senior officials. The conflict might also claim lives of up to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and up to 10,000 Russian military personnel, the officials reportedly said. The hostilities might also result in one to five million refugees, and most of them will head to Poland, the officials added. On early hours of Saturday, news agency Bloomberg mistakenly published a headline about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and soon deleted it, admitting the mistake. Bloomberg stated that the cause was being investigated. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik that Bloomberg's false report demonstrates how dangerous the "aggressive statements" of the US and Western capitals are and that similar reports can lead to "irreparable consequences." WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2022) At least four people were injured when a man drove his vehicle through a group of demonstrators who were protesting against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada's Manitoba Province, the city police said. The hit-and-run incident occurred on Friday night. "The initial information was that a west-bound Jeep Patriot had driven through a group of protesters that were part of the 'Freedom Convoy'," Winnipeg police spokesperson Const. Rob Carver told reporters on Saturday. According to Carver, police eventually stopped the vehicle and the driver was arrested "after a brief struggle." "The Jeep struck four adult males in total," the police spokesperson said, specifying that three people suffered minor injuries and were treated on the scene, while a fourth person was taken to the hospital. The 42-year-old suspect currently in custody and faces several charges. According to police, he was not one of the participants in the Freedom Convoy rally, which was held outside the Manitoba Legislative Building. The current wave of protests against COVID-19 measures in Canada started at the end of January, when thousands of truckers and other demonstrators gathered in Ottawa expressing strong opposition to vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. The protests have been generally peaceful, but several criminal investigations have been launched into a series of incidents connected to the demonstrations. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2022) The United States has been stoking fear of Russia with claims that it is plotting a "false flag" attack to justify an invasion in Ukraine, much like it did in the lead up to the 2003 war in Iraq, activists told Sputnik. Christian Guevara, of the Claudia Jones school for Political education, a grassroots organization advocating social justice, argued that claims of "imminent threats" were straight out of the US playbook. He compared the recent accusations to the "axis of evil" claims that George W. Bush made in 2002 based on false US and UK intel, a year before ordering the invasion of Iraq. "It's extremely obvious the US and UK are working day and night to procure a wave of anti-Russia fear, much like the same entities did in 2002," he said. Guevara pointed out that the US seemed more capable of sending troops and weapons to Ukraine than of providing enough COVID-19 tests as well as the most basic economic and health care assistance to Americans at home. "To be clear, it wouldn't be justified even if they had done those things, but it's sad that Americans receive nothing and still blindly follow what the state says," he added. Victoria Ross, Community Coordinator at the Western New York Peace Center told Sputnik that the United Nations should mediate the Ukraine conflict and that "all troops should back off and let's have all parties negotiate." Ross emphasized that there should be more negotiations and not escalation and warned that it is very alarming to see two nuclear powers "flexing their muscles." A wave of small anti-NATO protests against a possible war on Russia took place across the US on Saturday, days after the Department of State alleged that Moscow planned to release a fake video of genocide of Russian speakers by Ukrainian troops. Pressed for proof, US State Department spokesman Ned price said that the US and the UK would not have declassified this information if it were not true. American Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, was part of the Croatian celebration of the Feast Day of St. Blaise, the patron saint of Dubrovnik, on 3 February, celebrating Mass in the Cathedral of Mary Major and taking part in the traditional procession through the city streets with the saints relics. By Neno Kuzina and Paula Marija Stier The Festa is a long-standing tradition of the inhabitants of Dubrovnik, this year marking its 1050th anniversary. Saint Vlaho, as he is known in the Croatian city (from the Greek word Vlasios), is considered to be the patron saint since 971, after a miraculous vision in which he warned the citizens of danger. Local celebrations include a procession on the citys streets with relics of Saint Blaise, as well as those of other Croatian saints which are kept in the cathedral. Cardinal Blase Cupich led this years procession, alongside newly-ordained Bishop Roko Glasnovic of Dubrovnik, and various Croatian prelates. A Great Jubilee The Archbishop of Chicago is himself of Croatian descent, and spoke a few words of the local language at the beginning of Mass, saying he was honoured to be there. His homily was read in Croatian by local priest Fr. Marinko Sljivic, because, as the Cardinal said, "I hope that in Croatian you will be able to better feel my closeness on the day we celebrate this great Jubilee. Cardinal Cupich concelebrates Mass in Dubrovnik Passing on the tradition of faith In his homily, the American Cardinal spoke of the events of the year 971, when a vision of St. Blaise appeared, warning the local authorities of an upcoming invasion of Dubrovnik. This gave an opportunity to the governors to gather the citizens and protect the town. As we remember this event, we remember the numerous blessings we have received from our ancestors, said Cardinal Cupich, recalling how our predecessors passed on the tradition of faith that God is always present in the events of human life, so that we can be saved. We need that sort of faith especially in these times of pandemic and the suffering it has brought on so many. Learning from the past Humility is necessary for respecting tradition, so that we can be connected with those who have gone before us, said Cardinal Cupich, who is the grandson of Croatian immigrants to the US. Our contemporary world keeps achieving scientific and technological advances, which can lead us to thinking that the past is worthless, or in the very least unworthy of our attention, noted the Archbishop of Chicago. We begin to think that we have all the answers, and that we cannot learn anything from the past, he added. Pilgrims process along the streets of Dubrovnik Connection with ancestors Today we remember Gods saving works which our ancestors wished to celebrate, constituting this Feast Day. They looked toward the future, and made our gathering in this beautiful and free town possible. They would also wish for us to believe that what God did for them more than a thousand years ago is also continued today, so that, whilst the world is suffering in this time of pandemic, we can be comforted by Jesus words in the Gospel: Do not be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows. Cardinal Cupich concluded his homily on a personal note, saying that he himself is connected to his ancestors in a special way on the Feast Day of St. Blaise, since his grandfather was born on the Saints feast day in 1887, in the small village of Donji Andrijevci in the Croatian region of Slavonia. I can give you this message because he, and many other of our ancestors, had faith in God, he said. Croatian Bishops in procession In communion with various Croatian bishops Several local Croatian Bishops concelebrated the Mass with Cardinal Cupich, including Bishop Glasnovic, as well as the Archbishop of Split-Makarska, Marin Barisic, and the Coadjutor Archbishop, Drazen Kutlesa as well as various bishops of the Split ecclesiastical province. Archbishop Zelimir Puljic of Zadar and the Coadjutor Archbishop of Rijeka, Mate Uzinic, both former bishops of Dubrovnik, were also present, as well as a former priest of the local diocese, Bishop Petar Palic of Mostar-Duvanj. Among the prelates were also Archbishop Rrok Gjollenshaj of Bar and Bishop Ilija Janjic, the bishop emeritus of Kotor. The burial of the displaced people killed on 1 Feb. 2022, in Ituri province in the DRC. (AFP or licensors) Armed militias attacked a camp for internally displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday, killing at least 60 people. Vatican News Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on to President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, expressing the dismay of Pope Francis over the 1 February attack by armed militia on the site for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Plaine Savo Djugu Territory in the eastern province of Ituri. At least 60 people, including more than a dozen children, were killed and more than 40 others injured. "Heinous and barbaric act" Cardinal Parolin said the Holy Father asks the Father of all mercy to welcome in His peace and light those who have died and to give comfort to those who mourn their loss. He implores the divine gifts of healing and consolation on the wounded and the bereaved to whom he expresses his spiritual closeness and deep sympathy. The Holy Father prayed that the Lord grant courage and strength to the grieving families, as well as to all those helping to rescue the victims. He strongly condemns this heinous and barbaric act which is a source of great suffering and desolation for the country. The Pope implored the gift of peace and fraternity for the region struck by great suffering and invoked Gods blessing on all the Congolese people. UN and partners condemns attack United Nations agencies and its partners working in the country have also condemned the attack. The site, which is managed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR and Catholic charity Caritas, hosted more than 20,000 IDPs including more than 13,000 children. Many of the displaced have fled elsewhere. The attack, thought to have been carried out by a non-state armed group, occurred less than three months after the last deadly attack on the displacement sites of Drodro and Tche in the same area of Djugu Territory. Some 44 people were killed in that attack, which forced tens of thousands of people to flee. Around 230,000 people live in more than 60 displacement sites across the province managed by UNHCR and the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM). Both agencies support the government to provide overall management of these sites and to coordinate humanitarian assistance and protection. The DRC hosts 5.6 million displaced persons, most of whom reside in the eastern part of the country, in North and South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika provinces. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Three senatorial aspirants emphasized that the countrys sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea must first be recognized by China before a joint oil exploration could be conducted in the contested waters. During Sundays CNN Philippines Senatorial Forum, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the primary requisite for such a project with China should be its acknowledgement of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling invalidating the Asian superpower's "historical" claims in the South China Sea. Beijing still refuses to accept the landmark ruling, as its naval vessels continue to enter Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), figuring in incidents with Filipino ships and crew members. "In any joint exploration activities with China, the recognition of the arbitral tribunal ruling should be a primary requisite. Without that formal recognition, then nothing should proceed," said Trillanes, who is part of the senatorial slate of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo. Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, who like Trillanes is seeking a Senate comeback, said any joint exploration agreement in the area with China must be governed by Philippine laws. "I will only support the joint exploration of oil and gas with China if it is, first, consistent with our Philippine laws and Philippine Constitution. Second, if it clearly defines and appreciates and recognizes Philippine sovereignty in our exclusive economic zone, and if it will protect our country's marine resources," said Legarda, who is listed in the senatorial tickets of presidential bets former senator Bongbong Marcos and incumbent senators Manny Pacquiao and Ping Lacon. Former Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, meanwhile, said it is safe to follow what is constitutionally mandated on the conduct of joint explorations of oil and other natural resources. The 1987 Philippine Constitution allows the Philippine government to enter into financial and technical assistance agreements (FTAA) with foreign corporations in exploring oil and other natural resources in the country's EEZ. "I would rather err on the side of caution and let our Constitution work by letting all activities involving oil and mineral exploration in the West Philippine Sea to be subject to the FTAA," said Teodoro, who is also part of Marcos' senatorial lineup. In October 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte lifted the moratorium on oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea first implemented by his predecessor Benigno Aquino III due to China's encroachment in the waters. Two years prior to the lifting of the ban, Duterte and China President Xi Jinping signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct joint oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea. Victoria, TX (77901) Today Partly cloudy and windy. A stray thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSE at 25 to 35 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music. African leaders meeting in Ethiopia have condemned recent coups in the region. An African Union official says the organization has suspended four nations for unconstitutional changes of power. Leaders gathered at the 35th African Union Summit have condemned the waves of coups seen in Africa. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye is the AUs commissioner of political affairs, peace and security. He said summit attendees took a firm stance against any unconstitutional change of government in Africa. What is important is that our leaders have condemned in no uncertain terms that the African Union, the regional economic communities, will not tolerate a military coup d'etat in any form, he said. To underscore the point, the ambassador noted the AU suspended the membership of four nations: Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso. At Sundays closing session, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta presented a report linking coups to political instability and an absence of good governance that undermine Africas socioeconomic progress. Kenyatta chairs the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. He called on the African Union to address root the causes of the coups. The report also addressed ways to curb terror activities and politically-motivated conflicts across the continent, including in Ethiopia. Ambassador Bankole says the Peace and Security Council is backing efforts to facilitate talks between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front while supporting Ethiopias commission for national dialogue. Armed conflict involving the government and TPLF erupted in November 2020. Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday held wide-ranging bilateral talks with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in which they stressed the urgency of providing enhanced international aid to Afghanistan to help it avert a looming humanitarian crisis. The meeting marked the culmination of a four-day visit to Beijing, where Khan was among foreign leaders invited to witness Fridays opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. A post-meeting joint statement said that China and Pakistan called upon the international community to provide continued and enhanced assistance and support to Afghanistan including through unfreezing of Afghanistans financial assets. The two sides are ready to discuss with Afghanistan the extension of CPEC to Afghanistan, the statement said, referring to a multi-billion-dollar investment program known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. CPEC is hailed as a flagship of Beijings global Belt and Road Initiative, which builds roads, power plants and other infrastructure projects in Pakistan with Chinese investments. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last August, wide-ranging international sanctions dating back to the Islamist groups first time in power from 1996 to 2001 followed. The Talibans return to power prompted the United States and other Western nations to immediately freeze more than $9.5 billion in Afghan central banks assets, mostly held in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The sanctions have pushed the heavily aid-dependent Afghan economy to the brink of collapse and exacerbated a simmering humanitarian crisis in the conflict-torn South Asian nation, where the United Nations estimates around 24 million people, or more than half of the population, face acute hunger. The international sanctions and other punitive financial restrictions, say aid agencies, are impeding the flow of much needed humanitarian aid to Afghans. The Biden administration has acknowledged such concerns but remained noncommittal on possible remedies. Last month, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington is looking at options to ease Afghanistans cash crunch. "Ultimately, a functioning Afghan economy will require an independent and technically competent central bank that meets international banking standards," she said. "While Afghan Central Bank reserves held in the United States are subject to ongoing litigation, we recognize calls to examine making available reserves to help the people of Afghanistan." Meanwhile, China and Pakistan have stepped up engagements with the interim Taliban government in Afghanistan in recent months to explore ways to increase humanitarian aid and economic cooperation with the crisis-hit country. China and Pakistan are among the neighboring countries that fear that the turmoil, unless checked, could trigger a massive exodus of Afghan refugees and encourage transnational terrorists to use Afghan soil for cross-border attacks. Chinese state media quoted Xi as pledging to work with Khans government to jointly build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, so as to bring greater well-being for peoples in both countries and provide more impetus for regional cooperation and stability. Xi was quoted as highlighting the significance of bilateral strategic ties, saying that China and Pakistan should further strengthen economic cooperation, regional connectivity and cooperation in fighting terrorism. "The strategic relationship between China and Pakistan is of prominence in a changing world," the Chinese president said. Chinese officials have long said that militants linked to the outlawed East Turkistan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, use Afghan soil for terrorist attacks in Chinas western Xinjiang border region. The separatist ETIM claims it is fighting to support the minority Uyghur Muslim community in Xinjiang. China has denied allegations of human rights abuses against the Uyghurs. Meanwhile, Pakistani leaders say the banned Pakistani Taliban have set up sanctuaries on the Afghan side of the border and orchestrated terrorist attacks against Pakistan. Both Beijing and Islamabad are pressing the Taliban to prevent such activities from their soil in line with their international pledges not to allow Afghanistan to be used for terrorism against other countries. In the joint statement issued Sunday, Xi and Khan pledged to discuss with Taliban rulers ways to relaunch the China-Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral foreign ministers dialogue. Beijing initiated the process with the now-ousted Western-backed Afghan government to help defuse Afghanistans simmering tensions with Pakistan and improve security as well as economic cooperation between the two countries. Demonstrators gathered on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other Brazilian cities to protest the killing of a 24-year-old Congolese refugee who was beaten to death on Jan. 24, sparking outrage and revulsion across the nation. In Rio, they gathered outside the same beach kiosk where Moise Mugenyi Kabagambe had recently been working in Barra da Tijuca, a neighborhood known for its upmarket condominiums and shopping malls. The two lanes in front of the kiosk were covered with banners featuring images and photos of Moise. Some of the signs were attached to the sound truck. One of them, held by more than 10 people, beside an image of the dead young mans face, said Justice for Moise. Black lives matter! Stop killing us! Moise was beaten for 15 minutes, on a busy beach, where people pass by all the time, and at no time did anyone call the police and try to separate them, said attorney Rodrigo Mondengo, of Brazils Bar Association in Rio. We have no doubt that if it were a white person there being beaten, someone would go to that persons rescue. Kabagambe's assailants were caught on security camera footage the police have released to the media. It shows three men violently attacking the young man, and over the course of 13 minutes holding him down and beating him with a rod and continuing to do so even after he loses consciousness. They are later seen attempting chest compressions, then rolling his body over. Police are still investigating the circumstances that prompted Kabagambes killing. Many felt no need to await official findings in a city where murder often goes unpunished; they asserted Kabagambes death was evidence of racism, xenophobia and impunity. On Saturday in Rio, a group of protesters tore down the sign of the kiosk where Moise was killed, but the organizers of the protest called for peace. Human Rights Watch denounced a deplorable crime in a Feb. 1 statement. Kabagambe moved to Brazil in 2011 from his native Bunia, capital of Congos northeastern Ituri province, in 2011, his cousin Yannick Kamanda confirmed to AP. The countrys east has been mired in conflict for decades, and local media reports said the family had fled fighting between the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups. Moises mother fled with her children from Congo to Brazil fearing they would die the same way as her mother, or disappear the same way as Moises father, said Rio state lawmaker Dani Monteiro, who heads the state legislature's human rights commission and met with the family. More than 2,500 Congolese people have been recognized as refugees in Latin Americas largest nation since 2000, according to the justice ministry, which oversees immigration. My son grew up here, studied here. All his friends are Brazilians, his mother told television network Globo at his burial on Jan. 30. I want justice. In recent years, Brazil also has become an increasingly popular arrival point for Congolese and Cameroonians seeking to make the overland trek to the U.S. border. Congolese Foreign Affairs Minister Christophe Lutundula summoned the Brazilian ambassador on Wednesday in an effort to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the young man's killing. Rio state's civil police force has arrested three men in connection with the killing. Following the release of initial information, the police's homicide department placed the investigation under seal. Family members say Kabagambe entered into an argument that night after complaining about two days of pay he was owed. Police have questioned the kiosk's owner, but not named him as a suspect, police said. City Hall suspended the kiosk's permission to operate. Pakistans military said Sunday five of its troops were killed when militants from across the Afghan border opened fire on them. The attack, believed to be one of the deadliest such incidents in recent years, took place in the Pakistani district of Kurram on the border, the militarys media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. It said Pakistani troops retaliated and inflicted heavy casualties on the assailants but gave no further details. Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and expects that [the] interim Afghan government will not allow conduct of such activities against Pakistan, in future, the army said. Pakistan will defend its borders against the menace of terrorism, the statement said, adding that the sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve. Militant attacks have increased in Pakistan since the Islamist Taliban seized power in Afghanistan last August and U.S.-led Western troops ended their two decade-long presence in the neighboring country. The Pakistani military did not say which group it believed was behind Sundays attack. Officials have long maintained that leaders and fighters of the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan TTP, are sheltering in Afghanistan after fleeing security operations against their hideouts in Pakistani border districts, and orchestrating terrorism from there. It is widely believed that when the Afghan Taliban were waging a deadly insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and foreign troops, they took shelter in TTP-controlled Pakistani areas and recruited fighters from the Pakistani Taliban. U.S. and Afghan officials also consistently accused the Pakistani military of covertly supporting the Afghan insurgency, charges Islamabad rejected. The Taliban rulers have pledged to prevent transnational groups from using Afghanistan for attacks against other countries, but critics say the Islamist group is not living up to its commitments. Late last year, Pakistani officials and the TTP said the Afghan Taliban had brokered a temporary cease-fire between the two adversaries to try to lay the foundation for peace talks. The 30-day truce expired in early December and the TTP refused to extend it, saying Islamabad violated its commitments. The government has denied the accusation. Since then, the TTP, which the United Nations and United States have designated as a global terrorist organization, has intensified attacks against Pakistani security forces, killing dozens. Guinea's transitional assembly, which is tasked with organizing a return to civilian rule after the military overthrow last year of resident Alpha Conde, held its first session Saturday. All 81 members of the national transitional council, known by its French acronym CNT, were present for the inaugural session in parliament buildings in the capital, Conakry, AFP journalists said. The session lasted several hours and was opened by CNT President Dansa Kourouma and in the presence of transitional Prime Minister Mohamed Beavogui, a development expert. "The radical change in the mechanisms that bring elites to power and allows them to remain in power almost indefinitely (is a problem that) must be definitively resolved," Kourouma said in his speech. He called for a constitution to be drawn up "that will not be easily modified," a reference to Conde, who had sparked fury by changing the constitution in order to run for a third term. "Our path will be strewn with all sorts of pitfalls that we are called upon to overcome from now on, until the installation of the future National Assembly, at the end of credible and transparent elections that will be organized to put an end to the transition," Kourouma added. Conde, who was Guinea's first democratically elected president and had been in power since 2010, was deposed Sept. 5 the age of 83. 'Work starts today' Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who led the coup, was sworn in as interim president a month later, promising to "re-found the state." He also vowed to fight corruption and reform the electoral system to hold "free, credible and transparent" elections. The CNT, whose members were chosen by Doumbouya from lists submitted by political parties and associations, is tasked with drafting a new constitution and suggesting a date for a return to civilian rule. In the meantime, the government and other institutions have been dissolved and ministers, governors and prefects replaced with administrators and soldiers. The U.S. ambassador to Guinea, Troy Fitrell, congratulated the country on the new CNT. "Work starts today to return democracy to the Guinean people," he wrote in a tweet. "The challenge is to do it in 2022." Guinea is one of three West African countries where the military seized power in the last 18 months, along with Mali and Burkina Faso. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended both Guinea and neighboring Mali from the bloc and imposed sanctions over the coups. In a mark of defiance, the president of the transitional council of Mali and former junta member Colonel Malick Diaw attended Saturday's inaugural session of Guinea's assembly. "With the political transition under way in Mali and Guinea our two countries are at a crossroads," Diaw said, insisting the end goal was "political normalization." ECOWAS demanded that Guinea hold elections within six months of the coup, which would fall in mid-March. Planned election and national security measures in Macao, including revision of its national security law, are aimed at preventing any political crisis like that in nearby Hong Kong from taking root in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, experts say. The Macao government said it will step up effort to improve governance, and optimize the citys legal provisions regarding national security and their respective implementation, in a Dec. 16 statement on the publication of its 2021-25 five-year plan. Authorities seek to complete the national security law, push forward enactment of terrorism and communications interception laws, strengthen enforcement of entry restrictions, and improve the election system, according to the official plan document.. The improvement of the election system aims to ensure Macaos governance is safe and sound in the hands of patriots, the document said. Under the plan, Macao, designated a special administrative region by Beijing, will formulate positive and negative lists of swearing allegiance to the SAR and relevant qualification examination mechanisms to regulate the way legislators perform their duties, the official China Daily said. Septembers patriots-only election saw Macao disqualifying three dozen pro-democracy candidates for the first time, including two incumbent lawmakers, for not upholding the Basic Law or not pledging allegiance to the city. The election changes are an official step to eliminate any possibility that the pro-establishment camp will lose control of Macao, according to Michael Cunningham, visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundations Asian Studies Center specializing in Chinese politics. The existing system is already very much stacked in favor of the pro-Beijing establishment, Cunningham told VOA. The government wants to make sure it stays this way, regardless of how public opinion or political dynamics may shift in the coming years and decades. The change skewing the election law toward the pro-establishment camp follows numerous steps in recent years, according to Jason Buhi, assistant professor at the Barry University Law School and the author of The Constitutional History of Macau. The latest five-year plan recommits Macau to its recent project of ensuring the political loyalty of every single deputy [lawmaker], but the two goals it promotes for achieving have already been in development for the past five years, Buhi told VOA. He said the first goal is to blacklist candidates based on oaths of allegiance, and the second is to establish more formal mechanisms to supervise the qualifications of candidates. To determine whom to oust and keep, Buhi said the current five-member election committee, which approves who can run as a candidate, and is directly appointed by Macaos chief executive, has made sure to screen out any opposition voices. Through this agency, Macaus chief executive has the power to shape the entire composition of the local Legislative Assembly, he said. To tighten its grip in the city, authorities also plan to boost national security by legislation, education, training of civil servants, and general promotion. Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng, told a November press conference that the amendment of the 2009 national security law will mainly involve clarifying the definition of the articles in the current law. Work on the amendment is underway but details have not been announced. The law now criminalizes treason, secession, sedition, subversion, and theft of state secrets, as well as activities by foreign political bodies in the city and their establishment of ties with local entities. Offenders are subject to up to 25 years imprisonment. The communications interception bill, which would allow judges and police to intercept calls and gain access to peoples electronic devices, stirred debate, with critics slamming the bill for giving the police too much power and violating privacy. The journalists union in the city also expressed press freedom concerns. Buhi warned that the proposal could be a new form of government surveillance. Who can say precisely where issues touching national security begin and end to the authorities? ... The new [proposed] communications interception law imposes significant criminal and administrative liability on telecommunications operators and network communication service providers who fail to collaborate with official requests. This will likely have an impact on the communications platforms available in the region, including encrypted services. The five-year plan also says the city will aim to further enforce the law for entry control to prevent and suppress infiltration and disturbance of foreign power, without specifying what the foreign power is or what the enhancement will look like. The purpose of strengthening Macaos national security is for Beijing to exert its power in Macau further, according to Eilo Yu Wing-yat, associate professor at the University of Macaus Department of Government and Public Administration. The legislation against terrorism and any amendment for national security seem to be a product of fractional struggle among mainland authorities. The further infiltration of national security branch personnel in the MSAR may curb the political significance of the Liaison Office as well as the local authorities and elite, she said. It is hard to say what will be included in the legal reform for national security. I believe the national security branch has been trying, through legal reform, to extend its executive arm in the MSAR formally, she said. Macaos national security legal provisions are more preventive measures than tools for crushing dissent, like those in Hong Kong, Cunningham added. The amendment will probably bring Macao's law more in line with those of China and Hong Kong. But one important difference is that Macao's national security law was passed by Macao's legislature, and the same will be true of the amendment. It's not being imposed top-down by Beijing like what happened to Hong Kong, he said. Cunningham said Macao has barely enforced its national security law. Macao has never actually used its national security law [on dissent], and I expect that, short of an actual security threat or the kind of unrest we saw in Hong Kong a couple years ago, they will continue to apply the law rarely, he predicted in an email. Over half of Macao's population was born in mainland China, and the people are generally more obedient to the government authority and much less politically minded than their Hong Kong counterparts. . But in the unlikely event that Macao experiences unrest, they wont hesitate to use it. Ultimately, Buhi said, Beijing seeks to maintain a veneer of democracy in Macau, while obscuring the realities of its tightly-held system through Byzantine administrative procedures capable of challenging the comprehension of trained political scientists. A cyclone killed at least 10 people in southeastern Madagascar, the second to hit the Indian Ocean island in just two weeks, triggering floods, bringing down buildings and cutting power, officials said on Sunday. One of the worst-hit towns was Nosy Varika on the east coast where almost 95% of buildings were destroyed "as if we had just been bombed" and floods cut access, an official said. Cyclone Batsirai swept inland late on Saturday, slamming into the eastern coastline with heavy rain and wind speeds of 165 km/h (100 mph). It was projected it could displace as many as 150,000 people. The damage from the storm compounded the destruction wreaked by Cyclone Ana, which hit the island, with a population of nearly 30,000,000, two weeks ago, killing 55 people and displacing 130,000 Madagascar's office of disaster and risk management said in a bulletin late on Sunday 10 people had been killed. State radio said some died when their house collapsed in the town of Ambalavao, about 460 kilometers south of the capital Antananarivo. "We saw only desolation: uprooted trees, fallen electric poles, roofs torn off by the wind, the city completely under water," Nirina Rahaingosoa, a resident of Fianarantsoa, 420 kilometers south of the capital, told Reuters by phone. Electricity was knocked out in the town as poles were toppled by gusts of winds that blew all night into Sunday morning, he said. Willy Raharijaona, technical adviser to the vice president of Madagascar's Senate, said some parts of the southeast had been cut off from the surrounding areas by flooding. "It's as if we had just been bombed. The city of Nosy Varika is almost 95% destroyed," he said. "The solid houses saw their roofs torn off by the wind. The wooden huts have for the most part been destroyed." Another resident who gave only one name, Raharijaona, told Reuters even schools and churches that had been preparing to shelter the displaced around Mananjary in the southeast had their roofs torn off. In the central region of Haute Matsiatra, villagers shoveled mud from a road to clear damage from a landslide caused by Batsirai. Cyclone Ana that struck the Indian Ocean Island nation on Jan. 22, leaving at least 55 dead from landslides and collapsed buildings and causing widespread flooding. After ravaging Madagascar, Ana moved west, making landfall in Mozambique and continuing inland to Malawi. A total of 88 people were killed. As efforts to assess impact of last month's Tropical Storm Ana in Malawi continue, the country's only power generating company says it has lost about a third of its generating capacity to the storm. Meanwhile, the government has appealed to donors to contribute toward the cost of rehabilitating the station, which it says is beyond its financial capacity. Officials at the Electricity Generation Company, EGENCO, say Malawi has lost about 130 megawatts following the shutdown of its Kapichira Power Station in the Chikwawa district due to last months Tropical Storm Ana. William Liabunya is EGENCOs chief executive officer. We have lost the dam here because the control mechanism that we had to take the water to the intake of the machines has been destroyed," he said. "We had the training dike and that has been washed away, and on the dam wall you have seen that now the water is passing through the dam wall and therefore we cannot hold any water at the dam and through that, we cannot generate any electricity. EGENCO operates four hydropower stations in Malawi: Nkula, Tedzani, Kapichira and Wovwe according to its website. The company also operates thermal and solar power plants. Overall, it has a total installed generation capacity of over 440 megawatts, with about 390 of it from hydropower plants and about 50 megawatts are from thermal power plants. The damage at Kapichira has cost the company 30% of the total hydropower generation. Liabunya says plans are underway to construct temporary structures to help bring power back but he said he was not certain how soon that would be. We have just consulted an expert to look into this issue. In our own resource at the company we have looked at it, and we are saying that for the temporary structure that we want to put and quickly restore the power generation, we are looking at six months the time that will be required but that is to be verified by the consultant as he finishes the expert analysis of the work, he said. The storm also killed at least 90 people in Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi. The Department of Disaster Management Affairs says in Malawi, the storm killed 32 people and displaced 188,000 from their homes in 17 districts. Meanwhile, donor partners and well-wishers including United Nations agencies in Malawi have started providing aid to victims. Malawis Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola is appealing to donors for help in rehabilitating the power station. These works cannot be done with only our local purse because we are so exhausted with other related issues. However, I would like to call upon the international community; The World Bank, IMF, European Union, Britain and the Americans to come and assist us, he said. Matola says Malawi would need about $23 million for the temporary rehabilitation of the damaged Kapichira Power Station. In the meantime, some businesses in affected areas have closed temporarily, while others are using gasoline-powered generators. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) A number of Bar examinees were disqualified for violating the policies of the Office of the Bar Chairperson and their Honor Code, Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said on Sunday. In the course of the Bar Examinations, the Office of the Bar Chairperson has received reports of examinees who deliberately entered the local testing centers without disclosing that they had previously tested positive for COVID-19; who smuggled mobile phones inside the examination rooms; and who accessed social media during lunch break inside the premises, said Leonen, chairperson of the 2020 and 2021 Bar Examinations. For their infractions, I am exercising my prerogative as Bar Chairperson to disqualify these examinees from the 2020/21 Bar Examinations, he added. Leonen said the disqualification only applies to the 2020/21 exams. He did not say how many examinees violated the policies. READ: Over 11,000 examinees take first digital, localized bar exams The magistrate admonished the violators and urged them to reflect on what they did. I take my constant message of honor to the examinees seriously. I owe it not only to those who risked their lives just to make the 2020/21 Bar Examinations happen despite all odds, but most especially to those examinees who could have taken the Bar Examinations were it not for their positive COVID-19 test resultsFor now, reflect on what you have done, but know that you can still change your narrative, he said. You will not end up as the examinee who lost your honor forever in your desperation to pass an examination. Learn from your mistake, and earn your honor back, he added. Leonen also offered support to those who were unable to take the Bar exams because they tested positive for COVID-19. For the approximately 219 Bar examinees who were unable to take the Bar Examinations after having tested positive for COVID-19, do not lose hope. Your time will come, he said. Zoi Sadowski Synnott gave New Zealand its first-ever Winter Olympics gold medal after winning the women's snowboard slopestyle final at the Beijing Games on Sunday. Sadowski Synnott trailed American Julia Marino going into the final round but pulled out an incredible performance to take the title with the last run of the competition. The 20-year-old launched into a massive jump with her final trick to earn a winning score of 92.88, before being mobbed at the finish by Marino and bronze medalist Tess Coady of Australia. A large New Zealand flag and another bearing the country's black fern symbol could be seen among the crowd. New Zealand had previously won one silver and two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics -- including a third-place finish for Sadowski Synnott in the Big Air competition at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Sadowski Synnott dazzled the judges by grinding along rails, leaping off huge jumps and sliding along the roof of a traditional Chinese house made from snow en route to the gold. Marino finished second on 87.68 points, while Coady took bronze on 84.15. Two-time defending champion Jamie Anderson of the United States finished well out of the running in ninth place on 60.78 points. Russia sent two long-range, nuclear-capable bombers to patrol over western Belarus, Russias ally and Ukraines neighbor to the north, as the first U.S. troops arrived in Poland. The Russian Tu-22M3 bombers were accompanied by Su-30SM fighter jets from the Russian and Belarusian air forces and trained for four hours in the third mission of its kind in the last month. Belarus has grown increasingly close to Russia since the West imposed sanctions on the country following the 2020 elections, which were widely seen as fraudulent, and the subsequent crackdown on peaceful protesters. On Saturday, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko praised the Russian-led security alliance, saying it showed its ability to deploy quickly when it sent troops to Kazakhstan last month to put down fuel price protests that had turned violent. "While they [NATO] will be still getting prepared to send some troops here, we will already stand at the English Channel, and they know it," he said in a reference to Western allies, in an interview on Russian state TV. Lukashenko, however, downplayed the threat of war in Ukraine, saying, "there is no one there to fight us." Next week, two prominent European leaders are scheduled to travel to the capitals of Russia and Ukraine for talks with their counterparts about diplomatic measures to ease the growing tensions surrounding Moscows potential invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron is due in Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday. The following week, Germanys Olaf Scholz is set to visit Kyiv on Feb. 14 and Moscow on Feb. 15. Macron spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO head Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday. In separate conversations each agreed with Macron for the need "to continue working to find through dialogue a path to de-escalation and that NATO must remain united in the face of Russian aggression. "As announced, the first elements of the brigade battle group from the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army have arrived in Poland," a Polish military spokesperson said. The U.S. troops arrived at Rzeszow military base in southeastern Poland, near its border with Ukraine, after U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered the deployment of 1,700 soldiers there. About 4,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Poland on a rotational basis since 2017. Biden also ordered troops to Romania and Germany, raising the total number of additional troops to nearly 3,000. U.S. Army sources have previously said that about 1,700 U.S. service members, primarily from the 82nd Airborne Division, would deploy from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland "over the next days." The first contingent of additional U.S. troops arrived in Germany on Friday. U.S. troops from the 18th Airborne Corps arrived Friday in Wiesbaden, Germany, according to the U.S. military's European Command, which added they would establish a headquarters in Germany to support 1,700 paratroopers who have been ordered to deploy to Poland. The U.S. placed 8,500 other U.S. troops on high alert in January to deploy to Europe if necessary. They remain on high alert and NATO defense ministers are expected to discuss adding more reinforcements at their next meeting on Feb. 16-17. According to a New York Times report, while Russias troops massed along the border are not ready to launch a total invasion of Ukraine, sections of its army appear to be in the final stages of readiness for military action should the Kremlin order it. Moscow has dispatched an additional 10,000 troops to the region, the Times said, in addition to the thousands of troops already deployed to the area. Some information for this report was provided by RFE/RL, The Associated Press and Reuters. Experts say China and Russia are unlikely to support any new international sanctions on North Korea, even if Pyongyang tests a long-range ballistic missile or nuclear weapon to further escalate tensions with the United States. And given Washington's souring relations with Beijing and Moscow, the U.N. Security Council is unlikely to pass any new sanctions on Pyongyang, experts also say. Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, said, "I see no chance of Russia and China supporting any sort of U.N. Security Council actions on North Korea at this point, even if the DPRK tests an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) or even a nuclear weapon." "DPRK" stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "What incentive does Beijing or Moscow have at this point when both nations are at such odds with Washington over so many different issues?" Kazianis continued, pointing to the continuing global-scale U.S. rivalry with China and Washington's standoff with Moscow over Ukraine. Ending test moratorium On Jan. 19, North Korea raised the possibility of testing an ICBM or nuclear weapon as it announced it was considering resuming testing the weapons the U.S. considers a direct threat. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un placed a self-imposed moratorium on testing ICBMs and nuclear weapons in 2018, saying the regime would "discontinue nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic rocket test fire." According to experts, the possibility of Pyongyang testing an ICBM became more likely on Jan. 30, when North Korea test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, capping off a month marked by seven missile launches. On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield delivered a joint statement by U.N. representatives of Albania, Brazil, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates after a Security Council meeting convened to discuss the intermediate-range missile launch. "We urge all member states, particularly our fellow council members, to play a constructive role in implementation of Security Council resolutions addressing the DPRK," Thomas-Greenfield said as she condemned the Jan. 30 missile test. Kazianis said, "I can almost guarantee North Korea will test an ICBM after the (Beijing) Olympics are over, as North Korea has multiple leadership anniversaries it will want to mark with major achievements" on missiles. On Jan. 20, China and Russia blocked a U.S. move to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea after the regime's fourth missile test of the month, on Jan. 17. All five permanent members of the council China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States must unanimously pass a resolution for it to go in effect, and each of the five has veto power to block a resolution. The U.S. State Department told the VOA Korean Service on Friday that the U.S. goal "remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," and that it will not "get into hypotheticals." Prospects for new sanctions Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for weapons of mass destruction nonproliferation and counterterrorism during the Obama administration, said if North Korea "conducts a long-range missile test or a nuclear test, they (Beijing and Moscow) will be under heavy pressure to support additional sanctions in the U.N." Samore continued: "But given the state of relations between the U.S. and China and between Russia and the United States, I'm not sure whether Beijing or Moscow will continue to cooperate with the U.S. to constrain to limit North Korea's activities." Ken Gause, director for the Adversary Analytics Program at CNA, looked at how U.S.-Chinese relations might weigh affect the imposition of sanctions: "The relationship between the U.S. and China is not that good right now, so why would (Beijing) support sanctions to support something led by the United States?" "North Korea is operating off the assumption that there's great power competition and China and Russia are not going to side with the United States" Gause said. Evans Revere, a former State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea, considered how the ongoing crisis in Ukraine is taking the Biden administration's attention away from DPRK. "The possibility of a Russian invasion is occupying a considerable amount of bandwidth in Washington, thus preventing the U.S. from focusing as much on North Korea as it might otherwise wish." "No one knows this better than Kim Jong Un, who is probably acting the way he is because he seeks to take advantage of Washington's preoccupation with other pressing issues." Limited options "Regardless of whether Moscow and Beijing support U.N. sanctions, the Biden administration has the tool to implement both U.S. and U.N. sanctions," said Anthony Ruggiero, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "They must use them to sanction additional entities, individuals and banks that are aiding North Korea's sanctions evasion, including in China and Russia," he said. In 2017, the Security Council passed multiple resolutions, which China and Russia approved as permanent members, after North Korea had conducted a nuclear test and three ICBM tests, including the Hwasong-15, which reports have said appears capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Journalist Jiha Ham contributed to this report, which originated in the VOA Korean Service. The U.S. special representative for North Korea will meet with Japanese and South Korean officials later this week, the U.S. State Department said on Sunday, following a series of ballistic missile tests U.S. officials said Pyongyang launched last month. U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim will travel to Honolulu from Feb. 10-15 to host a trilateral meeting "to discuss a broad range of issues, including the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the department said in a statement. North Korea has long been banned from conducting nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches by the U.N. Security Council, but the United States and others have said it carried out nine ballistic missile launches in January - the most in a single month in the history of the country's nuclear and missile programs. The United Nations, in a confidential report seen by Reuters, said North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the past year in addition to cyberattacks on Cryptocurrency exchanges. Japanese Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro and South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, Noh Kyu-duk, will also attend the meetings. "The U.S. will reiterate its commitment to regional security and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," at a Feb. 12 Trilateral Ministerial meeting, the department added. In the two years since COVID-19 began ravaging the United States, virtually every aspect of the pandemic has been politicized, often to the detriment of efforts to bring the disease under control and to treat its victims. Now, though, members of Congress are taking the first steps toward a bipartisan effort to understand the pandemics origins and to assess the federal governments response. The two most senior members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions have begun circulating a proposal to create a 12-member commission of private citizens with broad authority to investigate the origins of the disease and how the Trump and Biden administrations responded to it. The initiative appears to have broad support among members of both parties. The two lawmakers, Health Committee Chair Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington, and the committees senior Republican, Richard Burr of North Carolina, have modeled the effort on the commission that was created to investigate the origins of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001. That body won bipartisan praise for its exhaustive analysis of the events leading up to the attacks. The proposal is part of a larger piece of legislation called the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act, or the PREVENT Pandemics Act, for short. In addition to creating the task force, the bill would expand the capacity of public health agencies to respond to disease outbreaks, boost research and development, and strengthen the supply chain for medical products. National task force The panel proposed in the bill would be known as the National Task Force on the Response of the United States to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and would have the authority to issue subpoenas to compel testimony and the disclosure of records as necessary for the investigation. Kristin Urquiza, one of the co-founders of an advocacy group for families affected by the pandemic known as Marked by COVID, told VOA she was encouraged by Murray and Burrs proposal, calling it the best version of a framework for an investigative panel she has seen so far. Marked by COVID has been calling for a commission or a task force for well over a year, Urquiza said. It's a top priority for our families to really ensure that we have an accurate record of what happened and why. Not only so we can have answers as to why our loved ones were lost, but so we can pass on learnings to ourselves and future generations for any mistakes that were made, and so that we can do better next time that there's a public health crisis. Political minefield So far, discussion of the pandemics origins and the federal response have tended to be highly politicized. In the earliest days of the pandemic, then-President Donald Trump was eager to downplay the severity of the crisis, a stance many of his political supporters adopted. This helped create a sharp divide in how Republicans and Democrats across the country viewed the federal response to the pandemic. As COVID-19 deaths in America grew from the thousands to the tens of thousands, Trump made a very public effort to blame China, the country where the disease was first identified, for the global health crisis. Arguments over the degree of Chinas responsibility for the spread of the virus have also taken on a sharply partisan tone. Efforts to blame China Many Republicans in Congress have thrown their support behind the theory that the virus that causes COVID-19 escaped from a laboratory in China, where the coronavirus was being studied. This theory is supported by the fact that there is a major infectious disease research facility located near the city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected. Democrats, on the whole, have been more inclined to back the view put forward by the World Health Organization (WHO), which suggested that the virus migrated into the human population through close contact with wild animals probably bats that were already infected with a version of it. The WHO, however, has sent mixed signals about the origins of the virus. A report issued by the body last year argued that it was extremely unlikely that the virus reached the human population through a laboratory leak. However, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director, said that China refused to share important data from early cases of COVID-19, hampering the ability of the WHOs investigators to complete a thorough analysis. In a series of congressional hearings, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical adviser to President Biden, has been aggressively questioned by Republican members of Congress who have accused him of withholding information about research at the Wuhan institute of Virology that was partially funded by the U.S. government. For his part, Fauci has publicly supported calls for an investigation into the origin of the virus. Hope for a balanced inquiry In the earlier stages of the pandemic, Republicans were suspicious of any commission tasked with investigating the pandemic, out of concern that its findings would be used as a cudgel against the Trump administration. Urquiza, of Marked by COVID, said that the passage of time has made it less likely that the findings of a committee will be seen as politicized, because both parties can be seen as having some successes and some failures in the COVID-19 response. Our worry from day one was that a commission would turn into a witch hunt for either China or President Trump, she said. Part of what we've seen now, over the course of the last year, is that the Biden administration now has a pandemic track record, and that has opened up the field to allow for both praise and criticism of what has happened. The United States now believes a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen at any time, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday, in what would be the biggest military operation in Europe since World War II. We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine, and we have been working hard to prepare a response, Sullivan told NBCs Meet the Press show. In a separate interview on Fox News Sunday, Sullivan said, Any day Russia could take action against Ukraine, or it could be a couple weeks, with U.S. intelligence officials assessing that Moscow has 70% of its strike force in place for an attack. He said a Russian invasion would come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine but at a strategic cost to Russia, with the U.S. prepared to impose swift and severe economic sanctions against Russia to hobble its economy. Whatever actions Russia takes next, America is ready, Sullivan said. Sullivan, however, said the U.S. is willing to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his professed security concerns about actions of the U.S. and its 29 NATO allies. That includes the placement of certain range systems of missiles, Sullivan said. It includes transparency around military exercises. It includes greater capacity to have a confidence building and to avoid incidents that could lead to escalation or miscalculation. Watch related video by VOA's Arash Arabasadi: But what we're not prepared to negotiate are the fundamental principles of security that include an open door to NATO for countries who can meet the requirements, Sullivan said in rejecting Putins demand that NATO rule out the possibility of Ukrainian membership. The Western allies say no outside nation has veto power over which countries join the Atlantic alliance. U.S. President Joe Biden last week ordered that 3,000 American troops be sent to two eastern NATO countries, Poland and Romania. Reports say troops from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division have landed in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine. Washington has ruled out dispatching troops to fight alongside Ukrainian forces in the event of a Russian invasion. The U.S. has, however, sent $500 million worth of arms and defensive missiles to the Kyiv government. If Russia invades Ukraine, then cuts off its natural gas supplies to European countries in retaliation to U.S. sanctions, Sullivan said the U.S. is moving to help redirect natural gas supplies from elsewhere to its European allies. In any event, Sullivan said if Russia invades Ukraine, its Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany will not move forward. The pipeline is completed but not yet operational. In the NBC interview, Sullivan said Biden has rallied our allies. He's reinforced and reassured our partners on the eastern flank. He's provided material support to the Ukrainians, and he's offered the Russians a diplomatic path if that's what they choose instead, but either way, we are ready, our allies are ready and we're trying to help the Ukrainian people get ready as well. HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) After learning that a friend tested positive for COVID-19, Thembi Ndlovu went to a health clinic in Zimbabwe's capital in search of a free coronavirus test. But there were none left that day, leaving the 34-year-old hairdresser unsure if she needed to take precautions to protect clients. I wish we could just walk into a pharmacy and buy a cheap self-testing kit like we do with pregnancy or HIV, she said as she left the clinic in a working-class township of Harare. It would be much easier. For millions of people in rich countries, COVID-19 self-tests have at times been abundant and free, including in Britain, Canada, France and Germany. But most people across Africa have limited access to them. Zimbabwe introduced free walk-in testing centers in November 2020, but supplies are tight and the country still has no national program to distribute at-home tests. Although self-tests are available in some Zimbabwean pharmacies, they cost up to $15 each, a fortune in a country where more than 70% of the population lives in extreme poverty made worse by the pandemic. The situation is similar elsewhere across the continent and in parts of Asia and Latin America with few, if any, opportunities for people to easily test themselves. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to making inexpensive, self-tests widely available in the developing world is that the World Health Organization has yet to issue guidance on their use. Without the resources of wealthy countries to buy tests or evaluate their safety, poor countries must wait for WHO approval before aid groups and international agencies are willing to donate them in large numbers. "Donors cannot deploy the tests until WHO say its OK to deploy, and countries themselves dont want to use the tests until they get that guidance, said Brook Baker, a professor at Northeastern University who advises the WHO and others on equitable access to COVID-19 medicines and tests. Some health officials say the discrepancy between rich and poor countries is discriminatory and has denied poor countries a chance to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the absence of vaccines. And unlike the massive global effort to share vaccines, little has been done to roll out more tests of any kind across much of Africa. The omicron surge appears to have peaked across Africa, as it has in other parts of the world. In the last week, the WHO says Africa recorded at least 125,000 COVID cases and 1,600 deaths, although that is likely an undercount due to the lack of testing. Baker and other experts have estimated the self-testing kits might not be widely available in the developing world until sometime next year. In a statement, WHO said that setting guidelines is a rigorous process that takes time and that it expects to finalize advice for the use of COVID-19 self-tests in March. The agency said it has supplied more than 31 million rapid tests to health professionals in developing countries. In an open letter to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, more than 100 organizations last week called on the U.N. agency to speed its release of the self-testing guidelines, saying that 85% of infections are likely going unnoticed in Africa. We cannot tolerate a situation in which access to widespread testing, along with linkage to care and treatment, becomes the norm in the populations of wealthier countries while diagnostic access ... is missing in (poor) countries, wrote the authors, whose signatories included Amnesty International and Oxfam. They called it part of the same medical apartheid that has plagued the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Groups that work closely with WHO say there is enough evidence that the self-tests help slow transmission based on rich countries' experience and that the guidelines should have been issued long ago. Theres no reason to think that people swabbing their noses in the U.K. are going to do it any differently than people in Malawi, said Bill Rodriguez, CEO of FIND, a Geneva-based global alliance for diagnostics. With the extra-contagious omicron variant driving global transmission, Rodriguez and others say the rapid self-tests are sorely needed everywhere. Without high levels of vaccination in developing countries, we need to give people every tool possible to reduce their risk, Rodriguez said. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said people would be more empowered to take action if at-home tests were available. We have learned from HIV that self-testing is so critical because when people know their status, they do the right thing, he said. Others pointed out that with generic versions of COVID-19 pills made by Merck and Pfizer on the way after the companies agreed to let dozens of manufacturers make versions for poor countries the tests will be even more crucial in the coming months. It seems kind of puzzling that we could have the treatments before we have the testing that tells us which people should get the treatments," said Northeasterns Baker. Dr. Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHOs representative in Somalia, said a pilot study in that country found that health workers using the tests led to a 40% increase of cases being detected. Without these tests, we do not have a full picture of how the epidemic is evolving, Malik said, adding that the project showed the tests use are also possible in difficult, conflict-ridden environments like Somalia. Rodriguez said WHO self-testing guidelines are also needed so authorities can address other potential issues, including ramping up the production of inexpensive testing kits. Some of the same problems that complicated COVID-19 vaccine production exist for test manufacturing, namely a shortage of raw materials and competent producers, but they are not as acute, he said. He said that inexpensive self-tests were being made in countries such as Brazil, India, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa. Still, even wealthy countries have struggled to maintain adequate supplies of the at-home tests, with demand far outpacing supply at times in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere. Back in Harare, public health specialist Dr. Johannes Marisa despaired that people were not keen to get tested unless they were sick or needed a negative result to work, compromising efforts to stop the pandemic. It becomes deadly because many people only present themselves at health facilities when they become seriously sick and sometimes its too late to save them, he said. Marisa said more education was needed to convince people to get tested earlier. Ndlovu, the hairdresser, was told to return to the clinic in two days to get tested. She had several clients wanting to get their hair braided and wanted to avoid putting them at risk, but could not afford the private tests elsewhere that might cost up to $60. Monday is far (away), she said. I am too anxious. ___ Cheng reported from Toronto. Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg contributed to this report. The newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) says its leader, Nelson Chamisa, is expected to visit Bulawayo on Monday to campaign for candidates contesting the forthcoming council and parliamentary by elections amid a tense security situation in the countrys second largest city. CCC provincial chairperson, Swithern Chiroodza, told VOA Zimbabwe Service that Chamisa would boost the moral of the candidates because he is the peoples president. Chiroodza said, It is a good omen to have the president of the party coming to grace this occasion. In previous campaigns we didnt have the president. We are very happy and confident that we will march to victory. Some of the candidates contesting parliamentary by-elections in both Nkulumane and Pumula were recalled by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Douglas Mwonzora, who is fielding candidates under the MDC Alliance. Several council and parliamentary seats are up for grabs in the city and nationwide. The government has already deployed police in various suburbs in the city with indications that Chamisa may find it hard to carry out his campaign like in some areas where he was blocked by the riot police. Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, was unavailable for comment. Zimbabwean laws allow people to gather after getting a go-ahead from the police. Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria. Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Aspirants for senatorial seats in the May elections gave their opinion on whether a "tandem vote" for the country's top posts would be beneficial for the country. Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, former defense secretary Gibo Teodoro, and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who took part in CNN Philippines' Senatorial Forum on Sunday, had differing takes on the proposal. In January, Senator Win Gatchalian filed Resolution of Both Houses No. 3, pushing for a "more unified and consistent ideological or platform-based election that will promote policy continuity and assure implementation efficiency." Legarda said the proposal was "well-intentioned" but added that even if the president and vice president were from different political affiliations, they could still perform their tasks well. "If they embrace the tenets of public service, which is really to truly serve our people, and if they share similar values...then there is no need to amend or enact a law for tandem affiliation," she said. Legarda said it was also possible for the country's top officials to come from the same political party but have differing opinions. Trillanes said he was not in favor of the single-ticket system. "I believe a president and vice president from two parties is not really a problem," he said at the forum. Trillanes said the system is working in the United States because they have a strong party system. "And that is the primary requisite for block voting. You are actually voting for an ideology, a political party instead of personalities," he said. Trillanes added it was important to have a direct vote for the vice president, as it meant having the mandate of the people. Teodoro, meanwhile, said he was fully supportive of Gatchalian's proposal, but said it would take more than just a statute to institute it. "There is a need for a constitutional amendment to really put it in place. It cannot probably be amended by a mere statute," he said, adding that the situation reflects the lack of strong political structures in the country. "I'm fully supportive because there is a successional element and synergistic element involved and it goes to the core of party politics, Teodoro said. Placeholder while article actions load It wasnt meant to go this way. When President Joe Biden announced the release of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in November, his intention was to bring down the cost of gasoline for American motorists. It hasnt worked, and now he has few, if any, good options. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Three months ago, the U.S. administration was pressing the OPEC+ group of oil producers to open their taps more quickly in an attempt to combat rising gasoline prices and spiraling inflation. They refused and the president responded by announcing the release of 50 million barrels of crude from government-controlled stockpiles in salt caverns beneath Texas and Louisiana. A handful of other nations including Japan, South Korea and India joined him, announcing much more modest releases of their own. At the time, U.S. average gasoline prices had just broken above $3.42 a gallon, reaching their highest level since September 2014. But Bidens plan seemed to work even if the correction was only very modest. By the end of the year, prices were below $3.29 a gallon, a drop of 4%. Advertisement But on Thursday, just 34 days into the new year, they were back above that early-November level, setting a new post-2014 high. The easing of gasoline prices should have continued, driven by a fall in the price of crude as supply began to exceed demand at least, thats what the forecasters were saying. All the major agencies were showing global oil balances shifting from shortage to surplus in the first quarter of 2022. The oil producers were even more extreme, with Saudi Arabian energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman saying that stockpiles would begin to build again from December. Theres no sign of that happening. As Ive noted, the International Energy Agency is starting to worry again about a tighter-than-expected market due to missing barrels. The concern is that the oil isnt missing at all, but in fact has already been burned because of demand running higher than estimated. Advertisement We may indeed be heading for a period of oversupply later this year, but there is no sign that we are there yet. And that may not even bring down oil prices much. The forecasts of supply running ahead of demand rely on a slowdown in the post-pandemic recovery and continued growth in the amount of oil being pumped out of the ground. As we get closer to pre-pandemic demand levels one might reasonably expect demand to slow, but theres little sign of it going into reverse. With most of the populations of Europe, North America and Asia held under some form of movement restrictions for much of the past two years, there is a strong pent-up demand for travel, whether for leisure or business. Thats likely to keep propelling oil use. On the other side of the balance, the OPEC+ oil producers are struggling to keep pace with their own agreed output increases to supply more oil. Advertisement Last week, they ratified their policy to add another 400,000 barrels a day to supplies in March, following similar additions each month since August. The problem is, they arent pumping anywhere near as much as their targets suggest. The latest data from the group shows that in December they were collectively pumping almost 800,000 barrels a day below their target. That hasnt changed much in the past six months. Even if the producers do find a way of getting closer to their output target the most obvious one would be for those with the ability to pump more making up for the inability of others that raises its own problems. With most OPEC+ members already pumping almost as much as they can, the cushion of spare capacity is shrinking. Current forecasts suggest it could fall to as low as 2 million barrels a day later this year thats the smallest buffer the world will have had in percentage terms since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. With demand likely to be higher and supply lower than forecasts suggest, its little wonder that oil prices whether for crude or for fuel at the forecourt are soaring. And thats before you add in any of the geopolitical worries around Russias intentions toward Ukraine, recent unrest in Libya or drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Advertisement President Biden may have to wait a while for gasoline prices to come down as will the rest of us. More From Bloomberg Opinion: The Little American Town Signaling a Red-Hot Oil Market: Javier Blas Amazon Cant Keep Thriving Without Fixing Its Culture: Sarah Green Carmichael Electric Vehicles and SPACs Are a Terrible, Expensive Match: Chris Bryant This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg. Previously he worked as a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston featuring stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight. This includes the International Space Station and its crews and scientific research activities, and the development of Orion and the Space Launch System, the next generation American spacecraft being built to take humans farther into space than they've ever gone before. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) A legal counsel of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy said the cases his client is currently facing are indirect attacks against President Rodrigo Duterte, considering how close the two are. "The only logical reason here is that they are using the closeness of Pastor Quiboloy with President Duterte para gibain indirectly si Pangulong [to indirectly target President] Duterte," Atty. Ferdy Topacio said at a televised briefing Sunday. Topacio questioned the timing of the charges, asking why it was only when Duterte came to power when the charges against Quiboloy arose. "Bakit po nung hindi pa pangulo si Pangulong Duterte ay wala naman kayong naririnig na ganitong akusasyon laban kay Pastor Quiboloy? It was only in 2016 na nag-umpisa itong kung anu-anong mga trumped up charges ang inihahain laban kay Pastor Quiboloy." [Translation: Why was it that before President Duterte, there were no accusations against Pastor Quiboloy? It was only in 2016 when these trumped up charges surfaced.] When Topacio was asked what the US would gain from "destroying" Duterte, he said it would affect the vice presidential bid of his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and her running mate, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos. "Indirectly it is undermining the candidacy of Sara Duterte. Indirectly it might be undermining the candidacy of Bongbong Marcos, or whichever candidate the United States does not want to win in this country." he said. Quiboloy has endorsed the Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte tandem for the May polls. He also endorsed the elder Duterte in the 2016 elections. On Saturday, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation released a poster saying Quiboloy was on the most wanted list for "his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders." Two others were included in the wanted list for their alleged participation in the labor trafficking scheme. Topacio said the poster was "blown out of proportion" and urged the public to be prudent. "Let us be careful...Let us be prudent. There is a process before everything comes before the court...Huwag tayong maging complicit sa isang obviously orchestrated effort to destroy Pastor Quiboloy, and indirectly, the present administration for political effect," he said He said there was no need to ask the public for information on Quiboloy's whereabouts as he was not in hiding. "I think this is designed to humiliate, to embarrass the pastor and the members of the Kingdom (of Jesus Christ). This is a despicable act," he said. Topacio added they would be going after those who would publish libelous statements against Quiboloy. "We are serving warning to everyone that any libelous statements in all platforms...will be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. No one should underestimate our resolve to protect the interests of Pastor Quiboloy," he said. Meanwhile, the Gabriela party-list issued a statement calling on the Department of Justice to issue a hold departure order against Quiboloy. "Malaking hamon sa Duterte regime at maging sa Bongbong-Sara tandem na huwag kanlungin si Quiboloy, lalo't inendorso niya ang tandem ng administrasyon kamakailan [This is a big challenge to the Duterte regime, as well as the Bongbong-Sara tandem to not coddle Quiboloy, especially after his recent endorsement]. They are complicit in coddling the wanted sex trafficker and in causing further injury to those victims who have come forward to expose Quiboloy's crimes, said Rep. Arlene Brosas. She urged the DOJ to do whatever was necessary even if it was against the President's wishes. Placeholder while article actions load For months, President Biden has given the impression that he is prepared to play hardball with Iran over its nuclear program. As the world powers have negotiated with the Islamic Republic to revive the 2015 agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the U.S. has maintained that the theocratic regime in Tehran would get no relief from sanctions until it returns to compliance with the deals terms. The Biden administration also let it be known that it had reviewed a range of military options to prevent Iran from producing a nuclear weapon. When Tehran ignored the admonition and ramped up its uranium enrichment capacity, the U.S. took its tough talk up a notch, saying fresh sanctions would be imposed if the negotiations in Vienna to restore the deal didnt produce results. The objective of the escalating threats was to get the Iranians to blink. But it is Bidens resolve that now seems to be weakening. The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that it was waiving some sanctions on Irans nuclear program, apparently to induce some reciprocal concession from Tehran. Advertisement No dice. The Iranians quickly dismissed the U.S. overture as insufficient. The waivers allow foreign firms to work on some non-military aspects of Tehrans nuclear program; this was barred in 2020 by sanctions imposed by Bidens predecessor. (President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA in 2019 on grounds the deal didnt do enough to restrain Iran.) The Iranians know an empty gesture when they see one: It is highly unlikely any foreign company would engage with the nuclear program when there was a risk it might be required to abruptly pull out if the negotiations in Vienna end in failure. Tehran says it wants all sanctions withdrawn, and a U.S. commitment not to reimpose them in the future a guarantee no president can give. The Iranians will also recognize in Bidens waiver a wavering of presidential will. If the U.S. is willing to make some concessions unilaterally, it might be willing to make other, more substantial ones. Because the gesture comes on the heels of Secretary of State Antony Blinkens warning that Iran will soon be a matter of a few weeks from having enough fissile material for a bomb, Tehran will conclude that its nuclear brinkmanship is working. Why not stick with it? Advertisement While holding out for the withdrawal of more sanctions, the regime will note with satisfaction that Fridays waivers in effect reinforce the idea that there are non-military aspects to the Iranian nuclear program. This, as I have previously written, is Tehrans long con. In truth, Tehran has no non-military need for a nuclear program. There is no energy imperative: Iran is blessed with some of the worlds largest reserves of oil and natural gas and isnt making any meaningful investments in renewables. Nor is there any great scientific objective: Nuclear technology is hardly the holy grail it was in the middle of the last century, and the ability to enrich uranium brings Iran no bragging rights. The only reason the Islamic Republic has a nuclear program at all is to menace its neighbors and blackmail the wider world into giving the theocrats of Tehran what they want: money, from unrestricted oil and gas exports as well as access to frozen assets abroad; and power, which comes from using the money to acquire weapons and finance terrorist groups throughout the Middle East. Advertisement Biden may think his sanctions waivers will persuade the Iranians to back off their nuclear ambitions. But the message they will receive is just the opposite. More From Writers at Bloomberg Opinion: A Nuclear End Game as Two Nations Dig In: Ruth Pollard Could an Iran Deal Sway the Next Election?: Jonathan Bernstein Trump Isnt Responsible for Irans Aggressions: Bobby Ghosh This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and Africa. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Frances presidential elections often offer surprising twists and turns that extend through two rounds of voting. This time its no different. At first, Aprils ballot looked set to be a re-run of 2017, when Emmanuel Macron went up against far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen and easily won, securing the center with his new En Marche! party, which broke the traditional left-to-right swings of French politics. But the emergence of additional candidates on the right has made the race more complicated. 1. Is Macron expected to win? Yes, but we cant be certain. In a crowded, two-stage election system, interpreting the polls is often an art. Apart from Le Pen, Macrons rivals are Valerie Pecresse of the right-wing Republican party and far-right media pundit Eric Zemmour. At the start of 2022, most surveys showed Macron defeating any right-wing candidate. But keep in mind that headline polling numbers are an attempt to call the first round of voting on April 10. The result wont be final until the two highest-placed candidates have faced off in a second round on April 24. If Macron wins, hed be the first incumbent to prevail since Jacques Chirac 20 years ago. Advertisement 2. Whats the overall state of play? Macron has been focusing on security, immigration and national identity in an effort to steal the rights thunder. That also helps him to fend off challenges from far-right candidates, who surveys show are heading for their best performance ever in a presidential election. The left, meanwhile, is scrambling to reach the 10% mark in polls. It cant agree on a common candidate and is struggling to leverage interest in its own bread-and-butter themes, such as inequalities and climate change. 3. How are the pandemic and the economy playing into this? State aid for workers and businesses through the pandemic inflated public spending and debt, but economic indicators are good. Macron and his predecessors early bet on labor and tax reforms may finally be delivering results, with low unemployment and economic confidence boosting French morale. If this continues, it would mark a shift in the course of European economic history, with France no longer perceived as one of the blocs problem economies, unable to adapt to globalization, grow or create jobs like its bigger neighbor, Germany. Still, Macrons tax cuts for businesses and richer people, the decline of public services in rural areas and the hit to poorer households from high energy prices may fuel support for grass-roots protest movements like the Yellow Vests. Advertisement 4. Why is the left no longer the force it was? The Socialist Party gave France two presidents in the past 60 years, but its been losing its grip on the working class. In 2017, it imploded when Macron carved out a place for himself in the political center and many of the movements center-left members quit to join him. At least two other parties -- Jean-Luc Melenchons France Unbowed and Yannick Jadots Greens -- are now trying to impose themselves as leaders of the left in France. Neither they nor the Socialists are ready to put their differences aside and unite behind a single contender, even if it would give them enough votes to reach the second round. Then theres demographics. Senior citizens tend to vote the most, and they tend to be more conservative. Together, Le Pen, Zemmour and Pecresse would win around 46% of ballots in the first round, according to polls. 5. Is there such a thing as Macronism? Advertisement Its hard to find a political label for the former investment banker who began his career in public life as a socialist. As finance chief under his predecessor Francois Hollande, he cast himself as an economic liberal. His presidential victory was possible because many socialist voters switched allegiance. While out campaigning, Macron spoke about fighting inequality. He called Frances colonization of Algeria a crime against humanity, and said he didnt care if Muslim women wore a veil in public spaces. Both these stands inflame the right, especially the far right. On the other hand, hes scrapped a symbolic wealth tax, which even right-wing presidents failed to do before him, and called on the French to retire later. His two prime ministers were from the right, as well as his finance and economy minister. His interior minister is a hardliner who has criticized supermarket chains for stocking foreign food and accused Le Pen of being soft on Islamism. 6. So is Macron now a right-winger? His views can fluctuate with public opinion. With polls suggesting the French increasingly prefer right-wing candidates, Macrons rhetoric has followed, with promises to combat criminality and drug trafficking and hold a big national debate on drug use. He came under pressure as he tried to respond to Islamist terror acts during his term in office, including the beheading of a school teacher in 2020. He pushed through a global security law that did little to address a culture of violence in the police despite growing calls for more oversight. He also pushed legislation to preserve French secular values that was seen by some on the left as stigmatizing Muslims. At the same time, his pledge to use taxpayers money to support jobs and livelihoods through Covid whatever it costs blurred the line again. Hes also extended paternity leave and opposed the erosion of worker pay and conditions in the European Union -- both left-leaning policies. Advertisement 7. How does the voting work? If no one secures 50% of votes in the first round (and no president has since Charles de Gaulle in 1958), voters will return to the polls two weeks later to choose between the two candidates who got the highest score. This can lead to tactical voting in which people dont back their preferred candidate in the first round. Instead they pick someone with the best chance of defeating the person they most dislike in the run-off. For example, left-wing voters who feel betrayed by Macron, and who would normally pick someone like Jadot, might be tempted to vote for Pecresse in the first round because shes ahead of Jadot in the polls and has a better chance of defeating Macron in the second round. This tactical approach can drain support from candidates who might otherwise stand a good chance. 8. What else should we watch for? Advertisement The legislative elections of June 12 and June 19 shouldnt be forgotten. If the new president doesnt hold a majority in parliament, his or her hands will be tied, and that person could end up with a prime minister from another faction -- something that happened in the 1980s and the 1990s. Macrons party has recently shown its weaknesses locally, with poor results in city and regional elections. So even if Macron is re-elected, its not certain that hell get to implement his policies. 9. What does it all mean for Frances place in the world? Macron made France a more visible global player, despite setbacks. His attempt to explain his vision on the role of religion in society drew ire in the Muslim world, while his assertion that NATO was brain dead angered some allies, especially in eastern Europe. Hes maintained the countrys voice in international politics, which is over-sized compared to its economy, largely because of Frances historic ties to countries that won independence after being colonized more than a century ago. Pretty much all the leading candidates want to reform the European Union. Pecresses position on Europe is ambiguous, but her international policies are unlikely to diverge much from Macrons. Advertisement Bloomberg Intelligence lays out the economic backdrop to Aprils vote. QuickTake explainers on the Yellow Vest movement and how to read French polls. Bloomberg Opinions Lionel Laurent writes about Zemmours stumbling election campaign and Macrons effort to reinvigorate EU diplomacy. A Bloomberg Businessweek story on how Frances economic rebound is boosting Macrons chances of re-election More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com 2022 Bloomberg L.P. GiftOutline Gift Article Placeholder while article actions load Johnson appoints new chief of staff Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hired a new chief of staff Saturday as he rebuilds his top team following scandals that have left him fighting to shore up his authority. Cabinet minister Steve Barclay, formerly Brexit minister under Theresa Mays administration, will head Johnsons staff, 10 Downing Street said. The changes Im announcing to my senior team today will improve how No 10 operates, strengthen the role of my Cabinet and backbench colleagues, and accelerate our defining mission to level up the country, Johnson said in a statement. Johnson, who in 2019 won the biggest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher in 1987, has repeatedly refused to resign over reports that he and some of his staff attended Downing Street parties during pandemic lockdowns. Advertisement Reuters Muslims criticize government forum The French government on Saturday introduced a new body to reshape Islam in France, part of President Emmanuel Macrons efforts to rid it of extremism. With France bloodied by past Islamic extremist attacks and having hundreds of citizens who went to fight with Islamist militants in Syria in past years, few disagree that radicalization is a danger. But critics including many of Frances 5 million Muslims who consider the religion a part of their French identity say the governments latest initiative is another step in institutionalized discrimination that holds the whole community responsible for the violent acts of a few. The Forum of Islam in France leadership will be made up of clergy and laypeople to help guide the largest Muslim community in Western Europe. All of its members will be handpicked by the government, and women will make up at least a quarter of them. Advertisement Associated Press Beating death of refugee prompts protests across Brazil: Demonstrators gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other Brazilian cities Saturday to protest the fatal beating of a 24-year-old Congolese refugee that has sparked outrage and revulsion across the nation. Police in Rio are still investigating the circumstances of the Jan. 24 slaying of Moise Mugenyi Kabagambe. Many felt no need to await official findings in a city where murder often goes unpunished; they asserted that Kabagambe's death was evidence of racism, xenophobia and impunity. "Moise was beaten for 15 minutes, on a busy beach, where people pass by all the time, and at no time did anyone call the police and try to separate them," said attorney Rodrigo Mondengo, of Brazil's Bar Association in Rio. "We have no doubt that if it were a White person there being beaten, someone would go to that person's rescue." Tropical cyclone makes landfall in Madagascar: Cyclone Batsirai made landfall on Madagascar's eastern coastline late Saturday. There were fears that Batsirai could compound the devastation wreaked by another cyclone, Ana, which hit the island about two weeks ago, killing 55 people. A local weather bulletin said the Batsirai storm system hit an area about nine miles north of the town of Mananjary in Madagascar's southeast about 8 p.m. The cyclone had average winds of about 100 mph, the bulletin said. Advertisement At least four injured in blast in market in eastern Congo: An explosion rocked a crowded market Saturday in the city of Beni in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, injuring at least four people, days after the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Kinshasa, warned that there could be an attack there. Beni is in a region where Congolese and Ugandan forces have launched a campaign against rebel fighters. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion at the market and whether anyone had been killed. The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa on Tuesday said that it believed "terrorist attacks" were planned in Beni "in the near future" and warned Americans against traveling there. From news services GiftOutline Gift Article The level of performance I was expecting of myself early in my career required a real dedication mind, body and spirit. No social life, Joey Votto said. (Getty Images) For so long, Joey Votto has focused on the lonely process of being at his baseball best. This season, though, he has emerged as a social media superstar in a sport not known for its outsize online personalities. Trusted local news has never been more important, but providing the information you need, information that can change sometimes minute-by-minute, requires a partnership with you, our readers. Please consider making a contribution today to support this vital resource that you and countless others depend on. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Three senatorial aspirants gave a glimpse of their plans to help the country recover from the pandemic and battle the climate crisis should they win a seat in the chamber. Ex-senator Sonny Trillanes said one of his priority legislations would be to support the post-COVID-19 economic recovery program proposed by Vice President Leni Robredo, which he believes would generate jobs and stimulate the economy. "It will be patterned similar to the stimulus packages right now (that are) being implemented by different countries, " he told CNN Philippines in a senatorial forum on Sunday. Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, a staunch environmental advocate, said she hopes to push for a "green" recovery program that would include locally-led climate change adaptation initiatives and a climate recovery budget. The congresswoman said she also has a pending bill pushing for a natural accounting system which aims to study environmental costs in economic projects. "Kasi kapag tayoy kumukuha ng ating mga pangangailangan, sinusukat natin sa GDP (Gross Domestic Product) at GNP (Gross National Product) pero nakita na ba natin ang epekto nito sa hangin na ating linalanghap, at sa mga bundok na ating inuuka, at sa ating mga pinuputol na puno?" said Legarda in the same forum. [Translation: When we take things that we need, we measure in terms of Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Product but do we look at its effects in the air we breathe, the mountains we destroy, and the trees we cut down?] Meanwhile, former Defense chief Gilbert Teodoro said in order to address the climate crisis, he will back a shift to renewable energy. However, he said the transition to renewable energy should meet a few conditions: it should have backup systems for business continuity should the renewables fail; it should be implemented in a phased-in approach; and it should not follow first-world standards. "Our country is made up of 7,000 islands with different conditions, therefore also the local governments should play a lead role," said Teodoro. He also mentioned that the bureaucratic capability to plan, foresee and work on hazards must be enhanced. One of the first acts of the new Taliban government was to ban women from most jobs - a problem since Ghan Fashion employed women from Afghanistan for sewing, embroidery and beading. The business, which started in 2019 with a few samples at a fashion show, was already mostly on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting business conditions in Australia. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August last year, Afghan-Australian designer Lida Mangal thought it might spell the end for her nascent clothing label Ghan Fashion. My business agent contacted me and said this is the time to finish your designs because most of the Afghan women who used to work with us, they are unemployed and hopeless, and maybe they will be begging, Ms Mangal said. That made me really alert. I, as an Afghan, and as a human being, felt that responsibility that I have to do something and I will be continuing supporting these women and trying my best to make them financially independent through my own business. The agent advised her that women in Afghanistan could no longer work in a factory but could continue to work in private homes as long as there were no men. Ghan Fashion employs about 10 women in Afghanistan, and Ms Mangal also donates a share of her profits directly to women and children in Afghanistan who are experiencing poverty. As a refugee from the first Taliban regime as a child, Ms Mangal completed most of her schooling in Pakistan before coming to Australia to study a Masters degree. She has been back to visit relatives in Afghanistan twice, but her home is Greystanes near Parramatta in Sydney. A key turning point in my journey was while sitting in a biology class, during my science degree. Looking through a microscope I was struck by how orderly everything in nature is, even the tiniest cells. I concluded that life couldnt have come about by chance but had to be by design. I set out to find who that creator was. I read many books and spoke to many people about different ways of living. It was eventually through reading the Bible that I came to understand that the Christian god was my creator. Researching the evidence for the first time persuaded me that Jesus was God in the flesh. At that point of my life, I still wanted to do things my way. Consequently, my life remained a mess. I was depressed and, as hard as I tried to live life on my terms, I couldnt attain the fulfilment I was yearning for. Theres a verse from the Book of Jeremiah that says: For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future. Finally surrendering to the truth through faith changed my life. It opened up opportunities for me to build a business, do aid work, mentor young businesswomen, foster children and, in my 40s, take on my best role yet becoming a mother. I was confirmed in my church in 2008. In some ways, I see this relationship with Jesus as being like getting married, and I wanted to make some public vows of faith in front of family and friends. On one of my trips to serve in orphanages in Africa, my mother gave me a card that said, To my daughter, who never wanted to become a dorky Christian. Still, life isnt always easy. I face plenty of struggles. Ive almost gone bankrupt, had my heart broken and lost loved ones. But when I do go through tough times, its wonderful to know that God is there to guide me. I believed life as a nun would be ideal Ayya Yeshe, 44, is the founder of the Bodhicitta Dakini Monastery in Tasmania. She became a Buddhist nun at the age of 23 and set out to live monastic life on her own terms. For Ayya Yeshe, commitment to justice is how love looks in public, and inner peace and contemplation are how its sustained. I was born in the Snowy Mountains into a Catholic household. I was only 14 when my dad died, and that diminished my faith in God. I looked at the world and questioned: What is God doing? A year later I left home and became a street kid, couch-surfing in hippie communities and hanging out with spiritual seekers. In 1994, I went to Nepal with a group of friends and thats how I discovered Buddhism. The teachings made sense to me and I ended up living in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery for a year, learning meditation. That time gave me great insight into how I could live a life free from suffering. When I returned to Sydney, I decided I should be responsible and got a job with an insurance company. Simultaneously, I helped a lama run his Buddhist centre and volunteered as a counsellor at Kings Cross Wayside Chapel. After four years I realised that being of service to others made me happier than any materialistic gain. Loading At 23, inspired to embody Buddhist teachings, I ordained as a Buddhist nun. I believed life as a nun would be ideal, but not long after I had a rude awakening. As a nun I received less support than monks, I had less access to resources and I was charged to live at the temple, whereas Tibetans stayed for free. As a Western woman I found that unacceptable and set out to follow my own path as a nun. Being cut out from my tradition and its support, I slept at friends houses and in my car, and I was sometimes homeless. Still, I volunteered and taught meditation in prisons, rehab centres and schools, and this service made me realise that my personal suffering was small by comparison. Five years later, I made my way to India for further studies and in 2009 I settled in Nagpur, central India, where I found an amazing group of Buddhists. There I became involved with the Dalits, the lowest social caste in Hindu culture. In response to their needs and social justice, I created the Bodhicitta Foundation, which for the past 10 years has helped 2000 people a year escape poverty and inequality. We provide job training for women, a girls home supporting education and refuge from child marriage, sponsor 55 kids through school and make 6000 meals a year for undernourished children. To raise funds for the charity and provide for myself, Ive lived as a wandering monk with my alms bowl, depending on the generosity of others for food and money offerings. This way Ive been invited by seeming strangers, now friends, to teach or attend a fundraising dinner, which has worked out surprisingly well. For me, commitment to justice is how love looks in public, and inner peace and contemplation are how its sustained. I find that wellbeing through silence in nature. After saving for 20 years, I recently bought land in a world heritage forest in Tasmania and started my monastery for Western monastics and lay people to come and reconnect with simplicity and the sacredness of nature. This life is hard and wonderful in equal measure. Ive felt quite lonely and lived on less than the minimum wage, but the reward is that I wake up and feel peace and joy and know Ive lived by my highest ideal: compassion. It was radical and I lost many friends Lila Elizabeth Knights, 44, is a Sydney yoga teacher who went from a conservative Christian background to being a Hare Krishna nun. Lila Elizabeth Knights has felt at home in her practices as a Hare Krishna nun. When I discovered Buddhism at university in my early 20s, I became a vegetarian and began meditating. I took my first yoga class at 26 while living in a remote ski resort in Canada simply because there wasnt much else to do in summer. I was quickly hooked. Two years later, back in Sydney, my yoga teacher introduced me to a man who simply asked me, Are you happy? Although I had everything I thought I needed to be happy, deep down I wasnt. Overnight I gave up drugs, alcohol and men, moved into the Govinda Valley yoga ashram, and became a Hare Krishna Vedic nun. It was radical and I lost many friends, even family members. For three years I barely saw my father and sister, but my mother loved it and volunteered each weekend. Becoming a nun wasnt intentional. It just happened without me realising it. Those years were peaceful, and I received wonderful guidance from teachers. Life in the ashram involved early mornings, starting at 4.30am with four hours of yoga, meditation, chanting and study of the sacred texts before breakfast. There wasnt a day off nor chance of a sleep-in. Spiritual work is never easy, but I loved it. I also completed training as a yoga teacher. I still remember my first Kirtan, a type of call-and-response singing. Standing in a temple with a group of Indians chanting in ancient Sanskrit, my conservative upbringing should have rebelled, but it didnt. I felt at home. As a nun I had no intention of ever owning property, getting married or having children. However, three years later, sick with glandular fever, I received a call from my yoga teacher trainer, who invited me to Byron Bay to rest. After two weeks he offered me a job. I felt it was time to re-enter the world and earn money, so I accepted. Loading On the first day I was there I met a man called Mal, and although I was still very committed to being a nun, he chased me with great determination and we slowly started seeing each other. We eventually moved in together, and after five years he proposed. I said no as I had no desire to go through a wedding, but we compromised by getting engaged. We bought a house and had two children, daughter Tahlia when I was 35 and son Taj when I was 40. Unfortunately, Mal and I havent made it as a forever couple. Now Im obsessed with everything baby. I teach prenatal yoga and run Fertility Empowerment classes to break the taboo around menstruation. I found my dharma, or life purpose, later in life, but I had to go through some strange experiences for it to become clear. To read more from Sunday Life magazine, click here. Australia needs a COVID-19 variant plan that includes warehouses full of masks and tests in readiness for the variant that will inevitably follow Omicron, a strain that could be more deadly or infectious than ever. That is the view of a number of public health experts who say that the national cabinet reopening plan which flagged no ongoing restrictions or lockdowns once the two-dose vaccination program was near completion was too optimistic. Professor Tony Blakely: The most amazing policy failure. Credit: Supplied Epidemiologist Tony Blakely said the government plans in place for the second half of 2021 were good for Delta, but failed to consider life after the variant. He said the federal government not securing enough rapid tests was the most amazing policy failure. Professor Blakely said it was more sensible to have a plan for three main scenarios: a variant like Delta that caused severe disease, a variant like Omicron that was extremely infectious or a variant that was the worst of both. Shell is unlikely to return its troubled Prelude floating LNG vessel off the WA coast to production until late March, losing valuable revenue as LNG demand from gas-starved Europe soars. Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden said the $24 billion vessel that suffered a complete power failure after a small fire on December 2 would be out of action for most of the March quarter. Shells $24B Prelude has not produced LNG since a fire on December 2, 2021. Credit:Shell Prelude is going through teething troubles, Mr van Buerden said. Quite a few teething troubles, of course, but bearing in mind, this is a unique asset with, of course, quite unique challenges. A WA woman has been attacked by a shark while swimming alone in an inflatable pool ring just 50 metres from shore at an Esperance beach on Sunday. Jacquelin Morley, 20, was rescued around midday by beach-goers at Kelp Beds beach at Wylie Bay after losing consciousness in the water, Nine News Perth reported. A couple drove the woman to Esperance Health Campus where medical staff were commended for saving her life. Bitten on her torso, she was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital on Sunday night where she was in a serious but stable condition. Celebrities, bless their hearts, can be like children who babblingly amplify our silliest cultural foibles and force us to confront ourselves in the mirror. As fools to our collective king, they have recently delivered in spades. So it was with 90s sensation Whoopi Goldberg, when she insisted it was impossible for the Holocaust to have been the product of racism because both the Nazis and the Jewish people they targeted were white. The Holocaust wasnt about race, according to Goldberg, because the Nazis and the Jews were two white groups of people. Whoopi Goldberg said the Holocaust wasnt about race. Credit:Robert Marquardt It was a wonderful moment in television because, in one brief segment, Goldberg brought to its logical conclusion the inching shift in the definition of racism that has been taking hold in the US and seeping from thence into other countries. She simultaneously exposed the questionable end point that was approaching and, by making the destination visible, hobbled the definitions ability to infest our cultural understanding. Goldberg, you see, wasnt alone out on a limb shooting the shit. The idea that racism is only visited by white people upon black people was reflected on the website of the Anti-Defamation League, a US organisation founded to combat racism against Jewish people and, as it states in its lore, for all people. But sometime in the last couple of years it had quietly changed its definition of racism from the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another to the marginalisation and/or oppression of people of colour based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people. The ABC will receive a long-desired funding boost after the federal government committed $3.3 billion to the public broadcaster over three years, in a move that may defuse tensions between the two parties ahead of the coming federal election. Communications Minister Paul Fletcher announced the ABC and multicultural broadcaster SBS will receive $4.2 billion in total over the next three years, and separately announced planned reforms to the broader television sector including potential local content quotas for streaming services such as Netflix. Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has announced a funding boost for the ABC and SBS. Credit:Renee Nowytarger The ABCs $3.3 billion in funding includes $45.8 million under its Enhanced News Gathering program for journalism in regional communities. This is an increase of $87.2 million over the current triennium. The indexation freeze - which was in place for three years and was blamed for widespread cuts to programming and redundancies in 2020 - will be lifted. The funding boost comes despite a souring in the relationship between the federal government and the ABC last year due to multiple lawsuits and an attempt by Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg to launch an inquiry into the broadcasters complaints handling system. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) Senatorial aspirant Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday said he wants to livestream government biddings to prevent rigging in public contracts and help put an end to bureaucratic corruption. The former senator said the proposal, which would cover all public biddings in all government agencies, would be part of his priority legislative agenda should he be successful in his comeback bid. This would be a law that would kill bureaucratic corruption at the mid-level, he said during Sundays CNN Philippines Senatorial Forum. As most of us have experienced, public biddings often are rigged, and this is where the bulk of government coffers are laid to waste, he added. When asked what constitutional amendment he believes is necessary, Trillanes said the rule requiring the Commission on Appointments approval when naming senior military officials should be discontinued. This provision has detrimental effects to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines). It politicized some military officers and compromised their positions and stance in some of their areas. So, we need to take that out, said Trillanes, a retired Navy officer. In the same forum, he added that he intends to help augment the capacity of the AFP, as well as increase soldiers quarters and subsistence allowances. He also said he will prioritize supporting the post-COVID economic recovery program presented by presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo in order to help generate more jobs. Wilmington, DE (19810) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 51F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Bardstown shaken after police say woman was murdered, children taken by suspect Allentown, PA (18103) Today Mostly cloudy with a lingering shower very early or a pop-up shower later in the afternoon; some afternoon sun developing. . Tonight Mostly cloudy. There might be a lingering shower early, mainly north and east. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 7) Several vaccination sites in Metro Manila are now ready for the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 years old, despite a petition filed by two parents to stop the government initiative. To encourage vaccinees, San Juan City will offer a children's party theme at the Fil-Oil arena, providing a pre-pandemic feel while still following minimum health protocols. "Gusto ni Mayor Francis na maging relaxing ang [Mayor Francis wants a relaxing] atmosphere," city information officer Brian Geli said, with coloring activities, film showings, magicians, and cosplayers to entertain the children. San Juan will prioritize its 5,000 children in the inoculation, but will eventually accept kids from other cities. Meanwhile, the National Children's Hospital said it could accommodate 300 pre-registered children, adding that it has enough medical staff on site. The Philippine Heart Center meanwhile said it can vaccinate 600 children per day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. "We have certain number of people to be vaccinated per hour. For example, 8 to 9 a.m., 50 people, we will accommodate 50 people. Nagkaroon na ng [We already had an] online booking before," said Dr. Tony Pascual. "In the afternoon of Tuesday, we will also be doing vaccination for 12 to 17 (year olds)." But some officials do not agree with the vaccination programs policy on consent. A Department of Health guideline allows the state to act as parens patriae and give the necessary consent in case the parents or guardians refuses to allow the minors to be vaccinated, despite their willingness to take the shots. "The fact na hindi pumayag ang magulang, ibig sabihin, yun ang opinyon ng magulang na mabuti sa anak di ba [The fact that the parents refused meant its what they think is best for their children]," Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco said. Senator Imee Marcos is also opposing the memorandum, saying the government cannot usurp parental authority. Former ABS-CBN broadcast journalist Dominic Almelor and Girlie Samonte, mother of two children who had health problems after receiving the Dengvaxia vaccine, filed the petition to stop the project through the Public Attorneys Office. The government said the national rollout of the vaccination for children will begin on Feb. 14. Quincy, IL (62301) Today A mix of clouds and sun this morning followed by increasing clouds with showers developing this afternoon. High 63F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low near 55F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Thank you! You've reported this item as a violation of our terms of use. This content was contributed by a user of the site. If you believe this content may be in violation of the terms of use, you may report it. The library and Wilton Public School district are exploring the rich history of the Town of Wilton for the Wilton Reads 2022 community-wide reading program. As the Town of Wilton welcomes the arrival of many new residents, the library has decided that it is an opportune time to educate all Wilton residents, from the newest arrivals to the longest established, about the rich and the vibrant history of the town. Thus, the history of Wilton will be told throughout the librarys upcoming programming. At the Thursday, Jan. 20, Wilton Board of Education meeting, Wilton Library Retired Executive Director Elaine Tai-Lauria and the Wilton Public School district Director of Digital Learning Fran Kompar announced the Wilton Reads 2022 book selection titled: Wilton, Connecticut: Three Centuries of People, Places, and Progress, by author Robert, Bob, H. Russell. The library will again collaborate with the Wilton Public Schools district to facilitate discussions and intriguing conversations throughout the community at all levels. Tai-Lauria credited Wilton Library Assistant Director Lauren McLaughlin with the idea. In Wilton, we are in the midst of a change. Our community is growing and changing so quickly, and we are seeing history happen right before our eyes. We believe it is the perfect time to look inward and explore Wiltons fascinating story, and we could not think of a better selection than Bob Russells Wilton, Connecticut, which is the definitive history of our town, Tai-Lauria said ahead of the event. As with Wilton Reads collaborations in the past, the school district will choose age-appropriate reading selections and create supplemental activities for the various schools, Kompar said of the schools. The schools superintendent is on board, too. We believe that the librarys selection for Wilton Reads 2022 provides a wonderful learning opportunity for all Wilton residents, said Wilton Public School District Superintendent Kevin Smith. For our students, well be able to engage them on so many levels - such as virtual author visits and other educational programs. Author Bob Russell led Wilton as First Selectman for six years after his 35-year business career with IBM. Russell allso served on the boards of several Wilton organizations including on the board of the Wilton Library. His lifelong interest in history led him to research and eventually write a comprehensive record of Wiltons 300-year past. The book was previously published by the Wilton Historical Society in 2004. To write the book, Russell drew upon records at the Wilton Town Hall and at local libraries, including the extensive archives in the Wilton Librarys History Room, and personal accounts of many Wilton residents. The Wilton Reads program will culminate with an author talk by Russell in the spring. During his talk, Russell will be recognized with the Grodin Family Fine Writers award. The library plans to offer free copies of the book this spring, courtesy of the Fairfield County Bank. However, copies of the book are currently available via the librarys catalog at www.wiltonlibrary.org. For Wilton Reads 2022, a slate of programs featuring local and Connecticut state history is being planned for the spring. These programs will supplement the reading material recommended to those participating. The library will also provide educational resources for further exploration, upon request. Further details about the librarys Wilton Reads 2022 programming will be posted on the librarys website at www.wiltonlibrary.org. Wilton Public Schools programming details may be found by those interested by visiting the school districts website at wiltonps.org. Now in its 16th year running, the Wilton Reads program originated with a reading of Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird. A list of past Wilton Reads book selections can also be found at http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/past-wilton-reads-selections. The Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in Wilton. For more information, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org, call the librarys reference librarians at 203-762-6350, or email reference@wiltonlibrary.org. (CNN) Her hair was cut off and her face painted black before she was paraded into the street where some people in a cheering crowd called for her to be raped. But perhaps the most shocking aspect of the attack in a Delhi neighborhood last month is that video shared on social media shows that most of the baying mob were women. At least 12 people have been arrested by the Delhi police, eight of whom are women. Two are minors. Police have not brought charges over the incident, but they say the 20-year-old victim of the January 26 attack was abducted and physically and sexually assaulted. The alleged involvement of women has touched a nerve in a country that has long struggled to address gender violence. Activists say the case demonstrates the scale of internalized misogyny in India, where women are taught to uphold patriarchal structures. They fear violence against women will worsen as support grows for right-wing extremist political groups that foster traditional, patriarchal values. Swati Maliwal, the chairperson of the Delhi Commission of Women, said the woman told her she'd been raped by three men. "There were women present (in the room)...instigating the men to be more brutal with her," Maliwal told CNN, recounting what the victim had told her. "When I saw that video and I saw these women attacking this girl...it just makes you feel so angry and sad that you have such women who can do something like that." It is unclear if any of the people captured on video in the crowd are involved in the alleged assault or have been booked by police. The victim's sister watched part of the attack unfold but was powerless to stop it. "I was thinking of shouting, of telling someone, but the (accused) women grabbed me, saying they would beat me up," said the 18-year-old, who CNN is calling Aarti to protect her sister's identity as Indian law prohibits revealing the identity of rape victims. Aarti told CNN her sister -- who is married -- was attacked by the relatives of a teenage boy, who they say killed himself after her sister spurned his advances. CNN has attempted to contact representatives for the alleged offenders though it is not clear if they have lawyers. "They (alleged perpetrators) blamed her, but she didn't do anything," Aarti said. "I never thought they would go this far." The attack On the morning of January 26, Aarti told CNN she delivered a bag of wheat to her sister's house in the eastern Delhi's Shahdara district. But when her sister came downstairs to collect it, an angry mob rushed in. "They started hitting and beating my sister. This was happening in front of me, but I just stood there, I didn't know what to do...I was frozen with fear," Aarti said. The teenager does not remember how many people there were, only that there were "a lot of them" and they included men and women from another local family. Aarti said the group tried to snatch her sister's two-and-a-half-year-old son, but Aarti "somehow fought them off" and held onto him as the group bundled her sister in an autorickshaw. Clutching her nephew, she followed them in another rickshaw, accompanied by two of the alleged perpetrators to the residential Kasturba Nagar area of Delhi less than two miles away -- where the alleged perpetrators live near the house Aarti shares with her father. Kasturba Nagar is a low to middle-income neighborhood in Delhi where women sit and chat outside brightly painted homes and men cluster around local tea shops. On the day of the attack people were off work to mark Republic Day, the anniversary of the day India's constitution was adopted -- but the day has taken on new significance for Aarti and her family. The rickshaw stopped at the alleged perpetrators' house, but as Aarti couldn't see her sister, she went inside her own home and latched the door. Soon after, she heard commotion outside, and from behind a wall watched her sister being led through the street as women hit her with rods. Her hair had been cut off, her face blackened, and she had a garland of slippers around her neck -- all actions meant to mark her as perhaps deserving of public shame. Aarti said the women took her sister around the neighborhood, shoving, slapping and beating her sister for at least half an hour. "I couldn't believe no one in the neighborhood spoke up or tried to help, they only cheered," said Aarti. Aarti said she called police on a borrowed cellphone and they arrived 15 minutes later. At the police station, Aarti's sister told her she had been locked in a room where a "wrong was done to her" -- a colloquial phrase in India referring to sexual assault -- before being paraded in the street. R Sathiyasundaram, the deputy police commissioner of Shahdara district, said the investigation is still underway and would not say which laws the alleged perpetrators had been arrested under. He declined to confirm the nature of the sexual assault, or confirm details of the incident. "We cannot reveal all that, it's a matter of investigation," he said. Internalized misogyny Though many Indians were shocked that women would allegedly incite rape, others say it's not surprising in a country with strong patriarchal values. Ten years ago, lawyer Seema Kushwaha represented "Nirbhaya," a 23-year-old student who died after being gang-raped on a Delhi bus in 2012. Outrage led to stronger rape laws, but activists say those have had little impact in stemming the level of sexual violence in India, which was ranked the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman in a 2018 Thompson Reuters Foundation survey of experts on women's issues. Kushwaha says the problem persists because of societal issues -- and those are harder to change. She says in patriarchal societies women are taught that they're ultimately to blame for any wrongdoing -- and last month, those deep beliefs played out on the streets of Delhi, when women allegedly ganged up on one of their own. "If fighting crimes against women is a fight of the female gender, women should have supported the girl ... but they did not do that, they instead beat her up because it has been ingrained in them that whatever men do, it is women who are responsible," she said. In families, mothers-in-law often curtail the freedoms of a new bride. In public, it is often women who police other women's actions or way of dressing. The attack in Shahdara is an extreme iteration of that, Kushwaha said, where women allegedly resorted to cruelty against another woman to avenge the alleged suicide of a teenage boy. According to data from India's National Crime Records Bureau, crimes against women were 20% higher in 2020 compared to 2013 -- the last year before the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) came to power -- and the latest figures from 2020. However, those statistics likely don't capture the whole picture -- as in other countries, rape is often underreported, and an increase in reported rapes could reflect a growing awareness about reporting sexual violence. Kushwaha -- who has recently been appointed the spokesperson of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which was formed to represent caste minorities -- says that while no government can be singularly blamed for the violence against women in India, the rise of right-wing ideologies in the country threatens women's safety and security. CNN has reached out to the Indian government's Ministry of Women and Child Development for comment about the rising number of attacks on women but has not received a response. In a statement to the upper house of parliament last February, the Ministry of Women and Child development said a number of initiatives had been taken by the central government to address women's safety, such as strengthening legislation. But it added that state governments are responsible for law and order and safety of citizens. However, police in the national capital territory of Delhi reports to the central government. Aarti said this was not the first time the alleged perpetrators had targeted her sister. They had been harassing them for weeks, showing up to their homes and hurling abuse off and on since the boy's suicide in November, she said. A week before the attack Aarti said she filed a police complaint against the alleged perpetrators after they allegedly set fire to her father's autorickshaw, which he rented out for income because he is paralyzed. When asked to comment on the complaint, deputy police commissioner Sathiyasundaram did not respond. Sathiyasundaram also declined to share any information on the alleged perpetrators' motive for committing the crime, saying that it was "under investigation." Pragya Lodha, a clinical psychologist with MINDS Foundation, a mental health non-profit, said if it was true that the woman was attacked because of the teenage boy's suicide, it reflects the lack of awareness about mental health in India. "There is no direct cause and effect when it comes to suicide...it is rare that mere rejection has led to suicide," she said. While Lodha said attitudes around mental health are shifting in India, especially over the last two years of the pandemic, there is still a vast gap between the privileged classes of society that have access to mental health and the vast rural and semi-urban masses that do not. Lodha said even in major cities like Delhi access to mental health services can seem unaffordable, and a stigma remains around mental health issues. The way forward Delhi authorities have indicated they want the case resolved quickly. Delhi police have set up a 10-member special investigative team and Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government will hire the victim a "good lawyer" and fast-track the case. "That's a start but a lot more needs to be done...I'm going to be keeping a tab on this case because I want that the investigation to be completed in a very short span of time," Delhi Commission of Women's Maliwal said. She said a prompt investigation would spare the victim more pain. A fast resolution would be a stark contrast to the majority of rape case in India. According to Kushwaha, the lawyer, it often takes a year or more for rape complaints to be registered and investigated, despite Indian law requiring rape case investigations to be completed within two months. Cases can take years to go through court, and many alleged perpetrators are out on bail while they wait for the result -- sending the message that the law can't do anything to stop them, according to Kushwaha. And even after all that, fewer than half of rape complaints that make it to trial lead to a conviction. For example, in 2020 only four in 10 cases ended in a guilty verdict, according to the latest statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau. "Even when convictions happen, they happen in 10 to 15 years," said Kushwaha, the lawyer. Maliwal, from the Delhi Commission of Women, says part of the problem is the lack of fast-track courts to deal with rape cases. In 2019, the central government approved a plan to open 1,023 fast track courts across India to help clear a backlog of rape cases and sexual offences against minors. However, according to data submitted by the minister of Law and Justice in the upper house of parliament in December 2021, only 681 such courts had been established. Apart from law, there also needs to be a focus on education, with children in all schools having access to sex education and gender studies, said Kushwaha. Violence against women will only abate if India's patriarchal culture changes to create a more equal society, she added. For more than a week, police have been guarding both ends of the street where the attack took place. People slow down as they pass and attempt to peer in. Aarti is still living at her family home, yards from the house where her sister was attacked, on the same street where she was paraded and mocked. "I'm not going anywhere; I can't afford to," said Aarti. "I'm 18, I don't have a job, and I need to take care of my father," she said. "I'm glad my sister is home...I gave her son back; he was happy to see her." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Some people in a cheering crowd called for her to be raped. Many were women" Wilton resident, and selectwoman Kim Healy has been appointed by Connecticut state House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora to serve on the Connecticut Reading Leadership Implementation Council. Council members are charged with providing guidance to The Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success. The Center was established under Senate bill 1202 in June of 2021. It also focuses on ensuring that Connecticut districts, teacher, and especially families, are equipped with structured support to help all students read on grade level by third grade. The council is made up of 12 bipartisan members, who were previously appointed by either Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, or legislative leaders. Reading is one the most important tools that children must acquire at an early age to become strong and developed individuals, Healy said after being announced as one of the councils 12 members. Being appointed to the Reading Leadership Implementation Council is an honor and I look forward to contributing to its work and the programs it establishes to help our children become strong readers and lifelong learners. She said that the councils commitment to families and providing resources for them was a major draw. As a parent, I believe that reading is the cornerstone of an effective education for every child, Healy said. The creation of this Council could not have come at a more critical time. The learning loss due to the pandemic is significant here in Connecticut. Additionally, Healy, and her colleagues will develop a coordinated statewide reading plan for students in kindergarten through the third grade. That plan will include strategies, publishing annual goals for the center, meeting at least once every two months, and consultation with representatives from public, private, and philanthropic organizations. Healy and her husband are the parents of four children, all of whom previously attended Wilton Public Schools. She is a 14-year resident of Wilton, and has been a longtime community volunteer for organizations including Minks to Sinks, of which she currently co-chairs; the Wilton Library, of which she was a former treasurer, chair of the finance committee, and member of the executive committee; the Wilton Youth Council, and its current 2022 project. In November 2021, Healy was elected to the Wilton Board of Selectmen. She previously served on the Wilton Conservation Commission. Healy is also a volunteer tax preparer for the American Association of Retired Persons, providing necessary assistance to residents with lower incomes and senior citizens. Professionally, Healy was previously an auditor with the audit, and assurance, consulting and tax services company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and is a Certified Public Accountant. One of my favorite quotes is by Frederick Douglass: Once you learn to read, you are forever free, Healy said. Have things changed very much when it comes to how tycoons operate in our country? Maybe not so much even though the forms of our technology have so radically changed over the past two centuries. Consider Nicholas Biddle from two centuries ago. He controlled the Second Bank of the United States. In its time it was the closest thing to the Fed that our country had. Its network of relationships with correspondent banks across the country gave it huge power and influence. Astride it stood the formidable Nicholas Biddle. The power his position as president of the bank gave him rivaled that of the President of the United States, and more than a few in that time asserted that it even exceeded it. One of those was President Andrew Jackson. The confrontation between Biddle and Jackson over reauthorization of the bank by Congress convulsed our country in the early 1830s and became the centerpiece of Jacksons re-election battle for his second term in office. In that battle, Biddle marshalled all of his considerable power over politicians at both the national and the local level. For example, Biddles bank itself and also its correspondent banks across the country offered sweetheart loans to politicians of all strips who would support the banks reauthorization and to that end see that Jackson was not elected to a second term. Biddle ultimately failed in his efforts to unseat Jackson as President, but it certainly was not without vigorous - and almost successful -- trying. Was the bank good for national growth? Probably so. Did it wield far too much political power? Undoubtedly so. The turn of the 20th Century brought a titan of even greater stature and influence than Biddle: J.P. Morgan. His power was such that he was able to bring all of the railroads west of Chicago to the Pacific under common control through his Northern Securities Trust. The consolidation of all of these railroads gave the trust a stranglehold on farmers and merchants seeking to get their products to market. Morgan had both politicians and judges in his hip pocket, but when he faced off against President Teddy Roosevelt (and a strong public backlash against his stranglehold), he met his match. Teddy Roosevelt had his Attorney General sue Morgan and the trust for monopolization under the newly passed federal antitrust law, the Sherman Act, and Roosevelt won in the U.S. Supreme Court with the trust successfully broken up. However only three years after that government victory, it was Morgan himself who brought an end to the Panic of 1907 that threatened to take down the U.S. banking system in a scenario not unlike the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Banks had offered loans to support stock-market speculation in a bubble that burst, creating massive financial turmoil. Into that disaster stepped none other than J.P. Morgan himself, committing his personal fortune to shoring up the market and letting the world know that he was all in. That word alone had the power to settle markets and save the U.S. banking system. From a purely selfish standpoint, Morgans action certainly saved his investments, but it also rescued our nations banking and financial markets; the upshot led to a meeting between Morgan and Roosevelt that established the seminal ideas on which the Federal Reserve System was created a half-dozen years later. These vignettes from our nations history illustrate the great power that tycoons have had in our country for the good and the ill, and it is arguable that the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision has furthered their power in the political process even more. That power can work for good or ill, sometimes at the same time. How have tycoons of the past affected national life and what guidance can their roles and fortunes provide for how we address the tycoons of our current age with their enormous power over social media and internet technology? Those are the engines of our economic growth just as railroads, steel producers, and automobile manufacturers were in earlier generations. Thats the subject of this years iteration of the hugely popular Wilton Historical Society and Wilton Librarys joint series on American history. This years series is titled, Tycoons: Bane or Benefactors? Its opening session is on Feb. 27th with the ever-popular Dr. Matt Warshauer, Central Connecticut State University history professor, kicking it off with his always trenchant overview that focuses on Biddle. Following sessions will take up J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, and finally the tycoons of our own era. Quite a program. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) James Huntsman, a member of one of Utahs most prominent families and brother of a former governor, is persisting in his argument that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used donations the church solicited for charity for commercial purposes. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) James Huntsman, a member of one of Utahs most prominent families and brother of a former governor, is persisting in his argument that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints used donations the church solicited for charity for commercial purposes. Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Huntsman, a member of one of Utah's most prominent families, filed an appeal Friday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. A federal judge in California dismissed Huntsman's complaint against the church in September, saying no reasonable juror would believe that church leaders made false statements about how funds would be used. Huntsman, brother of former U.S. diplomat and ex-Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and son of late billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr., said he was defrauded out of millions of dollars during the 24 years he gave 10% of his annual income to the church. He is seeking the return of $5 million. Contributions to the Utah-based faith known widely as the Mormon church "are used for a broad array of religious purposes, including missionary work, education, humanitarian causes and the construction of meetinghouses, temples and other buildings important in the work of the Church," spokesperson Eric Hawkins said in a statement after the complaint was filed. The lawsuit was filed more than a year after a former church investment manager filed a whistleblower complaint with the IRS, saying that the church has misled members and possibly broken federal tax rules for religious organizations by using an affiliated investment arm to set aside about $1 billion a year from the $7 billion that the faith received annually in member donations. The whistleblower lawsuit said the church's investments totaled $100 billion. The church reported its largest investment fund contained nearly $38 billion at the end of 2019. The report did not detail all of the church's investments. Huntsman said he planned to give the millions of dollars in damages he is seeking to "organizations and communities whose members have been marginalized by the Churchs teachings and doctrines, including by donating to charities supporting LGBTQ, African-American, and womens rights." PARIS (AP) France and the European Union are investigating why a massive swarm of dead fish was released by a huge trawler in the Atlantic Ocean off France, after an environmental group released dramatic video and photos of the incident. CAPTION CORRECTS SPELLING OF SHEPHERD In this photo provided by Sea Shepherd on Saturday Feb. 5, 2022, dead fish float in the Bay of Biscay, off La Rochelle, western France on Thursday Feb.3, 2022. France's maritime minister has ordered an investigation after environmental group Sea Shepherd released video and photos of a massive dump of fish in the Atlantic. The images show swarms of fish in the Bay of Biscay off the southwest France. The reason for the dump is unclear. (Sea Shepherd via AP) PARIS (AP) France and the European Union are investigating why a massive swarm of dead fish was released by a huge trawler in the Atlantic Ocean off France, after an environmental group released dramatic video and photos of the incident. Shelley Cook | Uplift A weekly review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe that is delivered to your inbox each Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The images by the group Sea Shepherd show a blanket of dead blue whiting fish floating on the surface of the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of southwest France. The group estimates it held some 100,000 dead fish. Struck by the "shocking" images, French Maritime Minister Annick Girardin tweeted Friday that she ordered the National Center for Fishing Surveillance to investigate what happened. The European commissioner for the environment, oceans and fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, announced an inquiry into "national authorities of the fishing area and presumed flag state of the vessel, to get exhaustive information and evidence about the case." The Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association, which represents the Lithuania-registered trawler Margiris, which caught the fish, said in a statement that the fish were "involuntarily released into the sea" on Thursday because of a tear in the trawler's net. "Such an accident is a rare occurrence, and in this case was caused by the unexpectedly large size of the fish caught," it said. It said the trawler has adapted its practices to deal with "the exceptional size of the fish currently in the area concerned." Sea Shepherd, however, questioned whether it was an accident or instead an intentional dump of unwanted fish. The group is calling for more policing of the seas and especially of massive industrial trawlers to protect sea life and oceans. OTTAWA - The mayor of Canada's national capital declared a state of emergency in his city on Sunday in the face of ongoing protests that have overwhelmed local resources shortly before police moved to choke the convoy's supply chain. An Ottawa Police vehicle blocks off Kent Street in front of parked trucks as a protest against COVID-19 restrictions that has been marked by gridlock and the sound of truck horns continues into its second week, in Ottawa, on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang OTTAWA - The mayor of Canada's national capital declared a state of emergency in his city on Sunday in the face of ongoing protests that have overwhelmed local resources shortly before police moved to choke the convoy's supply chain. In a late-afternoon release, the City of Ottawa said Mayor Jim Watson's declaration reflected the "serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents" from protesters encamped through much of the downtown core. The move gives the city some flexibility to more quickly procure supplies, some of which the brief release noted could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders. But anything beyond that isn't clear, given that the city's legal staff on Saturday told the police services board an emergency declaration, beyond its symbolic value, doesn't give police or the city any new legal powers. Watson's declaration marked the end of the second weekend of the so-called Freedom Convoy taking over much of the capital's downtown core, with trucks clogging streets and protesters occupying sidewalks in front of Parliament Hill and into nearby residential areas. On Sunday night, police in Ottawa started their crackdown on supplies, raiding a parking lot used by organizers as a logistical hub to seize litres of fuel and arrest two people for mischief. Five others were arrested, including two downtown, where police also appeared on Sunday night to be taking fuel used to keep cars idling in the bitter Ottawa cold. Police had earlier in the day threatened arrest for anyone bringing items like gasoline or supplies to protesters and the 500 vehicles downtown. Other protests took place elsewhere in the country Sunday, though on a smaller scale than the day before when thousands of people opposed to pandemic-related restrictions congregated in cities from coast to coast. Hundreds of trucks and cars caused a backlog in downtown Halifax, but officers were working to clear that out, said Const. John MacLeod. He said the situation had been peaceful with no incidents to report. Ontario Provincial Police closed part of Highway 402 running to the border crossing between Sarnia and Port Huron, Mich., as a safety precaution due to pedestrians on the highway near a convoy of trucks and tractors. In Ottawa, police said they have launched more than 60 criminal investigations related to the protest, and issued more than 100 tickets on Sunday alone, including for "excessive honking." Hundreds more tickets were issues Saturday for red light violations, driving a vehicle on a sidewalk and setting off fireworks, among other offenses. Even though the local force has been bolstered by more than 100 OPP officers and 250 RCMP officers, Ottawa's state of emergency declaration noted that Watson's decision underlined the need for support from upper levels of governments. Earlier Sunday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province has backed Ottawa during the nine-day protest that critics have branded an occupation. "While we cannot direct the police, we have provided the City of Ottawa everything they have asked for and will continue to provide whatever support they request," Ford said in a tweet. After Watson's announcement, Ford's office said it had nothing to add. The Prime Minister's Office directed questions to the office of Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, which late Sunday pointed to the extra Mounties sent to Ottawa and said the federal government was ready to provide more help. "While this past weekend saw peaceful protests in cities across the country, the situation in Ottawa remains very concerning," Mendicino spokesman Alexander Cohen said in a statement. Horns echoed through the city's core on Sunday, mixed with the rumbling of semis and shouts of freedom. Organizers had said they planned to stop the honking for Sunday prayers, but that faded early in the morning. St. Patrick Basilica made the decision Friday to close over the risk of civil unrest, while the Christ Church Cathedral opted for online services despite provincial restrictions easing to allow for in-person prayers. Beth Bretzlaff, rector at Christ Church Cathedral, said it wasn't safe to bring parishioners downtown on Sunday. Still, she said, what's needed is a bit of faith in good governance, good policing and people being responsible. "Let's let the people that need to deal with this deal with this, and support them and watch out for each other," said Bretzlaff. Businesses downtown have also closed, including the Rideau Centre mall. Owner Cadillac Fairview cited the ongoing protest late Sunday in deciding to keep the mall closed for the foreseeable future, leaving thousands of employees out of work. The encampment in Ottawa has been a hot topic among some Republicans in the United States. More than a few members of Congress supportive of former president Donald Trump have made a point of expressing solidarity with the protesters, and in some cases, their pointed disdain for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday decried a decision by fundraising platform GoFundMe to cut off donations to the convoy organizers, a move the company said it made because of police reports of violence and other unlawful activity. Appearing on Fox News, the Canadian-born Cruz said he asked American regulators to see whether GoFundMe had engaged in deceptive trade practices before praising those in Ottawa and elsewhere. "They are patriots and they are marching for your freedom and for my freedom," he said. Despite the decision by GoFundMe to cancel the main fundraiser for the convoy, dozens of others are on the website and similar fundraising platforms aimed at helping either individuals or the group overall. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2022. -- with files from Liam Casey, Allison Jones, Kevin Bissett, Mia Rabson, Nicole Thompson, and James McCarten. The latest developments on ongoing protests against COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, both in Ottawa and various cities across Canada. All times Eastern: The latest developments on ongoing protests against COVID-19 restrictions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, both in Ottawa and various cities across Canada. All times Eastern: 9:15 p.m. Ottawa police say they seized fuel and vehicles from demonstrators, made seven arrests and issued more than a hundred tickets today. They took the fuel from a site being used as a base camp of sorts for anti-mandate protesters. Six of the arrests were for mischief, while one was for driving while prohibited. Police say there have also been more than 100 Highway Traffic Act and provincial offence notices issued, including for excessive honking, having the wrong class of licence, and having alcohol readily available. --- 4:30 p.m. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has declared a state of emergency to give the city more flexibility to deal with ongoing protests that have overwhelmed local resources. The city announced the move in a brief release this afternoon, saying the decision reflects the "serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents" from protesters encamped through much of the downtown core. The release also says the decision underlines the need for support from upper levels of governments. Earlier in the day, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province has backed Ottawa during the nine-day protest that critics have branded an occupation. The decision gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services. The city's release notes those powers could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders. --- 3 p.m. One of the organizers of a massive protest that clogged the streets of Quebec City on Saturday is encouraging demonstrators to return in two weeks. Bernard Gauthier made a speech today in which he suggested protesters should head home now but make plans to return to the provincial capital. He says he recognizes truckers need to work during the week, but hopes to see an even bigger protest unfold two weekends from now. He says he believes protesters sent a clear message to Premier Francois Legault about their distaste for public health measures geared towards addressing COVID-19. --- 2:30 p.m. A solidarity protest in Sarnia, Ont., has closed a stretch of highway and led to delays at a Canada-U.S. border crossing. Ontario Provincial Police say all westbound on-ramps to Highway 402 are closed from Modeland Road to the Bluewater Bridge, a highly travelled crossing point between the two countries. Const. Jamie Bydeley says the closures are in effect for public safety, saying there are currently several pedestrians on the highway at the demonstration site. The official Twitter account for the Bluewater Bridge says to expect delays when travelling to the United States. --- 2 p.m. Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Protesters have assembled in Halifax today to show support for demonstrators who have been camped out in Ottawa for the past nine days. Participants in the "freedom convoy" and associated protests taking place across Canada over the weekend are opposed to vaccine mandates and other public health restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. Halifax police Const. John MacLeod says hundreds of vehicles made their way through the downtown core and caused quite a backlog, but officers are working to clear that out. He says both trucks and cars moved from the south end of the city, through the downtown and towards the Bayer's Lake area. He says the situation has been peaceful with no incidents to report. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2022. A charming article appeared recently in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reprinted from the Washington Post entitled The Humble Swab Is Having a Moment. It begins with a description of the now prolific proboscis probing done for COVID-19 testing. Never before in the course of human events have our noses been so poked, prodded, and downright invaded by foreign objects at our own behest. This is the golden age of swabs, meaning we pay gilded prices for a coronavirus antigen test The origin of cotton swabs in every reference credits a Polish immigrant named Leo Gerstenzang for their creation in 1923. He was watching his wife wind cotton around toothpicks to clean their babys ears at bath time. He decided to design a less injurious ready-made cotton swab that wouldnt splinter and cut the babys ears. It took him several years to solve certain design problems like getting equal amounts of cotton on each end of a wooden spindle. He formed the Leo Gerstezang Infant Novelty Company to market his swab and other baby products. His first name for the swabs was Baby Gays because they made babies happy. In 1926, he added the name Q-Tips Baby Gays, saying the Q stood for quality. Eventually Baby Gays was dropped, making them the legendary Q-tips we know today, a registered trademark. Cotton swabs or cotton buds (British English) use one or two small wads of cotton. For medical uses, these are placed on the ends of a 4 inch spindle of wood or plastic. For myriad other uses they are attached to a 2.5 inch rolled paper or plastic handle. The plastic spindle has become a source of marine plastic pollution because people tend to flush them down toilets after use, and they end up out at sea. A doctor from a Scottish environmental charity wrote, The message cannot be strong enough that only the 3 Ps (pee, toilet paper, and poop) should be flushed, and anything else thrown into a bin. (Does that make it a has-bin?) Johnson & Johnson stopped selling plastic swabs in 2017. The box of Q-tips in our house has paper stems. The European Union banned the use of plastic-stemmed swabs in 2021. Italy banned them in 2019, Monaco in 2020, as well as England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. The original use of ear cleaning is now supposed to be recommended against because of potential injury. Beginning in 1970, such warnings began to appear on boxes. Ours says, Do not insert into ear canal. But it is largely ignored. Scooping out earwax likely is their most common purpose. Per the Journal of Pediatrics, an estimated 263,338 children visited emergency rooms between 1990 and 2010 for cotton swab injuries, or about 35 per day. 73% of the cases involved ear cleaning. The variety of uses for cotton swabs seems endless. Our box says, The ultimate home and beauty tool. In the 1950s, Q-tips partnered with a Hollywood make-up artist to create the Lessons in Loveliness with Q-tips booklet. Their other uses are legion, for arts and crafts, home cleaning, collecting evidence at crime scenes, cleaning laser diodes, computer parts and so on. The medical uses for culturing or swabbing an area for a sample are essential for diagnosis and equally diverse. These swabs usually come in a sterile package. In the Post article, an ear, nose and throat doctor interviewed said, If theres an orifice, someone has stuck a swab in it. Lets not forget the now rather familiar LOOOONG, maybe four-foot-long swab that has been used to probe through your nose into your throat or pharynx, even touching the back of your skull, for a sample for COVID. The number of swabs being produced is increasing astronomically, according to the Post article. A company called Puritan began making mint-flavored toothpicks in 1919. Located in a small Maine hamlet of Guilford, it then began to produce other wooden stick items like frozen pop sticks, tongue depressors and eventually swabs. It produces 65 varieties of swabs. At the start of the pandemic they would put out about 5 million a month. Now they roll out 100 million a month, and are building an additional plant in Tennessee, which will permit an increase to around 300 million a month. That means potentially a swab for every single American every single month. With the over the counter rapid antigen tests being s much in demand, that may be enough. With the pandemic possibly paling (God willing), that might be excessive. We can only hope. The motherly admonition remains not to put anything into your ear larger than your elbow. And the old confrontational challenge Shove it up your nose with a rubber hose has taken on a very different connotation. Now, perhaps well think swab first? Dr. Bures, a semi-retired dermatologist, since 1978 has worked Winona, La Crosse, Viroqua and Red Wing. He also plays clarinet in the Winona Municipal Band and a couple dixieland groups. And he does enjoy a good pun. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Columbus Area Historical Society 1972 Reuben Damm, president, and Phyllis Callahan, clerk, announced that they would not be candidates for re-election to the Columbus School Board. Damm served the board as its president since the district was organized in 1954. Prior to that, Damm served as the District 7, Town of Columbus, for 20 years. Callahan served the district as clerk for the past 15 years. Mrs. Joseph Johnson retired from the American Red Cross Blood program after serving 16 years as chairman. During that time, Columbus had 33 bloodmobile visits with donations of 5,132 units of blood. 1982 The Columbia County Soil and Water Conservation District Poster Contest winners from Columbus were, in first-place, Andy and Steve Black; second-place, Eric Anthon; and third-place, Jennifer Steele. All four students attended Dickason School. Mayor Rod Schroeder asked the DNR for an extension on the deadline for completion of repair work on the Udey Dam. The city pointed to a lack of money due to work on a new wastewater treatment plant. 1992 Sally Price, a personal lines customer service representative at Richards Insurance, successfully completed the personal lines ACSR program sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin. The Travel Shoppe, a travel agency opened its doors in Fall River. Diane Miller, operator, is running the business out of her home. 2002 The Columbus Water & Light Commission donated 20 American flags to local schools to provide a flag for each classroom in Columbus. The Columbus High School Student Council provided flags for each high school classroom lacking one. Ed Schellin donated several flags for middle school classrooms. The Columbus Community Hospital Auxiliary donated $10,000 to the Columbus Community Hospital Foundations $1.95 million campaign for the construction of a new Emergency and Urgent Care Department. Follow us on Facebook at Columbus, WI Area Historical Society, or email museumcahs@gmail.com. The museum is open by appointment and will reopen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of the month beginning in April. HARRISBURG A Republican inquiry into Pennsylvanias 2020 presidential election inspired by former President Donald Trumps baseless claims of election fraud has spawned several court cases as it expands into multiple courses of inquiry, grows in cost and shows signs it will drag well into 2022. The Republican pursuit has received a broad embrace by GOP candidates on the campaign trail. On Friday, the state GOP scheduled an hourlong presentation on it at the partys closed-press winter meeting in Lancaster. The undertaking comes after Trump and his supporters have pressured allies in battleground states he lost to seek out fraud to validate their conspiracy theories. Senators leading what they call an investigation in Pennsylvania have yet to report any findings. As it drags on, it is looking more and more like the partisan and widely criticized audit that Arizonas Senate Republicans carried out in heavily populated Maricopa County in a state won like Pennsylvania by Democrat Joe Biden. Senators in charge of it say they are simply looking for ways to improve the states elections, not overturn the 2020 presidential election. Critics, including Republican senators, warn that its backers want nothing less than to overturn 2020s election. Democrats have broadly opposed it and characterized it as an effort to discredit Bidens win, damage confidence in elections and take away voting rights. A look at where everything stands: Voting machines The state Supreme Court has, for now, held up the downloading of digital data from voting machines and election equipment in a heavily Republican county, Fulton County. The Republican senator in charge, Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, is targeting Fulton County because it used equipment made by Dominion Voting Systems in 2020s election. Denver-based Dominion was the subject of some of the most feverish right-wing conspiracy theories about the election supposedly being stolen from Trump. It has since filed a number of defamation lawsuits against Trump allies and right-wing broadcasters. In brief interview last month, Dush said he wants access to Dominions equipment because there have been reports that there are problems with it, and were going to take a look at it. The state had a responsibility to ensure the equipment was properly investigated, but did not, Dush said. Dush would not say exactly what problems he had in mind. But he also suggested the inquiry would not necessarily stop at Fulton County. Were going to see if there is any evidence that causes further investigation and then well go from there, Dush said. Fulton County, which is cooperating with Dush, is Trump country, delivering more than 85% of its vote in 2020s election to the former president. But Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs administration asked the court to get involved because it had tried fruitlessly to ensure that any access to the equipment is conducted under a specific set of rules to prevent the data and equipment from being damaged or altered. Fulton County said the states demands were unnecessary, and a lower court would not force it to agree. Dominions equipment was also used in Maricopa County, where it was inspected twice by two federally accredited voting system laboratories. It passed both times, according to reports of the inspections posted by Maricopa County. Dush has advocated for overturning Bidens victory in Pennsylvania and for bringing an Arizona-style election investigation to Pennsylvania. The subpoena The statewide Commonwealth Court last month rejected Democrats efforts to block a subpoena issued by a Republican-controlled Senate committee for information from state election officials. But the court also declined to greenlight the release of some information it sought, citing an argument by Democratic state Attorney General Josh Shapiro that it is protected by privacy laws. That protected information, according to Shapiros office, includes voters partial Social Security numbers and drivers license numbers and details about election systems that are barred from public disclosure by federal law governing critical infrastructure. Lawyers for Shapiros office and Senate Democrats want the court to order hearings so they can question Dush about why he thinks it is necessary to have the information. But instead, the court has ordered briefs due Feb. 15 on questions about the courts legal jurisdiction over a legislative subpoena. When he voted for the subpoena, Dush said he wants the information because of questions regarding the validity of people who have ... voted, whether or not they exist. He did not give examples. Election fraud An Associated Press investigation into potential cases of voter fraud in Pennsylvania and the five other battleground states where Trump disputed his loss to Biden in 2020 found a minuscule number of cases. Election officials in 11 of the states 67 counties identified a total of 26 possible cases of voter fraud, representing 0.03% of Bidens margin of victory. He defeated Trump in Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, according to the states certified results. The cost Its going up. In Arizona, millions of dollars were supplied by Trump supporters to underwrite the effort. In Pennsylvania, Senate Republicans concluded it would be illegal to accept private donations for the task and they would use taxpayer dollars. The original contract between Senate Republicans and Envoy Sage is $270,250, but Dushs office acknowledged the Fulton County undertaking was not covered under the original contract and requires an addendum. The addendum, dated Jan. 20, adds another $187,865, according to a copy posted online by the state Treasury Department. In addition, lawyers are now representing both Republican and Democratic senators in two court cases, one on the subpoena and one over Fulton Countys voting machines. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Waffle House shooter who killed four people sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole By all accounts, it is a near certainty the Republican Party will regain control of the House of Representatives this year and is well-positioned to gain one seat and secure a Senate majority. The only thing standing in the way is Donald Trump. If the national party leadership enters the midterm campaign season as the cult of Trump, the odds of returning to congressional power for the first time since 2014 will plummet. With an unpopular President Biden, a bitterly divided Democratic Party and national dissatisfaction with the countrys direction, the Republican future is bright. It is time to cut ties with the ex-president and halt the damaging debate over his insistence he was cheated out of re-election in 2020. His recent unhinged rally harangues have astonished even many of his hard-core supporters and created a narrative that, left unchecked, will turn voters away from the partys congressional candidates. For more than a year, Trump has insisted the election was stolen despite not a shred of credible supporting evidence has been presented in the more than 60 court challenges. His response has been to stoke outrage by claiming Vice President Mike Pence had the unilateral power to overturn the election results an argument with no constitutional or statutory foundation. He most recently urged his followers to erupt in national mass protests if charges are lodged by vicious, racist prosecutors investigating allegations of illegal activities by his private businesses as well as by accusations he interfered in the balloting process in Georgia. It was a call to arms to promote civil uprisings to discredit the established legal system if he or his businesses are found culpable. He followed by pledging that if elected president in 2024, he would issue pardons to anyone found guilty of Federal charges for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U. S. Capitol building. It was the kind of fist-shaking rant history has recorded as shouted from balconies to mass audiences below. Republican leaders are likely aghast at Trumps language and threats, but those few who have spoken out have been measured while the vast majority have remained silent. It is indicative of Trumps iron grip on that portion of the party base that shouts in agreement when he speaks and it creates a fear that crossing the former president would alienate his dedicated followers. His calls to cast aside the constitution and place his interests above it, incite potentially violent street protests and abuse presidential pardon authority to absolve rioters who threatened duly elected members of Congress, can no longer go unanswered. Dismissing his actions as simply Trump being Trump is wishful thinking, a belief that Americans will grow weary of his histrionics, and hell fade into irrelevancy. They rightly point out that without the national stage given him by the White House, his voice and authority are seriously diminished. His banishment from social media platforms has hampered his reach as well. He remains, though, a shrewd manipulator of the mainstream media. They cover his rallies, tout his fund-raising prowess and assess the strength of his candidate endorsements. Trumps guiding principle is that the American people can never hear enough from him and the media is a willing accomplice in achieving it. He understands that the greater his outrage, the more inflammatory and personally coarse his language, the more widespread is the coverage. The damage inflicted on the Republican Party, though, will continue to pile up and, in the absence of a response, will become a crushing burden. While Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell a frequent target of some of Trumps cruelest attacks has ignored him, it is a position that will become untenable over time. It is time to acknowledge that Trump will not go away anytime soon, hell not retire gracefully like his predecessors and will continue to strew political havoc throughout the Republican Party. Congressional elections are 10 months off, but serious campaigning and fund raising have already begun. The party leadership can no longer afford a delay and drift strategy and hope Trump will talk and bluster his way out of relevancy. The leadership must move decisively to isolate Trump and break cleanly from his incendiary rhetoric. If not, Trump will isolate the party. Carl Golden is a senior contributing analyst with the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University in New Jersey. You can reach him at cgolden1937@gmail. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Education featured Denton library, shop see interest in 'Maus' after commotion over Holocaust tale Pantheon/AP Maus, Art Spiegelmans Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, was recently banned by a Tennessee school district. The uproar has led to interest in the book locally at stores and libraries. In January, a Tennessee school board voted to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus from its school curriculum. Shortly after the move made national news, Denton business owner Tim Stoltzfus said his shop, More Fun Comics & Games, started getting a surge of calls about Art Spiegelmans book, which depicts his parents experience in the Holocaust with Jews drawn as mice and Nazis depicted as cats. Maus has been in my shop since the first day it was open, he said. The McMinn County Board of Education voted to remove the book from its eighth grade curriculum, citing profanity and nudity. But Stoltzfus said buyers keep the title in perennial demand. When it was first published in the 1980s, Maus came in two paperbacks, Maus I: A Survivors Tale My Father Bleeds History and Maus II: A Survivors Tale And Here My Troubles Began. Eventually, the two volumes were published as a single hardback book. Maus has always been so popular that Ive sold it in both those forms, the two paperbacks and the hardback, Stoltzfus said. People who arent familiar with the book might think of it as a drop in the ocean of comic books, he said. Maus is high art, he said. Oh, its one of the best books ever written. Its phenomenal. In 1986, that book came out with The Watchmen and The Dark Night Returns. They singlehandedly brought back the comic book industry. Its a great example of what a comic book can do that cant be done in other media. When news of the Tennessee school boards removal of the graphic novel went viral, Stoltzfus said, he immediately ordered additional copies for his store. Within 48 hours, the wholesale companies I buy from were sold out of Maus, he said. The controversy over Maus is the latest in a series of conflicts over books in schools. Last July, Texas state Rep. Matt Krause sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency requesting they locate which school libraries and classrooms included any of a list of more than 800 books, and how much money was spent on them. Many of the titles were either about LGBTQ or nonwhite characters and stories, or were written by LGBTQ or nonwhite writers. The American Library Association reported in November that across the country, school and municipal libraries have seen a dramatic uptick in book challenges and outright removal of books. Also in November, the Denton Public Library canceled a story time on Transgender Remembrance Day after threats made on social media. The threats followed conservative gubernatorial candidate Don Huffines public urging for Denton officials to cancel the event and fire the library staff members who recommended it. Local activists hosted the story time at a Denton brewery, while several protesters gathered nearby. Last December, Denton ISD pulled a book by a Black queer author from a district library to review it. All Boys Arent Blue by George M. Johnson is still under review by committee, district communications chief Julie Zwahr said. The district hasnt banned any title from its libraries, and officials decided to reevaluate the title based on concerns raised by another school district. There hasnt been any local call to remove Maus from Denton library shelves. The Denton Public Library has a single copy of the collected Maus, kept in the adult graphic novel section at North Branch Library. On Friday, the sole copy of the book was checked out through Feb. 8, and six holds had been placed on it. When there are that many holds on a book, that shows its popular, Denton Public Library Director Jennifer Bekker said earlier this week, after four library patrons had put holds on the book. When there are that many holds on a library item, Bekker said, it automatically starts a process leading to the purchase of another copy. There have been no requests made to the Denton Public Library to reevaluate the title. Denton ISD has copies of the book at Guyer, Ryan and Denton high schools and at Crownover, Calhoun, Harpool and McMath middle schools. A Spanish translation of the book is in the Denton High library, too. Zwahr said there have been no complaints or formal challenges regarding Spiegelmans graphic novel. Denton ISD has only received one formal challenge in two years, and this title was not involved, she said. Bekker said that while all public libraries are subject to scrutiny, school libraries are often at the center of challenges and removals. People worry about what children read and see, which is understandable, she said. Parents want to be more involved with what their children are reading and learning, and its good for parents to be engaged in their kids education. Bekker said the Denton Public Library doesnt get frequent book challenges. The last one was in 2020, she said. Wed get maybe one a year. Weve had none this year, yet. And none in 2021. But was that was during COVID Im not sure if COVID affected that or not. A request to review library material uses a form Bekker describes as in-depth. An ad hoc committee made up of the collections development staff, youth services, teen services and adult services staffers reads, watches or listens to the material a patron requests. Sometimes, the committee discovers the material needs to be recategorized from material for children to youth or teen material. Sometimes, the committee recommends keeping the title where it has been placed in collections, and all recommendations are determined by Bekker. The patron can appeal the decision to the library board, which is a committee appointed by the Denton City Council. Bekker said librarians are trained to talk with patrons about their concerns, and guide them to material that they prefer for themselves or their children. Librarians, were there to help people find the material theyre looking for, Bekker said. Sometimes, parents especially feel their child has chosen something that isnt appropriate for them for any number of reasons. And when someone wants the library to review something, theyll say theyre worried about other peoples feelings. They worry about someone else being exposed to or being upset by something. Were there to help people find the material they think is best for their families. University of North Texas professors Sarah Evans and Jennifer Moore teach and research public library issues and comic books. Moore is researching censorship in libraries, and Evans teaches future librarians how to handle book challenges. A request for reevaluation isnt censorship, Evans said. Removing books from libraries, banning books from libraries that is censorship. I tell my students that even if they get nervous when someone asks them to reevaluate something, if they shove a piece of paper at someone, they are going to get a challenge. But if they listen to the person, if they have the conversation, theyre going to find that people want to be heard. It isnt just about having a policy. Its about people feeling theyve been heard. Moore said school libraries have to serve a broader audience, and that sometimes means students will check out material they arent ready for. Your books have to meet the needs of so many different readers, she said. You have kindergartners who cant read because they havent had the experience with books, and then youre going to have the kindergartner who is already going to go to the chapter books, check out Junie B. Jones and finish it over the weekend. You have to meet developmental and curricular needs. Students are going to check out something theyre not ready for, sometimes. The conflict around Maus is more complicated because baby boomers and older grandparents grew up in an era when comic books were intentionally made to be appropriate for children and youth, Evans said. Maus ushered in a new niche: graphic novels and comic books made for adult readers. Maus really changed things in the 1980s, and it makes sense for some people to feel like its not right for a young audience. ... But Maus can be a good book for the teenager who is studying the Holocaust, Evans said. Stoltzfus said he knows that selling a book at the center of controversy or censorship attempts makes him, his staff and his store vulnerable to vandalism and threats. I worry about that, he said. I do. But I have to do what seems like the right thing to do. Leroy Garcia, who is leaving his District 3 state senator role for job at the Pentago, speaks at the Greater Pueblo Chamber Legislative Breakfast Series in the Pueblo Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. When Sen. Leroy Garcia steps down from the Colorado senate to take up an appointment at the Pentagon, a vacancy committee will meet to choose a new senator for District 3, which includes the city of Pueblo and Pueblo West. Anyone who wants to run for that seat has to submit a letter of intent to me, Colorado House of Representatives majority leader Daneya Esgar told The Pueblo Chieftain on Saturday. Candidates for Garcias seat must be registered Democrats but do not have to be elected officials, she said. In the two days since Garcia announced his resignation, two people have submitted letters of intent to be considered for the soon-to-be vacant seat, Esgar said, without going into detail. Ive heard of more folks who are interested, she said. 'Big boots to fill': Puebloans praise Leroy Garcia as he leaves senate for Pentagon The vacancy committee hopes to have selected the next senator for District 3 by the end of the month, Esgar said. The new senator will hold the position until the end of the legislative session on May 12. "We're asking someone to step in for the next three months," she said. The Colorado Senate Democratic caucus will hold a separate election to choose a new president of the state senate, a position Garcia has held since 2019. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: How Colorado District 3 will choose new state senator to replace Leroy Garcia A woman was shot and taken to a local hospital with non-fatal injuries Saturday night, according to the Escambia County Sheriffs Office. ECSO spokeswoman Sgt. Melony Peterson said that deputies responded around 8 p.m. Saturday to the shooting that occurred at the Oak Meadow Apartments off West Fairfield Drive. A woman was shot and taken to a local hospital with non-fatal injuries Saturday night, according to the Escambia County Sheriffs Office. Upon their arrival, the deputies spoke with the injured woman. She said that she was walking down the stairs, heard a bang and realized she had been shot, Peterson explained. Escambia: Escambia firefighter injured in fall while fighting double blaze Tuesday in Pensacola Pensacola: Auto body shop busier than ever as more drivers flock to Florida | PHOTOS The woman was transported to a local hospital. The injured woman is expected to make a full recovery, Peterson added. Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County Florida woman shot in stomach at apartment complex In 1956, Flanvis J. Johnson set his eyes on a white-paneled, three-bedroom house with a sunroom on Akrons Douglas Street, just west of downtown. The Camilla, Georgia, native and decorated World War II veteran had been working two jobs to save up for this moment. To realize his dream of homeownership, Johnson, 37, alternated between shifts at Leeds Jewelry store downtown, where he cleaned and maintained the shop, and Babcock & Wilcox, a power plant where he worked as a millwright the first African American to hold that role in the company. Johnson purchased the home at 533 Douglas St. for $11,000 the equivalent of $112,750 today and settled into the vibrant neighborhood with his wife, Evelyn, and their children. His sons, Joey and Willie, quickly bonded with the other kids who lived on the block. After walking home from Grace School, the children played football and foursquare in the street, frequently drawing the ire of an elderly neighbor, Mr. Holloway, who didnt want the boys running through his immaculate yard. They bought penny candies from Harrys corner store and rode their bikes the short trip to the custard stand at Edgewood and Euclid avenues, where they feasted on hot dogs, hamburgers and frozen custard, and where teenagers gathered after basketball games to catch glimpses of their crushes. Akron Innerbelt: Project destroyed Black-owned businesses in its path Willie Johnson stands in front of what used to be his familys home at 533 Douglas St. in Akron. The Johnson family blames the construction of the Akron Innerbelt for its depreciation in value when they owned the house. There were painful memories, too. One year, a baby died when the house across the street caught fire. The father of another household struggled with alcoholism. But the community on Douglas Street was tight-knit. Neighbors supported and looked out for each other through the ups and downs of life. Then, one by one, people began to leave the neighborhood in the late 1960s. Rumors circulated that a highway was coming through, and the city was taking peoples homes to make way for it. City leaders had big plans for the Akron Innerbelt, a highway connecting downtown Akron to the suburbs. Instead, it became a highway to nowhere a never-completed road that tore apart a neighborhood and pushed hundreds of Black families out of their homes and off the path to generational wealth. Story continues Black families that had worked hard to buy houses long the standard for accruing and passing on generational wealth lost them overnight. Many became renters and entered public housing developments. Some were able to purchase homes in other parts of the city, though white flight followed them. Those who kept their homes also lost, as declining property values prevented them from being able to build equity. Incomplete records mean that we do not know the exact number of houses razed or individuals displaced by the Akron Innerbelt. A 1975 document compiled by the Akron Department of Planning and Urban Renewal notes that at least 737 households were displaced during the highways first two phases of construction. But that figure does not account for two later phases lasting until 1987, and former city employees, displaced residents, advocates and local historians believe the number is higher. In 2017, the Ohio Department of Transportation began to decommission a portion of the highway, which the city acquired in September. Now, the mistakes of the past are guiding discussions about the future of a 30-acre decommissioned stretch of the highway in the heart of Akron. This is my house: Akron officials seized property to make way for Innerbelt To make way for the Innerbelt in the late 1960s, city officials had been seizing property through eminent domain and offering a small amount of cash to homeowners for relocation purposes. The payouts, which frequently were contested by homeowners, were often not enough to purchase new homes. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the city was offering about $5,000 to each homeowner, though on rare occasions payments were as high as $15,000. When the city did not approach Johnson to buy his house, he was devastated. Johnson knew that if he stayed in the neighborhood, his house would end up being worth next to nothing. A Sanborn map from the 1930s shows some of the homes and businesses that were affected decades later by the Akron Innerbelt construction from West Cedar Street to the northeast to Wooster Avenue to the south. All of the homes to the south of his were razed to make way for the highway. The Innerbelt cut through the middle of Douglas, Bell, Berry and other nearby residential streets, turning them into dead ends. A comparison of Akron street directories from 1968 and 1988 offers a glimpse into the extent of the destruction on Douglas Street, which lost about 150 buildings. Bell Street lost 160 buildings and Berry Avenue lost about 30. Property values on Douglas Street and the surrounding areas impacted by the highway construction began to plummet. With so many families leaving the neighborhood, school enrollment also declined, which led to school closures, further depreciating home values. By 1996, 40 years after Flanvis Johnson purchased it, the Johnson home was worth only $11,940. Meanwhile, average property values in Akron stood at $45,931. Still, the Johnsons tried to maintain their home. After Flanvis died in 2002, an aging Evelyn lived alone at 533 Douglas St. Bishop Joey Johnson, pastor of the House of the Lord, holds a photograph of his family's home on Douglas Street that his father purchased in the late 1950s. The family blames the Akron Innerbelt construction for the home's depreciation. Joey, who is now the senior pastor at The House of the Lord, paid off the rest of the mortgage, but the home had also fallen into disrepair, and insurance companies refused to insure it unless costly renovations were made. Joey faced a dilemma. He could continue pouring money into the property money that the family would never recover to make it safe and habitable for his mother, or he could move her into a senior living facility. That was a very difficult proposition. ... She wanted to stay, Joey said. When the day came to move Evelyn into the assisted living facility, she was in tears. I dont want to move. This is my house, she cried to her son. After Evelyn left the home, her son Willie, who had been renting another property at the time, moved into the home on Douglas Street. But he inherited unpaid bills and fell behind on taxes, and eventually lost the house in 2008. The home went into foreclosure and was sold to a private company in 2017 for $2,500. This is a photograph of the home purchased by Flanvis J. Johnson on Douglas Street in the late 1950s. It was not one of the homes purchased by the city to make way for the Akron Innerbelt but the family blames the home's depreciation on the highway construction. Occupied by another owner today, 533 Douglas St. is appraised at $18,500. The home lies in a census tract where, in 2020, average property values hovered at $18,948, a fraction of the citywide average of $66,184. Flanvis Johnson was never able to pass on the fruits of his labor to future generations of his family. In the African American community, rarely does anybody leave anybody anything. You end up paying to have them buried. I was left nothing. I was left with bills, Joey Johnson said. Every time I got ready to buy a house, buy a car, go to school, there is no wealth accumulated, so you have to do all of that on your own, he said, reflecting on how the loss of property value on his familys home after the Innerbelts construction decimated his familys wealth. After marrying, Joey and his wife moved into the Spring Hill subsidized housing development. He was not able to purchase a home until later in life and, even then, he was limited in the kind of home he could buy. At age 69, Joey continues to work because he is unable to afford retirement. Aerial photograph of construction of the Innerbelt in Akron taken in 1978. Today, the median U.S. Black household possesses less than 15% of the net wealth of median white households. Homeownership and home equity account for two-thirds of a familys net wealth, according to LaDale Winling, a professor of urban history at Virginia Tech. In 1960, 53% of nonwhite families in Akron owned their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Though homeownership rates in Akron have since fallen for both white and Black families, in 2019, only 34% of Black families in the city lived in owner-occupied homes compared to 59% of white families. Equity is the key to social mobility and generational wealth accumulation and for African Americans and other racial groups, the odds have been stacked against homeownership because of racial discrimination, racial segregation, said Eric Avila, an urban planning professor at UCLA. When folks were able to buy a home in segregated neighborhoods, that was an achievement, but it was undermined. Highway construction devalued property among homeowners who lived in the vicinity of highway building projects. That story is repeated on the national level, and I think partly helps to explain the racial wealth gap. The racial biases inherent within the federal highway building program disproportionately affected African-American homeowners and prevented an entire generation of Black homeowners from realizing generational wealth, he said. Why Akron Innerbelt was built First proposed in 1960, the Akron Innerbelt was conceived as part of a 15-mile-long expressway that would run from U.S. Route 224 in Barberton through downtown Akron to state Route 8 and then through to Kent. The rationale behind the Akron Innerbelt, which began to be built under Mayor John Ballard in 1970, was linked to a larger trend in urban planning and highway projects throughout the country. With the rise of the automobile and the proliferation of suburban housing developments after World War II, many Americans flocked to the suburbs. Retail businesses and newly constructed malls followed them there, while downtowns began to decline. In Akron, good-paying rubber factory jobs began disappearing in the 1960s. This architectural drawing, circa 1968, shows the original plan to hook up the north end of the Akron Innerbelt to state Route 8. The project would have involved a bridge running from near Howard Street all the way to the current Route 8 bridge. A full interchange would have been constructed above the Little Cuyahoga Valley. Estimated cost today: more than $1 billion. With support from the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, planners looked to the interstate highway system as a way of reversing urban decline by making it easier for suburbanites to drive to and from downtowns, where they would shop or work. The Akron Innerbelt would provide the much needed stimulation for further economic growth in the Akron Metropolitan Area, concluded a 1963 report from the Akron Department of Planning and Urban Renewal. At the time, 23,000 or 18.3% of jobs in the city were located downtown. But the proposed location of the Innerbelt points to the structurally racist underpinnings of urban renewal and housing policies of the era nationwide, experts say. It also ran counter to a federally funded effort to invest in that neighborhood through the Model Cities Program. A 1939 map of Akron shows that the areas slated for demolition to make way for the Innerbelt had been redlined. The term was used to denote neighborhoods usually predominantly Black that the federal government had labeled undesirable or "hazardous" and therefore risky for lenders. Consequently, banks often refused to lend to Black homeowners living in redlined areas, whether to buy homes or repair the ones they owned. The area designated for the Innerbelt construction contained enough blighted housing and substandard conditions to warrant either total clearance or almost total clearance, according to the 1963 Akron report. To enact their vision for urban renewal, planners and developers across the country followed paths of least financial and political resistance, Winling said. After decades of discriminatory lending, the new highways would run through neighborhoods where communities of color lived, which were deemed less valuable and therefore cheapest to bulldoze. These same communities also often lacked political representatives that would have stood up to the interests of the planners and builders. Crews work on a portion of what is now a 54-inch storm drain bed under the Akron Innerbelt. Bell Street used to run through the area. Before the construction of the Innerbelt, Akron completed three major urban renewal projects around downtown Grant/Washington, Lane/Wooster and Opportunity Park which displaced significant portions of the citys Black population. By 1975, urban renewal projects, including the Innerbelt, had relocated 3,197 households, according to municipal records. Meanwhile, in the mid-1960s, residents in the nearby affluent and white suburb of Fairlawn successfully protested and prevented the state from running Interstate 77 through their community. White affluent or white middle class communities had the wherewithal to block highway construction, Avila said. They had the political clout. They had connections in city hall. They had resources and access to forms of mobilization that African American and other minority communities did not have. So the existing pattern of highway construction today what was built and what wasnt built conforms to a racially and economically skewed pattern of political resistance that was successful largely in white affluent communities and not successful in poor and/or minority communities. As historian Richard Rothstein notes in his book, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, by the 1950s and 1960s, terms like slums and blight were tossed around euphemistically to refer to Black neighborhoods. City officials tried to control the movement of Black people away from downtowns so that white suburban commuters would not have to interact with them, Rothstein wrote, and they did so through slum clearance. One slum clearance tool was the construction of the federal interstate highway system, Rothstein wrote. Road to nowhere Backers of the Innerbelt project could have changed course. In 1970, the American Institute of Architects met with Akron urban planners and proposed alternative routes to the east or west of the eventual path. But Akron planners maintained the route, which would also cut through the center of Black commerce on Wooster Avenue and shutter more than 100 businesses, would be most efficient, best accommodate traffic and would greatly reduce costs. City officials said that adopting one of the alternative routes would have increased costs by $300,000 and delayed construction for up to two years. Akrons current urban planner Jason Segedy explained that because the wealth in Akron and its suburbs like Fairlawn, parts of Copley and Bath lie to the northwest, planners prioritized ramps to the west onto Interstate 76. The Rev. Greg Harrison stands on the spot where his family used to rent on 636 Douglas St. The family had to move because of the Akron Innerbelt construction. The home was destroyed along with hundreds of other surrounding houses and businesses. The Rev. Greg Harrison, whose family was displaced from their home at 636 Douglas St. in the 1960s, said the lack of ramps enabled white people from the suburbs to travel to downtown Akron without having to enter any Black neighborhoods. At the same time, it severed access for the people living in the neighborhoods. It was a bypass of the Black neighborhoods at the cost of Black neighborhoods, Harrison said. Segedy, too, views the Innerbelt more as a blight removal tool and urban renewal project than a well-thought-out transportation project. It was literally a road to nowhere, he said. Construction on the highway lasted until 1987. Despite its $300 million price tag a combination of state and federal funds the Akron Innerbelt ultimately never connected to Route 8 because the money had dried up. Jason Segedy, director of Planning and Urban Development for Akron, says the Akron Innerbelt was "literally a road to nowhere." The highway did not actually bring more traffic or wealth from the suburbs to downtown. On the contrary, Segedy believes the road made it easier for people, and wealth, to continue moving outward and away from the city. Designed to accommodate 120,000 cars daily, by the early 2000s the Innerbelt saw only about 18,000 cars per day. A 1977 paper by Frank J. Kendrick, a political science professor at the University of Akron, details how the Innerbelt further segregated the city and carried with it a host of other negative socioeconomic and environmental consequences in exchange for saving suburban drivers 1.25 minutes of driving time. A tremendous loss Segedy said most people who were displaced by the Innerbelt ended up in worse housing situations. Willie Johnson watched many neighbors, including homeowners, move into public housing, which municipal records show the city pushed aggressively during relocation efforts. I believe that a lot of people ended up in Section 8 because it was probably the quickest fix not a real fix, but to solve an immediate problem of where do we go from here? And I think many of them got trapped into Section 8 [housing], he said. Tom Fuller is the former executive director of Alpha Phi Alpha Homes. In the 1970s, he worked as a social worker in the city's relocation office, helping displaced families find new homes while the Akron Innerbelt was being constructed. Tom Fuller, former executive director of Alpha Phi Alpha Homes Inc., a nonprofit that provides housing for low-income seniors in Akron, many of whom are Black, was a social worker in the citys relocation office in the 1970s when the Innerbelt was being constructed. He went door to door helping to implement the citys policy of relocation and supporting families that were being displaced to find new housing. At the time, Fuller was unaware of how the Innerbelt project fit into larger systems of economic segregation and harm toward Black communities. I was interested in helping people get a leg up and that's what we were trying to do, he said. Though he was able to help some renters transition to first-time homeownership or otherwise improved conditions, he estimates that only about 25% of people ended up in better situations. Today, Fuller sees the ongoing reverberations of the injuries inflicted by the Innerbelt and urban renewal more generally. The Innerbelt relocation program offered displaced renters the opportunity to purchase homes, with up to $4,000 in state funds toward a down payment. Renters had to match anything over $2,000. Beacon Journal reports from 1972 show the Ohio Department of Transportation dragged its feet on advancing down payment assistance to people experiencing hardship, in violation of state law. Without money for a down payment, many renters remained in limbo and unable to move. As a result, nearly a year after the city began to purchase homes in the path of the highways second phase of construction, only 30 of the 487 affected families many of whom were renters were relocated. In a 1972 Beacon Journal article, Roland A. Nesslinger, who was then deputy director of the State Highway Departments right of way division, justified the states deferral of payments by claiming renters might spend relocation funds on color television sets or cars instead of the more important responsibility of using the money for adequate housing. Fuller recalls how entire neighborhoods were declared dilapidated in spite of the quality of some of the homes in them. In order to secure federal funding for urban renewal and highway projects, cities had to deem entire neighborhoods as being unfit for living. It would appear based upon my other reading that it was intentionally targeting African American communities, he said. Once the damage was done, any good housing stock that remained in those neighborhoods became impossible to maintain. Homeowners would never see the return on their investment. Lovie Moores father purchased her familys home on Rhodes Avenue near the future site of the Innerbelt in 1957 for $14,450, or $143,370 today. Sixty-five years later, the 2,269-square-foot home is appraised at a mere $35,740. Lovie Moore takes a portrait in the home that has been owned by her family since she was a child. She blames the depreciation of the home on the construction of the nearby Akron Innerbelt. Moore, who is 73 and inherited the home with her siblings, has lived on the street since she was a little girl. If it was white people that lived there, the value wouldnt be that low and they would have had more access to loans to renovate than we do. It would be easier for them to get a loan to renovate their property and beautify the neighborhood than we do, whats left of it, Moore said. Moore has worked hard to maintain her home her front lawn is perfectly manicured and the home was recently painted a bright white and green but the neighborhood looks different now. There are few homeowners left, and many people rent. Pockets of vacant land dot the landscape. Its just nothing like it used to be, you know, with the tearing down, with the Innerbelt and all of that. Everything is missing, she said. A lot of those homes were good homes, she added. Neighborhoods destroyed by urban renewal projects like the Innerbelt were socioeconomically diverse and thriving, Avila said. He pointed to examples in other parts of the country where thriving middle class neighborhoods and even wealthy Black neighborhoods, like the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles, which was cleared for the Santa Monica Freeway were destroyed for highway construction. The idea that highways destroyed slums is a gross generalization that calls into question who was defining what slums were in the mid-20th century. It was an overwhelmingly white male planning profession, he said. Segregated housing policies of the early 20th century had forced Black families to live together regardless of income. Then urban renewal and highway projects destroyed this model of urban Black community and fueled a kind of class segregation of African Americans, Avila said. Malcolm Costa, CEO of Community Action Akron Summit, stands in his office next to a photograph of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on Aug. 28, 1963. Costa's father used to own a barbershop on Wooster Avenue. Malcolm Costa, whose father used to own a barbershop on Wooster Avenue (now Vernon Odom Boulevard), remembers Black professionals, skilled workers and low-income families living together in his neighborhood. Doctors and attorneys because of the housing policies they lived in the same type of community as other Blacks and, I mean, I know personally because our doctor lived two streets from where we lived. You had the professionals as well as the skilled laborer plumbers, electricians, those types of households that were doing really well, he said. It was by no means dilapidated, he said of the neighborhood. Costa now serves as CEO of Community Action Akron Summit, a nonprofit group that provides support to Akrons low-income communities. The organization was established in 1964 as the Community Action Council as a response to the growing problem of urban poverty and housing insecurity that intensified during and after urban renewal. Many of the families displaced by the Grant/Washington urban renewal project of the early 1960s ended up moving to West Akron, Costa said, unaware that they would be displaced again by Opportunity Park several years later. Eventually, the Innerbelt also came through West Akron, causing another round of displacement. Gordon Keaton sits in his Akron home. He grew up on Damon Place with his mother and siblings before they were forced to move to make way for construction of the Akron Innerbelt. In many cases, people moved two or three times, Costa said. From a childs perspective, relocation happened suddenly, seemingly without warning. When Gordon Keaton and his family were displaced from their Damon Place rental when he was a teenager in the late 1960s, he didn't understand all the changes happening around him. Adults focused on surviving and often didnt talk about these things. Where would his friends go, Keaton wondered, and where would his family end up when they were forced to vacate their apartment? His family did not own a car. Keaton worried whether he would be able to walk to his friends new homes and maintain the relationships that were so crucial to him. Losing my friends, my relationships that I had developed there, how do I grieve that? Nobody we didn't know anything about the grieving process or grieving itself, the loss. We're all being displaced, the 72-year-old recalled. That was a tremendous loss for me, he said. Equitable redevelopment For Joey Johnson, the ill-fated Innerbelt destroyed Akrons Black cultural heritage, erasing hope and identity. If you don't have land, I'm not sure you can have an identity, he said. It's very difficult to develop an identity with no stable land, foundation, community, those kinds of things. And areas where [Black people] develop those things white folks went in and burned them down because they recognized the power of what was going on, he said, drawing a connection between the ways officials used the law to destroy Black neighborhoods through highway projects and other stains in Americas history, like the violent erasure of Black business districts in Tulsa and elsewhere. Johnson, who chairs the mayor-appointed Racial Equity and Social Justice Task Force, urged city officials to keep an eye toward equity as they engage in conversations about how to redevelop the stretch of former highway north of Exchange Street. As co-chair of the task forces housing subcommittee, one of Johnsons chief concerns is the lack of safe and affordable housing in a city where 85% of the housing stock is over 100 years old. In addition to increasing homeownership rates among the citys Black residents, the subcommittee recommends new affordable housing or rehabilitation near the Innerbelt and in other socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The people who are left down there, they are at a dead end, and we have to think about giving them opportunities, help them build wealth, he said. Diners gather around a 500-foot table on a stretch of the Akron Innerbelt during 500 Plates, a shared community meal, on Oct. 4, 2015. Current residents and people whose families were displaced by the Innerbelt told the Beacon Journal they want to see more investment in their neighborhoods, from affordable housing and increased opportunities for homeownership to workforce development, recreational and enrichment programs for children and support for small businesses. They also pointed out that the area is a food desert, with dollar stores and gas stations but few full service grocery stores. Past redevelopment proposals for the Innerbelt have included a public space, such as a park, Segedy said. In 2015, the Knight Foundation awarded a $96,200 grant to San Francisco-based artist Hunter Franks to host a 500-person dinner on the site of the now-vacated stretch of highway. (The city closed the road for one day to accommodate the event). Participants were encouraged to share how they would like to see the space redeveloped. Following the input of diners, in 2017, Franks organization, the League of Creative Interventionists, received another $214,420 Knight grant to transform the space into a temporary urban forest. Visitors to the forest could enjoy concerts, goat yoga and other programs. Despite the largely positive press these interventions received, some of those closely involved hold a more skeptical view. Community organizer Beth Vild, who worked on the 500 Plates event, expressed concern about the lack of meaningful, sustained outreach to Black communities that had been impacted by the highway, among other issues. It was just a tokenizing event to show that things could be happening on Route 59 and that things should be reimagined and that we need a white savior from out of town to do it, she said. Nevertheless, Vild is hopeful that Liz Ogbu, a Bay Area-based urban designer who is committed to engaging and transforming unjust urban environments, could help steer the city in a better direction. Liz Ogbu, a San Francisco Bay area-based urban designer who the City of Akron has hired to lead the informal advisory committee tasked with discussing the future redevelopment of the Innerbelt. I hope it's a different age that we are walking into with her. I want to have the best hopes for where that is going, because we need it, Vild said. Including impacted communities in the redevelopment process is a priority for Ogbu, whom the city hired last spring to lead the informal advisory committee tasked with discussing the future redevelopment of the Innerbelt. Launched by former Deputy Mayor James Hardy, the Innerbelt Advisory Committee consists of 13 diverse community members, including former displaced residents, elected officials, downtown business people, artists and community advocates. The project comes at an opportune time. President Joe Bidens $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, signed last fall, includes a $1 billion initiative aimed at reconnecting communities that have been divided by local highway projects. Akron can apply for a share of that money. Depending on what it decides to do with the land, the city could apply for additional grants. Segedy said the city also is open to exploring philanthropic support. At the core of Ogbu's mission is to use urban design as a vehicle to positively transform and heal communities. The way in which I work is often about What does a reparative [design] process look like? Ogbu told the Beacon Journal. Its really easy to do an envisioning process that is like, What are all the cool things we can bring here? What are the beautiful spaces that we can create? [But] a lot of times were actually building on a foundation of broken promises and crushed dreams. And when we build without a regard to also having an ability to hold space for that and acknowledge it and reckon with that, then often times you dont engage people in the way that they need to be engaged and you create something that actually usually has a limited potential for success and also doesnt meet the needs of a lot of people, she said. The committee has dedicated some of its monthly meetings, which have so far been closed to the media and the public, to learning and sharing the history of the Innerbelt and how it set back Black residents for generations. In March, the city plans to launch a public engagement process to hear residents input on redevelopment. Details of what that public engagement process will look like remain unclear, but Ogbu and Segedy said they anticipate a combination of in-person and virtual meetings. The city has launched a website, www.akroninnerbelt.com, where people can register with an email address to receive updates about the process. Exploring the possibilities What could equitable redevelopment of the Innerbelt and its surrounding neighborhoods look like? In January, Santa Monica launched the "Right to Return" program, which seeks to offer affordable housing to descendants of more than 100 Black and Latinx families who were displaced by the Santa Monica Freeway in the 1960s. In St. Paul, Minnesota home to the historically Black community of Rondo, which was demolished in the 1950s and 1960s for Interstate 94 residents and advocates teamed up with the state legislature and state department of transportation to devise a plan to reconnect the community while keeping the road intact. The proposal is to build a community land bridge which would cap the freeway and allow for the construction of affordable housing and businesses on top of it. Ogbu said she is interested in implementing a community support program in Akron similar to the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C. Initiated in 2016, the 11th Street Bridge Park will be an elevated park over the Anacostia River. To the east of the river are the predominantly Black communities of Wards 7 and 8, which have long experienced disinvestment. Vaughn Perry, director of equity at Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC, the nonprofit that spearheaded the park project, explained that when redevelopment projects come in, residents often rightfully fear their neighborhoods will be gentrified and that they will be displaced. To counteract this, the 11th Street Bridge Park, with the input of the community and extensive collaborations with other nonprofits and the local government, launched a series of programs to aid residents in workforce development, job training, homeownership and cultural preservation. Perry said his organization raised $75 million almost as much as the construction cost of the park itself to reinvest in Wards 7 and 8. The Homebuyers Club is one of the support programs of the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C., that provides potential homebuyers with the knowledge and tools to invest in their community. The 11th Street Bridge Park launched a series of programs to aid residents in workforce development, job training, homeownership and cultural preservation. The nonprofit collaborated with other area organizations to host tenant rights workshops and launched the Ward 8 Homebuyers Program. Now in its fifth year, the homebuyers program has seen almost 1,400 participants and enabled about 100 people to purchase homes in the neighborhood. The nonprofit also established a community land trust as another avenue for affordable housing and wealth creation. These are people who have come from generations of renters who are now being able to shift the potential for wealth in their family by being able to purchase a home, Perry said. Technical assistance, loans and workshops also are available to small-business owners. Many small businesses had to transition to e-commerce because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Perry said, so his organization offers services like web support. The nonprofit sees the construction of the bridge itself as an employment opportunity for Ward 7 and 8 residents. We wanted to make sure that when the bridge was being built, it can be built by a majority of people that live in this community. So we have been providing training for the last four years around construction training, Perry said. Additional workforce development programs geared toward the hospitality and retail industries will launch before the park breaks ground. The National Park Service and the 11th Street Bridge Park present the Anacostia River Festival on April 9, 2017, at Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C. Perry said the 11th Street Bridge Park also has been working to preserve the traditions, culture and voices of residents through the Anacostia River Festival, which highlights local artists, and its Community Leadership Empowerment Workshops. Though Perrys organization is nonprofit, he said that this model of equitable redevelopment can be replicated by any organization, including local governments, because it requires deep collaboration among residents, elected officials and community organizations. Relationship-building and involving residents in every step of the envisioning, planning and execution process is key, he said. Community engagement should eliminate as many barriers as possible, whether that means going directly into neighborhoods to knock on doors and attend their community meetings or carefully timing town halls so that working families can attend them. Offering child care and food during meetings also can increase participation, he said. At the crux of this is relationship-building, Perry said. All of the strategies came from our community. Were not going in and trying to give solutions, but we believe that the solutions are always in the community. We believe the community can identify their own problems, and they also can identify their own solutions. And so for us, its how do we bring additional resources to these solutions that the community says will help [them] become more resilient? A wall separates the Akron Innerbelt from what remains of Douglas Street. Whatever plan Akron adopts, it must take into account the unique challenges posed by the site itself, including accessibility, Segedy said. The highway is sunken and filling it would be cost-prohibitive, he said, though he and other city officials did not offer a figure for how much filling the land would cost. Because the city owns the land, the city has a lot of power to steer how the land is developed, if they so choose, said Ben Crowther, program manager for the Congress for the New Urbanism's Highways to Boulevards and Freeways Without Futures initiatives. You can easily leverage that lands value to create reparative programs, one that restitches and heals community wounds, he added. Crowther encouraged meaningful public engagement efforts, including transparency in the request-for-proposals stage of the process. He also pushed back on Akrons position that filling the sunken stretch of highway would be too expensive. Rochester recently filled a 0.6-mile sunken stretch at the eastern end of the Inner Loop highway. Erik Frisch, former manager of special projects at the city of Rochester, said filling 150,000 cubic yards of the highway cost about $3 million. For a total of $24.25 million, the city was able to develop six acres of that land into townhouse apartments, retail, green space and bike lanes. Federal funding covered the majority of the cost. Other than healing the physical scar of a highway, it was not about healing the wounds of the neighborhood, Frisch said. Rochesters plans to redevelop the next section of the Inner Loop highway seeks to incorporate the input of the communities who had been displaced by the highway as well as those who still live in the highways vicinity. In Akron, Ogbu said it will take years to undertake such an ambitious redevelopment project and encouraged people to remain patient. She also emphasized the need for the city to build trust with residents. Those wounds are so deep that anytime you say youre going to do a big project, people go back to that story. The onus is on us to build that relationship of trust and to show that we are completely clear on what has happened before, Ogbu said. Segedy said that the lessons of the past will continue to guide the citys approach to redevelopment. Akron was doing what a lot of cities had done to put these urban freeways in with little or no consultation of the people whose homes and livelihoods were affected. And so I think one goal here is to engage the public in efforts to try to reimagine what could happen there, he said. The Rev. Greg Harrison stands on Douglas Street where he grew up and attended an elementary school at the end of the street with his neighbors and friends. The home his family rented was torn down to make way for the Innerbelt. Those who were adults when the city took the homes and dreams they had worked hard to build are no longer alive. But their surviving children, who are seniors now, continue to feel the economic and emotional shocks of dispossession. One of them, Greg Harrison, is cautiously optimistic about the redevelopment of the Akron Innerbelt. He believes the city has a moral obligation to build trust with and engage the families whose communities, land and wealth were stolen by the highways construction. You cant repair all of the damage, but you can repair some of it, he said. If you really want to do whats right, talk to the children of the Innerbelt, and lets find a way to rebuild what you destroyed: African American community. This story was published with the support of a fellowship from Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. Doug Livingston contributed to this report. Seyma Bayram is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at sbayram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3327 or on Twitter @SeymaBayram0. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: How the failed Akron Innerbelt drove decades of racial inequity By Ayya Lmahamad Romanian Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has said that his country supports underwater electricity cable project with Azerbaijan and Georgia. "We are open to possible collaboration between Romania, Azerbaijan and Georgia to build together an underwater cable for the transportation of electricity underneath the Black Sea," he wrote on his official Facebook page. The minister also affirmed Romania's openness as regards the increase of the SOCAR's investments in the country, both in the field of electricity production, as well as in the area of the chemical fertilizer market. It should be noted that Virgil Popescu was on an official visit to Azerbaijan to participate in the 8th ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. Azerbaijan and Romania are cooperating in various spheres of the economy. SOCAR operates in Romania through SOCAR Petroleum SA, established in 2011, and owns SOCAR- branded petrol stations in 26 regions of Romania. Meeting with the newly-appointed Romanian ambassador Vasile Soare in October last year, President Ilham Aliyev also stated that Romania plays important role in the Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation plan. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $215.5 million in 2021, with exports amounting to $120.5 million, and imports to $94.9 million. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Sen. Lisa Murkowski encouraged President Biden to tap a SCOTUS nominee who can get bipartisan support. During a CNN interview, she said that she would be "honored" to support an "exceptional" Black female nominee. Murkowski, who has a moderate voting record, has been receptive to Biden's judicial picks. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Sunday said President Joe Biden should put forward a Supreme Court nominee who could receive support from Democrats and Republicans, while also noting she would be "honored" to back an "exceptional African American woman." During a joint interview with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on CNN's "State of the Union," Murkowski said that Biden tapping a consensus pick would be a much-needed olive branch to Americans who have lamented the increased politicization of judicial nominations in recent years. "It goes back to [the president's] words at the prayer breakfast. How are we going to unify? What is it that we need to do?" she said. "Well, one of the signals that he can send is putting forth a nominee for the Supreme Court that will gain a level of bipartisan support." She added: "And when I say a level, I think it has to be more than just one, because as much as that is, it does not necessarily mean that you have that broader support." In the evenly-divided Senate, Democrats could confirm a nominee with their 50-member caucus and the tiebreaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris without the need for GOP support but Biden has committed to nominating an individual with impeccable credentials who could receive crossover support. When Justice Stephen Breyer announced last month that he would step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term after 28 years on the bench, the president reaffirmed his 2020 campaign pledge to nominate the first Black woman to the body. During the CNN interview, Murkowski spoke of her openness to supporting a candidate that Biden nominates. Story continues "I want to make sure that the president nominates an exceptional candidate, an exceptional individual, and I would be honored to be able to support an exceptional African American woman," she said. Some of the leading candidates to replace Breyer reportedly include Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the US Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit, California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger, and South Carolina US District Judge J. Michelle Childs. Murkowski has supported 79% of Biden's judicial nominees, according to Politico, and last year she voted to confirm Jackson to the District of Columbia appeals court seat. Read the original article on Business Insider Activists came from down the street and across the state to Des Moines Saturday to raise a white flag in support of a peaceful solution to tensions between Europe and Russia. The protest occurred just hours after the Iowa Army National Guard announced mobilization orders to head to Poland. Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed an estimated 100,000 or more troops near Ukraines border, raising concerns of a possible invasion. He wants concessions from the West, in particular assurances that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO. Protester Jon Krieg, 59, of Des Moines said "we need to be negotiating, not escalating." A dozen protesters stood at the corner of Douglas Avenue and Merle Hay Road at midday, bundled against the gusty wind, to hold up their signs and wave to honking cars as they passed. Iowans gathered at the corner of Douglas Avenue and Merle Hay Road Saturday, Feb. 5, to show their support for a nonmilitary solution to tensions between Europe and Russia. "People are gathering all over the world to protest these aggressions," said Brian Terrell, 65, from Maloy in southwest Iowa. "We need to get rid of NATO and we need to get rid of nuclear weapons." The Des Moines protest was called by CODEPINK and the Catholic Peace Ministry. According to its website, CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect tax dollars into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs. The Catholic Peace Ministry is based in Des Moines and works for peace and justice, focusing mainly on Central America, militarization, economic justice and the death penalty. More: Will Russia invade Ukraine? Talks, timing, desire for a long fight factor into strategy Iowa National Guard heads to Poland Meanwhile, it was announced Friday that approximately 250 soldiers from two Iowa Army National Guard companies based in Mason City and Iowa City were selected to support federal mobilization missions by the Department of Defense and the National Guard Bureau. The 1133rd Transportation Company in Mason City and the 209th Medical Company Area Support in Iowa City will support Operation Atlantic Resolve and NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence mission. The two companies will provide transport equipment and supplies, and field hospital health service support. Story continues The 1133rd Transportation Company was last activated into federal service in 2008 to support Operations Noble Eagle, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and the global war on terrorism. The 209th Medical Company deployed to Iraq in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005 the company was activated in response to Hurricane Katrina. The Pentagon has placed thousands of troops on heightened alert to support a NATO quick-reaction force if it is activated. It also announced Wednesday that it would deploy 3,000 troops to Germany, Poland and Romania as tensions rise with Russia over Ukraine. More: Pentagon to deploy 3,000 troops to Europe as tensions spike with Russia over Ukraine Protesters stand their ground Protester Barb Waldron, 79, of Indianola, stood steadfast on the corner near Merle Hay Hall Saturday with her CODEPINK sign calling for others to "Join us in taking action to stop the next war." Iowans gathered at the corner of Douglas Avenue and Merle Hay Road on Saturday, Feb. 5, to show their support for a nonmilitary solution to tensions between Europe and Russia. Bundled against the gusty wind, making temperatures in the mid-30s feel more like the low 20s, the protesters waved cheerfully to the frequent car horns honking to show support. "I think we should do everything we can to negotiate our way out of these conflicts," Waldron said. "I don't want us to do something, like when we escalated into Iraq and went after Saddam Hussein. Please don't let us do that again." USA TODAY contributed to this report. Teresa Kay Albertson covers Des Moines' southern suburbs for the Register and the Indianola Record-Herald. Reach her at talbertson@registermedia.com or 515-419-6098. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowans call for peaceful solution as Russia masses troops near Ukraine Kelly Donnelly was thrilled to hear her states Republican lawmakers were going to act on child care but grew alarmed when she learned what exactly they had in mind. Donnelly is director of the Grace Preschool, a Des Moines, Iowa, early childhood center that has won international recognition for its high quality. It has struggled during the pandemic, first with plummeting enrollment and, now, with a tight labor market that makes it difficult to hire and retain staff. The same thing is happening all over America, with far-reaching consequences. Working parents cant find places to put their kids, businesses cant get their employees back on the job. In Iowa, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds has responded by identifying child care as a top priority and promising legislation on the matter. No one should be forced to choose between earning a living and caring for their child, Reynolds said in her Condition of the State address last month. Donnelly hoped that promise would mean significant new state expenditures on child care to subsidize families that cant afford it and, especially, to subsidize wages of caregivers, so that centers like hers could compete with the local retailers and service industries offering higher pay. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), seen here at a 2020 meeting, has said the state must act to address its child care crisis. Advocates worry the three bills her legislative allies are pushing will make the crisis worse. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images) But the three bills that the GOP legislature has taken up so far adopt a very different approach, seeking to deregulate the industry rather than invest in it. One particularly controversial piece of legislation would reduce adult-to-child ratios, so that one care worker could watch over as many as eight 2-year-olds, instead of the six that the state now allows. Donnelly worries about the added strain on providers and the increased danger for kids getting less supervision. If youre giving them less attention, accidents are going to happen, said Donnelly, who is also a volunteer with Iowas Save the Children Action Network. Child care advocates in Iowa remain hopeful that Reynolds and her Republicans in the legislature will come forth with more proposals, including some that find ways to get more state money into the system. But they also fear that the bills are indicative of where the debate over child care is going in Iowa and in the U.S. as a whole. Story continues Its quite a turn from where the conversation was for most of last year, when President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats were putting together their Build Back Better legislation. A major goal was to create something like a universal child care program with high quality standards, including better pay for staff. Today that legislations future is uncertain, because a single Democratic senator objects to its overall size and structure. Even if a version passes, it would rely heavily on implementation by the states, and its an open question whether Republican-led states like Iowa would participate. A Problem That Predates The Pandemic Iowa certainly needs help. It has one of the nations highest percentages of families with working parents who need child care, according to census figures. It also has a relatively large number of counties with a few-to-no accredited child care providers, known as child care deserts. The problems predate the pandemic. In 2015, a statewide organization called the Iowa Womens Foundation convened discussions with leaders from 18 communities, asking them to identify the one issue on which they thought government action could do the most to help girls and women. Child care was the clear choice. We were surprised, foundation president Dawn Oliver Wiand told HuffPost. I really thought it would have been employment, or maybe education and training. But it was child care. Iowa isnt unique in this respect. With no comprehensive national child care program, responsibility in the U.S. has fallen heavily on individual families who frequently dont have much money to pay for care. That has limited revenues for providers, who in turn cant pay high salaries, leaving them to draw from a limited labor pool. Ive had parents stopping and telling me thank you, because I was on the news here locally saying I wont warehouse kids.Miranda Niemi, director of Collins Aerospace Day Academy Advocates have long called for government action to subsidize families and to boost provider wages. That would require some large outlays of money, but advocates say the investment would yield big, quantifiable returns for the rest of society. Fewer care workers would have to rely on food assistance and other taxpayer-financed benefits, the advocates argue, while the field would attract more experienced and talented workers, improving the quality of care. At the same time, parents would have an easier path back to the workplace if they wanted one. Miranda Niemi, who operates the Collins Aerospace Day Academy in Cedar Rapids, can attest personally to the difference that extra investment makes. She lost staff during the pandemic and when the kids started coming back, she couldnt find replacements because local retailers and restaurants were offering better pay. She worked out an agreement with Collins Aerospace, the large employer that subsidizes child care for its workers at the center, that increased the centers revenue so that she could raise wages. The difference was dramatic. A dozen openings drew 68 applicants, some with 20 years of experience and degrees in education or child development. I keep trying to tell people, you have to invest in the workforce, Niemi told HuffPost. If you can offer competitive wages, youll be able to get them in. The Approach Iowa Republicans Are Taking That is not the approach that Republicans in the Iowa legislature have taken with their three new bills. One would allow 16- and 17-year-old employees to watch over school-aged kids without adult supervision a prospect that worries advocates and many providers, who question whether teens are ready for that responsibility. Another bill would let providers charge co-pays to families on government assistance, even though those families are by definition struggling to cover basic life expenses. We cant charge families anymore, Tracy Elhert, an early childhood educator and consultant who is now a Democratic state representative, told HuffPost. They already cant afford it. Its the same as college tuition in a lot of these programs. President Joe Biden at a Connecticut child care center in October, promoting his Build Back Better legislation. Negotiations on Capitol Hill have stalled, but Biden and Democratic leaders hope they can still enact key portions, including the early childhood provisions. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images) Then there is the bill to reduce adult-to-child ratios, even for young children who frequently arent verbal and havent learned sharing and are also going through potty training, which requires more individualized adult supervision. I really would like to invite them in for a day just to visit and actually spend time in a room, said Niemi, who is also president of Iowas Association for the Education of Young Children. There are things we do, to set up the environment up as safe as we can, but they need adults to be able to make sure that theyre making smart choices and not dangerous choices, and that theyre being safe. I just dont know how theyre going to get that with the higher ratios. Supporters of the GOP bills point out that providers would be under no obligation to change their adult-to-child ratios. This is a ceiling, not a requirement, Ann Meyer, Republican chair of the House Human Resources Committee, told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. (Meyers office did not respond to HuffPost inquiries.) But even providers who say they wouldnt raise the ratios worry that other providers might, especially if they are under financial pressure. Ive had parents stopping and telling me thank you, because I was on the news here locally saying I wont warehouse kids, Niemi said. But maybe theres another child care provider really struggling to keep their doors open. Are they going to do it? Probably, because its a little extra income. Donnelly shares those worries, and cant help but notice that the legislature, while not jumping to spend money on child care, is proposing to use current budget surpluses to finance a large tax cut, which the governor also supports. Instead of investing funds for child care, they are planning on giving $300 million to corporate tax cuts, Donnelly said. Our leadership is being short-sighted on where they need to invest funds. The Possibilities for Federal Action Looming over this debate is the possibility of federal government action which, in turn, comes down to a question of whether Biden and Democratic leaders can enact some version of Build Back Betters early childhood initiative. The proposal calls for creating free pre-kindergarten programs and offering subsidies for child care, so that no family has to spend more than 7% of its income on tuition and fees. The subsidies could go to any licensed child care provider large or small; government-run, secular or faith-based as long as they meet certain standards for quality, anti-discrimination and worker pay. I want to believe that we're going to come together and address this.Dawn Oliver Wiand, Iowa Women's Foundation Negotiations stalled in December because Democrats cant lose the support of a single caucus member in the evenly divided Senate and one of them, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, objected to the legislations overall size and structure. Just this past week, Manchin said the package was dead. But Manchin has said hes willing to work on an alternative that keeps some of the bills components. He has also indicated he supports the bills early childhood portions, objecting only to the idea that funding might be temporary instead of permanent. Biden and Democratic leaders have said they are committed to working with him to forge an agreement. The proposal in Build Back Better envisions states implementing the programs. In Iowa, advocates say they are uncertain how Reynolds and GOP leaders would react. Reynolds has already used federal pandemic relief funds to expand the states WAGE$ program, which provides semi-annual pay bonuses to providers with educational credentials, to include all 99 of the states counties. Previously it covered just 39. Overall, new grants and initiatives underwritten by state and federal dollars have increased the number of child care slots in Iowa by more than 9,000, according to the governors office. But the Build Back Better proposal would require states to commit to the program long-term and GOP leaders have balked at that in the past, Elhert said. They dont want to make any permanent investments. Well start getting some of those federal funds, but when theyre gone, its back to square one. The proposal in Build Back Better has a fallback provision, allowing local governments and Head Start agencies to participate in the program directly, even if state officials decline. Iowa advocates said they were prepared to investigate that possibility, if the proposal becomes law and Iowa refuses to participate. But their preference would still be state action. Some, like Oliver Wiand from the Iowa Womens Foundation, think it might be possible through some kind of compromise that includes child care proposals in line with Republican policy preferences. I want to believe that were going to come together and address this, said Oliver Wiand, who served on the Reynolds task force, and who thinks the ultimate solution will require a contribution from every interested party, including not just the federal and state governments but the private sector as well. She likes to remind people that Iowa has a long tradition of broad, bipartisan support for early childhood programs. Now its a question of whether that tradition continues today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. The Minority Business Development Agency recently awarded New Mexico State Universitys American Indian Business Enterprise a $600,000 grant over two years to increase and support Native American student entrepreneurs across New Mexico. The AIBE team includes, from left, Arrowhead Center Program Specialist Rachel Livingston, Statewide Outreach Assistant Sarah Mata and AIBE Director Brooke Montgomery. LAS CRUCES - The Minority Business Development Agency recently awarded New Mexico State Universitys American Indian Business Enterprise a $600,000 grant over two years to increase and support Native American student entrepreneurs across New Mexico. AIBE partnered with Navajo Technical University, New Mexico Community Capital and Indian Resources Development to help provide services to the indigenous community with a focus on culturally appropriate and relevant content. A historical lack of under-investment by the public, private and nonprofit sectors in Indigenous communities have inhibited the development of robust policies, resources and infrastructure needed to leverage entrepreneurial talent for sustainable economic development, said Henry Jake Foreman, New Mexico Community Capital program director. This grant will continue to support Indigenous businesses and bolster local entrepreneurial ecosystems by enhancing digital and financial literacy skills as well as growing a network of mentors and subject matter experts. We at New Mexico Community Capital are grateful for this collaboration with AIBE to grow together. More from NMSU: NMSU joins effort to develop maple industry in western US As part of the Arrowhead Center and NMSU, AIBE grants clients access to all the resources Arrowhead Center offers, while leveraging organizational knowledge and assets to better serve the people of New Mexicos 19 pueblos, three Apache tribes and the Navajo Nation. Selected AIBE clients will be able to complete the pathway program with partners New Mexico Community Capital and Indian Resources Development. The program includes classes on financial business basics and digital media marketing, and culminates with the five-week Native American Sprint. Indian Resources Development in the NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences congratulates its partner AIBE for the hard work of starting and growing the program during the pandemic, said Claudia Trueblood, director of Indian Resources Development. We are thankful to the Minority Business Development Agency for continuing their support of Native American entrepreneurs across New Mexico. Indian Resources Development is committed to continue working with AIBE in their effort to support more businesses and help them connect with other valuable partners. Story continues More from NMSU: NMSU Art Museum awarded $300,000 Andrew W. Mellon grant We plan to continue advocating for Native communities in ways of entrepreneurship. Connectivity is one distinction that makes Native culture unique, said Rachel Livingston, Arrowhead Center program specialist and Dine of the Naaneesht ezhi Tachiinii. It is about being inclusive, expansive and universal. AIBE will continue to provide resources that value unique ideology and worldviews by seeking input from Native leadership and community. Cassie McClure writes for New Mexico State University's Arrowhead Center and can be reached at cassie@mcclurepublications.com. Others are reading: This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSUs American Indian Business Enterprise receives grant Tents, storage units, trailers, a former barbershop, an old karate studio and worn-down suburban strip malls. The locations are among the hundreds of sites nationwide where pop-up coronavirus testing vendors have set up shop, capitalizing on lax regulations, financial incentives and high demand for testing. State officials warn residents to avoid unregulated sites, but many Americans without free, quick and accessible alternatives for coronavirus testing have rushed to the locations anyway. As the nation scrambles to address a shortage of timely tests, the federal government endorsed an all-hands-on-deck approach, authorized billions in federal funds and loosened pre-pandemic safeguards to increase access to testing. The effort pushed testing capacity in January higher than it's ever been, and labs routinely complete more than 2 million tests per day, according to Johns Hopkins University data. It's also created opportunity for bad actors to take advantage of ripe conditions. In the months it has taken regulators to catch up with a handful of nationwide testing operations, the federal government has shelled out more than $500 million to three labs now under investigation. Last month, the FBI searched the headquarters of one testing marketer, the Center for COVID Control in the Chicago area, headed by an entrepreneur whose social media posts cited "COVID money" with images of new Lamborghinis, a Ferrari and a $1.36 million mansion. Many who sought tests from pop-up sites that partnered with the labs question their test results if they received them at all. "There are insatiable demands for testing and a lot of money floating around," said Richard Scanlan, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. "Undoubtedly, people see that as an opportunity." Pop-up testing sites 'not licensed or regulated' The federal government made it easier for providers to offer point-of-care coronavirus tests. During the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowed sites that offer point-of-care tests such as rapid antigen tests that provide results in 15 minutes and don't require a lab to seek a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) certificate of waiver. They can test and report results as long as they applied for a waiver. Story continues The government made private insurers pay for coronavirus tests even if they're administered by out-of-network labs that charged high rates. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services no longer requires a physician's order for testing, a relaxed standard a government watchdog warned "could allow unscrupulous actors more leeway for fraudulent billing of unnecessary add-on testing." The changes created fertile ground for an economy of pop-up testing sites to take root. This site in White Oak is one of the Center for COVID Control's locations in the Cincinnati area. "It is important for people to know that these sites are not licensed or regulated by a government agency," Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a consumer alert last month. Coronavirus testing sites in tents popped up in Philadelphia, causing a stir among residents and prompting warnings from officials. "Their materials were not professional, they were not following proper safety procedures, and they told us falsely that they were being funded by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency)," said Matt Rankin, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. THEY GOT RICH OFF 'COVID MONEY': Now they're under investigation Many of the testing sites have partnered with new or existing labs, which can bill private insurers or a federal fund for uninsured patients. Because they are paid per test, labs are incentivized to test more. The pop-up testing site in Philadelphia contracted with a lab that has been reimbursed more than $80 million through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's COVID-19 Uninsured Program, public data shows. Rankin said, "Our worry is that, given the false pretenses the tables we visited were operating under, and the fact that anyone can set up a tent and say theyre conducting COVID testing, people should take extra special care." Labs exploit regulatory weaknesses There are signs some labs exploit weaknesses in the regulatory system. Two states sued the nationwide coronavirus testing chain Center for COVID Control and its primary lab, Doctors Clinical Lab, alleging the sites and lab provided inaccurate results, fraudulently reported negative results and listed people with private insurance as uninsured. Federal and state investigators are investigating the operation. The case draws attention to the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments law, which establishes lab standards for accuracy, reliability and timeliness of test results. Some experts said unscrupulous lab operators can take advantage of a regulatory opening that allows labs to register, test and bill before inspectors finish a CLIA certificate survey. In other cases, investors might purchase or establish management agreements with labs and begin testing before inspectors get in to verify the labs reliability. "You can apply for a CLIA certificate and then start testing before anybody ever walks into the laboratory," said Scanlan, chair of the College of American Pathologists Council on Accreditation. "And that's sort of the loophole that these people are exploiting." The Center for COVID Control was incorporated in December 2020, according to Illinois state filings. The business, which describes itself as a "test collection marketing and management firm," worked closely with Doctors Clinical Lab. Regulators didn't visit the lab for an on-site inspection until the end of September of the following year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Regulators found the lab was not reporting coronavirus test results to public health officials. Inspectors visited the lab and testing sites again in November and December and found numerous "deficiencies," according to an 81-page report from the agency. The report listed the lab as being in "immediate jeopardy," a federal designation that requires immediate corrective action of conditions likely to cause injury, harm or death. The city of Worcester, Mass., delivered a cease-and-desist order to a pop-up coronavirus testing site under the Center for COVID Control. In the months when no regulators were checking its on-site operations, Doctors Clinical Lab partnered with the Center for COVID Control's network of more than 300 testing sites in more than 26 states and, at its peak, took in about 80,000 tests a day. Lisa Sanchez, 55, said she visited a walk-up site run out of an old bank building in Everett, Washington, on Jan. 11. Her husband had tested positive, and she felt lethargic and congested with a sore throat. Health department testing sites were booked out for the week, she said, and a friend shared information about the Center for COVID Control site on Facebook. Sanchez said she drove half an hour each way to the site twice that day to take a rapid test, waited hours each time and was told twice that the site lost her test. That evening, she received an email stating her test was negative. My manager said, Oh, youre negative, OK, come back to work, said Sanchez, who works in manufacturing. Sanchez went back to work for three days, then tested positive at a different location on the fourth day. She filed a complaint against the testing chain to the state attorney general's office. "Theyre taking advantage of the situation and of people," Sanchez said. "I was pretty angry because they collected a lot of personal information. I felt frustrated because I had wasted time and gas money. To me, it seemed like they put up this whole front." The Center for COVID Control's primary lab, Doctors Clinical Lab, has collected more than $155 million through the COVID-19 Uninsured Program, public data shows. The lab and others have attributed customers' complaints to testing delays during the surge of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Health providers that seek reimbursement from the federal fund must provide a unique national provider identifier as well as a tax identification number. Labs must provide a CLIA number. Labs can get this number when they apply for a license with state agencies that administer the federal laboratory laws. Once the application is accepted by the state agency, the lab is issued a "certificate of registration," which has a CLIA number, even before a lab gets a certification survey. Under travel restrictions and heavy workloads for lab inspectors, the lag from the time a lab registers until it gets an on-site inspection for a certificate "can be considerable," Scanlan said. The loophole is "clearly a gap that unscrupulous operators could take advantage of, swoop in quickly, scoop up a bunch of money from Medicare and hit the road before anybody's the wiser," Scanlan said. Health Resources and Services Administration officials said the agency employs integrity and oversight measures to ensure claims to the $1 billion COVID-19 Uninsured Program are legitimate. Labs and testing providers must collect information from the person getting tested, including name, birth date and gender. "The programs oversight also includes pre- and post-payment controls such as reviewing and adjudicating claims for services provided to uninsured individuals, and monitoring and evaluating claim anomalies," HRSA spokesman Scott Kodish said. HRSA can suspend reimbursements and take corrective actions to recover funds from labs or providers that don't meet terms of the uninsured program. HRSA officials did not immediately say whether the agency has suspended funds to any providers, including the Chicago labs. Nationwide complaints continue People report coronavirus testing issues to a hotline run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General. "We are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 testing complaints," said Yvonne Gamble, spokesperson for the office. Some consumers claim price gouging and delayed turnarounds, according to public health, consumer protection and justice departments across the USA. "Weve just been getting more complaints about COVID testing in general. Its not necessarily they think its fake. Its just taking a long time," said Bailey Parker, spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Maryland has received 16 complaints related to coronavirus testing since November, the attorney generals office said. Most of the complaints concern the cost of an over-the-counter test, the out-of-pocket cost of a facility-provided test or the patient being billed for an office visit in addition to testing, spokesperson Aleithea Warmack said. A technician mans the window at a coronavirus testing site run by the Center for COVID Control on Jan. 13 in an unused parking lot in Cincinnati. The site sees 115 to 215 people a day. Iowa has received five complaints of price gouging since November, regarding three different coronavirus testing providers, the attorney generals office said. Two people said they were charged more than $800 for coronavirus tests at a lab facing two lawsuits that claim price gouging. In Hawaii, the Department of Health issued cease-and-desist orders to two companies toward the end of 2021 that operated numerous testing sites without CLIA certificates and state permits. The department levied a $207,000 penalty on one company and $58,000 on the other. Since December, New York has issued warning letters to at least five testing sites and labs that "failed to meet promised turnaround times," said Halimah Elmariah, spokesperson for the state attorney general's office. One of the testing sites, LabWorq, set up small tents on street corners in New York City last year. Another testing chain in New York City, CareCube, has drawn scrutiny from local news outlets and is under investigation by the attorney general's office "over reports that the company wrongfully billed" residents for tests. "As New Yorkers brace for a continued surge in Omicron cases through the winter, we cannot create harmful financial barriers that keep our communities from seeking testing," Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement last month. "CareCube and all COVID-19 test providers have a responsibility to be accurate and transparent in their billing process." How to avoid scam testing sites Numerous organizations, agencies and officials have offered guidance on how to avoid a fake testing site. Dr. Emily Volk, president of the College of American Pathologists, said people can be comfortable in a familiar setting, such as a chain drugstore or their doctor's office. Consumers who are unfamiliar with a pop-up site should ask how long the provider has existed, which lab will be used to process tests and whether the site is accredited by an independent organization, she said. "If it looks a little sketchy, they should ask them more questions," Volk said. Consumers can ask, Where are you sending my specimen? The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recommends getting a referral from your doctor or state or local health departments website or checking with your local police or sheriffs office to make sure a site is legitimate. "In other words, dont trust a random testing site you see around town," the agency said in an online post last month. The Better Business Bureau recommends researching a location to see whether the testing site has good reviews or complaints and scam reports associated with the business. The organization recommends reviewing the warnings from the FBI, FTC, attorney generals' offices and the BBB ScamTracker. In guidance issued last month, the attorney general of Florida said "signs of illegitimate, pop-up testing" include sites not delivering results, having no affiliation with medical providers or government entities, workers seeming uninformed about the testing process and volunteers who are unmasked or not following federal guidelines. "The system largely works," Volk said. "There are always going to be people who find a way to exploit these small loopholes I would hate for there to be a push for government regulations that were overly burdensome for the (majority of) labs that are really doing a lot of good to try to deal with the handful of bad actors." Ken Alltucker is on Twitter as @kalltucker or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com. Reach out to Grace Hauck for tips at ghauck@usatoday.com or on Twitter @grace_hauck. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID testing sites, labs proliferate amid easy money, lax oversight RYE The town's voters will be among those across New Hampshire who are being asked to eliminate the use of vote-counting machines in elections. Rye' annual deliberative session was held Saturday, when voters could discuss and amend the warrant articles headed to the ballot for the March 8 election. One of the articles asks voters to discontinue the use of vote-counting machines in all state, local and federal elections, returning to counting ballots by hand. Doubt in election results has been fueled by former President Donald Trump, who maintains without evidence a claim there was widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, including in New Hampshire, and spread conspiracy theories that voting machines are susceptible to hacks. These claims came despite dozens of losses in courts across the country in which Trump attempted to overturn President Joe Biden's victory. David Scanlan, N.H. deputy secretary of state, said in the three decades the state has been using the AccuVote machines, their experience is that they have been reliable. In New Hampshire Seacoast communities, Democrats and Republicans alike have rejected the argument there is any problem with election counting in the state. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said elections in New Hampshire in 2020 were "safe, secure, and reliable." In the town of Greenland, 90% of voters in December rejected a warrant article seeking to eliminate voting machines. 'No evidence': Hampton selectmen reject petitions that cast doubt on voting machines David Scanlan, New Hampshire's secretary of state, has said more than half of the state's cities and towns use AccuVote-OS PC (Optical Scan Precinct Count) machines, which are the only vote counting machines currently allowed in the state. He noted they have been reliable for many years, are not connected to the internet and the state uses paper ballots, which can be counted by hand in any recount. The discussion on the topic included people with opposing views at Rye's deliberative session Saturday, according to town Select Board Chair William Epperson. 'It's a hardship on all of us': $700 increase? Renters weigh if they should stay or go Story continues "I think most people who spoke were opposed to this. Two people got up and spoke in favor, citing discrepancies that happened in the Windham vote," he said. "We talked about our record of voting accuracy. Now it is up to the voters, but I think this one will not pass." What happened in Windham, NH In Windham in 2020, a hand-counted recount of an eight-person race for four state representative seats showed winning Republican candidates getting hundreds more votes than were originally counted by the machine. "That was a human factor that came into play," said Scanlan on the discrepancy. A state-approved audit on Windham's ballot-counting machines and hand tabulations released in July 2021 revealed the cause of the discrepancy was not the AccuVote machine but a separate letter folding device used to send out absentee ballots. In Rochester: Mayor, manager say vote-counting machines will remain. Debate on law an open question The folding device, the auditors Harri Hursti, Mark Lindeman and Philip Stark wrote, folded the ballots in the wrong place. Instead of folding the ballots on the score lines between vote targets as intended, it folded through vote bubbles in the state representative contest causing miscalculations when they were fed into the voting machines. Scanlan has said such problems are very rare and that is why New Hampshire has paper ballots as a backup so elections can be hand counted in any recount, whenever there is a question. Casting doubt: Hampton selectman joins effort to remove NH voting machines Rochester's City Council, led by Mayor Paul Callaghan, a Republican, declined to discuss getting rid of vote-counting machines. State Sen. James Gray, a Rochester Republican who is also on the City Council and has overseen election recounts, supports legislation to audit random elections in a bid to assure voters. But Gray doesn't believe there is a problem with the machines. On the contrary, he believes it's more likely hand counting would lead to errors. "I don't believe voter fraud is happening in New Hampshire," Gray said recently. "I think there could be accuracy issues if we are asking people to count thousands of ballots long into the night." More issues on Rye ballot Voters at Saturday's deliberative session easily moved the warrant forward for the March election, including an operating budget of $11,151,535, and two petitioned articles in addition to the item on vote-counting machines. Phil Winslow, vice chair of the board of selectmen, said the deliberative session may have set a record. The town's business was completed in two hours and 40 minutes. All will be voted by ballot on Tuesday, March 8, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Rye Elementary School. NH considers billsto audit 2020 election results. Secretary of state defends elections. One petitioned article asks to ban the retail sales of cats and dogs in Rye. The article is in opposition to the cruel handling of animals, bred in deplorable conditions by puppy mills. Epperson said Rye does not currently have any pet shops. The article would prevent future endeavors. "The woman who presented it is a veterinarian," Epperson said. 'She said a lot of pet stores are also now taking in strays and reselling them for profit. One resident who is an airline pilot, talked about picking up air cargo that turned out to be puppies." The third petitioned article asks the town to change their observance of Columbus Day (October) to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Town Meeting 2022: From Exeter to Hampton to Seabrook. A look at big-ticket requests. "We amended it because there is a House bill, 1173, asking to make Aug. 9 Indigenous Peoples' Day," said Epperson. "If that passes, there would be two holidays, on two separate days." HB 1173 was sponsored by state Reps. Oliver Ford, R-Chester, and Jess Edwards, R-Auburn. The bill would add Indigenous Peoples' Day but preserve Columbus Day. According to language in the bill, if passed, Indigenous People's Day would coincide with the United Nations' International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, with New Hampshire residents honoring the 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, including the Abenaki (also known as People of the Dawnland), who inhabited what is now known as New Hampshire for thousands of years before English settlers arrived in the 1620s. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rye residents to vote on whether to eliminate vote-counting machines Editor's note: The writers of this guest essay have a son who is incarcerated in Tennessee. They are writing this because they see a parole system in disarray, in need of justice, and major reform or replacement. Tennessee has an incarceration rate of 838 per 100,000 people in a population of 6,829,000, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. That means Tennessee has 58,000 citizens incarcerated the highest percentage of its citizens in any democracy on earth. Is Tennessee that different? No. Are there reasons for these numbers? Yes. Does this reflect the failure of the parole board? Yes. The present-day parole board has serious concerns. The board has few defined standards, no accountability, no oversight, and no government controls. The parole board answers to no one. Problematic rulings and judgments have led to consistently flawed decisions in parole board hearings. Systemic deficiencies have led to the historical failure of Tennessee's parole system. This author questions the institution's legitimacy. Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns. History of problematic parole board The trajectory of Tennessee incarceration has grave implications for the future of its parole board. Current issues and deficiencies must be recognized, addressed, and corrected. If not, the Tennessee Board of Parole will never become a positive influence in the future of corrections, and another environment for parole may be developed. Former Gov. Ray Blanton, left, and his mother, Mrs. Ova Blanton, leave the Federal Courthouse in downtown Nashville following his attorney's final argument of his criminal conspiracy to peddle liquor licenses trial June 1, 1981. On the right is Blanton's son, David. Historically, the Tennessee Board of Parole has always had major problems. During Gov. Ray Blanton's administration, the parole board's heritage from 1977 to 1979 was compromised and abused as the process was redesigned for profiteering. If not for Marie Ragghianti, a notable parole board employee, the system may have collapsed. During the late 1970s, newspapers across the nation suggested that Tennessee's parole board was the patsy of the governor and district attorneys. Story continues Under Blanton, the focus was getting inmates out of prison. In contrast, injustices now focus on keeping inmates incarcerated longer than necessary or legally correct. Unwarranted Blanton-style releases do still exist, however. Political demands and decisions by the parole board now create existential concerns that the board may not be able to continue. Tennessee is failing at both ends of the parole spectrum. Tennessees parole board system should have collapsed during the Blanton era. District attorneys get involved by making demands of the parole board. After sentencing, their prosecutorial job is completed. Then, they collude to disguise further injustices in parole decisions. The current parole system is ineffective, insensitive to inmates, and suffers as a puppet to special interests. Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. Tennessee lags behind other in inmate hearings What concept motivates the parole board? That is central to the board's idea of justice. The parole board makes decisions as if it is a de facto judge and jury by resentencing and extending punishments for most inmates in the parole process. The parole board listens Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at the clemency hearing for Cyntoia Brown, the Nashville woman sentenced to life in prison at age 16 for the murder of a stranger who picked her up at a fast food restaurant, at Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville, Tenn. It is her first bid for freedom before a parole board since the 2004 crime. The parole board wants to be understood, accepted, and treated as the final ruling judge and jury across Tennessee, and decisions in parole hearings are convincing of this premise. Decisions that result from this motivation are flawed and erratic. To quantitatively judge the credibility of the parole board, the rates of parole and recidivism are appropriate measures. Tennessee's parole rate for the recent decade is barely 20% of inmates having hearings. Most states strive for a 40% to 45% parole rate. The fortunate 20% in Tennessee have endured multiple parole hearings. These hearings allow decisions without concern for justice but much concern toward outside forces. With an absence of regulated administration, parole integrity in Tennessee is nonexistent. "Tennessee Board of Inmate Retention" would be a better-suited name for the current parole board and its schemes. Recidivism is the rate of return of paroled inmates to prison. The current rate of recidivism in Tennessee approaches 50%. The rate of recidivism for Michigan was 27% in 2020. No parole system could do worse than Tennessee's parole system. Your state. Your stories. Support more reporting like this. A subscription gives you unlimited access to stories across Tennessee that make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Click here to become a subscriber. Move from essentially resentencing to effective parole Parole begins with qualified inmates; while Tennessee has an abundance of qualified inmates, the parole board keeps them incarcerated while paroling unqualified inmates that are favored by someone important. Fred Wortman What to do, Tennessee? The Tennessee Board of Parole has a mantle of honor bestowed by the governor, but instead of honor, it reflects a shroud of conflicted service and flawed decisions. The parole board may be the least effective, least transparent, and most justifiably despised state entity. The parole board is not a court, not a judge, nor a jury. The parole board must begin thinking about effective parole, not about resentencing inmates. Tennesseans must get involved to realize options and solutions. Fred and Marilyn Wortman live in Lake County, Tennessee. Fred is retiring from an accounting career and Marilyn from a nursing career. Fred served in the Army as a military police officer and provost marshal in Vietnam. With over 50 years of service to her profession, Marilyn Wortman is an award-winning registered nurse with the Tennessee Department of Public Health. Both remain active in Lake County and serve as Sunday School teachers in the local Methodist Church. They believe in character, honor, integrity, respect, justice, personal responsibility, values, citizenship, and giving back to the community. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee parole board: Reform the system for fairness and justice A confidential U.N. report says that North Korea's cyberattacks, "particularly on cryptocurrency assets, remain an important revenue source" for the government of Kim Jong Un. The new report, submitted to the U.N. sanctions committee and obtained in part by CBS News, is an annual accounting by independent monitors known as the "1718" Committee named for the U.N. resolution that has imposed biting sanctions on North Korea since 2006. The report relies on its own often on-site investigations as well as open-sourced information and intelligence from member states of the United Nations In past reports, the U.N. expert panel has described "elaborate subterfuge" that the government of North Korea uses to evade U.N. sanctions and earn billions of dollars. The excerpt of this year's report seen by CBS News said that "sophisticated maritime sanctions evasion continued, facilitated by deliberately obfuscated financial and ownership networks." The panel's 2021 report also detailed malicious cyberattacks. But the new report appears to go further, claiming that North Korea "continued to seek material, technology and know-how" through "cyber means and joint scientific research." Other excerpts from this year's U.N. document highlight evidence from a U.N. member that shows North Korea "cyberactors" between 2020 and mid-2021 stole more than $50 million from at least three cryptocurrency exchanges. The panel cites a report from a cybersecurity firm that said North Korean attacks on cryptocurrency platforms earned the hermit state almost $400 million in digital assets. An excerpt from the report obtained by CBS News noted that "there was a marked acceleration of the testing and demonstration of new short- and possibly medium-range missiles incorporating both ballistic and guidance technologies and using both solid and liquid propellants, which continues as of the end of January 2022." North Korea also "continued to maintain and develop its nuclear and ballistic missile" programs in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Story continues The report on North Korea's nuclear advancements comes at a time when tensions among Security Council members are running high. In response to the flurry of missile tests this year, the Biden administration in mid-January imposed sanctions on five North Korea officials. The administration also announced at the time it would seek further sanctions from the U.N. After even more launches, the U.S. called for a closed council meeting, which Russia unsuccessfully tried to block in a procedural vote. At the Friday meeting, China and Russia would not sign onto a statement condemning the proliferation of North Korea's missile launches, but nine council members, including the U.S., issued a statement that called the recent launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) a "significant escalation" and condemned the "unlawful action in the strongest terms." Divisions within the council on what to do next were evident in the acrimonious statements by diplomats following the closed meeting. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "The United States has made clear that we are willing to meet with the North Koreans without preconditions, but before we can commit our President to meeting, we need to have a better sense of what there is to achieve." China's Ambassador Zhang Jun said that the U.S. needs "to show more sincerity and flexibility." The most recent report noted that the humanitarian situation continues to worsen. It contains 30 recommendations, some of which may be revised before the final report is issued. Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Republicans propose special police force to investigate election fraud After 70 years on the throne, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is longest-reigning monarch in history NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responds to Brian Flores lawsuit, says league will do better Three days after Minneapolis police executing a no-knock warrant fatally shot Amir Locke, protests are expected to continue in the city as community members demand accountability for the death of a man remembered by family as a "bright light." Car horns blared in downtown Minneapolis on Friday as dozens gathered, temporarily clogging the street, in a car caravan protest calling for the firing of Officer Mark Hanneman, who shot Locke on Wednesday. Body camera footage shows Hanneman shot Locke, a Black man, as the 22-year-old began to rise from underneath a blanket on the couch he was resting on early Wednesday. Locke was holding a gun his family says he was in legal possession of. "Well stay in the streets until we get justice, period," protester Courtney Armborst told CBS, adding that they were there in support of Locke's family. Andrew Tyler (C), uncle of Amir Locke, speaks during a press conference at City Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 4, 2022. Earlier Friday, Locke's family demanded Hanneman be fired at a news conference at Minneapolis City Hall. "As his mother, I will make sure that as long as I'm on this side of this world, I'm going to fight every day, throughout the day, 365 days, to make sure that Amir Rahkare Locke gets justice for being executed by the MPD," Locke's mother, Karen Wells, said. Hanneman, who was hired in 2015, has had three complaints against him that were closed with no discipline, according to records released by the city. A fourth complaint against him from 2018 remains open, according to a database created by activist group Communities United Against Police Brutality. Another protest is planned for Saturday at the Hennepin County Government Center. 'Didn't even give him a chance': Minneapolis police 'executed' Amir Locke during no-knock raid, family says What police body camera footage shows Minneapolis Police Department officers were executing a search warrant early Wednesday as part of a St. Paul, Minnesota, homicide investigation, though Locke was not listed on the search warrant, Chief Amelia Huffman said. Story continues "Mr. Locke was not named in the original search warrant, so at this point it is unclear if or how he is connected to St. Paul's investigation," Huffman said Friday. Body camera footage released Thursday after pressure from several state lawmakers and activists shows officers quietly open the door to an apartment before loudly announcing their presence. Locke, who was wrapped in a blanket on the couch, starts to rise and can be seen holding a gun with his finger off the trigger. Police then fire three shots, striking Locke twice in the chest and once in the wrist. The confrontation lasted less than 10 seconds. Locke's father, Andre Locke, told reporters Friday his 22-year-old son was "startled" and did what "any reasonable law-abiding citizen would do to protect themselves." Locke's family members said they believe Locke was startled when an officer kicked a couch in the apartment and did not realize who was inside when he grabbed for the gun. Locke had no criminal record and had a license and concealed carry permit for the gun, his family said. No-knock warrants: A growing legacy of controversy, revised laws, tragic deaths Karen Wells (L) and Andre Locke (R), parents of Amir Locke, look on during a press conference at City Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 4, 2022. Shooting reignites calls to end no-knock warrants The shooting has reignited criticism of the Minneapolis Police Department and of no-knock warrants, where officers do not knock before entering a residence. The method is widely considered high risk because it can cause confusion among people inside who may be caught unaware. Activists also pushed to eliminate no-knock warrants following the death of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police in 2020 during a botched raid at her home in Louisville, Kentucky. A Kentucky state law, dubbed "Breonna's Law," passed in 2021, limiting the use of no-knock warrants. Mayor Jacob Frey on Friday imposed a moratorium on no-knock warrants. In 2020, the Minneapolis Police Department changed its policy on no-knock warrants to require officers to announce their presence while entering and make periodic announcements while inside. Benjamin Crump, who represents Locke's family, was among advocates who called for the banning of these raids. "Minneapolis has not learned the lesson of trying not to use the most intrusive measures when it comes to interactions with Black people," Crump said Friday. Who was Amir Locke? An aspiring hip-hop artist, Locke had filed paperwork to start a music business and had designed a logo, his mother said. He planned to move to Dallas next week to be closer to family and help build his career. "Amir was a bright light, and he deserves to be able to shine, his father, Andre Locke, said during the Friday news conference. Locke was born in Maplewood, a suburb of St. Paul, and played basketball in school. "You took a good kid who was trying to make the best out of his environment, and surpass it and succeed and he was doing it, said Reginald McClure, Locke's cousin. McClure said Locke had a "big heart" and remembered him standing in a parking lot to say goodbye to his grandmother after she died. Locke didn't want to see her body in the casket at the funeral home, but after the funeral, he went back inside through a back door to be alone with her, McClure said. "And heres the crazy part," he said. "The same funeral home that he was so heartbroken to go see his grandmother in because of the bigness of his heart, is the same one hes going to be in." Contributing: The Associated Press Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amir Locke shot by Minneapolis police: Protests demand accountability OMAHA, Neb. Meatpacking giant JBS has agreed to a $52.5 million settlement in a beef price-fixing lawsuit that some say supports their concerns about how the lack of competition in the industry affects prices. Colorado-based JBS didn't admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, and company spokeswoman Nikki Richardson said JBS will continue to defend itself against other plaintiffs in the case, but she said JBS decided the settlement was in the best interest of the company. A federal judge reviewed the settlement Thursday and will rule later whether to approve it. The plaintiffs' attorney, Dan Gustafson, said the deal could serve as an icebreaker in the case that could lead to additional settlements in the case that also involves Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef. Those three companies, along with JBS, which has Iowa plants in Ottumwa, Marshalltown and Council Bluffs, control more than 80% of the U.S. beef market. worker heads into the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado. Meatpacking giant JBS has agreed to a $52.5 million settlement in a beef price-fixing lawsuit Thursday that some say supports their concerns about how the lack of competition in the industry affects prices. Similar settlements and lawsuits have previously been announced in the pork and chicken processing businesses. More: Hy-Vee joins other grocers in lawsuit alleging price-fixing by pork processors, higher costs for consumers The beef lawsuit filed by grocery stores and wholesalers accused the companies of working together to suppress the number of cattle being slaughtered starting in 2015 to help drive up the price of beef. The giant beef processors have argued that supply and demand factors, not anticompetitive behavior, drive the price of beef and the amount ranchers receive for cattle but the industry's practices have been questioned by the White House and Congress. The Biden administration has focused on finding ways to increase competition in the meat processing industry to help reduce food prices, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to invest $1 billion to help independent slaughterhouses expand. The Justice Department has been investigating potential price fixing in the industry at least since 2020, but it hasn't provided any updates on its findings. Story continues More: Small pork producers for Niman Ranch have an outsized impact on Iowa's economy, ISU report finds The agriculture and justice departments on Thursday launched a new website, usda.gov/farmerfairness, to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to report any concerns about anticompetitive behavior in the industry. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig weigh in U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who has proposed requiring beef processors to disclose more about the prices they pay ranchers to bolster competition, said the settlement validates the concerns he hears from ranchers even though it represents just a spit in the ocean compared to JBS record profit throughout the pandemic. If there were any doubt about the shenanigans big packers play to line their pockets at the expense of consumers and independent producers, look no further than JBS $52.5 million settlement in price-fixing litigation, said Grassley, the Iowa Republican. The head of the National Cattlemens Beef Association trade group, CEO Colin Woodall, said the settlement reinforces the need for the Justice Department to wrap up its investigation. Cattle producers do not have years to wait for the government to determine whether there has been wrongdoing we demand answers now, Woodall said. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig also called for the completion of the investigation. Iowas hardworking livestock producers have waited more than two years while the DOJ investigates price disparities in the cattle market. With this court settlement, our cattle producers still do not have the market transparency they need to protect their long-term viability and continue raising the high-quality beef that processors and consumers demand, said Naig. It is imperative that the DOJ finish this investigation and release its findings to provide much-needed transparency for Iowa cattle producers. The Associated Press contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: JBS settles in price-fixing lawsuit on beef for $52.5 million Welcome to The Denver Gazettes Metro Moves. Youll get the latest metro Denver openings, closings, hiring and promotion briefs here. To submit your companys news, drop an email to dennis.huspeni@gazette.com. New hire Crestone native Conor Hall takes over as the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office director, according to a news release from Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Hall previously worked at the Trust for Public Land, where he served as director of conservation strategies, policy, advocacy and government relations for the Intermountain West. Outdoor recreation is not only a key pillar of Colorados economy but also a major contributor to our quality of life, mental health and physical health, Hall said in the release. I am thrilled to join (the office) and partner with Colorado communities, and our world-class business and (non-governmental organization) leadership. Together we will support, attract and expand our outdoor recreation industry. In 2020, Colorados outdoor recreation industry accounted for $9.6 billion in consumer spending and contributed 120,000 direct jobs, according to the office. Described as an avid outdoorsman, Hall snowboards, hikes, mountain bikes and climbs. He is a cancer survivor and serves on the nonprofit First Descents Alumni Advisory. He earned a degree in political science and government from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. He described his job as helping to promote sustainable economic growth and expand equitable access while prioritizing our shared goals of clean air, clean water and the protection of public lands. Promoted Denver-based Atlas Real Estate promoted Erika Ojeda-Louvier to director of global workforce, according to a news release. Ojeda-Louvier has been with Atlas since 2018 and contributed to the companys impressive growth and market expansion. The company also announced the opening of a remote office in Mexico City. Ojeda-Louvier grew up in Mexico City and earned a bachelor's degree in mass communication from Universidad Intercontinental there. She has a master's degree in business administration from Regis University. Im deeply grateful for the opportunity to drive expansion beyond the U.S. and honored to lead this eager team, Ojeda-Louvier said in the release. They are an integral part of Atlas handpicked for their ability to develop our services and Im excited about collaborating with them in person and building a culture of connectedness. Now open Franchise health business StretchLab opened a new location in Southlands, 6295 Main St., according to a news release. The new operation introduces people of all ages and fitness levels to the various health and wellness benefits of working with highly trained Flexologists in an open, modern, fun and approachable environment, the release states. Its owned by Katie Murphy, who worked as an engineer for two decades before deciding to leave corporate America. She earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Denver. We want to help people recover better from their job and activities so they can continue to live and enjoy life, Murphy said in the release. Stretching lets our body recover and be able to keep going to work and our activities. Washington The Kansas woman accused of traveling to Syria in support of the Islamic State was ordered detained pending trial on Thursday following her arrest late last month. Allison Fluke-Ekren, described in charging documents as a mother and teacher-turned ISIS battalion leader, was last in the U.S. on or about January 8, 2011, government travel records show, before ultimately emerging in Syria in 2014. Once there, according to one of at least six government witnesses who say they interacted with the defendant, Ekren allegedly presented a plan of attack to a paid U.S. foreign government source. That plan, prosecutors say, was for Ekren and other members of the ISIS community in Syria to "dress like infidels" and attack an American college campus with a backpack full of explosives. The attack was ultimately put on hold, court documents explain. During an interaction with another government witness in Syria as described in court filings, Ekren is accused of presenting an attack whereby she could park a car full of explosives on the first floor of a parking garage and detonate the bomb with a cellphone trigger. "Any attack that did not kill a large number of individuals," the described mother of young children allegedly told the government witness, was a "waste of resources." That attack on the parking garage was also stopped after Ekren's then-husband is said to have objected. Charging documents describe Ekren's multiple husbands and their alleged connections to the Islamic state. Government witnesses said one of her husbands was "the emirof the snipers for ISIS," another was an ISIS fighter from Bangladesh. By 2016, according to a government witness, Ekren was pregnant, had children, and was married to the Bangladeshi fighter. In 2014, another informant alleged one of the defendant's children, approximately five or six years old at the time, wielded a machine gun. Story continues But it wasn't just her own children among whom Ekren allegedly promoted gun use. She was also the leader of an all-female ISIS battalion and taught women how to defend themselves against ISIS enemies, prosecutors allege. She was "appointed leader and organizer of an ISIS military battalion located in Syria, known as the Khatiba Nusaybah, in order to train women on the use of automatic firing AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide belts," a government filing says. "Fluke-Ekren was 'off the charts' and an '11 or a 12' on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being extremely radicalized," said a government witness as described in court filings. "According to the same witness, over 100 women and young girls received military training from Fluke-Ekren in Syria on behalf of ISIS." Ekren, they wrote, "wanted to die in Syria as a martyr." As for her American family, prosecutors said on Monday that Ekren's mother, father, stepmother, and two adult children all requested that she not make any contact with them from the Virginia jail in which she is being held. In court Thursday, Ekren, wearing a green prison uniform, mask, and head covering, did not object to the government's request for her detention. Prosecutors briefly stated that she worked for "an extremely violent and callous terrorist organization" before Judge Ivan Davis agreed to jail the defendant. Neither Ekren's defense attorneys nor prosecutors commented on the case following Thursday's hearing. Burning North Carolina fertilizer plant had potential for "one of the worst explosions in U.S. history" Congressman Ritchie Torres on crime and gun violence in New York City Hospitals face a COVID breaking point | 60 Minutes preview Two people who died after a potential carbon monoxide leak at a La Grange hotel have been identified. John Needy, 39, and Stacey Barta, 40, both of New Albany, Indiana, died in the same room of the Quality Suites at 1500 E. Crystal Drive, Oldham County Coroner David Pendleton said on Monday. The causes of death are pending autopsy reports from the state Medical Examiner's Office. He said Friday that the incident was being investigated by the local fire department as a possible carbon monoxide leak. He originally reported the deaths Friday. saying he first received a call of a possible leak a little before 5 p.m. and that all guests of the hotel were evacuated. A representative of The Quality Suites at La Grange declined to comment on the deaths on Monday, citing the active investigation. Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-377-5675 or follow on Twitter @Ben__Tobin. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 2 people who died at La Grange hotel are identified BEIJING Karen Chen doesnt need to be spectacular when she skates in the figure skating team competition Sunday morning, she just needs to be steady. But spectacular wouldnt be bad. With the United States holding a surprising lead after the first day of the figure skating team competition, Chen will be the first American on the ice Day 2, competing in the womens short program. Her goal is to stay as close as she possibly can to Russias Kamila Valieva in the team short program. Valieva will be expected to win this portion of the competition. How good are the Russians? Their three women are expected to sweep the medals in the individual competition later in the Olympics. With the United States ahead of Russia, 28-26, if Chen were to finish in the top three, she would ensure that Team USA would still be at least tied with Russia. (First place is worth 10 points, second place 9, and so on.) A second-place finish and the USA would still be ahead going into the mens long program, the other event Sunday. BEIJING TEXT UPDATES: Get behind-the-scenes access to the Winter Olympics! NEVER MISS A MOMENT: Subscribe to our Olympics newsletter to stay informed! Karen Chen skates during the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Bridgestone Arena. The competition ends Monday with the pairs and womens long programs and the free dance. Chen, 22, who is on a leave of absence from Cornell, has been here before. She saved the day for the Americans twice over the past five years at the world championships, basically single-handedly earning the U.S. three womens spots at the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Games. At the 2017 world championships in Helsinki, after Ashley Wagner skated a lackluster long program that put the U.S. in jeopardy of losing a spot at the 2018 Olympics, Chen, then 17, landed six triple jumps before falling on her last one to finish fourth and allow three Americans to go to Pyeongchang the following year. "Karen Chen saved the day and I am absolutely thankful," Wagner said back then. "I did not do the work here and she went out there for her first time at the world championships and put out that performance with the pressure that I left on her plate. That is something that is so beyond admirable and I think that Team USA and me are all very lucky today. She saved the day." Story continues Chen, a protege of Kristi Yamaguchi, admirably took it all in stride. "I kept thinking, focus on myself and attack the program," she said. "At first it was overwhelming, knowing what I had to do, so I just needed to play some mind games and block everything out and focus on myself and attack the program." Four years later, it happened again. At the 2021 worlds in Stockholm, Chens American teammate Bradie Tennell didnt skate well, so Chen again had to swoop in to save the American fortunes, and she did just that with another fourth-place finish. Chen said the other day that she's a fan of the team event: "Figure skating is such an isolated sport, its so individualized, so its cool to have this team event." Having others rely on her has worked to her advantage, at least so far. Chen was a 2018 Olympian but was not chosen to skate in that team competition. This time, the Americans think they can't do it without her. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA needs Karen Chen to keep up with Russia in team figure skating The Queen will celebrate 70 years on the throne this weekend (AFP via Getty Images) The Queens strong religious beliefs mean she will never abdicate the throne, her former lady-in-waiting has claimed. Lady Pamela Hicks, 92, who is also the cousin of the late Duke of Edinburgh, made the comments during a panel called 70 Years of Duty and Friendship on Friday 4 February. The virtual event, which she hosted alongside her daughter India Hicks, discussed Hicks life-long friendship with the monarch as the Queen prepares to celebrate 70 years on the throne on Sunday. When asked by India whether she thinks the Queen would ever abdicate her throne, Lady Pamela replied: She will never abdicate. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands abdicated to her daughter [in 1948], but the Queen was shocked by the idea because she never can, because she has been anointed and takes her religion very seriously, she explained. During the coronation ceremony, the monarch swears an oath to uphold the Church and is anointed with holy oil. The anointing is considered a sacred ritual and was hidden from TV cameras when Her Majestys coronation was broadcast to the nation in 1953. Elsewhere during the discussion, Lady Pamela compared Prince Philip to a Greek god and revealed that he liked to show off around the Queen and her sister Princess Margaret when they were younger. Lady Pamela is the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. India noted that Mountbatten thought Philip and the then-Princess Elizabeth would be a good match. Your father, my grandfather, had already thought it might be quite a good thing. They met when she went to visit Dartmouth College at 13 and already then she was rather struck by Prince Philip, she said. Lady Pamela replied: Well, he was a Greek god, and of course, showing off like mad because he was told to look after the two princesses, and so he showed off like mad. Later, every girl in England was in love with him. He really was stunning. The Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, just four months after announcing their engagement on 9 July. Story continues It is estimated that 200 million people across the world tuned in to watch the BBCs broadcast of the event. Recalling the wedding day, Lady Pamela said there were at least two catastrophes that were narrowly avoided before the ceremony. The first near-disaster occurred when the monarch decided suddenly that she would like to wear two pearl necklaces gifted to her by her father, King George VI. The shorter of the two necklaces is said to have been passed down by Anne the last Stuart Queen, and the other from the wife of King George II. The Princess suddenly said, Ooh, Id like to wear the pearls Papa has given me, Lady Pamela told listeners. Everybody looked at each other and was asking where the pearls were of course, they were in St James Palace where all the presents were shown. So somebody had to rush off to St James Palace from Buckingham Palace to seize the pearls. The Queens wedding bouquet also became a source of panic later that morning, after a very efficient footman placed the flowers on a table behind doors, leading to a frantic search for them. It took quite a lot of time to find them. Luckily, [the catastrophes] were all solved, Lady Pamela added. In a matter of a few hours on Wednesday, I learned of the deaths of two former colleagues. Irmarie Jones and Reggie Sheffield died early Wednesday, separated by hundreds of miles in distance and nearly four decades in age. They didn't know each other, as far as I know, but I suppose it is possible they crossed paths at some point. Both had roots in New England, specifically Massachusetts, and print journalism is a tight and interwoven field wherever you go. Irmarie was already a legend when I joined the staff of The Recorder in Greenfield, Massachusetts, my first job out of college in 1992. She wrote a regular column, "Just Plain Neighbors," and I can best relate her to central Ohio by saying she had about the same cachet and devoted following that longtime Dispatch columnist John Switzer enjoyed. Irmarie was a local institution, a genuinely kind person, and a committed community journalist. There's a picture of her taken in the newsroom in the 1970s, seated at a keyboard with a visor perched on her head and a pipe tucked in the right corner of her mouth. She died at age 97, and knowing her personality I imagine she had packed about as much life into those years as anyone could muster. Honestly, when I saw her obit my first thought was, "Wow! Irmarie was still going strong after all these years?" Columbus Dispatch metro columnist Theodore Decker Reggie's death was another matter. Reggie, I'd learned, had suffered a stroke earlier in the week and died Wednesday morning. He was 61. You'd have guessed he was 10 years younger. I was a cops reporter in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when Reggie joined the staff of The Patriot-News as our new county courts reporter. The longtime county courts reporter, my dear friend Pete Shellem, had moved to the federal courts beat, in what editors hoped would afford him more time and freedom to pursue the investigative reporting at which Pete excelled. Reggie was a character, and that's saying something in a print newsroom. We had something to talk about right away, as we both had worked at small daily newspapers in coastal Massachusetts fishing towns. Story continues Reggie had a sharp wit and a keen nose for BS. I always thought there was a casual elegance about him too, a description you might find funny if you ever enjoyed his irreverent sense of humor and, ahem, colorful language. But I swear to you, he could make a tempest of the naughtiest words somehow sound refined. I'm terrible at staying in touch with people and hadn't talked to Reggie in years. I knew he was no longer at The Patriot-News. I knew he loved being a dad, and still was a whiz in the kitchen. I didn't know until last week that he and his wife, Lana, had taken up farming in rural northeast Pennsylvania. And I cracked up when I saw the Facebook pictures of Reggie in Carhartt overalls, literally digging through a load of BS with a pitchfork. I read the tributes to Reggie online. One friend noted "that devilish smile of his," and Reggie did indeed give you the feeling that he was always up to some sort of mischief. But it was a remark by Spero Lappas, a longtime criminal defense attorney in central Pennsylvania, that caught my eye: "If there is a newsroom in heaven, Reggie and Pete Shellem are getting ready to stir up some s--- tonight," he wrote. I've written about Pete before. He died by suicide in 2009, at the age of 49. As time passes we all experience more of these lightning strikes. Some are distant enough to generate somber head shakes and fleeting introspection. Others land closer, leaving our emotional landscape blasted, scorched. I keep coming back to an early spring day in Harrisburg. Reggie, Pete and I went to a chicken place up on Allison Hill for lunch and toted our white foam containers to nearby Reservoir Park to eat. I feel like there was someone else with us, but I cannot for the life of me remember who. I do remember that it was a little too cold to be sitting outside, and that Reggie razzed me mercilessly about my fear of hot sauce. When it comes to hot sauce I am still a big chicken, but I credit Reggie with goading me to greater appreciate liquid fire. It's hell growing old, we say. We say this usually while grumbling about the most minor of ailments. We say this as if a ripe old age is promised to us. We say this, forgetting in the moment, that the alternative to growing old is so much worse. tdecker@dispatch.com @Theodore_Decker This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Irmarie Jones, Reggie Sheffield deaths remind life is fleeting Kansas lawmakers are weighing a provision to block a state board's ability to investigate doctors, including Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson, who promote the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. Kansas lawmakers are weighing a provision to block a state board's ability to investigate doctors, including a state legislator, who promote the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. Under language added to the Board of Healing Arts budget Tuesday, the agency, which regulates and licenses doctors in Kansas, would not be able to spend state funds to investigate or discipline a doctor for prescribing a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for off-label use. Legislators said it was directly related to an investigation into Sen. Mark Steffen, R-Hutchinson. An anesthesiologist, Steffen revealed last week that he is under investigation by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. Steffen's remarks came during a hearing on a bill he is promoting that, among other things, would statutorily block the healing arts board from investigating health care workers in connection to COVID-19. More: Senator under health board investigation calls KU doctor 'Kansas Dr. Fauci' as COVID rates worsen The provision is part of a larger attempt to promote off-label use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat or prevent the coronavirus disease. "I am under investigation by the board for a year and a half now," Steffen said. "They clearly have no interest in resolving it. They're using it to hold over me to think they're going to silence me, as I serve as a state senator. Obviously, that's not working out for them." The exact nature of the investigation into Steffen remains unclear, although it appears to predate his public endorsement of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Budget language to target Steffen investigation, hamstring Board of Healing Arts Rep. Jesse Burris, R-Mulvane, introduced the language in the House Higher Education Budget Committee Tuesday, citing the example of Steffen, as well as a physician of a Kansas House member, who were under investigation. "Im very concerned the board is unfairly targeting certain physicians," Burris said. "And just in the interest of Kansans getting all the treatment options that are available and in the interest that the board isnt intimidating physicians or hamstringing them or preventing them from presenting all available options, I offer this amendment." Story continues Steffen said he was not involved in the effort to craft the amendment but said he was supportive of the effort, calling pushback to the use of ivermectin and other drugs from the medical community a "crime against humanity." "I think (the amendment) represents the tsunami of civil unrest coming at the Board of Healing Arts and the healthcare community," Steffen said in an interview Thursday. "I think they have gotten way out of control." Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita, who chairs the Higher Education Budget Committee, said she was initially unaware that Steffen was under investigation, instead saying the proposal was brought about because of an investigation into a doctor of Rep. Trevor Jacobs, R-Fort Scott. She said there was concern the Board of Healing Arts was being political by wading into the issue of prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19. "If they're making it a political statement, should we have a political response," Humphries told reporters. "I'm not sure, but off-label prescription is very common and so, if there is an investigation into a particular medication that seems political, then that is where shedding some light and just asking the question could be helpful." Kansas lawmakers are weighing a provision to block a state board's ability to investigate doctors, including a state legislator, who promote the use of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. Board of Healing Arts regulations say the board can take disciplinary action if a "licensee has prescribed, sold, administered, distributed or given a controlled substance to any person for other than medically accepted or lawful purposes." Rachelle Colombo, executive director of the Kansas Medical Society, noted that off-label prescriptions are regularly written by doctors for a variety of purposes. But whether a script is out-of-bounds is determined by whether it runs afoul of the medical standard of care, or whether another competent doctor would have reached the same decision based on the set of facts and resources available. "The concern is if we inappropriately shield certain aspects of medicine, what we are doing is legitimizing bad practice," Colombo said. "And that is a problem because it doesn't protect the public. The majority of physicians, those folks I represent, don't believe in that. They say, 'Hold me to the highest standard.'" Other members of both parties expressed concern that the budget amendment would be setting a dangerous precedent and would potentially create a conflict where state rules could bar a practice that could not be investigated. Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, appeared to join Democrats on the committee in opposing the language's inclusion. Lawmakers noted the broad nature of the proposal could apply to off-label drugs for a range of conditions, not just COVID-19. More: Resignation letter doesn't reveal why former KDHE Secretary Lee Norman quit last year "I think were opening up a big can of worms here and we are tying the hands of the Board of Healing Arts if we proceed with this," said Rep. Mike Amyx, D-Lawrence. "Anytime we have the opportunity or complaints are filed, I think we need to allow the process to work. My opinion, is this places us in a pretty awkward position without the investigation being done." House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, said he was tracking the proposal but would leave it up to the entire House Appropriations Committee to render a verdict on its merits. The chair of that panel, Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, declined comment on the matter, via a staffer. "We'll see what the actions are in appropriations," Ryckman told reporters Thursday. "I think more information, more detail, more rationale will have to happen first and I think that will happen in (committee)." The Board of Healing Arts budget is set to be considered Monday in the House Appropriations Committee, with potential action on the item coming at that time. Proposal comes amid Kansas bill to expand ivermectin prescription The provision comes amid a broader debate about the use of ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, among others, which have not proven to be effective against COVID-19 and are not recommended by health authorities. This has not stopped a push at allowing doctors more freedom in prescribing the treatments, however. Steffen's bill would bar the board from disciplining for any "recommendation, prescription, use or opinion of a prescriber or pharmacist related to a treatment for COVID-19, including a treatment that is not recommended." It would be retroactive to March 2020. More: Kansas bill would force pharmacists to fill ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine as off-label COVID treatment In written testimony, the healing arts board insinuated that the bill would block the board's mission of protecting the public. It also warned that the bill would not require physicians to adhere to the standard of care and standards of professional conduct when prescribing off-label drugs. Five drugs are available under the National Institutes of Health treatment guidelines for COVID-19 to treat non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19 who are at high risk for worsening disease. Those are Paxlovid, Sotrovimab, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir and, in special circumstances, the corticosteroid dexamethasone. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas Legislature weighs halt to doctor investigations on ivermectin If hypocrisy were a panacea, the coronavirus would have been banished from earth long ago. Politicians and government officials have brazenly violated the COVID-19 edicts they impose on everyone else. But after two years of prohibitions designed to placate fears rather than protect public health, can oppressed citizens around the globe compel their rulers to end absurd restrictions vexing their daily lives? At the 49ers-Rams game on Jan. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and San Francisco Mayor London Breed were photographed sporting ear-to-ear smiles. It was easy to detect their grins because they were scofflaws not wearing masks. Newsom imposed a statewide mask mandate for indoor events, and Los Angeles County dictated that masks must be worn for any outdoor mega events with more than 5,000 attendees. After controversy erupted, Garcetti claimed he wasn't breathing, and Newsom defended himself by claiming that he had his mask in his left hand when the photo was taken. The governor neglected to cite any scientific studies on how left-handed masks deter COVID-19 transmission. Hypocritical and absurd restrictions Newsom and Garcetti have been two of the most heavy-handed pandemic enforcers in the nation. Newsom dictated that all schoolchildren must wear masks despite the minimal or nonexistent evidence that masks protect kids from COVID transmission. And in L.A. County, students have to mask up even outside under some circumstances. Newsom survived a recall election last year that was sparked in part by photos of him dining maskless with his political donors at an elite restaurant in Napa Valley. I am done with masks. We've been idiotic about them since the beginning. California Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a face mask during a news conference in Rancho Cordova, Calif., in February 2022. On President Joe Bidens first day in office, he decreed that masks must be worn any time people were on federal property. A few hours after signing the order, Biden went maskless at the Lincoln Memorial. Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki justified the breach: He was celebrating ... a historic day in our country. We have bigger issues to worry about. Story continues When I hiked in national parks in the following weeks, people screamed at me for not wearing a mask. I should have told them that I was merely acting presidential. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could be toppled from power because of parties at his residence that brazenly violated the COVID-19 restrictions he imposed on his fellow citizens. Before Johnsons bashes, Britain inflicted some of the most absurd COVID-19 mandates in the world, including prohibiting couples who live in different homes from having sex indoors. One of Johnson's top scientific advisers, Neil Ferguson, was forced to resign in 2020 after being caught violating lockdown edicts with extramarital trysts, and Johnson's health secretary resigned last year after video showed him violating social distancing guidelines by passionately kissing an aide (both had other spouses). More from James Bovard: Who screwed up COVID-19 testing? Blame Trump, Biden and our health care bureaucracy. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London on Nov. 27, 2021, speaking about COVID-19 variant omicron. Even without the taint of neon-bright hypocrisy, heavy-handed government policies are evoking pushback around the world. A 40-plus-mile convoy of truckers recently arrived in Ottawa to protest Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus vaccine mandate and other pandemic policies. Massive protests have also rocked Austria, Croatia, France, Italy and other European nations, while Australians have battled police over that nations penal-colony-style COVID straitjackets. People are reclaiming their freedoms Many people who initially tolerated sweeping prohibitions have lost faith that unlimited submission will magically produce total safety. As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide approaches 400 million and the number of deaths approaches 6 million, reciting the phrase science and data is no longer sufficient to sanctify any command from any government official. While the pandemic drags into another year, citizens around the world are recognizing that temporary decrees could permanently decimate their freedom. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned, The pandemic has resulted in previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty. Freedom House warned that since the pandemic began, the condition of democracy and human rights has worsened in 80 countries and official responses to COVID-19 have laid the groundwork for government excesses that could affect democracy for years to come. COVID and the World Health Organization: COVID-19 has shown sustainable financing of WHO is needed to deliver health for all After lockdowns, vaccine mandates and vaccine passports failed to stop the spread of COVID-19, it is time for other nations to go Danish. Even though Denmark now has the second highest infection rate in the world, Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced, "We say goodbye to the restrictions and welcome the life we knew before. As of Feb. 1, Denmark will be open." The Danish government tacitly admitted the failure of pandemic restrictions and canceled the indoor mask mandate, COVID passport requirements and most other restrictions. Denmark is not alone: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre announced Tuesday that his nation would drop almost all COVID restrictions. Last month, Ireland announced the end of most COVID restrictions, and the Irish are looking forward to heartily celebrating St. Patrick's Day. James Bovard in Washington, D.C., in May 2016. Will citizens elsewhere tolerate living in Cage Keeper Democracies where their votes merely designate who will place them under house arrest? Biden, who promised in his inaugural address to "overcome this deadly virus," now admits that there is no federal solution to COVID-19. With growing recognition that government decrees wont make a virus vanish, it is time for politicians to cease pointlessly destroying peoples freedom. James Bovard, author of "Attention Deficit Democracy," is a member of USA TODAYs Board of Contributors. Follow him on Twitter: @JimBovard You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canadian truckers right to protest excessive COVID-19 crackdowns Black Girls Rock 2019 Hosted By Niecy Nash - Red Carpet Cheslie Kryst attends Black Girls Rock 2019 Hosted By Niecy Nash at NJPAC on Aug. 25, 2019 in Newark, N.J. Credit - Jemal CountessGetty Images for BET Gayle King, the long-time journalist and current CBS Mornings host, is known for both her interview skill and the depth, length, and quality of her friendships. In the days following the death of her mentee-turned-close-friend Cheslie Kryst, King has asked herself a recurrent set of questions. I really cant get over it, King tells me when we speak by phone a few days after Krysts death, which has been determined to be due to suicide. Im haunted by it. I did know her. ItsI dont even know how to comprehend or wrap my brain around whats happened. I really, really dont. Many of those who knew Kryst or admired her from afar saw was a woman who had it all. But those who may have made such an assumption should not feel culpable, says Rheeda Walker, a clinical psychologist and director of the University of Houstons Culture, Risk, and Resilience Lab. There, among other things, Walker and her team research the risks, patterns, and after-effects of suicide and Black adult mental health. Hopefully Ms. King and others who knew her [Kryst] personally will give themselves a little bit of grace through their grief, Walker says. Read more: What We Misunderstand About Suicide Among Black Americans King and Kryst first met in 2019. That year, when the turmoil of COVID-19 was not yet in sight, Kings show did a sit-down interview with the trio of Black women who had recently won major crowns: Kaliegh Garris, Miss Teen USA 2019; Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019; and Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019. (A fourth Black woman, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa, was also crowned Miss Universe 2019, but wasnt part of the roundtable.) In a world where Black beauty has historically been denigrated, where the existence of Black intelligence and poise has been first doubted then appropriated, the clean sweep of major pageant crowns had meaning. King began the interview there, calling the women a trifecta of Black girl magic. Her first question went to Kryst: Did you realize when you were being crowned that this was really creating a historic moment? Story continues I didnt even think about it until we started seeing posts on Instagram, Kryst replied. Later, she described the womens victories as an indicator of how much work remains to be done beyond the stage. I believe when Ursula Burns was no longer the CEOat Xerox, [at that time] there were no more Black female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and that is an unfortunate statistic to know, she said. This landmark should really be celebrated. But, its also a reminder: we have a lot to do. And though all three of the women played a part in that moment, it was Kryst, a young lawyer from North Carolina, who made an instant connection with her interviewer. They were all terrific. But Cheslie was the only one, when the interview was over, [to whom] I said, Can I get your number? Id like to stay in touch with you, King recalls. You know, she just had a freakin sparkle. In late 2019, Krystwho was adding a career as a journalist to her long list of achievementswas tapped to report for Extra. She worked up the courage to contact King for advice. When they met over Zoom, all that the pandemic would by then allow, to discuss television reporting, Kryst had a notepad and a pen in hand. She specifically wanted to know what she should do when interviews were not going well. King, after all, had famously coaxed a screaming, chest-thumping R. Kelly back into an interview chair by repeating Kellys given name. Over time, the mentor-mentee connection evolved into friendship. Their conversations covered everything from the book that Kryst was co-writing to the exact make of glasses Kryst wore when not on camerawhich King liked so much she got a matching pairto Krysts hopes to build her career and eventually meet someone, though King is quick to point out that singledom didnt seem to cause her younger friend much angst. This past December, a planned 40-minute lunch turned into a two-hour gab session. It was their first in-person meeting since the pandemic began, and their final conversation. Ive been searching my brain thinking, What did I miss? What did I not see? King says. There were no signs. Thats the truth. And it was just the two of us, so its not like she couldnt have been candid. On Sunday, when King received a text informing her of Krysts death, at first she thought there had been a mistake. But Kryst was gone. Then, King thought someone else must have caused Krysts death; the security tapes at the building should be checked, King thought. Then she learned Kryst had died by suicide. King called Krysts mother, April Simpkins, Sunday night. Simpkins, King says, was also wrestling with more than memories. She seemed to be trying to understand how and why Kryst appears to have kept her struggles to herself. Read more: Suicide Among Black Girls Is a Mental Health Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight Krysts family declined to comment when contacted by TIME this week. But, in a statement issued Wednesday, Simpkins shared some of her thoughts after a New York medical examiner affirmed Krysts death by suicide: The term high-functioning depression is not a specific or formal medical diagnosis, says Walker, the University of Houston psychologist. And suicide is a complex issue, often related to a range of factors in a persons life. But the practice of masking suffering while presenting as poised and happy is a real and important phenomenon. That just throws me for a loop because you know, I think we all know people who are depressed, King says after I tell her a bit about Walkers research. You can tell they are having a tough day. But that girl was so She was a sparkle. After reading Simpkins statement, King told her team they needed to do a story on high-functioning depression. Its a subject the importance of which may have never been clearer. Depression is, in reality, a collection of symptoms for a sustained period of time, Walker explains. They can vary. But in her clinical practice, Walker says, those who do not appear despondent and those who are seemingly always on rank among those about whom she often has the greatest concern. This is why its so important to have these conversations about suicide prevention, Walker says, so that people realize we need to engage in a different kind of society in which people feel like they can be their true vulnerable selves. If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider. MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan on Wednesday handed over Washington's written responses to a sweeping set of security demands that Moscow has made of the West, Russia's Foreign Ministry said. Russia, which has alarmed the West with a military buildup near Ukraine, laid out an array of security demands late last year, including a demand that Kyiv never join NATO. It also asked for a halt to the Western military alliance's expansion. The U.S. envoy arrived at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday evneing and could be seen leaving the building later that evening in footage published by the RIA news agency. He had been inside for around 30 minutes, it said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to deliver remarks to the press at noon Eastern time (1700 GMT) on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said. Russia's troop buildup in Belarus and near ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine has prompted fears that Russia is planning a new attack on Ukraine. It annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and backed a pro-Russian uprising in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies any such plan but says it could take unspecified "military-technical" action unless its demands are met. Washington has already made clear publicly that some of the demands are non-starters. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth, Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Polina Devitt; Editing by Andrew Osborn) Feb. 5Today's veteran: Bill Brunson, 75 Born: Albany Residence: St. Simons Island Service: Air Force, five years Duties: Pilot Rank: Captain Recognitions: Vietnam Service Medal; Vietnam Campaign Medal; Air Medal Duty stations: Vietnam; Pope Air Force Base, N.C. and Stewart Air Force Base, Tenn. His story: Bill Brunson was an ROTC student at University of Georgia who could have accepted a military deferment to go to law school. Instead, Brunson chose to go active duty as the Vietnam War waged. He had 20/20 vision and the Air Force needed pilots. He passed he physical and was assigned to 52 weeks of training to become a pilot. After he completed training flying C-130 Hercules turboprop transport aircraft, he volunteered to serve in Vietnam. "I just thought I could contribute," Brunson said of why he volunteered. He had to wait two years at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina before his orders to Vietnam came. By the time his orders came, Brunson said the Americans were pulling out of Vietnam, but that didn't mean he wasn't busy flying missions. He flew what he described as a C-130 with "beefed up radar" that was critical to his missions flying low-level flights below radar to drop off and pick up Special Forces troops. Brunson said his aircraft flew in some missions at an altitude of 20,000 feet to to conduct electronic warfare jamming enemy radar. Luckily, Brunson said he never saw much enemy fire during the year he served in Vietnam. "Basically, it was an uneventful tour of duty," he said. "I was there at the end of the war pulling Special Forces troops out." Brunson said he served at different bases throughout Vietnam, flying missions nearly every day with little free time. He was too busy to be scared while serving in a war zone, he said. "I was young and stupid," he said. He returned to Pope Air Force where he helped coordinate crew training. In December 1972, Brunson said he experienced what he calls "the darkest time" in his life. A pilot called in sick and Brunson assigned another pilot to participate in a dogfight training exercise that resulted in a collision between a C-130 and a F-102 fighter jet, claiming four lives. Story continues "I could have easily been on that flight," Brunson said. "After that, I had to get out." Brunson said the Air Force taught him many lessons that he has carried with him throughout his life. And the friendships and bonds he made in the Air Force are life long, he said. "There is no pretense in the Air Force," he said. "It was a great experience, other than being away from home. I'm appreciative of being an American every day." I can't wait to get back to Charleston and explore more of the city and it's surrounding areas. Rachel Askinasi/Insider I recently took a three-city road trip that started in Charleston, South Carolina. Over the course of three nights and around two and a half days, I explored the city. There was so much to appreciate, and I hope to return to enjoy more of the food, views, and scenery. I recently traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, from my home in NYC to embark on a mini road trip. I picked up my rental car at the Charleston airport. Rachel Askinasi/Insider I flew from NYC to Charleston, where I traded air travel for a rental car. After three nights and around two and a half days, I made my way into Georgia where I stopped in Savannah, and then Atlanta before flying home. Though I would have loved more time in each city, I tried to make the most of the days I had. In Charleston, that meant eating as much as I could and using all my free moments to explore. I already can't wait to go back, and when that happens, here's what I'll be planning to do. I could spend an entire afternoon simply walking in and out of the little back streets of Charleston's French Quarter and the surrounding residential area. One of many cobblestone paths in downtown Charleston. Rachel Askinasi/Insider Walking through Charleston's historic downtown area was beautiful. When I started dipping in and out of the tiny little walkways, I lost myself in the adventure of it all. Many of the cobblestone paths weren't fit for traffic some not for cars at all but they were perfect for exploring on foot, which is one of my favorite activities regardless of where I am. On these walks in Charleston, I was treated to up-close looks at the architecture of largely renovated carriage houses, small gardens fit for enjoying afternoon lunch (in my fantasy, at least), and fragrant floral arrangements. I'd love to spend more time on the water as it seemed like a great place to have fun with sports and boating. I got a taste of life on the water during my sailboat stay. Rachel Askinasi/Insider Walking is great, but I'd also be excited to return to Charleston to spend more time by the water. As part of my time in Charleston, I spent one night on an Airbnb sailboat docked in a marina on the Ashley River. While I'm not sure I would personally spend the $800+ for a night on a sailboat (Insider paid for the Airbnb, per our reporting standards), I would love to return to this part of Charleston again. Story continues I saw people pass by on small boats and even some kayaks, which I imagine would be a great way to experience the beauty of the city next time, I would look into these types of rentals. Charleston has so many great restaurants. No matter how many I get to in one trip, there are so many more I still want to try. I ate everything from oysters to biscuits. Rachel Askinasi/Insider While I was able to check famous Charleston restaurants like Darling Oyster Co. and Callie's Hot Little Biscuit off my list on this first trip, my personal restaurant wish list is ever-growing. Charleston is teeming with incredible places to eat, from barbecue joints to seafood spots and side-of-the-road eateries. However, I made peace with the fact that I wasn't going to get to try them all in this one, three-night visit. There's always next time, and when that happens, I'll be making it a point to taste some Lowcountry classics and Gullah-Geechee cuisine. I didn't experience Charleston's rooftop bar scene while in town I'd make that a priority on my next trip. I could see this rooftop bar from my hotel. Rachel Askinasi/Insider Each time I told someone I was going to Charleston, I would hear about the rooftop bar scene and how great it is for evening cocktails. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capitalize on this awesome city trait, but I'd love to make the effort (and the reservations) next time. I was only able to catch the sunset on just one of the three nights during my early December visit. Personally, I love being able to sit on a great rooftop with friends, family, or even by myself and enjoy the experience of watching the sun disappear past the horizon line. There are so many areas outside of downtown that I would want to spend time exploring. Until next time, Charleston! Rachel Askinasi/Insider While in Charleston, I spent my time on the peninsula, mainly in the historic downtown area because that's where my work took me. I loved what I saw, but I know there are so many other parts of the city and county including, but not limited to, North Charleston, James Island, and Sullivan's Island that offer different views, food, and landscapes. With so many things already on my wish list, I can't wait to plan another trip to this southern, coastal city. Read the original article on Insider Mexican drug cartels have started using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to disable army vehicles on roads in the western parts of the country. In Tepalcatepec, a town in the state of Michoacan, the self-defence movement has said that improvised land mines did severe damage to an army vehicle late last month. A spokesman for the movement, which is fighting the Jalisco cartel, said the army vehicle was taken out of action on 29 January in Taixtan, a town near Tepalcatepec. Area residents have been fighting the cartel for months. The factions also use improvised armoured vehicles and drones, which have been adapted to drop small bombs. But the use of IEDs is a possible new development in the drug wars. The Mexican Defence Department said that army patrols had been attacked four times with explosives, homemade armoured cars as well as by gunfire on 29 January in the area, with ten soldiers being wounded, but the department didnt specify if IEDs had been deployed against the army. The Milenio TV station reported the IEDs as being PVC pipe bombs buried with a circular metal base underneath and a metal lid in the shape of a cone to aim the explosion. Security and military analyst Juan Ibarrola said, the worrisome thing is the improvisation that they (criminal groups) are doing with engineering, to create weapons, boobytraps, explosives and so on. The cartels arent fighting a war with the army, a fight they know they would lose Mr Ibarrola said the cartels are instead using the IEDs and other improvised objects to try to threaten and take on rival groups. It remains unclear if the IEDs are only being used by one side in the fight for Michoacan state, valued by the cartels for its smuggling routes and ports as well as the possibility of forcing money out of the avocado and lime growers in the area. Cartels have used hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades in the past, but the use of IEDs has been unknown. In 2010, a car bomb was set off remotely using a cellphone in Ciudad Juarez across the US border from El Paso, Texas, killing a federal police officer, two civilians and wounding nine others. Story continues In 2015, Jalisco cartel gunmen shot down a Eurocopter transport helicopter using a rocket-propelled grenade. Eight soldiers and a police officer died. The Jalisco cartel has become the most militarily powerful drug group in Mexico, and the government is struggling to control their expansion, with the army using some of their heaviest artillery to fight the group, such as helicopter gunships equipped with electric mini-guns rotating barrel machine guns that can fire thousands of rounds per minute. Michoacan residents are tired of the governments strategy of simply trying to keep the Jalisco cartel and the Viagras group thats based in the state away from each other. The policy put in place by the army in effect allows the Viagras, who are known for kidnappings and extortions, to establish roadblocks and checkpoints on many state roads. Goods entering and leaving the state are subject to a war tax collected by the gang. The tactic seems to be in line with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors hugs, not bullets policy of sidestepping conflict with the gangs. The difficult thing here is that there hasnt been any resounding effort by the government to confront the gangs, Mr Ibarrola said. Thats serious, not because there isnt the capacity, the army is there and can do it, but the orders just simply dont come. The most feared fighters have now become the droneros the drone operators dropping bombs. The drones were at first dangerous to operate and reload, and while they are still imprecise, drones have become a more efficient way of conducting warfare, at times taking off the roofs of metal barns or sheds. The Associated Press contributed to this report Submit An Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Go to form The dubious claim that the term Latinx is a creation of white liberal elites one being vigorously promoted in right-wing circles is gaining ground. The campaign to police and ban one word has scored numerous wins in recent weeks: a flurry of editorials condemning the term and a ban on its use in official communications by the civil rights group League of United Latin American Citizens. The reality is there is very little to no support for its use, and its sort of seen as something used inside the Beltway or in Ivy League tower settings, LULAC president Domingo Garcia told NBC. This came after a poll showed only 2% of surveyed Latinos, mostly younger ones, identified as Latinx. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., declared on Twitter that he restricts his staffs use of the term, claiming its meant to appease white rich progressives. Such bans, understandably, alienate many of the LGBTQ, Indigenous and Black Latinxs whom the word was meant to represent. And while the term is imperfect and there are legitimate reasons to dislike it, the idea that it was invented by performative woke whites is wrong and erases the voices that forged it as a path to visibility. In the early 2000s, queer Latinxs began using the term on message boards and blogs. The trend accelerated after the 2016 massacre of 49 mostly queer Latinx people at Pulse, the Orlando night club. It built on the use of the machismo-resisting Latin@s or Latino/a, which pushed back against the Spanish languages male-centric gendering. Latinx sought to cast an even wider net. The x was already employed by many in Latin America to replace the male o and female a conjugations, yielding words such as todxs, meaning everyone in Portuguese and Spanish. For some Latinos, particularly older ones, Latinx sounds weird. They find it hard to pronounce the x in English, though Spanish pronunciations of Latin and x can combine into a smooth Latin-equis, which rhymes with Dos Equis, the Mexican beer. Others argue the term doesnt do enough. Mexican historian and activist Citlalli Citlalmina Anahuac makes the case that both Latinx and Latino are anti-Indigenous, like the term Hispanic, often seen as centering Spanish colonizers. But for many, Latinx feels like an important act of resistance against mainstream exclusion. The letter x has a history in the civil rights movement as well. Latinx researcher Nicole Guidotti-Hernandez points to Malcolm X, who adopted X to replace the white enslavers last name imposed on his family. She also points to Chicano civil rights activists who commonly replaced ch with x (Xicano instead of Chicano) as a nod to the Indigenous language Nahuatl. Defenders of the term admit it isnt perfect. Paola Ramos, a queer Latina and Vice News correspondent who wrote Finding Latinx, isnt trying to force it on others. She just wants to normalize it. She gets inundated with hate and harassment for using the term mostly from white, right-wing Latino men. When youre a white Latino and you start seeing yourself next to a Black Latino, next to a transgender Latino, next to a queer Latino, next to an Indigenous Latino, you start to truly understand the diversity of our community, she said. Thats an image that a lot of people reject. Leslie Priscilla Arreola-Hillenbrand, who promotes nonviolent parenting through a group called Latinx Parenting, faces similar vitriol. Latino men will follow me and come into my DMs specifically to cuss me out over the term in Spanish, she told me. Shes frustrated with how much oxygen the debate over a single word takes up when so many more critical issues exist in her community. But thats what right-wing campaigns are designed to do: distract from substantive problems. Last summer, while I was reporting on threats to brown and Black communities in Californias gubernatorial recall election, I used Latinx in a tweet. An army of right-wing trolls began to quote-retweet me and attack me as being out of touch with my own community, triggering a flood of expletive-laden hate mail. Giancarlo Sopo, a Spanish-language media adviser for Trumps failed 2020 re-election bid, lumped me in with Democrats he accused of trying to force others to use the term, which he bizarrely likened to a black market Viagra brand. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw chimed in, sarcastically urging Florida Democrats to adopt the term. Even Fox News turned my tweet into a story. The desire to dictate how Latinos can identify and exist comes predominantly from the right. But exceptions do exist. Tanya K. Hernandez, an Afro-Latina of my mothers generation and author of a forthcoming book on anti-Blackness among Latinos, says shes had editors and colleagues even some white ones tell her she should default to the word Latinx, which doesnt come naturally to her, even though she is not opposed to its use. She gently but firmly declines. People should have the right to describe themselves in the ways they find most appropriate, she argues. Plus, she told me: Id rather talk substance as opposed to the formalities of the proper etiquette or the proper word on a particular day. We still have children at the border. We still have people in immigration detention centers. Lets talk about that. Perhaps the debate about a word wouldnt generate so much heat if it werent cast as either/or. Latinx strives for inclusivity. We dont need to be pitted against one another, Latino versus Latinx. Thats exactly what far-right forces would like. Dont fall for it. For those of you old enough to remember the debate over single-sex education, and how VMI fo Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Enterprise State Community College has entered into agreement with Pilgrims, a subsidiary of leading global food company JBS, to train its employees for associate degrees and technical certifications in their respective regions. ESCC signed the agreement on Wednesday, Feb. 2, to participate in the JBS/Pilgrims Better Futures program that offers free college tuition to Pilgrims team members and their child dependents. Pilgrims offers to pay the remaining tuition balance often called a last dollar tuition scholarship for its workers to train in technical programs that help them succeed. The scholarship is effective after all other aid, including aid granted after completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), is applied. It is common for Alabamas business and industry to look to Alabamas community colleges to train their workers, and its rewarding to reach agreements with companies and universities all over the state that deliver the whole-student approach in advising and student experiences, right alongside workforce development, said Jimmy H. Baker, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System. This agreement is among many that confirm our colleges dedication to the communities they serve. We welcome Pilgrims workers who choose our colleges and benefit from this agreement. Pilgrims employees are required to have worked with the company at least six months prior to becoming eligible for the tuition scholarship and to work for the company two years after graduation or completion of a certification. Similar agreements for employee scholarships and professional development were signed with Pilgrims at Northwest-Shoals and Snead State Community Colleges. Each of the colleges is within a region where a Pilgrims facility is located. We are excited to partner with these colleges to offer this incredible benefit to our team members and their children, said Corey Friend, JBS/Pilgrims Better Futures program manager. This program will provide deserving individuals the opportunity to pursue their dreams for higher education and strengthen Alabama communities for generations to come. In addition to JBS/Pilgrims offering the last dollar tuition scholarship, ESCC committed to offer specialized advising, financial literacy and professional development to Pilgrims employees who choose to attend. Enterprise State is excited to partner with Pilgrims Pride to provide these educational opportunities for its employees and their families, ESCC President Matt Rodgers said. We look forward to welcoming and assisting these students in the future at ESCC. I commend Pilgrims Pride for its foresight and commitment to our community. What if a baby is born on a flight? Though it might sound like a very odd situation, it has been the case a few times. But coming back to the same question, what about the baby's citizenship? Suppose you are flying from India to the USA and have a baby on board. Is the baby a citizen of India or the USA? We have answers to these questions. How frequent is this situation? Vaguely we can call it a sporadic occurrence. But what do the stats say? As per a report, one in twenty-six million passengers have a baby while flying. These stories are so rare that news organizations feature their account. Read also: Air Asia passengers can now pre-book lounge facilities, here's how Another story that the numbers tell is that among the 350,000 to 400,000 babies born, typically 50 of them are "skyborns". This situation occurs when the babies are prematurely born. Though the airlines try to minimise this occurrence through their policies, it still happens. What happens in these situations? Though rare, there have been reports of the "skyborns." Even children have been born to people of Indian origin in flights of IndiGO and Air India. When these situations occur, generally, the flight attendants take care of the situation and try to seek help from the doctors on board (if any). In some of these situations, a flight might even be diverted so the pregnant woman can receive the help needed. This can be better understood by an incident in February 2020, when a baby was born on a flight. A Bangkok-bound Qatar Airways flight had to change the route to land in Kolkata to get immediate assistance when a baby was born prematurely. In these situations getting professional attention is of utmost importance as most babies are premature. What about citizenship? Though the airlines generally celebrate these situations by awarding benefits to the newborn, they also are confused regarding the baby's citizenship. But certain rules solve the confusing situation. If a baby is born on a flight, the nationality is awarded, keeping in mind the airspace of the nation in which the flight was at the time of birth or the parents' nationality. If both these factors do not provide the solution, then citizenship is awarded after checking the nation where the plane is registered. Live TV #mute The first private electric vehicle charging point was installed in South Delhi on February 6. A spokesperson said, Under the AAP government's single-window facility, the first private EV charging point has been installed at a south Delhi resident's home under BSES discom BRPL area. The single-window facility seeks to facilitate the rapid expansion of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles at private and semi-public places like apartments, group housing societies, hospitals, malls and theaters in the city. The first private charging point was installed earlier this week at DDA Flats in south Delhi's Munirka, while the second one was installed next to it in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar, the BSES spokesperson said. "Consumers of BSES discoms BRPL and BYPL can get a private EV charging point installed through an online single-window portal (Switch Delhi) at their homes, group housing societies, multi-storey apartment complexes, RWA offices, commercial shops etc., through the empanelled vendors," he said. Read also: Tesla on Full Self Driving Beta mode crashes into pole, here's how Twelve vendors have been empanelled by the Transport Department for the installation of charging points. For the promotion and expansion of the private charging network, the government is providing a one-time subsidy of Rs 6,000 for the first 30,000 charging points. EV chargers can be purchased by consumers from the empanelled vendors through the single-window portal as per capex or subscription model. Under the capex model, the consumer makes the complete payment upfront to the empanelled vendor. Under the subscription model, the total cost to the vendor is paid by the consumer as equal monthly installments over three years after which the charger gets transferred to him. The private charging infrastructure development programme aims to create an enabling environment for the provision of private as well as public charging infrastructure. With inputs from PTI Live TV #mute In what may be the first FSD accident recorded on video, a Tesla Model Y crashed into a pole in downtown San Jose. The driver was driving a Tesla that had just been updated to the latest software, Full Self Driving Beta 10.10. According to Electrek, Tesla's CEO Elon Musk claimed last month that the FSD Beta program has not had a single accident since it began over a year ago. In spite of a complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from a Model Y owner in the FSD Beta test program, the claim of the system causing a crash remains a mystery. Earlier this week, YouTube Channel AI Addict on YouTube posted a video showing that his car appeared not to recognize a pole separating the cycle lane from the main road as he went around a corner. The front bumper of his Model Y was slightly damaged when he hit the pole. Read also: Tata Power and Apollo Tyres join forces to build EV charging stations in India; Report The report mentions a small accident that only caused a bit of paint damage, but technically it crashed into something. Please note that Tesla does not assume any responsibility for the "Full Self-Driving Beta". The self-driving software is still in its early stages of development and is currently being tested by Tesla owners selected by the company and through the company's "safety test score". Although the software allows the vehicle to drive autonomously if a destination is entered into the navigation system, the driver remains responsible for the vehicle at all times, so he or she must remain attentive and ready to take control. While it was only a small accident, Tesla has a long way to go before FSD becomes readily available to all. In the video, the Model Y runs a red light and drives into a tramway, supporting this point With inputs from IANS Live TV #mute New Delhi: The Election Commission on Sunday (February 6, 2022) extended the ban on roadshows, 'pad yatras', cycle and vehicle rallies but relaxed norms for indoor and outdoor political meets in the five poll-bound states. In a statement, the EC said restrictions regarding outdoor meetings, indoor meetings, rallies will be further relaxed subject to the condition that the number of persons attending these events will be limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity. The maximum number of persons permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will remain as before. Ban on campaign between 8 PM and 8 AM will also continue as before, the EC said. Ban on road shows, Pad-Yatras, cycle/bike/vehicle rallies and processions to continue; ECI grants further relaxation for Physical public meetings in indoor Halls and Outdoor meetings https://t.co/JZQCFdQJd7 Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) February 6, 2022 The step was taken after the Commission held a meeting with the Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India on February 5 to assess the prevailing ground situation. Union Health Secretary briefed the Commission about the ground situation of Covid-19 and stated that the poll going states are contributing a very small proportion of the total reported cases in the country. Union Health Secretary also told the Commission that the peak of Covid-19 had been reached on January 21-22. He also stated that in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, the total number of active coronavirus cases have reduced from over 32,000 on January 22 to around 7,000 on February 5. It is noteworthy that in the last review on January 31, the Commission had issued more relaxation and allowed political parties or contesting candidates to hold outdoor meetings in designated open spaces with a maximum of 1,000 persons (instead of existing 500 persons) or 50% of the capacity of the ground and for indoor meetings, a maximum of 500 persons (instead of existing 300 persons) or 50% of the capacity of the hall, whichever number is lesser, from February 1 for all phases. The Commission had also enhanced the limit for door to door campaigns from 10 persons to 20 persons, excluding security personnel. The Assembly polls are scheduled in five states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Punjab in seven phases between February 10 and March 7. Live TV New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, who dont often see eye-to-eye on political developments, on Saturday (February 5) slammed Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for not receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad airport. PM Narendra Modi reached Hyderabad the other day the unveil the Statue of Equality.' Terming the situation as "unfortunate", BJP leader Prakash Reddy said that the Chief Minister`s decision will impact the political activities in the state. "It is an unfortunate situation that the chief minister did not go to receive the Prime Minister of the country. It is a `bahana` (excuse). I feel that he did not have the courage to come face to face with PM Modi after accusing the PM on several occasions," Reddy told ANI. "I request the Chief Minister to apologize and have a dialogue with the Prime Minister as this decision of Chief Minister will impact the political activities of Telangana," he added. Meanwhile, Congress leader V Hanumanta Rao also condemned the incident calling it against the Constitution of India. "As the leader of an opposition party, I feel that they want to change the Constitution of India. They want to ignore the Constitution. They are violating the protocols. They are working against the Constitution," he stated. "This is a democratic nation, I am against any activity which is against the Constitution," he added. The statements came as, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been openly targeting the BJP, especially PM Modi for the past few weeks, was not present at the Hyderabad airport to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited the city to unveil the `Statue of Equality.' Notably, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had also not received the Prime Minister at Bhatinda airport when he visited the state for unveiling development projects in the state last month. Telangana BJP slammed Chandrasekhar Rao for "violating protocol" and not receiving the Prime Minister at the airport. The party termed it a "shameful act" and said the chief minister had stooped to a "new low"." KCR has been regularly Insulting Constitution. Now violating protocol stoops is such idiotic and shameful act of KCR. #ShameOnYouKCR BJP Telangana (@BJP4Telangana) February 5, 2022 KCR has been regularly insulting our PM @narendramodiji Now violating protocol stoops is such an idiot and shameful act of KCR. We will never tolerate this to our PM," the party said in a tweet. The state BJP also accused Chandrasekhar Rao of following the "footsteps" of Channi and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu." As Expected! KCR violating Protocol stoops to a new low by sending his unimportant Minister. Following NCBN, Channi footsteps. You`ll be paid back in return," the state BJP said. However, The Prime Minister reached the southern city for the inauguration ceremony of the 216-feet tall `Statue of Equality commemorating 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad. Live TV Jammu: The Border Security Forces (BSF) on Sunday (February 6) killed three Pakistani intruders along the International Border in the Samba district of the Jammu division when they tried to sneak inside Indian territory along with a huge amount of narcotics. DIG BSF SPS Sandhu said, "Today in the early hours of 6 Feb 2022, the alert troops of BSF Jammu neutralized 3 Pakistani smugglers who were trying to smuggle narcotics through Samba border and thwarted a big smuggling attempt. The BSF troops noticed these people coming from the Pak side and crossing the IB. They were trying to smuggle the narcotics through the border fencing with a plastic pipe, the DIG informed. The alert BSF troops fired and neutralized 3 Pakistani smugglers and recovered 36 packets (Approx 36 Kgs) of narcotics likely to be heroin, 1 Pistol 9mm (Petro Baretta -Made in Italy), 1 Magazine, 9 Rounds of 9mm, Rs 9820 Pak currency notes, one knife, one plastic hume pipe and one Pak-made cough syrup. D K Boora, Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, added, "BSF is on alert all the time and after passing of peaceful Republic day BSF did not reduce its alertness and continued to intensify its Border Domination. This huge narco seizure on International Border has once again exposed the evil designs of Pakistani smugglers and made a big dent on their nefarious activities. Total 79 kgs of heroin has been seized in a year's time by Jammu Ftr troops besides apprehending 4 intruders and killing 9 including this." Live TV New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is likely to release the CBSE Class 10, Class 12 Term 1 exam results soon. According to the reports, the board is set to release the results for Class 10, Class 12 Term 1 exam this week, but no official announcement was made on the same. Students must note that once released, they will be able to check their CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exam 2022 Term 1 result at the official websites- cbse.gov.in, cbseresults.nic.in. For more details, students can keep checking the official website of CBSE for updates on results as well as their Term 2 exam. Here are the steps to check scores: Step 1: Visit the CBSE official website (cbse.nic.in) Step 2: On the homepage, click 'CBSE 10th Term 1 Result 2022' or 'CBSE 12th Result 2022' link Step 3: Enter your roll number, other details and click on submit Step 4: Your classes 10 and 12 results will be displayed on the screen Step 5. Download your result and take a print out for future reference Other ways to check results: It may be noted that the students can also check their scores on DigiLocker app and website (digilocker.gov.in); and on Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) app. CBSE has decided that this time, results will be released in the form of marks scored by the candidates and that no student who appeared for the examination will be termed as pass" or fail". Live TV An artist's impression of the Long Thanh International Airport in the southern Dong Nai Province. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Transport After inspecting the construction site Sunday, PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed dissatisfaction and criticized a number of units for progress on Vietnam's largest airport Long Thanh. Chinh stated that according to the latest resolution of the National Assembly, the airport must be up for operation by 2025, but land clearance issues remain unresolved. The project has been allocated capital for site clearance in 2021 and 2022, meaning Dong Nai Province People's Committee must take responsibility for handing over the entire site on time. Up to now, the locality has handed over only 1,284 hectares, with 525 hectares outstanding. Chinh acknowledged the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the airport investor, is overseeing many airport projects, while resources, time, and experience are limited. But he emphasized that ACV leaders must meet with Dong Nai officials and residents to quickly resolve current issues. "Related agencies must clearly discuss current progress and divide responsibilities in order to speed up the project. Those who can do it must be determined and implement it; those who can't, stand aside," Chinh said. The national key project deserves better coordination and management, he said, urging units to prevent corruption in bidding and other tasks in the project. The Long Thanh airport project has a capital of about $5 billion, with many component initiatives. Long Thanh, set to replace Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport as Vietnams largest when completed, will have an annual capacity of 100 million passengers and five million tons of cargo. New Delhi: The Sainik School Society (SSS) is in the process of developing an automated system for providing online counselling to students seeking admission into 100 new Sainik Schools, the defence ministry said on Sunday (February 6). It said an automated system for e-counselling will ensure complete transparency in the admission process. "Marching ahead with the government's aim of setting up 100 new Sainik Schools throughout the country, the Sainik School Society (SSS) is in the process of developing an automated system for the conduct of e-counselling," the ministry said in a statement. It said the e-counselling will be less expensive and user-friendly for all the stakeholders -- schools and students. "It will be applicable to the new schools being set up as part of the government's vision to provide an opportunity for students throughout the country to move in tune with National Education Policy along with following the Sainik School curriculum," the ministry said. "This automated system for e-Counselling will ensure complete transparency in the admission process," it added. The ministry said the students will be asked to register through a link provided at the web portal "http://www.sainikschool. ncog.gov.in and verify their details. "The students will have the option to select up to 10 schools as the choice of allocation. Subsequently, the allocation of schools to the students will be carried out by the system based on their rank and choice of the schools and result will be declared through e-Counselling portal," the ministry said. Live TV New Delhi: The Drugs Controller General of India has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light Covid vaccine in the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Sunday. This comes following recommendations of an expert panel of India's central drug authority to grant restricted emergency use authorisation to Sputnik Light subject to various regulatory provisions. Sputnik-Light is the same as component-1 of Sputnik V. "DCGI has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is the ninth COVID-19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic," Mandaviya tweeted. DCGI has granted emergency use permission to Single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is the 9th #COVID19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic. Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) February 6, 2022 An official source said in light of recommendations of Subject Expert Committee (SEC) following a meeting on January 31, Dr Reddy's Laboratories presented its proposal for grant of permission to import Sputnik Light for restricted emergency use and booster dose vaccination along with analysis of safety and efficacy data including its benefit against Omicron. The firm presented that Sputnik Light vaccine is approved in 29 countries, including Russia and Argentina. "The SEC on COVID-19 of the CDSCO, which deliberated on the application by Dr Reddy's Laboratories, noted the safety and immunogenicity data presented by the firm from the Indian study is comparable with that of the ongoing Phase-3 clinical trial interim data from Russia," the source said. The interim data of efficacy trial from Russia has shown 65.4 per cent efficacy, 21 days after immunization. "After detailed deliberation, the SEC had recommended grant of permission for restricted use in emergency situation subject to various regulatory provisions including," the source said. Live TV New Delhi: The Delimitation Commission has proposed an overhaul of assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir in its draft report which has been handed over to five associate members from the Union Territory for their suggestions, officials said on Saturday. The voluminous report has proposed redrawing of the Anantnag Parliamentary seat by including Rajouri and Poonch from the Jammu region, besides carrying out massive changes in the Kashmir division, they said. Many of the assembly seats in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state have vanished including Habba Kadal, a seat that was seen as a traditional bastion of migrant Kashmiri pandits. Barring Khanyar, Sonwar and Hazratbal assembly seats of Srinagar district, all other seats have been redrawn and merged with new assembly seats being carved out like Channapora and Srinagar South, the officials said. Voters from Habba Kadal will now be part of at least three assembly seats in the new proposed report, they said. Similarly, Budgam district, which had five assembly seats, was redrawn and merged with Baramulla Parliamentary constituency besides splitting some of the areas and carving out new assembly seats like Kunzer in North Kashmir. Sangrama seat in North Kashmir has been merged with other assembly seats, they said. Pulwama, Tral and some areas of Shopian, which formed part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, will now be part of the Srinagar Parliamentary seat. The report was sent to the five associate members Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi and Akbar Lone (Lok Sabha MPs from the National Conference) and Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore (BJP MPs) on Friday. They have been asked to submit their views by February 14 after which the report would be put in the public domain, the officials added. The report has ignored the objections filed by the National Conference on December 31 last year rejecting the proposal to increase six Assembly seats in the Jammu region as against just one in the Kashmir division. The Commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai with Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and state election commission K K Sharma was set up on March 6, 2020 and was granted an extension of a year on March 6, 2021, which will come to an end next month. The Delimitation Commission has held two meetings with the Associate Members on February 18 and December 20 last year. While the first meeting was boycotted by the three National Conference MPs, they attended the second meeting. The NC had vociferously opposed the draft proposals which will increase the number of Assembly seats in the Jammu division from 37 to 43 and in Kashmir from 46 to 47. The party, in its objections, had termed the Reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir Act as "Constitutionally suspect" and questioned the recommendations of the delimitation panel especially its rationale behind increasing six seats in the Jammu division as against one in the Kashmir region. In its reply to the Commission, the NC argued that there were question marks over the Constitutional propriety of the panel especially when the party along with several others had approached the Supreme Court challenging the action of August 5, 2019, by the Centre of revoking the special status and bifurcating the erstwhile state in two Union territories - Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The party said the Commission has been formed because of the Reorganisation Act of Jammu and Kashmir 2019 which is under judicial scrutiny and the Supreme Court is yet to deliver its order. The panel's recommendations are borne out of an Act which is a "Constitutionally suspect" law, it said. According to legal parlance, if any Act is under judicial custody and the apex court is seized of the matter, it can be termed as a Constitutionally suspect law. The party said the principle of Constitution propriety demands that such a law should not be implemented and all the limbs of the state and their institutions should, out of deference to the top constitutional court, desist from implementing such law till its constitutionality is determined. The National Conference also challenged the theory of Commission that the seats had to be extended in the Jammu region because of difficult terrains and geographically remote areas. It highlighted that several areas in Kashmir remain cut-off for months and are equally arduous when it comes to the remoteness of an area. The party highlighted several areas in Anantnag, Kupwara, Baramulla, Kulgam and Uri in Kashmir division to compare remoteness and tough terrain. The major objection of the party was about the formula that had been adopted by the Commission by throwing the concept of the population to the wind and said Kashmir division, despite having a higher number of people compared to Jammu, got only one seat. After the completion of the delimitation exercise, the number of Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir will go up from 83 to 90. In the erstwhile assembly of Jammu and Kashmir state, Kashmir had 46 seats, Jammu 37 and Ladakh four. Live TV New Delhi: The Delhi government-run Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Sunday (February 6) issued orders directing resumption of offline classes from February 7. The order issued by the JNU stated that the university shall be made fully functional at 100 per cent strength, and all staff members and officers are to attend office on all working days from Monday (February 7) onwards. All deans, chairpersons of various schools, centres, special centres have been asked to resume offline academic, teaching and learning activities and libraries for students with effect from Monday in consultation with stakeholders and subject to strict compliance of SOP as per the DDMA order. The university has asked the heads of schools, centres and special centres to call students after taking into account the available space, infrastructure and facilities so as to ensure that Covid-appropriate behaviour is complied with at all times. The order further stated that employees residing in containment zones notified by the competent authority should take permission from registrar of the university to work from home until the containment zone is de-notified. "Meetings, as far as possible, shall be conducted on video-conferencing and personal meeting with visitors, unless necessary in public interest, are to be avoided. Efforts should be made to move files electronically to the extent possible. Gymnasium and yoga activities are allowed to open, subject to strict compliance with Covid-appropriate behaviour," it read. According to the order, all authorised canteens are allowed to operate with 50 per cent of the seating capacity from 8 am to 11 pm. There shall be night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am everyday on the movement of individuals on the campus. The security branch of the university shall ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour is maintained in all areas as well as shops providing essential goods and services, the order further said. "The security branch of the university shall ensure effective checking of movement of persons and vehicles in the university campus by putting adequate number of checking points with the objective to prevent unnecessary movement of people on roads. They branch shall also ensure that movement of individuals and vehicles are allowed strictly as per guidelines prescribed in the order," it added. The notification issued by the Guru Govind Singh University stated that all universities and colleges under the Delhi government will reopen with effect from Monday for physical classes. The university advised its students and staff to strictly follow all Covid guidelines issued by DDMA. Live TV New Delhi: AIMIM national president Asaduddin Owaisi while campaigning in Uttar Pradeshs Asara village on Saturday said that the people who were behind Mahatama Gandhis assassination are responsible for a gun attack on him recently. "They fired bullets at me because I dared to look into the eyes of BJP and tell the truth. Those who fired at me are the very people who had murdered Mahatama Gandhi. If you kill one Owaisi, lakhs of Owaisis will be born," he claimed at a public meeting in Asara village in support of party candidate Anees Ahmed from the Chhaprauli seat. The leader was referring to the firing incident when gunshots were fired at Owaisi's vehicle at Hapur in western Uttar Pradesh while returning to Delhi after campaigning for the assembly elections. In his speech, Owaisi also cautioned minorities against Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, claiming that he will not keep his promises once the election process is over. Sounding a cautionary note against the SP president, Owaisi claimed, "I'm alerting you today that Akhilesh will cheat you again. He is giving a lollipop to minority community leaders that they will be made Rajya Sabha members, MLCs, but he will not do anything later." On the participation of Muslims in politics, he said, "They go to the doorsteps of others and ask for tickets, they should come to me, we will give (them) tickets." In an attempt to highlight the power of a vote, he said that just as an elephant is tied to a chain, similarly Muslims have been tied up by political parties. They should recognize their power and break the chains to become as strong as an elephant. Owaisi also attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and alleged, 'Yogi Baba' tells lies like 'his Ustad (Narendra) Modi'. Meanwhile, after the firing incident, Owaisi was offered Z category security by the government, which the AIMIM leader rejected demanding a fair probe into the matter. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will present a detailed report on the gun firing at Owaisi on February 7 in the parliament. Live TV New Delhi: The last date to fill the application form for MP Board 10th, 12th exams is today (February 6, 2021). The Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education will conduct MPBSE 10th, 12th Exams 2022 in offline mode for all students. According to the announcement, the Board will deactivate the form filling link on Sunday, February 6, 2022. The students need to note that the application filling process will not be considered complete till they pay the registration fee. The candidates will have to pay Rs 900 as a registration fee. Additionally, candidates who miss out on the last date will also be given a second chance for registering for the MP Board 10, 12 exam by paying a late fee. According to the official notice, students who will not fill out the form by today will have to submit it with late fees of Rs. 10,000. Students may now download their admit cards for the MP Board Exams 2022. Papers for MPBSE 10th Exams will commence on February 18th, while MPBSE 12th Exams will begin on February 17th. Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has reopened the schools for all classes with 50 percent capacity from February 1, 2022. The Chief Minister, Chouhan Shivraj, in consultation with the medical experts, decided that the schools would be reopened from February 1. All classes from 1 to 12 will be conducted with 50% attendance. Residential schools and hostels will also open with 50% attendance," said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan in a tweet. Live TV New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will announce the name of the party's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Punjab elections on Sunday (February 6, 2022) during his Ludhiana visit for a virtual rally. "On February 6, Rahul Gandhi ji will visit Ludhiana and from there will address a virtual rally in the afternoon and announce the CM face," Harish Chaudhary, who is party's Punjab affairs in-charge, had said on Friday. During his last visit to Punjab on January 27, Gandhi while addressing a virtual rally in Jalandhar, had announced that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial face for the February 20 polls and a decision on it will be taken after consulting the party workers. Besides taking feedback from the leaders and workers of the party, the Congress has also reportedly sought the opinion of the public on who should be its chief ministerial candidate through an automated call system. Speculations are rife that either party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu or current Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will be Congress' CM face for the Punjab assembly elections. Aawaz Punjab Di 6th Feb '22 | 2 pm Congress Hi Aaugi pic.twitter.com/Uom000moMR Punjab Congress (@INCPunjab) February 5, 2022 Ahead of the announcement of the chief ministerial face for the Punjab Assembly polls by the Congress, Sidhu had said that "people at the top" want a weak chief minister. "People at the top want a weak chief minister who can dance to their tunes," Sidhu had said while addressing his supporters in Amritsar on Thursday. He, however, did not make it clear whether he was referring to the Congress central leadership or anyone else. Earlier on Saturday, Sidhu had said that a chief ministerial face will decide whether 60 candidates are elected as MLAs or not, referring to the number 60, one more than 59 lawmakers needed to form government in Punjab with a 117-member assembly. Sidhu also stressed that a person who has a roadmap for Punjab and who enjoys the people's trust can only ensure 60 contestants get elected as legislators. Channi, on the other hand, has said that he would wholeheartedly back the party's candidate who would be named for the chief ministerial post. "I had already said from the stage in Jalandhar (virtual rally) that I will go with the party's decision on CM face. I have already made a commitment from the stage in Rahul Gandhi's presence that whosoever is made CM face, I will wholeheartedly back him and the same commitment has been made by Navjot Singh Sidhu and other leaders," Channi, who is contesting the polls from two assembly seats, had said. "Whosoever's name is announced, we will go with him," he had added. It is noteworthy that for the last several weeks, both Sidhu and Channi have, directly or indirectly, made a case for themselves to be declared as the party's nominee for the top post. Polling for the 117-member Punjab Assembly is scheduled to be held on February 20. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: The Karnataka hijab in the school controversy that led to a war of words between the BJP and Congress does not seem to end anytime soon. In what marks the latest development, another BJP leader CT Ravi said that uniforms in schools are introduced for a reason and thus, students must not indulge in politics created by Congress and focus on their studies. There should be only school uniforms in school. Congress is doing unnecessary controversy and creating a gap between students. I appeal to students to focus on their education. Education will decide their future, not the uniform, ANI quoted Ravi as saying. The statements were in alignment with the state education directive saying that all government schools should follow the uniform dress code, declared by the state government. The departments circular on the issue did not go well with the Congress leader who accused the BJP of playing foul politics with children and not respecting their choices. Meanwhile, Hindu, as well as Muslim students, took to the streets, with one group demanding permission to wear hijab in classes and another group demanding to permit saffron shawls if hijab is allowed. Later, the students were sent back to their homes by the police. The row on hijab surfaced in the state after a few Muslim students insisted that they want to attend classes by wearing hijab at a Pre-University College in the Udupi district but were denied entry. The students have approached the High Court and the ruling BJP government has set up a high-level committee to look into the issue. Live TV New Delhi: Intensifying attack at the Samajwadi Party (SP) before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (February 6) said that after looking at massive support for the BJP, people are seeing "Lord Krishna in their dreams". Modis comment was a dig at SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav who had earlier claimed that Lord Krishna comes to his dreams every night to tell him that his party would form the government and establish Ram Rajya in Uttar Pradesh. "Witnessing the immense support for the BJP, these people are now seeing Lord Krishna in their dreams, PTI quoted PM Modi as saying. Addressing voters in Mathura, Agra and Bulandshahr virtually, the PM hit out the previous UP governments claiming they were not concerned with faith or people's needs and their only agenda was to loot the state. He added that the people have decided that development will be the biggest issue in these assembly polls. "Those who were in power earlier were not concerned with faith or your needs. Their only agenda was to loot UP," Modi alleged. The PM further said, "The people of UP have bluntly said that no matter how much politics some people do on the basis of money, muscle power, casteism, communalism, they will not get the love of the public." He also said that people's blessings are with those who "serve them by becoming their 'sevak' (servant)". In these high-octane elections, BJP is vying to retain power in Uttar Pradesh and form the government again in this crucial state. Elections to 403 Assembly seats in UP will be held in seven phases. The poll dates in the state are February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Ahead of the announcement of the Congress chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab assembly elections, the party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday (February 6, 2022) said that everyone will follow Rahul Gandhi's decision. Taking to Twitter, Sidhu said that nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision. "Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision . Warm welcome to our leading light Rahul Ji , who comes to give clarity to Punjab . All will abide by his decision !!!," Sidhu tweeted. Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision . Warm welcome to our leading light Rahul Ji , who comes to give clarity to Punjab . All will abide by his decision !!! Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) February 6, 2022 It is noteworthy that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will announce the name of the party's chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Punjab elections on Sunday during his Ludhiana visit for a virtual rally. "On February 6, Rahul Gandhi ji will visit Ludhiana and from there will address a virtual rally in the afternoon and announce the CM face," Harish Chaudhary, who is party's Punjab affairs in-charge, had said on Friday. During his last visit to Punjab on January 27, Gandhi while addressing a virtual rally in Jalandhar, had announced that the Congress will soon declare its chief ministerial face for the February 20 polls and a decision on it will be taken after consulting the party workers. Besides taking feedback from the leaders and workers of the party, the Congress has also reportedly sought the opinion of the public on who should be its chief ministerial candidate through an automated call system. Speculations are rife that either party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu or current Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will be Congress' CM face for the Punjab assembly elections. Aawaz Punjab Di 6th Feb '22 | 2 pm Congress Hi Aaugi pic.twitter.com/Uom000moMR Punjab Congress (@INCPunjab) February 5, 2022 Ahead of the announcement of the chief ministerial face for the Punjab Assembly polls by the Congress, Sidhu had said that "people at the top" want a weak chief minister. "People at the top want a weak chief minister who can dance to their tunes," Sidhu had said while addressing his supporters in Amritsar on Thursday. He, however, did not make it clear whether he was referring to the Congress central leadership or anyone else. Earlier on Saturday, Sidhu had said that a chief ministerial face will decide whether 60 candidates are elected as MLAs or not, referring to the number 60, one more than 59 lawmakers needed to form government in Punjab with a 117-member assembly. Sidhu also stressed that a person who has a roadmap for Punjab and who enjoys the people's trust can only ensure 60 contestants get elected as legislators. Channi, on the other hand, has said that he would wholeheartedly back the party's candidate who would be named for the chief ministerial post. "I had already said from the stage in Jalandhar (virtual rally) that I will go with the party's decision on CM face. I have already made a commitment from the stage in Rahul Gandhi's presence that whosoever is made CM face, I will wholeheartedly back him and the same commitment has been made by Navjot Singh Sidhu and other leaders," Channi, who is contesting the polls from two assembly seats, had said. "Whosoever's name is announced, we will go with him," he had added. It is noteworthy that for the last several weeks, both Sidhu and Channi have, directly or indirectly, made a case for themselves to be declared as the party's nominee for the top post. Polling for the 117-member Punjab Assembly is scheduled to be held on February 20. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. (With agency inputs) Live TV The government has given the greenlight to the selection of contractors to purchase 21.9 million Pfizer vaccine doses for children from 5 to 11 years old. The government issued a resolution on Saturday, assigning the Ministry of Health to organize the purchase and vaccination for children from 5 to under 12 years old to ensure safety and effectiveness. It accepted to use the prime minister's provision of "choosing contractors in special cases." On Jan. 6, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Training to organize a survey on vaccination for children from 5 years old and collect international experience. Covid-19 vaccination for children from 5 years old has received mixed opinions. According to a survey on VnExpress over the past month, more than 154,000 readers expressed their views. A total 67 percent did not agree with the plan, 30 percent agreed and 3 percent had different opinions. More than 20 countries have vaccinated children 5-11 years old, including the U.S., Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Italy, Israel, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the UAE. Brazil approved the Covid-19 vaccine for children 5-11 on a voluntary basis on Jan. 5. A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last December said children from 5-11 years old rarely have serious side effects after vaccination. Myocarditis, a side effect of Pfizer vaccination in some adolescents and adults, "appears rare" among young children, it said. Vietnam is currently vaccinating children aged 12-17 against Covid-19. All adults, people from 18, have received their first vaccine shots, 74.9 percent have received their second, and 29.9 percent their third. New Delhi: Ahead of Rahul Gandhi announcing Congress chief ministerial face for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls, BJP on Sunday (February 6) questioned his locus standi saying he doesn't hold any position in the grand old party presently. Union Minister for Jal Shakti and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a statement, "Rahul Gandhi does not hold any position in the party so in what capacity and authority will he be announcing the party's CM candidate today. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi arrived in Ludhiana earlier today for a virtual rally and is slated to announce the partys Punjab CM face. Shekhawat said Gandhi is just one of the MPs of Congress and the people of Punjab would like to know what authority he holds in the party. While choosing the CM candidate is indeed the party's prerogative but people of Punjab would like to know what authority Gandhi has in the party right now, other than being one of the 50-odd MPs belonging to the Congress, PTI quoted him as saying. He added that Rahul Gandhi had quit as the Congress president in 2019 following the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. His only qualification now is that he possesses the surname Gandhi, the BJP leader said. Further, Shekhawat also attacked Congress for excluding Sunil Jakhar from the CM race "just because he belonged to a particular religion". Recently, Sunil Jakhar had claimed that 42 MLAs wanted him to be the Punjab CM after Amarinder Singh quit last year. Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday said everybody will abide by Rahul Gandhis decision on the partys CM face for the Punjab election. "Nothing great was ever achieved without an act of decision. Warm welcome to our leading light Rahul Ji, who comes to give clarity to Punjab. All will abide by his decision !!!" Sidhu tweeted. He and Charanjit Singh Channi are the frontrunners for the Congress' CM face. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Union Minister and veteran BJP leader Hardeep Singh Puri, who has remained active in Punjab Assembly Polls campaigning on Saturday called their past alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal a bad marriage and ruled out the possibility of a post-poll alliance with them, reported PTI. Explicitly saying no to any alliance with the SAD, Puri said the Akali Dal did not allow BJP to expand its reach and horizon in Punjab beyond a point. Puri further alleged that the Akalis did not even allow a Sikh leader to emerge from the BJP. The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardip Puri made the comments while talking to the reporters in the presence of BJP general secretary Dushyant Gautam and the chief spokesperson of the party's state unit Anil Sareen. Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP, who had been long allied in the northern state, broke off the ties after SAD left the NDA post the implementation of the controversial farm laws. To a question on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey in a money-laundering case linked to alleged illegal sand mining, Puri said the BJP does not believe in vendetta politics. On the promises made by the BJP and its allies Punjab Lok Congress and SAD (Sanyukt) ahead of the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls, he said those are related to the revival of the state's economy. The union minister also added that the BJP delivers what it promises. "If the BJP-led alliance is voted to power in Punjab, it would issue a white paper on the state's economy," he said. Punjab will go to the polls in a single-phase on February 20. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. Live TV New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already made inroads in Punjab, all it needs now to reach the echelons of power in the state is by winning the hearts of Punjabis who are peeved at the traditional leadership of the state but at the same time partys charisma appears to be fast fading away with partys leadership plagiarising ideas from other political parties and selling dreams to voters like the leaders of other political parties. To counter the Punjab Model of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Navjot Singh Sidhu as well as Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, AAP leaders including the partys national convener Arvind Kejriwal is ranting about cloning the Delhi Model in Punjab which they believe will overnight transform the state into a prosperous one from the present doomed state even as the majority of Punjabi's are not aware of Delhi Model or aware of its success. The latest blow came to the party after the former Member Parliament and once a close confidant of Arvind Kejriwal Dr Dharamvir Gandhi accused Kejriwal of running the party in an authoritarian manner which took the sacrifice of several efficient and hardworking leaders. Gandhi who was once the AAPs inner circle spilt the beans on AAPs leader's credibility gap. In the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, AAP had bagged 20 seats and also had its leader of opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha but over time a few AAP MLAs quit the party which only confirmed Gandhis accusations. But undeterred by the criticism, AAPs optimistic and lionhearted nominees continue to campaign in their respective constituencies but under the watchful eyes of AAPs election teams which have been camping in Punjab to advise the candidates using their experience to contest elections on the ground as well as on social media platforms. For this purpose, the partys IT cells have set up their temporary offices to take on any challenges posed by the opposition candidates and analyse their political strategies and 'guide' AAP's candidates accordingly. While following the campaign trail of one of the AAPs candidates who is pitted against political heavyweights in Amritsar, it was surprising to see Hindi speaking young boys and girls handling media queries put to the candidate. Though they were called volunteers, a deep dive into their activities revealed that they were part of the AAP election team from Delhi. And it is due to AAPs IT wing that other political leaders have also been forced to set up the matching IT infrastructure believing that these days elections were equally fought on social media as on the ground. Live TV New Delhi: With less than a week to go for the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will announce its polls manifesto on Sunday (February 6, 2022), said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. BJP will release its `Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra` today. Union home minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah will release the partys manifesto in the Lucknow office today in presence of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. According to the reports, Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Dharmendra Pradhan, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev and senior minister Suresh Khanna will also be present for the manifesto release. BJP had also sought suggestions from the common people for the manifesto and it is likely that some major suggestions would also have been given a place in it. Notably, several BJP leaders have been saying that the party has fulfilled most of the promises made in the last election`s manifesto. Earlier, on Friday, while speaking to the media Yogi Adityanath said, "For the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party will issue its Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra on February 6 on the issue of nationalism, development and good governance." Congress has already declared a women-centric manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh polls, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) does not come out with a manifesto. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is also due to declare its manifesto. Earlier, SP party chief Akhilesh Yadav had said that he has decided to wait for the BJP to declare their manifesto first. Meanwhile, Amit Shah on Sunday will address a public rally in western Uttar Pradesh`s Baghpat, say sources. "Shah`s rally in Baghpat, a Jat dominated area, is aimed to woo members of Jat community many of whom participated in the farmers` agitation on the borders of Delhi after Centre passed three farm laws," say sources. Amit Shah`s rally in Baghpat is aimed to cover Chhaprauli, Baraut and Baghpat assembly seats which will go to the polls in the first phase of elections i.e., February 10. He will also address a public meeting in the Amroha district. In Uttar Pradesh, the first phase polling will be held on February 10, the second phase on February 14, the third phase on February 20, the fourth phase on February 23, the fifth phase on February 27, the sixth phase on March 3 and the seventh phase on March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (With agency inputs) Live TV New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday will address a public rally in western Uttar Pradesh`s Baghpat, say sources. "Shah`s rally in Baghpat, a Jat dominated area, is aimed to woo members of Jat community many of whom participated in the farmers` agitation on the borders of Delhi after Centre passed three farm laws," say sources. Amit Shah`s rally in Baghpat is aimed to cover Chhaprauli, Baraut and Baghpat assembly seats which will go to the polls in the first phase of elections i.e., February 10. He will also address a public meeting in the Amroha district. Earlier this month, Shah held a meeting with more than 200 Jat leaders from western Uttar Pradesh at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Parvesh Verma`s residence in New Delhi. In the meeting, the home minister said, "There are some similarities between you (Jat leaders) and us (BJP). You have fought with Mughals for around 650 years. Just like, Jats do not think only about themselves, but always prioritise nation`s security, BJP also has the same ideology. The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to the polls in seven phases on February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. Live TV New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a campaigning spree for the upcoming assembly polls in five states, will hold election meetings in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (February 6), reported ANI. Singhs election meeting will be held in Hamirpur, Rath and Mahoba assembly constituencies. This comes a day after Singh addressed a rally at Kundol in the Agra Rural constituency, where he gave a strong response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his statements on China during the parliament speaker. Singh slammed Gandhi for raising questions about the valour and courage of Indian soldiers as the latter recently said in Parliament that the number of casualties on the Indian side was higher compared to the Chinese side in a conflict involving the soldiers of the two countries in Ladakh's Galwan valley. The defence minister also slammed the Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), alleging that these parties are only after power, whereas the BJP's aim is nation-building. The image of the country has improved on international platforms under the saffron party's rule, Singh said, adding that till 2014, nobody took an Indian leader seriously in an international forum, "but now, the whole world listens when India says something". "We have given a clear message to the world that India is not weak anymore. It is now capable of giving a befitting reply to its enemies inside the border or outside. "I would like to remind everyone how our soldiers had given befitting replies after the Uri and Pulwama attacks by carrying out a surgical strike and airstrikes in the territory of Pakistan," he said. Singh also conducted rally in Kheragarh. The much-awaited Uttar Pradesh election will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. Live TV New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday (February 5, 2022) night issued an order for the reopening of schools, colleges and educational institutions in the state from February 7, 2022. With the number of Covid-19 cases declining, the state government has allowed schools to reopen for classes 9 to 12 from Monday. According to an order issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish K Awasthi, all Covid-19 protocol and guidelines, particularly wearing of face covers and setting up of helpdesk, should be strictly followed while running physical classes. "Educational institutions for classes 9 & above, along with all degree colleges, will be restarted from February 7, 2022, until further orders," said Awanish K Awasthi. Uttar Pradesh | Educational institutions for classes 9 & above, along with all degree colleges, will be restarted from February 7, 2022, until further orders: Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish K Awasthi pic.twitter.com/NAYtREJSwo ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) February 6, 2022 Meanwhile, Uttar Pradeshs Covid-19 case tally climbed to 20,41,734 on Saturday with 3,555 fresh infections being detected in the state, while the death toll mounted to 23,303 as 17 more people succumbed to the disease. As many as 7,401 more coronavirus patients recuperated from the disease in a span of 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 19,85,926, it said. There are 32,514 active cases of the disease in the state, the statement said. Schools reopening across the country Many other states are gradually starting to reopen schools, colleges and other educational institutions. The Delhi government has allowed the schools to reopen from February 7, while West Bengal schools already reopened from February 3. Educational institutions in Odisha, Telangana, Haryana, Maharashtra and MP have also reopened as the Covid-19 cases declined in the country. Centre issues new guidelines for reopening schools The Centre has issued revised guidelines for the reopening of schools, colleges and other educational institutions. The Centre, after detailed discussions, issued a number of Covid-19 protocols for reopening educational institutions that can be adapted as needed by States and Union Territories as per their overall Covid situation. The guidelines have been prepared after consultation with states about the reopening of schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic. .@EduMinOfIndia has prepared the guidelines/SOP for the reopening of schools Proper cleaning & sanitation facilities Flexible, staggered & reduced timings for different classes Students willing to study from home with the consent of the parents may be allowed to do so pic.twitter.com/HqXUbXvv6s PIB India (@PIB_India) February 3, 2022 Live TV Bengaluru: Seeking to end the hijab (headscarf) controversy in educational institutions in Karnataka that has begun taking political colour, the State government on Saturday ordered banning wearing clothes that disturb equality, integrity and public order in schools and colleges. "Invoking 133 (2) of the Karnataka Education Act-1983, which says a uniform style of clothes has to be worn compulsorily. The private school administration can choose a uniform of their choice," the government order said. It said the students have to wear the dress chosen by the College Development Committee or the appellate committee of the administrative board of the pre-university colleges, which come under the pre-university education department. "In the event of the administrative committee not selecting a uniform, clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public law and order should not be worn," the order said. The government order noted that the KEA-1983 had explained that all students should wear a common uniform so that they should belong to a common family and behave in a manner that there is no discrimination. The order also said that the second pre-university or the 12th standard is crucial for the students in their life. A common programme has been chalked out for all the schools and colleges in the state for the benefit of students, the order said. "However, the education department has noticed that in some education institutions, the boys and girls have started behaving according to their religion, which hurts the equality and unity," it added. The order also cited the rulings of the Supreme Court and various High Courts in India in favour of uniform. Initially, the controversy was restricted to Udupi and Chikkamagaluru at the beginning of January as Muslim girls started attending classes wearing Hijab. In protest, the Hindu students started attending classes wearing saffron scarves around their necks. Gradually the issue spread to other parts of the state where Muslim girls demanded permission to attend classes wearing headscarves. The issue of Hijab has snowballed into a major controversy with political parties striving to derive mileage over it. BJP, RSS trying to create communal disharmony While the Congress leaders backed Hijab, the BJP said it will not allow the 'Talibanisation' of education institutions. Congress Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has thrown his weight behind Muslim girls on their right to wear the hijab to educational institutions, accused the BJP and RSS of trying to create communal disharmony throughout the State in the name of Hijab. He urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to immediately put a brake on this and arrest those who instigate people. Further claiming that the main agenda of the Sangh Parivar is to deny education to Muslim girls in the name of Hijab, Siddaramaiah said, PM Narendra Modi speaks about 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padao'. "Is he not aware of this incident?" "The Constitution has given the right to practice any religion which means one can wear any clothes according to their religion. Prohibiting 'Hijab' wearing students from entering school is a violation of fundamental rights," he added. Will not allow 'Talibanisation' of education institutions Meanwhile, the ruling BJP's state president and Member of Parliament Nalin Kumar Kateel said the government will not allow hijab at educational institutions and will take strict measures to ensure that things go as per rules of the school, and won't let things be turned into "Taliban like". "There is a BJP government in this state, there is no room for hijab or any other related incidents. Schools are temples of mother Saraswathi (goddess of education); everyone should abide by rules and regulations there. Bringing religion there is not right, what students need is education, if someone can't follow rules they can choose their path elsewhere," he said. Calling hijab row, a systematic conspiracy, Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar said, hijab or burka can be worn from home to college premises, but on entering classrooms everyone should wear a uniform and it is the system. With the issue snowballing into a major controversy and the matter coming up before the High Court, Chief Minister Bommai on Friday held a meeting with Law and Education departments, and the government has asked educational institutions to follow existing uniform related rules, until the Court comes out with an order in this regard, next week. The Karnataka High Court on February 8 will hear the petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-university College in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in college. Live TV Mumbai: Chanting slogans, singing songs and waiting for hours just to get a final glimpse of their icon -- that's how Lata Mangeshkar's fans bid a tearful adieu to the singing legend as her final journey began from her residence in south Mumbai to Shivaji Park for the last rites. Hundreds of fans, young and old, flocked Mangeshkar's residence Prabhu Kunj to pay their last respects to the music icon who died due to multi-organ failure following COVID diagnosis. Traffic and city police were deployed in large numbers to ensure the busy Pedder Road near her residence doesn't turn chock-a-block, as fans gathered on both sides of the road on a humid Mumbai afternoon. The lane opposite her residence reverberated with admirers' chants, "Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Lata didi ka naam rahega" and "Lata Didi amar rahe". "I got a bad feeling when I woke up today morning and immediately started praying for her recovery. I'm just shattered that Didi, who has shaped my life and that if crores of others, is not anymore," 60-year-old Savita Shah told PTI. Shah arrived outside Mangeshkar's residence early morning, with a bouquet of Chrysanthemums and a wish. "I just want to touch her feet. If that's not possible, I'll lay these flowers at the entrance of her building. This is the closest I'll get to her in this lifetime," she added. Shah wasn't alone, as several fans of Mangeshkar from various parts of the city stood for hours on the street, some even fighting with the policemen because they were denied entry to go closer to the apartment. A special barricade was put up by the cops for the battery of media persons present, but fans managed to leak through those as well, entering the media zone for a "better view". Some made their way smartly onto trees, climbing their way up to get a vantage point view, while some took the help of BMC installing large garbage bins to hop on the wall opposite her residence. Every balcony or window of the neighbouring buildings had curious admirers peeping out. Mumbai police force had to routinely disperse the restless, emotional crowd. Kalyani Ghosh, a college student, also stood with strangers behind police barricades. She wasn't an "ardent fan" but was there on behalf of someone who requested her to witness the "last glimpse of history". "My grandmother called me, crying. Lata Mangeshkar's songs have been through her thick and thin. They're like medicines to her. When the news was out, she broke down and requested if I could be present, so that she would feel she saw Lata Didi one last time. I'll be video calling her and showing her the visuals," Ghosh said. Military officials stood outside Mangeshkar's residence to escort the body from her residence to the Shivaji Park crematorium for the state funeral. The coffin was draped with the national flag and placed on the truck with a band march. Mangeshkar siblings Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridaynath boarded the open truck along with other relatives. As the vehicle moved, people chanted "Lata didi amar rahe" and showered it with petals. New Delhi: India's very own official digital currency is likely to debut by early 2023, which will mirror any of the currently available private company-operated electronic wallets, but with a change that it will be a sovereign-backed facility, a top government source said. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech last week talked about launching a central bank-backed 'digital rupee' soon. A top government source, who wished not to be identified said, the digital currency issued by the RBI would be numbered in units, just like every fiat currency has an unique number. "The units issued in digital rupee would be included in the currency in circulation. It would not be very different from fiat currency. It would be more like an electronic form of fiat currency, so in a sense it would be a government-mandated electronic wallet," the source said. The RBI has indicated that the digital rupee would be ready by the end of next financial year, the source added. The digital rupee blockchain, being developed by the Reserve Bank, would be able to trace all transactions, unlike the current system of mobile wallet offered by private companies. Explaining further, the source said that using electronic wallet offered by private companies, people currently transfer money to the private company who holds the money on his/her behalf and pays to a merchant when there is any transaction. "In the case of a digital rupee instead of holding a note you will be holding a digital currency in your phone and it would be with the central bank and from there it would be transferred to any merchant. It is fully backed by the sovereign," the source said. If the money is transferred to the e-wallet of a private company, then credit risk of that company is also attached to the money besides charges levied by such companies. "Instead of carrying this wallet, I will carry money on the phone," the source said. In the 2022-23 Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that introduction of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will give a big boost to digital economy. "Digital currency will also lead to a more efficient and cheaper currency management system. It is, therefore, proposed to introduce Digital Rupee, using blockchain and other technologies, to be issued by the Reserve Bank of India starting 2022-23,? the minister had said. The exact regulation governing this Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is yet to be finalised. CBDC is a digital or virtual currency but it is not comparable to the private virtual currencies or cryptocurrency that have mushroomed over the last decade. Private virtual currencies do not represent any person's debt or liabilities as there is no issuer. Also Read: LIC Policy: Save Rs 44 daily to get benefits worth up to Rs 27.60 lakh, heres how The government has already said that private cryptocurrencies will never be a legal tender. The RBI has been strongly opposing private cryptocurrencies as they could have implications on national security and financial stability. Also Read: Apple 2022 spring event might be held on March 8, iPhone SE launch expected Live TV #mute The Elko Convention & Visitors Authority board of directors will convene a special session at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the Elko Convention Center. Business includes consideration of a three-year agreement with GES to continue as the contractor for electrical services for the Elko Mining Expo; a one- to three-year agreement with Source 1 Events to continue supplying canopy/tent furnishings for the Elko Mining Expo; and discussion of signing a letter to the Department of Taxation regarding corrective action taken in response to the fiscal year 2020-2021 audit findings. The City of Elko Redevelopment Agency meets at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at Elko City Hall. Members will discuss a proposed agreement regarding downtown health and safety issues in public spaces, at the request of Catherine Wines. The agency will also review and possibly take action on outstanding and noncompliant storefront improvement grants. The Elko City Council meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at Elko City Hall. Elko Boys and Girls Club CEO Rusty Bahr is scheduled to make a presentation on a possible Recreation and Events Center. Police Chief Ty Trouten will present an annual report on the police department. The council may take action on a transportation services agreement with SkyWest Airlines Inc.; a $12,500 settlement agreement with a man who claims his constitutional rights were violated during his arrest on Dec. 20, 2019; and providing American Rescue Plan Act funds to local organizations for promoting and expanding behavioral health services. The city may also approve a special event application from St. Joseph Catholic Church to drop plastic Easter eggs from a plane into a city park on Easter. The Elko County School District board of trustees meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, in the board room at 850 Elm St. The board will review and possibly accept a proposal from MGT to update the school districts Facility Master Plan. The Elko County Roads Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, in the Nannini Administration Building to discuss road work done in January and plans for February, including culvert and maintenance repair on Lower South Fork Road and Smith Creek Road, if weather allows. Other February projects include spreading road base on Lower Lamoille Road, Hog Tommy Road, and Tuscarora Road. The county may also begin accepting bids on applying a cement-treated base with new pavement on the industrial section of Last Chance Road. Elko County Enhanced 911 Board meets at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, in the Nannini Administration Building. Items on the agenda include an update on the status of the CAD project, discussion about replacing the Digital Logging Recording System which has reached the end of its life, and updates on the Enhanced 911 Five Year Master Plan. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 New Delhi: Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India offers various safe policies offering bumper returns to investors. The schemes are most beneficial for investors who are looking to secure their future by investing a little today. In one such LIC policy called Jeevan Umang Policy, investors can get lakhs of rupees on maturity by investing about Rs 1300 per day. The Jeevan Umang policy offers coverage to investors who are aged between 90 days to 55 years. A long-term investment strategy in the policy can lead you to hefty gains in your account. Nominees of the policy holders also get a lump sum payment in their bank accounts if something unfortunate happens. The lump-sum is the final payment that is to be paid to the policyholder's family members and nominee after the policyholder's death. Moreover, the plan is among one of the few policies that cover investors for about 100 years of age. Heres how to get Rs 27.60 lakh: Suppose, if an investor starts investing Rs 1302 in the policy by saving Rs 44 daily, the individual will about Rs 15,298 in a year. If the individual continues to pay the premiums for 30 years, the invested sum in the policy will stand in the policy at Rs 4.58 lakh. Also Read: Garena Free Fire redeem codes for today, February 6: Check how to get free rewards From the 31st year onwards, the LIC will start paying a return of Rs 40,000 every year on the investment you made under the scheme. So, if you receive a Rs 40,000 annual return from 31 years, you'll collect almost Rs 27.60 lakh by the time you attain 100 years. Also Read: Kia Carens vs Kia Seltos spec comparison: Cabin, features, price and more Live TV #mute By Prathmesh Rai A report published in a prominent US daily in 2017 reflected upon the tireless efforts of the United States to bring peace in the Middle East; including the initiatives taken by the Trump Administration in its initial days. A plethora of initiatives have been taken but peace still remains as distant as it has been in the past. In fact, five years later, the situation has changed from bad to worse as the infighting has further deepened. The once-powerful Pan-Arab Nationalism which emerged in the aftermath of the creation of Israel has fallen due to the exponential rise and widespread adoption of political Islam. Once strong and united, West Asia disintegrated due to power tussle and extremist ideologies leading to regional insecurity and uncertainty with no signs of peace in the region. India, which is closely linked with the Middle East has a vast diaspora and energy dependence, has high stakes in the region but a narrow path to manoeuvre in. Thus, its even more important to understand the historical reasons behind the rise of political Islam and its future implications. Rise of Pan-Arab Nationalism The roots of Pan-Arab Nationalism gained ground in the aftermath of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. The growth of Arabism gave rise to countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria. However, something that fueled the flames of Arab Nationalism came after the creation of Israel in the heartlands of the MENA region. Increasing influence of Zionism was a vital factor leading to the formation of the Arab Brotherhood with the fundamental idea of removing the Israeli occupation and protecting Palestinian interest. The 1948 mass exodus of Arabs from the modern-day Palestinian and Israeli territories stimulated Arab nationalism and brought Arab powerhouses like Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia in a coalition under the Arab League to fight for the rights of fellow Palestinian. Challenges to Arab identity The policy of divide and rule of colonial powers incited nationalist sentiments across the region but has limited success in bringing minorities like Kurds, Shias, and vastly complex Christian communities, under unified Arab identity. By 1961 the union between Egypt and Syria fell apart, and Kurds started exerting their ethnic and linguistic identity in Syria, Iraq as well as in Turkey. Political Islam slipped in hands of extremists Arab Nationalism was not only a political concept; instead, it seeped deep into the civil society of the region. This became evident when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated due to public sentiment against Camp David Accords 1978 and 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. Political Islam gained popular support in the region based on religious and ideological foundations providing fertile ground for terror outfits like to flourish. The world, especially Western-backed alliances tried to hunt down such terror outfits with limited success, a tragic cycle of violence for the region. The growth of political Islam has tormented the region by turning it into a divided and fragmented society resulting in long-lasting wounds and discomforts which are difficult to overcome. Recently, Turkey under the leadership of Erdogan has been trying hard to give leadership to political Islam in order to consolidate Turkeys power in West Asia and gain popular support within Turkey to awaken Turkish nationalism, without any respect for peace and stability in the region. Big power politics The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 under President Saddam Hussein was a significant event that dented the fundamental principle of Arab unity and Arab identity; primarily an outcome of Arab nations falling victim to external balancing and getting sucked into Big Power politics. The growing sentiments towards political Islam have arisen as a result of irrational decision-making along with constant tussle for expanding influence while keeping a blind eye to the underlying realities. Qatars ambition of becoming a separate pole of the region has further created a new set of hostilities among the countries of the region. The current situation in Yemen is a testimony of how political Islam and its manipulations can lead to disastrous and severe outcomes; one can see early signs of Lebanon moving in the same direction and it will be a test for the Arab Brotherhood to try to prevent Lebanon from becoming Yemen 2.0. The way forward Nonetheless, there is still a ray of hope for the Arab world to remain united and consolidate their position; some good examples for them would be EU and ASEAN countries which are a conglomeration of sovereigns having common agenda to peruse. The need of the hour is to adopt Arab led and Arab owned process serving the interests of Arabs; through adopting rational and moderate approaches as well as greater focus towards collaboration. Although this is easier said than done, this appears to be the only solution to gain back the glories of the region once known as the Cradle of Civilization. (The article is authored by Prathmesh Rai, a research scholar. All views are personal) Live TV Islamabad: At least five soldiers were killed in an attack by the Pakistani Taliban militants from across the border in Afghanistan, the army said on Sunday. Terrorists from inside Afghanistan across the international border opened fire on Pakistani troops in Kurram district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said in a statement. Pakistani "troops responded in a befitting manner" and as per the intelligence reports "terrorists suffered heavy causalities", it said. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. "Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and expects that interim Afghan Government will not allow conduct of such activities against Pakistan, in future," according to the statement. Pakistan Army is determined to defend the country's borders against the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve, it said. Pakistan has witnessed a spike in terrorist attacks since August after the Taliban came to power in Kabul, belying Islamabad's expectations that they would take harsh measures against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf recently travelled to Afghanistan where acting Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi assured him that the Afghan soil would not be used against its neighbours, including Pakistan. The TTP, known as the Pakistan Taliban, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on the Army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. Live TV New Delhi: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that the reopening of the country`s borders to international tourists may not be far away, adding that the parliament will debate the matter this week. Australia, which shut its borders in March of 2020, has been going through a staggered reopening in recent months, allowing in only its citizens and residents, skilled migrants, international students and certain seasonal workers. In January, Morrison said he hoped international borders could fully reopen before Easter. His popularity has been sliding in recent months, however, in part reflecting questions about his handling of the Omicron outbreak, and he faces pressure from a federal election that must be called by May. While the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 keeps spreading, hospitalisations and deaths have been stabilising, with News Corp newspapers over the weekend quoting unnamed sources as saying that Australia may reopen its borders within two or three weeks. "We are looking forward to be able to make that decision to open up our borders and welcome visitors back to Australia again as soon as we safely and possibly can," Morrison said on Sunday. "But I really do not believe that that is far away." The first 2022 sitting of the Australian parliament is to start on Monday and Morrison said that reopening borders to tourists will be addressed "very early on". Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation`s Insiders programme on Sunday that the government is "very close" to deciding. Australia, which has nearly 95% of the eligible population aged 16 and over double-vaccinated against the coronavirus and nearly nine million people with more than two doses, requires all international travellers to be vaccinated or provide evidence of a medical vaccination exemption to enter the country. As of midday on Sunday, the country`s latest daily reports showed 43 coronavirus-related deaths: 28 in New South Wales state, nine in Queensland and six in Victoria. Live TV Vietnams economy will feature bright colors in 2022 despite still being affected by the COVID-19 epidemic Vietnam is among the countries with the highest vaccine coverage in the world. In addition, the policy of safe, flexible adaptation and effective disease control is in effect. These are considered important foundations for economic recovery. In a regular supplement to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) kept its economic growth forecast for Vietnam in 2022 unchanged at 6.5%. ADB believes that exports will continue to be the driving force for growth. Mr. Nguyen Minh Cuong, Chief Economist at ADB in Vietnam, said that the trade agreements have opened up a lot of opportunities for Vietnams market access. The opportunities are expected to facilitate the development of domestic production from agriculture and industry to services. According to HSBC, Vietnams economy can regain its GDP growth rate of 6.8% in 2022, mainly thanks to the return of foreign investment, mainly focusing on the manufacturing and green development sectors. Mr. Tim Evans, CEO of HSBC Vietnam, commented: Vietnam continues to be an attractive destination for foreign direct investment. Vietnam has a larger percentage of GDP based on FDI than any other country. Another very positive thing is that a lot of FDI is focusing on green development, creating new opportunities and supporting the manufacturing sector in Vietnam. According to experts, the recovery of domestic demand will also be an important foundation for Vietnams economic growth in 2022, with the main driving force coming from the reopening of non-essential services and the recovery of domestic consumption demand. In addition, fiscal space, promoting disbursement of public investment capital and supporting policies will be positive factors to promote economic recovery. Mr. Jacques Morisset, Chief Economist at the World Bank in Vietnam, said that the Government is also proposing stronger implementation measures, such as issuing fiscal packages. The implementation of this fiscal package is completely feasible because Vietnam still has fiscal space, specifically the public debt ratio is only at 44%, while the public debt ceiling has been approved by the National Assembly and raised to a new level of 66%. Along with strong political will and determination, experience in fighting the epidemic, and basic reform programs, Vietnam has good foundations for the recovery. The key point now is to realize the opportunities and motivations to create a rebound for the economy after the pandemic./. By Azernews By Sabina Mammadli Human Rights Commissioner Sabina Aliyeva and UN Resident Coordinator Vladanka Andreeva have signed a memorandum of understanding on the mutual partnership, the ombudsman's office has reported. The signing ceremony of the memorandum was attended by delegations of both organizations. The memorandum is aimed at promoting universal human rights awareness at all levels, the rule of law, gender equality, prevention of discrimination and good governance, as well as strengthening cooperation with civil society institutions, the report added. The sides planned to establish a joint working group to implement the abovementioned points. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, measures will be taken to strengthen the institutional capacity of the ombudsman, support the development of national strategies for the protection of human rights, and implementation of the Framework Document on Sustainable Development Cooperation between the UN and Azerbaijan for 2021-2025. Among these, special attention will be provided to the implementation of joint projects in the education sphere in the field of human rights, to further expand relations with UN human rights mechanisms in order to evaluate and apply the recommendations made within these mechanisms. It should be noted that the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2021-2025 was signed on March 1 by Azerbaijans Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai. The Cooperation Framework, fully compliant with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is based on the principles of human rights, gender equality, sustainable development, resilience and responsibility, including the priorities of socio-economic development, and will cover entire Azerbaijans territory. The main goals of the Cooperation Framework are to transform the economy, meet the needs of vulnerable groups of the population, minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and eliminate the consequences of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, emphasize the role of the document in accelerating the implementation of the SDGs. The UNSDCF is the fifth UN-Azerbaijan cooperation framework and is based on an analysis of Azerbaijans progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The implementation of the Cooperation Framework puts the UN development system reform into practice, emphasizing transparency, accountability and joint action in the delivery of all development results. Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (Photo: VOV) According to information released on February 4 by the Republic of Korea (RoK)s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as part the occasion of his attendance at the meeting, Minister Son will pay an official visit to the RoK from February 8 to February 12. Within the framework of this visit, both countries are set to hold a foreign ministerial meeting on February 10 as a way of discussing ways to step up bilateral co-operation in the lead up to the two countries' 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties, which first began on 1992. SEARP remains one of the five regional programmes specifically for non-member countries that promote OECD values and support membership. An OECD member and a non-member country will serve as co-chairs, with the RoK and Thailand co-chairing the scheme from 2018 to the present. Senior officials from 10 ASEAN member states, along with Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of OECD, will participate in this meeting via both in-person and online formats. The first session of the high-level policy dialogue programme on digital technology will be hosted by Young-sook, economic advisor of the RoK Presidential Office and chair of the Special Committee for New Southern Policy. Furthermore, the second session discussing green growth will be chaired by Andrea Schaal, director of Global Relations at OECD./. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang (Photo: VNA) Kham-Inh Khichadeth said the visit is his first diplomatic activity since taking office in January. The two sides expressed their delight at progresses recorded in the Vietnam Laos special solidarity last year with the organisation of a series of important diplomatic events despite COVID-19. Thang highlighted that 2022 marks the 60th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties and 45 years of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation between the two countries, and suggested the promotion of cooperation and mutual support between the Vietnamese and Lao representative agencies to co-organise activities in celebration of the Year of Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity this year. The two ambassadors also agreed to pay attention to their bilateral information sharing and exchanges, particularly between young diplomats, contributing to the implementation of the Vietnamese and Lao foreign ministries cooperation agreement for 2021 2025./. Al-Azhar condemned Friday terrorist attack on a mosque in Afghanistans capital Kabul that left dozens of worshippers dead and injured. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trend has reported. "I am pleased to cordially congratulate you and convey my best wishes to the friendly people of Ukraine on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations the landmark date between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Though our diplomatic ties have a history of 30 years, our peoples have enjoyed the traditions of friendship and cooperation for centuries. Indeed, it is particularly gratifying to see the current level and everyday expansion of our relations based on such strong foundations. It is pleasant to see that our interstate ties based on mutual trust, confidence and support in these years have evolved to elevate to the level of strategic partnership while our collaboration in political, economic, energy and humanitarian fields has broadened its coverage. The high level political dialogue we conduct today, numerous mutual visits, signed documents and jointly implemented projects coupled with the successful activities of the Intergovernmental Commission play an important role in defining new pathways. I am confident that we will further foster and broaden the Azerbaijani Ukrainian relations by our joint efforts. Using this opportunity, I wish you the best of health, happiness and success, and the friendly people of Ukraine peace and prosperity," the head of state wrote. Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Thursday the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with the president of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh in a telephone call Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Thursday the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with the president of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh in a telephone call, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. According to the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi stressed Egypts position on reaching a legally binding agreement with Ethiopia before starting the second filling of the dam. Both presidents agreed on the important of reaching a settlement in this issue to avoid any negative impact on the security and stability of the region, the statement read. On Tuesday, Sudan invited Egypt and Ethiopia to tripartite talks to discuss possible options over reviving negotiations on the disputed GERD within the next 10 days after a collapse of AU-led talks earlier this month in accordance with Article 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles over the dam. Ethiopia plans to move forward with the second filling of the dam set to take place in July despite Egypt and Sudan objecting to Addis Ababa making such a move in the absence of a legally binding deal. The second filling aims at collecting around 18.4 bcm Blue Nile water, up from the 4.9 bcm secured during the first filling last year. President Sisi and President Guelleh also discussed ways to boost relations between Egypt and Djibouti. The two presidents discussed boosting economic relations, trade exchange and environmental investments, as well as bilateral and regional cooperation. President El-Sisi also congratulated President Guelleh for his re-election for another term. President Guelleh expressed his appreciation for the historical and brotherly relations between Djibouti and Egypt. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt and Djibouti reiterated the importance of reaching a legal and balanced deal between Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in a way that protects the interests of the parties involved and preserves regional stability. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh emphasised in a meeting in the Djiboutian capital on Thursday that the negotiating parties should display goodwill and have the political will necessary to reach a legally binding agreement. Negotiations on GERD have been on hold since January, with tensions running high as Addis Ababa plans to go ahead with the second filling of the controversial dam unilaterally whether a deal is reached with Cairo and Khartoum or not. Sisi told his Djiboutian counterpart that Egypt refuses any endeavour to impose fait accomoli policy through unilateral measures that don't take into account the interests of the downstream countries. Guelleh lauded Egypt's latest efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Palestinian factions and Israel to end the 11-day bombing of the besieged enclave. Egypt's involvement in de-escalation efforts stems from the country's historical responsibility towards the Palestinian cause, said President El-Sisi, who arrived in the East African country earlier on Thursday. Both presidents reiterated the necessity of engaging in a political settlement path to reach a fair, comprehensive, and lasting solution for the decades-old issue based on international references, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. A simultaneous and mutual Egypt-brokered ceasefire was announced on Friday, stopping 11 days of fighting that has been deemed the most vicious since the 2014 Israeli 51-day assault on Gaza, as Israel upped aggression on the Strip with artillery and air strikes. The Israeli offensive on Gaza killed some 253 Palestinians, including 66 children and 39 women, and destroyed hundreds of homes. The death toll in Israel from rockets fired by Palestinian factions in the Strip stood at 13. Egypt has allocated $500 million for rebuilding Gaza by Egyptian construction companies. Horn of Africa challenges El-Sisi and Guelleh exchanged views on a host of regional issues, including those in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, the spokesman added. "The discussions reflected a mutual understanding between the two sides about means to resolve these issues," the statement added. El-Sisi and Guelleh reiterated the importance of the bilateral strategic partnership to fight terrorism and organised crime in the Horn of Africa, in addition to cooperation on the security of the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait. The spokesman added that El-Sisi praised Guelleh's efforts in achieving economic development, security, and stability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Bilateral ties El-Sisi reiterated Egypt's keenness to enhance support directed to development efforts in Djibouti, saying there are "wide prospects" to promote economic cooperation and trade exchange between the two African nations and reinforce cooperation in combating extremist ideology. Cooperation could also extend to transferring Egyptian expertise to Djibouti as well as providing technical support and capacity-building programmes for Djiboutian cadres, El-Sisi told Guelleh. Guelleh hailed Cairo's "sincere" efforts to support economic reform and development paths in Djibouti, Rady pointed out. The Djiboutian president praised the Egyptian private sectors contribution to the economic development process in Africa, expressing his aspiration to increase the participation of the Egyptian private sector in Djibouti. He also said that Egypt plays a pivotal role in shoring up stability in Africa. Search Keywords: Short link: The establishment of the hospital has been agreed on during President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis 'historic' visit to Djibouti in May, Zayed said Egypt will start the construction of a giant obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics hospital in Djibouti next month, as the first specialized hospital in the African country, Health Minister Hala Zayed said on Sunday. The establishment of the hospital has been agreed on during President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis historic visit to Djibouti in May, Zayed told a press conference in Cairo with her Djiboutian counterpart, Ahmed Abdilleh. A nursing and midwifery school as well as an ambulance department will be attached to the hospital, Zayed said, adding that Egypt will supply the Djiboutian side with an ambulance vehicle. Egypt will supply the hospital with medical staff, medicine and medical supplies, Zayed said, adding that the operation and preparation of the hospital will be Egypts responsibility. Abdilleh, during the presser, hailed the step as a qualitative leap in the medical field in the country, especially in the field of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics. He added that the planned hospital is a gift from the Egyptian people to the people of Djibouti and reflects the good and brotherly relations gathering the two countries. Abdilleh affirmed that his country welcomes cooperation with Egypt in various fields, including the health and medical domains. He promised that his country will facilitate all the required procedures for the implementation of the project in the shortest time possible and will ensure the removal of any obstacles in this regard. Zayed said the average number of births per family in Djibouti is 10 and therefore an obstetrics and pediatrics hospital is largely needed, especially that the hospital will serve a crowded area. El-Sisis visit to Djibouti earlier this year is the first official visit by an Egyptian president to the African country since its independence in the seventies. Meeting with his Djiboutian counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh during the visit, El-Sisi reiterated Egypt's keenness to enhance support directed to development efforts in Djibouti. Cooperation could also extend to the transfer of Egyptian expertise to Djibouti as well as providing technical support and capacity-building programmes for Djiboutian cadres, El-Sisi told Guelleh. Guelleh hailed Cairo's "sincere" efforts to support economic reform and development paths in Djibouti and praised the Egyptian private sectors contribution to the economic development process in Africa. Egypt in May sent four planes carrying medical aid to Djibouti to support the health sector in the company amid the coronavirus crisis. Search Keywords: Short link: The African Unions (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) pledged support to Egypt, the host of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) next November, to advance African priorities and reach concrete actions on global climate change. In a late November communique, the PSC highlighted the importance of adopting climate-sensitive planning for post-conflict construction, peacekeeping and development efforts, citing the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA). The council also urged the AU Commission to finalise an assessment of climate-related security risks in Africa. The council also called for accelerating climate finance and adaptation to consolidate Africas peace and development. Egypt presided over the 15-member PSC in November and chaired numerous sessions, including a session on the repercussions of climate change on peace and security in Africa. The country was selected to host COP27 during the 26th edition of the summit held in Glasgow last month. During the Glasgow summit, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi highlighted the need to preserve the Paris Climate Accords to reduce emissions and adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. The Paris Climate Accords adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt came into effect in 2016 with the aim of reducing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in this century. El-Sisi affirmed the importance of special treatment for Africa in the accords, highlighting that the continent, which contributes the lowest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, has suffered the most negative repercussions of climate change. Africa, however, is considered a "role model for serious climate action according to the continent's capabilities," El-Sisi added. According to the World Bank's Groundswell Africa reports that were released late in October, Africa is expected to face the hardest impacts of climate change, displacing up to 86 million Africans by 2050 if mitigating efforts are not taken. In October, Egypts Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said COP27 would be a chance to support African demands and to help the continent acquire the needed funds to implement climate adaptation plans. PSC hails CCCPAs role The PSCs communique also highlighted the role of the CCCPA in strengthening the capacities of the AU to advance a holistic African perspective on the climate, security and development nexus. The CCCPA, founded by the foreign ministry in 1994 and re-chartered in 2017 by a decree from the prime minister, is specialised in training, capacity building and research in the security and peace fields in Africa and the Middle East. The CCCPA has stepped up its efforts regarding climate, security and development over the past two years, developing a first-of-its-kind training manual on Climate Responsive Programming for Sustaining Peace in Africa. The centre has also held eight workshops and seminars on enhancing climate resilience for sustaining peace, including on the nexus between climate change and peacebuilding, gender, displacement and financing for fragile and conflict-affected settings, they said in a statement. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt strongly condemned on Thursday an attack on a displaced people camp in Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which killed scores of innocent people, including children. Egypt extends condolences to the government and people of DR Congo as well as the families of the victims, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, wishing the injured people a speedy recovery. Related Militia kills at least 60 people at shelter in Congo Egypt affirms its solidarity with DR Congo in the face of all forms and manifestations of violence, the ministry added. The attack took place on the Savo camp near Bule on Wednesday, which is home to 24,000 people. At least 60 people were killed in the attack, local sources told Reuters. Most of the casualties were women and children, according to reports. The armys spokesman in Ituri, Jules Ngongo, blamed the attack on Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), a notorious armed group in the central African country consisting of various Lendu militias. Attacks in Ituri over the past year have claimed lives of at least 1,200 people, according to Reuters. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said around 1.7 million people are displaced in the province. Search Keywords: Short link: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt will speak up for Africa's aspirations to cope with climate change during the coming 27th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which is set to take place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November. The foreign minister made this assertion during his speech on Sunday to a meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) on the sidelines of the two-day 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, which kicked off on Saturday in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Egypt will host the COP27 "on behalf of Africa," Shoukry stressed. Africa has been negatively impacted by climate change despite being the least contributor to polluting emissions, Shoukry added. All African countries together are responsible for no more than four percent of the global emission of carbon dioxide, according to Senegal's President Macky Sall. Sall was elected on Saturday by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union as the chairperson of the AU in 2022, taking over from President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the 2021 AU chairperson. Shoukry charged that the continent is receiving "inadequate" financing to cope with climate amid its limited ability to obtain the modern technology needed to adapt to the negative repercussions of climate change. During a speech delivered to the COP26 in Glasgow late last year, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on developed countries to fulfill their pledge to provide $100 billion annually to developing countries to address the effects of climate change. El-Sisi offered assurances that Egypt would seek during its presidency of the COP27 to enhance international climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement, which will achieve the interests of the global community. The Egyptian president also urged at the COP26 the need to preserve the Paris Climate Accords to ensure the bolstering of efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the negative implications of climate change. In September, in a pre-recorded speech to the World Leaders Summit on Climate Change on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, El-Sisi vowed that Egypts hosting of the conference would be a major turning point in the global fight against climate change. Egypt's top diplomat hailed during the CAHOSCC meeting today the outcomes of the COP26, but also argued "there is still much to be done in terms of efforts needed to deal with climate change." "Egypt seeks to build on the momentum generated by the Glasgow conference and make all possible efforts to move from the stage of commitments to the stage of actual implementation on the ground," Shoukry stressed. As the host of COP27 later this year, Egypt would adopt "a comprehensive" approach that takes into account the concerns and priorities of the various parties," Shoukry said, calling on African countries to support the Egyptian efforts in a way that contributes to the success of the conference. The 55 member states of the AU reviewed at the annual summit various reports in three sessions: a session on Peace, Security and Governance; a session on African Citizen Well-Being: Health, Nutrition and Food Security, and a third session on Regional Integration through A Green Inclusive and Resilient Economic Recovery. Search Keywords: Short link: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt hopes for a speedy agreement among the various Somali parties over electoral procedures, putting the country back on the path to reconstruction and stability. Shoukry made the remarks as he met on Sunday with his Somali counterpart, Abdisaid Muse Ali, on the sidelines of the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa. Last month, Somali leaders signed a deal to conclude the long-delayed presidential and parliamentary elections by 25 February. Disputes between the country's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Premier Mohamed Hussein Roble over how the elections would be held has delayed the polls for more than a year. Observers have worried that the delay will endanger the stability of troubled country. The UN has been calling the completion of Somali elections as more important than ever at a time when the country is battling ISIS-linked Al-Shabaab terrorist group. The group, which is responsible for killing thousands of civilians in East Africa and launching attacks against the AU's African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), have threatened to disrupt elections. During their Sunday meeting, Shoukry affirmed Egypt's support for its sisterly countrys stability. The top Egyptian diplomat highlighted the need to ensure that post-2021 arrangements of the AMISOM are based on a comprehensive approach that includes building state institutions, reconstruction and economic development, and is not limited to security and military dimensions only. He also referred to how Egypt hosted a retreat in Cairo on the Post-2021 Arrangements in Somalia that were organised by the International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding in cooperation with the AU, Federal government of Somalia, the UN, and several international partners. The ministry added that the retreat contributed to the convergence of views between the various parties for the upcoming rounds of consultations. In January, the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) organised a retreat on post-2021 arrangements in Somalia with the participation of Somalia, the African Union, the United Nations, and several international partners. The retreat aimed to provide a space for informal consultations between Somali officials and African and international partners in order to discuss post-2021 arrangements in Somalia, given the end of the AMISOM mandate in March 2022, according to a CCCPAs statement. In a tweet, Ali hailed his discussions with Shoukry as "fruitful," saying they discussed issues of mutual interest including trade, education, maritime security, regional dynamics and violent extremism. Search Keywords: Short link: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Saturday that Egypt spares no effort to help overcome the challenges facing the African countries to achieve the African peoples goals and aspirations towards a better future, a statement by the ministry said. Shoukry made the comments during meetings of the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly, which is held over two days in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The country's top diplomat reviewed Egypts vision and efforts to promote peace and security in Africa. In this context, Shoukry praised the launch of the Africa Union Centre for Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) in Cairo in December 2021. He noted that the centre would be the executive arm of the post-conflict reconstruction and development policy adopted by the AU. He stressed the need for a joint action to identify the real causes behind the internal turmoil that some African countries are witnessing in light of the security and economic problems they are facing, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said. Shoukry clarified that there are many commonalities in the ways of dealing with Africas various challenges to peace and security despite of the varying context of each conflict and hotbed of tension in the continent. He stressed the need to strengthen the national governments institutional structures and formulating a clear African strategy to eliminate the threat of extremism and terrorism. The two-day assembly of the 55 AU member states is scheduled to review various reports in three sessions: a session on Peace, Security and Governance; a session on African Citizen Well-Being: Health, Nutrition and Food Security, and a third session on Regional Integration through A Green Inclusive and Resilient Economic Recovery. On the sidelines of the assembly, Shoukry held meetings on Saturday with various senior officials including Deputy Secretary General of the UN Amina Mohammed, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa Vera Songwe, and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the AU and Head of the United Nations Office to the AU Hanna Tetteh. He also met with the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye, in addition to Angolan Foreign Minister Tete Antonio. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt has expressed its sincere condolences to Morocco and the family of five-year-old boy Rayan who died after being trapped in a deep well in northern Morocco for four days. Rayan was pulled out by rescuers on Saturday after a four-day rescue operation, but was announced dead despite intensive attempts by Moroccan authorities to save his life. In a statement issued on Saturday night by the foreign ministry, Egypt affirmed its full support to Morocco in this painful incident, which has gained unwavering global sympathy and human solidarity. Egypt also prays for Almighty God to inspire Rayans parents and relatives patience and solace, the statement said. Moroccan King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the boy's parents in a statement released by the palace. Search Keywords: Short link: By Sabina Mammadli Baku has said that Azerbaijan is looking forward to the further strengthening of the strategic partnership with Ukraine. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made the remarks in a statement posted on its official Twitter account on February 6 which marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijani-Ukrainian diplomatic relations. "Today marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine. We send our best wishes to the government and people of friendly Ukraine on this occasion. We look forward to further strengthening of our strategic partnership!" the ministry tweeted. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also tweeted that Azerbaijan and Ukraine remain good friends and strategic partners. "OTD we celebrate 30 years of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan. Both states remain good friends and strategic partners. We continue to deepen our strategic relations and bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation!" the Ukrainian ministry added. As reported earlier, President Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. "It is pleasant to see that our interstate ties based on mutual trust, confidence and support in these years have evolved to elevate to the level of the strategic partnership while our collaboration in political, economic, energy and humanitarian fields has broadened its coverage," said the letter. Aliyev emphasized the importance of today's high-level political dialogue, numerous mutual visits, signed documents and jointly implemented projects coupled with the successful activities of the Intergovernmental Commission in defining new pathways. Further, he expressed confidence in fostering and broadening the Azerbaijani Ukrainian relations through joint efforts. In the early 1990s, Azerbaijan and Ukraine gained their independence from the Soviet Union and started a close friendship with establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. The relations of strategic cooperation, political, economical, and cultural ties between two countries are at a very high level. In 2001, the two countries founded the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM), along with Georgia and Moldova. Azerbaijan currently plays an important role in both the organization and the foreign policy of Ukraine due to its strategic role in the region. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received on Sunday his Djiboutian counterpart, President Ismail Omar Guelleh, at Cairo International Airport. El-Sisi and Guelleh will hold a summit on Monday at the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. The statement welcomed Guelleh, describing him as "the dear guest of his second country, Egypt." During the summit, the two presidents will discuss bilateral relations between Egypt and Djibouti as well as the issues of mutual concern, Rady added. El-Sisi embarked on an official visit to Djibouti in May last year, the first official visit by an Egyptian president to the African country since its independence in the 1970s. During the visit, he agreed with Guelleh on the importance of reaching a legal and balanced deal between Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Both presidents also reiterated the necessity of engaging in a path to a political settlement that reaches a fair, comprehensive and lasting solution for the decades-old Palestinian cause. In August, on the heels of El-Sisi's visit, Egypt announced that it will start the construction of a giant obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics hospital in Djibouti, which will be the first specialised hospital in the African country. The planned hospital is a gift from the Egyptian people to the people of Djibouti and reflects the good and brotherly relations between the two countries, Djiboutian Health Minister Ahmed Abdilleh said. Egypt also backed the health sector in Djibouti last year amid the coronavirus pandemic by sending several planes carrying medical aid. El-Sisi also received Guelleh in Cairo in 2016, where they stressed the importance of enhancing economic and trade cooperation, signed seven MoUs in various fields, including agriculture, technical education, maritime ports and health. The volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Djibouti rose to $48.01 million in 2018, compared to $37.99 million in 2017, according to official figures by the Egyptian Commercial Service. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt reported 2,298 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, the highest single-day tally of cases recorded since the outbreak began in February 2020, bringing the total number of infections up to 437,350. Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country with 102 million, recorded its previous high of 2,291 cases on Wednesday. In its daily update on the pandemic, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population reported 58 new deaths in the past 24 hours nationwide, the highest single day rise since 1 December 2021, bringing the total fatalities nationwide to 22,877. As many as 1,985 patients have been discharged from isolation hospital, the statement noted, adding that the total number of recoveries reached 369,011. Egypt is battling a serious spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths due to the outbreak of the Omicron variant. On 28 January, Egypt surpassed 2,000 new cases per day for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, with the daily infection tally hitting record-highs for eight consecutive days. However, Egypt is expected to witness a decline in infections in two to three weeks, according to Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, the health ministry spokesman. The recent spike in infections comes as Egypt continues to push ahead with efforts to expand its vaccination campaign to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the second half of 2022 amid the outbreak of the Omicron variant. On Saturday, Cairo International Airport received 338,800 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine donated by Germany. The shipment is set to be tested at the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) laboratories before distribution to vaccination centres across the country. Egypt has administered a total of 37.9 million first vaccine doses and 27 million second doses since the start of the mass vaccination campaign in January of 2021, according to the health ministrys daily statistics. As many as 629,087 booster shots have been administered in recent weeks as well, bringing the total number of doses administered since the start of the campaign to 65.6 million. Search Keywords: Short link: EgyptAir announced on Friday new instructions to travellers to Saudi Arabia, including the need to obtain a pre-departure coronavirus test taken within 48 hours, in accordance with the kingdom 's new travel restrictions issued on Thursday. The new instructions will come into effect on Wednesday 9 February, the Egyptian flag carrier said in a statement circulated by local media on Friday. Travellers to Saudi Arabia should obtain a negative PCR or antigen test results, EgyptAir said, echoing the new restrictions announced by the Saudi interior minsitry. The test requirement applies to all travelers to Saudi Arabia, including citizens, regardless of their vaccination status. However, Children below eight years are exempted from the decision, EgyptAir said. Saudi citizens travelling from the kingdom, and received their second coronavirus vaccine shot more than three months ago, should make sure to receive their booster shot, EgyptAir said. Saudi citizens, who test positive for coronavirus and were fully vaccinated with a vaccine accredited by the kingdom are allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia seven days after the test without the need for another test, the flag carrier noted, based on the Saudi restrictions. Those who received one vaccine dose will be allowed to travel to the kingdom 10 days after their positive test, EgyptAir added. Late in November, Saudi Arabia announced lifting a ban on direct entry from six countries, including Egypt, starting 1 December. This partially reversed a Saudi decision in February to temporarily impose an entry ban on 20 countries in a bid to curb the coronavirus spread. In January, Egypt has announced new travel restrictions with the country witnessing a significant surge in daily infections and reporting the highly infectious Omicron as the dominant variant currently. Search Keywords: Short link: Cairo University will introduce an online pharmacoeconomics and health technology assessment diploma programme at the Faculty of Pharmacy as part of the credit-hour system in cooperation with the United Kingdoms Bournemouth University. The announcement came in a conference hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Cairo University on Sunday. Cairo University President Mohamed Othman El-Khosht explained that the programme aims to lay the foundations for understanding pharmacoeconomics as part of health economics. El-Khosht added that the partnership between Cairo University and Bournemouth University contributes to creating new opportunities for students who work or aim to work in the fields of the pharmaceutical, medical, or diagnostic industries or within the formulation of health technology policy. He noted that Cairo University is eager to continue developing academic programmes as per international standards and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to graduate exceptional alumni who have the ability to meet the needs of society and compete at national and international levels in various fields, including health care. The duration of programme is one academic year that includes 32 credit hours as well as a graduation project. Instruction will be carried out by Cairo University and international professors, who are experts in the field of pharmacoeconomic and health technology. Admission into the programme requires a degree in an area related to health care such as pharmacy, veterinary medicine, medicine, and nursing, with a minimum Very Good final grade, the statement said. Search Keywords: Short link: Tunisian President Kais Saied has dissolved a major independent judicial watchdog, he said Sunday, accusing it of bias and working for special interests. The Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM) "is a thing of the past", the president said in a video, accusing the body responsible for appointing judges of corruption and delaying politically sensitive investigations, including into the assassinations of left-wing activists in 2013. Some observers say the government is seeking to clamp down on the Islamist-inspired Ennahda party, which has controlled parliament and the various governments since the 2011 revolution which toppled Ben Ali. Saied has concentrated all executive power since July 25, when he dismissed his Prime Minister and suspended parliament. He has since ruled by decree. President Saied and his supporters insist that his decisions aim to rectify the country's democrartic path. On Saturday, the "July 25 movement", which is composed of his top supporters, called on the president to dissolve the CSM in order to "purge" the judiciary of "corrupt magistrates". "Unfortunately in this country, some judges in the courts have manipulated the Chokri Belaid case," said Saied, referring to a leftist leader who was shot three times outside his home in February 2013. "This is not the first trial where they have tried to hide the truth for years," he added. A major demonstration is planned for Sunday in Tunis to commemorate the assassination of Belaid and of Mohamed Brahmi, killed in similar circumstances in July the same year. "In this council, positions and appointments are sold and made according to affiliations," said the head of state. "You cannot imagine the money that certain judges have been able to receive, billions and billions," he added. * This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Officials from the UN children's agency visited a prison in northeast Syria that witnessed 10 days of fighting between US-backed fighters and Islamic State group militants, the agency said Sunday. The UNICEF team said after visiting some children at the prison in the city of Hassakeh on Saturday that they have lived in dire conditions at the detention center for years and in January ``witnessed and survived heightened violence'' in and around the prison. The visit came two days after IS's top leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in a US raid on his safehouse in northwest Syria. President Joe Biden said al-Qurayshi had been responsible for the Syria prison assault. Over 3,000 inmates, of which some 600 are children, are held at the Hassakeh prison, known as Gweiran or al-Sinaa. ``Despite some of the basic services now in place, the situation of these children is incredibly precarious,'' Bo Viktor Nylund, UNICEF's Syria representative, said in the statement. While boys were held separately from adults, the groups mixed when IS militants stormed the prison in a jailbreak on Jan. 20. Some inmates escaped, while others including child detainees were taken hostage in the ensuing battle. ``Children should never have been there in the first place,'' Nylund said, adding that UNICEF is working to provide safety and care for them while calling on all stakeholders to urgently find long-term solutions in the best interests of the children. He said UNICEF is ready to help support a new safe place in Syria's northeast to take care of the most vulnerable children, some of whom are as young as 12. At a press conference on Jan. 31, the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said they had retaken control of the prison and confirmed that 77 prison employees, 40 Kurdish fighters and four civilians were killed, alongside 374 IS detainees and attackers. The SDF provided no breakdown of the dead detainees, or how many of them were children. Nylund said destruction in the surrounding area of the prison is significant with destroyed homes affecting an estimated 30,000 people. He said every effort, including by the Syrian government and local authorities, to provide immediate assistance should be supported. ``Children should never be in detention due to association with armed groups,'' Nylund said. ``Children associated with and recruited by armed groups should always be treated as victims of conflict.'' He said UNICEF calls for the immediate release of children in all detention centers across northeast Syria and for handing them over to child protection agencies. He said UNICEF calls on member states of foreign children to repatriate them. For years, some countries have refused to repatriate detained children in Syria while Kurdish authorities have expressed concern they may have extremist tendencies. ``UNICEF stands ready to facilitate the speedy and systematic repatriation of foreign children and the reintegration of children in Syria to their communities of origin,'' Nylund said. He added that the pace of repatriation and integration of children stranded in Syria ``is far too slow. This is unacceptable.'' On Friday, Human Rights Watch said hundreds of boys are missing from the fighting in and around the prison. Search Keywords: Short link: Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday said Germany was prepared to send extra troops to the Baltic states, ahead of a key trip to Washington where he will seek to bolster his influence in the Ukraine crisis. "We are... prepared to do whatever is necessary to strengthen" Germany's presence in NATO operations in the Baltics, Scholz said in an interview with the ARD broadcaster. Germany leads a NATO operation in Lithuania and has around 500 soldiers stationed there. Asked whether reinforcements could be agreed at a NATO defence ministers' meeting in mid-February, Scholz said: "We are ready to make a decision." Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht had earlier said in an interview with the Funke media group that Germany was prepared to strengthen its presence in Lithuania. "In principle, troops are... available for reinforcement, and we are now in talks with Lithuania about what exactly would be useful," Lambrecht said. The pledge comes amid growing fears that Russia may be preparing to invade Ukraine, with the West accusing President Vladimir Putin of amassing more than 100,000 troops at the border. Russia denies it plans to invade but has demanded wide-ranging security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO. With Scholz facing growing criticism of Germany's apparently ambivalent stance in the crisis, he will travel to Washington for the first meeting of his chancellorship with US President Joe Biden on Monday. He will also meet the leaders of the Baltic states in Berlin this week and will travel to Ukraine and Russia later this month. Scholz, who in December succeeded veteran German leader Angela Merkel, on Sunday doubled down on Germany's refusal to send weapons to Ukraine. "For many years, the German government has had a clear course that we do not deliver to crisis zones and that we also do not deliver lethal weapons to Ukraine," he said. In the current crisis, this was about "preventing a war in Europe, and that is what I owe to the citizens of our country", he said. He also reiterated that Germany was prepared to put the brakes on the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany if Moscow does invade Ukraine. "We have considered all measures and there is nothing that is ruled out," he said. Asked whether Washington saw Germany as the "weakest link" in NATO, he replied: "That is a false impression that does not prevail in Washington either." Search Keywords: Short link: Israel's prime minister on Sunday congratulated President Joe Biden for last week's deadly raid in Syria that killed the leader of the Islamic State group, the Israeli premier's office announced. In a phone call with the president, Naftali Bennett told Biden that "the world is now a safer place thanks to the courageous operation of the U.S. forces,'' his office said. Bennett and Biden also discussed Iranian military activity across the Middle East and efforts to block Iran's nuclear program, it said. Israel and Iran are arch-enemies, and Israel has raised vocal concerns about U.S.-led efforts to revive the 2015 international nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The deal unraveled after President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018. Israel objected to the initial deal and believes any attempts to restore it will not include sufficient safeguards to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability. Israel also says any deal should address Iranian military activity across the region as well as its development of long-range missiles capable of striking Israel. Earlier Sunday, Bennett said Israel is closely watching world powers' negotiations with Iran in Vienna, but reiterated his position that Israel is not bound by any agreement reached by them. Israel has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if it believes it is necessary to halt the country's nuclear program. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. "Anyone who thinks such an agreement will increase stability is wrong,'' Bennett told his Cabinet early Sunday. "Israel reserves its right to act in any case, with or without an agreement.'' Search Keywords: Short link: Ahram Online spoke to Ezz Fayek, the CEO of WaffarX, the first cash back provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, who discussed Egypt's fintech scene and his company's plans in the Egyptian market. Egypts fintech scene has been witnessing a boom in recent years, driven mainly by the pandemic and the rising adoption of online solutions. Egypts fintech financing is projected to jump by 919 percent Y-o-Y in 2021 to reach about $296 million, up from the $29 million recorded in 2020, according to Citis report titled Africa & Middle East FinTech & e-Commerce issued in January. The CEO of WaffarX Ezz Fayek explains how he perceives Egypts fintech scene as well as explaining how his WaffarX app is focusing on growing in the Egyptian market. Launched in 2020, WaffarX is the first cash back provider in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with more than 280 merchant partners. WaffarX recently completed a multi-million-dollar financing round led by the Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Lobby Capital, its first ever investment in the MENA region. AO: What is the main idea of your app? EF: We launched WaffarX in 2018 as the first-ever cashback shopping service in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We began as a shopping website and launched our app in 2020, which has had over 600,000 downloads. The main idea of the app is using cutting-edge technology to distribute cashback rewards, which helps shoppers save money when they spend. The app also helps companies, as it enables brands to shift advertising spending directly to consumers via cashback incentives. In turn, this creates deep loyalty for brands. We provide real offers from top brands and offer a variety of CashOut (withdrawal) methods to suit our members preferences for how they want to receive their cash. AO: How do you see the fintech scene in Egypt and the actions that have been taken by the concerned bodies in this sector? EF: The fintech scene in Egypt has been gaining considerable momentum in recent years, but its development was undoubtedly accelerated by the pandemic. The Banking and Central Bank law which came into practice in 2020 addressed digital payments and payment infrastructure for the first time. This strengthened fintechs position as a sector within Egypt and demonstrated the governments support towards it. AO: Do you mind explaining your total investment profile in the MENA region, including Egypt? EF: We closed a multi-million US dollar funding round at the end of 2021, led by the Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Lobby Capital, with A15 also participating. This was Lobby Capitals first investment in the MENA region, and proceeds are being utilised to accelerate our expansion into new markets. AO: Do you think that fintech in Egypt needs more procedures to be adopted for the sake of supporting business doing in such a sector? EF: The fintech sector is receiving increasing support from the Egyptian Cabinets Information and Decision Support Centre. It recently announced Egypts commitment to transitioning to a digital economy as part of the countrys 2030 Vision strategy, which is geared to making Egypt the primary destination for digital investments in MENA. This will create an innovative and viable digital environment that will support the long-term growth of businesses and e-commerce platforms. AO: What kind of challenges fintech businesses are facing in Egypt amid the ongoing challenging time? And how could they be overcome? EF: Digital payment infrastructure is vital for fintech companies to be successful. Several fintech businesses lack the resources to reach the largely unbanked population within Egypt, compared to the banks who already have the foundations. However, Egypts strong focus on a digitised economy, plus increasing acceptance of diverse payment methods, should enable fintechs to overcome this challenge in the future. Another challenge, which is applicable to the wider region and not just Egypt, is the ingrained role of cash in the economy. Egypts shadow economy still accounts for 40 to 60 percent of its GDP. However, Egypts commitment to a digital economy can only help, as fintech businesses become more integrated in Egypts business ecosystem. AO: What about your vision on e-commerce activity currently in Egypt? And what is your outlook for such an activity on the medium and long run? EF: The pandemic rapidly transformed the e-commerce landscape. Consumer habits have shifted, and businesses have begun moving online. We expect e-commerce activity to continue rising in Egypt in the medium and long term. A sharp rise in start-up investments and an explosion of e-commerce companies is also likely. As penetration rates of mobile phones have grown significantly, we expect mobile commerce activity by consumers to increase. Penetration rates reached 96% in the second quarter of 2021. The digital payment infrastructure within Egypt will continue to grow. Awareness of e-payments systems will increase, stimulating e-commerce. In turn, this will benefit the rewards and loyalty app market, causing significant growth and acceptance of cashback apps. AO: What are the key challenges this sector is facing in the MENA region in general and in Egypt in particular? EF: Within e-commerce, customer retention will be a challenge as the sector becomes more competitive. A strategy to tackle this is for cashback platforms to become more personalised to consumers. This is key to the modern shopping experience and what consumers are demanding. Valuable rewards, which require little additional consumer effort - will improve customer retention. AO: What are your future plans in the Egyptian market? EF: We are very excited about the future of WaffarX. Our focus is on driving user acquisition and the expansion of our platform as well as introducing a new service: in-store cash back. Currently, we have over 280 merchant partners and over 600,000 users across Egypt, the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, and Morocco. Our strategy is to continue our rapid growth and work closely with brands to help increase customer loyalty while also enabling consumers to save as much as possible. Search Keywords: Short link: By Trend Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba exchanged the letters on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Ukraine, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend . Bayramov stressed that bilateral relations of the countries, which have been developing for 30 years on the basis of mutual interests and have reached a strategic level, have strengthened in the political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres and significant achievements have been made in mutual support within the regional and international organizations. "While adhering to the principle of inviolability of internationally recognized borders, Azerbaijan and Ukraine support each other's territorial integrity," the message said. "The current level of relations between our countries is based on the will of our peoples and heads of state," Bayramov added. "In this regard, the visit of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Ukraine on January 14, 2022, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, shows the importance attached to the bilateral relations." The Azerbaijani minister expressed confidence that the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, based on mutual respect and trust, will continue to develop in the interests of peoples of two countries. In turn, in his letter Kuleba stressed that the chronicle of diplomatic relations between two countries started a century ago. "Many changes occurred both in Ukraine and Azerbaijan over the past period," Ukrainian minister said. Kuleba stressed that only friendship, respect and, in particular, mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries remain unchanged. Stressing that Azerbaijan remains a reliable strategic partner for Ukraine, the minister expressed confidence that the cooperation between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, as well as that at the level of foreign ministries, will continue to develop effectively on the basis of trust and mutual understanding while joint efforts will affect the implementation of our ambitious goals at the international arena. While congratulating each other, the ministers wished peace, tranquility and prosperity to the two friendly peoples. Tunisian actress Fatma Ben Saidane will be celebrated at the eighth edition of the Alexandria Short Film Festival (ASFF), taking place between 10 and 16 February in the Mediterranean city. Fatma Ben Saidane will receive the festivals Hypatia shield in honour of her career in cinema, theatre, and television, according to the festival. Starring in 47 films, mostly in Tunisia, but also in France, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, the star actress most important works are Halfaouine (1990), Samt El Kousour (1994) and Zizou (2016). She made a significant contribution to the short film industry, the festival states about the multi-awarded artist, listing Bolbol and Houria among her most significant shorts. The latter was featured in the festivals sixth edition in 2020. The eighth ASFF will include fiction and documentary competitions, as well as an animation competition introduced last year, in addition to student film competition for Egyptians. The festival was founded by Alexandria Art Circle (Dayret Al-Fann) Association to give a chance for filmmakers to present their work to the public and this in the heart of Alexandria to be a lighthouse of cinema in the world. The main awards of the festival are the Golden and Silver Hypatia, named for the Greek philosopher, astronomer and mathematician who lived in Alexandria. Search Keywords: Short link: Al-Ahram Weekly reviews the new government-drafted Labour Law which has been approved in principle by the Senate. On Sunday and Monday, the Senate resumed discussions over the government-drafted Labour Law which aims to regulate the relationship between employers and workers. Senators gave their preliminary approval of the law on 2 January, and has now discussed, and passed, 245 articles out of a total drafts 267. According to Senate Deputy Speaker Bahaaeddin Abu Shoka, the remaining articles will be debated when the chamber reconvenes on 13 February. Abdel-Khalek Ayad, chairman of the Senates Energy, Environment and Labour Force Committee, said the draft law had taken four months to review, with the committee holding hearing sessions involving an array of labour experts. According to Ayad, the new law strikes a balance between the interests of employers and potential investors and those of workers. Reacting to concerns the legislation will make it easier to lay-off employees, Ayad insisted the draft contains no provision for the automatic dismissal of workers. The new Labour Law aims to regulate the relationship between employers and workers and includes rules that can be used to settle differences between them, said Ayad. The law clearly states that a worker can be dismissed only upon a final judicial order from a labour court and makes it harder for employers to fire staff suffering ill-health. It does, however, facilitate the firing of workers convicted of a felony. Minister of Labour Mohamed Saafan said the new Labour Law was drafted to reflect the fact that 80 per cent of Egypts 30 million workers are now employed in the private sector. In drafting the new Labour Law, Saafan continued, the government was keen to take the oinions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) into account. We also tried our best to ensure the Labour Law complements the foreign agreements and conventions to which Egypt is a signatory, he added. Hossam Al-Khouli, parliamentary spokesman for the majority Mostaqbal Watan (The Nations Future) Party, said the partys MPs approved the law in principle because it is balanced, and serves the interests of both employers and employees. Senator Tarek Raslan said the legislation would help pave the way for the private sector to take the lead in mega-development and industrial projects and reflects the fact that Egypt is now a market economy driven by the private sector, and also one where the constitution states that workers rights are protected. The law does not allow automatic dismissal of workers, sets up labour courts to settle disputes between employers and workers within a period from 60 to 90 days, and stipulates that work contracts be drafted in a balanced way, reflecting the interests of both employers and workers, said Senator Mahmoud Bakri. On Sunday and Monday the Senate discussed, among other articles, Article 204 which guarantees workers right to strike peacefully as long as other avenues to settle a labour dispute have been followed. Article 205 states that workers intending to organise a peaceful strike should notify the concerned administrative department ten days ahead, indicating the reasons behind the strike and its duration. Articles 206 and 207 state that workers cannot strike to amend a national labour agreement, if they are employed in sectors serving national security interests, or by institutions providing basic services to citizens, as determined by the prime minister. The Senate also approved Article 58 which bans the employment of children under 15, and Article 60 which allows children within the same age bracket to receive training for a maximum of six hours a day. The draft law, said Ayad, also protects women against discrimination in the workplace. The minister of labour will be authorised to issue decrees regulating womens working conditions and occasions on which they are allowed to take paid holidays, said Ayad. He added that women cannot be dismissed because they take maternity leave, which Article 50 of the law guarantees for a period of four months, applicable for a maximum of three times in the course of the employees working life. The Senate rejected a proposal to allow fathers to take a weeks paternity leave any time during their childs first six months. Senate Speaker Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek said the proposal was a fine idea, but every society has its own circumstances. The Labour Ministry representative who attended the session said the National Council for Women had presented a similar suggestion, and suggested the government may take it into consideration at a later stage. Article 56, which requires businesses that employ more than 100 women to set up a creche in accordance with the Child Law, was approved. Following final discussions in the Senate on 13 February, the law will be referred to the House of Representatives. Once ratified by the president and published by the official gazette, it will become effective within 90 days of its publication. *A version of this article appears in print in the 3 February, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: The first Egyptian aviator set out to fly from Berlin to Cairo on 25 January 1930 and arrived one day later on 26 January, now celebrated as Egypts National Civil Aviation Day. One of the most intriguing chapters in Egyptian history records early attempts by the countrys aviators to fly solo from Europe to Egypt, with 26 January, Egypts National Civil Aviation Day, marking the first successful flight of Egyptian pilot Mohamed Sedki from Berlin to Cairo in 1930. Sedkis success and earlier attempts earned the support of former king Fouad, always interested in supporting exploration and discoveries whether in the air or on land. But how much do we know today about these attempts and of the Egyptian pioneers who courageously flew these planes, sometimes risking their lives? The successful attempt by Sedki in January 1930 to fly from Europe to Egypt was preceded by other unforgettable attempts. There were those by Ahmed Hassanein Pasha, a legendary figure in the history of aviation. Better known for his exploration of the Western Desert, he was one of the most powerful men in various governments under king Fouad and king Farouk and an adventurer at heart, attempting to fly from Europe to Egypt several times before 1930. His wish was to fly from Egypt to London in a small plane across the Mediterranean. On his first attempt, he succeeded in flying over the Mediterranean, but a few hours later his plane crashed in southern France and was destroyed. However, Hassanein survived to continue to pursue his obsession, and he bought another small plane to fly again. This time, the plane fell in Switzerland, but Hassanein once again escaped death and decided to buy a third plane and try again. On his third attempt, the plane fell in Italy, and Hassanein was so seriously injured that the Italian doctors that rescued him considered he had died. But according to the story told in celebrated journalist Mustafa Amins book Unforgotten Figures, Hassanein recalled the words of Egyptian poet laureate Ahmed Shawki and described himself as a layth or lion. He started repeating the words courage lion to himself at the hospital in an attempt to defeat death. The words seemed to work magic, and he surprised his doctors with a speedy recovery despite his condition. Whether true or not, the story speaks of Hassaneins unrelenting spirit. Rather than give up on further attempts at flying after his near death, Hassanein made a fourth endeavour to fly to Europe. A few days after leaving the hospital, he bought a fourth plane. But half an hour before flying, one of the technicians boarded the plane to do a final check, and five minutes later the plane turned into a ball of fire, with Hassanein watching in disbelief. This was the fourth and last attempt that sealed Hassaneins flying adventures and put an end to his aspirations. THE EGYPTIAN EAGLE Hassaneins plane was named Faiza after one of king Fouads daughters, also the name of the first plane that successfully crossed the Mediterranean to land in Egypt in 1930 piloted by Egyptian Eagle Mohamed Sedki. The plane Sedki flew was a small one-seater that weighed 250 kg and had a 40 horsepower engine. Sedki used it to fly from Berlin to Alexandria, where he landed at the Abu Kir airport on 25 January. He had started his epic flight across Europe on 12 January, passing through the former Czechoslovakia, the former Yugoslavia, and Italy all the way to Egypt in unfavourable weather. Governor of Alexandria Hassan Sabry Pasha welcomed him at the Airport, before he flew again to Heliopolis Airport in Cairo, arriving on 26 January. Sedkis successful flight caused a sensation at the time, as thousands of people cheered him on at Heliopolis Airport, where a model plane made of flowers awaited him. Captain Goldsmith, in charge of the Abu Kir Airport at the time, exclaimed that Sedkis was the smallest airplane he had ever set his eyes on. In Cairo, Sedkis feat was celebrated at a formal ceremony that included representatives of king Fouad, such as Yehia Pasha, as well as prince Abbas Halim, prime minister Mustafa Al-Nahhas Pasha, minister of transport Mahmoud Al-Nokrashi, and the delegated German minister. Kamal Elwi, another Egyptian pilot who had learned to fly before Sedki and whose private plane was the first registered plane in Egypt, was also present during the ceremony. It was graced by the presence of poet laureate Ahmed Shawki, the same poet who had earlier called Hassanein the lion. Sedki, Shawki said, was like a young Egyptian leader coming back from battle crowned with victory, adding that he saw in Sedkis face the lines of a true ancient Egyptian, with this being the secret behind his courage. His words chimed with the rising sense of Egyptian nationalism and pride in Egypts roots at a time of British colonisation, a pride that manifested itself in the literary sphere with works dedicated to Egypts past like Shawkis own magnificent play The Death of Cleopatra. The royal reception Sedki received was complemented by king Fouads awarding him the Gold Medal of Excellence and a gift of LE1,000 for his services to the nation. His successful flight also resulted in the establishment of the first club for Egyptian aviation in Cairo, which held another celebration for Sedki as Egypts first international pilot on 29 January 1930. Sedki was awarded a share in the club to the value of LE50. Together with Kamal Elwy, and Talaat Harb, founder of the first Egyptian bank, Sedki called for the establishment of EgyptAir, Egypts first airline company. His success was considered a national feat at a time when the British were reluctant to allow Egypt to enter the field of aviation, since Britain had its own airline company operating in Egypt and did not want the competition. One obstacle that Sedki encountered when trying to realise his dream was obtaining the approval of the British to fly to Egypt from abroad, an approval that he only obtained after long weeks of anticipation. Harb said during the celebration that before Sedkis success, Egypt had been deprived of having its own pilots and its own national airports, but now that Sedki had debunked British claims that the Egyptians were unable to act as pilots, there was hope that they could be equal to other nations in the field of aviation. A series of domestic flights followed Sedkis international flight as he flew to Upper Egypt, first to Luxor and then to Aswan before flying back to Luxor. From there, he flew to Minya and Assiut on 27 March. Yet, for all this, Sedki did not stay in the limelight for long, and on 27 June that same year he flew back to Germany, claiming that the government in Egypt had not given him the proper appreciation, offering him a minor post with a meagre salary and barely enough to look after his plane. He rejected the job offer and left Egypt from Heliopolis Airport, the same one where he had received a hearty welcome on his successful arrival earlier the same year. GRADUATE NUMBER 34 Between Sedkis solo flight in 1930 and 1933, 33 male pilots graduated from Egypts School of Aviation. But graduate number 34 was certainly different, as this time the graduate was Lotfia Al-Nadi, the first Egyptian and African woman aviator to earn a pilots licence after US pilot Amelia Earhart with whom she exchanged letters. In a later interview explaining her decision to train as a pilot, Al-Nady said that I was young, eager to learn things and to accomplish something, but there were few directions that I could pursue. I read about a programme for flying that was being established, and this was invitation enough for her to join. She was 26 when she flew her first plane from Alexandria to Cairo after training for just 67 days. However, Al-Nadis career as a pilot was not an easy one. She had a reluctant mother and an initially unsupportive father, and she had to find a way to afford her flying lessons and to take them secretly. Kamal Elwy, the then director of EgyptAir, offered her a job as a telephone operator and secretary with the company, and Al-Nadi used her salary to pay for flying classes. Her secret was later revealed when her father saw a picture of her in the international press. She was finally able to appease her father and earn his support when she took him as her first passenger on a ride above Cairo and around the Pyramids. I took my father for a flight, she later said. At first, he sat stiffly, but then I noticed that his head was swiveling to the right and left. I asked him about it after we landed, and he told me he had been frightened, but then he had decided that he was in the hands of his daughter. He knew that if we crashed, we would crash together, so he relaxed and began to enjoy the flight. Al-Nadis singular career was undertaken at a moment that overlapped with the fight for womens rights in Egypt and for womens rights to education. Not surprisingly, Hoda Shaarawi, the famous Egyptian feminist leader of the time, honoured Al-Nadi and held a fundraising drive for her so that she could buy a plane of her own. Among her adventures, Al-Nadi recalls how on one occasion her engine failed and she had to land in the desert where she was helped by Bedouin and given a bony mule to ride on her way back to Cairo. I often laughed that the mule was more dependable than my Moth airplane, she said. Sadly, Al-Nadis remarkable aviation career ended abruptly in the early 1950s when she had a tragic accident while landing that left her with a broken spine. She left Egypt for Switzerland for a long period of treatment, remaining in the country for many years. Eventually, she was awarded Swiss nationality. In 1989, Al-Nady was given the Order of Merit, the highest distinction of the Egyptian Aerospace Education Organisation. She returned to Egypt permanently, dying in the country in 2002 at the age of 95. Today, she is considered to have opened the way for other women pilots, among them Linda Masoud, the first female pilot coach, and Aziza Moharram, the first female director of the Aviation Academy, not to mention other pilots like Dina Al-Sawy, Hasnaa Taymour, and Heba Darwish. Less well known than Al-Nadi, yet equally important to the history of Egyptian aviation is Esmat Ahmed Fouad, another woman who learnt to fly but did not obtain a pilots license. Esmats story remains inspiring because she joined the School of Aviation and was flying at the age of just 14. Her two sisters, Kadreya and Aisha, followed suit and also learnt to fly. But the three sisters could not obtain pilots licenses as they were under the age of 17. They did not pursue flying careers, which is why in his book Civil Aviation in Egypt author Abdel-Latif Al-Sabbagh considers Al-Nadi to be the real pioneer of Egypts women aviators. EGYPTAIR The stories of individual endeavours to fly solo internationally interweave with the story of commercial flights in Egypt and the attempt to establish the national airline Egypt Air. In 1924, the Ministry of Transportation formed a committee to launch commercial flights in Egypt, and this suggested the establishment of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA), whose mission would be to oversee air navigation and the countrys newly established airports. The project was highly acclaimed at the time, as it was needed to organise the arrival and departure of international planes. It was planned to establish the ECAA within five years. In the same year, a group of Egyptian businessmen headed by Hassan Anis Pasha started to establish a company for commercial flights in Egypt. After much searching for the right types of plane, they recommended one made entirely of metal with three engines and the capacity to carry 12 passengers and two tons of merchandise. This project signalled the establishment of EgyptAir, Egypts national airline. In 1927, the government established the ECAA, and between 1927 and 1929 it sent three missions to train abroad. EgyptAir was not formally established until 1931, when, thanks to the Egyptian young people who had received their training abroad, the idea of civil aviation eventually saw a revival after years of stagnation. Almaza Airport, the countrys first, was established in the same year the earlier Heliopolis Airport mainly served the British air force, and other flights were not allowed to use it. The history of civil aviation in Egypt is an inspiring one, a story of persistence, hope, and freedom for a whole country to have the right to fly. Stories of Egypts early aviators cannot fail to make future flights with EgyptAir more meaningful, and they deserve to be commemorated in a national museum dedicated to civil aviation, something which at present does not exist. It is perhaps high time we thought of establishing such a museum in order to remind ourselves of the meaning of National Civil Aviation Day and to keep the day alive. *A version of this article appears in print in the 3 February, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: KYODO NEWS - Feb 6, 2022 - 17:21 | Sports, Olympics, All Olympic debutant Yuma Kagiyama topped the men's free skate section of the figure skating team competition Sunday at the Beijing Winter Games, earning a personal best 208.94 points to help Japan finish the day in third place. The 18-year-old Kagiyama became just the third person to ever score above 200 in the free skate, joining back-to-back Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and U.S. star Nathan Chen in the select group. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan performs in the men's free skate of the figure skating team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 6, 2022, at the Capital Indoor Stadium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo He claimed the maximum 10 team points for the segment after Wakaba Higuchi ensured Japan's berth in the five-team final by finishing second in the women's short program earlier in the day at the Capital Indoor Stadium. The Russian Olympic Committee will go into the final day of the team competition on Monday in first place with 45 points, three ahead of the United States. Japan is a further three points back and holds a nine-point advantage over fourth-place Canada. Kagiyama, the 2020 Youth Olympics men's gold medalist, skated confidently throughout a clean routine including four quad jumps and two triple axels. "That was my first time scoring in the 200s, so I'm really happy," said Kagiyama, who nevertheless only rated his own performance at "about 80 percent." Russian skater Mark Kondratiuk placed second for the segment with 181.65, while Vincent Zhou of the United States was third with 171.44. The runner-up to U.S. star Nathan Chen at last year's world championships, Kagiyama will look to carry his strong form into the men's individual competition starting Tuesday. "I got a good feel for the new routine. I want to do my best, while holding onto this fun feeling," Kagiyama said. The 21-year-old Higuchi scored 74.73 for a solid short program including a double axel and three triple jumps, earning Japan nine team points and taking its total to 29, the third-highest of the preliminary round. "I was really nervous because a lot of things didn't go well in practice, but I was able to skate calmly in competition, which was a relief," Higuchi said. Fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva received 90.18 for her outstanding short program, winning the segment and sending the ROC through to the five-team final in first place. She opened the routine with a triple axel, becoming one of only a small handful of women to nail the jump in Olympic competition. The United States finished the qualifying round second after Karen Chen scored 65.20 to place fifth in the short program. Canada's Madeline Schizas finished the segment third with 69.60, helping her country advance as the No. 4 qualifier, while host China qualified fifth. Higuchi, who has previously landed the triple axel in competition, indicated she will attempt the difficult jump in the women's individual event starting Feb. 15. "I think I was able to get into a smooth flow. I want to concentrate so I don't make any big mistakes on the triple axel or other jumps," she said. Related coverage: Olympics: Japan 4th on opening day of teams figure skating Olympics: Chen looks forward to reuniting with "inspiration" Hanyu Olympics:Coach Lambiel trying to turn own failures into Shoma Uno's success KYODO NEWS - Feb 6, 2022 - 18:53 | All, Japan Hun Manet, the eldest son of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and commander of the country's army, plans to visit Japan in mid-February for talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other top officials, Japanese government sources said Sunday. Japan intends to step up coordination with Cambodia, this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, over the Myanmar crisis and regional security through the visit of a man Hun Sen has appointed as his heir apparent, the sources said. Hun Manet is expected to hold separate talks with Kishida, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, as well as Ground Self-Defense Force troops to discuss ways to deepen bilateral defense cooperation, among other issues. Japan plans to focus on Myanmar issues during a series of meetings with Hun Manet, who is said to have accompanied Hun Sen when he traveled to Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw in January for talks with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. Hun Sen became the first foreign leader to visit Myanmar since the military detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and overthrew her democratically elected government in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021. The junta has killed about 1,500 peaceful demonstrators and other citizens since the military takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group. The planned trip of Hun Manet comes at the invitation of the Japanese Defense Ministry as this year marks the 30th anniversary since Japan sent Self-Defense Forces personnel to Cambodia as the first case of SDF participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations. Hun Manet last visited Japan in April 2018 and met with then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. KYODO NEWS - Feb 6, 2022 - 13:47 | Sports, Olympics, All A Japanese acupuncturist who treats figure skater Misato Komatsubara's injuries and keeps her performing at her peak is hoping his patient's husband-wife ice dance team hits the right notes on the Beijing ice. Yuki Akiyama is an acupuncturist who practices in his chiropractic clinic in the western Japan city of Okayama and has worked with the 29-year-old Komatsubara, one-half of Japan's only ice dance team in Beijing, since 2019. Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese treatment of inserting needles in specific points on the body to manipulate the flow of energy or qi. The figure skating discipline of ice dancing historically draws from ballroom dancing and often sees fans' tongue-wagging over potential romantic links between the pairs. Some, like Komatsubara and her on-ice partner, are couples in real life. Komatsubara, who is from Okayama Prefecture, switched from singles skating to ice dancing after high school and married American-born skater Tim Koleto in 2017. He took the name Takeru Komatsubara after he received Japanese citizenship in the fall of 2020. "From the moment we met, we knew we had a special connection...We love every moment together and can't wait for all that life has ahead of us," they wrote on social media when announcing their marriage. Acupuncture helped Misato recover after repeated concussions from spills during pre-games training led to chronic headaches and neck pain. Though brain scans did not reveal any issues, the symptoms affected her performance and forced her to skip major competitions. "Misato has gotten a lifetime's worth of neck work from me," Akiyama said jokingly. He helped open up her neck muscles and relieve tension, doing his part in alleviating Misato's problems with the power of acupuncture -- once thought to be akin to voodoo but now popular among athletes looking for solutions to their ills. The 36-year-old also watched Takeru struggle to learn a new language, so when the couple brought the news about his naturalization, and his eligibility to represent Japan at the Olympics, Akiyama told them it was the best news he had heard in a long time. In December, Akiyama traveled with the duo, who go by the moniker "Team Koko," to the nationals where they won their fourth consecutive title and a ticket to the Beijing Games. "I don't know if it was a sense of relief, but when I saw their faces I cried with them," Akiyama said. The acupuncturist treated both skaters just before they departed for China. Team Koko, who have been skating together for six years, made their Olympic debut on Friday in the team event at Beijing's Capital Indoor Stadium. They will take to the ice again later this month as one of the 23 ice dance team entries. The ice dance competition consists of two segments: a rhythm dance and a free dance. The rhythm dance portion of the ice dance competition, which is slightly more restricted, will be held on Feb. 12. The free dance, where couples can perform almost any genre and dance pattern they choose, will be on Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. The scores from the rhythm dance and free dance are added together to determine the overall ranking. "They finally get to compete on the big stage. I hope these games turn out to be good for the both of them," Akiyama said. Related coverage: Olympics: Japan 4th on opening day of teams figure skating Olympics:Coach Lambiel trying to turn own failures into Shoma Uno's success Olympics: Chen looks forward to reuniting with "inspiration" Hanyu By Keita Nakamura, KYODO NEWS - Feb 6, 2022 - 14:26 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Singaporean Adeline Leng expected to start studying at a language school in Japan last April but is still not able to travel to the country due to its strict COVID-19 border controls. Leng, 26, began the process of applying 16 months ago and since then it has been one long, increasingly fraught, wait. "When the timeline passed, and we got to about August, after the (Tokyo) Olympics, and September, October, that is when the stress of not being able to enter Japan started to get to me," Leng told Kyodo News in an online interview. Japan has banned entries by nonresident foreigners since Nov. 30 last year, days after the World Health Organization designated the highly contagious coronavirus Omicron strain "a variant of concern." The policy, which will be in place at least until the end of February, has left up to 140,000 people who had hoped to begin studying in Japan unable to take up their places. Amid international criticism that the country's strict border controls are unreasonable and amount to discrimination against foreigners, some students continue to wait for approval to enter while others have already given up. Some have changed their destinations to other countries such as South Korea. Born in Singapore, Leng moved to Australia at the age of 10. But long before that, Leng, who has a Japanese grandmother, had wanted to live in Japan. She recalls finally speaking out about her desire to her parents when she was 13 or 14, but being told she would face language and cultural barriers as someone who is "not 100 percent Japanese." Nevertheless, her desire someday to move to the country remained, and she started studying the language in high school. Leng holds a master's degree in architecture and urban design but switched careers to digital design after the start of the pandemic, feeling "the building industry is not doing very well." Around the same time, she entered a relationship with an Australian partner who lives and does business in Japan. Finally, she had a good chance "to achieve my dream of going to Japan to study, to work, and to live," she said, explaining that her goal is to one day work for a Japanese tech company. Adeline believes Japan's entry restrictions on foreigners have been too strict, resulting in high "emotional costs." She has been "stuck in a limbo," she says. "There is no way for me to go back to my old life." In October last year, she returned to Singapore due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in Australia and still awaits the day when she can live her dream in Japan. Some like-minded friends have already switched to European countries that accept international students. Meanwhile, for Brazilian Anais Cordeiro de Medeiros, plans to study in Japan have all but gone up in smoke. The 29-year-old was scheduled to go to a graduate school in Tokyo for two years from April, the beginning of Japan's fiscal year, in 2020. She had already packed her suitcases at home in the western Brazil city of Rio Branco, when the pandemic situation took a turn for the worse. "I quit my job, sold my car, and did everything I could to help raise money" to live in Japan, she said. "Despite trying to adapt to the reality that was imposed on me, I never gave up on Japan." Even though there is a 14-hour time difference, she decided to take classes from the graduate school in Tokyo online and stay prepared to depart at a moment's notice. "My biological clock is a mess," she said, adding, "If I could go to Japan, of course, it'll be amazing to study in a healthier way." The "discriminatory" travel ban will undoubtedly have "very negative social effects, not only for those who are unable to travel to Japan, but for Japan too," she said with tears streaming down her face. "I'm not a threat. I'm just a student." After finishing her master's thesis by studying remotely for nearly two years and booking flights to Japan "over 10 times" to no avail, graduation is quickly approaching. If it is any consolation, she might be able to attend the commencement ceremony in Tokyo in mid-March. Under Japan's current border policy, nonresident foreigners cannot enter Japan unless they fall under "special exceptional circumstances." Davide Rossi, who runs a Tokyo-based company to help foreign students study in Japan, condemns Japan's "double-standard" policies as "absolutely unfair" and "pretty much meaningless." "When the government explains about this, the ban on new entries of foreigners is to keep the Omicron out, like only foreign people can bring the Omicron in, which is, of course, not the case," said Rossi, 39, adding that students he knows are all willing to be quarantined as long as required. Rossi, who came to Tokyo as a language student from Italy in 2008, set up a Japan association called "Open the borders to safe study" last spring to support foreign students affected by Japan's border controls and share information with them. "I cannot change things by myself, this is too big...but I decided to, you know, do something for students," said Rossi. According to Rossi, more and more students who once loved Japan "changed completely to haters," saying "enough is enough." "We see a lot of people going to South Korea instead of Japan," he added. Among them is a French woman who decided last fall to start living in Seoul in December and attends a university there. She had received a working holiday visa in August 2019 to stay in Japan for one or two years beginning the following year, but her trip never came to pass. "I put my life on hold for two years without any information on when this wait will come to an end. I'm 33, and I can't waste my time forever," the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said. Japan's education ministry says that up to 147,000 people are estimated to have been waiting for entry to Japan, but that a "considerable number" of them are believed to be no longer willing to come. Japan's entry ban has received international criticism, including from the WHO, which urged member nations to lift or ease international travel bans in mid-January, saying that they do not provide "added value." There has also been criticism from domestic businesses lobbies, which fear such steps could negatively affect the economy in the long run by reducing the intake of foreign workers and talented researchers. That could accelerate the country's chronic labor shortage and precipitate a decline in national strength. The "foolish" border control steps "remind me of the isolation policy in the Edo Era" from the early 17th century to mid-19th century, Hiroshi Mikitani, chairman and CEO of Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc., said in Twitter posts in early January. Hiroshi (Mickey) Mikitani (@hmikitani) January 10, 2022 Nonetheless, polls by Japanese media have shown that over 80 percent of Japanese people support the current tight border policies. Backed by public opinion, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has repeatedly boasted that "We are taking the strictest measures" among the Group of Seven industrialized nations. The government has, however, made some exceptions to the ban. It has allowed around 400 international students, including 87 government-sponsored students, into the country, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno saying the decision was made "in terms of public interest and urgency." Matsuno also said that the government will "maintain the framework" of its border controls "until the end of February." Rossi said the government should show a "clear criteria and timeline" on how and when it will allow foreign entries so that overseas students can prepare accordingly. "Like me, even though we are not (government-sponsored students), I think we have a lot of potential within us and we are also very highly skilled," Leng said. "In this era of globalization, it is not beneficial for the Japanese people, for Japan and the world, to keep a travel ban." Related coverage: Japan's entry ban hurting foreign students' mental health: survey Japan's COVID-19 foreign entry ban spurs global demonstrations Foreign visitors to Japan in 2021 fell to record low 245,900 amid pandemic KYODO NEWS - Feb 6, 2022 - 11:31 | All, Japan Japan's Self-Defense Forces guarded U.S. and Australian military assets a total of 22 times last year in protection missions under security legislation that took effect in 2016, according to the Defense Ministry. The SDF guarded Australian assets for the first time in a protection mission during a joint drill in November following bilateral security talks last year amid China's rising assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. The 21 other cases involved the guarding of U.S. military assets, down from 25 cases in 2020. The United States was previously the only country covered by SDF protection missions, with the first conducted in May 2017. In 2021, the SDF provided protection four times to U.S. vessels engaged in monitoring ballistic missiles as well as 10 times to vessels and seven times to aircraft during joint exercises aimed at enhancing Japan's defense capabilities, according to data released by the ministry on Jan. 28. The ministry did not release the specific dates and locations of the missions, saying they were directly linked to the operations of U.S. forces. Under Japanese security legislation that loosened constraints imposed on SDF activities by the war-renouncing Constitution, SDF personnel are allowed to guard U.S. vessels and weapons when they are engaged in activities beneficial to the defense of Japan. The protection missions can be conducted in various situations, including when Japan and the two countries are engaged in joint exercises or monitoring and information-gathering activities related to North Korean missile launches. Japan can also provide protection when the two countries are engaged in transportation and supply activities during a crisis that could significantly affect Japan's security, but it has never conducted a protection mission in such circumstances. The SDF protected U.S. military assets two times in 2017, 16 times in 2018 and 14 times in 2019, according to the ministry. Japan's protection of Australian military assets took place of south of the Shikoku region last November when the Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a joint drill with an Australian frigate. The drill took place after the defense and foreign ministers of the two countries agreed in June last year that the SDF would protect Australian military assets in noncombat situations to bolster the countries' "quasi alliance" in the face of China's military buildup and assertive territorial claims in the East and South China seas. Related coverage: Japan overturns decision to cancel U.S. drone acquisition Japan's defense budget for 2022 hits record for 8th year U.S. military posture review vows efforts with allies to deter China -- The countries in the Horn of Africa (HoA) urgently need to find fresh conflict resolution approaches to ensure stability and peaceful socio-economic development. -- China stands ready to propose the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa" to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges. -- China has been part of efforts to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges. ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Amid a series of old and emerging security perils, the countries in the Horn of Africa (HoA) urgently need to find fresh conflict resolution approaches to ensure stability and peaceful socio-economic development. China stands ready to propose the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa" to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said when visiting Kenya in early January. Chinese and Ethiopian staff members monitor the loading of containers to be transported by the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway in Ethiopia, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Photo by Tang Yongcheng/Xinhua) The proposal came after Wang visited Ethiopia in early December last year and Eritrea in early January, before his trip to Kenya. The three are countries in HoA region. The proposal has received positive responses from Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and other countries in the region, which believe that it meets the urgent needs of countries in the HoA, and that China's appointment of a special envoy of the Chinese Foreign Ministry for the HoA affairs indicates that the Chinese side will play a more active and constructive role there. STABILITY PREREQUISITE FOR DEVELOPMENT There are two main considerations in China's proposal, said Wu Peng, head of the Department of African Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first is to respect and support the countries in the HoA to give full play to their own initiative, eliminate interference from powers outside the region, and let the HoA countries solve the current peace and security issues on their own, Wu said. Noting that peace and stability are the prerequisite for economic and social development, he said that there can be no lasting and solid peace without development, which is also based on China's historical experience. Therefore, the second is that China is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with countries in the HoA to promote regional economic development and lay a solid foundation for regional peace and stability, Wu added. In their interviews with Xinhua, African experts said that security concerns and unstability pose a serious threat to the continent's development. Eyob Belachew, an Ethiopia-based international relations and political analyst, said the region is one of "the most volatile regions in the world" at present. "The Horn of Africa has been afflicted by inter-state and intra-states conflicts and proxy wars mostly due to geo-politics, geo-strategically and also geo-economic factors," Belachew told Xinhua recently. "The region has witnessed other forms of conflict such as terrorism, piracy and proliferation of small and light weapons. As if these are not enough, the Horn has also been a theater of cross-border conflicts with regional ramifications," Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, told Xinhua recently. Recurrent natural disasters such as droughts, consistent flooding and desert locust invasions, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have further complicated the region's path to peace, development and good governance. CHINA-PROPOSED OUTLOOK China has been part of efforts to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges. Wang, during his latest visit to Kenya, said the HoA, albeit with a unique strategic location and great development potential, has in recent years experienced flare-ups of hot issues and eruptions of conflicts and confrontations, which run counter to the interests of the people in the region and have to be stopped. China is willing to propose the outlook to support the region in realizing long-term stability, peace and prosperity, Wang said, adding the core of the outlook is to support countries in the region to stay out of any geopolitical competition between major countries while keeping their fate in their own hands. Freight trains are seen at Nairobi station of Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Nov. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) The senior Chinese official outlined three major priorities, noting that the Horn of Africa should strengthen intra-regional dialogue to overcome security challenges; should accelerate regional revitalization to overcome development challenges; and should explore effective ways to overcome governance challenges. Belachew, noting that the regional security concerns are multifaceted amid a number of competing and important players, said possible solutions must be systematic and efficient to establish longer term regional stability. "China's initiative can play a significant role in the peace-building process and development in the Horn of Africa. By providing the platform and also the experience since China itself implemented in its peaceful rise to modernize its nation, I believe that the Horn countries can learn a lot from the Chinese experience," the analyst said. Experts widely commended the appointment of a Chinese Special Envoy as an important step to help realize the vision of peaceful development in the region. "Beijing's foreign policy of non-belligerence is an asset and should serve as a galvanizing voice in search for sustainable peace and security in the region," said Adhere. CHINA'S CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE According to a recent report by the Africa Policy Institute, a pan-African think tank, since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed in 2013, China has supported modern infrastructure projects such as railways, roads, ports, dams, industries, and digital connectivity, injecting vitality into Kenya's growth. "In less than a decade, Kenya has a brand new 670-kilometer modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting the port of Mombasa and the inland (dry) port of Naivasha," said the report titled "Shared Prosperity: Tracking the Belt and Road Initiative in Kenya, 2018-2021." The report indicated that as a result of the BRI, Kenya has many new industries which employ thousands of people and boost the economy. There are on average six passenger trains and 17 freight trains operating along the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi SGR on a daily basis, which have reduced travel times while guaranteeing the safety of commuters and bulk cargo. Chinese and Kenyan drivers prepare to launch the train at Nairobi station of Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Nov. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) George Agutu, a middle-aged civil servant who works in Mombasa said the modern train service has guaranteed him seamless travel to Nairobi every weekend for a reunion with his family. "I now conveniently take the SGR night train to Nairobi on Friday night to be with my family and back to work on Sunday," Agutu said. Eliud Muraya, a Nairobi-based entrepreneur, said the SGR freight service can deliver his imported merchandise in less than a week at affordable prices and with enhanced safety while it used to take 30 days by ferry cargo from the port of Mombasa to his premises with clearance hurdles. Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, noted the SGR has eased congestion at the port of Mombasa to the benefit of local and foreign investors. He said a large number of trucks have been removed from Kenyan highways, which also brings ecological benefits to the country. The Chinese-built 752.7-km-long Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway, which connects landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti port, recorded about 86.13 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2021, up 37.5 percent compared to 2020. The line has been used by 449 passenger trains and 1,469 freight trains over the year. The railway has also improved the efficiency of operation, with the time to process a freight train at the Port of Doraleh in Djibouti reduced from three days to one-and-a-half days, while the loading and unloading time at the dry port of Modjo has been reduced from 12 to seven hours. Besides, China has been helping deal with natural disasters in the region and has enabled locals to quickly and effectively respond disasters. When Ethiopia suffered from the worst desert locust invasion in about 25 years for much of 2019 and 2020, the Chinese government had donated batches of what the Ethiopian government described as "timely and much-needed" anti-locust materials. China also donated relief food consisting of 945 tons of rice to Kenyans when Kenya declared a drought-induced national disaster in September last year after 23 arid and semi-arid counties were affected by drought, leaving about 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China has made numerous donations of anti-pandemic medical supplies and vaccines. China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Feb. 10, 2021. (Photo by Li Boyuan/Xinhua) The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), which started implementing various life-changing programs in Ethiopia in 2015 targeting vulnerable people including refugee children, also showed China's growing engagement in fighting poverty within the region. By the end of 2020, the CFPA had benefited some 130,000 people in Ethiopia, with the number of beneficiaries still growing. (Video reporters: Liu Chang, Yang Yi; video editors: Zhao Yuchao, Zhu Jianhui, Zhou Saang) Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, calling on both sides to seize opportunities to consolidate and strengthen bilateral comprehensive cooperation and bring more benefits to the two peoples. Mirziyoyev attended Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Xi hailed the development of China-Uzbekistan relations in the past 30 years, adding that the two sides have adhered to equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, continuously deepened political mutual trust and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation. The bilateral relationship has continuously reached new heights. Xi said China has always firmly supported Uzbekistan in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and security and is a reliable friend and partner of Uzbekistan. The two sides should implement plans for economic, trade and investment cooperation and select and implement a number of major cooperation projects of strategic significance at an early date, Xi said. Xi said China is willing to help Uzbekistan build a modern industrial system, speed up the feasibility study of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and strive for an early launch, adding that the two sides should strengthen cooperation in natural gas and renewable energy. China is ready to carry out anti-pandemic and poverty reduction cooperation with Uzbekistan and deepen security cooperation in an all-round way, Xi said. Mirziyoyev thanked China for supporting Uzbekistan in upholding independence, sovereignty, development and reform and establishing the first vaccine production center in Central Asia. Uzbekistan will work with China on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and actively advance key projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the Uzbek president said. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) By Trend On February 5, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with President of the Peoples Republic of China Xi Jinping in Beijing, Trend reports citing Kun.uz. As the press service of the head of state reported, the official meeting of the leaders took place in the National Peoples Congress. A thorough exchange of views took place on topical issues of further strengthening the Uzbek-Chinese relations of friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership, expanding multifaceted cooperation between the countries. During the meeting, the importance of the full-scale implementation of the 5-year program of trade-economic and investment cooperation, signed during this visit, was noted. Particular attention was paid to the adoption of joint measures to achieve a balanced trade turnover, the resumption of fruitful interregional exchanges and the development of efficient transport corridors. An agreement was reached on the implementation of joint activities to study and implement Chinese experience in the fight against poverty and combating corruption. Wide opportunities were noted for expanding the program of cooperation in the field of healthcare, traditional medicine, tourism, education, culture and art. It was agreed to hold regular meetings of the joint intergovernmental committee and relevant subcommittees in order to promote important economic and humanitarian projects. Issues of the international and regional agenda were also considered, including the promotion of the early establishment of amity and the economic recovery of Afghanistan. -- As one of the largest manufacturers of the kits, China is speeding up production to meet the skyrocketing demand and contribute to global anti-pandemic efforts, even during the Chinese New Year holidays. -- Chinese manufacturers have seen a spike in orders for test kits against the backdrop of the pandemic. -- The export value of China-made COVID-19 test kits of antibody detection reached 10.2 billion yuan (about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars) last December, an increase of about 144 percent from the previous month. GUANGZHOU, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- As the world is ravaged by highly contagious Omicron variant, the demand for COVID-19 test kits is surging. As one of the largest manufacturers of the kits, China is speeding up production to meet the skyrocketing demand and contribute to global anti-pandemic efforts, even during the Chinese New Year holidays. A staff member of Guangdong Hybribio Biotech Co., Ltd. conducts experiments on COVID-19 testing at a laboratory in south China's Guangdong Province, in February, 2020. (Xinhua) SURGE IN DEMAND Song Xiaoyu chose not to travel about 1,000 km back to her hometown Jingzhou in central China's Hubei Province for family gathering, a Spring Festival tradition observed by the Chinese people. Instead, she is busy producing COVID-19 test kits at a Guangzhou-based factory. Song works for Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech Co., Ltd., a company that mainly produces COVID-19 antigen test kits, most of which are exported to countries of Europe and Asia. "I don't see this as just a job. It is more like a responsibility," she said. "Ensuring the capacity of the kits means a lot to the fight against the pandemic. Most of our colleagues in other departments have also temporarily joined us to help with production." Song added that in return, the company has given out subsidies as well as holiday gifts, and promised compensatory leaves after the peak season. Chinese manufacturers have seen a spike in orders for test kits against the backdrop of the pandemic. Staff members of Guangdong Hybribio Biotech Co., Ltd. conduct experiments on COVID-19 testing at a laboratory in south China's Guangdong Province, in February, 2020. (Xinhua) The export value of China-made COVID-19 test kits of antibody detection reached 10.2 billion yuan (about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars) last December, an increase of about 144 percent from the previous month, according to the data from the General Administration of Customs of China. Starting in January, many overseas customers chose to order in advance to stock up on the test kits considering the pressure of logistics during the Spring Festival, said Xie Longxu, deputy general manager of Guangdong Hybribio Biotech Co., Ltd. BGI Genomics, another major producer of test kits in China, has also seen its overseas orders increase significantly in recent weeks. The company has already been in full production with overseas orders flooding in, said Li Ning, vice president of the company, adding that new orders will take about three weeks to be filled. A staff member (R) of BGI Genomics provides training for an Ethiopian employee at a COVID-19 test kits production plant in Ethiopia, in November, 2020. (Xinhua) ENSURING SUPPLY Thanks to an integrated supply chain for COVID-19 antigen test kits production in China, the companies across the country have the advantage and ability to increase production capacity to ensure global supply. "We need to deal with many orders in a very short time," said Isabella Lau, director of supply chain logistics with Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech Co., Ltd., adding the company has made arrangements in response to skyrocketing demands. The company has more than 400 suppliers of raw materials and has been preparing backup core suppliers to ensure the production and delivery of orders, according to the director. Guangdong Hybribio Biotech has also geared up. "We improve the automation level, upgrade the equipment and add a number of production lines to increase production capacity," Xie said. A staff member of Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech Co., Ltd. produces COVID-19 testing kits in south China's Guangdong Province, in June, 2020. (Xinhua) "We handle foreign orders around the clock," Xie said. "The company will respond immediately to ensure timely delivery whenever an order comes regardless of the time difference." BGI Genomics has made a direct investment in the construction of a test kit production plant in Ethiopia. The plant capable of producing 10 million units a year will not only help Ethiopia produce affordable test kits on its own but contribute to Africa's fight against the pandemic, said Li Ning. Most of the work in the factory is undertaken by local employees, some of whom are in the management team, Li said. (Video reporters: Zhou Ziyang, Ma Xiaocheng, Meng Yingru, Lu Hao; Video editors: Wang Houyuan, Yin Le) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing on Sunday, saying that China is willing to work with Pakistan to accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, bring benefits to the people of the two countries, provide impetus for regional cooperation and contribute to world peace. JERUSALEM, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and U.S. President Joe Biden held a phone conversation on Sunday over Iranian nuclear and other international issues, the prime minister's office said in a statement. The two leaders discussed "regional challenges" and in particular the "growing Iranian aggression, and the steps to block the Iranian nuclear program," it said. Bennett congratulated Biden on the operation to kill the IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, noting that "the world is now a safer place." The Israeli prime minister invited the U.S. president and his wife to visit Israel, said the statement, adding that the two leaders agreed to be "in regular contact." The phone conversation came as the international talks in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), between world powers and Iran enters the final stretch. Earlier on Sunday, Bennett told his weekly cabinet meeting that "we are responsible for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program and, of course, we are monitoring the Vienna talks." Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dialled Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani to congratulate him for the election victory. Ashraf Ghani secured second term with 50.64 per cent of the presidential vote share, Afghanistan Independent Election Commission said. My dear friend Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called me this afternoon to congratulate me and the Afghan people on the successful election win in the presidential elections, news agency ANI quotes Afghanistan President as saying. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani: My dear friend Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called me this afternoon to congratulate me and the Afghan people on the successful election win in the presidential elections (file pic) pic.twitter.com/ve4UbpK1yQ ANI (@ANI) December 24, 2019 However, his top rival Abdullah Abdullah, who got 39.52 per cent vote share, said he would contest the result. We would like to make it clear once again to our people, supporters, election commission and our international allies that our team will not accept the result of this fraudulent vote unless our legitimate demands are addressed, a statement from Abdullahs office reads. Preliminary results had to be announced on October 19 but were repeatedly delayed amid technical issues and allegations of fraud from various candidates, particularly Abdullah. Moreover, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India expects that the complaints would be addressed through the prescribed legal processes. We welcome the announcement of the preliminary results of the Presidential election of Afghanistan held on 28 September and commend all the leaders and institutions for their hard work to preserve and strengthen democracy in the country, Raveesh Kumar added. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : The Delhi Police on Saturday produced 15 people arrested in connection with the violence in the capital citys Daryaganj area before a city court. They have been sent on a two-day judicial custody. The police had sought 14 days judicial custody of the accused. One of the arrested persons said that he is a juvenile but police denied his claim and said he is 23-year-old. In Seelampur violence case, the court has sent all accused to 14 days judicial custody with right to move bail immediately. Violence had erupted in Old Delhis Daryaganj area on Friday during protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, the excludes Muslims while granting Indian citizenship to illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The protests which started after the Friday prayers at historic Jama Masjid were peaceful throughout the day. However, they turned violent in the evening and at least one police vehicle was torched. The police then resorted to fire water canon and lathi charge to disperse the protesters and arrested 15 people, said to be outsiders, for instigating the violence. Earlier in the day, Delhis iconic Jama Masjid became epicentre of the massive anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests. Bhim Army, a political outfit, also took part in the protests. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekar was seen in the crowd. Protesters were seen waving Tricolours and banners of Dr BR Ambedkar. Despite of Delhi Police denying permission to the Bhim Army, several of its workers gathered outside Delhis biggest mosque. Many of the devotees, who had come to the mosque for Friday prayer, didnt leave the premises. Protesters were shouting slogans on the steps of the mosque at gate number 1. As a precautionary measure, the Delhi Metro closed the entry and exit gates of Jama Masjid, Lal Qila and Chawri Bazar stations. The protesters are demanding the act be repealed in toto, saying it was discriminatory to the Muslims. The government has sought to clear the "confusion" over CAA by issuing multiple clarifications and FAQs, saying that the law won't affect any Indian citizen. However, critics of the law said that when the NRC will be implemented throughout the country, a promise Union Home Minister Amit Shah has made in Parliament, a lot of Muslims will be rendered stateless. They say that when nation-wide NRC will be implemented, a lot Muslims and non-Muslims may not be able to provice decuments to prove their citizenship. Now, as per the provision in CAA, non-Muslims will be granted Indian citizenship but people from Muslim community will be declared illegal residents, they claimed. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Turkey on Monday questioned the death sentences issued by Saudi Arabia against five people over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The decision announced by the Saudi court is far from meeting the expectations of both our country and the international community to shed light on the murder with all its dimensions and deliver justice, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Ankara also said key aspects of the murder including the whereabouts of Khashoggis body were left in the dark, which the ministry said was a fundamental deficiency in terms of accountability. Interestingly, top aide to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has not been charged in case. "It is not only a legal but also a conscientious responsibility to shed light on this murder committed in our territory and to punish all those responsible," the Turkish foreign ministry said. It reiterated Turkey's expectation of judicial cooperation from Saudi authorities. Turkey's ties with Saudi Arabia came under strain after the brutal murder, which tarnished the international reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi, a US-based writer who annoyed the prince through critical columns in The Washington Post, was strangled to death on October 2, 2018 and dismembered after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to handle wedding paperwork, according to US and Turkish officials. Khashoggi visited the consulate to secure the divorce papers needed to marry his fiancee but did not make it out alive. Ankara also said key aspects of the murder including the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body were "left in the dark", which the ministry said was a "fundamental deficiency" in terms of accountability. "Saudi announcement not acceptable ..!" Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz wrote on Twitter. Khashoggi had gone to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork ahead of his wedding to Cengiz. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A terrorist attack Tuesday on a military base and a town in northern Burkina Faso killed 35 civilians, most of them women, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said on Twitter. The army earlier said the morning attack on Arbinda town had left seven soldiers, several civilians and 80 militants dead, in the latest jihadist violence to hit the country. The violence, which erupted in the town of Arbinda in Sahel region near the country's border with Mali, lasted for several hours, according to a military statement. The heroic action of our soldiers has made it possible to neutralize 80 terrorists," President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said. This barbaric attack resulted in the death of 35 civilians, most of them women. However, no organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack. A number of Islamic extremist groups are known to operate in Burkina Faso. Frequent attacks in the country's north and east already have displaced more than a half million people, according to the United Nations. At least 37 civilians were killed in the east last month when suspected jihadists ambushed a convoy carrying employees of Canadian mining company Semafo in eastern Burkina Faso. The attack comes just a week after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the region, where thousands of French troops are working with G5 Sahel nations Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to fight a number of Islamist insurgent groups. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: JMM working president Hemant Soren on Tuesday met Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu and staked claim to form government in the state. Earlier in the day, he was formally elected as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) legislature party leader. Soren, accompanied by leaders of his party, the Congress and RJD -- which comprised the opposition alliance in the assembly polls -- called on the govenor at Raj Bhavan to stake claim to form government. He will take oath as the chief minister on December 29 at 1 pm, JMM general secretary Suprio Bhattacharya said. The opposition combine had bagged 47 seats (JMM 30, Congress 16 and RJD 1) in the state's 81-member assembly. His first stint as chief minister of the tribal state had lasted for just about 14 months since July 15 2013. But this time, he with support from his allies the Congress and the RJD have stopped the seemingly invincible BJP. Hemant Soren had been the face of the opposition alliance in the state. He was born to Shibu Soren, known as 'Guruji' to his innumerable followers, and his wife Roopi on August 10, 1975 at Nemra village in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. The senior Soren, known as 'Guruji' to his followers and had served as chief minister thrice, had been grooming his elder son Durga Soren but fate had deemed otherwise. Durga Soren died of suspected kidney failure and Shibu Soren was convicted in the Chirrudih massacre case. The situation turned the focus on Hemant Soren who was then entrusted with the responsibility of running JMM. It was only after Guruji quit the Manmohan Singh cabinet owing to his court conviction, Hemant Soren emerged as heir apparent of the 'Soren clan' and won the Dumka Assembly seat in 2009. He went on to become a Rajya Sabha Member in 2009- 2010, before becoming Jharkhand's youngest chief minister in 2013 with the support of the Congress and the RJD. His rule was, however, short-lived as BJP seized power in 2014 in the politically unstable state and Raghubar Das took over. In 2014, Hemant Soren won a seat in the Jharkhand assembly and became the leader of the opposition. During his political ascendency he was able to sideline JMM's senior leaders like Stephen Marandi, Simon Marandi and Hemlal Murmu, prompting them to quit the party. While Murmu and Simon Marandi joined the BJP, Stephen Marandi floated a party along with the first BJP chief minister of the state, Babulal Marandi. Stephen Marandi had later returned to JMM, accepting Hemant Soren as the party's leader. Cornered in the last five years with the saffron party accusing him and his family of violating the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, Hemant Soren took time but patiently overcame the storm and formed the pre-poll alliance with old friends - the Congress and RJD. He also managed to get the lion's share of 43 seats, giving 31 to Congress and seven to the RJD in the pre-poll seat pact, even as the Lalu Prasad-led party was left frowning. Hemant Soren, who has two sons from his marriage with Kalpana, came under severe criticism from the BJP which accused him of "pariwarvad" for giving a JMM ticket to his sister, Anjali, from Odisha's Mayurbhanj seat in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led three-party alliance stormed to power in the eastern state on Monday, ousting the BJP in yet another state in the Hindi heartland after the saffron party's stupendous performance in the Lok Sabha elections, a development that could have profound implications for the country. The Raghubar Das government's feat of providing a stable government that lasted a full five-year term in a state where chief ministers changed faster than seasons did not cut ice with the electorate which decided to repose faith in a coalition that fought over seats and broke up five years ago. Contesting the state assembly elections alone for the first time sans long-standing ally the AJSU Party, the ruling BJP bagged 25 seats, five less than the JMM which led the table, clinching 30 in the 81-member House. Das tendered his resignation and accepted defeat. "I met Governor Droupadi Murmu and submitted my resignation. The governor asked me to be caretaker CM till the new government is formed," he told reporters outside Raj Bhavan, with defeat staring him in the face in his pocket borough of Jamshedpur (East) seat. Saryu Roy, his suave opponent, a BJP rebel contesting as an Independent, clinched his seat. Roy, a former state minister, had thrown his hat into the ring after being denied a ticket to contest the adjoining Jamshedpur (west) seat. The BJP, which had posted a spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha election in the middle of the year, was yet to score a convincing triumph in an assembly election since. In the two assembly elections held after the Lok Sabha polls, the party failed to win a clear majority in Haryana, where it had to ally with Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party to cobble together a government. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in Maharashtra where it fought the polls together with its oldest ally Shiv Sena. The two together could have easily formed a government which may have lasted for five years, but irreconcilable differences between the two Hindutva parties saw the Shiv Sena do the unthinkable--align with the Congress and its offshoot NCP--and form a government. The Devendra Fadnavis government of the BJP, propped up by the perceived support from Ajit Pawar, a nephew of NCP boss Sharad Pawar, lasted barely three days. A recalcitrant Ajit Pawar got spooked by the enormous clout of his uncle, who mustered almost all party MLAs in support of a Shiv Sena government led by Uddhav Thackeray, and made a meek return home. In the process, the BJP lost an ally in Shiv Sena. The poll outcome has endorsed Hemant Soren, the JMM's working president, as not only the inheritor of his father Shibu Soren's legacy as the foremost tribal leader of the state, but also expressly manifested the electorate's backing for an adivasi at the helm of the state's affairs. Raghubar Das, despite having steered the state out of the naxalite menace and providing the most stable government in nearly two decades of Jharkhand's existence, was a backward class leader. The last two phases of the five-stage polling in Jharkhand were held after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had made a strong pitch in its support. However, the state, with a substantial Muslim population, seemed to have rejected the CAA as also the idea of a nation-wide National Register of Citizens (NRC). A spate of incidents of lynching of Muslims over suspicion of cattle theft is likely to have caused a polarisation of Muslim votes against the current dispensation that went against the BJP. Moreover, the BJP's failure to carry forward its alliance with Sudesh Mahato's AJSU Party also appeared to have cost it dearly. Mahatos are a sub-caste of OBC Kurmis, which have a significant presence in both Bihar and Jharkhand. Their alienation had a compounding effect as the JD (U), the BJP's partner in Bihar's ruling coalition, contested assembly elections in Jharkhand independently. This might have dented the BJP's OBC vote bank. JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar is a Kurmi by caste. The JD(U) failed to open its account. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: A day after the SpiceJet clarified why BJP MP Pragya Thakur was asked by the crew on Delhi-Bhopal flight to move to a non-emergency row seat, a video of the incident has surfaced on Tuesday in which people can be seen confronting her over allotment of the seats. In the video, people can be seen confronting Pragya, with a man reminding her that "your job is not to trouble us". Pragya Thakur and other man also argued over the language used. Pragya Thakur also filed a complaint with Bhopal Airport Director alleging that she was not allotted the seat that she had booked in a SpiceJet flight and the conduct of the airline crew was not right with her. "You should have the moral compass to own up if other people are being inconvenienced because of you. Despite being a (political) leader, you are holding 50 people at ransom," the man is heard telling the Bhopal MP. In the video, Thakur is heard telling angry co-passengers that she is willing to relinquish her seat so long as the issue is clarified through documentary proof. "I said this at the beginning -- show me your rulebook. If I don't feel comfortable, I will go," she says, adding that she had agreed to go economy even though "she has the right to a first class seat". On Sunday, SpiceJet clarified that Thakur was asked by the crew on Delhi-Bhopal flight to move to a non-emergency row seat as she was on a wheelchair but she refused, causing the flight to delay. While some restless passengers requested Thakur to change her seat from the emergency row, which is not allocated to passengers on wheelchairs, to a non-emergency row, others requested the crew to offload her as she was refusing to change the seat, according to the airline's spokesperson. Ultimately, the BJP MP from Bhopal acquiesced and moved to the seat on a non-emergency row. A source said the flight got delayed by approximately 45 minutes due to this matter. The SpiceJet clarification came a day after Thakur complained that the private airline denied her the seat she had booked on the flight. Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blasts case, had pre-booked seat 1A on SG2489 flight and had come to the Delhi airport in her own wheelchair on Saturday. When reporters approached her outside the Bhopal airport Saturday night, she alleged the airline staff "did not behave properly with passengers". "They did not give me the booked seat. I asked them to show the rules. I called the director and lodged a complaint with him," she said. The airport director, Anil Vikram, confirmed he received a complaint from Thakur. "I have got her complaint about seat allotment. We will look into it on Monday," he said. The SpiceJet spokesperson said: "The Delhi-Bhopal flight is operated by Bombardier Q400 aircraft (78 seater). On this aircraft, the first row is the emergency row seat and is not allocated to passengers on wheelchairs. "As the BJP MP had come with her own wheelchair and had not booked through the airline, the staff wasn't aware of this fact that she was a wheelchair passenger. "She was requested by the crew to shift to 2 A/B (non-emergency row) due to safety reasons but she refused. The duty manager and other staff also requested her to move to another seat," the spokesperson said. She asked for the safety instruction document wherein the exit door policy is mentioned and the same was shown to her to provide clarity, according to the budget carrier's spokesperson. "As the flight was getting delayed other passengers were becoming restless and requested Hon'ble Smt. Thakur to change her seat but she refused. Other passengers also requested the airline staff to offload Hon'ble Smt. Thakur as she refused to change her seat. 12/22/2019 4:21:57 PM"Finally, Hon'ble Smt. Pragya Thakur agreed to change her seat from 1A to 2B and the flight departed. We regret for the inconvenience caused. However, safety of our passengers is paramount at SpiceJet," the spokesperson added. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A prayer service was recently held at the construction site of Dubais newest Hindu temple in Jebel Ali to mark the construction topping out ceremony. The new temple is being constructed adjacent to the Guru Nanak Darbar in Jebel Ali, making the locality a multi-religious corridor in Dubai. With the trial opening scheduled for July-August period, the temple is on track for official opening in October this year during Dussehra festival, reported Khaleej Times. The temple will be home to 11 Hindu deities, catering to the religious beliefs of Hindu communities belonging to all parts of India, stated the report, citing a senior official. "We are ahead of schedule and are expected to complete in four months. From July-August, we would have a trial operation phase to put in place strict safety protocols," explained Raju Shroff, one of the trustees of the Gurudarbar Sindhi Temple. Nine brass Kalash (a metal or stone spire used to top the domes of Hindu temples) spires will soon soar over the temple as preparations for its opening picks up speed. The spires were specially imported from India, he stated. "There will be nine kalashas that will be part of the puja. The tallest kalash is 1.8 metres high and weighs about 120 kg," explained Shroff. "The remaining eight are each about 1.2 metres high and weigh about 90 kg," he added. New Delhi: The protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act at the Jamia Millia Islamia entered its eighth day on Monday, with several students continuing to throng the streets outside the university. The protest was attended by students from several schools in Noornagar, Batla House and Okhla. The Jamia students, who has been demanding withdrawal of the amendments in the law, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that his government has never discussed the National Register of Citizens (NRC) after coming to power for the first time in 2014. The students asked how many detention centres will the government build if all Muslims, Christians and other minorities are "outsiders" and "illegal migrants". The students alleged that PM Modi has developed "sudden love" for the police forces. Ashish Jha, a Jamia student addressing protestors said, "This government didn't lodge a single case when police were beaten up in courts a month back. "They had no love for policemen then. Now, when police have thrashed students at Jamia, AMU and other varsities, they are calling police "Shaheed". What about students and others who died in UP?" With PTI Inputs New Delhi: Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray onTuesday asked party workers to exercise restrain in dealing with trolls, a day after some party workers tonsured the head of a man for posting a derogatory message on social media against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The man, in a Facebook post, berated Thackeray for comparing the police action on Jamia Millia Islamia students protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Some Sena functionaries later beat him up and tonsured his head outside his residence in suburban Wadala. Reacting to it, Aaditya Thackeray, in a statement issued here, asked Sena workers to follow the chief minister. "Calm, composed, aggressive about delivering promises and serving the people. Let's win people. Trolls lose anyway," said the Worli MLA who is the chief minister's son. He said the Shiv Sena should focuson silencing the chaos, divisions, fear, hate by drawing a "longer line" that works for the people and keeps them united. "Our answer is to create jobs and revive the economy," he pointed out. The legislator said he got to know of the untoward and angry reaction to a "nasty, low life troll" who used uncivilized language against the chief minister's effort to maintain religious harmony and remove fear from Maharashtra about the new citizenship law. "Law and order is a subject of police and shouldn't be taken by anyone into his/her hands. Answering trolls who are nasty, threatening and abusive should not be our job," Aaditya Thackeray said. In a veiled attack on the BJP, the MLA said their behaviour has been rejected by democratic India in the recent elections and their retreat has been witnessed by the country. "These are the same persons who threaten people, call them names and are social media lynch mobs," he said, without naming anyone. New Delhi: RBSE Class 12 Board exam 2020 Timetable has been released. All candidates who are going to appear for the class 12 board exam 2020 conducted by Rajasthan Board need to visit the official website to check and download the RBSE Class 12 timetable. It is to note that candidates from all the disciplines, i.e. Arts, Science and Commerce need to visit the official website, i.e. rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in to check and download the RBSE Class 12 timetable. It is to note that the Rajasthan Board Class 12 exam 2020 will begin from March 5, 2020 and end on April 3, 2020. The first paper will be of English (Compulsory) and the last paper will of Automobile/Beauty & Health. The timing of the RBSE Class 12 board exam will be from 8:30 AM to 11:45 PM. In order to download the RBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2020 Timetable, candidates need to follow the below mentioned steps: First, visit the official website of the board, I.e. rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in Then, click on the Senior Secondary Timetable link that is flashing at the homepage of the website A PDF File will open The PDF file will comprise the RBSE Class 12 Board exam 2020 Timetable Check and download the RBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2020 Timetable for future reference New Delhi: A close associate of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan is among the over 150 people identified by the police for vandalism here last week during the violent anti-citizenship law protests that claimed a civilian's life, police said on Tuesday. The police have assessed the total damage to property to the tune of Rs 15 lakh so far which would be compensated by those involved in its destruction, a senior official said. The process is underway to attach the properties of those identified so far, he said. "More than 150 people have been identified so far for causing damages to public and private property. Parvez, a driver and close associate of former state minister Azam Khan, is also seen in pictures and video footages hurling stones at the police personnel," Rampur Superintendent of Police Ajay Pal Sharma told PTI. Khan could not be reached out for his comments immediately. A 22-year-old man died of a bullet injury here on Saturday during the violence in which several locals and policemen were injured, and six vehicles, including a police motorcycle, were torched, according to officials. So far, 33 people have been arrested in Rampur in connection with the violence, the police said. Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act had broken out in several districts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday leaving at least 17 people dead and moveable and immoveable assets damaged, mostly in arson. Along with UP, several parts of the country have witnessed protests against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed implementation of a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides for grant of citizenship to persecuted minority Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jain, Buddhists and Parsis from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have taken refuge in India before December 31, 2014. Critics say the law is against the country's secular ethos as it leaves Muslims out of its ambit. New Delhi: Its Christmas time for the Sussexes-Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Baby Archie! The Queens Commonwealth Trust, a charity that Markle and Harry spearhead, shared the couple's Christmas card starring baby Archie. The photo was shared on Twitter with the caption, "Just sharing the sweetest Christmas Card from our President and Vice-President, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Very Merry Christmas, everyone!" Just sharing the sweetest Christmas Card from our President and Vice-President, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Very Merry Christmas, everyone! pic.twitter.com/McOcHALoGl The Queen's Commonwealth Trust (@queenscomtrust) December 23, 2019 Meghan and Harry are the latest members of the royal family to release their annual holiday card. Earlier the Cambridge house also released a Christmas cart with Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1. The Cambridges card features the family of five in one of their most candid and casual photos yet as they pose on a vintage motorcycle sidecar. Each year, members of the royal family join Queen Elizabeth at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, for Christmas. Guests usually arrive in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve. As for the Sussex, Harry's office confirmed that he and his family would be spending "private time" in Canada for the holidays. New Delhi: Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Indias ambassador to the US, has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary, according to a Personnel Ministry order issued on Monday. Shringla is a 1984-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). He will take over the charge of the foreign secretary on January 29 after incumbent Vijay Keshav Gokhale's "two-year term" ends a day before, the order said. The appointment has been cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the order by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: JMM working president and the leader of Opposition Hemant Soren, 44, is all set to become the chief minister of Jharkhand again as the opposition coalition comprising the party, the Congress and the RJD stunned the BJP in the 81-member seats in the Assembly on Monday. Hemant Soren won both the seats -- Dumka and Barhait -- in the assembly elections by big margins. As the JMM-led alliance comfortably crossed the majority mark in the polls, the Congress exuded confidence that the alliance will form the government with Hemant Soren as chief minister. All India Congress Committee in-charge for Jharkhand, RPN Singh said: "We will form the government as we fought the elections for the people of the state by raising issues that affect their lives and livelihoods. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah tried to divert the attention of the people away from fundamental issues but the people did not get swayed." Reiterating that Hemant Soren of the JMM will be the chief minister as declared earlier, Singh said the Jharkhand results are a defeat of BJP's "arrogance and diversionary tactics". #WATCH: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) Hemant Soren rides a cycle at his residence in Ranchi. JMM is currently leading on 28 seats while the Congress-JMM-RJD alliance is leading on 46 seats. pic.twitter.com/e9HYcb26Y2 ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2019 Congress coordinator for Jharkhand polls Ajay Sharma said this is the defeat of BJP's corruption and its arrogance. His first stint as chief minister of the tribal state had lasted for just about 14 months since July 15 2013. But this time, he with support from his allies - the Congress and the RJD have stopped the seemingly invincible BJP. Hemant Soren had been the face of the opposition alliance in the state. He was born to Shibu Soren, known as 'Guruji' to his innumerable followers, and his wife Roopi on August 10, 1975 at Nemra village in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. The senior Soren, known as 'Guruji' to his followers and had served as chief minister thrice, had been grooming his elder son Durga Soren but fate had deemed otherwise. Durga Soren died of suspected kidney failure and Shibu Soren was convicted in the Chirrudih massacre case. The situation turned the focus on Hemant Soren who was then entrusted with the responsibility of running the JMM. It was only after Guruji quit the Manmohan Singh cabinet owing to his court conviction, Hemant Soren emerged as heir apparent of the 'Soren clan' and won the Dumka Assembly seat in 2009. He went on to become a Rajya Sabha Member in 2009- 2010, before becoming Jharkhand's youngest chief minister in 2013 with the support of the Congress and the RJD. His rule was, however, short-lived as BJP seized power in 2014 in the politically unstable state and Raghubar Das took over. In 2014, Hemant Soren won a seat in the Jharkhand assembly and became the leader of the opposition. During his political ascendency he was able to sideline JMM's senior leaders like Stephen Marandi, Simon Marandi and Hemlal Murmu, prompting them to quit the party. While Murmu and Simon Marandi joined the BJP, Stephen Marandi floated a party along with the first BJP chief minister of the state, Babulal Marandi. Stephen Marandi had later returned to JMM, accepting Hemant Soren as the party's leader. Cornered in the last five years with the saffron party accusing him and his family of violating the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, Hemant Soren took time but patiently overcame the storm and formed the pre-poll alliance with old friends - the Congress and RJD. He also managed to get the lion's share of 43 seats, giving 31 to Congress and seven to the RJD in the pre-poll seat pact, even as the Lalu Prasad-led party was left frowning. Hemant Soren, who has two sons from his marriage with Kalpana, came under severe criticism from the BJP which accused him of "pariwarvad" for giving a JMM ticket to his sister, Anjali, from Odisha's Mayurbhanj seat in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. In Dumka, Soren was facing a tough fight from Woman and Child Welfare minister Louis Marandi of the BJP and in Barhait his main opponent is Simon Malto of the saffron party. Since its bifurcation from Bihar in 2000, Jharkhand had nine governments and three stints of President's Rule. The son of Shibu Soren led from the front challenging the high-powered BJP campaign based on a national narrative and led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The party was at the forefront for its statehood demand nearly two decades back. Hemant Soren had concentrated on local issues instead of countering BJP's offensive led by Modi. New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday cleared Rs 3,941 crore funding for the National Population Register (NPR), a project once propelled by the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that has lately become controversial because it is the first step to create the contentious citizens register. The Census Commission has said the objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every "usual resident" of the country. The database will have demographic details. The decision was taken by the Cabinet at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to update the NPR, Union minister Prakash Javadekar announced at a cabinet briefing. "The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to update the NPR. No one needs to give any proof. Everyone who lives in India will be included," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters. Eleven states have so far declared that they will not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC). But there is no clarity how they will block the citizens register which does not need to go to parliament for any more approvals. The door-to-door survey for the population register coincides with the house-listing phase of Census 2021 and will be carried out between April and September 2020 in all states. When census enumerators go from house to house to list all houses in the country, they will carry a second form for the NPR with them like they did in 2011. Once they fill the house-listing form - which canvasses details about the house and the assets of the people staying in the place - they will be required to get people to respond to a set of between 14-20 questions. It is mandatory under the law for people to respond to the population register questionnaire. Below are the objectives, characteristics and differences between the NPR and the Census: The National Population Register (NPR): The NPR is a register of usual residents of the country. It is being prepared at the local (village/sub-town), subdistrict, district, state and national level under provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. A usual resident is defined, for the purposes of the NPR, as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more, or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months. The law compulsorily seeks to register every citizen of India and issue a national identity card. Which state is excluded? The NPR exercise will be carried out between April and September 2020 in all states and UTs, except Assam, along with the house listing phase of the census exercise. Assam has been excluded because the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise has already been conducted in the state. What is the objective? The objective of the NPR, being carried out under the aegis of the Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India, is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars. Demographic details of every individual are required: Name of person Relationship to head of household Fathers name Mothers name Spouses name (if married) Sex Date of Birth Marital status Place of birth Nationality (as declared) Present address of usual residence Duration of stay at present address Permanent residential address Occupation/Activity Educational qualification The data for NPR was last collected in 2010 along with the house listing phase of the Census 2011. Updating of this data was done during 2015 by conducting door to door survey. A gazette notification for the forthcoming NPR has been published by the central government in August. The Census: The decennial census is the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India conducted on the basis of the Census Act enacted in 1948. The census, 2021 will be done in two phases. In the first phase, the work of house-listing or housing census will be conducted from April to September, 2020. In the second phase, the enumeration of population will be done from February 9 to February 28, 2021 with reference moment as 00:00 hours of March 1, 2021. For snow-bound areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be October 1, 2020. The census is the basis for reviewing the country's progress in the past decade, monitoring the ongoing schemes of the government and plan for the future. The census provides detailed and authentic information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, language, religion, migration, disability besides others. The enumerators also collect data related to cultivators and agricultural labourers, their sex, occupational classification of workers in non-households industry, trade, business, profession or service by class of worker and sex. There will be detailed survey on gender and literacy rate, number of towns, slum households and their population. Information is also collected on sources of potable water, energy, irrigation, method of farming, whether a house is concrete, thatched or others. With a history of more than 130 years, this reliable, time tested exercise has been bringing out a veritable wealth of statistics every 10 years, beginning from 1872 when the first census was conducted in India non-synchronously in different parts. The government of India decided in May 1949 to initiate steps for developing systematic collection of statistics on the size of population, its growth, etc., and established an organisation in the Ministry of Home Affairs under Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India. This organisation was made responsible for generating data on population statistics including vital statistics and census. Later, this office was also entrusted with the responsibility of implementation of Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 in the country. (With PTI inputs) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A video of a Jadavpur University student tearing a copy of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and chanting Inquilab Zindabad on stage during the convocation ceremony on Tuesday is going viral on the social media. Students of the university have been protesting against the amended Citizenship Law. Debsmita Chowdhury, the topper in the Department of the International Relations, ripped the vile Citizenship (Amendment) Act and chanted Inquilab Zindabad on the stage after receiving the Gold medal at the ceremony. Earlier in the day, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhanka was forced to return from the university after he was shown black flags and his way was blocked by students protesting against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens. Representatives of the employees union said that as the Governor supported the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), he had no business on the campus and he should return. After waiting for almost 90 minutes, he left for Raj Bhavan. On Monday also, Dhankhar was shown black flags by a section of students at the Jadavpur University where he went to attend a meeting as its chancellor. Jadavpur University student Debsmita Choudary tears copy of CAA, chants 'Inquilab Zindabad' at convocation. Keep it coming. Keep it coming. iAAAiAAAiAAA Inquilab Zindabad aS aS aS Jai Hind YYYYYY#CAA_NRCProtests #NRC_CAA_Protest pic.twitter.com/x4U9yME53j Drunk Journalist (@drunkJournalist) December 24, 2019 The students surrounded his car and shouted slogans, asking the governor to "go back". Amid the fracas, Dhankhar was stuck for around 45 minutes after which he was escorted to the court meeting venue by security men. "As Chancellor would be presiding the 10th Meeting of the 9th Court of the Jadavpur University scheduled to be held on Monday, the 23rd of December,2019 at 200 p.m. in the Committee Room No. I of the University," Dhankhar had said in a tweet. The varsity earlier cancelled the special convocation where Dhankhar was supposed to confer D.Litt and D.Sc to some eminent people. It was scheduled on December 24. The JU authorities said it will instead hold a simple ceremony in which only students will be awarded degrees and certificates. The Left students' unions said the governor was making "unwarranted interference into the autonomy of the institute". New Delhi: Calcutta University B.A and B.Sc. Part I Result 2019 has been declared. All candidates who appeared for the B.Sc. and B.A. Part 1 2019 exam need to visit the official website, i.e. wbresults.nic.in to check the result. Alternatively, candidates can also click on the below mentioned direct link to check the Calcutta B.A. and B.Sc. Part 1 2019 result. It is to note that candidates need to keep their roll number ready with them as they will have to enter their roll number to check and download the result. The B.A and B.Sc. Part I result of Calcutta University will include the CGPAs, students name and qualifying status. Candidates who are not satisfied with the result and want to apply for reevaluation can do by visiting the official website of the university. In order to download the Calcutta University B.A. and B.Sc. Part 1 2019 Result, candidates need to follow the below mentioned steps: First, candidates need to visit the official website of the university After that, click on the B.A./B.Sc. Part 1 2019 Result link that is available on the homepage Enter the roll number on the new window that opens Click on the submit button and check the result It is to note that the result released online is provisional and the original B.A. and B.Sc. Part 1 Marksheet will be issued to students by the university. H&S Real Estate, a Dubai-based real estate company and partner of Emaar Alliance, celebrated Chinese New Year in style with a special light show at Burj Khalifa. Around 500 Chinese community members took part in the festivities to mark China's new lunar year. H&S Real Estate is the official Alliance Partner and sales agency for Emaar Properties in the UAE, China and in Pakistan. The Chinese investors based in UAE and back in China enjoy a strong relations and level of trust on advice from H&S Real Estate when it comes to selecting the right property in the UAE with higher ROI. Group CEO (UAE & China regions) Saad Haq said: "Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, H&S Real Estate had a permanent office with a large team deployed in Mainland China. But we had to halt our operations due to flight restrictions." "We plan to restart our China operations with even wider presence and team in the major cities of China as soon as travel restrictions ease," he noted. "China is among the top countries that invest in the Dubai property market. We provide free in-depth financial advice to Chinese investors which helps them choose the right property. We do not just sell properties, rather, we sell investing options, high-yield and beautiful property assets at prime locations." stated Haq. "H&S Real Estate is a brokerage & financial house that leads a team of more than 90 multilingual property experts and we have a dynamic Chinese speaking team. We cater to all segments: bulk buyers, mid-size investors as well end-users," he added. CEO Fahad Haq said: "H&S is a complete solution for all local and international property buyers. Once a buyer has purchased a property with H&S, we take care of the handover, rental, maintenance and resale." Since 2018, H&S is offering distinct real estate consultancy and sales advice to Chinese investors and end-users. From 2018 to 2021, H&S advice helped bring in estimated AED3 billion ($800 million) Chinese investments in Dubais real estate sector. -TradeArabia News Service Kolkata: BJP working president JP Nadda on Monday accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of "misleading" masses on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, claiming that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has always prioritized politics over national interests. Addressing a rally in Kolkata, he said the amended law grants citizenship, does not take it away, as claimed by a section of people. "It is unfortunate that Mamata Banerjee has always given priority to her politics over national interests. The TMC and other opposition parties are misleading people on the amended law. They are only bothered about securing vote banks," he said. Nadda, accompanied by senior BJP leaders, including West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh and national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, had taken out a march earlier in the day in support of the amended citizenship law. The senior BJP leader claimed that "Muslims have flourished in our country, but Hindus have suffered tortured in Pakistan". Pakistan is among the three countries from where non- Muslim minorities would be granted citizenship, if they meet the criteria, according to the amended law. New Delhi: Amid protests over the new Citizenship Law and bedevilled Indo-Bangla ties, the Bangladesh visa of West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury has been denied. Chowdhury, who had applied for the visa 10 days ago, said he was informed about the denial on Monday. However, the reason of the denial is yet to be ascertained, he added. West Bengal Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury: I had applied for visa of Bangladesh 10 days ago. My ticket has been booked. But today I was informed that the visa has been denied. Reasons for denial of visa haven't been cited. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/mIu2TFN224 ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2019 This has come after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India over the situation arising out of the passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament. Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen had said CAA and the NRC are Indias internal issues, but voiced concern that any uncertainty in the country is likely to affect its neighbours. Expressing hope for normalcy, Abdul Momen said the country can get out of it. Moreover, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had taken up the issue of NRC with PM Modi during their bilateral meeting in New York in September. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also voiced her opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Much before Parliaments nod to the bill, Mamata had made her stand clear about the bill. Addressing a gathering, she had said, Dont be scared of CAB (Citizenship Amendment Bill). We are with you. As long as we are here nobody can impose anything on you. According to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship. New Delhi: The Indian government marks December 25th, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as Good Governance Day. Vajpayee was one of the most admired and loved politicians and his acceptability across different sections brought BJP, once untouchable politically, to the centre stage of the Indian politics. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was elected as the prime minister of India for three times. He first became the PM in 1996. However, his minority government could only last for 13 days due to lack of majority. He returned to power in 1998 but government collapsed after 13 months. He was again re-elected as PM in 1999 and became the first non-Congress leader to complete his full five-year tenure as PM. Moreover, along with Vajpayee, three other prominent public figures, Madan Mohan Malviya, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Nawaz Sharif, also share December 25th as their birthdays. Madan Mohan Malviya played an important role in the freedom movement besides making an invaluable contribution in the field of education. Born on December 25, 1861, in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh, he played a key role in the Indian independence struggle against British rule and founded the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1916. Malviya breathed his last on November 12, 1946, at the age of 84. In 2014, he was posthumously conferred with Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan was born on December 25, 1876. Jinnah was the leader of Muslim League and served it until August 14, 1947. He later went on to become Governor General of Pakistan. Jinnah breathed his last on September 11, 1948. Nawaz Sharif, a man who hailed from a businessmen family, later became the prime minister of Pakistan. Interestingly, Sharif is the longest-serving prime minister of Pakistan having served a total of more than 9 years. Currently, he is undergoing treatment in London, may be shifted to the US next week for better medical care for his multiple diseases. He was born on December 25, 1949. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several union ministers on Wednesday paid tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 95th birth anniversary. A prayer meeting was held at Sadaiv Atal--the memorial to Atal Bihari Vajpayee-- to mark the birth anniversary of the former prime minister. BJP veteran L K Advani, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and members of Vajpayee's family were amongst those who paid tributes to the BJP leader amid the playing of hymns and devotional music. The memorial was dedicated to the nation in December last year. Vajpayee was the first non-Congress politician to complete a five-year tenure as Prime Minister of India. "Tributes to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is etched in the hearts of the countrymen, on his birth anniversary," Modi wrote on Twitter. He also posted a brief video on Vajpayee, recalling his contributions to the country. Delhi: PM Narendra Modi and President Ramnath Kovind pay tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary pic.twitter.com/OkvWyzboHN ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2019 PM Modi will unveil a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow later in the day. The venue in the high security zone of the Uttar Pradesh capital has been sanitised, keeping in view the recent state-wide agitation against the amended citizenship law. PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University for which the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to transfer 50 acres of land. On Tuesday, the Union Cabinet approved the renaming of the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass after former the Prime Minister. The renaming of the tunnel will take place on Wednesday. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was elected as the prime minister of India three times. He first became the PM in 1996. However, his minority government could only last for 13 days due to lack of majority. He returned to power in 1998 but government collapsed after 13 months. He was again re-elected as PM in 1999 and became the first non-Congress leader to complete his full five-year tenure as PM. Vajpayee was an orator par excellence and a passionate poet of repute. His poetry was full of passion and patriotism and inspired thousands. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday was shown black flags at the Jadavpur University, a hotbed of anti-CAA protests. Protesting against the governor's stand on the proposed nationwide NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the students surrounded his car, shouted slogans and showed him black flags when his convoy arrived at the university. Denouncing the student action, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted, At Jadavpur University so that the students may get their degrees and enjoy the fruits of their labour and contribute to society. Unfortunately, the way to the venue in the University is blocked. Unwholesome. No affirmative role by concerned in sight. Worrisome situation. The number of those obstructing is only around fifty. System being held hostage and those enjoined with the task are oblivious of their obligations. A collapse that can only lead to unwholesome consequences. Rule of law is no where in sight. As constitutional head concerned. he said. Kolkata: Protesting students block convoy of Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as he arrived at Jadavpur University. Protestors show black flags and raise slogans against the Governor. pic.twitter.com/OWKkgLFFaT ANI (@ANI) December 24, 2019 This was the second consecutive day when the Governor was heckled at Jadhavpur University. On Monday The governor was stuck amid chaos for around 30 minutes each time due to protests by the CPI(M)-backed SFI, Arts Faculty Students Union (AFSU), AISA and the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students Union (FETSU). When the students questioned him on police action at the Jamia Millia Islamia campus in Delhi, Dhankhar said he is the governor of West Bengal and can answer queries about this state only. Stating that he believes in the autonomy of educational institutes and does not work at the behest of any political party, Dhankhar told them that he will be glad to sit and discuss their issues. The university's Executive Council (EC) had on Saturday decided not to hold the special convocation in view of the threat of students' bodies to show black flag to him. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. After the death of her father in West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, hot water was thrown at a seven-year-old girl living with her mother's friend. The only mistake of the child was that she refused to do the housework. The child's mother lives in Kuwait. She left the girl with her friend for being the Guardian. The girl is seriously injured. She has been admitted to the hospital. According to the agency, a seven-year-old girl refused to do household chores in Jangareddygudem in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Annoyed by this, her Guardian got angry and poured hot water on the girl. This left the innocent girl seriously bruised. Station House Officer of Jangareddyudem Bala Suresh said the culprit, Yanamdala Lakshmi, threw water while the 7-year-old girl was boiling. This has seriously injured the child. He said that the innocent girl studies in a school in Balajinagar. Durga, the mother of the same girl, lives in Kuwait and works, as a resident of Tadepalligudem. The girl lives at the house of her mother's friend Lakshmi. Because the girl's father has died and her mother is also not in India. The girl's mother had left the girl at her house considering Yamamdala Lakshmi as a guardian. Controversy over entry into temple, boycott of Dalit community announced 200+ people cheated in the name of flat booking and lucky draw, mastermind arrested Maid beats an 8-month-old child, shameful act captured in CCTV Swara Kokila Lata Mangeshkar has passed away. She is no longer in this world and her demise has caused an atmosphere of grief all over the world. Not only the people of India but also the people of Pakistan are expressing grief. Let us tell you that from Pakistan's news website to television channels are running the news of Lata Mangeshkar's death. At the same time, Pakistan's Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry in his tweet on social media has written that "Lata Ji ruled the world for decades, the magic of her voice will remain in the world." With this, he further said, "With her passing away, an era of music has come to an end.'' Let me tell you all that 92-year-old Lata Mangeshkar had been fighting the battle between life and death in the hospital for several days and her departure has hurt not only India but the whole world. Fawad Chaudhry tweeted in a condolence message in Urdu from Beijing, writing, "Lata Mangeshkar's death marks the end of an era in music. Lata ruled the world of music for decades the magic of her voice will always live on.'' He is currently part of the delegation led by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Wherever Urdu is understood to be the dialect, there is a crowd of people who say goodbye to Lata Mangeshkar. At the same time, he also tweeted separately in English, saying, "There is no longer a legend. Lata Mangeshkar was a melodious queen who ruled the world of music for decades. She was the unmatched queen of music. Her voice will always rule the hearts of the people.'' Let you all know that her death is trending on Twitter and today almost all the TV channels are sprinting the news of her death as well as a plethora of hit songs. Shraddha Kapoor is deeply saddened by departure of Lata Mangeshkar Anushka's workout picture has surfaced This famous star of Bollywood was crazy about Lata Mangeshkar's voice, used to do this to listen... The Tri-Juddha High School in Birgunj of Parsa is one of the countrys first schools established by Juddha Shumsher in 1938. Even though the school was co-ed from the start, it rarely saw girls during its formative years. When Babu Lal Chachan, an industrialist from Brigunj, went to this school in the 1980s, there was only one girl in the entire school. With the mindset that educating girls was not important, parents rarely sent them to study as they would burden them with household chores instead. The same Tri-Juddha High School now has over 3,400 students, out of which 40 per cent are female, says Harindra Prasad Kurmi, the schools principal. When I studied here, there were hardly one or two girls in a class. Now, things are different, says Kurmi. Things are changing as education is seen as a major component of human rights. The constitution itself has made basic education mandatory and free. This has seen a rise in the number of girls going to school. Social media has helped to some extent by highlighting the achievement of women in various fields, which has encouraged parents to send their daughters to school. The role of the provincial governments has also been key in girls going to schools. This has resulted in a complete change in the mindset as people in Madhesh have realised the need to educate girls. A paradigm shift The picture outside Tri-Juddha is also promising as the overall state of women education in Birgunj metropolitan city has got better. There are over 21,000 female students studying in the 90 schools. In the past, when parents sent their daughters to school, they did not care if she would finish it. But, now, that trend had changed in Madhesh as parents are sending their daughters to schools beyond the village, into the cities. Some even send them to big cities for higher education as well where these girls are studying the subjects they are interested in. Some even go abroad to pursue their dreams. File: Girl students at a school in Madhesh of Nepal When Ugrakanta Jha went to Godaita High School, there were no girls. That always made him sad, due to which he decided to send his daughter Arati Jha to the best school he could afford. Arati studied in Birgunj and then made her way to Kathmandu, where she completed her masters in journalism. People used to say that if you educate a daughter, shell become spoilt, says Ugrakanta. But, that thinking has changed as people have started to realise the importance of education and how it impacts the society. When Salma Khatun, staying at a hostel in Birgunj, enrolled to get an undergraduate degree in journalism, a lot of people from her community were speaking ill about her. The Muslim community rarely sent women to school and as this was an anomaly, there were a lot of criticisms. When I wanted to go to college, a lot of relatives started bringing wedding proposals. But, I was adamant that I wanted to study, says Khatun. Following that, I kept my distance from a lot of relatives. But, now the scenario in the community is changing. She says when she was in college in Birgunj, there were only three girls from the Muslim community, but now the number is increasing as a lot of families have started to send their daughters to schools. They dont do the same things theyd do for a boy when it comes to educating a girl, but in the past decade, a lot of positive change has taken place which is good, she adds. As investments in women education have increased, its results have been evident. Take Khatun for example, who is now the deputy mayor of Pokhariya municipality. Changing Madhesh File: Girls head to their school in Madhesh. Representation of women in organisations across Madhesh has gone up. You can find them in politics, civil service, security, banking and various other private organisations. Ranjita Jha from Pipra rural municipality is the election officer of the District Election Office, Parsa. When she wanted to study after school, her family wanted her to get married. But, she refused as she has got two degrees since then. In our community, a girl is seen as a symbol of prestige. Many want to keep them close so even if someone wanted to study after school, they didnt get the chance to do so as they had to go to the big cities, which was deemed unsafe. My elder sister had to go through the same, says Ranjita. But now, almost all the villages in Madhesh have higher-secondary schools and some even have colleges which is a positive sign, say education campaigners. People started sending their daughters to school after a change in the political scenario, says Bal Gopal Thapa, a former associate professor of Thakur Ram Multiple Campus. Federalism has played a key role in this. The director of Siddhartha International College in Birgunj, Sushma Dwivedi, says 25 years ago, only well-off families sent their daughters to school, that too if the school was close by. The number now is significantly high, she says. Men from Madhesh started to travel nationally and internationally and started to see girls going to school. That was one factor which gave rise to girls education, says Dwivedi. The other was the mothers who did not get to go to school or didnt get to study beyond school have been adamant on sending their daughters to school. But, she says change did not happen quickly as a lot of other factors played a role. File: The number of girls at schools in Madhesh is increasing. A sociology professor from Thakur Ram Multiple Campus, Birendra Sah, says that another factor that helped women in Madhesh get educated is the reservation. Moving beyond Madhesh There are a lot of community schools spread across all eight districts of the Madhesh province. Some of these schools have also started to provide vocational courses related to farming, poultry and electronics. But if their daughters are not interested in these courses, families are also taking them to nearby districts to ensure she gets to study what she wants. A lot of girls go to Kathmandu to study, says the chief of Birgunj College, Binod Gupta. If the subject they want to study isnt there, they will also look forward to going abroad. Girls from Madhesh are going to countries like India and Bangladesh and if the family is well-off, they also send them to Australia, Canada or the US. Nascent Education Consultancys managing director Ranjit Pandit says that in the past, middle-class family did not trust the universities and their daughters. But, examples of girls doing good started to surface, and their thinking changed. They realised that the universities had hostels where the girls were kept disciplined. That is when they started to send their daughters away, says Pandit. The number of girls leaving for higher education is increasing every year, says Rakesh Sah, from Career Dream Education. He says that girls are mainly going to Indian cities like Gujrat, Bangalore and Delhi to study nursing, business management, physiotherapy, radiology etc. Many leave Nepal after getting the scholarship provided by the Indian Embassy in Nepal, he informs. Around 75 per cent of girls from Madhesh enrol in nursing while the others leave to get degrees in management, medicine, engineering or IT. But, girls leaving for countries other than India and Bangladesh are low in number due to the requirement of IELTS. But, with more opportunities abroad, a lot of them have started to take English lessons. Kathmandu: The main destination File: A recent view of the Kathmandu valley Out of all the places in Nepal, Kathmandu is the major destination for Madheshi students. Around 40 per cent of students in Kathmandus hostels are from Madhesh, informs Hostel Associations chair, Bhakti Pathak. Out of that, 30 per cent are women. The number of women in these hostels is more than men, says Pathak, adding the number is increasing every year. The reason according to professor Prem Chandra Jha is the performance of women in academics. Girls started performing better than boys in school, and I think that instilled confidence among the parents to send these girls to college and beyond, says Prem Chandra. He says that even in his class, the number of women has increased. The same is the case with other courses as well, he says. Prem Chandra adds that while parents in the past used to save up for dowry, now they use the funds for the daughters education. This is a result of multiple campaigns, says Arvind Lal Karna from the educational division of Birgunj metropolitan city. He says that campaigns led by the government and NGOs have led to this development. The government and NGOs have spent a lot of time and money on this in the past decade. Were reaping its rewards now, says Karna. CMs Girls Education Programme Even though things have been better, there are people who still think educating women is wrong. To change this mindset, the Madhesh provincial government has started a campaign to promote girls education and to end gender discrimination. Through the campaign, 36,000 cycles were handed out to girls studying in the eighth standard along with providing them with insurance. The Chief Ministers Office also says a fixed deposit account was established for 5,666 girls along with enrolling 420 women a year in Public Service Commission preparation classes. The provincial government also established a 50 per cent reservation in civil service positions and police force. In her childhood, Shyam Badan Shrestha, with her mother, used to wake up at 2 am and knit caps under the light of a kerosene lamp every day. Little did Shrestha know that she was not only knitting the caps but also weaving her pathway to success. As she has been told, Shrestha shares, My father died before my birth, when my mother was still pregnant, and as a single woman in a deeply patriarchal society, my mom raised me by weaving. Years later, Shrestha also turned to handicrafts to earn and support her mother and children, after she lost her teaching job in the early 1980s. Decades down the road further capitalising on her childhood skill, at the age of 75, Shyam Badan Shrestha still runs a company that has set an example of an indigenous, locally sourced enterprise in Nepal. Quest for identity In 1983, with Rs 200, two workers and some yarn, Shyam Badan Shrestha, in her late thirties, started Nepal Knotcraft Centre (NKC) in one room in the house she was born in, which she registered a year later. I learned about macrame (knotted handicraft) from books. Therefore, I started making knotted handicrafts. A hammock made by Nepal Knotcraft Centre, run by Shyam Badan Shrestha. Photo: Nepal Knotcraft Centre/Facebook page Also, there is another story about the establishment of this company, which is closely related to her search for identity amid a dark reality about the judgemental Nepali society. After I lost my job, I realised that no matter how hard and perfectly I work, my work will not be valued as there is no proper evaluation system in Nepal. Then, I decided to work for myself and started this venture. According to Shyam Badan Shrestha, her business went well till 1990 as nobody in Nepal had practised knitting and weaving as a business till that time. She used to import raw materials such as cotton threads from India. However, its import stopped after Nepal suffered a blockade in 1989 for about 13 months. At that time, Nepal Knotcraft Centre already had about 10 staff and over 30 women working from home for us, she remembers, The blockade made times hard for the company, as a result, all of those working for it were affected financially. Turning hurdles into hopes Although the border blockade appeared as a huge barrier to her work at that time, Nepal Knotcraft turned this hurdle into a golden opportunity to get out from the dependence on India for the import of raw materials. Shyam Badan Shrestha recalls, At that point, I felt this business is not sustainable. Therefore, I decided to make it so and began searching for alternative raw materials that are locally available. Then, she experimented with many plant fibres and found maize husk can be used as a raw material for making various products. Ethnic dolls made by maize husk by Nepal Knotcraft Centre. Photo: Nepal Knotcraft Centre/ Facebook page Then, Nepal Knotcraft Centre started making dolls out of maize husk that reflected the features of different ethnic groups of Nepal. During the research, Shrestha informs, I came across many ethnic communities and found that these communities are a mine of many handicraft skills. Gradually, Nepal Knotcraft Centre expanded its products horizon incorporating those indigenous skills and handicrafts like bamboo products, sukuls (a mat made by weaving rice straws), and Tharu basketry. She, of course, modified them to meet modern needs. Struggle continues However, to reach this height, this company had to go through a lot of hardships and challenges, says Shyam Badan Shrestha. Initially, I went through a lot of hurdles, be it finding raw materials or skill development or marketing or anything, she says, I feel not only me but a lot of entrepreneurs have to go through all these hurdles in Nepal. As her business was completely new at that time, she says she did not have any idea about what kind of products would sell, what raw materials could be used, and where they could be found. Over half of our time went on experiments during the early years. Shyam Badan Shrestha marketed her products through her friends. As she was involved in various forms of social work, she had earned a significant amount of goodwill, which she says helped her in promoting the market for her products. But, with her intense study, dedication and time, Shrestha successfully overcame all these barriers. As the founder member of WEAN (Womens Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal) as well as the founder of Nepal Knotcraft Centre, Shrestha also has been giving training on handicrafts and entrepreneurship skills to women of different districts in order to empower them. Shyam Badan Shrestha giving training to women in Kapilvastu. Photo: Nepal Knotcraft Centre Shyam Badan Shrestha shares, Now, over 200 women in 16 districts work with me. I help them upgrade their skills and design marketable products and make entrepreneurs out of them. Her company owns a showroom in the Patan industrial estate. We offer varieties of products for interior designing made of agro-based by-products like knotted pot hangers, belts, purse, ethnic dolls, sukul, placemat, basket and many more. Our products are mainly targeted for the hospitality and tourism sectors. Not only does the company sell its handicrafts in Nepal but also exports to countries like the United States, Denmark, Japan. The price of the products ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 100,000. In the last fiscal year, Shrestha says the company did a business of nearly Rs 10 million. However, Shrestha is determined to expand its sales in the future along with preserving inter-generation skills, contributing to indigenous skills, environmental sustainability and women empowerment. From the archive The 13-year-old collapsed at the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, Connecticut, on Thursday and later died. (Photo: Hartford Courant via Getty Images) A 13-year-old boy who fell unconscious at his Connecticut school last week after coming into contact with fentanyl has died, authorities said. The seventh grader, who was one of three teens taken to a hospital on Thursday after coming into contact with the deadly drug inside Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, died on Saturday evening, Hartford police said in a statement. The magnet schools roughly 600 students had been ordered to shelter in place after the child collapsed inside of the schools gymnasium just before 11 a.m. Suspected narcotics that were found close by later tested positive for fentanyl, police said. A consequential sweep of the school by drug-sniffing dogs recovered nearly 40 bags of the synthetic opioid which the boy, who was fatally sickened, is believed to have brought to the school. The other two teenagers who complained of feeling dizzy were released from the hospital after likely having minimal contact with the drug, said Hartford Police Lieutenant Aaron Boisvert at a press conference. The powdered drug was found in packages that youd see sold on the street with identifying logos, said police. Packets of fentanyl, mostly in powder form, are seen after an unrelated seizure by border patrol officers in Arizona. (Photo: Handout . via Reuters) This is one more lesson that fentanyl is a poison, these drugs are a poison, and please if youre a parent, have that tough conversation with your child tonight, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said at a press conference last week. If anybody offers, suggests, that they experiment with or ingest some substance that they think is a drug or that they dont know what it is, dont do it, stay a mile a way and for Gods sake please report it so that we can try to protect your child, their friends, and every kid. Police said the drugs, which were described as found in packages that youd see sold on the street with identifying logos, were found in two classrooms and the gym. When students left the school, they were instructed to walk through bleach and OxiClean, which dissolves and neutralizes the fentanyl, in case their feet had unknowingly become contaminated with the drug, said Boisvert. The boys mother was said to be fully cooperative with the investigation. No arrests have been made as of Sunday, though authorities said they will hold all adults accountable if found responsible for the childs death. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Aldar Properties (Aldar) has announced plans to invest AED1 billion ($272.2 million) into Aldar Education, its wholly owned subsidiary, and the largest premium school operator in Abu Dhabi. With 80 per cent of the investment already committed and planned for deployment over the next three years, Aldar will diversify its education portfolio and expand its offering to widen the choice of quality education for students in Abu Dhabi. Aldar Education currently owns nine schools under Aldar Academies and Cranleigh Abu Dhabi and manages a further 11 schools. Through this investment, Aldar aims to increase the existing student capacity in Aldar Educations owned and managed schools to over 40,000 seats by Academic Year 24/25. Aldar Education is looking to achieve this through a mix of greenfield and school acquisition opportunities in the premium and mid-market segments, all aimed at strengthening the choice and educational experience available to students in Abu Dhabi. On the announcement, Group CEO Talal Al Dhiyebi said: "Through the breadth and depth of our business, Aldar touches multiple aspects of life in Abu Dhabi, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are making a positive impact on all communities in which we operate." "In this regard, Aldar Education is one of our most critical touch points with the community and we want to ensure that more families can benefit from the quality, innovative education we offer in our schools," he stated. "This latest investment will help us make notable progress in this direction and it also makes financial sense for a business that is of huge strategic importance to the Group," he added. Aldar Education CEO Sahar Cooper said: "We are excited about the prospect of this growth plan and the opportunities it will bring to Aldar Education. The education sector is going through constant change and development, and we are keen to remain at the forefront of those developments to provide our students with the best tools available to help them unlock their full potential." "This includes the digital transformation of our schools, further investment in EdTech, and the provision of more flexible and diverse education models that appeal to a wider range of families in Abu Dhabi," he stated. Aldars growth plan is focused on enhancing Aldar Educations offering in three main locations in Abu Dhabi: Khalifa City, Saadiyat Island and Yas Island. In Khalifa City, Aldar Education has agreed its first-ever school acquisition with the purchase of Al Shohub Private School, a British curriculum school that will enable the group to offer students an even greater choice of education. The acquisition will see Aldar Education continue to uphold the schools strong reputation within the market, while adding its expertise to enhance the educational experience for current and future students. Aldar is also expanding and relocating the Al Yasmina Academy in Khalifa City to consolidate its position as an outstanding rated British primary and secondary school campus in Abu Dhabi and meet the continued demand for places at the school. On Yas Island, where Aldar is launching and developing a range of new community developments, Aldar Education will deliver a new school within the Noya community located in Yas North. Set to become a leading British curriculum school, it will be operated by Aldar Academies and cater to the islands growing population. On Saadiyat Island, Aldar Education is expanding the award-winning and outstanding rated Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, which will increase the schools capacity and facilities as well as ensure it continues to offer a best-in-class educational experience with the latest innovations in immersive learning. Aldar will also develop another school under the Aldar Academies brand on Saadiyat Island that will cater to families in the surrounding communities that seek British curriculum education.-TradeArabia News Service Hundreds of students at Chicago Public Schools and at scores of districts across the state may be freed from wearing a mask in the classroom, with an Illinois judge ruling Friday that Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 mandate was authorized illegally. Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow on Friday granted a request from downstate attorney Tom DeVore to temporarily halt the governors executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools, finding that the measures are beyond the governors authority and deprive students of due process. This court acknowledges the tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, not only on this State, but throughout the nation and globe, Grischow wrote in the decision. Nonetheless, it is the duty of the Courts to preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the boundaries of the authority granted under the Constitution. Pritzker issued a statement late Friday saying he asked the attorney generals office for an immediate appeal of the decision. The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities and this may force schools to go remote, Pritzker said. In her ruling, the judge sided with parents who allege that students who object to wearing masks or being excluded from school for being a COVID-19 close contact are entitled to due process, and that such measures are a form of modified quarantine that can only be required by the local health department. The (Illinois Department of Public Health) is limited by law to delegating its authority only to certified local health departments and has not been authorized by the Legislature to delegate any of its authority to any other body of government, including school districts, she wrote. The restraining order prevents the state from ordering school districts to require students involved in the lawsuit to wear masks if they object, except during the terms of lawful order of quarantine issued from their respective health department. The order also prevents the state from requiring school districts to force school employees who sued to get vaccinated or test weekly if they object, without first providing them due process of law. Story continues Grischow denied DeVores request that the lawsuits be given class certification, which if granted, would have extended the ruling to all students at the nearly 170 school districts named in the two lawsuits one filed by parents against 146 school districts, and a second filed by school employees against 21 school districts. Although she denied class certification, Judge Grischow pointed out in a footnote to the decision that she had declared the emergency rules at issue from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education void. Thus, non-named Plaintiffs and School Districts throughout this State may govern themselves accordingly, she wrote. The judges ruling means that any school district that attempts to enforce the mask requirement against any student whose parents joined the lawsuit would be held in contempt of court, according to DeVore, who said parents who want the ruling to apply to their children can join the lawsuit. DeVore, an outspoken critic of Pritzkers handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, has long argued that the school mask mandate and other mitigation strategies the governor has declared by executive order could not be enforced unless they were formally approved by the General Assembly. I dont pretend to understand the political complexities at Chicago Public Schools, but I do know the law cant be disregarded, and youve got a judge who upheld the law as its written, DeVore said shortly after Judge Grischow issued the ruling. CPS issued a statement Saturday saying the ruling would not prevent the district from continuing to require masks. The courts current ruling does not prohibit CPS from exercising its authority to continue its COVID-19 mitigation policies and procedures, including universal masking by students and staff and vaccination and testing requirements for staff members, the statement said. We are confident that masking and vaccination have been key parts of keeping the virus transmission low in our classrooms this school year and successfully allowed our faculty and students to safely teach and learn in person, the statement said. Our caseload is declining and the number of vaccinated students and staff continues to increase. We will stay the course. The Chicago Teachers Union noted in a statement Friday that the judges ruling states that collective bargaining agreements are still enforceable. Our January 2022 agreement with Chicago Public Schools, which guarantees masking, will keep schools open and safe, the union said. At Arlington Heights School District 25, which was named in the school employees lawsuit, officials said late Friday that the district is reviewing the judges ruling and will reach out to our staff and our community when we have further information. Many Illinois school districts have said that regardless of the outcome, they will continue to strongly encourage students and staff to follow the states masking guidelines and other COVID-19 protocols. The judges decision brought relief to parents like Shannon Adcock, a Naperville mother of three, and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Indian Prairie School District 204. We had a victory for liberty today, and the kids will finally be able to go to school mask-free, said Adcock, the president of the parents group Awake Illinois. This is a legitimate due process ruling, and youre going to see a lot of families pushing back now, Adcock said. Steve Lucie, a farmer and former longtime school board member with Warsaw Community Unit School District 316, said his involvement in upending the governors school mask mandate and other COVID-19 mitigations started at his kitchen table with a few farmers and neighbors. This ruling is euphoric for all of these parents, and mostly for the kids, Lucie said. Some people arent ready for this, which I understand, but its been our stance all along that parents need to make that choice on their own, he said. Officials with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the states school board were not immediately available for comment on Friday. kcullotta@chicagotribune.com Twitter @kcullotta Kalani Pickhart's debut novel, "I Will Die In a Foreign Land" (Two Dollar Radio), is a kaleidoscopic portrait of Ukraine in 2014 at a time of revolution, and of lives intersecting as the country's political situation deteriorates. Read an excerpt below. / Credit: Two Dollar Radio St. Michael's Golden-Domed MonasteryJanuary 19, 2014Morning The snow in Boston, Katya thinks, must be thick like cake. She flicks her cigarette. A black cloud of burning tires near the Maidan less than a mile away forces a cough. The air is frigid. The injured have not rested. The light outside is disappearing. St. Michael's appears to be inside an apocalyptic snow globe: golden spirals, eye-blue walls, ember and ash ethereal. The bell tower stands like a soldier. Indeed, it is. We're all under water here, Katya thinks. Shaken loose like silt. An undertow. A baptism. A drowning. Last spring, Boston had a bombing. Now, she was in Kyiv. Kyiv had been burning for months. The tactical police forcethe Berkuthad started attacking thousands of peaceful protestors at the Maidan in November. St. Michael's opened its doors, bells ringing and priests singing, and the people came from Maidan to the church. Hundreds had been injured; some were dead. Distrust of the government caused hospitals to turn up in the streets. In shoe stores, in the Hotel Ukraine. In St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Here, Katya is far from home. The holy men of the churchmen of all faithsstart to pray, to hold a vigil. They took the bodies to a makeshift morgue in the back of the church and the people prayed. God is still here, they said. They said: Pray. Vigilance. Vigilance. Stay awake. Katya's son, Isaac, would have been six years old and still cherub-faced. Ezra had sent her an email that she hadn't yet read. Katya looks at her phone, the message from her husband. A priest calls out to her , Doctor, please Katya kills the cigarette under her boot and goes. Story continues All empires fall. First the Mongols destroyed parts of the church. Then the Soviets. Then it was rebuilt. Gold and blue, the church is grotesquely beautiful. It looks like Byzantium. Byzantium: the word so full of promise. The new Rome. She has seen pictures of the Sistine Chapel and it must be something like this. Here, there are paintings on the walls, the ceiling, the columns. Bright sashes and wings on cherubs, gowns and crowns decorating saints. All looking, seeing. Vigilance. She felt they could see every part of her. All that raw ache. From "I Will Die In a Foreign Land" by Kalani Pickhart. Copyright 2022 by Kalani Pickhart. Excerpted by permission of Two Dollar Radio. All rights reserved. For more info: "I Will Die in a Foreign Land" by Kalani Pickhart (Two Dollar Radio), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available via Amazon and Indieboundkalanipickhart.com The Book Report: New fiction and nonfiction Scientists researching ways to recycle space debris 2022 Winter Olympics enters second day under strict COVID-19 regulations Indiana Black Legislative Caucus Chair State Rep. Robin Shackleford speaks during a press conference, Tuesday, Feb. 01, 2022, at the Indiana State Capital in Indianapolis. The growing rift among Marion County Democrats has made its way to the public eye after the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus called out county chair Kate Sweeney Bell for conflicts of interest in the upcoming pre-primary convention. Sweeney Bell is running for clerk while also serving as chair meaning she has appointed the precinct committee people who will in turn decide whether to give her the partys endorsement for the upcoming primary. Sweeney Bell says the partys vice chair David Bride will lead the convention, scheduled virtually for Saturday. But beyond that, Black state legislators echoed claims that have been circulating in the party for a while: that the chair has appointed PC people who will vote as theyre told, benefiting a select few within the party. On top of that... A number of incumbent Black state legislators announced they wont be seeking the partys endorsement in the upcoming slating convention. That includes state Reps. Robin Shackleford, Greg Porter, Vaness Summers, Cherrish Pryor and John Bartlett. And theyre not the only ones. In fact, the list of slating participants this year has only one contested race for Wayne Township trustee. City councilor Kristin Jones joins incumbent state Reps. Ed Delaney, Carey Hamilton, Mitch Gore, Renee Turner-Pack, Justin Moed and Blake Johnson in vying for their own House districts. Which Congressional races will be contested The filing deadline for the May primaries is today at noon (as longer as weather doesn't thwart that deadline). Here's a look at which incumbent members of Congress will have a contested primary, based on Thursday's data. 1st District: Rep. Frank J. Mrvan faces a challenger in the Democratic primary, Richard Fantin. The more interesting race in that district will likely be the Republican primaries. Seven candidates have already filed. 4th District: Republican Rep. Jim Baird faces a challenger in the primaries, T. Charles Bookwalter. 6th District: Rep. Greg Pence will face Zach Smith in the Republican primary. 7th District: Rep. Andre Carson faces Curtis Godfrey and Pierre Quincy Pullins in the Democratic primary. Story continues The only district that won't have an incumbent running is Indiana's 9th District, after the retirement of Rep. Trey Hollingsworth. We already reported that Bill Thomas, Stu Barnes-Israel and State Sen. Erin Houchin are running. State Rep. J. Michael Davisson who originally announced he was running against Rep. Jim Lucas for a Statehouse seat , Dan Heiwig, D. Eric Schansberg, Brian Tibbs and Mike Sodrel have now all filed to run as well. We expect the 9th and 1st District Republican primaries to be the more contentious races in the May primary, and will be keeping an eye on both. So who is Todd Young running against? Republican Sen. Todd Young announced that he collected enough signatures to get on the ballot come May weeks ago. So who will he likely face? Republican Danny Niederberger announced he had collected the required signatures as well on social media, as did Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, a Democrat. The deadline for the signatures to be turned over to the state is today at noon as well. Of course, just because a candidate turns in the correct number of signatures, doesn't mean they'll all be verified. Just ask Young. Forwarded this newsletter from a friend? Sign up for Hoosier Politics here. 'Whoa, we're halfway there' In a sure sign of how fast things move during a short legislative session, we're already at the halfway point. Most bills never even make it to this point. According to Hannah News Service, only 31% of bills filed are still alive. (Those that are alive will show up in blue on this list). We compiled a list of where important or interesting bills stand at the Statehouse. Enjoy every story! IndyStar subscriptions start as low as $1 for 6 months for new subscribers. Mike Pence records to be turned over The National Archives announced this week that it will be turning over former Vice President Mike Pence's records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Meanwhile several of Pence's former aides have testified recently, including his former Chief of Staff Marc Short, CNN reported. Young apologizes after blowing off reporter Sen. Todd Young blew off a reporter trying to ask a question from Military.com, Punchbowl News reported Thursday. Young asked reporter Rebecca Kheel who she represented and then upon learning, told her, "None of my constituents read it, so I don't feel like answering it." Young later called Kheel to apologize, both Young's office and Kheel confirmed. -SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK- Hoosier Politics is compiled and written by the IndyStar politics and government team. Send us tips or let us know what you think of the newsletter by emailing Kaitlin.Lange@IndyStar.com. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Drama ahead of Marion County slating | Session halfway point Disease of antisemitism growing On Jan. 15, a gunman held four people including a rabbi hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, because in his words, Jews control the world. The crisis ended when the rabbi, following the security training hed received, told his parishioners to run and threw a chair at the gunman. Courageous action on the part of the rabbi, but one wonders at the necessity for security training. Rabbi Joshua Stanton wonders as well: I did not become a rabbi to be an expert in security, he said. I became a rabbi to teach, to support, to care. ... And now, there is a great deal of fear. The need for security training follows a string of attacks against Jewish communities. One thinks for example of the shootings at the Tree of Life synagogue where 11 parishioners died; those at the Chabad of Poway one dead and three wounded; and those at the Jersey City kosher market three dead. Sadly, the disease of antisemitism grows like a cancer in the United States. According to the American Jewish Committee, one in four American Jews have been the targets of antisemitism in the last 12 months. The Ventura County Interfaith Community deplores both the cowardly attacks on Jewish communities and the antisemitism that undergirds them. It also applauds the courage of the rabbi of the Colleyville congregation, and it applauds the everyday courage of the rabbis of Ventura County who continue to minister to their congregations in the face of events like Colleyville and the everyday pain of antisemitism. More than that, though, we commit to a redoubled effort to combat antisemitism by connecting communities of faith of all stripes in Ventura County. Tim Helton, Ph.D., Camarillo, on behalf of the Ventura County Interfaith Community Stop the annual bear trophy hunt California black bears have been getting hit from all sides lately drought, devastating wildfires, increased vehicle strikes, loss of habitat and top it all off, theyre still being hunted for sport. And last fall, the Department of Fish and Wildlife finally released their take reports for bears from 2017 through 2020, which, according to the models they used, showed a drastic decline in their estimated populations. Story continues The Fish and Game Commission must immediately halt its annual bear trophy hunt, until at the very least 1. the department conducts an empirical study of the states black bear populations; 2. the effects of drought and recent wildfires on the states bear populations are adequately studied; and 3. the states bear management plan (which is from the 1990s) is updated to include the best available science, including social science. Over 1,000 bears in California are being killed by trophy hunters every year. Bears continue to lose more of the habitat and corridors that they need to feed and to find dens and mates. Their forest homes are disappearing from fires and other human causes. With a warming climate, everything will become even harder for bears finding food, staying cool and even staying asleep during the times when bears used to hibernate for the winter. Bears lives are increasingly difficult, why add trophy hunting to the mix? Kayla Capper, Ojai This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters to the editor: Must combat antisemitism; halt bear trophy hunt Raymond V. Mariano I walked into state Sen. Harriette Chandlers office looking for help but not expecting much. As the executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority, I had designed a program to help residents many whose family had been stuck in public housing for multiple generations break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The program provided intensive case management and support. It also required able-bodied residents to go to school or work in order to continuing receiving their housing benefit. More: Raymond V. Mariano: 'Worcester renaissance' about us, not rats. Here's how I'd fix the problem... I had gone to U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern for help. Not only didnt he help, he tried to kill the program. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey wouldnt even talk to me about it. I went to every elected official I could think of. Most of them said they loved the program. And all of them did absolutely nothing to help. It was very frustrating. A program which doubled residents income, tripled the number employed, and quadrupled the number attending school or receiving training was treated as if I was asking residents to break rocks on a chain gang. No elected official wanted to be associated with the program because a few housing advocates had been highly critical of the school/work requirement. I had known Chandler aka "Harlee" since her time on the School Committee. She was reliable voice for liberal causes. So, as much as I liked her personally, I expected a polite brush-off. In her office, Chandler listened carefully as I explained the program. Then she asked me to follow her. Together, we walked into then state Sen. President Therese Murrays office where I explained the program and answered a few questions. The next thing I knew, language was inserted into another bill which allowed the WHA and only the WHA the right to run the program. The governor and the state agency that control local housing authority policies were powerless to stop us. No other housing authority in Massachusetts has ever been given such a unique distinction. Story continues More: 'It's time for someone else': State Sen. Harriette Chandler will not seek reelection One meeting with Chandler had accomplished more than months of running from office to office seeking help. It was an incredible display of political acumen and muscle. Chandler didnt make a big speech touting her advocacy and she wasnt looking for any credit. But quietly, she had done what no one else was able or willing to do. State Sen. Harriette Chandler announces she will not seek reelection at Worcester City Hall, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. That sums up Chandlers work: quiet, behind the scenes, and incredibly effective. She started her career at North High School teaching history. Later, she received a fellowship from Clark University where she attained a Ph.D. in international relations and government. When she applied for a position at Brown University where almost all of the instructors were male she was given a perfunctory interview where they asked her how many children she had and how she intended to balance teaching and her family questions they would never have asked a man. Chandler fought back. Defended by her husband Buddy a brilliant, fearless attorney known for his aggressive style she stood up to university officials and received a financial settlement which she then used to attend business school. Chandler went on to serve as a member of the Worcester School Committee, as a state representative, and for the past 20 plus years as a state senator representing Worcester and five other area towns. In 2017, with the sudden resignation of Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, the senate was in chaos. With four or five senators seeking the presidents position, and unable to reach agreement, they turned to Chandler to maintain the dignity of the office and keep important legislation moving forward. Chandler stepped in to fill the breach in leadership serving as senate president from 2017 until February 2018. During that time, she presided over the Grand Bargain which set Massachusetts on the path to a $15 minimum wage and guaranteed paid family and medical leave among other things. Throughout her career, Chandler has been a fierce and unrelenting advocate for women and girls. Her very first piece of legislation guaranteed that women could stay at least 48 hours in a maternity ward after giving birth. She also advocated for legislation that repealed a more than 150-year old law banning abortion. In 2020, she sponsored the ROE Act which codified Roe v. Wade into state law, expanded abortion access after 24 weeks, and removed a parental consent requirement for 16-year-olds. With less than a year left in her term, Chandler is still focusing on the work that needs to be done: investing in regional transit, expanding access to health care for seniors, and protecting student borrowers. But the story of Harriette Chandlers service is more than a compilation of legislation passed and dollars secured for her district although both are impressive. In a business where most of the participants are fighting to be in the center of the room, fighting for a bit of the spotlight, Chandler did her very best work, in the corners of the room outside of the spotlight. She worked with her colleagues, shared the credit, and got things accomplished. And at a time when politics have become toxic and incredibly divisive, Chandler made her mark quietly, working with even the most difficult of her colleagues. In all the years that I have known her, Ive never heard her say a bad word about anyone. Leaders like Chandler dont come around very often. Harriette Chandler has been a quiet warrior, fighting for women, for families especially those in need and for the communities that she represents. She will not be easily replaced. Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano.telegram@gmail.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Sen. Harriette Chandler, Worcester's quiet warrior at Mass. State House The new beta version of the RFOX NFTs platform provides artists, creators, and businesses with a one-stop platform for their NFT creation needs. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Feb. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Metaverse company RFOX today announced the public launch of the RFOX NFTs platform, empowering artists, creators, and businesses to simply create NFTs without worrying about the technical complications involved. RFOX NFTs, which recently started its beta launch, is a one-stop platform built with the essential features needed to create, organize, and sell NFTs in an easy and convenient manner. As a key part of the RFOX ecosystem of metaverse-related products and services, RFOX NFTs offers an end-to-end white-label creation, website, marketplace, and shared liquidity pool platform. Through the RFOX NFTs platform, RFOX bridges the gap between technical competency and market opportunity for NFT creators. The new beta version of the RFOX NFTs platform provides artists, creators, and businesses with a one-stop platform for their NFT creation needs. To further support artists, RFOX is inviting them to join the RFOX VALT Grants Program and benefit from up to $10,000 USD in funding for the creation of artworks to be offered in the RFOX VALT metaverse. RFOX NFTs The RFOX NFTs platform features a dashboard with tools for making new NFT projects, deploying smart contracts for NFT creation, importing existing NFT collections, customizing NFT sale widgets, and building custom-made NFT marketplaces, with more features to come soon. Furthermore, RFOX NFTs opens more opportunities for creators to build their own NFT projects and marketplaces. This addresses some sought-after features in the NFT industry and encourages the spread of more avenues for creation, promotion, price discovery, and distribution of NFTs amid constantly increasing demand for such services. NFTs, short for non-fungible tokens, recently emerged as a main growth driver for the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry. About $41 billion worth of cryptocurrency was spent on NFT marketplaces and collections in 2021, a 410x rise from just $100 million in 2020. Given the global popularity of NFTs, creators and companies from different industries are proactively exploring opportunities to get in on the NFT action. Story continues The beta launch of RFOX NFTs builds upon the accomplishment of several key milestones for RFOXs NFT venture last year. RFOX NFTs powered the launch of the A$AP NAST x Reebok Zig Kinetica II Edge NFT collection and the Miss Universe Philippines NFT Collection, as well as the offering of virtual land in the RFOX VALT metaverse. With a proven track record of working with major partners such as Reebok, Miss Universe Philippines, and VOID Cyber, RFOX NFTs further expands its reach to more creators through this newly-launched platform. Ben Fairbank, Co-Founder and CEO of RFOX, said: We are proud to introduce the first major product launch of 2022 for RFOX: the RFOX NFT platform. This beta launch will showcase the world-class NFT solutions we provided to Reebok, Miss Universe Philippines, and VOID Cyber, to more artists and companies worldwide. We believe that NFTs will continue to grow in market capitalization and global presence, and at RFOX, were at the forefront of driving further growth for the industry. We invite artists, creators, and businesses to join us in spearheading the future of NFTs. The RFOX NFTs platform will be available in beta access in early February, followed by a full launch soon. NFT creators will be able to access the platform through their RFOX IDs. Interested parties can register on the RFOX NFTs website to gain beta access to the platform. RFOX VALT Grants Program Alongside its recent beta launch of RFOX NFTs, RFOX has also extended an invitation to creators around the world to join the RFOX VALT Grants Program, which gives qualified creators up to $10,000 to jumpstart their NFT projects. This grant program provides funding support to promising NFT creators and artists who want to enter the metaverse and launch their art collections on our very own NFT platform in the RFOX VALT metaverse. With the conclusion of virtual land sales for two quarters in the RFOX VALT last year, the RFOX VALT metaverse Is quickly taking shape, and it opens significant opportunities for artists around the world to leverage the metaverse for their creation and distribution of game-changing NFTs. Aside from funding support worth up to $10,000, the RFOX VALT Grants Program also gives creators access to technical support from the RFOX VALT team, which will guide artists in every step needed to feature their artworks in the metaverse, as well as global promotions of these NFTs to RFOXs thriving community and the general public. Sign up now on this website to apply for the RFOX VALT Grants Program and follow us on these social media platforms for RFOX NFTs: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Website: https://www.rfox.com CONTACT: Name: Ira Go Organization: Redfox Labs Limited Phone: +639155500764 The star attraction at Troy's Barbeque: the smoked ribs. Black History Month flavor spotlight One doesnt dine at Troys Barbeque just because its Black History Month. The barbecued ribs are just as smoky and delicious throughout the year and the service is just as welcoming and efficient. But February affords us the bigger-picture reasons to support Black-owned restaurants and other businesses as we celebrate a populations triumphs and rich contributions. Troy's Barbecue owner Anthony Barber took over the family barbecue business when his father, Troy Davis, retired. A family-owned restaurant like Troys is a fitting place to start. What began as pitmaster Troy Davis roadside barbecue stand on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Boynton Beacin June 1998 has expanded to a dual-city barbecue enterprise that includes two brick-and-mortar restaurants now run by Davis son, Anthony Barber. The latest Troys location operates in a brightly hued, wooden A-frame building on Georgia Avenue as part of the new-ish artists complex known as The Peach. Troy's Barbeque at The Peach artists' complex in West Palm Beach. This location offers the same menu as the original Troys Barbeque restaurant in Boynton Beach, which means its a terrific place for those smoked ribs. Nicely tender beneath a sweet-savory glaze, these ribs are quite addictive. You may find yourself setting a calendar alert Tuesdays, which is all-you-can-eat-ribs day at Troys from 4 p.m. to closing. You get endless ribs and two sides for $15.95. Troys Barbeque West Palm Beach: 3950 Georgia Ave., 561-788-5561; open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Marissa Mullen writes @ThatCheesePlate on Instagram and authored the best-selling book, That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life (Dial Press, May 2020). Say, Cheese! An Instagram cheese influencer opened up a new culinary window for me, quite unexpectedly. Marissa Mullen, the best-selling author behind the @ThatCheesePlate page, shared with me her roadmap to creating cheese-and-meat boards that transcend their photogenic looks. To call her a cheese influencer doesnt begin to cover her expertise on what makes a truly engaging spread. Shes more of a storyteller who aims to tell a regional narrative with her selected board elements. And shes something of a matchmaker who studies food pairings with a scholar's eye. Story continues One big takeaway from our chat: Mullen wont fling about the word charcuterie to describe just any board. The term, she says, has become synonymous with food on a plate. Like, Hey, look, a chocolate charcuterie! I hope youll read her story (featured below) as well as the related story about CheeseBoarder, the national cheese-and-meat board delivery enterprise based in Riviera Beach. Its the brainchild of longtime Wellington caterers Aaron and Julie Menitoff, who launched it as a way to stay afloat during the pandemic. A foamy cappuccino is served at the new Common Grounds coffee shop in West Palm Beach. Openings: A brand new coffee shop The Common Grounds Brew and Roastery opened its newest coffee-shop outpost at 7 a.m. today at the new Plaza at CasaMara on South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach (between Southern Boulevard and Belvedere Road). It is the third and largest location for the local, community-minded coffee roaster that first opened in Lake Worth Beach in 2014 as a nonprofit that sought to create a supportive hub for artists and entrepreneurs. Community is our bloodline, Common Grounds owner Justin Olive said in a news release. We want to be a place where people gather and feel connected with others. With an onsite coffee roastery, the new Common Grounds cafe offers a 40-seat indoor space as well as al fresco seating. The coffee shop, which will serve a range of specialty coffee drinks and select bites, is tucked into a building that also houses upscale apartments. Common Grounds at CasaMara: Located at 3065 S. Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, 561-247-7411, Facebook.com/commongroundsbr; open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Kapow restaurant in Boca Raton offers a range of shareable plates. Art and bites Headed to the Boca Raton Museum Art Festival at Mizner Park this weekend? If youre looking for food-and-drink options at the plaza, youve got plenty: Maxs Grille (404 Plaza Real, 561-368-0080) Kapow Noodle Bar (431 Plaza Real, 561-347-7322) Dubliner Irish Pub (435 Plaza Real, 561-620-2540) Loch Bar (346 Plaza Real, 561-939-6600) Yard House (201 Plaza Real, 561-417-6124) Villagio (344 Plaza Real, 561-447-2257) Calaveras Cantina (409 Plaza Real, 561-576-2132) Cielito Artisan Pops (430 Plaza Real, 305-397-7392) Sloans ice cream shop (329 Plaza Real, 561-338-9887) Heres to a delicious weekend! Liz Balmaseda This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Newsletter: a Black History Month flavor spotlight The Sycamore Institute reports K-12 education is the single largest expense from state dollars in Tennessees budget. In addition, education spending has constantly comprised 28% to 30% of all state spending for the last decade. Public education has evolved according to the needs of our society. It is an imperfect system, and to be fair, many changes in public education still need to happen for innovation and improvement to occur. Are we measuring the right things? Are we asking the right questions? Are we better or worse educationally today than we were 50 years ago? 20 years ago? 10 years ago? Only a few years ago, under former Gov. Bill Haslam, our schools were identified among the fastest improving in the country, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Accolades were pouring in nationally. Yet we moved away from that success with the change of leadership, opting for new programs, including a new Literacy Program in 2021. Many, felt Haslams Read to Be Ready Initiative launched in 2016 was already showing promising results. More: Gov. Bill Lee outlines $1B more for education, new conservative initiatives in annual State of the State Pupils, personnel and programs matter We have heard Gov. Lee recently use the term student-centered funding. It is not a new term and infers that the money follows the child. Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State address on Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 in Nashville, Tenn. Lee has been adamant that funding is not connected to school vouchers and Education Savings Accounts. In simple terms, we could identify three therecomponents to child-centered education: Pupils Personnel Programs We know there is also a need for facilities. Our pupils or students come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, along with diverse factors including socioeconomic factors, abilities, knowledge levels, and even language. Not all children can be successful in a standardized model. Some of our lowest-performing and socio-economically disadvantaged schools and their struggling students need more support and help. Story continues Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns. The critical ingredient in the education system is our personnel. They must continuously reinvent themselves, with ongoing professional development and advanced degrees to better serve students. Teachers are leaving education, and there is a shortage looming. Teacher recruitment and retention are critical issues in public education. They are critical to the success of our children and the prosperity of our state. Personnel is a needed critical investment. Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter: Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. Details lacking in Lee's State of the State speech We are program rich in Tennessee. State and district leaders readily jump from program to program, with little sustainability. We import many programs from outside the state, and while some work, many dont. Programs that are promoted by influential organizations, funded by philanthropic advocates with no background in public education are not delivering the promised results. Many of those people have Governor Lees ear at the state level and that has been reflected in education policies statewide. If we reviewed all the failed programs or questionable contracts to politically connected vendors in the last 20 years alone, the cost would be staggering. In the 2022 State of the State, the Governor outlined a budget document, with a little commentary thrown in to break the monotony. Details were severely lacking. No mention of COVID, or the $4.3 billion federal dollars brought into the state for education, or where that money was spent. Instead, we get a proposed new funding formula, with few specifics. More: Replay: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee gives annual State of the State address It harkens back to the Obamacare debate, we have to pass the bill to know what is in the bill. And we should all be alarmed by the lack of details. The current funding model is also student-centered, as it is reliant on students being enrolled and attending to get funding. The only change we have seen is the addition of funds to various new categories. These categories will likely expand in the future, and begs the question are we creating new entitlement programs. This proposed funding model will be much more complex, and likely require a vendor to manage. How quickly can the state and districts adapt to a new funding model? Will it improve education? Your state. Your stories. Support more reporting like this. A subscription gives you unlimited access to stories across Tennessee that make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Click here to become a subscriber. Is this about Lee's legacy or the students? The state should keep the current Basic Education Program (BEP) formula, and increase funding to the current system, while we study the new proposal and not rush this process. We must determine the local funding component and fiscal capacity of local communities' needs before launching a new funding strategy. Local funding bodies and school districts need to look at the potential impact. JC Bowman If Governor Lee is eyeing national office or is merely hoping to cement his legacy as governor, he needs to get the funding system right. Like Colin Powell reminded President Bush: You break it, you own it. Legislators cannot rush a new funding plan into existence, where we spend years plugging holes again, trying to fix another broken funding system. You will own this one. Moving education policy is a lot like the game Jenga. If you remove the wrong piece the structure collapses. This is especially true in education funding. Lets get education funding right. JC Bowman is executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-partisan teacher association, located in Nashville. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee education funding: Gov. Bill Lee must get this right Elizabeth Groginsky, left, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Early Childhood Education & Care Department, visits MECA Therapies, LLC, in Las Cruces to see how local child care and development providers are functioning during COVID-19. LAS CRUCES - New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care Department was established in 2020 to provide resources to the state's youngest residents prenatal to 5 years old. ECECD Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky talked last week about her vision for the department in its infancy itself over the next four years. "Our vision is that all New Mexico families and young children are thriving," Groginsky said in a news conference Thursday. "In order to accomplish that vision is to optimize the health, development, education and well-being of babies, toddlers and preschoolers through high-quality, community-based early childhood programs and services." More: New Mexico State University removes Carol Parker as provost, begins search for replacement Specifically, Groginsky said the department needs to increase pay for early childhood education and care providers, needs to build inroads within the state's rural areas and needs to increase facilities that provide education and care in the state's population centers, including Las Cruces. To meet this plan, Groginsky said, more funding is essential. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's latest budget proposal includes $195 million in general fund spending for the department and a $30 million addition to the Early Childhood Trust Fund, which was established in 2020 with $300 million in funding. Pulling funds together The ECECD four-year plan, which was released in November, depends on the investment returns of the Early Childhood Trust Fund, as well as the federal Child Care and Development Fund, the department's annual general fund and temporary COVID-19 relief funding. "The funding for programs and services that we just talked about, have often just been linked to what funding is available," Groginsky said. "They've never been funded at what they actually cost to deliver the services." Groginsky hopes to further expand this available funding. Story continues Everything comes down to pay, according to Groginsky, to ensure quality early childhood education. Early childhood providers need higher wages, professional development opportunities and mental health support systems, especially throughout the pandemic. "We need to pay attention to what other supports they need, that are outside of just delivering the services," Groginsky said, noting that these providers have been historically undervalued. ECECD estimated the current minimum hourly wage being earned by entry-level childcare providers in its programs is $12.10. Groginsky aims to raise that minimum to $18 by 2026 to help decrease high turnover rates and ensure providers are of high quality. Expanding further ECECD has spent significant effort in building connections with the state's sovereign nations. A new initiative to begin providing more childcare and educational services in local tribes is underway. The plan states that $1.5 million will be spent on this outreach in 2023 and aims to invest $6.1 million by 2026. "When we look at the tribes across our state and the rural areas, this is where that government-to-government consultation is so critical to understand their needs," said Jovanna Archuleta, assistant secretary for Native American Early Childhood Education and Care. "We want to hear from them directly on how we can support them in their rural and tribal areas." More: Las Cruces, Gadsden school districts seek National Guard substitutes Groginsky said outreach in rural areas has proven difficult in the department's infancy. In some of the state's more remote areas, there are not enough students nor early childhood educators. But in population centers such as Las Cruces, the opposite is true, Groginsky said too many students. She said there are about 6,000 preschoolers in Las Cruces who do not have access to early childhood care because of a lack of early child education facilities. With raising funding, ECECD aims to expand greatly in the next several years. Groginsky said the department serves about 19,000 New Mexico children through the child Care Quality Support program. They estimate an increase to 47,000 students by 2026. As one of only a few state departments that focus on early childhood education and care, Groginsky thinks ECECD will inspire other states to follow New Mexico's footsteps. More: Remembering Gary D. Williams, architect of some of Las Cruces' iconic buildings The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department releases a four-year financial plan to expand services for children and families. "Understanding how this system is financed is something that we can bring more attention to," Groginsky said. "The fragmented funding that you saw, all these different sources the state has to put together to make sure those programs are offered at the level of quality needed to get the results for families and children. "We're going to see widespread economic and societal benefits here in New Mexico, as a result of fully investing and supporting our prenatal-to-5 early childhood system," she said. Miranda Cyr, a Report for America corps member, can be reached at mcyr@lcsun-news.com or @mirandacyr on Twitter. Show your support for the Report for America program at https://bit.ly/LCSNRFA. This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: What's next for New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department? With the cancer deaths worldwide forecast to rise by 60% in the next two decades to 16 million every year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a plan to tackle the severe shortage of cancer care in poorer countries. The plan focuses initially on Africa, where people often die from the disease because they lack access to potentially life-saving nuclear medicine and radiotherapy, a WAM report said. Stressing that time is of the essence in addressing a growing global cancer crisis, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the IAEAs ''Rays of Hope'' initiative on the eve of an African heads of state summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Of the African Unions 55 members, more than 20 nations do not have a single radiotherapy machine. "Millions of people living in less developed countries are dying from cancer that is often treatable and curable. We have a moral duty to do our utmost to turn this sad situation around," he said. Held on World Cancer Day, the launch event was co-hosted by Senegals President Macky Sall, the incoming Chairperson of the African Union, and Didier Mazenga, Minister of Regional Integration of the Democratic Republic of Congo, speaking on behalf of President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, the current Chairperson. Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat of the African Union Commission (AUC) addressed the event, which was also attended by Malawis President Lazarus Chakwera. Adding further weight to the initiative, Grossi issued a joint statement with Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization (WHO), saying cancer treatment remains inaccessible in many parts of the world and that "the disparity is particularly acute" in Africa. "Together, and with Rays of Hope adding new impetus, the IAEA and WHO remain committed to upscaling their long-standing close collaboration toward common goals, closing the cancer care inequity gaps and accelerating progress toward the achievement of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development," the joint statement said. The low- and middle-income countries in Africa and elsewhere suffer the brunt of this global health tragedy with mortality rates far above those in wealthier regions. Rays of Hope builds on the IAEAs six decades of experience and expertise in nuclear science to diagnose and treat different types of tumours. It aims to mobilise financial resources and partners and to galvanise political will to step up the fight against a scourge killing many who could have been successfully treated with modern medical technology. It will seek to promote cancer care for all by improving availability of radiotherapy services, medical imaging and nuclear medicine that are critical for detecting and curing this disease. This would not only avoid countless deaths 700,000 people succumbed to cancer in Africa alone in 2020 but also provide significant societal and economic benefits. "Rays of Hope offers a way forward to remedy the global disparity in cancer care, with concrete projects that set up or expand the required infrastructure, procure radiotherapy equipment, and train personnel," the IAEAs Grossi told the audience of African leaders and senior government officials. "It will allow us to save many lives and support communities and economies that depend on the health of their people." Over 70% of cancer deaths are expected to occur in low- and middle-income countries, which still receive only five percent of global spending in this area. In Africa, cancer kills at least as many people as malaria each year. Adding to the challenges, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a large drop in nuclear medicine procedures in Africa. "This silent pandemic gets only a negligible share of the funding available elsewhere and for other diseases. That is why the IAEAs Rays of Hope starts in Africa and then moves to developing countries in the rest of the world," Grossi said. "Together, we can do something important to deal with the cancer crisis in Africa and elsewhere." Stark differences in cancer survival rates between rich and poor countries underline both the urgent needs and the huge potential to save more lives. For cervical as well as childhood cancers, seven out of ten patients survive in high-income countries compared with three or less in Africa. Closing the gap in imaging, treatment and quality of care could avert 2.5 million African cancer deaths, according to a 2021 Lancet Oncology Commission report co-authored by the IAEA. The economic gains are equally clear: for every $1 spent with this objective, the return on investment is calculated at $21 over patients average lifetimes, the report says. IAEA assistance over the past several decades has enabled dozens of countries to establish or strengthen safe, secure and effective radiation medicine capabilities. But more resources are necessary to bridge a persistent and enormous shortfall in necessary equipment and skilled personnel in many parts of the world. Rays of Hope will establish a coalition of partners and donors from government, the private sector and the wider international community, working closely also with the WHO. Several countries have already expressed their intention to support the initiative. Even relatively small investments setting up and operating a radiotherapy unit able to treat 500 patients per year can cost $7.5 million will make a significant difference in a countrys capacity to offer adequate cancer care to its people. Half of all cancer patients need radiotherapy, a ratio that goes up in countries where cancer is often detected late. In the initiatives first stage, Grossi said implementation would start immediately in the following seven countries: Benin, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Malawi, Kenya, and Senegal.-- TradeArabia News Service Republicans in the new General Assembly have a lot that they want to do. Much of it involves reversing legislation enacted when the Democrats were in charge during the last session. None of that is surprising. However, what has taken some people aback, and what many find disturbing, has been a swath of bills introduced, some 20 so far, to restrict or limit voting access, early voting, and absentee voting. All of it, or so it seems, has one purpose; to limit the number of people who have access to the ballot box. Limiting voter access hearkens back to a dark past in Virginia, a past we dont want to again endorse. During the early 1960s, in the waning days of Jim Crow and before the Civil Rights Voting Act (1965), Virginia had the second lowest voter participation rate in the nation. Mississippi beat us out for the 50th spot. We not only had the poll tax, which many couldnt afford to pay, but we also actively discouraged African Americans from registering. Even after the Supreme Court ruled the poll tax unconstitutional, and the Voting Rights Act had passed, Virginia still lagged near the bottom when it came to voter participation. This was so because up until the 1990s, if you wanted to register to vote, you had to go to the courthouse. Of course, some counties made registration easier by allowing registrars to sign up voters at events, at nursing homes and in schools. But generally, Virginias old ways prevailed. At the time, it was Democratic conservatives, remnants of the old Byrd Machine, that advocated this restrictive approach to the franchise. However, there was a thaw, but not thanks to anything Virginia did. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 required state agencies, such as the department of motor vehicles, to provide voter registration services. This allowed anyone getting a license, registering a car or signing up for the National Guard to simultaneously register to vote. Our voting rolls went up substantially. Still, there were limitations. The state wouldnt allow no excuse absentee voting, and early voting was only for those who knew they couldnt vote on polling day. The pandemic, and a Democratic legislature, far more open to making it easier to vote, forced another thaw. We now have early voting that begins well before Election Day, no excuse absentee voting, and its become easier to vote by mail. None of this should seem threatening. Virginias reputation for clean elections is well known. We have good registrars, administer our voting lists well, and yes, there are serious penalties for anyone who wants to violate the rules. So why is the new Republican legislature so gung-ho on pulling back on what many consider progress? That answer is surprisingly simple, and it has little to do with voter fraud. They, just like the Democrats from the segregation era, want a manageable pool of voters. This desire is based on the perception, not necessarily accurate, that when ballot access is easier, Republicans tended to do less well than their Democratic counterparts. However, the 2021 election in Virginia proves this wrong. With 1.2 million people voting absentee or voting early, Republicans swept Virginia. That compares with roughly 600,000 absentee votes in 2016. Maybe, on this score, this is something Virginias GOP legislators should think over before they support restrictive voting laws. Its hard to see how anybody wins by limiting voter access to the polls. And thats especially true in the commonwealth. We overcame a long and painful history of voter restrictions, some downright mean, to get to where we are. Why would we want to backtrack on that? David S. Kerr, a Stafford County resident, has worked on Capitol Hill and for a number of federal agencies. He is an instructor in the Political Sciences Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. At least three Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a militant attack in the Kurram district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, an official told RFE/RL on February 6. Four army soldiers were injured in the attack and the following firefight late on February 5 at a security check post bordering Afghanistan, said the official, who requested his name not be used as he was not authorized to talk to media. He said that after the attack the militants crossed the border into Afghanistan. The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has not commented on the incident but in the past has reiterated that it will not allow its soil to be used for transnational attacks. Hashmat Ali, a resident of the nearby town of Mali Khel, told RFE/RL that the sound of gunfire could be heard up till midnight. The attack in the Kurram district came hours after the Pakistani military said security forces had cleared separatist militants from two areas of the southwestern Balochistan Province after they attacked two army camps, leaving nine soldiers dead and six others wounded. In a statement issued late on February 5, Pakistan's military said 20 militants were killed in intense, hourslong firefights and follow-up operations. The military statement said militants attacked security forces' camps in Balochistan in the districts of Naushki and Panjgur late on February 2 and both attacks were eventually repulsed. An ethnic separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attacks. The military said nine attackers were killed in Naushki, while four troops, including an officer, were killed. It said in Panjgur, security forces repulsed the attack after an intense exchange of fire and the attackers fled the area. Security forces began an operation to hunt down the fleeing attackers and a curfew in the areas was imposed. Four fleeing militants were killed in Panjgur, while four who were hiding elsewhere were killed in an operation on February 5 when they refused to surrender, the military said. It said three other militants linked to the attacks were killed in the district of Kech on February 4. Five soldiers were killed and six others wounded in follow-up operations. Authorities say they have quelled an insurgency launched by Baluch separatists demanding independence from Pakistan in the southwestern province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. However, attacks on security forces and their installations have persisted. Separatists and militants have regularly staged attacks in Balochistan in recent years. Last week, 10 soldiers were killed in an attack on a security post in the province. The TTP also has a presence in Balochistan. It is an umbrella group that is separate from the Afghan Taliban. In a separate statement on February 6, the military said security forces killed a would-be suicide bomber from the TTP in the district of Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Separately, security forces arrested a militant during a raid at a hideout in the Sarwakai area of the South Waziristan tribal district. The military statement said militant Allah Noor was trying to escape wearing a woman's burqa to hide his identify. In the Makeen area of South Waziristan, troops seized arms, ammunition, and communications gear and arrested four people who were transporting them. With reporting by AP and Reuters Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged closer cooperation with Pakistan in a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Cooperation will be strengthened under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor program to invest in infrastructure, Xi said on February 6, according to the government-backed Communist Party newspaper Global Times. "The strategic relationship between China and Pakistan is of prominence in a changing world," Xi was quoted as saying. China also is willing to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan at the United Nations and promote justice and world and regional peace, Xi said. Xi met a range of world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Olympics got under way. The meetings came amid concerns over a Russian military buildup near Ukraine and concerns that it is a prelude to an invasion. With reporting by AP and AFP Bahrains first-ever satellite has just been launched into orbit from the International Space Station today (February 3), after having arrived at the ISS at the end of last year. Light-1 was launched in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) from the Japanese section of the ISS alongside another satellite designed to detect terrestrial gamma rays. The Light-1 satellite a joint project between Bahrains National Space Science Agency (NSSA), UAE Space Agency, Khalifa University and New York University Abu Dhabi will be used to conduct research during lightning storms, that will help civil aviation safety experts in future. The launch was broadcast live on Bahrain TV, and Bahrains NSSA engineering specialist Aysha Alharam gave the launch signal. JAXA coordinated the launch from the Tsukuba Space Centre (TKSC) in Japan, and the event was broadcast live on social media channels. It was also live-streamed on Bahrains NSSA National TV and JAXA. The Light-1 CubeSat represents the regions first scientific mission to monitor and study Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) from thunderstorms and lightning. Data gathered from the Light-1 CubeSat, which aims to leverage space science to support sustainable economic growth, will be shared globally to support scientific analysis and encourage cooperation with research centres around the world. The team that worked on the design and development of Light-1 bus consists of 22 university students from Khalifa University including nine Bahrainis, 10 Emiratis, and three international students, advised by Dr Firas Jarrar, Manager, Yahsat Space Lab, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering. The NYU Abu Dhabi team of five Emirati students and five international students, who worked on the development of the payload called Rapid Acquisition Atmospheric Detector (RAAD Arabic for thunder), was advised by Dr Francesco Arneodo, Programme Head of Physics, and Dr Mallory Roberts, Professor of Physics. Dr. Mohamed Ebrahim Al Aseeri, Chief Executive Officer of the Bahrains National Space Science Agency (NSSA), said, "At the beginning, I am pleased to raise the highest congratulations and sincere blessings to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, The King of Bahrain, and to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and to the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, on the occasion of the successful launch of the Bahrain-UAE Joint Satellite (Light 1) to its space orbit." "The guidance and support of wise leadership have been and continues to be the main motivation of the NSSA throughout its journey to achieve successive achievements and to enter steadily into the space field, paving the way for the implementation of more projects to achieve our national ambition," stated Dr Al Aseeri. "I also commend the active follow-up of the work of the NSSA by His Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Advisor, Commander of the Royal Guard, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Defense, which contributed to motivating the members of the NSSA to give their utmost to acquire modern sciences and skills to form the first nucleus of national competencies specialised in the space sector, and contribute to the implementation of the future projects of the NSSA to serve the Bahrain plans to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs)," he added. Lauding Emirates Space Agency for its generous support and cooperation, Dr Al Aseeri said: "This project is a model for scientific and technical cooperation to serve humanity through the peaceful exploitation of space, and the NSSA is moving forward with more projects to achieve the goals for which it was established." Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive VP Khalifa University, said: "The launch of Light-1 CubeSat into its orbit from the International Space Station reflects the intense collaboration engaged by all stakeholders involved, as well as the extent of technical brilliance displayed by students in the UAE with suitable guidance from experts." "As this UAE-Bahraini nanosatellite reached its orbital position, we believe this collaboration initiative will stand out as the best example of what can be achieved by the scientists in the Arab world," he added. Vice Chancellor of NYU Abu Dhabi Mariet Westermann said: "I would like to congratulate our incredible team of students and faculty at NYU Abu Dhabi on their contributions to this historic mission, particularly their work pertaining to the scientific payload. NYU Abu Dhabi takes pride in its diversity and academic excellence, and todays launch of the Light-1 CubeSat into its orbit from ISS is the perfect manifestation of these values: key entities and experts in the field have come together from different countries and backgrounds to achieve one common, inspiring goal. We hope that the satellite will provide new data on terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, and that scientists and people around the world will benefit from them." Salem Butti Al Qubaisi, Director-General of UAE Space Agency, said: "The UAE has made massive strides in its space journey over the past few years, and the successful deployment of our Light-1 nanosatellite into orbit is a major milestone." "Coming close on our recent success with the Emirates Mars Mission, and our first space astronaut Hazza AlMansouris journey to the ISS, this is an endorsement of our achievements in the cosmos," noted Al Qubaisi. "At the UAE Space Agency, we are committed to exchange knowledge and expertise with the international community to stimulate cutting-edge research, scientific discoveries and human progress. We thank all our partners across the UAE, Bahrain, US and Japan for their support in making this mission possible," he added. The owners of Dos Santos Tacos, a traditional sit-down restaurant, are bringing a fast-casual, grab-and-go concept to downtown Colorado Springs. Dos Dos, as the new restaurant will be called, will take over an empty storefront at 131 N. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs. The space, on the southeast corner of Tejon and Bijou streets and across from Acacia Park, was the longtime home of a Subway sandwich shop that's been vacant since it closed in 2020. Dos Dos will be a spinoff of Dos Santos Tacos, said Jason Wallenta, a co-owner of Dos Santos with his wife, Riley O'Brien, and his brother, Kris. Dos Santos opened in 2015 in Denver; it expanded to downtown Colorado Springs in 2018 as one of several restaurants in the remodeled Trolley Building in the 500 block of South Tejon. Dos Dos will be "burrito driven," Jason Wallenta said breakfast burritos in the morning and more traditional burritos during the day. Another signature item will be tacos al pastor a taco made with pork that's cooked on a rotated, vertical spit. The item is popular in Mexico, Wallenta said. "It's a soft taco that literally nobody in the Springs is doing," he said. Other menu fare will include nachos, bowls and salads. Though Dos Dos will be related to Dos Santos Tacos, it will have all new recipes, Wallenta added. The Dos Santos owners have looked for a downtown Colorado Springs space to launch a spinoff that would cater more to a casual crowd, with grab-and-go fare, Wallenta said. The former Subway location was a perfect fit, he said. Not only is it across from Acacia Park, but it's about a block from Palmer High School. It's also is the heart of the Tejon Street retail corridor frequented by office workers and tourists. "There's tons of college kids and office people and offices where they don't have time to go down to Dos Santos and get a whole taco meal," Wallenta said. "But you can run down the block to get a burrito to go or a salad, some nachos or some al pastor tacos." Though Dos Dos will have grab-and-go items, it also will have indoor seating for 30 to 40 people; customers can walk in, order food at a counter, pick it up and sit down, Wallenta said. A full-service, indoor-outdoor cocktail bar and an expanded, updated patio also will be major restaurant amenities, Wallenta said. "You could just grab burritos to go or you could grab a seat at the bar and have a bartender wait on you and order food and order drinks," he said. The former Subway space will get a makeover as part of the new restaurant, according to a proposal submitted to city government planners by YOW Architects of Colorado Springs. The building's exterior will be stripped down to its original brick facade, the proposal shows. New windows and doors, metal accents and a west-facing, garage door on the building's front also are planned. "This project shall update the existing bland facade that faces Acacia Park (and become) a prominent feature for the downtown area," YOW Architects' proposal says. Wallenta said he expects building construction to begin in mid to late January, and Dos Dos is targeted to open in the summer. If Dos Dos does well, the owners will look to open additional locations, he said. Dos Dos would be the latest venture for the Wallentas, who have a long background in the restaurant industry. Growing up in New Haven, Conn., Jason and Kris talked about opening their own restaurant, according to the Dos Santos Tacos website. They moved to Colorado in the early 1990s, attended college here and decided to stay after falling in love with the state, Jason said. Kris spent time in Mexico with an aunt and uncle who operated a restaurant, then attended the French Culinary Institute in New York before he opened his first restaurant in 2008 in Mexico. Jason later joined Kris in Mexico, where they opened a second restaurant in 2010. The brothers returned to Denver and opened Dos Santos Tacos in July 2015. In 2017, they opened White Pie Pizzeria in Denver; in early 2021, they expanded the White Pie concept to downtown Colorado Springs with a location at 330 S. Nevada Ave. Their latest Dos Santos Tacos is slated to open in mid-January in Castle Rock. Denver Police chief Paul Pazen speaks about the cross-town shooting spree that left five people dead the previous night during a press conference at the Lakewood Police Department on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Lakewood, Colo. (Timothy Hurst/The Gazette) Its been a few years since Ive donned a pair of skis, but back when I did it was one of the few sports I wasnt horrible at and also (theref Scoring 91.8% on the Customer Happiness Index, Dubai Customs has won the second place on the Dubai Government Customer Happiness Index 2021. At a virtual ceremony organised by Dubai Customs, representatives of business groups in Dubai said effective communication channels provided by Dubai Customs contributed considerably in enhancing connection and cooperation between the government and private sectors. Dubai Customs, judged and measured by the Dubai Government Excellence programme, and announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council. The ceremony was attended by Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, executive directors and representatives of business groups in Dubai; members of the Dubai Customs Consultative Council (DCCC). We work in tandem with Dubai Customs towards a common goal which is growing trade and protecting the society, said Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of the National Association of Freight & Logistics. We are part of a network with 150 branches and affiliates worldwide, and I say it with confidence the performance and service delivery of Dubai Customs is exceptional and outstanding. Lakhi Ramchandani, CEO of Retail Business Group congratulated Dubai Customs for winning the second place on the Customer Happiness Index, and said successes achieved by trade groups in Dubai are mainly based on the continuous support they receive from Dubai Customs, which listens to suggestions of DCCC members and customise services according to their needs. On his part, Dharmendra Sawlani, President of Dubai Computer Group said Dubai Customs is a leading example of modernity and development, which is part of the success the emirate of Dubai achieves in all sectors thanks to its wise leadership. Director General of Dubai Customs highly praised the clients for their role in making this success. He pointed out that Dubai Customs is a real trailblazer in facilitating local, regional and global trade by developing and innovating new systems and procedures to help businesses get the best of their activities. These include the ATA Carnet, the Authorised Economic Operator, the Virtual Corridor, iDeclare, the risk Engine, e-Commerce platform, among others. Musabih highlighted the objectives of Dubai Customs 2021-2026 strategic plan and the overriding theme of protecting the society and supporting sustainable development. The plan stands on five principles: Agile, Innovative, Digital, Disruptive, Visionary. Dubai Customs has recently celebrated the International Customs Day as part of its 5th UAE Customs Week celebrations, which saw the participation of the World Customs Organisation. In a recorded message to Dubai Customs, Dr Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) said the UAE is an outstanding example in digital transformation and creativity. Mikuriya applauded Dubai Customs for their vital role in facilitating global trade. Edris Behzad, Director of Client Happiness Department talked about Dubai Customs journey in client happiness, and how the leading organisation made it to the second place.-- TradeArabia News Service Republican Gregory Moore, a 2022 candidate for the Colorado Senate seat held by Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, is pictured in an undated photo. Today A mix of clouds and sun with gusty winds. High 57F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible. Tonight Partly cloudy. Low 38F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Tomorrow Windy with a mix of clouds and sun in the morning. Showers developing during the afternoon. High 58F. SSE winds shifting to NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible. Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts The Devils Advocate with Jon Caldara on Colorado Public Television Channel 12. After total reported overdoses in Annapolis dropped by a third and fatalities fell by nearly half in 2021 compared with 2020, the Office of Emergency Management is hoping to continue making up ground lost in the battle against the opioid crisis during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the city recorded 135 total overdoses, 110 of those from heroin or another opioid, according to the Annapolis Police Department. Thats a 33% decrease from 198 overdoses reported in 2020. Overdose fatalities fell from 28 in 2020 to 16 in 2021, a 42% drop. Fourteen of those died from heroin or another opioid. One additional fatality from last year is still pending lab results. Advertisement In the second year of a pandemic, these numbers are extraordinary, said Kevin Simmons, director of the Office of Emergency Management, which oversees the citys response to the opioid epidemic. This year, Simmons is hoping to continue the positive trends while trying to lower the number of overdoses that go undocumented, which often happens when a person walks away before the incident can be recorded. Part of the solution, he said, is to train community members to call 911 before they begin administering treatments like naloxone, an overdose reversal medication, so emergency workers have time to respond and give aid. Advertisement Naloxone was administered 98 times last year, down from 138 administrations in 2020; however, the total percentage of overdoses in which naloxone was applied increased from 70% to 73%. Community members provided the drug in 42% of those incidents, up from 33% in 2020, Simmons said. He credited residents with taking a more active role in responding to overdoses including establishing caches of naloxone throughout the neighborhood for easy access. If more overdoses are recorded, the city can reach people suffering from substance abuse disorders and offer them the chance to enter a drug-treatment program. And once theyre done, they should have access to mental health and recovery services and programs like criminal record expungement and financial literacy programs, Simmons said. The biggest barrier to being successful is that once theyre out of treatment, they feel alone, they feel abandoned, he said. Anne Arundel overdoses, deaths down Overdoses and fatalities also decreased in Anne Arundel County in 2021, down by 18.6% and 18.1%, respectively, compared with 2020, according to data collected by the county and city police departments. Total overdoses plummeted from 1,044 in 2020 to 850 last year, the lowest since 2019 when 889 overdoses were recorded. Fatal overdoses dropped to 158, down from 193 the year before. In 2019, 140 people died of an overdose, county data showed. The decline in 2021 can be attributed to all of the countys drug intervention programs coming back online over the past year as the COVID-19 vaccine was introduced to the public and other restrictions were loosened, Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said. After starting 2020 with the promise of more money and resources to combat addiction, the coronavirus pandemic struck in March, derailing outreach efforts. By years end, fatal overdoses in Annapolis had more than doubled from 13 to 28, the most in a single year. Anne Arundel County also saw a 20% increase in fatal overdoses, following a trend seen across the country as the entire support system for people in recovery or seeking recovery services evaporated virtually overnight. Advertisement The surge was an eye-opener for everyone, Simmons said. The city and county were able to restart naloxone distribution, expand the WellMobile and continue the Safe Stations program, located at fire stations throughout the county, among many other outreach efforts in its arsenal, Kalyanaraman said. That has all helped and weve also focused a lot of our outreach on high-risk populations so folks with multiple overdoses, pregnant women, women with children to make sure we get those at higher risk, he said. Its really all of the above. While officials are glad to see the numbers go down, there are still too many overdoses and deaths, Kalyanaraman said, noting that Anne Arundel still has the third-most overdoses in the state of Maryland. He pointed specifically to Black men who have the highest rate of opioid overdose of any race or sex category in the county. In 2021, 21.3 overdoses per 10,000 residents occurred among Black men, county data shows. White men are the most likely to die from an overdose with a rate of 4.3 per 10,000, slightly higher than Black men at 4.1 per 10,000. Simmons said resources must be directed at Black men in Annapolis as well, who accounted for more than a third of all overdoses last year and four fatalities. Advertisement Were glad to see that its getting better, but its still bad, Kalyanaraman said. We want to make sure that these services get to all parts of the county, and so weve got to continue to expand our existing services to make sure that everybody has access to them. New hires and funding In Annapolis, a robust drug intervention program costs about $100,000 annually, Simmons said. He secured that funding in 2021 from a $35,000 block grant from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health and a $65,000 budget appropriation from the city of Annapolis. With the money, Simmons made a slew of hires including a coordinator for the Naptown Anti-Dope MoveMeant, which offers face-to-face interaction for residents and opioid intervention teams, and a project coordinator to collect data and run the ODFree online dashboard. Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. > Two field support liaisons were hired and deployed in wards 4 and 6, which have historically been hot spots for overdoses. Since 2015, Ward 6 has recorded the most overdoses with 293. Ward 3 is second with 151 and Ward 4 has had 128. After years of lobbying the health department, the city was also able to bring the WellMobile to wards 4 and 6 twice a week. The health treatment clinic on wheels offers drug addiction resources to residents as well as other health services like COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Simmons also credited efforts by the Annapolis Police Department for several high-profile drug seizures to help reduce the supply of heroin, cocaine and other drugs into the city. The police reentry program, which connects those returning from incarceration to a range of resources, including job training and treatment, has also been a significant asset in the fight against the epidemic, he said. Advertisement Kalyanaraman said his department is focused on addressing a common concern among citizens: They dont know that services exist. The county can pour millions into new initiatives or expand new ones, but they dont work if no one knows about them, he said. Our mission is really to make sure that this information is easy to find in everybodys hands and is accessible when they need it, he said. I think programs like Safe Stations are a good example, right? It is available whenever you need it. Still, officials are keeping the recent gains made in the city and county in perspective. There is still a lot more work to do. This can revert back to where we were if we arent careful, Simmons said. We cant rest on our laurels. As a young Air Force public affairs sergeant in 1990, George Hayward learned firsthand accounts of Americans tortured in North Vietnamese prisons and a little-known story of escape. The telling came from retired Col. William Baugh, a civilian public affairs chief Hayward served under at Falcon Air Force Base now Schriever Space Force Base east of Colorado Springs. Baugh was shot down in an F-4 while bombing a railroad east of Hanoi on Jan. 21, 1967. He would spend more than six years as a prisoner of war alongside many other Air Force fighter pilots. An essential conflict in The Party Dolls, a book by Hayward, surrounds the Code of Conduct for American POWs, and in particular, Articles III and IV, which butted heads. Article III stated, If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy. While part of article IV read, If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. Hayward interviewed nine former POWs between 1995 and 2002. Their voices and remembrances drive the book and move the story forward. Captains John Dramesi and Ed Atterberry escaped on May 10, 1969, with help from their fellow prisoners, only to be captured within a day. Planning the escape and waiting for the right opportunity took more than a year. Many in the Hanoi prison known as The Annex didnt want an attempted escape to occur, saying that it wouldnt work and that those left behind would be punished. Both proved to be true. Its a story of incredible bravery against the longest of odds, and of bitter conflict, Hayward said. The North Vietnamese segregated prisoners by rank, with mostly Air Force captains and Navy lieutenants (equal rank) pilots and aircrew housed in The Annex. The Annex had six identical buildings that were divided in half by a thick wall. Each cell was roughly 18 by 20 feet and housed as many as nine prisoners. Those interviewed for The Party Dolls were in Room 6 and 5, which shared a wall. Dramesi was one of the six interviewed from Room 6. Atterberry died shortly after being captured and his voice isnt included in the book. Navy Lt. John Mike McGrath and Air Force Capt. Konrad Konnie Trautman are the two voices included from Room 5. Konnie Trautman is pivotal in the entire story because he was the senior ranking officer and essential in command of all the POWs, Hayward said. The fact that they were right next door, there was more direct communication between the two cells, plus they (Dramesi and Atterberry) couldnt escape without his approval, made them critical elements to the story. Every room had a designated note writer, the person who could write clearest and neatest for scribbling on toilet paper. Mike McGrath happened to be Room 5's guy. Therefore, when Troutman would say we need to send a note to Room 6, McGrath was the one that wrote it. So, the two of them really had key insights into the whole process. Their insights werent just hearsay. McGrath who lives in Monument and wrote the book Prisoner of War: 6 years in Hanoi served more than 24 years after graduating from the Naval Academy. The then Navy lieutenant was shot down flying his 179th mission, in June 1967. He arrived at The Annex via the infamous Hanoi Hilton where many fighter pilots were tortured for years. Everybody thought it was a bad idea to try to escape, said McGrath, who was imprisoned for five years, eight months. Dramesi really wanted to escape and used the third rule of conduct. Konrad didnt support it, McGrath said. As the senior officer in charge, Trautman was seeing his third war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1945, months before World War II ended. He earned a commission in the Air Force and his pilot wings in 1950. He flew more than 100 missions during the Korean War and was shot down on his 62nd mission of the Vietnam War in an F-105D Thunderchief fighter-bomber on Oct. 5, 1967. Hours before the May 1969 escape, when Dramesi asked for Trautmans approval, Trautmans response was simply, God bless. You can learn more about Haywards self-published book at thepartydolls.com. The escape was code-named the Party by the men involved. The book recently won a Best Indie Book Award in the nonfiction military history category. This was the first book to piece together the actual story by talking to each of the guys involved and figuring out how they did it in detail and spelling it out, including the conflicts, Hayward said. It is not a patriotic, were all in this together kind of story. It is kind of a dark story and it doesnt have a happy ending. It has a heroic ending, certainly, but it is not a happy ending. More than 800 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the President's List for the 2021 fall semester. In order to be included on the list, a student must have a minimum 4.0 grade-point average (4.0 is an A) in all academic subjects for the fall 2021 semester, and a minimum of nine graded hours with a 4.0 grade-point average (4.0 is an A) in all academic subjects for the spring 2021 semester. Courses offered on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U), pass/fail (P/F), or pass/non-pass (P/N) basis do not count toward graded credit for inclusion on the president's list. MOSCOW Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force and air defense during a four-hour mission. The flight followed several similar patrols over Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the north. The mission came as the Kremlin has moved troops from Siberia and the Far East to Belarus for sweeping joint drills. The deployment added to the Russian military buildup near Ukraine, fueling Western fears of a possible invasion. Russia has denied any plans of attacking Ukraine, but urged the U.S. and its allies to provide a binding pledge that they won't accept Ukraine into NATO, won't deploy offensive weapons, and will roll back NATO deployments to Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected the demands. In recent months, Russia has conducted a series of joint drills with Belarus. The country's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has increasingly relied on the Kremlin's political and financial support amid bruising Western sanctions, has called for closer defense ties with Moscow and recently offered to host Russian nuclear weapons. In an interview with a Russian state TV host aired Saturday, Lukashenko charged that the Russian-led security alliance demonstrated its quick deployment capability when its members briefly sent forces last month to Kazakhstan to help stabilize the situation after deadly riots. "While (NATO) will be still getting prepared to send some troops here, we will already stand at the English Channel, and they know it," he said in a reference to Western allies. The Belarusian leader downplayed the threat of war, but added that if it still erupts "it will last for three or four days at most." "There is no one there to fight us," he said about Ukraine. On Saturday, the German newspaper Bild published a report alleging that Russia is poised to attack Ukraine from several directions, capture major cities and install a puppet government. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova angrily dismissed the allegations. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city just 15 miles south of the Russian border, thousands of people took to the streets Saturday carrying giant yellow-and-blue banners in the colors of the national flag in a show of determination to protect the city. "We want to show that there are people in Kharkiv who are ready to defend it and fight back," said marcher Svitlana Galashko. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled Moscow's readiness for more talks with Washington and its NATO allies. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to head to Moscow and Kyiv on Monday and Tuesday, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv and Moscow on Feb. 14-15. On Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a call with Macron and they agreed that finding a diplomatic solution to the current tensions must remain the overriding priority. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke Saturday with European Council President Charles Michel, saying on Twitter that tensions must be de-escalated. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 shasadou wrote: In June of 2009, the state legislature passed a series of laws designed to eliminate carbon emissions from coal-powered factories. The Environmental Protection Administration commended the state on its groundbreaking legislation, noting that these laws would go further than any other of their kind, and even the owners of several coal-powered factories expressed their appreciation of the state's care in ensuring that the laws were fair and cost-effective for industry. Yet data for the fiscal year 2012 shows that the amount of carbon emitted by coal-powered factories was actually a fraction of a percent higher in 2012 than it had been in 2009. Which of the following, if true, best helps to explain the paradox highlighted above? A. Some of the provisions in the legislation were scaled back due to budgetary constraints. B. More than half the factories in the state are oil-powered plants and were not subject to the new legislation. C. Factories subject to the law were provided with tax breaks and given up to two years to retrofit their facilities in order to ease the burden of reaching compliance with the new legislation. D. In anticipation of the 2012 elections, the legislature structured the package to take effect after the elections were completed rather than risk loss of support from the coal industry. E. Rather than invest in clean coal technology required by the legislation, several coal-powered plants converted their operations to run on oil power, removing themselves from the jurisdiction of the new laws. Answer should help in resolving this paradox.. some provision may have been scaled back but the effect of other provisions should have been visible...Incorrect Out of context... we are talking of only those that are affected we are talking of effects after 3 years and this only explains for the first two years Correct...This tells us taht the provisions were not in place for these three years, and so the observation in 2012 We are talking of emission from coal powered factories.. Incorrect Hi,let us first rephrase the para ..The state,in 2009, passed laws restricting the emission of carbon from factoreis etc, laws for which the state government has been appreciated. However even after three years in 2012, there has rather been increase in emissions.lets see the choices..A. Some of the provisions in the legislation were scaled back due to budgetary constraints.B. More than half the factories in the state are oil-powered plants and were not subject to the new legislation.C. Factories subject to the law were provided with tax breaks and given up to two years to retrofit their facilities in order to ease the burden of reaching compliance with the new legislation.D. In anticipation of the 2012 elections, the legislature structured the package to take effect after the elections were completed rather than risk loss of support from the coal industry.E. Rather than invest in clean coal technology required by the legislation, several coal-powered plants converted their operations to run on oil power, removing themselves from the jurisdiction of the new laws.[/quote]ans D_________________ The eighteenth-century literary work Encyclopedie , which coincided with nascent industrialization, distinguished itself from its predecessors with its mix of the theoretical with the practical. While twenty pages were devoted to metaphysical speculation about the human soul, nearly as many were devoted to the machine manufacture of stockings, a principal industrial product of the day. In fact, seventeen volumes of text were accompanied by eleven volumes of illustrations, at the insistence of chief editors Denis Diderot and Jean dAlembert , known as the Encyclopedists. Prior to the mid-eighteenth century, scholars had not dared to publicly assert the intellectual freedom to reason about the mundane tools of daily life with the same seriousness as the human soul. Understandably, in 1759 Pope Clement XIII listed Encyclopedie in the Churchs Index of Prohibited Books, and the French government refused to license its printing. But due in part to the surreptitious assistance of an enlightened government official and in part to greedy booksellers, the work quickly became a best-seller throughout Europe. 1. The author mentions the machine manufacture of stockings most likely in order to 2. In the context of the passage, which of the following is the most reasonable explanation for the authors characterization of government suppression of Encyclopedie as understandable? 3. The author suggests that the commercial success of Encyclopedie (A) show that for the Encyclopedists illustrations were just as important as text.(B) underscore the Encyclopedists skepticism about prevailing metaphysical notions.(C) demonstrate the Encyclopedists concern for the practical realm of human endeavor.(D) point out the Encyclopedists great attention to detail.(E) explain why it was necessary to include eleven volumes of illustrations in the work.(A) Pope Clement XIII had already called for the suppression of the work.(B) The same government official who aided the Encyclopedists also refused to grant a license to print the work.(C) The works entry about Christianity was briefer than its entry about certain other religions.(D) In challenging the general status quo, the work might incite readers to question political authority.(E) The government had previously banned similar works.(A) was the product of illegal printing operations.(B) brought fame to the works chief editors.(C) spawned more volumes than were originally planned.(D) was largely due to a publicity campaign by one individual.(E) owed to the works extensive use of illustrations. practice test The Caswell County Sheriffs Office is investigating a homicide at Luckys bar, just across the state line in Providence, North Carolina. Its not clear when the incident happened, but authorities posted a news release early Sunday morning. The sheriffs office described it as a discharge of a firearm that escalated into a homicide investigation at 268 Gatewood Road in Providence. This is an active investigation and more information may be released at a later point in time, the news release stated. This marks the second homicide at the bar near Danville in two years. In March 2020, Keith Hayes, of Danville, was killed at the establishment. No further details were available. It appears the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District reached the peak of the omicron wave on Jan. 14, averaging 237 new COVID-19 infections per day. Daily caseloads have been dropping since, following similar encouraging signs around Virginia and the nation. But one key metric has yet to budge: the transmission rate. Simply put, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus is still spreading uncontrolled. Until we see community transmission levels reach the Low level and remain there for a period of time, there is still much work to be done, Linda Scarborough, a spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Health, told the Register & Bee on Friday. Vaccination clinics and testing events will continue to be scheduled within the communities in order to continue tracking the data with the goal of reaching lower transmission levels throughout the state. Currently, Danville and Pittsylvania County combined are averaging about 116 new COVID-19 cases per day. To put that into perspective, its in line with the peak of the January 2021 wave and above the 78-case high point in the summer wave, a surge caused by the delta variant. Health experts have concluded the omicron variant an altered version of the novel coronavirus on average doesnt cause as severe of impacts as previous strains. However, the sheer number of individuals infected easily outweighs that. The variant caused a surge of hospitalizations locally in January. There were 25 new COVID-19 deaths added last week alone. There are two main figures used to calculate how COVID-19 is spreading in an individual community: case and positivity rates. The case rate is based on a formula that puts all localities on a 100,000-population scale to give health experts a pulse at the local level. Its a standard population rate which makes comparisons among localities of different population sizes more meaningful (e.g., rural vs. urban), Dr. Scott Spillmann, director of the local health district, explained to the Register & Bee on Friday. The equation calculates the new cases per 100,000 people within the last seven days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Saturday the case rate was 911 in Danville and 810 in Pittsylvania County. Anything over 100 indicates COVID-19 spread is high, according to Scarborough. The goal is to be in the low range of fewer than 9 cases per 100,000. This helps us all follow the rise and eventual fall of the disease burden in any locality/community, Spillmann said. Percentages Its a similar situation with the positivity rate. Percent positivity is the number of positive cases identified among all those officially tested and reported, then multiplied by 100%, Spillmann explained. Ideally, below 5% denotes a low level of disease burden among that population. On Saturday, the positivity rate was 36% in Danville and 38% in Pittsylvania County. That means more than 1-in-3 people who undergo a COVID-19 test yield a positive result. It is a very local metric and can be followed over time (longitudinally), Spillmann said. Those figures only represent the results sent to the department of health. Most at-home tests arent reported, meaning the infection numbers are likely higher. The entire state of Virginia remains in the highest possible category for COVID-19 spread, according to the CDC. In these areas and even localities in the lower tier of substantial the federal agency recommends residents wear face masks for indoor public spaces. Testing this week Locally, the health department will offer free PCR testing polymerase chain reaction, known as the gold standard of tests this week in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program Increasing Community Access to Testing is conducted through the CDC and aims to bring testing to underserved communities, a news release reports. Our health districts are fortunate to be able to partner with integral agencies and organizations at the forefront of vital public health initiatives, Spillmann said. It is through these partnerships that we are able to bring necessary healthcare services, such as COVID-19 testing, to those locations most convenient and accessible to meet the needs within our community. Mondays session is set from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at Sovah Health Danville Medical Park located at 101 Holbrook St. in Danville. The site will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. To schedule a test, visit www.doineedacovid19test.com/Danville_VA_16357.html. Walk-ins also are welcome and will be accommodated as time and supply allow. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. RINGGOLD The aircraft that crashed Tuesday off Cardwell Lane near the Pittsylvania County Fairgrounds had descended about 1,200 feet when it was last tracked at 10:06 a.m. that day, according to an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. We believe the accident happened probably a minute or so later, NTSB Air Safety Investigator Lynn Spencer told reporters during a news conference at the fairgrounds Wednesday afternoon. A pilot, who has not been publicly identified, died in the crash that occurred about a half-mile west of the fairgrounds in a heavily wooded area off Cardwell Lane. The operator of the 1977 Cessna 310R airplane was Sol Aerial Surveys, Spencer said. On behalf of the NTSB, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the friends and family and colleagues of the [victim] of this tragic accident, said Spencer, with the NTSBs Eastern Regional Office in Ashburn. The NTSB is in the preliminary part of its investigation and will be at the crash site for about two to four days, Spencer said. The Virginia State Police, Ringgold Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Pittsylvania County Public Safety and the Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office are assisting with the investigation, she said. Ringgold Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief Mike Neal gave an account of the minutes after receiving a call of a small aircraft down at 2:01 p.m. Tuesday. The area where the plane crashed was thick woods and crews tried to access the crash site by dirt roads that narrowed down to pathways, Neal said. There was also a creek. We had three four-wheel-drive pickups at the entrances to three different dirt roads, Neal said. Ringgold Fire & Rescue personnel took its Gator, a four-wheel drive ATV, to get to the site he said. It was probably three- or four-tenths of a mile into the woods [off Cardwell Lane], Neal said. A small road became a path and went into total thickets. Crews arrived at the area about 10 minutes after receiving the call, but it took nearly a half-hour after being dispatched to find the wreckage, Neal said. The victim was found near the plane, he said. An ambulance from Ringgold Fire and Rescue also responded, and the Virginia State Police, Pittsylvania County Sheriffs Office, Pittsylvania County Public Safety, the NTSB and the FAA were also on the scene, Neal said. As far as I know, there were no eyewitnesses to the crash, he said. At around 10:03 a.m., the plane departed Danville Regional Airport and climbed to about 2,300 feet before beginning a descent in the southeastern direction, Spencer said. The last radar track shows the aircraft at about 1,100 at about 10:06 a.m. before the plane crashed about a minute later, she said. The debris field left by the crash is about 125 yards long, she said. For the next few days, we are going to be here on scene collecting evidence and trying to talk to witnesses, Spencer said. A preliminary report with additional information will come out in about two weeks, she said. A factual report, followed by a probable cause determination, will be issued in about 12 to 18 months. This is a very highly fragmented debris field, she said. Its a lot of small pieces that will take a little bit longer to really document. Anyone who saw or heard anything can call the NTSB hotline at 866-328-6347 or send an email to witness@ntsb.gov. As part of the investigation, the plane will be sent to Dover, Delaware, where we will continue our examination of the aircraft, Spencer said. Were going to make sure we have all pieces of the aircraft, she said. We are going to look at failure modes, fracture surfaces. Were going to be looking at the environment, the weather, the terrain. Whether the crash was caused by mechanical failure or human error is unknown, she said. The pilot was a commercial pilot, she said. Were going to be looking at the pilot, she said. Were going to be looking at his training, his qualifications, his ... experience, his fitness for duty, his health. Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and flight instructor in Dallas, said the Cessna 310R is a very reliable airplane if properly operated and maintained. As for what he believed caused the crash, My guess is it was an engine failure upon takeoff, Katz said. However, the older a plane gets, the more expensive it is to maintain, he said. Mary Ann Love, pictured in 2014, represented western Anne Arundel County in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1993 to 2015. (By Joshua McKerrow, Staff, Carroll County Times) Former Delegate Mary Ann Love, who served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1993 to 2015, died of complications of dementia Jan. 27 at Morningside Assisted Living in Hanover. The Glen Burnie resident was 81. Mary Ann Elizabeth Loftus, daughter of Joseph Loftus, a newspaper pressman, and Elizabeth Loftus, a homemaker, was born and raised in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Advertisement She was a graduate of St. Johns Evangelist High School, now Seton Catholic High School, in Pittston, and the Wilkes-Barre Business School. She was working as a bookkeeper for a furniture store in Pittston when she met her future husband, Josef Love, on a blind date, and married the next year. Advertisement I will miss having her around as a companion, and we were married 60 years, Mr. Love said. The couple lived in England for seven years, during which time Mr. Love was serving in the Air Force working in security, and after he was discharged, the couple moved to Laurel and then Adelphi. They later moved to Glen Burnie when Mrs. Love worked at the University of Maryland library. Their neighbor at that time was Anne Arundel County Council member Ron McGuirk, and Ms. Love became his legislative aide from 1974 to 1982. She then worked as a community service specialist for the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging from 1982 to 1994. Ms. Love, who was then working in the Anne Arundel County Office of Community Service, was appointed to the House of Delegates to represent District 32 in western Anne Arundel County in 1993 after the death of four-term Del. Patrick C. Scanello. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 24 Lois H. Feinblatt was a pioneering sex therapist who practiced with the Johns Hopkins Sex and Gender Clinic for more than three decades and was a also a philanthropist. (handout) She was the first woman to represent the district, which includes Glen Burnie, Linthicum, Old Mill, Severn and Jessup. Mrs. Love won the seat on her own right in the 1994 election, and kept it through four elections, until she decided not to run for reelection in 2014. Part of it is my age, she told the Maryland Gazette in 2013. Im tired. Ill admit Im tired. She was the first woman to serve as chair of the Anne Arundel County delegation, holding the post from 1999 to 2010. Advertisement Patrick Armstrong, the former chair of the Anne Arundel Democratic Central Committee, from District 32, met Ms. Lovewhen he was a volunteer with the Anne Arundel Community College Democrats Club in the early 2000s. She used to go to the county fair and give out nail files with her name on them to get the word out about her campaign. Shed hand out stickers that read, Keep Love in the House, with a big red heart, Mr. Armstrong said. She worked hard to win and was quite successful as a legislator. There were not too many women serving in state government when she first came along in the early 90s. Ms. Love and current state Sen. Pam Beidle, and the late Ted Sophocleus, were a strong team in District 32 for many years, according to Mr. Armstrong. Ms. Beidle said she met Mrs. Love in the late 1990s when Ms. Beidle was running for Anne Arundel County Council. She was always a loving person, and you liked her as soon as you met her. She was always helpful to everyone and nonpartisan, Ms. Beidle said. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 60 Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born matriarch of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died at the age of 76. Her family announced Judd's death on April 30, 2022. (Josh Anderson/AP) Ms. Beidle said she enjoyed her time working with Ms. Love and loved when Ms. Love was chair of the delegation during a time when there were only three Anne Arundel County women, Mrs. Love, Ms. Beidle and Virginia Clagett, serving from the county in the House of Delegates. Advertisement She had a way with people and a gentle leadership that got things done, Ms. Beidle said. I miss her a lot. We used to go to dinner after work. I used to see her every day, and our offices were down the hall from each other. Ill be honest, she told the Maryland Gazette in a 2013 interview. When it comes to politics, I do a lot of praying to God. At the time of her retirement, Mr. Sophocleus told the Maryland Gazette that no one can fill those shoes because she has been a dynamic leader for us, and House Speaker Mike Busch added, Its very important to keep love in the House, and shes done that. She really stepped up to be a great legislator and community representative. When I look back at that little girl from the coal mine country of Pennsylvania and where I am today, its a big honor, she told the Maryland Gazette. [ Grace Cooper, retired Harford County elementary school teacher, dies ] Mr. Love said his wife was very patriotic and loved the flag. She is the most loyal person I knew, and I dont think she had a mean bone in her body, he said. She was super fair to everyone, and it didnt matter what party the person belonged to she was friends with them. Advertisement Some of Ms. Loves favorite hobbies included reading, going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and attending Ravens games. She cast one of the votes to have the [Ravens] stadium built, and I remember it being a close one, Mr. Love said. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Saturday at St. Bernadette Roman Catholic Church in Severn. In addition to her husband, who retired from the National Security Agency, Ms. Love is survived by two sons, Brian Love of Glenelg, and Eric J. Love of Severna Park; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Reporter Fred Rasmussen contributed to reporting. RALEIGH To coincide with Black History Month programming, the North Carolina Museum of History has opened a new temporary display, We Wanted to Fight: Black North Carolinians in World War II, to commemorate the history of African American military service in North Carolina. On view in the museum lobby began Feb. 1, the panel display honors the legacy of brave African American service members across North Carolina. The temporary display is part of a joint grant project of the NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the North Carolina Museum of History, Elizabeth City State University School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the State Archives of North Carolina Military Collection in recognition of the African American Military and Veterans Lineage Project. All of our service members and veterans have a story to tell, said North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary Walter Gaskin. Black Americans have always answered the call to serve, and this program during Black History Month is a fitting tribute to their stories, patriotism and deep commitment to this country and to the great state of North Carolina. Uncovering and sharing often-untold stories is at the heart of what the North Carolina Museum of History does, said North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson. This collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the State Archives will give all North Carolinians the opportunity to learn of the proud and courageous tradition of service of Black Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States. The State Archives of North Carolina preserves and makes accessible the personal accounts of North Carolinas military veterans so future generations may hear their stories and better understand the realities of war. This project taps into the stories of African American military service members from North Carolina through a collection of interviews, correspondence, photographs and artifacts. To coincide with the museum displays opening, the State Archives has published Trials and Tribulations: North Carolina African American Soldiers and the Racial Divide, a booklet that commemorates the history of North Carolina Black Americans military service. Visitors to the museum can view the display through Feb. 28 during regular museum hours. The exhibit is free. For more information, visit www.ncmuseumofhistor.org. As a child I was always fascinated by Black History Month. Its lessons taught me that the accomplishments of Black people were vast and wondrous, and that I, as a descendant of those people, could accomplish anything I set out to do. One story in particular still amazes me. It is the story of Dred Scott, an enslaved man who was taken from a slave state to a free territory by those who enslaved him. Scott eventually sued to gain freedom for himself and his family. During a prolonged court battle, Scott was assisted by abolitionists and others. While the law seemed to favor Scotts argument that he could not be returned to slavery once he was transported to a free territory, the court ruled against him in a 7-2 decision. The majority opinion was penned by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who wrote that Black people were of an inferior order and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect. That opinion, based on Taneys belief that the nations founders never intended for Black people to be citizens, is at the very core of Donald Trumps rise in American politics. Now, just over a year after leaving office as the only chief executive in the nations history to be impeached twice, Trump finds himself under investigation by prosecutors in several states, and at multiple levels. District Attorney Fani Willis in Fulton County, Georgia, is investigating Trumps attempt to pressure Georgias secretary of state into finding enough votes for Trump to win a state he lost. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating Trumps questionable business dealings, as is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. House Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson is leading the congressional investigation of Trumps alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection. And all of these prosecutors have one thing in common theyre Black. In an America where the Supreme Court is poised to gut affirmative action to make it harder for Black students to get into prominent universities, and where historically Black colleges and universities face bomb threats, its hard for Black people to become prosecutors. I suspect its meant to be that way. And for those who still believe that the Black man has no rights the white man is bound to respect, it is no doubt offensive that Black Americans could overcome such barriers to challenge a powerful white man like Trump. After all, Trumps rhetorical attacks on the nations first Black president were based on the assertion that Barack Obama could not have had a legitimate birth certificate, and therefore was not a citizen. And now, as Black prosecutors close in on him from numerous jurisdictions, Trump is calling on his mobs to attack, because those prosecutors, and Black people in general, were never meant to be Americans. If these radical, vicious, racist prosecutors do anything wrong or illegal I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protest we have ever had ... in Washington D.C., in New York, in Atlanta and elsewhere because our country and our elections are corrupt, Trump told a cheering crowd in Texas on Saturday. As a Black man watching him spout this insidious rhetoric, I was mortified. Not because he was repeating his lies about winning an election that he lost by more than 7 million votes, but because he was explicitly targeting Black Americans who are doing nothing more than their jobs. And when Trump calls these prosecutors racists, that is red meat to his followers. When he then says there should be protests in the cities where they work, it represents a threat that any conscious Black person understands. Thats why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked for FBI protection after Trump spoke. Its why numerous news outlets began to sound the alarm. It is why Black America must now be on guard. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the moment. Among them are the Black people who routinely sit behind Trump at his rallies. I hope they understand, as I do, that if Trumps mob is unleashed, no one will ask for their political affiliation. Because, sadly, in America, there are far too many who still believe the Black man has no rights that the white man is bound to respect. REIDSVILLE A veteran fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, Elnora Neal reached her record high in 2021 by single-handedly garnering $10,255. The 93-year-old Neal, who began fundraising for the cancer group 17 years ago, was born in Reidsville but moved north as a young woman to pursue her dreams of entrepreneurship. She owned several businesses before returning home. Neal had lost four very close relatives to cancer within three years: her father, two sisters and a brother. She began work with the ACS as a captain fundraiser at the suggestion of her then-pastor, the Rev. Thurman Pinnix, after he saw how cancer had personally touched her family. Tenacity like Neals is needed in fundraising, for cancer is on the rise in the United States with 1.6 million cases diagnosed per year and about 600,000 deaths annually. In North Carolina, an estimated 65,320 people will be diagnosed with cancer in 2022 with a forecast of 20,480 deaths this year, according to the state Department of Health and Human Servcies. Neals approach to raising funds is direct and it involves homemade cakes. Neal composes a letter asking for donations that she mails at her expense to relatives, friends and businesses. Sometimes she follows up with telephone calls and occasionally visits to talk about how ACS is funding cancer research and resources for patients. When she first began, she set a donation amount that would qualify donors for one of her delicious cakes. And for many years, Neal baked cakes too numerous to count as rewards for her patrons. Her work has gone rewarded with five plaques from the ACS recognizing her outstanding fundraising efforts. Dedicated volunteers like Mrs. Neal are the reason the American Cancer Society is able to continue to fulfill its mission to save lives from cancer, said Danielle Sowell, senior development manager for the groups Southeast Region in Charlotte. Her efforts over the years have made such an incredible impact on the lives of those touched by this terrible disease, and were so grateful for her continued support, Sowell said. Neal said she would like to express her sincerest gratitude to every donor that has supported her efforts. She finds her work in raising money for the American Cancer Society very rewarding and says she never tires of talking to people about her desire to see a cure for cancer. You have questions. I have some answers. Q: Weve been hearing for 10 years that Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the film version of The Devil in the White City. Its been a long time coming. Is this movie going to be made? Hope so! Answer: Still in the works is a screen adaptation of Erik Larsons nonfiction account of murder and the 1893 Worlds Fair, though not quite as originally imagined. As Deadline has reported, DiCaprio acquired the rights to the book in 2010, with an eye toward a feature film directed by Martin Scorsese, a frequent DiCaprio collaborator. But in 2019, the project shifted into a planned miniseries for Hulu, with DiCaprio as an executive producer along with Scorsese. There have been reports about possible casting from time to time since then. Most recently, earlier in January, Keanu Reeves was said to be in negotiations for the series; it hasnt been said whom he would play. Q: We always watched The Big Bang Theory and now enjoy watching Young Sheldon. We recall an episode of Big Bang featuring Sheldons twin sister but cant recall any episode about a brother. Did we miss something? Answer: Yes. Jerry OConnell played Georgie Cooper in several episodes of The Big Bang Theory starting in the 11th season in 2018. He was the successful owner of a chain of tire stores; Young Sheldon, where Montana Jordan plays young Georgie, has shown the characters business savvy. Q: Perhaps you can help me locate a very old film. Sometime between 1948 and 1950, I saw a film called Mickey which buoyed my spirits. In all these years I have questioned people about seeing this film, but no one ever heard of it. It starred Lois Butler and, I think, Skippy Homeier and Anne Revere. I hardly remember the plot or script, but somehow it remains a most positive memory. Is it possible to find a venue to see this film? Answer: Mickey, from 1948, starred Lois Butler as young Mickey Kelly. Top-billed cast includes Bill Goodwin, Irene Hervey and John Sutton; Skippy Homeier is also in it, but not Anne Revere. You can find it on Amazon Prime Video; there are also recordings on YouTube; the picture quality is not great on any of them. Q: Sometime in January, at the end of Days of Our Lives, there was a note that it was in memory of someone (I think female). It went by so fast that I didnt catch the name. I was wondering if someone on the cast had passed away. Answer: I believe you saw a dedication to Elizabeth Betsy Snyder, who had been a writer on Days for a decade. The Emmy winner passed away following a brief illness last November. She had also written for other daytime dramas including Another World, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful. Q: I was a big fan of the show Fringe and wonder if there was ever any talk about the possibility of a movie version? I would also like to know how come it doesnt appear on any of the streaming services like Amazon or Netflix? Answer: To answer your last question first, you can find Fringe on IMDb TV and on HBO Max. While fans often long for a return of a favorite show as a movie or another series, I have not found any discussion of Fringe that makes that seem likely. Do you have a question or comment about entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail.com. In the South Carolina Lowcountry, there lies a community with a remarkable history thats fading away. This community known as Scanlonville, near Charleston, started out as a settlement for freedmen who crowdfunded their purchase right after the Civil War of a former marsh-front plantation of more than 600 acres. During the 20th century, Scanlonville became a hub of Black life, with dozens of homes, shops, the areas largest Black beach and a beachfront pavilion that hosted musical acts as famous as Duke Ellington. To preserve the memory of this settlement as gentrification threatens to erase what remains, a local civic group set out to build a heritage-based public space. The international contest held to find a designer was won by W. Chris Harrison, a faculty member of N.C. A&Ts College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and coordinator of the colleges landscape architecture program. It was a very compelling project for me, said Harrison, whos also an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design. The mission of our program is working on projects like this, to be a voice for folks who dont have a voice. A really cool competition In early 2020, Harrison heard that Clemson University was coordinating an international design competition for a new public space to create a permanent record of a historic but disappearing Black community in South Carolina and build a new park that would stand out in a neighborhood of large houses in a metropolitan area full of commemorative markers. The contest judges were professors and professionals from New York City, Boston, Clemson and the West Coast. Intrigued, Harrison assigned his spring semester materials and construction studio class to tackle this project. I thought it would be really good for the program just to have us participate in this really cool competition thats relevant to African American heritage, said Harrison, who earned his bachelors degree in landscape architecture from A&T in 2007. N.C. A&Ts program is the only majority African American landscape architecture program in the nation. A&T also is the nations only historically Black college and university to offer a bachelors degree in the subject. Harrison had the 13 juniors in his class dig into the history and culture of Scanlonville. The students drew up initial concept sketches rough ideas of what they thought the site should look like and were critiquing each others work when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Students returned home, the class went remote and students stopped work on the project. One of those students, Martrell Mosley, called it an interesting assignment. He said it introduced him to the Gullah Black people who settled along the Atlantic coast in the southeastern United States and created their own culture and language. It was cool learning about the history, especially something youd never heard about, said Mosley, a 2021 graduate. The more technical aspects of the project, he added, taught him a lot of things hell carry over into his own career. When designing a park, especially for a memorial design, you want to know who youre designing it for and whos going to be there, said Mosley, who now works as a landscape architectural designer in Charlotte. You want to be able to design for the people who might know (Scanlonvilles founder) or are descended from him. A brief history of Scanlonville Long before Scanlonville existed, the property was farmland between Charleston and modern-day Mount Pleasant. A handful of slaves raised corn, oats, rice, cotton and other crops on the 614-acre plantation situated when the Wando River flows into the Charleston Harbor, according to a 2001 historical survey of the Scanlonville community and its cemetery. The area was then known as (and is still called by some today) Remleys Point for the family that once owned the land. After the Civil War, the community took a new name to honor John Scanlon, a Black carpenter who led a cooperative association known as the Charleston Land Co. that bought the entire property at auction in 1868 for $6,100. These types of cooperative ventures organized by former enslaved persons were rare back in the years after the Civil War. Nevertheless, this one attracted investors: One hundred Black men bought shares in Scanlons Charleston Land Co. at $10 apiece, payable in monthly installments. This new venture did what it set out to do: provide a place for formerly landless people to call home. In 1870, the association laid down numbered streets and avenues and subdivided the community into half-acre and 2-acre lots. The communitys new residents built homes and farmed the land. The close-knit and self-sufficient community thrived. By the 20th century, Scanlonville had a park and a wharf, stores and nightclubs, a school, a hotel and a cemetery. It was home to Riverside Beach, one of the few area beaches open to Black people. Its waterfront pavilion drew A-list musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and James Brown. Today, theres little left of the old Scanlonville except for some homes, a cemetery and a historical marker at the communitys entrance where the new park is planned. The unincorporated Scanlonville community is now part of the town of Mount Pleasant. Black residents have been fighting for years to save the park site and cemetery from development. Less than 10% of Scanlonville remains in the hands of the descendants of the original owners. Because Black residents historically lacked access to the legal system, many homes were passed down to the children of the owners without clear titles. This so-called heirs property made it easy for developers to snap up valuable waterfront property for cheap. New waterfront mansions threaten to crowd out the modest ranch homes and the memories of generations of Scanlonville residents. The community is one big family, said Edward Lee, a longtime Scanlonville resident and a 1980 A&T graduate. Everybody is a cousin to somebody. Landscape is everlasting When the pandemic sent his students home, Harrison began work in earnest on the project. His winning design he called it Praise House Park blends the communitys history and the natural world. A praise house was a simple wooden structure built by enslaved persons on plantations for worship and gatherings. During slavery times and after, the praise house served as the center of many African American communities. Harrisons design proposed that the entire park would serve as a place of gathering, spiritual reflection and community. In his design for this half-acre park, a spiral walkway will take visitors to the middle of the park called the spirit circle. Nearby will be the weave pavilion a living sculpture of interlaced willow trees that resemble the baskets made by the Gullah people, descendants of those who were enslaved along the South Carolina coast. The park will include plantings of rice, cotton and indigo, which enslaved persons grew on area plantations. There also will be a plot of sweetgrass, which is used to make baskets. Throughout the park there will be several cast bronze statues, including those of the Sewee Indians who inhabited the land before European settlers arrived; of a Gullah woman; and of a praise house. Virtual and augmented reality will let visitors use their phones and other devices to hear the long-ago stories of these people and the place where they once lived. The park will respect the natural environment. The rice planting will hold water runoff, and concrete alternatives will be used for walkways and other built features. Many of the current trees, including live oaks draped with Spanish moss, will remain. Harrison said the park is designed to unite people and give them a sacred space to reflect and escape whatever is oppressing them. This place is about change, but the landscape is everlasting, said Harrison, who got $2,500 for his winning entry. Its ubiquitous and connects us all through this string of time. Efforts to raise money to build the park are ongoing, said Lee, whos also president of the East Cooper Civic Club Inc. that owns the park and sponsored the design contest. Lee, meanwhile, had nothing but praise for Harrisons winning entry. (Harrison) did his research. He dug into our community, Lee said. Every element in his design was inspired by something that happened or is in Scanlonville. Tax season opened Jan. 24 and many people will be looking for someone to prepare their taxes. The Internal Revenue Service recommends carefully choosing your tax preparer. An example from last October of the damage an unscrupulous tax preparer can do. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of North Carolina, a Charlotte tax preparer named Andrivia Wells, 54, was convicted of tax fraud that had been going on for several years. This is from Wells sentencing hearing on Oct. 21: Between 2013 and 2017, Wells prepared, or caused to be prepared, more than 6,000 tax returns that falsely claimed more than $3 million in refunds. Wells and Rush Tax Service received over $1.2 million in fees from her clients. The tax preparation fees were taken directly from the clients tax refunds and in many cases the clients were unaware of how much they were being charged, which was frequently more than $500. Wells was sentenced to nearly six years in prison, one year of court supervision and ordered to pay $3,373,595 in restitution. People like Wells are the reason the IRS warns people to be cautious about the person they hire to prepare their taxes. Cheryl L. Parker, the public information officer for IRS-Criminal Investigations, Charlotte Field Office, sent this information: Choose a tax preparer wisely. Look for a preparer who is available year-round. Check references, ask questions, find out the fees involved prior to engagement, ask for a printed copy prior to submission to the IRS and a common practice for a return preparer is to review the various sections of the return with you. Ask your tax preparer for their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). All paid preparers are required to have one. Dont use a ghost preparer. They wont sign a tax return they prepare for you. Dont fall victim to tax preparers promises of large refunds. Taxpayers must pay their fair share of taxes. Dont sign a blank tax return. Taxpayers are ultimately responsible for what appears on tax returns filed with the IRS. Make sure you receive your refund. Your refund should be deposited into your bank account, not your tax preparers. The IRS will not call you threatening legal action. If you receive a call like this, hang up. Dont respond to text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be the IRS. They may contain malware that could compromise your personal information. Dont click links or open attachments in unsolicited emails or text messages about your tax return. These messages are fraudulent. Protect your personal and financial information. Never provide this information in response to unsolicited text messages, emails or social media posts claiming to be the IRS. This years deadline for filing taxes is April 18. The later date is because of the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C. If you request an extension, you will have until Oct. 17 to file your taxes. If you owe taxes, they still have to be paid by April 18. For more information about taxes go to www.IRS.gov or for North Carolina taxes www.NCDOR.gov. Email your questions to mike.kernels@greensboro.com. Include Ask a Reporter in the subject field. Melissa Hall, Winston-Salem Journal Email your questions to mike.kernels@greensboro.com. Include Ask a Reporter in the subject field. Melissa Hall, Winston-Salem Journal Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In a barn in the North Carolina mountains, a group of men distilled illegal moonshine, federal prosecutors said Friday, as a fifth man pleaded guilty in a white-lightning distribution ring ran out of Wilkes County. The history of moonshine (a high-proof liquor essentially an unaged whiskey) goes back to the early days of the colonies in the United States and Wilkes County gained a reputation as the moonshine capital of the world. With Prohibition, in the 1920s, demand grew for illegal homemade alcohol and moonshine made by bootleggers. For close to a century, moonshine stayed in the shadows but legal production is growing in popularity as licensed distillers market flavored and white whiskey as moonshine. But making moonshine without a license is illegal. In recent years, North Carolina law enforcement agencies have ramped up enforcement to shut down moonshine stills. Clifton Ray Anderson Jr., a 47-year-old from the Wilkes County farm community of Boomer, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Charlotte to possession of an unregistered still and conspiracy to defraud the United States of excise taxes on distilled liquor, including the interstate transportation of untaxed liquor. I was punished for not ratting on people, Anderson, who is free on bail, told The Charlotte Observer on Saturday. Anderson said he didnt want to comment further about what he meant by that, because he didnt want anything he said to adversely affect his sentencing. Im the distiller, Anderson said of his role in the ring. Im the one who made it. What I can say, and I said this in court, is, I tried to help the poor people out in this community, at Christmas and other times. A lot of people are poor and they dont even get food stamps up here. Thats the whole reason I was doing this. I dont need the money. I farm seven days week as a cattle farmer. Prosecutors said Anderson leased a Wilkes County barn for $500 a month to illegally produce more than 9,000 gallons of untaxed liquor from April 2018 to September 2020. He leased the barn from Gary Matthew Ray, a 53-year-old from Roaring River in Wilkes County who previously pleaded guilty in the case, court records show. Roaring River is about 80 miles north of Charlotte via Interstate 77. Ray, along with 76-year-old Wilkesboro resident Roger Nance and 75-year-old Hamptonville resident Huie Kenneth Nicholson, drove the moonshine to Virginia, according to court documents. They delivered the moonshine to 71-year-old James Patterson of Dinwiddie, Virginia, to sell and distribute, prosecutors said. The ring cost taxpayers over $100,000 in federal and state excise and sales tax revenues, court records show. Ray, Nance and Nicholson previously pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge as Anderson, while Patterson previously pleaded guilty to distributing untaxed moonshine the moonshine distilled by Anderson, according to court documents Anderson was released on bail after his guilty plea. His sentencing date hasnt been scheduled. The conspiracy and illegal-still possession charges each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Wilkes County is where the late NASCAR icon Robert Glenn Junior Johnson Jr. out-sped deputies in his days as a moonshiner in the mid-1900s. RALEIGH Perhaps we should follow the science and abolish North Carolinas pre-kindergarten program. After all, the largest and most-sophisticated scientific evaluation ever attempted of a statewide pre-K program has just reported its latest findings and they are damning. The pre-K program run by our neighboring state of Tennessee doesnt just fail to accomplish its stated goal of improving academic and behavioral outcomes. It actually seems to worsen those outcomes. That is, children who attended Tennessees pre-K program have lower scores and worse behavior by the time they reach the sixth grade than do otherwise comparable children who didnt attend pre-K. At least for poor children, it turns out that something is not better than nothing, said one of the evaluators, Vanderbilt University professor Dale Farran. The kinds of pre-K that our poor children are going into are not good for them long term. OK then. If we abolished North Carolinas pre-kindergarten and related programs, that would save us hundreds of millions of dollars a year while also protecting our children from potential long-term harm. If you find my conclusion implausible and my recommendation outrageous, your brain may well be on overdrive coming up with questions about the Tennessee studys design, validity and relevance to North Carolina. Good for you! Readers ought to greet any sweeping claim of scientific authority with caution. A skeptical mind is a healthy mind, as long as the skepticism doesnt dissolve into cynicism or conspiratorial thinking. For example, you might point to previous studies that show positive associations between preschool intervention and outcome measures for at-risk students. Those studies certainly do exist, and many policymakers have found them persuasive in the past. Thats one of the main reasons North Carolina, Tennessee and other states adopted preschool programs of various kinds over the past three decades. Its why many progressive activists and Democratic politicians have spent years trying to enact universal pre-K nationwide, most recently as part of the Biden administrations now-defunct Build Back Better legislation. Nearly all prior studies, however, fall into one of two categories. The first is observational. The researchers assemble publicly available data and try to tease out the effects of preschool interventions by holding variables such as family structure and income constant and then looking for statistical correlations between, say, preschool spending and subsequent student performance. The other, more valuable kind of study is experimental. Researchers identify a group of needy preschoolers and then pick at random only some of those children to attend the pre-K program in question. The others comprise the control group. By tracking all the children as they proceed through school and beyond, researchers look for persistent differences between the two groups. The multi-year Tennessee study is experimental, not observational. Two factors set it apart from prior experiments, however. One is its sheer scale. Most long-term studies of preschool intervention involve small groups of students attending a single program or set of programs. They are essentially laboratory experiments, providing interesting information but not necessarily assessing what would really happen if a promising idea were scaled up to a statewide program. The other distinguishing factor is the Tennessee studys recency. Some of the most powerful findings in the preschool-intervention literature come from tiny experiments that began in the 1960s or 1970s. Both safety-net programs and the market for day care look very different today than they did back then. As Grover Whitehurst, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, once observed, concluding that findings from these studies demonstrate that current and contemplated state pre-K programs will have similar effects is akin to believing that an expansion of the number of U.S. post offices today will spur economic development because there is some evidence that constructing post offices 50 years ago had that effect. Now, I dont really think North Carolina policymakers should or will respond to the Tennessee study by abolishing our prekindergarten programs. But should we vastly expand them, as progressives routinely demand? No. That wouldnt be following the science. John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member and author of the novel Mountain Folk, a historical fantasy set during the American Revolution (MountainFolkBook.com). In the wake of Justice Stephen Breyers announced retirement, an odd controversy has swirled around President Joe Bidens campaign pledge to appoint a Black woman to the first vacancy. Critics have compared the promise to college admission quotas; supporters have pointed out that President Ronald Reagan fulfilled his own campaign vow to appoint the first female justice when he nominated Sandra Day OConnor. The supporters have the better case. From the earliest days of the republic, presidents have always sought to craft a Supreme Court that looks like America. All thats changed is what they think America looks like. Presidents have long sought diversity on the bench. It just used to be geographic diversity. In a book published in 1928, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes made the case for taking into explicit account the nominees state of origin: The confidence of the country should be maintained by selections which so far as practicable will represent all parts of the United States. Hughes knew what he was talking about. At that time, the need for geographic representation was central to public debate over the proper composition of the Supreme Court. In 1923, for example, President Warren Hardings nomination of Edward Sanford was sharply criticized because it would give the Supreme Court a second Tennessean. And the problem wasnt just two justices from the same state. Shortly before Sanfords nomination was officially announced, the press reported a different geographic objection: New York republicans protested on the ground that their state, having the largest population of any in the union, was without representation on the nations highest tribunal. But of course. President Theodore Roosevelts 1902 selection of Oliver Wendell Holmes was motivated in large part by the need to keep electoral-vote-rich Massachusetts happy. Ditto with President Herbert Hoovers 1930 nomination of Owen Roberts of Pennsylvania. Then theres the case of Justice Benjamin Cardozo. In 1932, under enormous pressure to put Cardozo on the court, Hoover told a visiting senator that he couldnt nominate the prominent New York jurist ... on account of geography. Hoover favored William Mitchell, his attorney general, who hailed from Minnesota. The president changed his mind but only after receiving assurances from Western senators that regional jealousies would not lead them to oppose the nominee. Then theres President Franklin Roosevelts appointment of Hugo Black in 1937. What we tend to remember nowadays is Blacks earlier membership in the Ku Klux Klan. What we too often forget is that FDR planned all along to appoint a Southerner, his way of placating powerful congressional Democrats from the region who had fought so hard for his doomed court-packing plan. The president was expected to nominate Joseph T. Robinson, the Senates majority leader. Senate Democrats, who in the words of one historian had by that time all but usurped the power of appointment, were swift to adopt a resolution endorsing Robinsons candidacy. Blacks path to the high court was cleared only by the majority leaders sudden and unexpected death before his name could be placed in nomination. With Robinson gone, FDR still needed a Southerner. In the 1950s, Sen. William Langer of North Dakota, a member of the Judiciary Committee, waged what legal scholar Henry Abraham called a perverse six-year campaign of opposing any and all nominees to the Court until someone from his home state (which had never been so honored) received an appointment. (In 1950, Langer had given a speech on the Senate floor lamenting that no major executive branch appointment had ever gone to a North Dakotan.) Yet few at the time few seemed to find it peculiar. Small wonder, then, that when Lyndon Johnson chose Thurgood Marshall in 1967, some critics argued with straight faces that although they had no objection to the nominees race, the president trod dangerous waters by selecting a New Yorker to replace a Texan. All of which brings us back to Justice OConnor. As Biden supporters have been noting, President Reagan appointed her in 1981 to fulfill a campaign pledge to appoint the first female justice. Fair enough. But heres the interesting part. After her first visit with Reagan, OConnor expressed doubts that she would be chosen. Why? Because the Supreme Court already included a justice William Rehnquist who hailed from OConnors home state of Arizona. To add another, she said, would be politically inopportune. But Reagan wisely nominated her anyway, recognizing that there are a lot of different ways to look like America. As the dangers from a fire at a Winston-Salem fertilizer plant possible explosions and such finally subside, those flames, which produced a great deal of both smoke and angst, serves as a reminder of the importance of clean, breathable air and how it can be affected by what we humans put into it. We dont usually have to breathe smoke and chemicals, but the purity of our air and water has at times been at risk, which puts our health at risk. Particulate matter in the air contributes to cardiovascular and respiratory disease, as well as to the greenhouse effect that is generating environmental chaos across the country and around the world. Such will be the case as long as we rely on fossil fuels and greenhouse-gas-generating industries. It all lends itself to the case for switching to clean, renewable energy. One northwest North Carolina town has made significant and encouraging progress in that direction. Eight years ahead of its legislated goal, the town of Boone recently announced that its operations are now 100% dependent on renewable energy generated by its two electricity companies. All the energy that we use in our buildings, to run our wastewater treatment plant, run our water treatment facilities, all the electricity used for all the towns operations is coming from either solar or hydropower, town sustainability director George Santucci told WFAE last month. As far as anyone can tell, Boone is the first local government in the state to accomplish this. The little mountain town of about 19,000 residents in Watauga County, home of Appalachian State University, has set an example for others to follow. But it didnt happen overnight. Its the result of conscientious planning that began more than five years ago. And theres still more to be done. Boone hasnt yet converted its vehicle fleet to electric, nor its heating and cooling systems. But its well on its way. Boone wants to shift its entire town, including homes and businesses, to 100% renewable energy by 2050. Switching to renewables is slightly more costly at the moment about 2 cents per kilowatt-hour more than what the town had been paying. But thats a cost Boone is willing to pay. We see that changing over time, Santucci said. And so the Town Council knew they needed to achieve these goals. And by investing early, I also knew that we could drive that market, we could drive the demand for renewables, which would then decrease the overall cost over time. And we can all breathe a little more easily. On the other side of the state, Gov. Roy Cooper touted the future of another clean energy source offshore wind energy at a task force meeting in Wilmington last week, WRAL reported. Clean energy is the right thing for our planet and our pocketbooks, he said, referring to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce that found that on the Atlantic Coast alone, the industry could create $140 billion in investments and 85,000 new jobs by 2035. Two major offshore wind projects are in the works already: Kitty Hawk Offshore, which could eventually power up to 700,000 homes, and Wilmington East, a potential wind farm site that could provide enough electricity for more than 500,000 homes. These wind projects have met a bit of turbulence. Local business leaders fear that unsightly turbines will have a negative impact on tourism. A number of towns have passed resolutions calling for wind turbines to be installed at least 24 nautical miles from the coast, where theyll be out of sight. Thats a reasonable request. Difficulties have also arisen over the N.C. Department of Revenues handling of solar energy tax credits. The agency is currently trying to force insurers to repay tax credits they received years ago for solar energy developments, Business North Carolina reported last week. Last month, Cooper signed an executive order calling on North Carolinas economy to be carbon neutral by 2050. He should get the DOR on board with his agenda. As with any new technologies, there are bound to be hiccups. But these really arent new technologies at this point. Theyve been around long enough to prove that they can be beneficial and cost-efficient. Mostly what we need to implement them now is the political will. The public can help supply that with its comments and its votes. Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, a Republican, has won re-election multiple times in a state where the GOP dominates politically and, in his telling, has a 20-year track record of calling balls and strikes fairly and squarely. That may not be enough for him to survive a GOP primary challenge and keep his seat. Wasden was one of seven Republican attorneys general to opt against joining an ill-fated challenge of the 2020 presidential election results in other states. And last fall, he declined to join other GOP attorneys general in a letter to President Joe Biden complaining about vaccine mandates, although he ended up joining lawsuits against several of them. Advertisement In this March 1, 2017, file photo, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden speaks during an interview in Boise, Idaho. The false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump and protecting future election results loom large over this years races for state attorneys general. Candidates who support Trumps position are angling to unseat Democratic incumbents in political swing states and in some cases, knock out moderate attorneys general in GOP primaries. (Darin Oswald/AP) His more moderate positions have put him at odds with a growing share of Republicans who chafe at COVID-19 restrictions and repeat the false claim that widespread fraud cost former President Donald Trump re-election. Wasden is facing two challengers who are to his right in the Republican primary as he seeks a sixth term as the states top government lawyer. One of the challengers, Arthur McComber, said a key function of the attorney generals role is to act as a watchdog against federal power something he said Wasden hasnt done enough. Advertisement Its basically a misunderstanding of the attorney general position, said McComber, a real estate lawyer. The challenge to Wasden from within his own party is emblematic of the broader far-right shift within the GOP. Similar dynamics are permeating races for attorney general across the country as an office often referred to as the peoples lawyer responsible in most states for criminal prosecutions and consumer protections has become increasingly consumed by ideological battles. Seats for attorneys general are up in 30 states this year. Some of the most likely to attract heavy spending will be in political battlegrounds such as Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, states that again are expected to play outsized roles in the 2024 presidential contest. Republicans currently hold 27 attorneys general seats. Paul Nolette, a Marquette University political scientist who studies the office, said Republicans could bump that number to 30 or more in a midterm election year when Republicans are primed to do well in races up and down the ballot. Theyve already notched an early victory. Last fall, voters ousted the incumbent Democratic attorney general in Virginia, a state that had been leaning increasingly Democratic in recent years. It was part of a GOP wave in the state that also saw the party claim the governors office and one house of the legislature. Nolette said party affiliation matters for the office more than it used to: The office has really become like other statewide offices at this point highly polarized. Ahead of the 2020 election, an arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association held war games for officials to plan a reaction in case of a Trump loss. That group, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, later promoted the Jan. 6, 2021, rally that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to thwart the certification of electors. For Democrats, there is increasing concern that a Republican wave in this years elections could sweep Democratic governors, secretaries of state and attorneys general out of power in crucial presidential battleground states. Steve Bullock, a Democrat who has served as attorney general and governor in Montana, warned that a rogue attorney general could undermine election results. Advertisement How can they mess with it if they dont actually believe in the rule of law? Both in affirmatively bringing action and defensively failing to defend the states interest, he said. While secretaries of state oversee elections in most states, attorneys general can play pivotal roles in the aftermath, as demonstrated in 2020. A month after that election, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the results in four states that supported Biden over Trump. The court rejected the effort, but only after 18 other Republican attorneys general filed papers in support. Idahos Wasden was not one of them. In taking a look at the Texas case, it was evident that that lawsuit was contrary to the Constitution, he said in an interview. If Texas can sue Pennsylvania, then California can sue Idaho. McComber, who has slightly outraised Wasden during the campaign so far, said he would have joined the Texas lawsuit and added an amicus brief to raise additional legal points. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately found that the states lacked standing to challenge election results in other states. Advertisement Democratic attorneys general defended their states 2020 election results in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as did the Republican attorney general in Georgia. The public must know which side their state AG is on, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, said during a video news conference in January. Sigal Chattah, the only Republican running for the job in Nevada, faults Ford, among other things, for not investigating election fraud sooner and more vigorously. His office filed charges in October against one voter for allegedly casting a ballot on behalf of his deceased wife. Do we really believe this was an isolated incident? Chattah asked. I dont. The Associated Press investigated potential cases of voter fraud from the 2020 presidential election in Nevada and the five other political battleground states where Trump and his allies disputed his loss. The AP found that election officials across Nevada had identified between 93 and 98 potential cases representing less than 0.3% of Bidens margin of victory in the state. The fields are not set in every attorney general race, but GOP primary showdowns between more establishment-style conservatives and those further to the right is a common theme in several states, including Kansas, Michigan and Minnesota. Advertisement In so many of these races, it is a race to see who can align themselves closest with Donald Trump, his brand of politics and the big lie that the election was stolen, said Geoff Burgan, a spokesman for the Democratic Attorneys General Association. Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for the Republican Attorneys General Association, declined to directly answer questions left by voicemail and email about whether Republican attorneys general might seek to undermine lawful election results. In a statement, he said 2022 will be a great year for Republicans running for attorney general. In Michigan, where nominees are chosen at state party conventions rather than primaries, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard is hoping for a rematch against Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel. But first, Leonard, who touts having been named the states most conservative lawmaker, has to defeat two GOP opponents in a party convention. One of them is Matthew DePerno, a lawyer who sued Michigans Antrim County claiming voting machines there recorded votes for Trump as being for Biden in the 2020 election. The claim was dismissed. While Leonard is focusing on issues such as reducing violent crime, DePerno sees election fraud as a driving issue despite Republicans themselves finding no evidence of systemic fraud in the state. He has Trumps support. That says it all, said David Dulio, a political scientist at Oakland University in Michigan. He has certainly hitched his wagon to Donald Trump, counting on the fact that the Trump brand will have strength in this election. Advertisement DePerno did not respond to interview requests. Since Turkey's occupation of Tal Abyed canton and large parts of its countryside, following its brutal aggression against north and east Syria on 9 October 2019, the shelling does not stop till the moment on Tal Abyed canton countryside and Ain Issa district adjacent to occupied areas, in which villages and civilians homes and vital facilities being targeted the water, electricity and other public facilities that provide essential services. Commenting on these crimes, the co-chair of the Ain Issa District Council Mustafa Mohammed warned against continuing attacks on vital facilities that provide essential services to citizens from water and electricity. Those attacks were being carried out in front of the Russian "guarantor," who had been deployed in the area under the name of ensuring the lives of citizens and monitoring the ceasefire, without any action or even condemnation. Mustafa Mohammad points out that the Turkish occupation aimed at destroying infrastructure in the region hit stability by stopping vital facilities from serving the people and thereby causing them to migrate from them. Lastly, he called on the international community to intervene and pressure Turkey to stop such crimes, which affected the lives of citizens in the villages of the two regions. AANES has worked to maintain and restore all service facilities destroyed by ISIS mercenaries during their occupation of the area prior to its liberation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in order to ensure the provision of services to citizens who have suffered before they have been maintained by AANES councils. Hamidi Mohammad of the town of Hesha and a member of its service committee say that after targeting the Hesha water plant with Turkish occupation missiles, since 2013 they have suffered from water shortages during the occupation of the area by mercenaries of the so - called "Free Army" and ISIS mercenaries, who were forced to buy water from mobile tanks at high prices. According to Hamidi Al-Mohamad, the plant was renovated by the Raqqa Civil Council and the Ain Issa District Council in the summer of 2019. It should be noted that the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have repeatedly targeted the surroundings of the drinking water and electricity stations in the Ain Issa district, which are located in the southern countryside, in addition to directly targeting the Directorate of Electricity in the Ain Isa area, causing extensive material damage. T/S ANHA A 17-year-old boy from the Wolf Creek area has been reported missing and is believed to be trying to get to Minnesota, officials with the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office said Saturday. Nicholas Erickson was reported as missing from the area of North Lyons Creek Road, outside of Wolf Creek, authorities said. He is white and last seen wearing a blue puffy jacket, dark sweatpants and white shoes, authorities said. He has medium length brown hair and blue eyes. He is around 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. Nicholas left the home he was staying at between midnight and 10 a.m. He left on foot and is likely trying to make his way to Minnesota, authorities said. People with information should call 406-447-8235. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 2 Angry 1 I dont know about you, but Ive been cooped up for so long Im starting to cackle. There are places to go! People to see! And Im in the planning stage. After not doing any serious traveling for a while, Ive decided to start small. There are a lot of Montana towns Ive never explored. Deer Lodge, for example, is only about 12 miles south of Deer Lodge. That is, the original Deer Lodge is about 12 miles south of the current city. It was originally called It-So-Ke-In-Car-Neh (spelling dubious), which is Deer Lodge in Shoshone. Then I could go to Loge du Chevreuil. Actually, I wouldnt have to go there, since thats Deer Lodge in French, and it was the French trappers version of the Shoshone. These days its called Warm Springs. On my way back to the present-day town of Deer Lodge Id like to stop at Cottonwood and LaBarge City. I wouldnt have far to go, since each of those were early names for Deer Lodge. According to pioneer Granville Stuart, in Forty Years on the Frontier, I could then head up a mere 10 miles to Grantsville, where Johney Grant lived (off and on) from 1857 to 1861. Or maybe 1862... Dont ask your vehicles navigation system to get you there. Youll end up 486.3 miles away in Grantsville, Utah. Since the Northern Pacific Railroad came through in 1883, Montanas Grantsville has been called Garrison. Grant moved 10 miles south to Cottonwood, and built the heart of the ranch now known as Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. By the time he sold out to Kohrs, the town had become Deer Lodge City. Well, that will probably be enough for a warm-up and it will be time to venture a bit farther. Copperopolis sounds interesting. Not the town briefly named Copperopolis by Copper King Marcus Daly. That had to be renamed Anaconda, (which, by the by, is in Deer Lodge County, even though Deer Lodge City is not) because there was already a Copperopolis in Madison County. It had been founded in 1866, and was perhaps the site of the first discovery of copper in Montana. It must be admitted that the Madison County version, though older, did not achieve the status of its vanquished rival for the name. In 1901, enthusiastic investors touted a new life for the area, writing that six months previous it had all been open prairie, but was now a booming town, a hive of industry with 300 inhabitants. Cattleman Two Dot Wilson described it as a site for the Gods. There is a town called Two Dot. Wilson allegedly got the nickname because when he branded his own cattle hed use his two-dot iron, but when he was rustling someone elses cattle hed use whatever size frying pan would cover the old brand. True or not, it makes a good story. Copperopolis struggled on, and in 1907, the Fergus County Democrat reported that John Morris spoke well for the future of the old mining camp. Fifty-six years later it was a stop on a rock hound field trip. Those tangled tales having generated enough confusion, I think I should simply go to Fort Smith. It wouldnt be hard to find, since I had a chance to work there many years ago. I still chuckle over the map my boss had printed out, telling me to start by turning north on I-90 from Deer Lodge. Had I followed it, the only way Id have reached Fort Smith (east-southeast of here) would have been by circumnavigating the globe. Id still have to be careful not to trust technology, though. There is also a Fort Smith in Missouri, built by Union troops during the Civil War. Theres a Fort Smith in Arkansas built in 1817 by the military, a Fort Smith in Georgia, claimed by the French, and a Fort Smith in Labrador in the province of Newfoundland, Canada. If I get that far, at least I might be rescued by a Labrador retriever. Lyndel Meikle lives in the Deer Lodge area. Love 0 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WILLOWBROOK - A South Side man was ordered held on $2 million Friday after being accused of shooting an 8-month pregnant woman on Route 83 in Willowbrook, officials said in a news release. Lawrence Grant, 38, of the 7900 block of South Damen Avenue was charged with attempt first-degree murder, attempt intentional homicide of an unborn child, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated battery to a pregnant woman. The felony charges stem from a Jan. 28 shooting on Route 83 where a pregnant woman crashed after suffering a gunshot wound to her back, according to a release from DuPage County prosecutors. Prior to the crash, prosecutors said Grant and another person were involved in an argument at a grocery store that turned physical. After the fight, all three people, including the pregnant victim, left the store in three separate vehicles traveling southbound Route 83, the release said. Allegedly, Grant followed the victim in his vehicle and opened fire, striking the victim in her back, causing her to crash. Grant was found about 10 p.m. at the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was being treated for an unrelated manner, the release said. Grants vehicle was found on fire about one block from the hospital, officials said. Grant was taken into custody after he was released from the hospital. The allegations that, following a physical altercation with the victims boyfriend, Mr. Grant decided to follow the victim, who was thirty-six-weeks pregnant, and open fire on a major roadway are unconscionable, said DuPage County States Attorney Robert B. Berlin. Thankfully, no innocent motorists were injured and, while still hospitalized, Mr. Grants alleged target and her baby are expected to survive. This defendants alleged violent behavior put the motoring public at risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The baby was delivered at a local hospital, officials said. Grants next court appearance was scheduled Feb. 28. If found guilty, he faces between 31 years to life in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Cloudy with gusty winds. A stray thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Authorities continued Saturday to search for three inmates that escaped from the Sullivan County jail on Friday morning. The three men, Tobias Wayne Carr, 38, of Kingsport; Johnny Shane Brown, 50, of Rogersville, Tennessee; and Timothy Allen Sarver, 45, of Pulaski, Virginia, remained at large Saturday. Sullivan County Sheriffs Office Capt. Andy Seabolt said the department has continued with the investigation. Detectives have been conducting interviews and following up on tips and information that has been received, he said. The investigation has led the SCSO to believe that the inmates may possibly be in a white 2001 Chevrolet Silverado truck. The truck has a regular cab with a short bed, the SCSO said. The vehicles registration may be Tennessee 830GSD. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service have been assisting the SCSO since the men fled from the facility. On Friday, Seabolt said the inmates left the facility through a HVAC air vent on the roof that was accessed through the ceiling of their cell. Authorities at the jail continue to determine exactly what happened but they are aware security measures failed, Seabolt said. Authorities still have not said when the inmates fled or where they may have gone. There has also not been any word on whether anyone has been assisting the men, who now face escape charges. Our primary focus continues to be the apprehension of the escaped inmates, Seabolt said. Reward money is being offered by the TBI and the U.S. Marshals Service for information leading to the location and apprehension of the escaped inmates. The marshals are offering $5,000 for each inmate, and the TBI is offering $2,500 for each inmate. Carr has been in jail on charges of second-degree murder, vandalism and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his wife, Jennifer D. Carr, 39, whose body was found at their home in November 2019. Sarver was in jail on charges of auto theft, identity theft, drug paraphernalia and unlawful carrying of a weapon. News reports in Virginia say that Sarver previously escaped from the courthouse in Pulaski. Browns list of pending charges in Sullivan County include failure to appear, driving on suspended or revoked license, harassment, violation of order of protection, domestic assault and aggravated stalking. Anyone with information on the escaped inmates is asked to call 911 immediately and not approach them. Anyone with information can also call 1-800-TBI-FIND. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Although Bill Gattons name has, or will be, coming off several car dealership signs around Bristol in the coming days, the name of one of the areas preeminent businessmen will surely live on in the multiple investments he has made in higher education, local businesses and Bristols well-being as a whole. They dont make businessmen like Bill Gatton anymore. He came to Bristol and established a car dealership built on honesty. One of the first things he did after discovering the used car dealership he purchased was falsifying odometer readings was promise to fire anyone who continued to run back the odometers and the employees who ordered them to do it. Going back through the archives of photos of Gatton here at the Herald Courier, many of them include the car dealership owner standing beside large checks. The checks are large in both physical size and dollar amount. Theres one of Gatton presenting a check to the College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University. In another photo, Gatton is providing a matching gift to Virginia Intermont College to help the now closed school through financial difficulties. There are at least two instances where Gatton gave more than $100,000 to area teachers to help them purchase classroom supplies. There are also gifts to the University of Kentucky and the multiple stories of Gatton helping local businesses get off the ground. The local car dealer also served as a one-man economic development department for Bristol, boosting education and helping fellow businessmen along the way. The 89-year-olds quote in todays front page article on his legacy of philanthropy sums up a philosophy we dont often see in the billionaires of today who choose to build spaceships rather than feed the hungry, or provide livable wages to their employees. I enjoyed making a lot of money when I was younger, Gatton said. As Ive gotten older, Ive enjoyed giving it away. Gatton clearly has experienced the joy of giving and this area is the beneficiary of the joy he has found in helping provide for others. Who will step up next to give Bristol a boost through finding what Gatton certainly discovered long ago, that it is better to give than to receive? It is sad to see Gattons name come off car dealership signs around town, but the name and Gattons legacy will certainly live on in the good works those dealerships helped Gatton provide for this town and other beneficiaries far beyond Bristols boundaries. HICKORY FryeCare Physicians Network recently welcomed Ankur Tiwari, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist, to his new medical practice at FryeCare Cardiology Associates Piedmont. He is accepting new patients at his office at 2660 Tate Blvd. SE in Hickory. To schedule an appointment, call 828-261-0009. Same-week appointments are available. Dr. Tiwari specializes in testing and treatments for heart rhythms disorders, including atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), bradycardia (heartbeat is too slow) and tachycardia (heart beats too fast). He is trained and experienced in complex cardiac procedures and services, including pacemaker and defibrillator implantation and monitoring, cryoablation for atrial fibrillation, ventricular ablation for tachycardia, and intracardiac echocardiography. Tiwari also offers his patients the FDA-approved Watchman left atrial appendage closure device, which is an alternative to the lifelong use of blood thinners. The minimally invasive procedure effectively reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFIb or AF) not caused by a heart valve problem. Tiwari earned his medical degree from East Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, and he completed a residency program at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Tiwari is fellowship-trained in cardiovascular medicine and clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Drexel University College of Medicine/Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. He is board certified in both cardiac electrophysiology and cardiovascular disease. Today, we know that early treatment for conditions like AFib can lead to better success a better quality of life for our patients, Tiwari said. Over time, irregular heart rhythms can lead to fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath, or even serious heart problems and stroke. I am committed to helping my patients understand what is going on inside their bodies, what the treatment options are, and letting them make their own health care decisions. If they ask for my medical opinion, I will always share it with them. But my patient care philosophy is rooted in education, communication and trust, he said. FryeCare Physicians Network offers preventive, diagnostic and treatment services. The network includes more than 60 experienced providers in a range of specialties, including cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, family and internal medicine, infectious disease, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, pulmonology, and vascular surgery. Learn more at www.FryeCarePhysicians.com. Maidens public Wi-Fi system is approaching a decade of operation, meaning it is time to have discussions over how to upgrade the system, Maiden Town Manager Todd Herms said. Herms said the conversation became much easier thanks to funding the city received from federal legislation intended to help local governments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The town, which has an annual budget of around $20 million, is set to receive a little more than $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden last year. Maiden received the initial disbursement last year and is set to receive the other half later this year. Herms stressed that the staff has not received formal approval for a use of funds from the council, but the citys management has come up with some proposals for the money. He said the city would like to see part of the money go to upgrade and expand the Wi-Fi system, as well as additional seating at recreation fields to aid with social distancing and funding for sewer system improvements and expansions. Herms said the ability to do some of these projects sooner and relieve the burden on the towns taxpayers are benefits of the funding. Yes, we probably would have put additional seating at the recs, but instead of doing it 10 years from now, we can do it now, he said. We would have upgraded our Wi-Fi eventually, but that would have cost the taxpayers, cost out of our budget and it would have been years down the road. It wouldnt have been in a timely fashion like it is now. Maiden is not the only local government that will have decisions to make this year regarding how to spend the windfall of COVID-19 relief dollars. Nearly every local government in the county has received some money from the American Rescue Plan, with amounts ranging from $198,000 in the town of Catawba to $31 million allotted to Catawba County. Deciding what to do is no simple task, Catawba County Deputy Manager Mary Furtado said. The American Rescue Plan money is likely the largest grant the county has received. The county is focused on making sure the way the money is used is responsible, Furtado said. There is a lot of allowance to create new programs, but the question is how are we going to sustain that? We focus a lot on trying to be financially sustainable, she said. As with Maiden, Catawba County and the other municipalities received the first installment of the funding last year and will receive the other half later this year. The U.S. Treasury Department released its final rules for the use of the money in January and some local governments have shared how they intend to make use of the funding. Broadband, water and sewer infrastructure Speaking in January, Hickory Assistant City Manager Rodney Miller said American Rescue Plan money was needed for water and sewer, among other projects. We need it for broadband infrastructure, Miller said. We are using some of that (American Rescue Plan) money to reward employees that came to work during COVID. The city used $1.3 million of the American Rescue Plan money to provide premium pay for each month that employees worked during the pandemic, with full-time workers getting $100 for each month and part-time employees getting $50 per month. An employee who worked throughout the pandemic would receive $2,200. The payments were made in a lump sum to employees in January. Hickory is also looking to replace lost revenue with the American Rescue Plan funding, Communications Specialist Sarah Killian said. She said the city is opting to use a provision of the bill in which the city can claim a standard loss of $10 million. She said the city is considering broadband improvements along the Hickory Trail, the system of enhanced sidewalks the city is building that includes the City Walk. The city is in the process of getting a cost estimate for the work. When it comes to water and sewer, Killian said: There are no specific water/sewer projects planned at this time, but we may include some projects to be funded with (American Rescue Plan) funds in the future. City Manager Warren Wood identified several pressing water and sewer concerns last year. His list included damage caused by flooding and rapid erosion to water lines on the Henry Fork River and the Snow Creek and Falling Creek Pump Stations. The estimates included in the budget indicate the cost for these repairs and replacements could run as high as $28 million or more. At the same time, the city is poised to begin one of its most costly building projects to date: construction of a new sludge composting plant to replace the outdated one now in use. The Hickory City Council rejected a $34.8 million bid for the project in December and is seeking new bids with the hopes of keeping the project within a $30 million budget. Whether the federal COVID-19 funding will go toward any of these projects is a question that will be answered later this year. Catawba County already made some decisions on its American Rescue Plan spending, largely relying on long-range plans Catawba County leaders already had in place, Furtado said. That planning made using the massive grant easier. Weve got a playbook so we're really just going back to the playbook, Furtado said. Catawba County put some of the $31 million in American Rescue Plan funding toward water and sewer projects. The county has received about half of the money and put about $11.6 million of that toward water and sewer projects. The county was one of the first local governments to make decisions on the American Rescue Plan money. In June 2021, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners approved the use of about $5.2 million in American Rescue Plan funds for two water and sewer projects in the southeastern area of the county. In November, the county allotted another $6.4 million in American Rescue Plan monies for new sewer lines and improvements in wastewater in the Sherrills Ford area. Like Hickory, the city of Newton elected to offer a pay bump to workers, putting about $400,000 of its $4.2 million in American Rescue Plan funds toward premium pay for employees who worked through the pandemic. For every month worked from March 2020 to December 2021, full-time employees will get $100 and part-time employees will get $50, according to the policy passed by the Newton City Council in January. Though the city of Newton hasnt made firm plans for its American Rescue Plan funds other than premium pay, the city council also identified water and sewer infrastructure as a priority, Councilman John Stiver said. The city has more streetscape projects planned downtown, which include improving water and sewer lines. The American Rescue Plan money could help with those projects, Stiver said. Our council has decided to take our time and explore our options, he said. Were not interested in rushing. What about the other funding? Before the American Rescue Plan, there was the CARES Act, the law signed by President Donald Trump in 2020 as an immediate response at the start of the pandemic. Local governments in Catawba County began to receive these funds in 2020 and used them for largely the same purpose: paying first responders and law enforcement working through the pandemic. Catawba County, Newton, Hickory and other local governments devoted their CARES funding to first responders and public safety expenses, largely payroll. Some governments used a portion of the CARES money to develop partnerships with local nonprofits to provide rent, mortgage and utility assistance for residents. The city of Hickory spent nearly $469,000 as part of its assistance program with Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry. Lily Moody, the ministrys executive director, said the final program funds were expended last November. The program ended up helping 995 individuals in 442 households. Others, including Catawba County, Newton and Maiden, set up similar partnerships with Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry. ECCCM received CARES Act money from the Catawba County Department of Social Services, Executive Director Kristal Manning said. The money, about $250,000 in total, helped people who were affected by COVID-19 with rent and utilities payments, she said. As of February, $91,000 of that money remains. The money was especially helpful to pay off large rent and utility payments that piled up during eviction moratoriums, Manning said. The bills are just a lot higher than what were used to seeing, she said. With this money, we can pay to help a person even if its several months rent. We can help them with that. About 75% of the money went toward housing assistance, she said. The ministry also got $125,000 from the city of Newton, which is being used to install new freezers and coolers with doors large enough for a pallet jack to fit through, Manning said. Herms described Maidens $100,000 partnership with the ministry as a huge deal, an initiative with a large impact the city would not have been able to do on its own. Kevin Griffin is the City of Hickory reporter at the Hickory Daily Record. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Kevin Griffin Hickory Daily Record city reporter Email: kgriffin@hickoryrecord.com Follow Kevin Griffin Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Bail was denied Sunday to a 16-year-old high school sophomore facing first-degree murder and attempted murder charges related to a fatal shooting Jan. 29 in the Little Village neighborhood that left a teen from Iowa dead. Cook County prosecutors accused Kayden Torres of firing several shots at a fleeing vehicle, while his accomplice, a 15-year-old, fired shots inside the vehicle, striking the driver and another male passenger. Advertisement Killed was Leonardo Bautista Jr., 16, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. Advertisement The 15-year-old gunman had been contacted by his ex-girlfriend prior to the shooting to inquire whether he would buy marijuana from Bautista, who was her cousin and in town from Iowa visiting relatives with his girlfriend, authorities told a judge during an afternoon bail hearing broadcast on YouTube. The unidentified teen agreed and met with Bautistas group, which included Bautistas girlfriend and two cousins who were all sitting in a vehicle parked in an alley in the 2300 block of South Sawyer Avenue around 1:20 p.m., according to prosecutors. After getting inside the rear passenger seat and shaking hands with the occupants, the 15-year-old pulled out a handgun and put it to Bautistas head. At that time, Torres allegedly tried to open the rear drivers side door, but Bautista locked the door. Torres knocked on the window with the butt of a handgun, prosecutors said. Bautista then tried to drive away, leading Torres to allegedly open fire on the fleeing vehicle, while the 15-year-old fired his weapon inside the vehicle, striking Bautista in the head and body. After the vehicle crashed, the teen shot a 17-year-old twice. The young gunman jumped out of the stopped vehicle and demanded the wounded 17-year-olds backpack, authorities said. He turned over the bag, and the teen and Torres fled from the alley. One of the victims recognized Torres from social media photos he had taken with the other gunman prior to the shooting and later identified Torres as one of the gunmen, prosecutors said. Bautista was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the medical examiners office. The wounded 17-year-old also went to Mount Sinai for a gunshot wound to the neck, but survived his injury. He remains hospitalized and unable to speak but was also able to identify Torres through a photo lineup, prosecutors said. Authorities added that surveillance video from near the scene corroborated the version of events presented by one of the eyewitnesses. Torres attorney, Liam Kelly, asked the court to deny a petition to deny his client bail, pointing out his young age, attendance in high school and lack of a criminal background. But Judge Mary C. Marubio pointed to the dangers posed in a broad daylight shooting in public before she denied bail. Torres is expected to return to court next week. Authorities said they know the identity of the second gunman, but he remained at large. Advertisement Editors note: An earlier version of this story didnt correctly identify the individual selling marijuana. Catawba County resident Lisa Baker emailed me a fascinating story about her mother, Charlotte Travis Cranford, who turns 98 on Feb. 9. Lisa wrote, She is the 18th child born in a family of 19 children to Noah Allen and Effie Mae Canipe Travis. The family was one of the largest families here in Catawba County, and my mother is the last one left. Lisa wrote that her grandparents married in 1900. Their first child was born in 1901, and their last was born in 1926. Charlotte was born in 1924, many of her older siblings having already left home. My grandfather (traded a house and property for) a three-room (old schoolhouse) on 40 acres of land and added on to the (structure) to make it work for them, continued Lisa, He worked the land and grew everything his family could possibly need. As if that wasnt enough to catch my attention, Lisa also wrote that her mother went to Atlanta, Georgia, during World War II and worked for the government, building guns. Charlotte had three brothers who were serving in different branches of the service, and she wanted to do her part for the war effort. Off to Lisas house I went. I didnt meet Charlotte. She lives with Lisa but was spending a couple of weeks at another daughters house. Lisa said her mom gets a little confused when trying to recall past events, but Lisa had much to share: photos, written family recollections, remembered stories, and documents. One of the first things Lisa showed me was a list of Noah and Effies children: Mae, William, Gordon, Eunice, Roby, Sam, Joe, Mernie, Emit, Louise, Gail, Opie, Mary, Margaret, Glen, Carl, John, Charlotte, and Martin. There were no multiple births, and no babies died at birth. All were born and raised off Highway 10 in Newton. And get this: Effie wanted one more, an even 20, said Lisa, but the doctor told her: No more. I dont know what the problem was. Most lived into their 80s and 90s. William died of pneumonia at age 12, Opie died in a car accident at 24, and Margaret, who suffered an unidentified illness, died at 38. When No. 19 came along, Effie named him Martin Luther and declared hed grow up to be a preacher. And thats what he did, a (Lutheran Church) Missouri Synod pastor in Illinois, said Lisa. Next, she produced a copy of a short autobiography that Noah had written in 1951. Among the information is the surname of his paternal grandfather, Trefflestadt, a name that was changed to Travis during the Civil War years. Noah wrote about walking three miles to and from church and described going to school at the old Setzer school house, which stood near where our present Mt. Olive Church (Newton) now stands. At that time our school sessions ran about three months. Our studies consisted of the old Websters Blue Back Speller, Holmers and Saunders Readers, Davies Practical Arithmetic, English grammar, and Murrays Geography. We had slab benches for our seats and our laps were our desks. While working as a carpenter in Newton, Noah routinely caught sight of pretty Effie as he passed by her home. He told a man he was working with that he was going to marry her, said Lisa. Sixteen-year-old Effie and 25-year-old Noah wed July 1, 1900, at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Newton. Noah, whod attended Concordia College (burned in 1935) in Conover in the late 1800s, received a diploma in railway telegraphy from Southern Business College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1894; worked on a farm and in a railway office in Illinois; co-owned a shoe business in Gastonia; and worked in Catawba County as a carpenter, became a full-time farmer. Among a host of chores, Effie sewed and made quilts. She paid the doctor with quilts and food, Lisa stated. (My mother) talked about how during the (Great Depression) the kids didnt even know it was going on because they never went without anything. Charlotte preferred outdoor work to indoor chores, one of which was keeping the fires going in the home. She followed her dad around and did farm work, such as picking cotton. Before World War II, Charlotte paired socks at Ridgeview Hosiery. She said she hated it, Lisa shared. She told her dad she was going to Atlanta. Charlottes older sister Louise, the sibling whod looked after her like a second mom, was already living there, so Charlotte and a friend moved in with Louise and found jobs working for the War Department, assembling guns and earning 72 cents an hour. She enjoyed feeling like she was contributing (to the war effort), Lisa reported. Like she was personally making guns for her brothers. It took a little extra work for Charlotte to get the hang of constructing guns, however, because she was left handed. She had to learn to build the guns backwards from how everyone else did it, said Lisa. Out of 19 children, Charlotte was the only lefty. Lisa displayed various War Department documents Charlotte had saved, including one from July 27, 1945, notifying her of a change in position title from small arms assembler to armament repairman. With the upgrade, her salary increased from 72 to 77 cents per hour. Charlotte enjoyed her job, especially meeting and dating the soldiers and workers at the factory. There were some other young men around, but Charlotte and the other women workers were told not to look at them. She said her superiors were adamant, Do not make eye contact, said Lisa. Can you guess who these men were? Heres a hint: There were several prisoner-of-war facilities in Georgia. (German) prisoners were serving (the factory workers) meals to them in the cafeteria line, Lisa explained. She said her mom did comment that the German soldiers were good looking. When the war ended, so did Charlottes job. She returned to Catawba County. It was Ralph Cranford who finally won Charlottes hand. He was a brother of one of Charlottes sisters-in-law. Ralph had served in the Navy and then returned to Catawba County. He was 21, Charlotte 23 when they married. They enjoyed 51 years together. Charlotte was a homemaker and a seamstress, making clothes and doing alterations. She had four children: Walter Cranford, Charlene Cranford Robinson, Michael Cranford, and Lisa. Charlotte and her many siblings remained close their entire lives. She loved having a huge family growing up and afterward, said Lisa. Its hard for her to think about all her family gone except her. Lisa concluded by saying Charlotte has been a beautiful mother to us, a wonderful Christian mother who taught us all to love the Lord and love one another. Happy birthday, Charlotte! Share story ideas with Mary at marycanrobert@charter.net. The signs are ominous. Russia has amassed troops along its border with Ukraine and has made diplomatic demands that have been rejected (such as for the United States to ban Ukraine from ever joining NATO). Intelligence suggests that the Russian military buildup in neighboring Belarus might peak by mid-February. President Biden has said that an invasion this month is a distinct possibility." There is little ground for optimism according to Russian diplomats. Invasion becomes more difficult in the spring as the ground thaws leading to the risk of artillery getting bogged down in mud. Action may now be imminent. What does Putin want when it comes to Ukraine? Is he willing to risk the costs associated with what could turn into a costly invasion and occupation? Such questions are difficult to answer in part because it is not entirely clear what Putin might pursue in relation to Ukraine. He could opt for a limited invasion with relatively narrow objectives such as securing or gaining more ground in eastern Ukraine or creating a land bridge from the Russian homeland to Crimea. Or a full-scale invasion could proceed in which Russia seeks to capture the capital, overthrow the government in power, and install a president friendlier towards Russia and more oriented towards the East. Though in earlier times, colonialism and the acquisition of territory and resources were seen as part and parcel of the rough and tumble of international politics, territorial land grabs today are viewed as a violation of the fundamental principle of sovereignty that modern international relations is predicated on. Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 were widely seen as violations of the international territorial integrity norm. An invasion of Ukraine would be viewed similarly. If Russia were to invade, there would be significant economic (and potentially other) costs imposed on Russia through sanctions and isolation from the global financial system. There could also be significant military costs. The Soviet Unions failed intervention in Afghanistan in the 1980s demonstrated how difficult it can be to successfully impose regime change abroad, even on a much weaker state. If Russia invades, the United States, even if it does not become directly militarily involved, will increase its logistical and military support for Ukraine. Consistent with what is sometimes referred to as a porcupine strategy," the U.S. would make it costlier, bloodier, to hang on to Ukraine. The possibility of such costs can potentially serve as a deterrent, perhaps preventing at least a full-scale invasion. Still, Putins territorial objectives are troubling. In research on the causes of war, John Vasquez of the University of Illinois and his colleagues have found that disputes with territorial objectives are more likely to escalate to full-scale war than disputes over other issues. This empirical finding has been supported by numerous other scholars in studies on the causes of war. Though territorial conflict occurs less frequently now than in the past due in part to the territorial integrity norm, given the historically volatile nature of territorial disputes compared to other types of disputes, the territorial dimension of the Ukrainian crisis is cause for concern. And Putin has more than just territorial ambitions. While strategic concerns related to access to the Black Sea via Crimea and control over eastern Ukraine may play a role in Putins calculation of whether or not to invade, his broader ambition is to restore, preserve and extend Russian influence in Eastern and Central Europe (and more broadly the world at large). Putins beliefs about Ukraine and NATO are particularly important given the authoritarian nature of the Russian regime. In democratic states, there is typically public debate and some degree of collective decision-making when it comes to waging war. In a non-democratic system, an authoritarian leader may have near exclusive discretion over whether or not to wage war. In relation to Ukraine, as The Economist put it, seldom in the field of human conflict did so much hang on the whims of one man." Putin may believe, based on past endeavors, that there would be a domestic political benefit to invading Ukraine. The public rallied behind Russias war with Georgia and the annexation of Crimea. Putins popularity in Russia has recently been slumping. Perhaps he believes that restoring Russian influence over Ukraine will bring a resurgence in nationalist sentiment and enhance support for his regime. Still, taking aggressive action would be a risk given that incurring a high level of casualties could have the opposite effect. It is not clear that the Russian public is generally supportive of going to war with Ukraine. Propaganda can help rally support. But the ability to shape opinion has become more limited as Russian citizens have become increasingly adept at using the internet to obtain information independent from state-controlled media sources. Though the warning signs are apparent, it is possible that the military buildup is a bluff designed to obtain concessions from the West. Making maximalist demands that will knowingly be rejected can be a bargaining strategy designed to make it seem as if the other side agreeing to more limited demands constitutes compromise." Regardless, the buildup poses a significant risk. Even if Putin did not initially intend to invade Ukraine, diplomatic miscalculation can lead to unintended consequences. It is not possible to fully know Putins thoughts regarding Ukraine. So though we may hope for the best, it would be prudent to prepare for otherwise. David R. Dreyer is a political science professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Write to him at David.Dreyer@lr.edu. " " One of Ernest Withers' most famous photographs, "I Am A Man" was taken at the sanitation workers strike in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. Dr. Ernest C. Withers, Sr. courtesy of the WITHERS FAMILY TRUST Ernest Withers might not be the best-known name of the civil rights movement, but he was the best-known photographer. As a photojournalist, Withers captured incredible images of key moments in American history. From the iconic image of Emmett Till's mutilated corpse to the now-legendary shot of sanitation workers standing shoulder to shoulder in Memphis, Tennesse carrying signs that read, "I Am a Man," Withers' photos spread awareness about the injustice of black America. But his legacy got a little more complicated in 2010. The Commercial Appeal newspaper, which covers Memphis, discovered Withers essentially lived a double life, having worked as a paid informant for the FBI for years. Was he a traitor to the civil rights movement he so eloquently photographed or is there more to his story? Advertisement Ernest Withers took photography lessons in the U.S. Army while he served during World War II in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he worked as a beat cop on Beale Street in his hometown of Memphis as one of the first black police officers. Thanks to that beat, he was able to photograph some of the soon-to-be-legends in music history, from B.B. King and Aretha Franklin to Ike and Tina Turner. Withers was prominent in the civil rights movement, too. He was the only photographer to document the entire Emmett Till murder trial, and he captured Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy riding the first desegregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. He also photographed the "Little Rock Nine" at Central High School in Arkansas in 1957 after Brown v. Board of Education outlawed segregation in public schools. Other noteworthy things in history he captured include the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Medgar Evers' funeral, the Black Panther Party and the Lorraine Motel after MLK's assassination. After Withers died in 2007 from a stroke, Commercial Appeal reporter Marc Perrusquia started working on Withers' biography for the paper. That's when a former FBI agent told him that they never bothered to bug King's meetings because they had Withers. But he refused to tell Perrusquia more. So the reporter spent years investigating the story, petitioning the FBI with Freedom of Information Act requests to discover the truth of this informant, until, after a lengthy lawsuit, many of Withers' classified records were released. That's when Perrusquia finally determined that Withers, in fact, worked as an informant for the FBI throughout the 1960s. Why the FBI was monitoring the movements of civil rights activists isn't totally clear, but history has shown that then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover believed King was influenced by communists. However, Withers' motivations are not understood; some think he was in it for the money to support his family of eight children though it is possible that he had some anti-communist feelings himself, since several of his sons fought in the Vietnam War. He also had a history of corruption. He lost his job as a police officer for bootlegging whiskey, though Perrusquia points out that at the time, the Memphis police department was rampant with corruption. In 1981, though, Withers was also caught up in a cash-for-clemency scandal with a Tennessee judge, where criminals were basically able to buy their way out of prison. Withers testified against the judge, having cut a deal with the state. But even with the stakes that high, he never revealed his work for the FBI. Since the news about Withers being an informant broke in 2010, it's been received with mixed feelings. Some civil rights leaders felt that they were betrayed and their confidence abused. Others, like Ambassador Andrew Young, who was a lieutenant of MLK, told The New Yorker that he's not surprised because at the time they felt the FBI bugged everything, but they didn't suspect Withers himself. Its important to remember the time within which he lived, and the inordinate pressure to inform, Dr. Manning Marable, a professor of African American studies at Columbia University, told The New Yorker. The best thing we can say about Withers is that he played a dual role, as an informant who undoubtedly disrupted the movement, but also as a photographer who used his talents on behalf of advocacy, social justice, and equality. Advertisement Originally Published: Apr 24, 2018 " " Wikimedia Commons Mrs. Cheng (on the right) goes on the attack. History's most successful and feared pirate fleets shared some key attributes. They were well-oiled operations that enforced strict rules, despite the lawlessness of their profession. Crucially, a lot of them were helmed by intelligent leaders who played politics, exercised diplomacy as needed and earned the respect of their peers. One exceptionally skilled fleet commander terrorized the South China Sea in the early 19th century. At the height of her power, she directed a vast coalition of several thousand pirates, the largest pirate crew ever assembled. Then, having made history in spectacular fashion, she retired from piracy and lived to a ripe old age. Advertisement Mrs. Cheng, aka Ching Shih Who was this seafaring outlaw? Well, in contemporary, English-language books and websites, she's often called "Ching Shih." But that wasn't her real name. "Ching Shih" was the invention of "an early nineteenth century author who was endeavoring to render a Chinese text into English," says Dian Murray, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame and authority on China's pirate past. "The lady pirate in question is most commonly referred to in the official Chinese sources simply as 'Mrs. Cheng' or 'Mrs. Zheng,'" Murray says via email. Those spellings came from two different romanization systems that are used to convert Mandarin Chinese characters into Latin letters. For consistency's sake, we'll use the name "Mrs. Cheng" in the remainder of this article. Cheng's early life is poorly documented. We do know that she worked at a Cantonese brothel before she married one Cheng I in the year 1801 or so. (She was likely in her twenties at the time.) A notorious pirate, Cheng I was the product of a changing seascape. From 1771 to 1802, Vietnam was embroiled in the Tay Son Rebellion, a peasant-led uprising against the Le Dynasty. Lacking a strong naval force, the rebels contracted small-time pirates to fight and loot on their behalf. In exchange, the plunderers received weapons, vessels and, best of all, safe harbors. Such allowances created an environment where organized, large-scale piracy could flourish even after the rebellion was put down. In 1802, the South China Sea played host to roughly 50,000 pirates. Advertisement Red Flag, Black Flag By 1804, Cheng I and his cunning wife had united five numerous fleets into one gigantic confederation made up of 70,000 men and 400 junks (large sailing vessels). The coalition was broken up into half a dozen semi-autonomous squadrons whose leaders were answerable to the Chengs. Each unit bore the name of a colored flag: There was a Red Flag Fleet, a Black Flag Fleet and so on. One of sailors in this mighty criminal syndicate was Chang Pao, a teenager who'd been captured by Cheng I. "After recognizing his potential for leadership, Cheng I initiated Chang Pao into the pirate ranks by means of a homosexual liaison," Murray says. Soon enough, Cheng I put the youth in command of his own junk and even adopted him as his own child. But it was Mrs. Cheng who held the confederation together after Cheng I's abrupt death in November 1807. Taking charge of the enterprise, she implemented a new code of conduct. Under these rules, pirates in her fleets would get decapitated if they stole goods from a communal fund that was meant to benefit everyone. Likewise, raping a captive woman was punishable by execution. The rules were co-authored by Chang Pao, who'd assumed a powerful new role within the outfit. "[Mrs. Cheng] realized that she needed a lieutenant to help her command the 300 junks and 20,000-40,000 men of what had previously been her husband's Red Flag Fleet," says Murray. Chang Pao took the job, becoming Mrs. Cheng's lover and later her second spouse. Advertisement Going Out on Top For years, Mrs. Cheng maintained good relationships with the leaders of every fleet in the coalition. She ran a tight ship (so to speak) and oversaw everything from monetary transactions to religious ceremonies. On her watch, the pirate alliance expanded like crazy. Of the 270 government-owned ships stationed at Tien-Pai, 266 fell under her control. By demanding regular patronage from sailing merchants, Mrs. Cheng's sailors profited off Canton's lucrative salt trade. As a matter of fact, the outlaws extracted so much revenue across their domain that Mrs. Cheng found it necessary to establish a network of land-based financial offices. Her strategic mind was well-suited to warfare. Mrs. Cheng's fleets regularly embarrassed the navies of southern China. They grew notorious for kidnapping Chinese officials, blockading rivers and routing just about anybody who opposed their will. But that was to change. In 1809, China's increasingly agitated government borrowed well-armed vessels from the British East India Company and the Portuguese Navy. At the same time, it also offered amnesty to pirates who surrendered. "The offer was tempting to the leader of the Black Flag Fleet, who then forced a confrontation with the Red Flag Fleet," Murray says. While negotiating with the government, he turned over the captives from that inter-squadron battle as a gesture of goodwill. Before long, other units were defecting from Mrs. Cheng's confederation. She could read the writing on the wall. Blackbeard and other career pirates who kept plundering until the bitter end usually met horrible deaths, whether on the high seas or at the gallows. Mrs. Cheng decided to go a different route. On April 8, 1810 after an earlier round of peace talks failed she took a delegation of 17 pirate wives and children to the governor-general's office in Canton. Inside, Mrs. Cheng brokered a favorable amnesty deal. "[Chang Pao] was allowed to retain between 20-30 of his vessels for use in the salt trade and received an appointment in the Chinese water forces," Murray tells us. Most of the pirates who'd served under her were granted pardons as well. Chang Pao passed away in 1822 at 36. He was survived by his brilliant wife, who died peacefully in 1844 at the age of 69. Now That's Cool Mistress Ching, a character in Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" who commands an enormous fleet, was reportedly inspired by Mrs. Cheng. CONCORD When a young woman named Barbara Grayson first visited Cabarrus County Hospital School of Nursing (now Cabarrus College of Health Sciences) as a high school student interested in a nursing career, it was the individual attention she received that sealed her decision to attend. That personal touch came from none other than the colleges founder, Louise Harkey, who from the very beginning set the tone for what the college would become. Fast forward 80 years, and Cabarrus College of Health Sciences has evolved from a small, local nursing school into a regional leader in health sciences education. Throughout the years since its founding in 1942, the college has never strayed from its central mission of providing exemplary health care education for the next generation of caring health care professionals. Guiding principles and qualities that fueled the colleges ascent such as its individualized approach to student instruction and a high-caliber faculty focused on student success have remained remarkably consistent. Barbara Grayson, now Barbara Seay, felt the impact of the founders vision when she first walked through the doors in the late 1950s. I went to the hospital and inquired about what I would need to do to be admitted, and she (Louise Harkey) was so nice, said Seay. And she encouraged me, and I think that was the deciding factor. Its a decision Seay never regretted. The whole time I was in nursing school at Cabarrus was a very positive influence on me, and I would not have gone anywhere else, Seay said. The teachers were phenomenal in encouraging me, helping me and just interacting with me as a young student. A history founded in caring In early 1942, World War II raged abroad and many local nurses had been recruited for military service, leaving Cabarrus County Hospital with an impending shortage of nurses to provide day-to-day care. Recognizing this challenge, hospital administrator Louise Harkey designed a three-year training program for nurses and opened the Cabarrus County General Hospital School of Nursing with 16 students on Feb. 2, 1942. Since that inaugural class entered their new careers wearing starched white uniforms and nursing caps, generations of Cabarrus College alumni have graduated from the college instilled with a desire to put others first, no matter where their lives and careers led them. Barbara Seay is a case in point. Since graduating in 1961, shes enjoyed a varied career, working as an operating room nurse, a flight nurse caring for soldiers injured in the Vietnam War, a public health nurse, and now, at the age of 82, in home health. I think how blessed I was to be able to engage in the different aspects of nursing, Seay said. I can remember thinking that I wanted to cure the world. How idealistic was that? I cant cure the world, but I can help one patient, one client at a time. Another alumna, Susan Howell Bare, a 1975 graduate of the colleges nursing school, has devoted her life to caregiving and philanthropy, improving countless lives throughout the community. She worked officially as a nurse for only 10 years, but later utilized her nursing background to serve as a long-term caregiver for her sister, her first husband and her husbands mother. She spent many years serving homebound members of her church and following the deaths of her first husband and her son, she channeled her grief into philanthropy, establishing scholarships in their honor at Northwest Cabarrus High School. Since then, Bare has turned her largesse to Atrium Health Cabarrus where a nursing station at Jeff Gordon Childrens Hospital and a patient dressing room at the Breast Center bear her name and to her alma mater, Cabarrus College. Bares daughter and stepdaughter also graduated from the colleges nursing school, where the Susan Howell Bare Endowed Scholarship, established in 2018, now helps promising students attend nursing school. I want to give other people the opportunities that we had, Bare said. Seay and Bare are only a couple of the Cabarrus College alumni who have positively impacted their communities. With many legacy graduates like Haley Love, a 2014 nursing graduate who was the 11th member of her family to graduate from Cabarrus College its not unusual in Cabarrus County to know someone who attended Cabarrus College or has received care from one of its alumni. My parents live in Cabarrus County and many of its (the colleges) graduates have cared for my loved ones, said Tamara Jefferson, who recently graduated from the colleges Master of Science in nursing (MSN) program. Like many before her, Jefferson also found the educational experience she was seeking at Cabarrus College. I felt supported and a priority while attending the program. I dont think I would have gotten that from other MSN programs, Jefferson said. Evolving to meet new needs During its first half century, the Cabarrus County Hospital School of Nursing grew consistently, and on its 50th anniversary in 1992, it was officially renamed the Louise Harkey School of Nursing to honor its founder. In 1996, as health care evolved and needs changed, the Louise Harkey School of Nursing became the cornerstone of the new Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, renamed as the college added allied health programs to meet the communitys demand for professionals in additional health care disciplines. Today, 80 years after its founding, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences has become a premier, private higher education institution that offers masters, bachelors and associate degrees for students seeking a career in health care. In addition to its highly respected nursing program, the college offers degrees in multiple health science disciplines, including medical assisting, medical imaging, occupational therapy, surgical technology, community health and wellness, and health sciences leadership and development. Regardless of the program in which students enroll, they continue to benefit from the guiding principles upon which Cabarrus College built its reputation. The faculty really guides and teaches you, said Michelle Verni, OT, a 2018 Master of Occupational Therapy graduate. They were always willing to make one-on-one time to talk to me. Ashleigh Owen, a 2021 graduate of the medical assistant program concurs. The staff is so supportive, and I appreciate the feeling of community. The faculty is committed to providing high-quality education and genuinely wants me to succeed. Hands down the best decision I have made for my future health care career. Now a part of Atrium Health, an integrated, nonprofit health system serving patients at 40 hospitals and more than 1,400 care locations, Cabarrus College continues to expand its program offerings. A new Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences will enroll its first class in the fall, and new programs coming soon include bachelors degrees in respiratory therapy, community paramedicine, a traditional four-year Bachelor of Science in nursing and an accelerated three-year Bachelor of Science in nursing. Cabarrus College is in the midst of a period of unprecedented growth, said college President Cam Cruickshank, Ph.D., citing the colleges eight recent semesters of record enrollment. The demand for highly qualified, expertly trained health professionals is only going to continue to grow. Weve been truly honored to be a part of educating the health care workforce in this area for the past 80 years, and we are poised to continue and expand that mission. We have the resources and expertise to be a critical part of creating healthier and stronger communities through health care education across the Carolinas. Several readers of this column have concluded that I have spent an inordinate amount of time focused on what some believe is merely an attempt to ensure voter integrity. Though this is my fourth consecutive column on voting, I would not classify my attention as inordinate. Because of Americas dubious voting legacy, any action under the guise of improving voter integrity hearkens back to the old Cold War axiom, trust but verify. When several Republican-led state legislatures feel its their appointed duty to ensure voter integrity by passing laws that are accompanied by the added benefit of political advantage, is that not cause for concern? With no plausible rationale, these Republican-led legislatures have taken it upon themselves to make the most fundamental and sacred responsibility for a democratic society more onerous. I have no idea if these tactics will pay dividends in the November midterm elections. Thats irrelevant. The Declaration of Independence was issued in 1776, the War for Independence concluded in 1783 and the Constitution was ratified in 1787, but the United States has only been a full democracy since 1965, with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Originally a privilege, based on state provisions, for white male property owners, our pursuit toward that elusive more perfect union was forced to make detours in places like Manassas, Antietam and Gettysburg. It fell short when the 15th Amendment secured the franchise for former enslaved males but not for women regardless of race. The United States was a democracy in good standing between 1965-2013 less than 50 years for a nation that has touted democratic rule under the Constitution for 235 years. In 2013, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, struck down Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. The ruling ushered in a plethora of laws to restrict voting by Southern states previously prohibited by the preclearance provision in Section 5. Moreover, several states not bound by Section 5 also passed laws to make voting more difficult. It is difficult to accept the voter integrity rationale when the United States has been consistently listed by the Economist Magazines Democracy index as a flawed democracy. Flawed democracies are nations where elections are fair and free and basic civil liberties are honored but may have issues. These nations have significant faults in other democratic aspects, including underdeveloped political culture, low levels of participation in politics and issues in the functioning of governance. It is doubtful that any of the 34 laws passed by the 19 Republican-led state legislatures will move the United States up in the Democracy Index. But I question the sincerity of the architects of this legislation who claim that ensuring integrity was the basis for the new voting laws. We are somewhere between Queen Gertrudes observation in Hamlet, The lady doth protest too much, and the sage wisdom of my grandmother, What theyre mad about aint what theyre made about. We have limped along with self-congratulatory arrogance for being one of the worlds oldest democracies on paper, content with sub-par voter turnout, increasing apathy and a longer legacy of excluding the franchise than expanding it. But it was only after the 2020 election concluded that voter integrity became paramount for some. What changed? The primary change has been demographics. As the nation becomes browner and more diverse, the Republican Partys almost exclusive appeal to white voters is increasingly becoming a diminishing return on investment. The Republican Party must either compete in the marketplace of ideas or attempt to place limits on who actually votes. It has seemingly made its Faustian bargain by stoking fears and trafficking in conspiracy theories and innuendo. The artisans of these newly enacted voting laws have seemingly relinquished any belief in Americas democratic values. The further decline of American democracy is not a price too high for the preservation of their political position. These are the vestiges of a political party that since 1968 has used a portion of its political platform to other certain groups. Where are the voices within the Republican Party decrying these actions? As I stated, I have no idea if this chicanery will be successful. I do know, however, that laws that make it difficult to vote cannot serve the interest of a free people. The Rev. Byron Williams (byron @publicmorality.org), a writer and the host of The Public Morality on WSNC 90.5, lives in Winston-Salem. RALEIGH In this era of increasing partisan polarization, is the middle shrinking before our eyes? This is a familiar claim, and its not entirely without foundation. In a new Gallup poll, for example, 37% of respondents identified themselves as moderates. Back in 1992, 43% of Americans told Gallup they were moderates. Still, when you graph those poll results over the entire 30-year period, the result bears little resemblance to the cliff that todays media chatter might lead you to expect. The line slopes gently downward. And heres another trend that might surprise you. The share of Americans identifying themselves as conservative has changed little. It was 36% three decades ago and is 36% today. Its the liberal label that has become more popular, rising from 17% in 1992 to 25% today. Although it may seem straightforward to measure ideology by asking poll respondents to label themselves, Ive long had doubts about this practice. The words conservative, liberal and moderate have no fixed and universally accepted meanings. They mean different things to different people. Indeed, by requiring that respondents choose only one of the responses, pollsters force artificial distinctions on people who may not think in rigidly categorical terms. Someone might consider herself conservative because shes frugal with money and goes to church every Sunday while also considering herself moderate (Im a reasonable person, not an extremist) and liberal (Im open-minded and try to see the good in everyone I meet). When analyzing political behavior, then, or teaching one of my classes, I tend to rely on polls that asked more pointed questions or delve into specific issues. Fortunately, Gallup supplements its self-identification test with many such questions. Consider this question, asked since the early 1990s: Some people think government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Others think that government ought to do more to solve our countrys problems. Which comes closer to your view? Unlike the results of the self-identification test, the answers to this question about government activism have gyrated quite a lot over the years. Most of the time, the former position (the more conservative one) is significantly more popular than the government ought to do more position. During much of the 1990s and 2010s, for example, about 60% picked the right-leaning position while only 32% picked the left-leaning one. During recessions, wars or other crises, however, the lines converged or even crossed. Just after the 9/11 attacks, 50% of Americans wanted government to be more active vs. 41% who said it was doing too much. The gap was even larger in 2020 as the COVID crisis hit (54% to 41%), though it flipped back to a conservative edge (52% to 43%) in 2021. You see something like the same pattern for this Gallup question, which is even more specific: In general, do you think there is too much, too little, or the right amount of government regulation of business and industry? During most of the last three decades, a plurality of respondents said there was too much regulation. The only exceptions were in the first year of the financial crisis and the first year of the COVID crisis, when too much and the right amount were roughly tied. Care to guess the year when business regulation was the least popular? The answer may surprise you. It was 2011, the year before Barack Obama was reelected president, when 50% of Americans said there was too much regulation, 24% said there was too little, and 23% said it was just right. There have been some sizable shifts in public opinion since the early 1990s, but they dont have much to do with fiscal or economic policy. Todays voters are far more accepting of same-sex marriage than they were then, for instance. Taken as a whole, though, poll results suggest the extremes arent really growing rapidly at the expense of a truly vanishing middle. Polarization isnt the same thing as radicalization. John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member and author of the novel Mountain Folk, a historical fantasy set during the American Revolution (MountainFolkBook.com). Follow Hood on Twitter @JohnHoodNC Meta states in an SEC filing it is considering leaving Europe if it can no longer exchange data from European users with the United States, following the Schrems II decision. This story is evolving, and since publication a response from Meta has been received which confirms the company is concerned it will be unable to share data between the EU and US, but denies its concern is over targeted advertising. Facebook states in its SEC filing, "if a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted and we are unable to continue to rely on Standard Contractual Clauses [now also subject to new judicial scrutiny] or rely upon other alternative means of data transfers from Europe to the United States, we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations." The filing continues to say such legislation "may also result in limitations on our advertising services" The comments are in relation to the Schrems II decision, which is a key ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union which, in July 2020, declared the Privacy Shield, the EU/S personal data transfer mechanism was no longer lawful. The Privacy Shield is US law that provided US authorities with the right to collect personal data about EU data subjects without, the Court says, adequate safeguards. Further, the judgement states EU data subjects lacked effective means to seek redress against the US Government. This action itself harks back to 2011 when Austrian lawyer, activist, and author Maximillian Schrems pored through 1,222 pages of information Facebook held about him. He discovered details he believed he had deleted, and others he had not consented to be shared and lodged a complaint with the Irish data protection commissioner (as Facebook falls under Irish Jurisdiction, where it settled for tax reasons). Fast forward today and with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) well in force, the US Privacy Shield principles were found non-compliant and consequently invalid. The Schrems II ruling affects every American company, and not solely Facebook. It includes Google, Microsoft, and Amazon whose cloud services form the backbone of most of the Western Worlds Internet. As such, the road to Schrems II will be a long and slow one as courts and industry navigate their way through the ramifications of the judgement. Previously, Google Analytics and Google Fonts have been before the court where it was asserted that Google Fonts was sending personal data such as IP address to another service without permission, and without a clear and valid reason to do this. While some fear Europe will alienate itself from the major cloud providers, and the Google Fonts ruling sets a precedent in cases where content is served from a content distribution network or CDN, there are other legal regimes in place that are approved to send EU data to the US. While Schrems II invalidates Privacy Shield, the legal protections afforded to Standard Contractual Clauses and Binding Corporate Rules continue to be in effect. Nevertheless, Facebook is threatening it will simply pull out of Europe altogether if it is no longer able to share data about European users with its US operations, applications, and data centres. While the European Court of Justice states personal data is less well-protected in the US than in Europe, Facebook says (via side-line.com) stopping transatlantic data transfers will have a devastating impact on the company, which relies on the processing of user data to power its targeted online advertisements capabilities. Meta's response A Meta spokesperson advised iTWire, "We have absolutely no desire and no plans to withdraw from Europe, but the simple reality is that Meta, and many other businesses, organisations and services, rely on data transfers between the EU and the US in order to operate global services. Like other companies,we have followed European rules and rely on Standard Contractual Clauses, and appropriate data safeguards, to operate a global service. Fundamentally, businesses need clear, global rules to protect transatlantic data flows over the long term, and like more than 70 other companies across a wide range of industries, we are closely monitoring the potential impact on our European operations as these developments progress. Meta highlights the relevant excerpt from its SEC filing says, "We are also subject to evolving laws and regulations that dictate whether, how, and under what circumstances we can transfer, process and/or receive certain data that is critical to our operations, including data shared between countries or regions in which we operate and data shared among our products and services. For example, in 2016, the European Union and United States agreed to a transfer framework for data transferred from the European Union to the United States, called the Privacy Shield, but the Privacy Shield was invalidated in July 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In addition, the other bases upon which Meta relies to transfer such data, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), have been subjected to regulatory and judicial scrutiny." "For example, the CJEU considered the validity of SCCs as a basis to transfer user data from the European Union to the United States following a challenge brought by the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC). Although the CJEU upheld the validity of SCCs in July 2020, our continued reliance on SCCs will be the subject of future regulatory consideration. In particular, in August 2020, we received a preliminary draft decision from the IDPC that preliminarily concluded that Meta Platforms Ireland's reliance on SCCs in respect of European user data does not achieve compliance with the GDPR and preliminarily proposed that such transfers of user data from the European Union to the United States should therefore be suspended. Meta Platforms Ireland challenged procedural aspects of this IDPC inquiry in a judicial review commenced in the Irish High Court in September 2020. In May 2021, the court rejected Meta Platforms Ireland's procedural challenges and the inquiry subsequently recommenced." "We believe a final decision in this inquiry may issue as early as the first half of 2022. If a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted and we are unable to continue to rely on SCCs or rely upon other alternative means of data transfers from Europe to the United States, we will likely be unable to offer a number of our most significant products and services, including Facebook and Instagram, in Europe, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations." To be clear, Meta states to iTWire its concern over Schrems II is not targeted ads but is about the company's ability to transfer data securely and safely between the US and EU. iTWire has asked further clarifying questions and will update this story when able. MATTOON W.L. House, proprietor of a restaurant at 2015 Western Ave., was held up and robbed by two men in his place of business about 6:20 oclock Saturday evening, the bandits getting about $40 in money and $53 in checks. The robber darted out and through a vacant lot just west of the building toward the Big Four Railroad tracks. It is presumed they made their getaway on one of several freight trains which were leaving the city during the next half hour. House was alone in his restaurant, a customer having departed only a minute or two before the highwaymen entered the place MATTOON Although the new electric car put into use Saturday on the Illinois Central Railroad between Mattoon and Decatur made its initial trip in fine shape, it was not in operation this morning, owing to the discovery that the water cooling system used with the motor was found to be unsuitable for northern use. The car is being worked on this morning and will be able to resume its regular schedule tomorrow morning, Trainmaster Keene announced. The car ran on time all the way from Mattoon to Decatur and handled 114 passengers. Engineer Milton, who will become Motorman Milton, was in charge of the car. Instructor Tinsman of the Memphis Division of the Illinois Central is instructing Milton in the mechanism of the car and will remain for several days in order that Milton may become thoroughly familiar with the motors workings. The electric motors are capable of generating 116 horsepower and can make 60 miles per hour at full speed CASEY The deep well drilled by the Trenton Rock, Oil and Gas Co., on the McFarland lease, Martinsville Township in Clark County, on Thursday began to overflow the surrounding field. Oil men who visited the well Thursday are enthusiastic over the showing and all are in union that it will make a big producer. A General Iron recycling plant employee works with incoming trucks loaded with metal on Feb,. 5, 2020, in the Lincoln Yards area. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune) As a chronic polluter sought city permission to set up shop on Chicagos Southeast Side, recently released emails show there was a stark divide in the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot one the mayor wanted to keep secret from the public. The fall 2020 emails, released to the Tribune under an open records request, offer a window into the extent to which Lightfoot hoped to stop the public from learning details of the behind-the-scenes debate over General Irons attempted move from a wealthy, largely white Lincoln Park neighborhood to a lower-income, predominantly Latino one on the Southeast Side. Advertisement Despite campaigning on a promise to bring in the light at City Hall, Lightfoot admonished staffers for sending her emails that could later be made public, if somebody happened to request them under the states Freedom of Information Act, commonly known by its acronym FOIA. The mayor scolded her top environmental adviser for sending her a memo on General Iron, saying the aides written recommendations have no FOIA protections and that just cannot be a thing. Advertisement I have asked now several times for there to be no more correspondence and writings that are not protected by (privilege), Lightfoot wrote in the November 2020 email to Angela Tovar, her administrations chief sustainability officer. I am happy to engage in the conversation, but it must be done in a way that does not expose this administration to risk, Lightfoot added. Under state law, government officials must release public records to anyone requesting them, though there are numerous provisions in the Freedom of Information Act that allow government bodies to make redactions. In her email to Lightfoot and other high-ranking aides, Tovar wrote, It is my understanding that you have had the opportunity to hear from (the citys Law Department) directly, and I want to (give) you another perspective. Lightfoot officials redacted most of Tovars email and are withholding much of the memo she wrote, despite Lightfoots admonishment that it has no protections from the states open records act. The mayors office said the memo contains strategic recommendations. Lightfoots staff said the city will make a decision on allowing a permit for General Iron after a community meeting on Feb. 15. Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons. The emails came to light as part of the Tribunes yearslong push to get Lightfoots administration to release certain emails and texts, which her administration has at times refused to do, until the state attorney general has determined that her office violated state open records law. That included trying to keep secret an email about an alleged bet over the length of the 2019 teachers strike and 2 years of texts involving city business in which Lightfoot called officials names ranging from jackass to dumb, dumb person of color. Advertisement The latest release of emails underscores the controversy roiling City Hall over General Iron, which is attempting to move from Lincoln Park to Chicagos East Side neighborhood abutting the Indiana state line. The correspondence also highlights the ways Lightfoot has failed to fulfill her campaign promise to bring in the light at City Hall. General Irons move has drawn staunch opposition from community activists and federal housing officials, who in 2020 opened an investigation into why the city is allowing the companys move. Activists note the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency cracked down on General Iron three times between 1999 and 2018, later brokering legal settlements for emitting illegal amounts of pollution and handling scrap unsafely. Houses sit under the Chicago Skyway toll road on South Avenue M on March 9, 2021, in the East Side neighborhood of Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune) Minutes after scolding Tovar, Lightfoot sent an email to a group of policy officials and her chief of staff, ordering them to stop the childish fighting and get on the same page. She told staffers she was an independent thinker as a longtime lawyer and also understood a thing or two about politics. She ended with a demand that they not correspond in ways that the city could later be forced to reveal to the public. Stop sending around memos and emails about pending litigation that is not protected by privilege, Lightfoot said. If you want to talk to me, pick up the phone. Lightfoots response to Tovar isnt the first time shes criticized staff for sending her information. Advertisement In January 2021, Lightfoots then-chief of staff Maurice Classen forwarded her a Labor Relations/Staff Update from Chicago Public Schools. Lightfoot responded, Folks, I meant what I said yesterday. Stop, immediately, forwarding me these long email chains to me. Stop it now. Classen apologized, saying he thought he had chopped up the email but unfortunately forwarded more than he intended. And to be clear, I did not read any of this and I will not read it, Lightfoot wrote back. The unredacted portions of Tovars memo detail conflict between General Iron and community leaders. Tovars memo notes that activists filed a complaint with HUD alleging that the city violated the Fair Housing Act based on its history of moving industrial uses to low-income communities of color, as exemplified in the September 2019 agreement between the City and General Iron to enable the relocation of its business and operations from the well-off Northside to the Southeast Side environmental justice community. Residents allege that the city approved a plan to move General Irons operations to an already-overburdened environmental justice community, according to the memo. General Iron has a history of violations, the complainants alleged, according to the memo. HUD is investigating while encouraging the city to reach an agreement during a voluntary mediation. Federal officials asked the city to refrain from issuing a final permit while they were in conciliation discussions. Advertisement Lightfoots office redacted Tovars recommendation as well as a section titled next steps. The proposed move of General Iron came after the Labkon family sold its company to Ohio-based Reserve Management Group in 2019. At least one family member, Adam Labkon, owns part of the new enterprise. RMG contends its new facility on the Southeast Side would be the nations cleanest scrap shredder. Connected to the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, it would give RMG the ability to cost-effectively ship scrap by barge to steel mills across the eastern part of the United States. But activists on the Southeast Side contend RMGs statements sound disturbingly similar to promises General Iron made over the years. This story has been updated to correct that an email from then-chief of staff Maurice Classen to Mayor Lightfoot was sent in January 2021, not 2020 as originally stated. SPRINGFIELD Students at scores of districts across the state may be freed from wearing a mask in the classroom, with an Illinois judge ruling Friday that Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 mandate was authorized illegally. Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow on Friday granted a request from attorney Tom DeVore to temporarily halt the governors executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools, finding that the measures are beyond the governors authority and deprive students of due process. "This court acknowledges the tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, not only on this state but throughout the nation and globe," Grischow wrote in a ruling that affects 146 Illinois school districts, including the public school system in Chicago. "Nonetheless, it is the duty of the Courts to preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the boundaries of the authority granted under the Constitution." Pritzker had harsh words for the judge's decision and quickly urged the state's attorney general's office to appeal, suggesting the ruling could spark another surge in the virus and force schools to close their doors and revert to online classes. "The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities and this may force schools to go remote," Pritzker said in a statement. "This shows yet again that the mask mandate and school exclusion protocols are essential tools to keep schools open and everyone safe." Attorney General Kwame Raoul agreed with Pritzker that the ruling would make it more difficult to protect students and school employees from the virus, and said he would appeal. "This decision sends the message that all students do not have the same right to safely access schools and classrooms in Illinois, particularly if they have disabilities or other health concerns," Raoul said in a statement. The ruling "prioritizes a relatively small group of plaintiffs who refuse to follow widely-accepted science over the rights of other students, faculty and staff to enter schools without the fear of contracting a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 31,000 Illinois residents or taking that virus home to their loved ones," Raoul said. In her ruling, the judge agreed with the parents and teachers who argued that only local health departments, and not the governor or school districts, have the authority to require such measures. The judge also agreed with parents who argued that the state cannot require districts to force staffers to get vaccinated or test weekly "without first providing them due process of law." The restraining order prevents the state from ordering school districts to require students involved in the lawsuit to wear masks if they object, except during the terms of lawful order of quarantine issued from their respective health department. The order also prevents the state from requiring school districts to force school employees who sued to get vaccinated or test weekly if they object, without first providing them due process of law. The ruling leaves local school leaders seeking answers to questions and determining how to proceed. "District officials are reviewing the judges ruling this weekend and will distribute notices as soon as possible as to the extent to which the ruling impacts our school community," Todd Vilardo, superintendent of Charleston schools, said in a prepared statement to the JG-TC. "I am grateful for the patience exercised by our school community as our district navigates potential changes to the COVID-19 guidance for Illinois schools. I am also grateful for our school communitys continued immeasurable support throughout the pandemic. While such circumstances have been challenging for everyone, our collective efforts through all of this demonstrate the Charleston Way of caring for each other while respecting diverse perspectives." Grischow denied DeVores request that the lawsuits be given class certification, which if granted, would have extended the ruling to all students at the nearly 170 school districts named in the two lawsuits one filed against 146 school districts, and a second filed by school employees against 21 school districts. Although she denied class certification, Judge Grischow pointed out in a footnote to the decision that she had declared the emergency rules at issue from the Illinois Department of Health and Illinois School Board of Education void. Thus, non-named Plaintiffs and School Districts throughout this State may govern themselves accordingly, she wrote. The judges ruling means that any school district that attempts to enforce the mask requirement against any student whose parents joined the lawsuit would be held in contempt of court, according to DeVore, who said parents who want the ruling to apply to their children can join the lawsuit. Illinois' school mask mandate has been in place since early August 2021, just before many students returned to the classroom amid a surge in cases and hospitalizations fueled by the Delta variant. But it met near-immediate resistance, with more than 50 school districts across the state being placed on probation by the Illinois State Board of Education in late August for defying the mandate. Most eventually came into compliance. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents in 146 school districts in Macoupin County in mid-October last year. It was later moved to Grischow's courtroom in Sangamon County. The state's two major teachers unions, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, criticized the ruling in statements Friday evening. This decision has the potential to shut our schools down, effectively closing our school buildings and perhaps being potent enough to stop in person learning altogether," said IEA President Kathi Griffin. IFT President Dan Montgomery said the union will "insist that school districts statewide abide by existing agreements on health and safety." It's not the first pandemic-related case Grischow has ruled on. In December 2020, she tossed out an earlier ruling made by a Clay County judge that said Pritzker did not have the authority to issue emergency orders beyond 30 days. That suit had been brought by state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, who is now a candidate for governor. Pritzker told reporters earlier Friday that he was "very hopeful" that mask mandates could be removed soon given the rapid decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations following the state's omicron variant surge, though he attributed the drop to stringent mitigations such as indoor masking. "I believe that we should remove masks as soon as we possibly can," Pritzker said. "I'm constantly listening to the doctors and scientists and encouraging them, 'when can we do this, what's the right time, what's the right way to do it.' And so, very hopeful we can make an announcement about that." Lee Enterprises reporter Brenden Moore and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The N.C. Black Repertory Company, in partnership with Southeastern Theatre Conference and Black Theatre Network, will present the inaugural Mabel P. Robinson Emerging Artist Awards at the 2022 National Black Theatre Festival from Aug. 1-6 in Winston-Salem. The Mabel P. Robinson Emerging Artists Awards will present six scholarships to acting, directing and design students (two in each discipline) to attend the NBTF, the 2023 Southeastern Theatre Conference and the 2023 Black Theatre Network Conference. NC Black Rep Artistic Director Jackie Alexander says events like these play a crucial role in a students career by introducing them to industry veterans and the academic/professional theatre community, allowing them to showcase their work and providing future learning/work opportunities. Alexander realizes that economics dictate which students are allowed to experience such events. Ive spoken with countless instructors who bemoan the fact that many talented kids cant capitalize on these opportunities because its simply too expensive; this program is our first step in attempting to rectify that dynamic. To level the playing field, there will be no application fees, auditions/application materials will be submitted virtually and travel/housing/per diems will be provided, assuring no students exclusion because of financial constraints. SETCs yearly conference allows students to audition for undergraduate and graduate academic programs across the country, along with Summer Stock theatre opportunities. In addition to opportunities at NC Black Rep and BTN, SETC will encourage and financially support its professional company constituents to hire these emerging Black artists through its Ready-to-Direct, Ready-to-Design, Professional Auditions and Staffing Development Matching Grants. The National Endowment for the Arts has approved a grant in the amount of $10,000 to support this project. The awards are named in honor of Mabel P. Robinson, a Broadway/Television/Film veteran, educator and former Artistic Director of NC Black Rep. Robinson said, Im truly humbled and honored to have my name attached to an award that will allow new emerging artists to be exposed to people, organizations and events that will direct them to the right and positive opportunities. These opportunities will enhance and help them to strengthen the art form in which they are interested. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Submission dates and instructions are at: www.ncblackrep.org/2022-mabelrobinson-emergingartists. Lisa Ling is sitting at a table loaded with Cantonese and Taiwanese delicacies, platters of glazed char siu (roast pork), succulent spare ribs, a medley of seafood, a bowl of pigs feet. The feast is set in Locke, Calif., outside Sacramento, although it could be just about anywhere in the United States. Thats the point of Lings new show Take Out with Lisa Ling on HBO Max, which premiered last week. Asian food is an intrinsic part of the American experience. In cities big and small, in every corner of the country, locals can eat steaming bowls of Vietnamese pho and line up at a Taiwanese bubble tea shop and eat Korean barbecue off the tabletop grill. Its hard to fathom how different the landscape was 20 years ago, when Yesoon Lee who, as co-owner of the acclaimed Washington, D.C., restaurant Mandu, has been called the godmother of Korean food had to work in a Chinese airport restaurant, because there was no other outlet for her cooking. Viewers can learn more about that in Episode 6, which centers on Fairfax County, Va.; Ling observes that its home to the third-largest Korean population in the U.S. She also introduces the audience to Korean karaoke, drinking games and to a couple whose dry-cleaning business keeps them so busy they dont have time to cook. But food producers are the underlying engine of the new series, which highlights the untold stories and inner workings of various Asian communities, from New Jerseys Journal Square to southern Louisiana, eschewing Chinatowns in favor of less obvious enclaves. Each show features multiple voices from a community in which Ling embeds. In Episode 1, Ling travels to Jean Lafitte in the Louisiana bayou to highlight the vibrant Filipino community that has played an integral role in the shrimp industry. They were the first Asians to settle in America, says Ling in a phone interview. Over tables covered with boiled shrimp, and later at the acclaimed New Orleans restaurant Peche, Ling notes that without the contributions Filipinos made to the local seafood industry, New Orleans cuisine would undoubtedly look different. Take Out offers a format similar to those of other food-travel documentaries, such as the late Anthony Bourdains Parts Unknown and Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. In it, a highly curious host travels to a location, meets with local experts, and over a tantalizing meal draws out the history of the food for the audience. But Ling comes to the series with a fresh perspective, leaning on a journalistic background rather than a culinary one. The dishes often take a backseat to the dialogue among the people with whom shes enjoying the meal. Whats most engaging is their stories and her observations about the darker, overlooked moments in Asian American history. It also dismantles the notion of a monolithic Asian cuisine; the series includes an episode showcasing a Bangladeshi community, for example. All Asians East Asians, Southeast Asians and South Asians are part of Lings conversation. At the helm is Helen Cho, an executive director (Parts Unknown; My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman) who brought in a mix of well-known and up-and-coming Asian American directors to lend personal touches to the stories. While Take Out is creatively shot, some episodes feel frenetic as the focus jumps from scene to scene. A montage of pedicure close-ups is dazzling, but its not the imagery food lovers might expect to lead into a meal of com thang, or Vietnamese monthly food. Still, theres a story behind it, and these are minor quibbles in an otherwise dynamic visual and narrative series that gives each episode its own flair. The most engaging episode, Lisas Story, features an intensely personal meal at Hop Sing in Folsom, Calif., with Lisa and her family (her dad, mom, aunt, husband and two daughters), who ended up running this restaurant despite having multiple advanced degrees and plans for other careers. Similar stories are sprinkled through the episodes, but Lisas discovery of her own cultural bias against herself, growing up with a lot of shame around being Asian and Asian food, as Ling says, is dished out over egg foo young and chop suey. It feels cathartic. This theme will resonate for many Asian Americans, as does the underlying message of discrimination by omission. Asian American history and culture is not taught in schools. When you have no frame of reference for a communitys inclusion, it becomes so easy to overlook or dismiss or even dehumanize an entire population, says Ling. In many ways, the dishes Ling chronicles act to preserve identity for Asian Americans whose history in the U.S. has ranged from fraught to forgotten. Lings message about the universality of Asian food in America comes as hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continue to rise. In the show, Ling points out that Korea dominates the worlds culture, from Squid Game to BTS. At the same time, the San Francisco Police Department has reported that hate crimes against the Asian community rose 567% in that city in 2021. Thats been the thing thats been really bittersweet about all of this, says Ling about the show. There have been incredible triumphs in the last couple of years, yet attacks have increased so exponentially. She believes this is one reason its so important to tell peoples stories. Otherwise, you might continue to see members of that community as foreigners or un-American. Take Out is a reminder that every Asian meal, even if its the dinner on a sofa evoked by the shows name, has people behind it and stories to tell. We should listen while we eat. Dear Dr. Fox: We recently rescued a stray cat that came to our door. My husband and I are convinced she is our Muffin, who died about 10 years ago, come back to us. She is a look-alike tabby and behaves just like Muffin, even choosing Muffins favorite spots in our home to nap. She cuddles like her and enjoys the same games and treats. My grandmother says this is reincarnation. What is your opinion? J.K., Trenton, New Jersey Dear J.K.: I keep an open mind on this issue. Some people, such as the theosophists, believe animals have a group soul or spirit. An animals soul may evolve when loved by humans. Some Buddhist sects call for kindness to all creatures because they could have been our mothers in our past lives. In Bhutan, dogs are treated with great respect because the next incarnation of their souls or spirits could be in human form. Hinduism embraces reincarnation, but some believe (wrongly, in my opinion) that people who behave badly in this life may descend into some lower animal form in the next life. Regardless of reincarnation being true or not, it is incumbent on all of us to treat every living being, plant and animal, with due respect and compassion. I believe my own research into the behavior of wolves, dogs and other animals has made me a better person. Decades of research spearheaded by the late Dr. Ian Stevenson found evidence of reincarnation in children talking about past-life experiences. For details, see the University of Virginias School of Medicine, Division of Perceptual Studies book Before: Childrens Memories of Previous Lives by Dr. Jim Tucker. We cannot talk with other species to explore this realm, but I find that the idea of reincarnation provides an element of hope that there is much more to life than we perceive. We are part of the great mystery. We are all part of the One Lifeeternal, immortalbut our individual lives are transient and mortal, so we must make the best of it! Millions of people enjoy emotional and spiritual communion with nature and with animals. But this is mere self-indulgence when not translated into compassionate action to protect, restore, rescue and cherish. This calls for taking a personal moral inventory of our lifestyles and consumer habits, reducing our carbon footprint and making choices to become more humane planetary stewards. Email Dr. Fox at animaldocfox@gmail.com or write to him in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. Visit his website at DrFoxOneHealth.com. Get a dose of adorable in your inbox Receive local adoptable pets PLUS updates for pet lovers in your inbox every week! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Q: Will WS/FCS students make up snow days this year? I cannot find any makeup days listed on the 2021-2022 school calendar. D.B. Does the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system have dates set aside this school year for make-up snow days? I dont see them listed on the WSFCS calendar. H.C. Answer: Brent Campbell, the chief marketing and communications officer for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, explained how snow days work this year: Due to COVID, state school calendar laws changed for this year and the state did not require/instruct calendars to include makeup day dates, instead they allowed 5 remote learning days, to be used any time at the districts discretion. Campbell said that the reason for the five days was probably flexibility. But, most people like to see specific dates for makeup days. The WSFCS calendar includes more days than required. Currently, they can forgive the three snow days so far. However, the board may not and may want us to make them up. If they want us to make them up then the board would have to decide when, historically using any available teacher workdays, first, then adding to the end of the year or taking from spring break. We dont have any potential makeup dates at this time or even know if/how many we will need to make them until much later this winter when the board can get a better look at how this winter impacted us and then decide the best route to use to ensure we meet the instructional hours requirements. Q: Wipes which are labeled as being disposable, cause 25% of sewage backups in Forsyth County. Has the county considered inviting other municipalities to start a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers who make this false claim? M.R. Answer Several municipalities have sued the makers of wipes, with varying degrees of success. One of the most successful litigants is Charleston, S.C. According to a Bloomberg magazine article from April 2021, the water management system of Charleston sued Kimberly Clark, the makers of Cottonelle flushable wipes. Kimberly-Clark Corp. has reached a settlement over its so-called flushable wipes that will include better labeling, manufacturing improvements and two years of testing a win for U.S. cities and counties that say the products have sparked a rise in costly sewer blockages. As part of the proposed settlement with the water management system of Charleston, South Carolina, the maker of Scott toilet paper has agreed that its Cottonelle wipes labeled as flushable will meet the wastewater industrys standards by May 2022. The lawsuit against Kimberly-Clark and other wipes manufacturers and retailers accuses the companies of selling flushable products that fail to disintegrate like toilet paper, according to the article. Gale Ketteler, the public information officer for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities, said, Public education is so important to combat the marketing. As the lawsuits point out, flushable is basically false advertising. While you can technically flush them, you shouldnt. As for labelling them biodegradable, even facial tissue (e.g. kleenex) should not be flushed because it doesnt disintegrate immediately like TP. Throw them in the trash instead. Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A 25-year-old Winston-Salem man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Forsyth County jury convicted him Thursday of fatally shooting a man in 2018. Torrian Kane Faggart of North Graham Avenue was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Timothy Jerome Ford, who was 48. A Forsyth County jury reached a verdict at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday after less than two hours of deliberation, according to court records and a news release Friday from the Forsyth County District Attorneys Office. Judge Richard Gotlieb of Forsyth Superior Court sentenced Faggart to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Winston-Salem police went to a house in the 1000 block of East 17th Street at 3:50 p.m. on Aug. 25, 2018. Officers found Ford with multiple gunshot wounds, including one to his chest. Fords fiancee was cradling him. Ford was taken to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist medical center, where he later died. According to prosecutors, surveillance video showed Faggart shooting Ford before running away. Winston-Salem police arrested Faggart eight days after the shooting. Faggart told investigators and testified during the trial that he shot Ford in self-defense, according to the news release. Prosecutors said that based on video evidence, Ford did not attack or struggle with Faggart and that Ford did not try to grab Faggarts gun. Harvey Alec Carpenter, Faggarts attorney, could not be reached for comment. According to court papers, Carpenter gave notice of appeal. This was the first murder trial in Forsyth County in more than two years. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic severely limited court operations and shut down jury trials. The last murder trial was in September 2019, when a Forsyth County jury convicted William Anthony Brown of first-degree murder and other charges in the fatal shooting of Jahmil Ismail Al-Amin in March 2017. In December, the N.C. Court of Appeals ordered a new hearing to determine if there was racial discrimination in jury selection in Browns trial. The appellate court ruled that the trial judge did not properly handle a challenge to the removal of a Black juror. Assistant District Attorneys James Dornfried and Emily Davis prosecuted the case against Faggart, according to the news release. 336-727-7326 @mh ewlettWSJ Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. City officials warned local residents Saturday to stay out of Muddy, Mill and Monarcas creeks, which are downstream from the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant, the city said in a statement. These creeks contain elevated levels of chemicals resulting from last weeks fire at the plant, the city said. Residents also should keep their pets and other animals out of these creeks as well. Ingesting the water could be harmful to peoples health, the city said. A massive fire, which started Monday night, destroyed the plant that contained about 500 tons of ammonium nitrate. Those chemicals, which are used to produce fertilizer, and the fire posed a risk of a huge explosion at the plant. Local authorities urged thousands of nearby residents to evacuate from their homes. Stay out of Muddy, Mill and Monarcas creeks and do not allow your pets into the water. Runoff from the site of the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant fire has resulted in elevated levels of potentially harmful chemicals in these creeks. https://t.co/tLhGXIa6kE pic.twitter.com/cGBkaRLo1h City of Winston-Salem, NC (@CityofWS) February 6, 2022 Mantengase alejado de los siguientes arroyos: Muddy, Mill y Monarcas y no permita que sus mascotas entren en el agua. Debido al agua que ha corrido desde el incendio de la planta de fertilizantes existen niveles elevados de sustancias quimicas posiblemente.https://t.co/tLhGXIa6kE pic.twitter.com/D4fwgL4kHi City of Winston-Salem, NC (@CityofWS) February 6, 2022 City firefighters continued their efforts Saturday to suppress the smoldering remains of the fertilizer plant by spraying water on hot spots, the city said. Samples from a storm-water pipe of water runoff from the site found elevated levels of nitrites, ammonia nitrogen and other harmful chemicals, the city said. The pipe empties into Monarcas Creek, which is south of the 8000 block of North Point Boulevard, the city said. Officials saw a fish kill along Monarcas Creek from the storm drain outlet to the creeks confluence with Mill Creek, the city said. The advisory includes downstream portions of Muddy Creek because Mill Creek flows into Muddy Creek. The city and state officials are working to ensure that water quality notices are posted along the creeks affected sections, the city said. The city has posted an alert on its social media pages and on the citys website. The N.C. Division of Water Resources also is monitoring the creeks for any contamination, said Sharon Martin, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality. Neither of the citys water intakes on the Yadkin River is affected, the city said. City residents rely on the Yadkin River for their drinking water. A review of permits indicated that there are no public water wells in the affected area, the city said. Officials cannot predict how long it will take for the water quality to improve. It will depend upon the weather and other factors, the city said. The elevated chemical levels were detected with sampling monitors, the city said. Water samples have been sent to a laboratory for further testing. A water-retention berm, which has a capacity of 900,000 gallons, has been built at the site to capture the fire-suppression water before it runs into storm drains. Water in the berm is being pumped into tanks for treatment away from the plant, the city said. Twenty trucks, each with a capacity of 20,000 gallons, had been filled Saturday and moved from the plant. In a related development, a city official delivered a notice of violation Saturday to a Winston Weaver company official after discovering that raw materials were left exposed to the rain at a company storage center on Brownsboro Road, resulting in runoff into Monarcas Creek. The city didnt identify the raw materials. City storm-water officials learned of the exposed materials after water samples drawn upstream from the plant indicated another source of contamination other than runoff from the plant site, the city said. The company has until Feb. 18 to get the materials under its roof after which it could be fined $500 per day, the city said. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A roosters reign of terror at Union Countys animal shelter has ended after an extremely brave soul offered to adopt Cluck Norris, as the bird is known on social media. Cluck surrendered his grip on the shelter on Thursday and staff did not mince words on getting rid of a chicken that had to be kept in single cell housing to protect his keepers. Cluck had a good run at the shelter and did his best to inspire chaos in spite of the love and care offered to him, shelter staff wrote on Facebook. Normally, adopted animals leave the shelter with immunization records and other animal care related items. In Clucks case, we sent him to his new home with an anger management referral, a self-help book, and an ankle monitor. Operations at the shelter have since returned to their normal, calm state. The shelter, located east of Charlotte, didnt identify the person who adopted the chicken, but did share video of Norris in the lobby, impatiently waiting to be picked up. His notoriety spread on social media after the Union County Sheriffs Office posted a plea Wednesday for help on Facebook. The alpha bird was exhibiting all the attributes of a cock fighter pacing, strutting, crowing and refusing to acknowledge that size matters in a brawl. The sheriffs office said they would release the bird to anyone who promised it would never come back. Seriously, someone come and adopt this rooster, the office wrote. This rooster was affectionately given his new name after he was placed in animal general population and immediately began to establish his role as shelter kingpin. ... Cluck is intimidating staff members by constantly squawking hurtful insults. The post became a hot topic on social media, racking up 1,400 reactions and nearly 700 comments in two days, including one person who said the sheriffs office should deputize the bird to fight crime. Others joked it was a rare case of the jail trying to escape one of its inmates. Give him an arrest voucher and put him on a bus or plane, Jo Newman Holbrook wrote. I know a guy who might want him. His name is Harland Sanders, Eddie M. Helms posted, referring to the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Combined with what we already knew, former President Donald Trumps statement last Sunday night leaves no doubt that his intent on Jan. 6 had been to overturn the results of the election he lost: Mike Pence did have the right to change the outcome, and they now want to take that right away. Unfortunately, he didnt exercise that power, he could have overturned the election! You can add that statement to the copious proof of Trumps criminal intent that the House Jan. 6 committee has already developed regarding his unconstitutional maneuvers that day. But, of course, Trump has never hidden his desire to take and keep power without any regard to the Constitution, the truth or the law. Indeed, Trumps incendiary speech at a rally in Texas on Jan. 29 show that he is prepared to employ any strategy to seize the White House if he runs in 2024. As Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., tweeted on Monday, Hed do it all again if given the chance. Under Justice Department prosecution standards, just the publicly available evidence is sufficient to bring an indictment against Trump for the federal crime of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding in this case, Congress certification of a presidential election. The guidelines for federal prosecutions specify that prosecutors should generally commence prosecution if two circumstances exist: first, the persons conduct constitutes a federal offense i.e., the prosecutor has determined that the defendant really is guilty and the prosecution is righteous; and second, the admissible evidence will probably be sufficient to convict. In Trumps case, there really is no tenable conclusion other than that he urged on the demonstrators to provoke them to obstruct or impede the official congressional proceeding. Add to that the clear proof that he personally attempted to impede the proceeding by pushing Pence to illegally block the certification. In fact, it looks increasingly as if the Jan. 6 insurrection was just a culminating episode in a weekslong campaign by Trump to overturn the election. We learned Monday that Trump was involved in exploring the idea of seizing voting machines, but the Justice Department or other departments would not go along with the plan. As for the second factor, the odds are good that a Washington, D.C., jury would return a guilty verdict given the overwhelming evidence. Since the guidelines appear to be met, should the Justice Department immediately seek an indictment as the guidelines suggest? Many smart observers think so and believe Attorney General Merrick Garland is being overly diffident and methodical. Garland has indicated that the department will review all possible charges and work its way up a ladder of culpability to the top. Given the outrageousness of Trumps conduct, and the need to hold him accountable and keep him from a second shot at hijacking the Constitution, responsible voices are urging much quicker action, ideally before the midterm elections. Perhaps there is justification for moving more quickly, with the case against Trump already sufficiently powerful. But there is a welter of other unavoidable considerations, cutting both ways, and many of them are beyond Garlands judgment alone. The prosecution of a former president is not, and never has been, simply a question of checking the two boxes on the federal prosecution guidelines. Start here: An unsuccessful prosecution of Trump including a hung jury would be a disaster that would guarantee further division in a political system that Trump has already made fragile. That means that the Justice Department needs to build an airtight case, with solid witnesses, where conviction is not just probable but as close to certain as humanly possible. Even more weighty, and probably beyond the solitary judgment of an attorney general, are the considerations of whether a prosecution is good for the country. In the Nixon case, President Gerald Ford was the right person to decide whether to pardon the former president, and though that decision provoked outrage at the time, it probably did end the national nightmare, as Ford explained it. In the Trump case, the need for national closure, if anything, cuts in the opposite direction in favor of prosecution. Trumps brazen lack of remorse and, indeed, his assurance that he will do it again if given the chance counsels in favor of charging him, both to hold him accountable and to deter and incapacitate him from a repeat performance. Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney and deputy assistant attorney general, is the legal affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Tito Jackson, 68, takes a moment to perform with West Side Leadership Academy students in their schools studio in 2019. He's returning to the city Feb. 18 to perform at Hard Rock Casino with two of his brothers. (Kyle Telechan) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune / Chicago Tribune) Beyond a love for music, Tito Jackson has only one striking similarity with the tens of thousands of other people born and raised in Gary. I miss being a kid there, he said. Thats what I miss most. Advertisement This is a familiar refrain from most Gary natives of a certain age. They miss their childhood in the Steel City. Jackson, whos 68, left an innocent aspect of his childhood there. He has returned to Gary several times since then, but only those memories remain. I miss going downtown to Sears and Goldblatts and the Palace Theater, Jackson said. None of that is there anymore. Neither is my old junior high school. Advertisement Alfred Beckman Middle School closed in 2005, four decades after Toriano Adaryll Tito Jackson ran through its hallways on his way to global stardom with his famous family. Tito Jackson, on the right, will be returning to his hometown Feb. 18 with two of his brothers, Marlon and Jackie Jackson, to kick off their 2022 international tour at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indianas new performance venue. (Hard Rock Casino) (Provided by Hard Rock Casino NWI / HANDOUT) Jackson recalled his ordinary yet extraordinary childhood during a phone interview with me from the side of a busy freeway near his home in Calabasas, California. Hell soon be returning again to his hometown with two of his brothers, Marlon and Jackie Jackson, to kick off their 2022 international tour at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indianas new performance venue. Expect to hear all The Jackson 5 hits, and a tribute to Michael, Jackson said. The brothers 60- to 90-minute show will start 8 p.m. Feb. 18. Ticket prices are $65 and up for reserved seating, ages 21 and up. Future shows with his brothers are scheduled at Hard Rock venues in Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and other cities. Were gonna have a lot of fun, Jackson said. His brother, Randy, will not be joining the brothers for this Hard Rock tour. I asked why. Because hes the youngest brother, Jackson replied. The youngest one is always the hardest to deal with. I guess he just wanted to take a break. I respect his decision. Advertisement The Jacksons recently celebrated their 50-year milestone as one of the most successful groups in music history. The Jackson 5 hit international success in 1969 through Motown Records with their first single, I Want You Back. In 1976, the group left Motown for Epic Records and changed their name to The Jacksons. Weve been doing this a long time, Jackson said. Tito Jackson speaks with a fan from Pittsburgh at the Jackson family home in Gary in 2021. The state is installing new signs on Interstate 80/94 and on Broadway leading tourists to the home. (Michael Gard/Post-Tribune) (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune) His cousin, Keith Jackson, of Gary, will be joining the Jackson brothers on stage at Hard Rock Live inside the Gary casino. It will be a first for the Jackson family, though their younger cousin has played with Titos blues band. They also will sing Love One Another, performed in the studio by Tito and Marlon Jackson, Kenny Neal, Bobby Rush and featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica. That song is from Jacksons sophomore yet sophisticated contemporary blues album, Under Your Spell, released last year. I listened to it three times before talking with Jackson, though I didnt know the album existed until that day. A lot of people dont know it exists, Jackson joked, sort of. True to his reputation, he spent words like hundred dollar bills. His sister, Janet Jackson, spent a few years recording material for her new four-part documentary series, Janet Jackson. Her brother didnt have any thoughts about it to share. Advertisement I havent watched it, he said. Maybe someday? Eventually, he replied. I asked how often he keeps in touch with his superstar sister. Not as much as when she lived in America, he said. She lives in London. The opening scene of Janets documentary shows a Jackson 5 mural painted on a building at 5th and Broadway in Gary. Advertisement They took that whole building down, Jackson said. I asked how he knew this. I keep up with Gary, he replied. Tito Jackson poses in front of a Jackson 5 mural on a building at 5th and Broadway in Gary. They took that whole building down, he said. I keep up with Gary." (Tito Jackson) (Provided by Hard Rock Casino NWI / HANDOUT) The Jacksons keep up with Gary but they have not performed in their hometown for decades. Their childhood home remains a tourist attraction for fans around the world. When I visit there, fans are popping in for a selfie outside the now-gated house on (coincidentally) Jackson Street. Everyone wants to see where the Jackson family came from, said Jackson, who owns a second home in Las Vegas. Im appreciative of the fans support of my family. I asked him about the early days of The Jackson 5 in Northwest Indiana. Advertisement Man, youre going back 50 or 60 years, he replied. Thats too long ago. Still, he quickly remembered his first love of cars, auto engines, and antique vehicles. I got that from Gary, Indiana, back when I used to build my own go-carts, he said. They never worked though. Tito Jackson, on the left, will be returning to his hometown Feb. 18, with two of his brothers, Marlon and Jackie Jackson, to kick off their 2022 international tour at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indianas new performance venue. (Hard Rock Casino) (Provided by Hard Rock Casino NWI / HANDOUT) At this point in his life, performing is more about having fun and less about the music business. And also to do a little traveling, Jackson said. He hinted at publicly sharing previously unreleased songs from his familys musical archives. Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday > Within the next couple of years for sure, Jackson said. Advertisement As for his trademark hat that hes sported for more than 25 years, he summed it up in four words. Its just fashion, man, he said. I wear it to bed. Is there anything he hasnt done in life that hed like to do? Let me think about that, Jackson replied, pausing for a minute. Not really, I guess. Im satisfied where Im at and what Ive done. Its been a great ride. jdavich@post-trib.com https://www.facebook.com/JerDavich/ Service and dedication Thank you for the picture and article in the Feb. 4 online edition related to the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant fire. The photo of City Council member D.D. Adams and Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo speaks volumes about service, dedication and care. It is indicative of the outpouring of care shown by our community toward one another in this time of need. Would that more evidence of care rather than animosity for one another would be so apparent. Randy Vaughn Clemmons A priceless gift I was frustrated when I read the article Man says he was denied kidney transplant over vaccination status (Feb. 1). My wife received a kidney transplant in 2018 because of polycystic kidney disease. The transplant is only one part of the life changing process. She takes multiple medications daily to keep her body from rejecting the kidney and has regular blood work, regular testing and various appointments. During COVID we have limited our exposure to people even after being fully vaccinated. Her immune system will always be compromised, putting her at greater risk for infections and illnesses. If someone is not willing to do everything possible to protect himself before a transplant, then it is doubtful the person will take care of himself after a transplant. Receiving a transplant is much more than the surgery itself. It is a lifestyle change. We have the upmost respect and trust for our transplant team. We would never disagree with the teams recommendations. They are there to help my wife live the best life for the longest possible time. Transplant guidelines are there to protect the patient at the time of the surgery and years down the road. Organ donation is a priceless gift that changes lives. Pam Stanley Kernersville Congressional apocalypse As we inexorably march forward toward November and the congressional apocalypse that deservedly awaits the Biden administration and the progressive movement that it fronts for, its worth reflecting on how we came to these circumstances. Some factors are obvious: The widespread unpopularity of our immediate past president fueled a desire in some quarters to remove him from office at all costs. Additionally, the presence of the pandemic allowed his eventual successor to go largely unvetted. A less obvious but crucial enabler was the corporate media, which chose to abandon any semblance of journalistic integrity by closely aligning itself with the Biden campaign and continuing to cover for Biden once he was elected. However, as he has gone about demonstrating his inability to perform as a competent chief executive and as his approval numbers have plummeted, cracks are forming in that relationship. But the damage to our international image, our border security and our quality of life is already a reality. Going forward, history will judge the corporate media for its role in this unfolding tragedy. And it should not be kind. Mike Parker Clemmons Dont politicize courts This idea currently being floated in the N.C. Supreme Court that judges may not have the authority to overturn unfair congressional maps is dangerous (Justices raise many questions on redistricting, Feb. 3). To think that legislators of any party might be able to pass laws with no oversight is a step toward totalitarian rule especially if what the legislators have decided is that they dont want to be voted out of office. If the courts cant fix such corruption and thats what it is who can? We go to courts in hopes of justice. Their politicization is an increasingly serious problem. Judges should be above and beyond the control of political parties. What are we going to do if theyre not? Jordan Daugherty Winston-Salem Banning books Republicans are banning books rather than assault weapons because theyre more afraid of children learning than of children dying. Educated children gain knowledge. Which leads to their becoming Democrats. Sarah Simmons Winston-Salem "Tell Me How to Be" by Neel Patel, Flatiron Books, 304 pages, $26.99. "My mother always told me to be a good boy. I suspect she knew that I wasn't," Akash Amin explains as Neel Patel's novel "Tell Me How to Be" begins. This melancholy drama is structured as a first-person duet between narrators Renu and Akash Amin, a mother and son who have been singing past each other their whole lives. Fittingly, Renu and Akash don't address one another, but instead each speaks to a longed-for "you," a perpetual, beloved, missed connection, the particulars of which Patel gradually reveals. Akash is 28, living in Los Angeles, trying to break through as a songwriter. His father cautioned him never to tell his mother that he's gay, and although living inauthentically with his family has contorted Akash with pain and contributed to his alcoholism, he keeps this promise. "Tell Me How to Be" is a book of full of longing and regret, like the R&B ballads Akash labors to create. Renu summons Akash and her older son Bijal to her palatial home in suburban Illinois to commemorate the one-year anniversary of their father Ashok's death, and to empty the house so she can sell it and move to London. Renu grew up in a family of Indian immigrants in Tanzania before heading to London for college. There, her family arranged a marriage for her with Ashok, a genial man who became a successful doctor in Illinois. But Renu has a secret she loved another man in London before Ashok, a Muslim named Kareem. The longing for Kareem has made her never satisfied. "I have languished in this town with its Walmart and its Applebees," she explains. The three remaining members of the Amin family converge at the home at a time of personal crises that they've hidden from the others. The secrets have curdled Renu and Akash so that they mock or use certain people who befriend them. Broke Akash lives with a financially secure white boyfriend that he cheats on, and Renu makes bitter jokes about easy Midwestern targets such as the white women in her book group who call their favorite wine "Sauvi-B." In this soulful, moody novel, Patel shows how Akash and Renu suffer from the impossibility of emotional honesty within their Indian immigrant community in the Midwest, its norms enforced by gossip and social snubs. There's an inherent forgiveness in the two-narrator structure of this novel, recognizing that people who've made life difficult for others are themselves laboring under the burdens of their own thwarted hopes. Patel charts Akash and Renu's quests, separate, but ultimately intertwined, to express the truth, leave bitterness behind, and finally become free. Jenny Shank's story collection "Mixed Company" won the George Garrett Fiction Prize, and her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Poets & Writers and the Atlantic. She teaches in the Mile High MFA program at Regis University in Denver. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Proponents of the latest version of Lincolns so-called fairness ordinance which would expand protection against discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as active military and veterans believe it has a better chance at success today. They point to changes in federal law and recent local events as evidence. I think times have changed, said Jeff Kirkpatrick, former city attorney who worked on the first fairness ordinance in 2012 and helped draft current proposed revisions to the entire section of the municipal code dealing with equal opportunity. The Supreme Court has spoken. Since 2012, when the City Council passed the original ordinance and opponents mounted a successful referendum petition drive to take the question to voters, the high court has recognized same-sex marriage in 2015 and in 2020 ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act includes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Both Omaha and Lincoln city councils passed similar ordinances in 2012. Omahas has been on the books since then. Lincolns has been in limbo since the referendum, which stopped the ordinance from going into effect until it was approved by voters. It was never put on the ballot or rescinded. On Monday, the City Council will hold a public hearing on the new, much broader revision of the entire section of the municipal code introduced by Councilwoman Sandra Washington. A decade ago, proponents and opponents mounted campaigns before the public hearing, and the state attorney general issued an opinion that cities cannot broaden their anti-discrimination laws without asking voters to expand the city charter, or getting the Legislature to expand the states civil rights laws. At the time, Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler and both Lincoln and Omaha attorneys said they disagreed with the attorney generals opinion and moved forward. About 200 people showed up at the public hearing in Lincoln. After the referendum, advocates turned their attention to getting state law changed to include the protections. That still hasn't happened. But the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, which took a neutral position a decade ago, strongly supports the proposed changes this year, arguing that its important to recruit and retain young talent in Lincoln. Chamber President Jason Ball noted research by the Movement Advancement Project that showed last year 21 states, Washington, D.C., and at least 330 municipalities had laws or ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Lincoln Independent Business Association President and CEO Bud Synhorst said his organization is still reviewing the proposal. Several supporters have written letters to the council, but at the time correspondence was posted on the City Councils website Thursday, no opponents had weighed in. The ACLU of Nebraska and OutNebraska have both publicly supported the proposal. Washington worked closely with the city attorney's office to draft the revisions, and Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird supports the proposed ordinance. As a mayor and a mother raising three children in Lincoln, I want to be able to look at my kids and yours and promise them that their hometown is a place where all people are treated with respect, enjoy a true sense of belonging, and can safely build their lives and livelihoods, she said said in an email. This legislation helps us make and keep that promise. Karen Bowling, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance, which was one of the organizations involved in the referendum effort, said her organization has the same concerns it did a decade ago, including the possibility that it could infringe on business owners' freedom of conscience to conduct their businesses as they wanted with regard to leadership and hiring decisions. Every person and employee deserves fair and respectful treatment, certainly, but the government does have a responsibility to uphold constitutionally protected freedoms, she said. She said the organization is still reviewing the revisions to the 66-page section, and isn't sure what the next steps might be. There are things we support and things we have concerns about, she said. The organizations website has an alert about the proposed ordinance and encourages members to write to the City Council urging it not to redefine sex in city code to include sexual orientation and gender identity. A sample script of a letter says, among other things, that such policies have been used to violate bodily privacy and safety and coerce uniformity of thought. Mindy Rush-Chipman, director of the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights, which investigates allegations of discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation, said the commission has investigated complaints based on sexual orientation and gender discrimination since the Supreme Court decision in 2020. Not doing so, she said, would mean the commission risks losing federal funding from U.S. Housing and Urban Development and the Equal Opportunity Commission. The federal funding comes from those agencies to pay for the commissions two civil rights investigators. Still, updating the city code is important so that the public knows those protections exist and can ask the commission to investigate, she said. Its all very positive, she said. Its something Ive been working on the past three years, so Im just really happy its coming to fruition. The commission investigates allegations of discrimination then presents its findings to appointed commissioners, who decide if theres reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred. The commission focuses much of its efforts on education and conciliation and works with the parties to try to find a mutually beneficial resolution, Rush-Chipman said. If that doesnt happen, theres a public hearing before an administrative judge who issues findings and can impose penalties, or order the parties to undergo training, she said. Last year, the commission investigated 27 employment cases, nine housing cases and two public-accommodation cases. Thats less than in the years before the coronavirus pandemic. Of those cases, investigators found reasonable cause in three of them. Many of the proposed city code revisions reorganize the section to make the process clearer, she said. In addition to adding military personnel and veterans as a protected class, it also updates definitions of marriage (to recognize divorce and separation), race (to include hair texture and protected hairstyles) and natural origin (to include tribal affiliation). The revisions also replace outdated or archaic language, and update and strengthen definitions of disability protections and those regarding service animals. Revising the entire section of the city's charter something thats been needed for years could make it harder to mount a referendum, Kirkpatrick said. He interprets the municipal code regarding referendums as requiring an entire ordinance be thrown out, which means opponents couldnt pick and choose what they wanted to take out. Proponents also are betting the crowds that turn out to oppose similar issues such as the Nebraska Department of Educations proposed health education standards, which would include teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation are a vocal minority. Kirkpatrick and others have noted the crowds who turned out to oppose the citys handling of the pandemic fell thousands of signatures short in their effort to mount a recall effort of the mayor and four council members. They could fill the City Council chamber but could they get a recall petition done? Kirkpatrick said. No. Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After discovering that some uncool cats had created a Twitter account impersonating her campaign, gubernatorial candidate Carol Blood received help from one of the stars of the Netflix series Tiger King to shut down the account. Blood said she recently got help from Carole Baskin, whose online greeting hey all you cool cats and kittens became a meme in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Tiger King exploded in popularity. The deceitful Twitter account used Baskins image as a profile photo. Blood, a state legislator and the only Democrat so far in the governors race, views the account as part of a broader, troubling trend of negative campaigning in state politics. We live in a world of Us vs. Them, she said. And I think its wrong that any of the parties and not just the Republican Party when they participate in that narrative, then they just make politics more divisive, make campaigns more divisive. The fake account appeared when Blood announced her candidacy for governor, she said, as did other fake social media accounts. Baskin is the CEO of Big Cat Rescue and was the target of a murder-for-hire scheme at the center of Tiger King, which debuted in 2020. The account used a convincing username (@BloodForGov, while her official campaign account is @Blood4G), and a recent tweet from the account featured a photo lifted from Bloods official account, according to screenshots shared by Blood. She said tweets from the account were misleading about her positions and her campaign. The account directed people to vote Nov. 9, one day after Election Day. Theyre purposely putting out misinformation, she said. Some people who support her candidacy accidentally followed the fake account first, she added. Blood accused members of the Nebraska GOP of having a track record of clandestine campaigning methods in a statement about the ordeal last week. She stopped short of tying the account directly to the party in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald but said she thinks that, at the very least, the party encouraged it. She said her campaign tracked the Twitter accounts IP address and has an idea of where it came from. According to screenshots, the account linked to a website featuring a negative ad targeting Blood. A disclaimer on the ad says it was paid for by the Nebraska GOP, and a link on the page labeled pitch in to help defeat radical leftists leads to a fundraising page for the party. In a statement Friday, state GOP Executive Director Taylor Gage said he was not aware of the genesis of the website or the deactivated Twitter account but added that the Nebraska Republican Party strongly opposes liberal Carol Bloods bid for governor. Blood doesnt think that the fundraising link is a coincidence. She said she and others reported the account to no avail. Then she contacted Baskin about the use of her image last weekend, she said. Baskin contacted Twitter, and the account was suspended, according to Blood. Baskin responded to a tweet from the now-defunct account: This account has been reported to Twitter for using my photo without my permission for their smear campaign against someone I dont even know. Blood cited legal concerns about using Baskins image. She also said the account appears to be part of an overall shift toward dirty politics. Blood mentioned a 2020 legislative race in Southeast Nebraska that got especially heated and involved accusations of racism and lies. Janet Palmtag, a Nebraska City real estate agent who lost that race to Sen. Julie Slama, has sued the state GOP for defamation. I dont get negative, and I dont think Ive ever had a campaign where my opponents didnt go negative and off the rails, Blood said. And this is a really good example. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 A newly retired lieutenant colonel from Offutt Air Force Base is the latest Republican to file for the congressional seat occupied by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry. John Glen Weaver said his run for political office provides him an opportunity to continue serving his country. We need a point of reflection and clarity in this country, he said. I want to bring decency and honesty to the district. Weaver, 45, retired as chief of the 55th Wing Command Post. He has served two stints at the base for a total of 15 years. Weaver has served 22 years with the Air Force and has been on 11 deployments, including in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. He has been on the ground and flown combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. His years in the military, his experience with national security and time at Offutt position him well to serve the district, he said. Weaver is an Omaha resident, which places him outside of the 1st Congressional Districts boundaries. He said he intends to move to Bellevue, which is in the 1st District. House members are not required to live within the district they represent. Running against Rep. Don Bacon, a retired brigadier general, in the 2nd District, wasnt an option, Weaver said, adding that the two agree on many issues. Hes my wingman, he said. Weaver will be competing against two well-established Republican political figures and two lesser-known candidates. A major political battle has developed in the 1st District between Fortenberry and State Sen. Mike Flood, a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature. Fortenberry has been indicted by a federal grand jury on allegations of receiving foreign campaign contributions. Those legal problems have raised the possibility that he has lost the advantage of incumbency and could be vulnerable in the general election. Gov. Pete Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman have endorsed Flood. Also running on the Republican side are Thireena Yuki Connely of Palmyra, and Curtis D. Huffman of La Vista. On the Democratic side are State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln and activist Jazari Kual. Republicans have held the seat since 1967. The primary election is May 10. In announcing his first bid for elected office, Weaver said he isnt politically connected. But I have faith in the American people and public, he said. I hope they will see me for the authentic and hardworking person that I am. Weaver and his wife, Brianna, a physician at the Nebraska Medical Center, have a daughter and a second child on the way. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Today Phelps County has five incorporated towns with much of its activity centered in Holdrege, nicknamed the Magic City, but before Holdrege even existed, two previous county seat towns existed and showed great potential. Those two towns grew and prospered though both are now plowed ground with names that are almost entirely forgotten. In 1860 Nebraskas six-year-old territorial legislature established Kearney County, which then included todays Franklin, Harlan, Kearney and Phelps counties, though the total population was so small it was a part of Adams County to the east for judicial purposes. In the fall of 1866, the Union Pacific Railroad built on the north side of the Platte River, followed in 1872 by the route of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad which brought an end to the areas Overland Freight Road. But with the railroads settlement began to increase in the area. In February of 1873, Caleb J. Dilworth introduced a bill in the state legislature to form the 500-square mile Phelps County from Kearney County, which was named for Dilworths father-in-law, an Illinois steamboat captain. The Union Pacific owned 50,000 acres of the new county, and UP was offering the bulk of their holdings for $2.50 to $5.00 an acre to finance railroad construction. Nebraska Gov. Robert Furnas called for an election for April 3 to organize Phelps County and elect county officers. The county seat was set in the northwestern part of the county at Williamsburg in Section 14 of Williamsburg Township, just south of the Oregon trail, the Pony Express route and the first telegraph line to the west. Williamsburg was named in honor of Nebraskas attorney generals son William Dilworth. In August of 1874 the Williamsburg post office opened when the population of the entire county was said to be 101. The first frame courthouse, possibly located in what had been built as a dwelling and served as a hotel, burned and a new building dedicated for the countys use just west of the original was constructed. In 1876 Union Pacific land agents Victor Rylander and Leander Hallgren obtained land at the exact center of Phelps County and built an Emigrant House. The site was named Phelps Center and that November, just as about 30 settlers arrived, the post office opened. Wasting no time, in 1878, Phelps Center called for a new election to move the county seat to their more central location, even though Williamsburg then claimed to have a population of 250, a school house, good general stores and a weekly newspaper. Williamsburg retained the county seat by only a small margin, receiving 110 votes. Phelps Centre was platted in 1879, strangely using the British spelling of Centre which confused things for a number of months before being regularized to Center allowing the town, post office and maps to agree. The original plat contained only nine unnumbered blocks with the center block designated as the Public Square. A second vote in November of 1879 gave Phelps Center the requisite thre-fifths majority allowing them to become the new county seat. The 20 by 14 foot frame courthouse was then physically picked up and moved the roughly 10 miles from Williamsburg to Phelps Center though the $1,000 safe was considered too heavy to transport and was abandoned. Not long after the old building was put on its new foundation and renovated in 1880, it too burned to the ground. A book advising European immigrants, published in 1881, noted that it has not been rebuilt, and the county, therefore, has no public buildings ... there is no county property of any kind though the county had a population of around 3,000. Phelps Center itself did have about a dozen buildings, a population of around 80 and two weekly newspapers. In the meantime, the anticipated arrival of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad missed Phelps Center and arrived several miles away on their branch line, the Nebraska & Colorado Railroad, at a point the railroad named Holdrege which was platted with 22 square blocks in 1883, and that November its post office opened. Later that year Rollo Phillips from Lincoln, the land agent for the B & M. R. visited Phelps Center and offered a free lot in the new city for any house or business which moved there, with about half accepting the offer. That October T. M. Hopwood, owner and editor of the weekly Nugget, picked up his Platte Center hotel moving both businesses to Holdrege where he enlarged the hotel as the Arlington as seen above. Other buildings also began the move from both Phelps Center and the village of Sacramento. It became an easy victory to award the county seat to them and officially move from Phelps Center to Holdrege in 1884 as Holdrege itself incorporated. In 1885 the county property remaining in Phelps Center was auctioned for $239. Phelps Center, which first shortened its name to Phelps, changed it again, this time to Denman with that post office closing in 1895. The Williamsburg post office, after briefly reopening after the loss of the county seat, closed permanently in 1904. Only the Williamsburg Cemetery and Methodist Church remain but at the last reporting the church had even discontinued its telephone service. Thus, virtually nothing but farmland remains of the two county seats, both once promising communities. Historian Jim McKee, who still writes with a fountain pen, invites comments or questions. Write to him in care of the Journal Star or at jim@leebooksellers.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 1872: Nebraska Senate President Isaac Hascall appointed himself acting governor and called a special session of the Legislature while acting Gov. William H. James was on business in Washington. James had been appointed acting governor after Gov. David Butler was impeached for using $16,881 in school land funds for personal use. 1882: The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad reported it was shipping more than 100 cars of ice daily to Kansas points. Most of the ice was being shipped from Lincoln. The railroad was expected to have trains running to Denver by July. 1892: Gov.-elect James E. Boyd assumed the office of governor after the U.S. Supreme Court settled a citizenship question establishing his eligibility. Before that, Lt. Gov. Thomas J. Majors sat in the governor's chair to prevent Boyd from taking possession while former Gov. John M. Thayer was in Texas to open the new town of LaPorte. 1902: Promoters of the McKinley chimes at St. Paul Methodist Church proposed to have the chimes play "Nearer My God to Thee" at noon each day. This was the favorite hymn of President William McKinley, who had been assassinated Sept. 14, 1901. 1912: In spite of typhoid fever in Lincoln, which had caused 10 deaths in January, the death rate for January was lower than the previous January: 65 compared with 69 in January 1911. 1922: William Jennings Bryan offered his home, called Fairview, at 49th and Sumner streets to the Presbyterian Church for a hospital. The same offer was made later to the Methodists, who accepted it and built Bryan Memorial Hospital. 1932: John Geisler, 85, credited with helping to plan the original Capitol grounds in Lincoln, died here at the home of a son. 1942: Businessman William E. Sharp died at age 75. A Nebraskan for 60 years, he had lived in Lincoln 39 years. He was instrumental in construction of many buildings including the Sharp Building at 13th and N streets, which was named for him. 1952: Registration at the University of Nebraska, then in its 83rd year and booming with the influx of World War II veterans, was 6,100. 1962: A 37-year-old Oak farmer successfully pulled his five sons from his car, which was submerged in the icy Little Blue River. Eldred Hinz had seen a chasm caused by a storm but it was too late to keep the car from plunging into the river. 1972: A man identified as Floyd Merle Palmer of Odessa, Texas, was fatally injured when he fell about 60 feet while attempting to escape from jail at Columbus. He was descending on a rope made from mattress covers, and the rope broke, authorities said. 1982: State officials said they had distributed more than half of the free automobile child-safety restraints earmarked for licensed day-care centers and the rest were going fast. The restraints were available for statewide use and bought through a federal grant to the Nebraska Highway Safety Program. 1992: After seven years of hard-fought battles, Sen. David Landis of Lincoln saw the Legislature pass his living-will bill. LB671 officially recognizes in state law an individual's right to stipulate the type of medical care he or she will or will not receive in case of terminal illness or long-term coma. Before the bill, a person could instruct a doctor to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Election season is around the corner, and rhetoric is flying on both sides of the political spectrum. Sadly, none of what is being offered is new or beneficial. And then theres Nebraska politics. We like to tout our sensible people and values, but I beg you to look at the rhetoric. Our two GOP candidates for governor are trying to "out Trump" one another. Charles Herbster shows his toughness by going to the border to complain about the president and immigration, all the while explaining nothing about his own solutions. Then he proudly displays his true entitlement for office Trumps endorsement. Jim Pillen talks about his Nebraska values and Christian faith while holding a shotgun and complaining about Washington interference. He then slings insults about a public health experts informed guidance during the pandemic. What in the world are either of them trying to prove? How tough they are? That strutting around and tough talk equal qualifications for office? They are both an embarrassment. Claims about Christian values and pro-life positions ring false when you resort to name-calling and demeaning others for personal benefit. Why cant anyone talk to us about policy or compromise or unifying people in divided times? Why cant anyone talk to us about real American and Nebraskan values like decency and honesty and how those can help us come together for our common good? Kathy Arens, Ewing Love 4 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Better internet. A water tower. New first responder equipment. Better wages for underpaid essential workers. Vaccine gift cards. New houses. Keeping people in their houses. Fixing Wisconsins broken unemployment system. When the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act passed Congress in March 2021, the Democrats behind it (since no Republicans voted in favor of it) had hoped it could make a variety of impacts at local levels across the U.S. In Racine County, it has been used, or will be used, in a lot of different ways. How much? Heres how much each of Racine Countys local governments are to receive in American Rescue Plan Act funds: City of Racine: $46,978,588 $46,978,588 Racine County: $38,073,310 $38,073,310 Mount Pleasant: $2,834,633.80 $2,834,633.80 Caledonia: $2,645,707.06 $2,645,707.06 Burlington (city): $1,149,260.73 $1,149,260.73 Norway: $853,676.73 $853,676.73 Sturtevant: $696,255.23 $696,255.23 Burlington (town): $686,939.72 $686,939.72 Waterford (town): $681,496.96 $681,496.96 Waterford (village): $582,166.50 $582,166.50 Union Grove: $534,960.98 $534,960.98 Dover: $447,981.41 $447,981.41 Raymond: $414,801.48 $414,801.48 Rochester: $404,753.30 $404,753.30 Yorkville: $327,612.58 $327,612.58 Wind Point: $177,413.20 $177,413.20 Elmwood Park: $51,601.60 $51,601.60 North Bay: $24,492.44 Wages Jail guards in Racine had been among the worst paid in southeastern Wisconsin, at $21.50 per hour, a factor in the jail had a correctional officer turnover rate above 100% over a two-year span. Using ARPA funds last summer, the county boosted their wages to $29 per hour, the best in the area. That came coupled with raises for more than 100 other essential county employees. They included 911 dispatch operators, juvenile detention workers, mental health crisis workers, highway department machine operators and mechanics. The total estimated cost of the raises is about $17 million over the next four years. Caledonia: A water tower In Caledonia, where village leaders have continued trying to expand the tax base by attracting businesses to the Interstate 94 corridor, a new water tower will likely be paid for using the villages entire ARPA grant: About $2.645 million. That water tower is to be built on the DeBack Farms Business Park property. Rural high-speed internet There has been slow-moving progress toward providing high-quality, reliable, high-speed internet access to the western side of the county for years. ARPA expedited that. About 2,000 customers in Yorkville, Rochester and Union Grove are going to get fiber connectivity. The Village of Rochester kicked in more than $100,000 of its nearly $400,000 to support the project. Nearly 1,000 more in Kenosha County are to receive the same benefit by the end of 2024 in a project that will cost around $9 million. That comes out of an ARPA-funded, $100 million state effort to expand internet access, especially in rural areas. Expanding internet access to all parts of Racine and Kenosha county has been a priority for several years. High-speed internet has become like electricity, state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said after the plan was approved. In order to function effectively, having quality internet is key. This was made evident by COVID last year. Whether people were working from home or learning virtually, quality internet was required to be productive. Unemployment The problems with Wisconsins unemployment aid system were exacerbated and highlighted in spring 2020 following mass layoffs that coincided with the pandemic arriving in the U.S. Thousands of Wisconsinites waited hours and sometimes days on hold as the states outdated computer system and phone lines delayed the release of needed funds. Months of infighting between Democrats and Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, and Gov. Tony Evers, led to no state money being allocated to update the system. In September, Evers announced that $80 million in ARPA funds would be devoted to the update. Thats one of several significant ARPA-funded projects that Evers has ordered; the Republican-majority Legislature has repeatedly tried to give itself power over how the federal funding is distributed, but it has not been successful because of the governors veto power. Others include Evers-ordered ARPA distributions include $47 million for community mental health projects, $350 million for care for the elderly and those with disabilities, $110 million to additionally support school districts and a $142 million distribution to provide relief to the states decimated tourism industry. City of Racine Urban areas with high concentrations of poverty, such as Racine, received far more in ARPA funding than their neighbors under the federal plan. The villages of Caledonia and Mount Pleasant combined received about $5.48 million; their combined population is approximately 52,050. Racine, with a population of about 77,000, received about $97 million. Thats less than 5% above what Madison received, even though the state capitals population is about 250,000. Among the projects being undertaken are the construction of five new homes on vacant lots, $1.25 million being allocated to replace two pumpers for the Racine Fire Department, and another $28.5 million in a variety of efforts in increase opportunities for Racinians: student loans and scholarships, hiring area youths for neighborhood improvement jobs, supporting the construction of a new health clinic and community center in the Lincoln-King neighborhood, and offering free financial counseling to residents. In October, in his 2022 budget address, Mayor Cory Mason said that ARPA, and President Joe Bidens leadership in getting it done, prevented another round of draconian cuts to benefits for city employees. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Saturday strongly condemned the so-called "America Competes Act" passed by the U.S. House of Representatives the day before. The office firmly rejected the U.S. bill, which vilified the Chinese central government's policies on Hong Kong, undermined the rectification of chaos in the HKSAR, challenged the bottom line of the principle of "one country, two systems," grossly interfered in China's internal affairs including Hong Kong affairs, and trampled on international law and basic norms of international relations, said a spokesperson of the office. The spokesperson pointed out that all fair-minded people can see that with the effective implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong and the successful practice of the new electoral system, Hong Kong is stepping out of the whirlpool of "pan-politicization", embarking on the path of high-quality democracy and substantive democracy, and enjoying a new peaceful living and working environment and good governance. Hong Kong's status as an international financial, shipping and trading center has been continuously consolidated, and Hong Kong compatriots enjoy more democratic rights and freedoms than at any other time in history, the spokesperson said. Facts have proved that the national security law in Hong Kong is an effective law for safeguarding national security and the tranquility of Hong Kong, and the new electoral system is an effective system that is in line with the principle of "one country, two systems" as well as the reality of Hong Kong and ensures Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the so-called "America Competes Act" aims to contain China in the name of competition, which includes negative and misleading Hong Kong-related content fabricated by some anti-China politicians, fully exposing the sinister intention of U.S. politicians to play the "Hong Kong card" to curb China's development. "The politicians claim to defend universal values such as democracy and human rights, but in fact play dirty tricks to safeguard U.S. hegemony and suppress China at the expense of Hong Kong stability and the interests of Hong Kong people," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson stressed that the truth will always prevail over lies just as clouds cannot cover the sun forever, adding that the hysteria of a few anti-China politicians cannot change Hong Kong's social stability and development, nor can it lessen the confidence of Hong Kong people in a bright future. The spokesperson noted that no external intervention can shake China's strong will to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, nor can it shake the firm determination of the central government to fully and faithfully implement "one country, two systems." The spokesperson urged U.S. politicians to recognize the historical trend quickly, stop political grandstanding, stop advancing relevant bills or acts, and immediately stop meddling in China's internal affairs including Hong Kong affairs. "Any attempts to curb China's development by playing the 'Hong Kong card' just amount to wishful thinking and are doomed to failure," the spokesperson added. RACINE Shakeeus Graves knows that sometimes, a scent can make or break a first impression of home. Thats why her house always smells good, often thanks to her own candle and wax melt creations. Graves is the owner of Black Essence Candles, an online candle company selling homemade home fragrances. Ive always loved buying candles and burning candles, said the mom of two. I was always burning candles, but they never really lasted long. And so I started making them and testing them to see if I could make my own scents. Signature scents include CoCo Cashmere, warm vanilla musk; Kingston Sunrise, fruity and tropical; 90s Cartoons, reminiscent of sweet cereal; and Man Cave, woodsy and clean. Her candles can be purchased at www.blackessencecandles.com, or locally at Perennial Soaps, 316 Sixth St. in Racine, and Shonda Locs, 1341 52nd St. in Kenosha. Graves also often attends craft fairs in surrounding areas; she typically announces her future stops at Facebook.com/BlackEssenceCandles. Black History Month Candle Collection Black Essence Candles came with a candle collection to celebrate Black History month on Saturday. The collection, according to owner Shakeeus Graves, is "inspired by empowering African-Americans with 'Black Essence, Black Excellence and Black Love.'" Finding her light Black Essence is not Graves first business venture. She previously sold jewelry for another company for some time. But Black Essence is the first one she has been able to create from the ground up herself. I wanted to do something myself, she said. My own rules, my own labels, my own blends. Its something Im passionate about and enjoy. Graves, a Park High School graduate, is a full-time social worker in Racine County. She earned her bachelors degree in sociology and criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, then pursued her masters degree in social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As far as making candles goes, she was only an enthusiast before she jumped into creating her own in March 2020. After perfecting the process of candle-making, which she said can be very tedious and full of trial and error, she began making sales in November of that same year. You have to get the right wicks, you have to make sure the jars work, Graves said. It was a long testing phase, because you want to make sure its right. Graves named her company Black Essence after her identity and culture as a black woman, a concept also applied to some of the scents. For example, Kingston Sunrise was modeled after the vibe of having a fruity drink in Jamaica. Im proud of it, she said. Outpouring of support When her business was just starting, Graves mostly sold candles to family and friends. Since her business has picked up from attending local craft fairs and selling online, she has had customers from all over the country interested in her candles. Its a one-woman show of candle-making, Graves said, except for when her mother, Pattee, helps her at craft fairs or her boyfriend helps her create a scent. So its gratifying when new customers recognize her work, especially when a majority of what she knows is self-taught. I do feel empowered that Im able to everything and just learning everything myself in having my own business, Graves said. Pattee said she feels proud whenever she witnesses customers give positive feedback at craft shows. There are some customers who even follow the pair across the county just to buy Shakeeuss candles. Its something we do as a mother and daughter, Pattee said. We get a lot of compliments. It makes me feel proud. (Shakeeus) goes the extra length to make sure the candles smell good, and burn well. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. UNION GROVE Like many small businesses, Justin Miklaszewskis started from a hobby. What sets him apart, however, is the age he started. At 21 years old, he hopes to provide Racine County with all-natural, genetic modification-free, fresh meat and produce through his new storefront, Two Creek Farms. The store located at 1360 15th Ave. in Union Grove, right across the Racine County Fairgrounds held its grand opening on Jan. 22 to a warm welcome from the Union Grove Chamber of Commerce and about 1,500 customers stopping in just on that day. I do think that this was a for-sure need in the area, said Miklaszewski. The store sells traditional cuts of meat, with some special flavors like blueberry, cherry or pineapple bratwurst. It also plans to roll out its own line of spices, comprised of eight unique blends, later this month. Started as a hobby Miklaszewski, a Union Grove High School graduate and once a frequent entrant in the Racine County Fair, always looked after animals growing up. My dad grew up on a dairy farm. My mom, she grew up loving horses; she actually works at a therapeutic riding program for special needs kids. So Ive always helped out there, he said. He initially started Two Creek Farms with the intent of showing purebred Hereford cattle and pigs. When pigs didnt do so hot in show and Miklaszewski needed to make room for more animals, he posted an advertisement selling their meat on Facebook. Within an hour, I had over 250 comments, so I thought it was a niche I should probably hit, he said. That was in 2016. A couple of years passed and the hobby of selling meat small-time grew; in 2018, at the age of 18, Miklaszewski decided to establish Two Creek Farms officially as a provider of fresh, locally sourced meat, cheese and other produce. Simultaneously, he is studying business at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Meeting a need Nikki Meeusen, manager and Caledonia resident, said the storefronts opening was met with a great response from customers. In the two weeks that weve been open, we saw a very evident need. She said many customers are growing frustrated with the quality of products at their usual, big-box grocery stores. They woke up and decided that what they put in their bodies is important to them What we sell is local, farm-fresh and healthy. Theres nothing better than that. The pivot in thinking came during COVID, Miklaszewski said. When grocery stores had no stock, people turned to small, local farms to get their produce. They were able to support locals and know that what theyre getting comes directly from here, and they dont have to rely on a grocery store. Two Creek also sells products across the country, hitting parts of Illinois, Tennessee and California. As for the surprising amount of visitors Miklaszewski had on opening day, he said he was grateful for the communitys support. I had over 1,500 people come and support my business that I started from scratch. That was super like moving and really awesome to see that so many people follow me and my business and what I do at such a young age already, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The future of the Burlington dam and Echo Lake is now at a crossroads. The dam is aging and needs to be addressed sooner than later. But the question that remains is what should happen to Echo Lake. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has notified the city that the aging dam at Echo Lake no longer meets safety standards. The dam must either be upgraded and expanded, or it must be dismantled by 2025. Dredging is needed, too, to remove decades of pollution and sediment. This is a decision that will truly shape Burlingtons future. Its not a decision that should be taken lightly and that is why it makes sense to have a referendum directly asking the residents what should happen to Echo Lake and the dam. City engineers have calculated that maintaining the lake would cost more than $5 million for the dam repair and dredging. Removing the dam and draining the lake would cost less, with estimates ranging from $1.1 million to $2 million. Although the city hopes to land grants and maybe other donors, the project could hit Burlington taxpayers in the pocketbook. City officials have projected that borrowing $5 million to save the lake would increase property taxes for the average homeowner $68 a year over 20 years, for a total of $1,368. By comparison, borrowing $1.5 million to remove the lake would cost the same homeowner $20 a year, or a total of $409. If the residents believe the dam is worth spending the extra money, then they will vote to save it. If they dont think its worth extra tax money, then they will vote against it. Many families have memories by the lake, including weddings at Veterans Terrace. Those families should have a say. Wed rather have them telling their children and grandchildren how they voted on the dam, rather than telling them the story of how a group of elected officials voted to drain the lake or voted to up their taxes. For a while, the City of Burlington officials thought they were on a tight time crunch to make the decision and didnt have time for a referendum, which would likely happen in August or November. But it turns out they do have extra time. In addition, three current aldermen are stepping aside: Steve Rauch, Theresa Meyer and Ryan Heft. They will be replaced by three newcomers who are running unopposed. Those new aldermen should be in place when the final decision on the lake is made. An informal city survey shows roughly two-thirds of Burlington residents want to save the lake. But the survey was completed by only about 400 of the 10,000 people who live here. A publicized referendum with projected dollar amounts for the two options gives everyone the chance to vote and have their voices heard. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 1. Yes. Raising the bar for future developments will boost the citys housing market. 2. Yes. It will help in newer areas, but more needs to be done to change Killeens image. 3. No. The new standards will just slow down homebuilding and drive away developers. 4.No. The ordinance will do little more than drive up the price of new homes in the city. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say what the effect will be until they have been in place for a while. Vote View Results Consumers visit a store of POP MART at Beijing APM, a shopping mall along Wangfujing Street, on Jan 3. [Photo/cfp.cn] It's undeniable: The 2020s are the decade of the Chinese consumer brands. From electronics to collectible toys, Chinese brands are making waves worldwide. A study by Google and Kantar found that Chinese brands experienced a continued rise in brand awareness in developed markets during 2021, with an even more remarkable rise in developing economies. Each year, Chinese companies, like DJI, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and POP MART, gain a more significant share of the global consumer market. These achievements are even more impressive considering few successful global Chinese consumer brands existed a mere decade ago. So, what happened? One answer is Chinese companies' unmatched logistics and innovation capabilities; however, these attributes only tell half of the story. Instead, it is the ability to create meaningful, different, and salient brands that is vital to the recent success of Chinese consumer companies. By branding, I don't mean just a pleasant logo, but a company's process of creating a robust and positive perception among consumers. For decades, Chinese brands have attempted to launch overseas. But management often viewed branding as unimportant an activity to be sidelined in favor of the bottom line. For instance, in the 1990s, Chinese soft drink maker Jianlibao attempted to become an international brand like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. They had achieved incredible domestic success, even sponsoring the Chinese team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and had the necessary financial firepower to invest overseas. The first step was to conquer the North American market a goal seemingly within the company's grasp. With substantial investments in factories, supply chain capacity, and, most importantly, a delicious product, Jianlibao was set to flood the market. But upon launch, the failures of the company's strategy were laid bare. Their heavily underfunded marketing team had failed to create a brand that consumers could connect to, so the launch went largely unnoticed by consumers. The mistake was fatal. Over the following weeks, Jianlibao's drinks did nothing more than gather dust on supermarket shelves. Worse still, as the company expanded overseas, it lost focus in China and began losing market share to competitors like Coca-Cola. Thirty years later, few outside China remember Jianlibao, but their failure revealed a crucial lesson: Creating an international brand takes more than domestic success; and a phenomenal product or service requires a strong brand identity. As a result, the most successful global Chinese companies, such as OnePlus, Xiaomi, DJI, and VIVO, pay meticulous attention to how they are perceived. However, creating a solid brand identity that resonates with consumers inside and outside China is complex not least due to language differences. In general, cultural distinctions between different regions and countries make it hard for any company to create a compelling brand story that fits all. Moreover, what resonates in one country won't in another. Therefore, the best brands don't take a one-size-fits-all approach to different markets, selling the same products and services. Instead, they adapt. The global expansion of POP MART, the Beijing-based collectible toy company, is a masterclass in local adaptation. Since its overseas operations began in 2018, it has expanded rapidly and is available in over 20 countries. Vice President Justin Moon attributes much of the success to the company's use of country-specific models and locally-run social media channels. Local appeal is crucial for foreign market expansion. However, global success can only be achieved if there is still guiding consistency throughout the brand and its culture, no matter the country. Over the years, it's clear that the Chinese companies who have invested in building their brands can achieve sustainable, quality growth. With a focus on branding, combined with China's formidable innovation and logistics capabilities, Chinese consumer brands are set to become more popular worldwide over the coming decade. Jay Ian Birbeck is a freelance writer based in Guangzhou. He received an MSc in Digital Humanities from UCL. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. KEARNEY Like a sprightly elf, Lisa Lieth took a seasonal job at the Salvation Army before Christmas 2018 to help underprivileged people get food and gifts for the holidays. It was fun, she said. She intended to leave after the holidays, but the Salvation Army asked her to stay. You stay here till someone makes us get rid of you, Salvation Army Major Normajean Daniels said. Lieth did. She was named office manager, but little did she know what awaited her. Three months later, in March 2019, a flood swamped the Kearney area. Lieth helped the Salvation Army assist flood victims. Four months later, when floodwaters deluged Kearney again, Lieth again helped with recovery. Nine months after that, in March 2020, COVID-19 barged in, and Lieth, now a case manager, didnt flinch. I was always about helping people. I said, We can do this, she said. On Friday, Lieth retired, but she left a chunk of her heart behind. She believes her work at the Salvation Army was part of her lifes calling. I wish I wouldve gotten into non-profits years ago. When you want to help people this is a really good place to be, she said. Flood memories The March floods of 2019 were a warm-up of disasters to come. Daniels took the lead with recovery, but Lieth followed up with clients who had requested assistance. The disaster hit home when floods returned on July 9, 2019. As rising water swirled around hotels at Second Avenue and I-80, emergency vehicles rescued hotel guests and brought them to the cozy Salvation Army offices at 1719 Central Ave. As people suddenly flooded in, Lieth made coffee, offered snacks and lunch. Salvation Army volunteers hurried out to purchase food and paper plates as Lieth returned to her office answering calls, calming people and offering assistance. When a reporter asked about the floodwaters and the marooned travelers, she jokingly referred to the Salvation Army as Noahs Ark. A few weeks later, the Salvation Army, assisted by other non-profits, hosted a one-stop in Kearney where flood victims could meet with non-profits about aid and other resources. Efforts were duplicated in other hard-hit communities. I just carried on. We took nearly 500 applications for relief from people in Buffalo County and another 500 from Dawson County, Lieth said. Dawson County, with fewer resources than Buffalo County, was especially hard hit. Six weeks after the flood, some people still had basements full of water, so I said, Lets organize something. We went down there with truckloads of supplies for them, Lieth said. Tammy Jeffs, the community services director at Mid-Nebraska Community Action Partnership, led the larger Dawson County recovery program with assistance from other non-profits. I was just one cog in the wheel, Lieth said. That fall, Lieth served as secretary on a long-term recovery group with leaders from the Salvation Army, United Way, the Kearney Area Community Foundation, the Mid-Nebraska Community Action Partnership, among others. Lisa Lieth leads with her heart. KACF President and Executive Director Judi Sickler said. She is a strong advocate for those who have unmet needs. She is a champion for many who may feel invisible. COVID-19 hits As the recovery group wrapped up its efforts in December 2019, a bigger calamity waited in the wings: COVID-19. By early March 2020, COVID-19 stormed in and closed schools, stores, restaurants and day care centers. People who found themselves suddenly unemployed sought assistance from the Salvation Army. Many had never had to ask for help before. I talked to five people a day. As a case manager, I listened to stories. That was my job, Lieth said. At that time, there were no COVID vaccines. People were afraid they were going to die. People were down in the dumps, just super-depressed. I had to reassure them that it was going to be OK, she said. One man just wanted a gas voucher. So many other people came in with astronomical needs, like $3,000 for rent, but because funds were available in our community, we could do our part. Being able to help made it a lot better than simply saying Im sorry, she said. Good for the soul Lieth, 65, knew firsthand the importance of helping people. Born in Florida, she lived in California from 1960 until 1989, when she moved to Nebraska. Part of that time, she was a single mother with four children, so she can connect with the 200 people who depend on the Salvation Army each month for food, utilities and to pay bills. When they call, I know what theyre talking about. When I was a single mom, I had appendicitis and I lost my job and I had to apply for food stamps, she said. Im pretty good at paperwork, but it took me two hours to fill it all out. Then they said, Youll get something in the mail in two weeks, she said. She had four children and a jar of peanut butter. They ate macaroni and cheese that cost 29 cents a box. All of that prepared me for what I do now. I can say to someone, I understand how you feel. That happened to me, she said. Eventually, back on her feet, Lieth moved to Kearney, remarried, had two more children, adopted a third from China, and spent 20 years at Eaton Corp., doing purchasing and control, production planning, basically being everyones back-up in a 100-person department. Then, during the Great Recession in 2008, she was one of 5,400 Eaton employees who got laid off. I was in my 50s. There had to be a reason. I said, God, I need to know what you want me to do, she said. For the next 10 years, she was an insurance agent. When I left the house in the morning, Id pray, Let me help somebody today, she said. Salvation Army Helping people is what she loved at the Salvation Army, too, starting with that first temporary Christmas-season job. Christmas is the best time. My daughter was there, too, and she said, Mom, this is good for the soul. She stayed on after Christmas and became the office manager. Having weathered the demands of relief work in two floods, she was named case manager in October 2019 when that position opened up. Theres a reason why it all happens. You might never know what it was. In life, sometimes, coincidences happen. That is God. It happens here at an unbelievable rate. It is awesome. From her desk at the Salvation Army, Lieth has helped people beyond Kearney. After the floods of 2019, she served on the governors task force for disaster recovery. She served on the Buffalo County Community Partners collaborative steering committee. Denise Zwiener, executive director of the BCCP, called Lieth a beacon of light. She said, When I would ask her to wave a magic wand and tell her community how to make a difference for those in need, she would give a detailed list of actionable items that we took to funders, elected officials and community decision-makers. She is passionate about helping others, not just with hand-outs, but hand-ups. Lieth was also a member of a national low-income housing coalition and sat on the board of Kearney Works. She has been advising the Two Rivers Public Health Department about organizing a minority health advisory committee. Its nice to be able to be heard and to speak for my clients. I can see what they need, so I can tell the people who can make it happen. I get reminded every day that Ive been blessed, she said. Steven Dahl, corps administrator for the Salvation Army here, said Lieth has been the foundation of the organizations response to community challenges. She has been rock solid helping people tirelessly, and with conviction. She has helped us reconnect to partner agencies, find untapped resources, and connect both with those we are called to serve. She is simply amazing. Retirement plans After retirement, Lieth and her husband plan to see the country via back roads and sample local foods. This week, she has been finalizing details with her replacement, Dee Kreutzer, who, like Lieth, began at the Salvation Army as a Christmas helper. Its been very humbling to hear people say, What are we gonna do without you? Weve done a lot in the community together. The Salvation Army has more partnerships than it has ever had. Ive applied for grants from a lot of places. My emphasis is trying to help more. Always, when Im listening to calls, I ask myself, how I can help more? I wish I wouldve gotten into non-profits years ago, she said. My husband and I always said if we won the lottery, wouldnt it be great to help people? I got to do that, and I didnt have to win money to do it, she said. KEARNEY Bryan Drew brings a wow factor to his biology classes. The University of Nebraska at Kearney faculty member wants students to get excited about nature and all the potential careers they can pursue in this field. As a botanist and ecologist, he travels the world to study plants and animals something they can do, too. The associate professor has led several research and field class trips since joining UNK in 2015, including a recent adventure that took Drew and a group of students to Baja California Sur. They spent 10 days in the Mexican state part of the Baja California Peninsula where they soaked up the sun and soaked in knowledge about the regions diverse ecosystem. The whole idea of these trips is to expose people from Nebraska to something different culturally different and ecologically different, Drew said. I want to open up their world and show them this is something that can be accessible. Although Drew is a globetrotter, many of the students who sign up for his trips have never been outside the U.S. That was the case for UNK senior Charlotte Okraska of Clay Center. An English major with a biology minor, Okraska has conducted research with Drew in the Desert Southwest, but this was a completely different experience. Ive never left the country before, so I was really excited to get out of the States and experience not only the biological aspects of another part of the world, but also the culture, she said. It was all so new to me. Drew, whos been to the Baja Peninsula numerous times, definitely hit all the high points. They hiked in the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range, a UNESCO biosphere reserve thats home to numerous plant and animal species that can only be found there. With its tallest peak around 7,000 feet, the mountain range offers dramatic views of the surrounding landscape, which transitions from sandy beaches to arid desert to lush forest. The UNK group also visited cultural sites, including a mission built in the late 1600s, and traveled to both sides of the peninsula. They snorkeled in the Gulf of California to the east, where they saw sea lions, tropical fish and other marine life, and spent time whale watching along the Pacific coastline to the west. It was a lot of fun, said UNK junior Kaylee Gibson, a wildlife biology major from York. Gibson had vacationed in Mexico before, but this was her first time on the Baja Peninsula. Id really like to go back, she said. The Mexico trip was offered as a two-credit hour biology course during the January intersession, an optional three-week term that gives students a chance to take online classes or participate in internships and other experiential learning opportunities during the extended winter break. Naturally, Drew brought plenty of books so they could identify and discuss the plants, birds, fish and insects they encountered throughout the journey. It was so cool to walk around and actively try to learn everything, whether it was a new word in Spanish or the name of that bird sitting on top of that cactus, Okraska said. Gibson agrees. Honestly, anybody in any department could go and they would be able to take away something from the trip, she said. Being involved in wildlife, I feel like I took away quite a bit. Drew made sure the students got to check out some scorpions and a tarantula the cool stuff you wont find in Nebraska. He led a similar trip to Baja California Sur in October and plans to take another group of students to Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula next fall. Okraska called the trips very valuable and very affordable, thanks to grant funding and department scholarships that help cover the costs. Being able to go on this trip through UNK really took away that financial burden, she said. It was such a great experience. Wisconsins nearly 600,000 unpaid family caregivers a group that AARP Wisconsin refers to as the states unsung heroes for giving up so much of their own time and money to help loved ones remain in their own homes as long as possible will receive much-needed support if state legislators get behind the governors plan to create a $500 family caregiver tax credit. Last week Gov. Tony Evers announced a proposal to spend parts of the $3.8 billion projected state surplus to create a nonrefundable caregiver tax credit for qualified expenses incurred by a family caregiver to assist a qualified family member. The bill is being circulated for co-sponsorship. AARP Wisconsin is urging all Wisconsinites to contact their legislators and encourage them to support the creation of the tax credit. Family caregivers are the lifeblood of Wisconsins long-term care system and it is high time we not only recognize this fact but provide them with the support they need to continue this heroic work, said Helen Marks Dicks, AARP WI State Issues Advocacy Director. Many state lawmakers say they understand and appreciate all the tasks that family caregivers perform on a daily basis. Now its time for them to put money where their mouths are. The tax credit was recommended by the Governors Task Force on Caregiving and was included in Evers last budget proposal before being removed. Dicks, who was a member of the task force, said caregiving is an issue that impacts nearly everyone at some point in their lives. In the last two legislative sessions, bills creating a caregiver tax credit were circulated by Republican lawmakers for co-sponsorship and received bipartisan support. Each year, Wisconsins unpaid family caregivers provide about 538 million hours of care to their parents, spouses, partners, and other adult loved ones. In addition, they spend an average of $7,000 per year on out-of-pocket costs related to caregiving. They provide this care while also keeping up with their own jobs, running their own households and trying to make ends meet, Dicks said. Unpaid family caregivers take on huge responsibilities that can be overwhelming, stressful and exhausting. They help loved ones with tasks such as giving baths, dispensing medications, preparing meals, paying bills, and providing transportation to doctors appointments. Some even provide higher levels of care, such as wound treatment, dialysis support and feeding tube maintenance. The $500 tax credit could be used to help offset some of the expenses these caregivers incur, such as installing ramps or safety bars to keep their loved ones safe. Dicks said the tax credit would not only help caregivers, but would save the state money on long-term care by investing in caregivers and keeping older Wisconsinites at home instead of relying on state-funded programs. As these caregivers face physical, emotional and financial challenges, we can take this simple legislative step to help make their lives a little bit easier. Small investments in caregivers right now will lead to big savings for Wisconsin and much better care for families down the road, Dicks said. At some point in time we will all likely be caregivers or be the person needing care. This credit helps all ages and all generations, Dicks said. Its the right thing to do. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 You are here: World Flash Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he tested positive for the COVID-19. Erdogan tweeted that he was infected by the Omicron variant of the virus. The president said that he and his wife were having mild symptoms of the COVID-19, adding that he will continue his work at home. The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Turkey has nearly doubled since early January, as the Omicron variant cases rapidly increased across the country. Turkey's COVID-19 cases have been hovering around the threshold of 100,000 for the last four days, according to the Turkish health ministry. Gene-sequence sampling has found that almost all of Turkey's recent COVID-19 cases were caused by the Omicron variant, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday. Turkey on Friday reported 111,157 new COVID-19 cases, its highest daily figure of the pandemic, raising its tally of infections to 12,051,852. The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 156 to 83,231, while 25,502 more people recovered in the last 24 hours. Applications for Wisconsins inter-district public school open enrollment program will be accepted this year beginning Monday until April 29. The inter-district public school open enrollment program allows families to apply for their children to attend public school in a school district other than the one in which they reside. Wisconsin resident parents/guardians must apply to the nonresident school district (school district the student wishes to attend) during this time period for attendance in the 2022-23 and subsequent school years. Any Wisconsin resident in 4K to grade 12 may apply to attend a nonresident school district under the open enrollment program. However, a child may transfer to a nonresident school district for early childhood education or 4K only if the childs resident school district offers the same type of program and only if the child is eligible for that program in the resident school district. Online applications are required. Please visit https://dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment/applications for a link to the online application. If computer access is an issue, please contact the office of the Executive Director of Business Services, Room 204, 807 East Avenue South, La Crosse, WI 54601 by calling 608.789.7651 for additional help. Families can learn more about our schools, enrollment options, or schedule a school tour by visiting www.lacrosseschools.org. The application deadline is 4 p.m. on April 29, 2022; however, early application is encouraged. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In August, several members of the western Wisconsin community of Holmen were escorted out of a School Board meeting for failing to comply with the districts mask requirement. Now two of them who spoke out against COVID mitigation policies are seeking election to the School Board in April. About 17 miles north of Milwaukee, in the Mequon-Thiensville School District, at least one candidate seeking election to the board ahead of the February primary led a recall effort driven by frustration with COVID mitigation policies which was ultimately struck down in November. Two of the four board members targeted in the recall, who are up for re-election, decided against running to retain their seats. In Dane County, the Mount Horeb School Board contest has drawn 11 candidates in the Feb. 15 primary for three seats with some candidates highlighting hot-button political issues. Equality is extremely important to me, but creating a racial divide is not. I dont feel divisive curriculum should be in our schools, candidate Jeff Shields wrote on his Facebook campaign page, where he emphasizes that his motto is KIDS instead of POLITICS. Across the state candidates focused on political platforms and single issues have signed up for this Aprils nonpartisan school board races ahead of the November midterm elections. Were certainly seeing the nationalization of school board races here in Wisconsin and across the country, UW-Oshkosh associate professor of public administration Michael Ford said. Youre seeing a heck of a lot of talk about things like vaccine mandates, critical race theory, things that are actually pretty disconnected from the reality of being a school board member. That theme was on display at a Parent Empowerment rally in Richfield on Saturday attended by school board hopefuls from across the state, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, of Oshkosh, and Frank McCormick, a former educator from Illinois. McCormick echoed other speakers at the event in railing against COVID-19 mask mandates and declaring that public schools are indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory, an academic framework that focuses on racism embedded in the nations laws and institutions and isnt taught in any of Wisconsins K-12 schools. School board elections have now become the most important elections in our lives, he said. Because were talking about who controls the future children. Potential for obstructionism While more civic engagement is always welcome, politicizing such historically nonpartisan races threatens to make governing more difficult, Ford said. The worry is obstructionism, he said. You have a one-issue candidate or, more importantly, if you have a few candidates who are just hellbent on conflict, you really start to mess with the group dynamic of a governing board and grind the process to a halt. Thats the real fear. Recent efforts that have gummed up the workings of government, Ford said, include more than a dozen school board recall elections, launched in response to COVID mitigation policies, that took place across the state since the pandemic began. A parent group in Oshkosh that was vocal about the school districts mask policies had a few candidates throw their name into the hat to seek seats on the School Board. Just about every major school district in the state has at least one candidate who is running on an issue like critical race theory, and if you had gone pre-COVID-19 that was not a thing. That was never an issue anybody had talked about, he said. Its more of a frustration that some folks have with state and federal government and their inability to gain traction at the state and federal level has brought some of these more social issues to the surface at the local level. Airing grievances, building candidates School board races appear to have become a platform used to air grievances about life during the pandemic, UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said. Concerns about public health mandates, masks, school closures, possible vaccine requirements and the specter of Critical Race Theory are being echoed by conservatives nationwide and will bubble up in the November midterm election, he said. School boards are a place where politicians often get their start, he said, citing Michele Bachmann, a school board candidate from Minnesota who was elected to state and then federal office before seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2012. It can be a breeding ground to create a fealty of candidates and it looks like right now the Republican Party is making better use of that, to create a pipeline of people who might seek higher office, Burden said. He said some of the people seeking public office in Wisconsin are dissatisfied with President Joe Biden and Gov. Tony Evers and motivated to enter the race by issues such as COVID mitigation policies and equity initiatives in K-12 curriculum. Its anger more than enthusiasm, and the people who theyre angry at are the incumbents, he said. In solidly Democratic Madison theres markedly less enthusiasm for running for School Board than in other parts of the state. Of the three seats up for election this year, only one is contested after two incumbents opted not to run again. Madison School Board President Ali Muldrow, who is up for reelection but is running unopposed, said interest in serving on the board, or any local office, is like the swing of a pendulum based on the political climate. The district hasnt faced much public outcry over its COVID mitigation or equity policies. Madison is a really progressive city. ... And I do think progressives are tired, she said. Voter engagement is going to matter a lot, and I do think Republicans in more purple parts of the state are going to work really hard this year to establish contrast campaigns. Money and influence Johnson, who is up for reelection in November and spoke at Saturdays rally, had previously appealed to the public during an August event in Kenosha to get conservatives on the ballot in every race, including local, typically nonpartisan elections. He urged Republicans to take up the grassroots approach to build enthusiasm ahead of statewide races. The reason were seeing our children being indoctrinated, the reason things like Critical Race Theory whether they call it that or not are being taught in our schools is because conservatives have focused largely on the federal government, he said Saturday. They took their eye off the ball of local elections. We cant do that anymore. Rebecca PAC, a committee former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch launched in 2020 to support Republican legislative candidates, donated at least $6,400 to school board candidates in 2021 including $1,000 to Rob Abraham, the La Crosse assistant police chief who won his bid for the La Crosse School Board in April. Abraham also received $1,200 from the La Crosse County Republican Party to support his bid for the seat, during a time when the La Crosse School District and board were struggling with the decision about whether to have police stationed in public schools. For me thats concerning for at least two reasons, political parties are getting openly involved in nonpartisan races and a political PAC from across the state is throwing money into a local nonpartisan race in La Crosse that sends some red flags, said Brad Quarberg, vice president of the La Crosse School Board. We need candidates who care enough about kids to put their partisan biases aside. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Millersville University graduate nursing student Domonique Scott, 36, knows all too well that her profession is a calling. Its been calling her since she was a hospital housekeeper and saw nurses work up close. Nurses drive the hospital, Scott said. I was like, Wow I want to be a nurse. Scott went on to become a medical assistant and then, seven years ago, she became a registered nurse. Now, in addition to her bedside job in York, she is studying for an advanced degree at MU while teaching as a clinical instructor at HACC. The studies are leading her away from the stress of bedside nursing but not out of the profession. She persisted in her career as a bedside nurse, even after contracting COVID-19, even as she saw colleagues burn out from the long hours and exasperation with the pandemic. Ratios of patients to nurses can jump if just one nurse calls out. Scott recalled picking up a colleagues assigned patients at the change of shift. The fellow nurse said she was in tears trying to keep five very sick people alive. Staffing issues are just one part of the strain nurses have faced during the pandemic. To limit staff exposures to COVID-19, nurses have been expected to take care of all of a patients needs including housekeeping, dining and respiration therapy, according to Kelly Kuhns, who directs the nursing doctorate program at MUs Wehrheim School of Nursing. Kuhns says nurses have told her the work is hard, but the worst part is how they are treated by people they are caring for. Since the pandemic I feel a lot of nurses feel like were overworked, Scott said. You would think the pandemic would be over but its not. Theres not enough nurses to take care of these patients. You try to do your best. A shortage of nurses is shaking up the profession from the bedside to the classroom. How the ranks of nursing will be filled is not clear even as enrollment in programs remains fairly steady, experts said. Since 2019 vacancy rates for nurses providing direct patient care have increased 30%, according to a December hospital survey by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. To help address the situation Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bipartisan bill into law on Jan. 26 to help hospitals in the worsening staffing crisis. The bill sends $6 million to eight Lancaster County health care facilities to retain and recruit hospital nurses. The money is part of $225 million in statewide relief funded through the American Rescue Plan, with $210 million earmarked to recruit and retain staff at acute-care and general hospitals as well as behavioral health facilities. Another $15 million will quadruple the funds available for the Pennsylvania High Education Assistance Agencys nurse loan forgiveness program. Even before the pandemic, jobs for nurses in Lancaster County were expected to increase more than they were nationally. Lancaster County registered nurse positions were projected to increase 15% from 5,150 in 2018 to 5,930 in 2028, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. About 373 more nurses will be needed annually by 2028, including those who leave the profession or leave the area, according to that pre-pandemic projection. Nationally, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 9% from 3.08 million in 2020 to 3.36 million in 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said about 194,500 openings for registered nurses are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Nursing has weathered shortages before. This time with stresses of COVID-19, including pressure to vaccinate, and an aging nurse population it may be different. Experts say technology and drawing people from diverse backgrounds can help in the long run. Overwhelmed A 2021 survey by the American Nurses Foundation revealed that 34% of American nurses do not feel emotionally healthy, a large number of whom have experienced trauma due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no longer wish to be in their job. The survey said about 50% were leaving or considering leaving the profession within six months. When asked why nurses intend to leave, 47% of respondents said because work is negatively affecting their health and well-being, 41% because of staffing shortages, and 31% because of a lack of support from their employer during the pandemic. Thats definitely what Im seeing, said Kuhns, the MU nursing director who holds a doctorate in nursing. At the beginning of the pandemic nurses were our superheroes. People were sending them meals and there was a lot of recognition, but that quickly waned. Kuhns pointed to recent videos of flight attendants attacked over mask requirements and said nurses experience similar attacks out of the public eye. They bear the brunt of frustration, Kuhns said. The American Nurses Foundation survey said 56% of nurses in Pennsylvania reported feeling overwhelmed. The situation has become worse through the pandemic, the American Nurses Foundation found. Since the Foundations first mental health and wellness survey in June-July 2020, self-reported burnout has increased by 350%. Young nurses, in particular, noted that they feel a stigma continues to exist around seeking mental health support. Shortage tsunami MUs Kuhns said in 2025 high school graduation rates are expected to drop dramatically. The shortage of nurses is expected to reach a half million just as aging Baby Boomers need more care. We call it the shortage tsunami, Kuhns said. Patient care is going to suffer unless solutions are found, Kuhns said. Building resilience in nurses is difficult when they continue to bear a heavier burden. Whats more, Kuhns said, the burnout harms one of nursings best recruiting tools family connections. People in the profession, if theyre wiped out, theyre less likely to encourage others, Kuhns said. Were cutting off our nose to spite our face. Kuhns said nurses are spending fewer years in bedside practice before heading into other tracks such as nurse practitioner. Training nurse practitioners has become increasingly a way to address the lack of family practice doctors. At the heart of it, nursing is known as a degree you can get and you start at a really competitive salary but you might not always bump up as fast as other careers, Kuhns said. You do have to want to work with people. Theres still that piece and I hope it can continue. Rita Wise, program director of associates, masters and doctor of nursing practice programs at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences in East Lampeter Township, said nursing has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Patients I take care of now on med-surg (medical surgical floor) possibly would have been in ICU years ago. They are surviving more critical episodes and the patient population is getting older, said Wise, who holds a doctorate in nursing and also works as a per-diem nurse. Another pressure point: More people have access to health care and they are using it. That makes the demand for nurses greater. The shortage is coming. Weve known its coming, Wise said. Recruitment and education Interestingly, nursing schools arent seeing steep declines. Throughout the pandemic, weve actually seen an increase in folks looking to enter the health care industry, said Dr. Erika Wilkinson, associate vice president of strategic enrollment management at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. Health care is a stable, fast-growing and high-paying field, so we often see an influx in times of economic hardship. Wilkinson has also seen students who are moved by their own personal experiences as patients or family members moving through the health care system, and want to give back as a health care provider. After several years of stable enrollment, we saw larger increases in the last two years, she said. Were starting to see enrollment level off a bit now, but with increasing demand and growing wages for health care providers, we anticipate figures will continue to grow. In the 2020-21 school year, the school conferred 467 degrees, according to its annual report. The profession could do a much better job recruiting men and minorities, Kuhns said. Shes mentored students from two-year degrees through bachelors who are in masters programs. Wise said nursing programs face a similar struggle with staff that hospitals do. To educate more nurses, they need more teachers and they must come from the ranks of nurses. They may also need more space and clinical access. She encourages nurses to look at the option of working part time as an educator. Flexibility in programs such as offering weekend classes can support students who want to switch careers and still work full time. The simulation lab at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences was an opportunity to bolster nursing ranks even before COVID-19, she said. Nurses need clinical experience and the simulation lab can fill that gap when access to clinical experiences is limited. Innovation steps in and helps to mitigate the problem, Wise said. Technology has helped improve communication so that much has become seamless for nurses, Wise said. Years ago, to transport someone the nurse would have to schedule a procedure and find a wheelchair. Now, transport teams handle it all. Wise said programs that allow bedside nurses to advance professionally with rank promotions can mitigate some staff losses and keep the nursing pool stable. Programs that allow patients to recognize nurses and staff to recognize each other also foster a collaborative rather than a toxic competitive atmosphere. The crisis offers opportunities for innovation and technology and to increase diversity, Wise said. Scott continues in her bedside career despite the challenges because she finds rewards at the bedside being an advocate for patients, especially for those who dont have the means or someone to speak out for them concerning their medical care. When patients actually appreciate what you are doing for them especially when someone remembers my name thats why I do what I do. This story contains links that will take you to our archives site on newspapers.com. This content is free for LancasterOnline subscribers who are logged in. Click here for more information about how to subscribe. Excerpts and summaries of news stories from the former Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era and Sunday News that focus on the events in the countys past that are noteworthy, newsworthy or just strange. 25 years ago In February 1997, a long-lost highway project suddenly was back in the public eye. The so-called "goat path" - a project to build a highway bypassing Route 23 that was begun in the 1970s by then-Gov. Milton Shapp and abandoned when the money ran out - was back on the front page of the New Era. The county commissioners and the state Department of Transportation had laid the groundwork for a $1.5 million study of the Route 23 corridor to be undertaken in the summer of 1997. Traffic along Route 23, which connects Lancaster to New Holland and other points east, had been worsening for decades thanks to increasing suburban growth and industrial traffic in the New Holland area. As of 1997, the road's traffic load was estimated to be as much as 40 percent above capacity. Though details about the new study hadn't yet been finalized, the New Era reported that it would likely include various options, including finishing the "goat path" project, enhancing existing roadways or undertaking new highway construction. In the mid-1980s, Gov. Bob Casey undertook his own attempt to revitalize the "goat path" project, but stopped after farm preservation supporters protested. In the headlines: Clinton budget includes tax cuts Congress coming to Hershey to learn to be nice O.J. jury considers punitive damages Check out the Feb. 6, 1997, Lancaster New Era here. 50 years ago One question that has nagged interior designers since the dawn of time has been how to make tiny rooms seem larger. The answer posed in the Feb. 6, 1972, Sunday News, which may seem odd by today's design standards, was simple: Big, bold patterns and plenty of them. Bright colors and larger-than-life prints were the keys to this strategy, which centered on the idea that such "grand gestures ... can make a small room seem far more important and interesting than it really is." Examples included a small bedroom with large-scale plaid on both the wall and bed linens, a small sitting room with bright yellow walls, floor and upholstery, or a small attic room with a bold paisley pattern on walls, ceiling and lampshades. In the headlines: U.S. OKs warplanes for Israel Irish battle troops on march eve Martian volcano revealed Check out the Feb. 6, 1972, Sunday News here. 75 years ago After a late-season blight decimated tomato crops in Lancaster County in 1946, farmers gathered at a pre-season dinner and conference in February 1947 to discuss new techniques that could be employed in the upcoming season. The most noteworthy change was a plan to use helicopters to dust tomato fields with pesticides from above. This was thought to be an improvement over the airplane crop-dusting that had been in use previously, as helicopters could fly lower and could more easily maneuver around telephone or electric wires. Also recommended was leaving more space between plants in the fields and not planting tomatoes near potatoes, as blight could spread from crop to crop. In the headlines: 10 lbs. sugar ration to be given April 1 Question Ft. Dix soldier in death of 'Black Dahlia' President sees danger in hasty U.S. disarmament Check out the Feb. 6, 1947, Intelligencer Journal here. 100 years ago A lawsuit filed by a jilted bride against her would-be husband made the front page of the Lancaster Intelligencer on Feb. 6, 1922. Marian Bidden of Honey Brook sued Charles Cahn of Lancaster for "breach of promise," alleging that they had agreed to be married, but he backed out after she made all the necessary preparations for the wedding. Bidden sought the sum of $5,000 for the "trousseau," or materials she had bought for the wedding and for her new home, as well as "loss of affection and personal suffering." In the headlines: Sacred College elects Ratti as Pope Harding sees new epoch for mankind Check out the Feb. 6, 1922, Lancaster Intelligencer here. MILK DUDS 4-H: The Penn State Extension Lancaster County Milk Duds 4-H Dairy Club will meet for its reorganization meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, at the Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road. The meeting is important to attend for both new members, returning 4-H members and their parents. Club activities include: taking part in dairy judging practices and competitions, fitting and showing workshop, the county show, etc., and each meeting will have a different topic related to the dairy industry. For more information, contact Lori Little, 717-394-6851; email lmh12@psu.edu. MEETING: The James H. Unruh, Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the First Calvary Division Association will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the Lititz Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1463, 14 N. Spruce St., Lititz. The meeting will be held in the lower level of the building, and the entrance is located adjacent to the parking lot. Membership is open to anyone who ever served in the First Cavalry Division and is a member of the First Cavalry Division Association or is a Gold Star family member. For more information, email cenpenn1cda@gmail.com or call 717-389-1000. Community Calendar runs as space is available. Three weeks notice of an event is appreciated. Please place the date of the event or the deadline date to register at the top of the press release. Email your information to news@lnpnews.com. Patriot Front, a white supremacist group formed in the wake of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, is actively recruiting across Pennsylvania, including in Lancaster County and the surrounding region. Internal group communications, photos and videos published by a nonprofit news organization on Jan. 21, and data collected from the group's social media page, reveal Lancaster County has been targeted at least nine times by Patriot Front propaganda efforts. Stickers placed on street signs in downtown Lancaster In April carried messages like united we stand and better dead than red, and ones that read America first were placed in East Petersburg in December. Five dozen similar incidents, as well as the defacement of a public mural, took place in neighboring Berks County. The Anti-Defamation League and federal law enforcement say Patriot Front carefully crafts its image and promotional material to avoid off-putting, overtly-racist or neo-Nazi imagery, opting instead for ambiguously worded messages and a red, white and blue aesthetic that gives the aura of mainstream patriotism, all with the goal of recruiting members willing to commit to Patriot Fronts rigorous physical training and ideological indoctrination programs. You look at Patriot Front uniforms, they're wearing collared shirts, they almost look like Best Buy uniforms, said Andrea Heymann, associate regional director for the Philadelphia branch of the ADL. Its not nearly as in your face, because its supposed to be more palatable. But the leaks published by Unicorn Riot, a left-leaning non-profit news outlet that covers extremism, reveal that white nationalism is the groups fundamental principle and that Pennsylvania members are tied to more overtly racist and anti-semitic groups like the National Justice Party and area skinheads. Following Charlottesville, Patriot Front founder Thomas Rousseau rebranded his former group, American Vanguard, from a neo-Nazi organization to one (Patriot Front) that reflected a skewed version of American white nationalism in order to appeal to a broad range of supporters, according to a 2019 terrorism threat assessment from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security. One of the two Patriot Front networks active in Pennsylvania includes members from New Jersey. Racist ideology revealed The leaked data shows that behind closed doors, neo-Nazi ideas and vocabulary are common, including among Pennsylvania members. One Patriot Front activist says as much at the end of a promotional video filmed by Pennsylvania member Ryan. Seig [expletive] heil, the member says, not knowing the camera is still recording. I can say that now that its over. Another member joins the speaker in giving the Nazi salute. Ethnic purity is also a requirement for membership, according to a leaked script of interview questions for prospective members. An interviewee must claim at least 75% European ethnic lineage, and be born within America to qualify, the document says. Another question asks a candidate for membership to describe his feelings on civic nationalism, an academic term describing governments organized around ideas of democracy, diversity and inclusivity. Unicorn Riots analysis of applicants interview notes found that every member who was accepted including Pennsylvania applicants stated there was an ethnic component to being American and that nationhood cannot be bestowed to those not of the founding stock. Only White Euros can be American. We built this nation, Patrick, a 27-year-old member from Williamsport in Lycoming County said during his interview. There is a ethnic component, U.S. was founded by Europeans, a 19-year-old from Philadelphia, who was accepted into the group, said in his interview. In order for founding ideas to take root, it needs to have a base. Patriot Front has been careful to avoid acts of violence similar to Charlottesville, where a white supremacist with ties to Rousseau drove his car into a crowd of counter protestors, killing one. Patriot Front has asked members to sign non-violence agreements. But as Chapman University professor Pete Simi told Propublica in 2019, this is part of a strategy to avoid liability while their message still encourages violence. They are promoting violence by their goals, he told the nonprofit news outlet. Video released as part of the leak shows Patriot Front members training for combat. Pennsylvania, and in particular the states southeast, has been a hotbed of activity for Patriot Front, with members reporting more propaganda actions than their counterparts in nearly every other state. (Story continues below graphic) At a 2020 symposium on domestic terrorism in Pittsburgh, FBI supervisory analyst John Pulcastro said the area had become a hub for white supremacists, including Patriot Front. "They believe they are being invaded," he said of Patriot Front members views of non-white immigrants. "They are training for an invasion." Pennsylvania networks Two Patriot Front networks are active in Pennsylvania, according to a map released as part of the leak. In the eastern part of the state, Lancaster, York, Dauphin, Lebanon, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties are part of Network 10, which also includes all of New Jersey, Northern Delaware, New York City and parts of New York state. In western Pennsylvania, the Ohio-based Network 13 includes Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer, Crawford and Erie counties. The two networks have between them more members than any other state in the nation, except Rousseaus home state of Texas. And in 2021, there was more propaganda material placed in Pennsylvania than any other state except Virginia. Pennsylvania members using the aliases Eric, Leo, Francis, Patrick and Vincent attended a November meeting of the National Justice Party in Pittsburgh. The National Justice Party was organized by white nationalists who announced the partys formation in Lancaster County in 2020. In the leaded data, other Pennsylvania members, including Patrick and Eric, mentioned having ties to pool parties, a term used to describe meetings of white nationalists organized by National Justice Party leader Mike Peinovich and others who participate in an alt-right podcasting network called The Right Stuff. Pool Parties is a play on the phrase gene pool. The leak also documents that one prospective Patriot Front member from Georgia mentioned being a fan of Spectre in his interview. Spectre is the online alias for Norman Garrison, a white supremacist blogger and former editor of The Lancaster Patriot, who as of December was still living in Lancaster County. In looking to bolster numbers for a recent march in Washington D.C., Pennsylvania Patriot Front member Eric said he was trying to get members of the New Jersey European Heritage Association to join. The ADL says the Heritage Association is a New Jersey-based white supremacist group that espouses racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance under the guise of saving white European peoples from purported imminent extinction. Jason, a New York-based member of Network 10, also has ties to Keystone United and American Defense, two Pennsylvania-based skinhead groups. Since the leak, no new Patriot Front propaganda material has been posted in Pennsylvania, according to the group's social media. This reporters work is funded by the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. For more information, or to make a contribution, please visit lanc.news/supportlocaljournalism. Audit the Vote PA, an organization founded in the wake of the 2020 election and committed to proving widespread voter fraud plagued the last presidential election in Pennsylvania, declared last week that its volunteers found anomalies in Lancaster Countys 2020 election results. The group says it has the proof based on an in-person survey of a small number of Lancaster County voters. But it wont provide the details to the officials in charge of running the countys elections. Toni Shuppe, a Beaver County resident and a founder of Audit the Vote PA, posted to the groups social media channels on Telegram to say a door-to-door canvass of households in the county found some anomaly at 37% of them. The problems ranged from registration discrepancies to phantom votes, she said. In a video posted to YouTube, Shuppe said the groups findings show the last election was meddled with, it wasnt free and fair and needs to be investigated. The 2020 results should be decertified because what was certified as the official results clearly cannot be trusted after you see this data, she said. County officials say theyre willing to look at the groups results. Christa Miller, chief clerk of Lancaster Countys Board of Elections, said she was made aware of Audit the Vote PAs claims on Tuesday by Commissioner Ray DAgostino. If they are not willing to share their data, then I take it with a grain of salt, Miller said, adding that it's impossible for the board to respond without knowing exactly what data brought the groups members to their conclusions. Shuppe did not respond to requests from LNP|LancasterOnline for copies of the survey results and data. Her description of how the survey was conducted included no details on which households were surveyed or even what part of the county Audit the Vote PA volunteers visited. Background Miller said she has not had contact with Shuppe or other members of Audit the Vote PA. But some Audit the Vote members did meet with Commissioner Josh Parsons in November. We just met with County Commissioner Josh Parsons and showed him all of the data we have from Lancaster County along with our canvassing results, which are all very concerning, and he has no interest in working with us to look into things further, Shuppe posted to social media at the time. He said the only way he would do anything about it is if we went back to all the houses that show anomalies and get affidavits from every single one of them. Parsons said he has not spoken with Audit the Vote PA members since that meeting, and has not received any affidavits or data from the group. He said he was shown a document during the November meeting with the groups representatives, but he declined to go into details about what it showed. I have said to anybody who has specific allegations of election fraud, any crime, bring it into the district attorneys office, or if you want to submit it to us well get it to the district attorneys office, Parsons said Wednesday. District Attorney Heather Adams said she was not aware of her office receiving any affidavits alleging voter fraud in Lancaster County. She said her office received two or three calls after the 2020 presidential election about issues at the polls, such as signatures not matching, but to her knowledge nothing ever came as a result of those investigations. No cases of crimes election fraud have ever been prosecuted in Lancaster County. The Lancaster County Board of Elections released a statement last summer when similar claims from Audit the Vote PA purported to show problems with Lancaster Countys 2020 election results. The county dismissed some as unfounded, noting that changes in the voter rolls and large number of first-time voters in the 2020 election were par for the course. But the county also said it was impossible to respond to some allegations because the group would not explain what they were based on. Audit the Vote PAs unwillingness, so far, to share its findings fits with the secrecy the group brings to its operations. When the Lancaster County door-to-door canvass was being organized last summer, volunteers were asked to sign a wide-ranging non-disclosure agreement that essentially forbade signers from sharing any information about the group. The NDA was sent to volunteers by Mike Miller, an Ephrata resident who is now preparing a primary challenge to state Sen. Ryan Aument, R-East Hempfield Township. Miller declined to comment about the Lancaster County review when he was contacted in September. Shuppe and Audit the Vote PA, meanwhile, have demanded that the Legislature hold a public hearing where their findings can be presented. When some state legislators asked to see the evidence collected by Shuppes group, she dismissed the requests as unethical and unprofessional and said the lawmakers had no grounds to demand that information from me in order to validate our work. Parsons, like many Republican elected officials, said changes to Pennsylvania election law and former Secretary of State Kathy Bookvars last-minute instructions on mail-in ballots as the source for the kind of mistrust being voiced by Shuppe and her supporters. Act 77, the 2019 law that created no-excuse mail-in voting and extended registration deadlines, among other changes, was poorly conceived, created an opening for ballot harvesting, and, later, was badly administered by Democrats in Harrisburg and around the state, Parsons and many other Republicans say. Because of all that, people have a distrust in the system that they never had under in person voting, he said. This reporters work is funded by the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. For more information, or to make a contribution, please visit lanc.news/supportlocaljournalism. Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup. THE ISSUE A Republican-majority Commonwealth Court panel ruled Jan. 28 that Act 77, the 2019 law that enabled no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania, was unconstitutional. Gov. Tom Wolfs administration has appealed the ruling to the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court. As LNP | LancasterOnline reported, Lancaster County Commissioner Ray DAgostino urged the states highest court to rule as soon as possible, because the clock is ticking on preparing for the primary election in May. The Pennsylvania law that expanded voting by mail remains in place as the courts battle over its constitutionality. Republicans who were for it in 2019 now are against it. They point to the part of the state constitution that says and please hang in with us here, because its lengthy that an absentee voting option may be provided by law to qualified electors who may, on the occurrence of any election, be absent from the municipality of their residence, because their duties, occupation or business require them to be elsewhere or who ... are unable to attend at their proper polling places because of illness or physical disability or who will not attend a polling place because of the observance of a religious holiday or who cannot vote because of election day duties. Those who argue that Act 77 is constitutional point to this: All elections by the citizens shall be by ballot or by such other method as may be prescribed by law: Provided, That secrecy in voting be preserved. County Commissioner Josh Parsons wrote in an email to LNP | LancasterOnline that any objective observer who can read the PA Constitution would say that the Commonwealth Court ruling was clearly a correct legal ruling. Parsons is a former prosecutor, not a constitutional expert. Bruce Ledewitz, a Duquesne University professor who is an expert on the state constitution, told Spotlight PA that this is a close legal question. Generally speaking, the Supreme Court has voted in favor of expanding access, Ledewitz told that nonpartisan news organization, which counts LNP Media Group among its partners. If I had to bet, which I dont, I would bet that they reverse. But ... its going to be a close matter. The states highest court should consider the arguments Republicans made in 2019 in favor of Act 77. Trip back in time In late October 2019, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was preparing to pass a comprehensive voting reform package that included no-excuse mail-in voting. Republicans, who controlled both chambers of the Legislature, were happy that they had managed to eliminate straight-ticket voting as part of the legislation. Some Democrats, including state Rep. Mike Sturla of Lancaster, were miffed by this and so voted against what would become Act 77. But the Lancaster County Republican delegation to Harrisburg voted overwhelmingly in favor of the legislation (state Reps. Steven Mentzer and David Zimmerman voted against it). The legislation passed in the state House in a 138-61 vote, and was approved by the Senate in a 35-14 vote. The state House Republican Caucus website was almost giddy in its characterization of this Historic Election Reform, the most comprehensive effort to modernize and improve Pennsylvanias elections since the 1930s. State House Majority Leader now Speaker Bryan Cutler, of Drumore Township, discussed the legislation in glowing terms. This bill was not written to benefit one party or the other, or any one candidate or single election, Cutler maintained. It was developed over a multi-year period, with input from people of different backgrounds and regions of Pennsylvania. It serves to preserve the integrity of every election and lift the voice of every voter in the Commonwealth. What was not to like? Reporting on the new law, CNN noted that it eliminated a requirement that applicants for absentee ballots provide an excuse as to why they cant make it to the polls. We never checked anyway, said state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, whos now the Senate president pro tempore and is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination. As Spotlight PA reported, Corman hailed Act 77 as the most significant modernization of our elections code in decades. Integrity of process ensured In a column published in May 2020 in LNP | LancasterOnline, Kirk Radanovic, chairman of the Republican Committee of Lancaster County, wrote that this new mail-in voting option in Pennsylvania will be a crucial tool for the Republican Party and candidates to succeed. Anyone can apply to vote by mail, without a reason or excuse needed, Radanovic wrote, encouragingly. If you think COVID-19 or the prospect of long lines will keep you from wanting to go to the polls on Election Day, then vote by mail. Our state senators and representatives have worked to ensure the integrity of this process, including safeguards to protect your vote. He pointed out that every mail-in ballot includes a unique bar code that is used to match you and your ballot, a security safeguard. And Radanovic wrote this: The greatest reform to the mail-in voting process is that all mail-in ballots must be delivered to the county Board of Elections and centrally kept, counted and processed. The county Board of Elections is also responsible for establishing a chain of custody procedure for processing. This, he noted, was an improvement over the old process, in which absentee ballots were distributed to individual voting precincts to be counted, which resulted in spotty coverage of certified watchers. The counting of mail-in ballots at one central location will greatly improve our ability to watch the counting process to ensure integrity. (The reality is that voter fraud is exceedingly rare, whether the voting method being employed is in person or by mail. This has been confirmed repeatedly by research.) What changed Fast-forward to November 2020. We all know what happened then: Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump by more than 80,000 votes in Pennsylvania, and all hell broke loose. Suddenly, the law that sought, in Cutlers words, to lift the voice of every voter in the Commonwealth, was a liability. A culprit had to be found for Trumps loss and Act 77 particularly its provision for no-excuse mail voting was deemed to be it. The Republican-controlled Legislature that voted the law onto the books now seeks to abolish it and toss Pennsylvania back into the past, when voting by mail was a hassle and an option reserved primarily for those who were physically unable to make it to their polling places. Instead of expanding voter access, the GOP aim now is to make voting harder. And Lancaster Countys Republican commissioners, who oversee the administration of elections here, apparently are rooting for that aim to be met. Regardless of what one thinks of the premise of no excuse mail ballot voting and the (Commonwealth) court decision, we can say that the last two years have been a trial run based on Act 77, DAgostino told LNP | LancasterOnline in an email. A large majority of voters and elections officials have weighed in and have said that it has not worked so well. Who are these voters? How many of the more than 90,000 Lancaster County residents who cast no-excuse mail-in or absentee ballots in the 2020 presidential election were unhappy with the ease with which they were able to vote in a pandemic? As for the primary election in May 2021, the most significant blunders relating to mail-in voting were caused by the ballot vendor selected (and since replaced) by the county. We agree with Parsons and DAgostino that the high court should move quickly to resolve the constitutionality of Act 77. Wed just say this: Cutler had it right in 2019 when he said that Act 77 was not written to benefit one party or the other, or any one candidate or single election. It shouldnt be discarded to benefit one party, either. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday said China stands ready to work with countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to accelerate the free trade agreement negotiations. Xi said this will inject fresh vitality to the two sides as well as the world economy. Xi made the remarks in Beijing while meeting with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. China is willing to join hands with the UAE to build their comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era, Xi said. China also stands ready to deepen cooperation with the UAE to fight COVID-19, Xi said, adding that China will actively participate in major development projects of the UAE and expand their cooperation in fields including new and renewable energy, space and aviation. The crown prince said strengthening the relationship with China is a top priority for the UAE's foreign policy, noting that the UAE will remain committed to consolidating and deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with China. The UAE will help promote the Belt and Road Initiative to bear more fruits in the Middle East, he added. Why are we sending our troops to protect Ukraines border when our own southern border is overflowing with immigrants coming here illegally from all over the world? It needs serious protection. Most of those coming in are not adequately vetted and essentially have a free pass to our country and its benefits. President Joe Biden needs to go perhaps to the nearest ice cream parlor for his next photo opportunity. I believe that he is incompetent, as is the Cabinet he has around him. Everything he touches is a disaster. Toni Saghirian Penn Township Scientists say the remains of a rocket used to help deploy a satellite in 2015 is on a path to strike the moon in early March. The object was used to boost a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during its second stage of flight. Such leftover parts from spacecraft and equipment are known as space junk. The path of the rocket remains was first observed by American Bill Gray. He is an astronomer and the creator of Project Pluto, based in the northern U.S. state of Maine. He develops and sells software that can track the path of different space objects, including space junk. Gray has been publishing information about the objects path toward the moon on a website. He says his information is based on his own observations as well as those gathered from others. He writes that the object weighs about four tons and will strike the moon at a speed of 2.58 kilometers per second. Gray says all his data shows that the rocket will hit the far side of the moon on March 4, at 12:25 Universal Time. The far side of the moon faces away from Earth. The expected strike has also been confirmed by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, as well as the U.S. space agency NASA. McDowell is with the Center for Astrophysics, which is jointly operated by Harvard University in Massachusetts and the Smithsonian Institution. McDowell writes in an online statement that, in the past, lots of junk from lunar missions has ended up hitting the moon. But he notes that this is the first time that something not explicitly targeted at the moon has been noticed to accidentally hit it. McDowell noted on Twitter that he finds the expected strike interesting, but not a big deal. Gray agreed and said the moon is regularly hit with larger objects moving faster than the remains of the SpaceX rocket. That, he notes, is how the moon got all its craters. Its well built to take that sort of abuse, Gray writes. McDowell said there are about 30 to 50 lost deep space objects like the SpaceX booster that have long been missing, some as old as 50 years. He added, Probably some of them hit the moon without us noticing. McDowell said the remains of the SpaceX rocket is just one example of the growing problem and possible dangers of space junk. "I think its time for the world to get more serious about regulating and cataloging deep space activity, he wrote. A NASA spokeswoman told the French Press Agency, AFP, that the space agency sees the expected strike as an exciting research opportunity. But she said it might be difficult and take weeks to months to find the crater that is created. This is because the strike cannot be seen from Earth in real time. Also, NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter which is currently orbiting the moon will not be in a position to observe the hit as it happens, the spokeswoman said. In the past, spacecraft have been crashed into the moon on purpose for scientific experiments. But this is likely the first unplanned strike to be identified in this way. Gray thinks space junk should be directed toward the moon whenever possible. If it hits the moon, then we actually learn something from it, he said. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on a report from Agence France-Presse and information from Project Pluto and Jonathan McDowell. Quiz - Remains of Rocket Expected to Hit Moon in March Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________ Words in This Story boost v. to push or shove up from below track v. to record the progress of development of something explicit adj. clear and exact notice v. to see something and be aware of it crater n. a round hole made by an explosive force such as a bomb or an object falling from the sky regulate v. to control an activity or process, especially by using rules catalog v. to make a list of things, especially in order to put it in a catalog opportunity n. a situation in which it is possible for a person to do something We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Somalia, Kenya, and now Ethiopia are warning of a severe drought that threatens millions of people in eastern Africa. In Ethiopias Somali area, people have seen the failures of what should have been three straight rainy seasons. Droughts do come and go over the years. However, the lack of rainfall has led to the driest conditions in 40 years in parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. UNICEF is the United Nations childrens agency. Local Zaynab Wali told a visiting team with UNICEF that she and her seven children have never seen a drought like this. She said the government gave out food and food for animals during the last drought five years ago. This time, we dont have enough food for our family. Children walk among the bodies of dead animals, which are dying from lack of food and energy. UNICEF said on February 1 that more than 6.8 million people in Ethiopia are expected to need urgent humanitarian aid by mid-March. Somalia Consortium works to improve international aid for Somalia. It said in a separate statement that in neighboring Somalia, more than 7 million people need urgent help. It is asking international actors to give much more to the country. We are just one month into the long dry season, and I have already lost 25 goats and sheep, Hafsa Bedel in Ethiopias Somali area told UNICEF. She also lost four camels, a large desert animal, as well. She said there is nowhere for her animals to eat. She added that there is not enough food for her own family, including her six children. UNICEF estimates that more than 150,000 children in such areas of Ethiopia have dropped out of school. They are needed to help find the limited amount of water and help their families with other work. One young boy was seen supporting a work animal, a donkey. The donkey was once important for transporting supplies. But now, it had become too weak to walk on its own. Gianfranco Rotigliano is UNICEFs Ethiopia representative. He said during a meeting with the U.N., We have animals dying at an impressive rate, which is increasing every month, and the death of animals means lack of food for children, for families. Rotigliano said some water sources were drying up or already dry. He pointed to the need to help improve these sources and to build new ones. He added that water needs to get to health and food systems. Meanwhile, the country is experiencing conflict with fighters from the countrys northern Tigray area. It has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. The areas experiencing drought are hundreds of kilometers to the southeast. Rotigliano said this conflict has had no effects on UNICEFs response to the areas seeing drought. Im Gregory Stachel. The Associated Press reported this story. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story drought n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain humanitarian adj. concerned with or seeking to support human well-being goat n. a small animal that is related to the sheep sheep n. an animal with a thick woolly coat that is often raised for meat or for its wool and skin impressive adj. deserving attention, admiration, or respect source n. someone or something that provides what is wanted or needed We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Lapwai, ID (83501) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. High 59F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 43F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Iran urges U.S. to show "good faith in practice" in Vienna talks Xinhua) 09:09, February 06, 2022 Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (R) meets with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 23, 2021. (Xinhua) "Good faith in practice, in our view, means something tangible happening on the ground, and the lifting of some of the sanctions could be considered as goodwill that the Americans are talking about," Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in response to Washington's latest sanctions relief to Iran. TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Saturday that Iran has made it clear to the American side, through its intermediaries, that they must show their "good faith in action" in the Vienna nuclear negotiations. "Good faith in practice, in our view, means something tangible happening on the ground, and the lifting of some of the sanctions could be considered as goodwill that the Americans are talking about," Amir Abdollahian said in response to Washington's latest sanctions relief to Iran. What happens on paper is good, but not enough, he stressed. Amir Abdollahian revealed that agreements on political and economic guarantees have been reached with the West in the nuclear talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna. "One of our key points in lifting sanctions is to get guarantees. Regarding the guarantees in the economic and political fields, we have reached some agreements," he was quoted as saying by IRNA News Agency. Earlier in the day, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, tweeted that "Iran's legal right to continue research and development and to maintain its peaceful nuclear capabilities and achievements, along with its security against supported evils, cannot be restricted by any agreement." Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh also said on Saturday that the U.S. sanction waiver on Iran is "insufficient" to the revival of the JCPOA, according to Jamaran news website. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 1, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Malek/Xinhua) Iran is waiting for the United States to fulfill its duties and obligations regarding the lifting of sanctions, Khatibzadeh noted. He urged the United States to lift all sanctions, including the nuclear ones, underlining his country's readiness to evaluate any action in the right direction of fulfilling JCPOA obligations. The U.S. government on Friday restored the sanction waiver to Iran to allow international nuclear cooperation projects, while the Vienna talks, which were initiated about 10 months ago to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have now reached a crucial stage. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, calling on both sides to seize opportunities to consolidate and strengthen bilateral comprehensive cooperation and bring more benefits to the two peoples. Mirziyoyev attended Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Xi hailed the development of China-Uzbekistan relations in the past 30 years, adding that the two sides have adhered to equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, continuously deepened political mutual trust and promoted mutually beneficial cooperation. The bilateral relationship has continuously reached new heights. Xi said China has always firmly supported Uzbekistan in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and security and is a reliable friend and partner of Uzbekistan. The two sides should implement plans for economic, trade and investment cooperation and select and implement a number of major cooperation projects of strategic significance at an early date, Xi said. Xi said China is willing to help Uzbekistan build a modern industrial system, speed up the feasibility study of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and strive for an early launch, adding that the two sides should strengthen cooperation in natural gas and renewable energy. China is ready to carry out anti-pandemic and poverty reduction cooperation with Uzbekistan and deepen security cooperation in an all-round way, Xi said. Mirziyoyev thanked China for supporting Uzbekistan in upholding independence, sovereignty, development and reform and establishing the first vaccine production center in Central Asia. Uzbekistan will work with China on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and actively advance key projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the Uzbek president said. This story was originally published by CalMatters. Alexei Koseff covers Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Legislature and California government from Sacramento. He joined CalMatters in January 2022 after previously reporting on the Capitol for The Sacramento Bee and the San Francisco Chronicle, where he broke the story of Newsom's infamous dinner at The French Laundry restaurant. Alexei is a Bay Area native and attended Stanford University. He speaks fluent Spanish. You are here: World Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob in Beijing on Sunday, calling on both sides to deepen the synergy of development strategies and promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations in the post-pandemic era. The mother of a Black man who was shot Thursday morning on Madisons Far East Side said a state law enforcement officer shot her son at least five times in the back while he was unarmed. Quadren L. Wilson, 38, underwent surgery Saturday because of the gunshot wounds, his mother, Stacy Morris, said in an interview Saturday. The Dane County Sheriffs Office, which is investigating what it said was an officer-involved shooting, characterized the injuries as non-life-threatening. Morris, 53, said she received an update from the hospital that Wilson made it through the surgery. Authorities still have not released the name of the man who was shot, nor who shot him. The Sheriffs Office has described the incident as an officer-involved shooting in which shots were fired around 8:20 a.m. near the intersection of American Parkway and Eastpark Boulevard on Madisons Far East Side. In a brief update Friday, the Sheriffs Office said the man shot was 38 and wanted on a state Department of Corrections warrant. Wilson has an open disorderly conduct case and several other criminal convictions that he has served sentences for, but its unclear whether those are related to the warrant. Madison police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said Madison officers were assisting agents with the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation with an investigation when the shooting happened and that no Madison officers fired their weapons and no officers were injured in the shooting. Dane County Sgt. Jeremy White said Saturday the investigation is ongoing and the Sheriffs Office had no further comment. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. Wilsons younger brother, Mane Morris, said in an interview Saturday he believes authorities arent providing more information on the shooting because a white officer shot his brother, who is Black. Morris said police officials he didnt remember the names of the officers because his family has talked with so many of them told him that a white officer from the Division of Criminal Investigation shot his brother. Morris said he believes the shooting of his brother was an example of racism, saying he didnt think this would have happened to a white person. We feel like they tried to kill him, Morris said of his brother. We feel like theyre trying to cover up their tracks. And theyre not telling the community the truth of what happened because their officer was at fault. Why cant they tell the honest truth about what happened? Wilsons father, Nora Morris, 54, said. Thats all Im looking for is honesty. And its not happening. Stacy Morris said she was able to talk to her son for about five minutes at the hospital but then was told she needed to leave. Wilson told her he was at a stoplight when the truck in front of him started backing up into him, she said. Wilson tried to back up, but then another truck pulled up behind him and smooshed him in the middle, Morris said. Then undercover officers jumped out of the trucks, Morris said. They smashed his windows and said, Put your (expletive) hands up in the air, Morris recalled her son telling her. She said he leaned forward over the steering wheel and put his hands up in the dashboard area. He was scared to make any type of move in the car. So his hands went straight to the dash, she said. And when he did that, he said, Mom, they just got to firing on me. He told me he heard over 20 gunshots. A Wisconsin State Journal photo shows a silver sedan wedged between two SUVs at the scene of Thursdays shooting. A doctor told Morris that her son was shot several times in the back, she said. She asked how many several was, and the doctor directed her to police. Wilson told her he thought he had been shot at least five times, she said. Mane Morris said part of why his family wanted to talk to the media is because they want to be able to be able to see Wilson. Stacy Morris said Wilson told her that he was unarmed and didnt know why law enforcement was after him. He didnt do nothing wrong, Mane Morris said. Nothing. But being Black. Thats whats wrong, Nora Morris added. Mane Morris said authorities are holding Wilson on a probation violation. Thats why the hospital is saying his family cant see him because Wilson is technically in custody, Morris said. Wilson was on extended supervision for second-degree recklessly endangering safety in 2017. He was sentenced and served two years in prison for the conviction. He has previous convictions for fleeing police, disorderly conduct, bail jumping, trespassing, intimidating a victim, battery, theft and resisting. Stacey Morris said she doesnt understand why police needed to corner Wilson and shoot him when he had a GPS ankle monitor. She said he had recently checked in with his probation officer. Theres no getting away. They know where hes at at all times, she said. I dont know why they did this. State Journal reporter Chris Rickert contributed to this report. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Before Angie Riedemanns family moved to Madison at the end of January, the post-doctoral researcher contacted 40 local child care facilities to provide her 16-month-old infant support while she and her husband reported to their full-time jobs. Not one center had an opening, she said. I wish I were exaggerating, but I counted them all up, Riedemann said. I knew it was difficult to find child care in Madison, but I wasnt sure the extent of the problem ... I went into panic mode. Many providers offered to put her child on a waitlist, some of which charged a fee of anywhere from $30 to $150 for that alone. For parents like Riedemann, finding affordable child care in and around the Dane County area and throughout Wisconsin has been a longstanding problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently by the highly transmissible omicron variant. If families arent grappling with high rates for care, they say, they are forced to take time off of their jobs, sometimes without pay, to tend to their children if remote work isnt an option. The health crisis has been equally unkind to already struggling child care providers. If facilities havent permanently shuttered, they say they closed temporarily amid the current COVID spike. And as staffing shortages and vacant classrooms run rampant, providers also weigh raising their rates with worker wages, and grasp at any funding sources they can find. The U.S. spends fewer public dollars on early childhood education and care than almost all developed countries, according to a report released in September from the Department of the Treasury, ranking 35th out of 37 countries. France, for example, spends $7,400 per 5-year-old, while the U.S. puts in only $2,400 per child. The average wage that child care workers make in Wisconsin is $7.50 to $13 an hour, which for a 40-hour work week puts a family of four at or below the 2022 federal poverty rate. Yet, the child care provider market in 2019 was estimated to be $60 billion, the report states. In Dane County, the average weekly rate a provider charges to care for children ages 0 to 6 ranges from $224 to $261, according to data from 4-C. And due to the recent spike in COVID cases, there were 113 temporary child care provider closures and an additional 160 classrooms that closed across the state on Jan. 22 alone, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Of those, 11 providers and 24 classrooms were located in Dane County. The estimated number of county centers is about 400, with 4,383 available statewide. Data compiled by the Mayo Clinic Health System offers a small glimmer of hope on that front, stating that the recent COVID surge caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant has peaked, and that cases are soon to sharply decrease. Meanwhile, local and state experts say the issues that plague the pandemic-battered child care industry will continue to wreak havoc on the economy if solutions arent found. Our businesses cant employ people and cant be profitable if parents with young kids dont have access to affordable and accessible (child care) options, said Ruth Schmidt, who has been executive director of the nonprofit Wisconsin Early Childhood Association for two decades, having worked with child care facilities in 72 counties. If one part of the market falters, said Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce president Zach Brandon, the rest of it follows suit. Businesses dont operate in silos, he said. Riedemann was able to place her infant in a child care facility, but that center, she was told, is currently understaffed. Im kind of wary, she said. Im worried its not going to work out, so Im continuing researching and looking at other child care facilities. More woes Nikki Wykowski, parent of three children, ages 1, 3 and 5, said the lack of child care options in Madison is one reason she and her husband moved to Mazomanie. They both work full time. Before the pandemic, there was a really great day care in Mazomanie that closed within a month of the lockdown, Wykowski said. Finding a provider proved difficult once lockdown restrictions eased at the beginning of the pandemic, she said, having called more than 10 centers. Each told her there were no openings until November 2023. Ultimately, the family found a child care facility in Middleton for their two youngest children. Then the omicron variant came to Dane County. On Jan. 3, their 1-year-olds teacher tested positive and the three-room day care center shut the one room down for a week. In mid-January, the family got a call from the center both of their younger childrens temperatures were too high. Wykowski and her husband picked their children up and COVID tested all three the two youngest were positive. The family stayed home to quarantine, and the day care closed for the rest of the week. At the end of January, her 3-year-olds classroom was closed for five days again due to a COVID case, which prompted Wykowski to seek help from her mother, who lives about a five-hour drive north, to care for her middle child. Omicron has also caused families with involved grandparents to reassess sending their children to day care, due to exposure concerns and elder folks being classified as high risk for the virus. We were seeing the numbers go up and up and up, it was like OK, what can we do to limit our exposure, said Florence Edwards-Miller, who was 38 weeks pregnant. Consideration for their parents and soon-to-be-newborn was top of mind when she and her husband made the decision to pull their 5-year-old daughter out of an afterschool care program. Theyre still paying full price, $150 per week, to keep their daughters spot in the program. Were not exactly rolling in money here, said Edwards-Miller, who works at the Madison Childrens Museum and whose husband is a public school teacher. Little burnt out Corrine Hendrickson, who owns child care provider Corrines Little Explorers based in New Glarus, said that in the first 18 months of the pandemic she only closed once. But starting in November, the provider shuttered several times, sometimes for weeks-long increments. The facility, which takes care of children ages 6 weeks to 12 years, did so because of high COVID case counts. It didnt help that children under 5 were not, and still arent, able to receive a COVID shot. A study out of the Epic Health Research Network showed that 98% of pediatric patients hospitalized with a rare COVID-related neurological condition called multi-system inflammatory syndrome were unvaccinated. Hendrickson and one other employee run Corrines Little Explorers. She pays that employee, who works 20 to 30 hours a week, $12 an hour. If Hendrickson, who works 70 hour weeks, hired another staff member, she would only be able to pay them $9 an hour. Meanwhile, Hendrickson charges $210 for infants, $190 for children around age 4 and $160 for children older than that. Without funding from the federal American Rescue Plan passed in April, she would have raised her rates by $20. Hendricksons situation mirrors that of other area facilities. Madison-based Wisconsin Youth Company serves 3,000 children a year for three Dane County school districts and four in Waukesha County. But executive director Rebecca Carlin said the provider seeks to hire up to eight employees to keep up with parent demand for care. The business already employs hundreds, she said, who are paid between $15 and $19 per hour. Its still been hard to recruit workers, so the business has turned to offering hiring bonuses, student loan coverage and even advertising on billboards for the first time. At Cuddle Bugs Infant Care in Madison, which supports 10 children (five infants and five toddlers), owner Jeanette Benedict has seen her community of in-home care providers steadily dwindle. The omicron variant only resulted in weeks-long temporary closures for Cuddle Bugs, but fellow facilities havent been as lucky, she said. Brooke Skidmore, who owns The Growing Tree based in New Glarus, said she had 14 workers before the pandemic and now has six. The Growing Tree, which serves children from 8 weeks to 12 years, didnt have to close down amid omicron in part because it partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Health to become a COVID test site. I am getting a little burnt out, Skidmore said of how her circumstances impact her, adding that a friend of hers from Belleville owns a facility thats soon closing permanently. Help on the way Paid for by $100 million in the federal American Rescue Plan Act, 12 projects across Wisconsin are to soon receive $59.5 million in Workforce Innovation Grants through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. They tackle the states most pressing workforce challenges, from child care to worker training. One such project is located at Madison Area Technical College. Madison College will get $2.9 million partly to assess what each community in its service area needs in terms of child care providers, as well as training and funding. Around $3.7 million is expected to to to the Green County Family YMCA for the addition of a 5,000-square-foot day care and preschool wing for programs and classes, as well as a 6,000-square-foot youth development space. Additionally, the Wisconsins Child Care Counts program has doled out $228 million to support child care facilities, said DCF secretary Emilie Amundson, with $351 million in the pipeline. Another DCF grant program, titled Project Growth, is expected in the coming days to weeks to provide $20 million in support of filling slots at, and sustaining, providers. One more potential relief source if it moves beyond its current stalemate in Congress is the federal Build Back Better plan, which includes provisions that would help millions of families with children under 6 get child care, bolster wages for workers and open more facilities. WEDC CEO Missy Hughes said financial packages, like the workforce grants, are a short-term fix to the child care industrys struggles, adding we need to have a longer-term strategy. Companies themselves could at some point start to offer child care as a benefit as a competitive advantage in the battle for talent, Brandon said, adding that the Chamber and United Way of Dane County are in talks with industry experts, demographers, economists and low-wage workers about what resources are currently available to help curb the child care industrys woes. Brandon pointed to Fitchburg-based biotech company Promegas decades-long sponsorship of the Woods Hollow Childrens Center, which cares for children ages 0 to 4, is one example of how businesses and child care facilities could collaborate. The Centers executive director, Mary Fitzgerald, said of the mutually beneficial relationship that employees of Promega who utilize child care facilities have the peace of mind knowing their children are well-cared for by highly trained professionals. The resources and knowledge that Promega makes available to us has been helpful in determining how we manage the Center (during the pandemic), she added. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Elizabeth Beyer | Wisconsin State Journal Elizabeth Beyer is a digital producer for the Wisconsin State Journal. She joined the team in 2019 and was formerly a data, video and audio reporter at the La Crosse Tribune. Follow Elizabeth Beyer | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Madison voters deserve more say in who leads their School Board, and a simple change will encourage greater competition and choice. Instead of forcing two candidates to run against each other for one seat in multiple races, all candidates should run in one big field, with the top vote-getters filling the number of seats available. Thats how countless school districts such as Monona Grove, Stoughton and Sun Prairie elect board members. If five candidates seek two seats, for example, the top two vote-getters win election. Everyone has to run for election against everyone else who enters the race. Madison is different. Its odd way of filling seven at-large seats requires each candidate to run for a specific seat even though those seats arent tied to specific neighborhoods. The result is that incumbents often get free passes to avoid challengers and public scrutiny. Challengers tend to run for seats against other challengers. In fact, over the last decade, 11 candidates mostly incumbents have run unopposed in almost half of the School Boards races. And occasionally, a little-known candidate skates by unopposed. That needs to change. The Legislature should repeal the outdated law that forces Madison and only Madison to elect its School Board members citywide for seven specific seats. The law targeting Madison dates back to the 1980s when the City Council supported the change to try to boost minority representation. Lawmakers approved the unusual process despite overwhelming opposition from the School Board and city voters. The board didnt magically diversify because of the change. Though candidates of color have increasingly won seats in recent decades, its not clear that forcing run-offs between two candidates was to credit. In fact, the current system may have cost Ananda Mirilli her first bid for School Board in 2013, when she finished third in a three-way primary for Seat 5. One of her white opponents dropped out of the race after a three-way primary in which Mirilli finished a close third. That left Mirillis other white opponent as the only candidate remaining on the general election ballot. Had all the candidates been included in the same pool of contestants, Mirillis name would have been on the April ballot with anyone else still in the race. Diversity on the School Board was a problem four decades ago when the state started forcing candidates in Madison to pick an at-large seat to run in. But today, a majority of the Madison School Board and City Council are people of color. So are the City Council president and school superintendent. So are the police chief, sheriff and head of the teachers union. Madison has made a lot of progress at electing diverse voices to lead our community. The pressing challenge today is a lack of competition, which cheats the public of a robust debate over the direction of its schools. This spring, three School Board seats are up for re-election. But two are already decided without any say from voters. Incumbent Ali Muldrow is running unopposed for Seat 4. Even an open seat didnt prompt a challenge. Nichelle Nichols is the only candidate seeking Seat 5. The only competition will be for Seat 3, which pits first-time candidates Shepherd Janeway (whose name will appear as Shepherd Joyner on the ballot) and Laura Simkin in a head-to-head matchup. If the Legislature repealed Madisons bizarre system for School Board elections, voters would have more say April 5. Voters could pick their three favorite candidates from among four contenders, all of whom would have to face voters as a group. Besides more competition, changing Madisons elections would make them less divisive. Thats because all of the candidates could run on their merits, rather than constantly having to compare themselves to one specific opponent. It wouldnt be the union-backed candidate verses the nonunion-backed candidate. It wouldnt be the progressive candidate versus the more progressive candidate. It wouldnt be the cops-in-schools candidate versus the cops-out-of-schools candidate. Instead, as part of a large field, challengers could focus more on why theyre running and what they hope to accomplish for students, rather than constantly comparing themselves to, if not criticizing, someone else. Milwaukee elects its school board members to specific seats. But unlike Madison, all but one of its seats are tied to specific parts of the city. Thats another option to consider. But the current Madison School Board is already scattered across the city. So requiring geographic diversity doesnt appear necessary. The real problem is competition. Madison needs more people willing to run despite a toxic political climate. As in other communities, some board members here have been shouted down at meetings or even outside their homes in recent years. Electing board members from among one large field of candidates will help lower the temperature on school debates while empowering voters with greater influence. Wisconsin State Journal editorial board The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper. STAFF MEMBERS SCOTT MILFRED, Editorial page editor PHIL HANDS, Editorial cartoonist COMMUNITY MEMBERS JANINE GESKE SUSAN SCHMITZ WAYNE STRONG On this week's "Center Stage" political podcast, Milfred and Hands endorse a new way of electing School Board members in Madison that will increase competition and voter choice while improving the dialog between candidates. Click the play button to listen. Joining the podcast is special guest Wayne Strong, a member of the State Journal's community editorial board who narrowly lost a bid for School Board. Strong inspired the State Journal's editorial this Sunday, "One big pool of School Board candidates is best for voters," that urges the state to change the divisive way Madison elects its School Board members. Instead of electing board members to specific seats that don't correspond to geographical sections of the city, Madison should do what so many other communities do, including Monona Grove, Stoughton, Sun Prairie and Racine. Those communities have school board candidates run in one big field, with the top vote-getters winning the number of seats that are available. "I just think that it would just eliminate so much controversy and competitiveness between the candidates, and I think it would encourage people to run, because it's like, well, I'm not running against a particular person," Strong says. An outdated state law requires only Madison to elect its School Board members in such an odd way. That law should be changed. Find and follow Center Stage, with Milfred and Hands on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcasting app. You also can listen to past episodes of "Center Stage" and see the podcast's webpage by clicking here. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Scott Milfred | Wisconsin State Journal Scott Milfred has been the editorial page editor for the Wisconsin State Journal since 2005, and previously covered the Wisconsin statehouse. Milfred and his editorial page team were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for editorial writing. Follow Scott Milfred | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today BOISE The Ada Community Library Lake Hazel Branch has over 40,000 books lining its shelves and just as many author profiles in its database. But the library may have just created its youngest author profile on record in December with 8-year-old Dillon Helbig. Theres a great likelihood that thats true, library branch manager Alex Hartman said with a laugh. It all started when Dillon, a second-grader from Boise, visited the library with his grandma and clutched an 81-page book in his hands. The book, bound in a red leather cover, was something of Dillons own creation. Labeled across the front cover in large letters was the book title: The Adventures of Dillon Helbigs Crismis by Dillon His Self. Down the spine of the book, Dillon created his own publishing company with an accompanying logo. Dillon had written the book just before Christmas and told his parents, Susan and Alex Helbig, that he was going to leave it on a library shelf for other kids to read. The pair didnt believe him, thinking it was just the fun dream of a second grader, but thats exactly what he did. Without anyone noticing, Dillon slipped the book on a library shelf and walked out the door with 81 pages less than he walked in with. It wasnt until later in the day that he told his mother what hed done and was worried that the library might throw it away. In fact, the library had quite a different plan. Once we got our hands on the book, we took a look at it, and quickly determined that it was a good book, Hartman told the Idaho Statesman. A high-quality book that was very relevant to our community, it fit all of our collection development criteria. The book was soon cataloged, given a bar code, and filed in the graphic novel for kids section. Flip inside and youll find page after page of Dillons drawings and a story detailing the 8-year-old being taken to the North Pole by Santa before falling through a portal and landing at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. We wont give too much away. As of Tuesday, there was a waiting list of 64 people wanting to check out Dillons book from the library. If all 64 people kept the book for the full four weeks permitted, the current wait stands at over five years. And the waiting list is only growing on Monday that number stood at 55 people. Because the book is a one-of-a-kind, the library is unable to order additional books to help alleviate the long waiting list. It has reached the point where Hartman is discussing with Dillons parents the potential for an e-book. Dillons book recently attracted the attention of The Washington Post and The New York Times shining a spotlight on him. (Dillon) didnt know that he was going to become famous from it. That was never his intent, Alex Helbig said. I think his intent was just to get his book on a shelf where people could read it. A budding author Dillon had been telling his parents ever since he was 5 years old that he wanted to have a book on the shelves of a library one day. Susan Helbig was a stay-at-home mother when Dillon was born in Burbank, California. Susan is a big reader herself and would often take Dillon to the local library and search for group story time sessions or find books to read to her son. Susan also created a little book nook in Dillons room for the youngster to continue falling in love with books at home. Hes always had books around him, Susan said. Ive asked him what he loves about books the most and he, of course, loves the pictures and loves the story. Which I think is pretty cool that he actually pays attention to the story part of it. But its not just Dillons story that captures the eye. Its the detailed pictures on every page. One page shows Dillon falling into the stomach of a giant turkey. Another page shows Dillon coming out of the portal and landing in 1621. Dillon was steadfast on landing at the first Thanksgiving when his character came out of the portal. He was so certain about it that he asked Susan one evening when she was making dinner what year the first Thanksgiving took place. He was writing his book and just drawing and doodling like he always does, Susan said. And he asked me when the very first Thanksgiving was. And I thought, I dont know. Let me ask Google. So I googled it and out came the year 1621. So I thought that was pretty neat. Although he had a heavy reading influence in his early years, the artistic talent is completely natural, Susan said. I, as a mom, will brag that its just his natural talent, Susan said. He loves to draw, he has been drawing or doodling or just creating some sort of art or creativity since the moment he could hold a pen or a pencil. Dillon was awarded by the Ada Community Library the first Whodini Award for Young Writers, named after the librarys owl mascot. I felt proud that my staff felt empowered enough to create this award on their own, Hartman said. I think that we will definitely consider future submissions for subsequent awards. Inspiring other young authors The story of Dillons rise to a nationally known 8-year-old author doesnt stop here. His creativity and determination have already inspired other young children around Boise to follow his lead. Hartmans 6-year-old son, Cruzen, was one of the first children to get their hands on Dillons book. Hartman said his son thought it was one of the funniest books hes ever read and has been writing his own stories with his parents help since. The daughter of another library staffer has written her own book and submitted it to the Ada Community Library for consideration to be added to their collection. Some of Dylans classmates have also been writing their own books and hope to submit them to the library. Local childrens writer Cristianne Lane also left Dillon a gift of two books and art supplies to use for subsequent books. Lane said that she would be willing to hold workshops for child writers at the library, Hartman said. One of the things that was a hope for the library staff in putting Dillons book on the shelf, Hartman said, was that other kids would see this and learn from Dillons story that there are people in the community who are interested in their creative endeavors and seeing and hearing their stories. Dillons career as an author certainly doesnt stop here, either. I want to be a writer and then be a game maker, Dillon told the Statesman. Hes already planning his second book, which will be called The Jacket-Eating Closet. And if we know anything from Dillons first book, itll certainly involve plenty of twists and turns. We just want to do the best job we can as parents to raise a good kid, Susan said. And the fact that hes inspiring other kids and, to be honest, other adults and hes only 8 years old its incredibly humbling and just, my heart is so full. Were very, very, very proud of him. Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 BOISE Idahos college go-on rate continues its pandemic plunge. In 2021, only 37% of the states high school graduates went straight to college, down another 2 percentage points from the previous year. In 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, the go-on rate stood at 46%. This years go-on rate is the lowest since at least 2014, according to State Board of Education data. The go-on rate has become one of the states most high-profile education metrics as Idaho wrestles with chronically low college enrollment and graduation rates. The rate has been dropping for the past four years, and it fell most precipitously in 2020, at the outset of the pandemic. State Board of Education officials arent exactly sure what happened this fall. We have not done any in-depth analysis on the cause of the decrease, State Board Chief Research Officer Cathleen McHugh said Tuesday. The State Board hopes to have an analysis of the numbers later this week, spokesman Mike Keckler said Tuesday afternoon. This years dropoff could be the result of a superheated labor market, with high school graduates choosing a job over college. Or it could reflect lingering pandemic issues with prospective students sitting out because of health concerns, or because theyre worried that their college could close its campus or shift to online instruction. Or the causes could be more complex. In 2020, economically disadvantaged students opted out of college; their go-on rate fell by 4 percentage points. But for students who were not economically disadvantaged, the dropoff was 10 percentage points suggesting these students took a gap year because they could afford to do so. Regardless of the cause, the 2021 dropoff isnt a surprise. Idaho college enrollment increased last fall, nearing pre-pandemic levels. But this rebound generally came from a robust, outsized increase in out-of-state enrollment and not because of a spike in in-state enrollment. The fall go-on rate is a snapshot, and an incomplete picture. It measures only the number of students who head straight to college after high school and doesnt account for students who serve a church mission, enter the military or take a job to earn money for college. For the high school class of 2018, the three-year go-on rate came in at 60%. But that represents a dropoff as well. For the four preceding years, this rate had hovered between 63% and 64%. The declining numbers represent another setback in Idahos long go-on battle. For years, business, education and political leaders have looked for ways to encourage high school graduates to continue their education. The Legislature has responded by pouring tens of millions of dollars into a menu of taxpayer-funded programs designed to encourage young adults to stay in school: merit- and need-based college scholarships; college-level dual-credit courses for high school students; college and career counselors; and free SAT Day in Idaho high schools. The 2022 Legislature will consider putting about $20 million into the college Opportunity Scholarship, and $33 million for the advanced opportunities program that covers high school students dual-credit courses. Political reactions In a statement Tuesday, state superintendent Sherri Ybarra pinned the decrease to the pandemic and the strong job market. This trend is not surprising given the significant disruptions to education over the past three academic years, she said. Historically, there is often a high correlation between low unemployment and low postsecondary enrollment, with more young people opting to join the workforce and delay college. Republican state superintendents candidate Debbie Critchfield touted the importance of community colleges and career-technical education. I think what were seeing play out in the decline of the go-on rate is a disconnect between what students are looking for and whats been prioritized in high school, she said. With nearly 80% of high school students taking some form of dual credit, but less than 40% college enrollment rate, clearly students are looking for a way to get a jumpstart on skills that prepare them for work and life. Republican state superintendents candidate Branden Durst did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. In a statement, spokeswoman Marissa Morrison Hyer touted Gov. Brad Littles 2023 education budget requests for K-12, career-technical education and two- and four-year postsecondary schools. Gov. Little recognizes the pandemic has had many impacts, and that is why he is committed to investing in education and workforce training, Hyer said. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Humphreys took a different view. We have a labor shortage and a housing shortage, he said Tuesday. I think its great to see young people opting to develop skills in the workforce. Theyre creating value for themselves and our communities. Idaho Education News requested comment from Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, GOP gubernatorial candidate Ammon Bundy and Democratic candidate Shelby Rognstad. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Oxford researchers have found in the Netherlands a highly virulent strain of HIV, the disease which infects white blood cells, like the one seen in this National Institute of Health handout. Oxford researchers announced Thursday the discovery of a highly virulent strain of HIV that has been lurking in the Netherlands for decades, but because of the effectiveness of modern treatments, is "no cause for alarm." Their analysis, published Thursday in the journal Science, showed that patients infected with what they call the "VB variant" had 3.5 to 5.5 times higher levels of the virus in their blood than those infected with other variants, as well as a more rapidly fading immune system. However, the study also found that after starting treatment, individuals with the VB variant had similar immune system recovery and survival to individuals with other HIV variants. "There's no cause for alarm with this new viral variant," said Oxford epidemiologist Chris Wymant, the lead author on the paper, in an interview with AFP. The variant likely arose in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the Netherlands, according to the researchers, but began to decline around 2010. Since modern interventions still seem to work on the variant, the research team believes that widespread HIV treatment in the Netherlands did not contribute to the virus's evolution, and that early detection and treatment are paramount. "Our findings emphasize the importance of World Health Organization guidance that individuals at risk of acquiring HIV have access to regular testing to allow early diagnosis, followed by immediate treatment," said co-author Christophe Fraser, also an Oxford researcher, in a press release announcing the findings. The work also supports the theory that viruses can evolve to become more virulent, a widely-hypothesized idea for which few real-world examples have been found. The Delta variant of the novel coronavirus was another recent example. The discovery of the HIV variant should therefore "be a warning that we should never be overconfident about saying viruses will just evolve to become milder," said Wymant to AFP. In total, the team found 109 people infected with the VB variant, with only four living outside the Netherlands, but still in western Europe. 500 mutations The HIV virus is constantly evolving, so much so that each person infected has a slightly different version. The VB variant, however, was found to have over 500 mutations. "Finding a new variant is normal, but finding a new variant with unusual properties is notespecially one with increased virulence," Wyman explained. The research team first identified the VB variant in 17 HIV positive individuals by parsing a broad data set from the BEEHIVE project, a data collection and analysis initiative in Europe and Uganda. Because 15 of the 17 were from the Netherlands, they further studied data from 6,700 HIV-positive Dutch individuals, identifying 92 others. The earliest appearance of the VB variant in their data was found in someone diagnosed in 1992 who had an early version of the variant, and the most recent in 2014. Other researchers have since found other individuals with the variant diagnosed after 2014. Doctors usually measure HIV's deterioration of the immune system by monitoring the decline of CD4 T-cells, which are targeted by the HIV virus and pivotal for protecting the body against infections. In patients infected with the VB variant, CD4 decline occurred twice as fast compared to other variants, "placing them at risk of developing AIDS much more rapidly," the researchers said. In addition to its increased impact on the immune system, the team also found the VB variant to be more highly transmissible. They came to that conclusion after comparing the different versions of the VB variant drawn from infected patients. The fact that they were so similar suggests that the virus passed rapidly to someone else before it could accumulate many mutations. 'Critical' to diagnose and treat early "Because the VB variant causes a more rapid decline in immune system strength, this makes it critical that individuals are diagnosed early and start treatment as soon as possible," the press statement noted. "This limits the amount of time HIV can damage an individual's immune system and jeopardize their health," added Fraser. Fraser is also the principal investigator of the BEEHIVE project, which was launched in 2014 to gather data on how mutations in the HIV virus can lead to varying degrees of severity among patients. Those differences have previously been thought to mostly relate to the strength of individuals' own immune systems. The researchers said they could not identify which genetic mutation in the VB variant caused its virulence, but they hope future studies will be able to. Explore further Discovery of new highly virulent and damaging HIV variant in the Netherlands More information: Chris Wymant et al, A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands, Science (2022). www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk1688 Journal information: Science Chris Wymant et al, A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands,(2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abk1688 2022 AFP Missoula protesters lined the plaza at the south end of Beartracks Bridge on Saturday, calling for diplomacy rather than U.S. military intervention in the crisis over Russia and Ukraine. While promising no direct action in Ukraine, President Joe Biden has ordered 3,000 troops to eastern European NATO countries, while Russia has built up 100,000 in the region, raising fears of a potential invasion. War creates damages for so many people indirectly and directly worldwide, said Jacqueline Flewellen, executive director of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. That includes soldiers and their families, communities on the ground, and legacies of starting and continuing violence versus having dialogues and communication, she said. While the situation is complicated, there can be more peaceful ways to move forward. Flewellen said the nonprofits namesake U.S. House representative voted against American involvement in both world wars and that it was participating Saturday as part of a commitment to her legacy. Code Pink, an anti-war organization, called for a national day of protest the tagline being negotiate, dont escalate with actions happening in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, Portland and Missoula. The local protest, which drew some 30 people, was put together by long-standing groups: the Peace Center, the Women in Black, who have been out with signs every Friday at lunchtime for two decades; and the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, whose members also turn out for those weekly events. The Women in Black were formed in 2001 as part of an international movement and its protests have not been limited to U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but violent actions in all their forms including terrorist acts and shootings. Its so important, said Carel Schneider, a founder of the group. On a winter day, in the middle of COVID, here we are. Standing for peace. May that happen. John Snively was there with other members of the local chapter of Veterans for Peace, all of whom are Vietnam veterans. He thinks that the countrys leadership has conflict with or damage to Russia in mind, but the present situation can be resolved through diplomacy, he said. It doesnt appear we have made any attempt to come halfway toward Russias concerns, not even hardly a step toward what theyre asking for, he said. Anybody who doesnt conform to our policy objectives for whatever reason theyre hit with some kind of sanctions that are devastating, he said, adding he's against that, especially considering the long track record of broken promises from the U.S. Kerry Maclane, a member of the Peace Center, held a sign that said, no war, no sanctions. We just got out of a 20-year war. The last thing we need is to get into an Eastern European theater, he said. The last time he was out protesting was in 2001. In many respects, the American people have already lost because we're already buying and selling, buying and giving armaments to Ukraine and its neighbors. So that's essentially what war is about is producing and selling arms and without there being a war we've already achieved that goal for the captains of industry," he said. But we can at least try to nip it in the bud. Snively doesnt think the decision-makers will listen to average citizens in Missoula, Montana, he said. The stream of traffic on the bridge, though, let out irregular honks from car horns in support. One truck loudly revved its engine. That, Snively said, was a dissenter. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 3 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 6, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing on Sunday, saying that China is willing to work with Pakistan to accelerate the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, bring benefits to the people of the two countries, provide impetus for regional cooperation and contribute to world peace. Recalling that China and Pakistan celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations last year, Xi called on the two sides to create better future for bilateral relations with firmer confidence. Xi stressed that the strategic significance of China-Pakistan relations is getting more prominent since the world has entered a period of turbulence and transformation. China and Pakistan should carry forward the tradition of mutual trust, mutual assistance and cooperation, and carry out more extensive and in-depth strategic cooperation, Xi said. China firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, dignity and fighting terrorism, said Xi, adding China is willing to join hands with Pakistan to push forward the in-depth development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and ensure the implementation of key projects. He expressed China's willingness to work with Pakistan to expand cooperation in the fields such as science and technology, agriculture and people's wellbeing, build a green, healthy and digital corridor, and support Pakistan's industrialization to enhance its sustainable development capability. Xi said that China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Pakistan on multilateral platforms including the United Nations, to safeguard world and regional peace and stability, and actively translate the Global Development Initiative into concrete actions. Khan congratulated China on the marvellous opening ceremony of Beijing Winter Olympics and thanked China for providing valuable help to Pakistan in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan is willing to take active steps to promote the construction of the second phase of CPEC, and strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of industry, agriculture and information technology, Khan said. Its the middle of a cold winters night when the trail camera begins to record its grainy, black-and-white video. Theres snow falling when the spike bull elk walks into the frame with a mountain lion hanging from its neck. Over the next 20 minutes, the female lion brings down the elk right in front of the camera. As the mornings first light begins to spill across the scene, it becomes apparent the elk has dropped right in front of the mountain lions den. Its kittens come out and begin feeding on the elk. The clip was one of hundreds that left Missoula filmmaker Colin Ruggiero shaking his head in disbelief over the last three years as he meticulously searched through thousands of video clips gathered over a decade by hundreds of cameras strategically placed on the MPG Ranch and surrounding lands. The cameras are part of a unique non-invasive mountain lion study headed by MPG researcher Joshua Lisbon. The men combined their talents to create a film called Tracking Notes. The Secret World of Mountain Lions that will premiere on Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Missoulas Wilma Theater as part of the annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. People will be able to stream the 90-minute film from Feb. 28 to March 3. Everything about this project is homegrown, Lisbon said. Our study area is just south of Missoula. Colin and I live in Missoula. This is local guys telling a local story. Both say their film is unlike anything that people have seen before. The motion-detection trail camera system thats been in place on the MPG Ranch for 10 years has captured millions of video clips that offer an untrammeled view into the natural world. There may not be anything like it in the world. When Ruggiero first agreed to take on the project to create a 15-minute film that highlighted Lisbons mountain lion study, he had no idea that decision would lead him to a journey into the natural world that very few have had ever seen. When I looked at their archives, I discovered they had terabytes and terabytes of video that had captured these amazing moments that no had ever seen before, Ruggiero said. I would go through hundreds of these clips in a row and not see a thing of interest, he said. It would be clips of grass blowing in the wind or a squirrel running through a frame and then on the 436th clip you find something amazing like an elk running with a mountain lion chasing it. I started getting addicted to finding these little pieces and trying to connect the dots, Ruggiero said. Literally like a million clips and a couple of years later, I found that I could make a story out of it. Lisbons love for mountain lions started years before he found his way to tracking them at the MPG Ranch. I have been fascinated with them forever, Lisbon said. I had been tracking mountain lions for fun for at least 10 years before I came to work here. I would follow them around, try to find kill sites and then attempt to piece together all the clues. Now I get paid to do that, he said. I feel like Ive won the lottery. Unlike other mountain lion studies, MPGs doesnt handle mountain lions in any way. Were not handling or collaring cats, Lisbon said. We go out tracking them in the snow but we go the opposite direction that they are going. We try to avoid interactions. Lisbon collects hair and scat, which is analyzed at the University of Montanas genomics laboratory for DNA. Through genetics, we figure out our resident and transient populations and the relativeness of individuals, he said. Year by year, we track them over time to see how those families and resident populations evolve. That DNA information, combined long hours of field time and the video imagery from the extensive trail camera network, offers a pretty complete picture of whats taking place on the landscape. Lisbon initially pitched the idea of doing a short film telling the story of a female mountain that had a compelling life story captured by the trail cameras. They would later name her Willow because she was tall, thin and lanky. The film starts telling the story of this one female who has a unique life story, Lisbon said. It was a story of survival and triumph which then follows her offspring through the years. The film becomes much more than that. It became a story of the land and how all these other creatures inhabit the mountain lions world, Lisbon said. And how all those connections weave together. Sometimes beautifully. Sometimes tragically. Its a story of the cats but its also the story of the land. Ruggiero remembers thinking there was no way that trail camera footage could be used to make a full-length film. I didnt really think it would be useable because the quality isnt great, he said. I thought maybe if we found some clips of exceptional behavior, then we could throw in one or two. I thought we basically would have to reshoot everything. That all changed when he started seeing what those trail cameras had captured. I changed from saying were not using any of that to were going to use mostly all of that, Ruggiero said. Ive never seen a film like I just made, he said. Ive never seen anyone try to make a film connecting dots between trail cam footage and thats partly because MPGs trail cam network is pretty much unparalleled on the planet. I dont know of any other place that deployed a network of cameras quite like that. Both guarantee that people watching their film will see things that theyve never seen captured on video before. I hope that it gives people an appreciation for the complexity of life out there in the mountains, Ruggiero said. And all the different stories that play out in all the different ways and how little we know about all of those interactions. For example, Ruggiero believes they captured the first footage of unrelated mountain lions feeding on an elk that died in a mud wallow. It was amazing footage of mountain lions feeding on an elk in the open, he said. We collected a lot of hair and scat and through DNA testing found they were unrelated cats. Ruggiero has looked hard, but hes not been able to find any other video showing unrelated mountain lions sharing a meal. The science of mountain lions is evolving, Lisbon said. Since I been studying them, we have come to understand that mountain lions are more socially complicated creatures than we previously gave them credit for. Social interactions between unrelated mountain lions is something that researchers are yearning to understand. You get a glimpse into those interactions in this film, Lisbon said. Theres not a minute that goes by in this film that youre seeing something captured on film that has never been captured on video before. Some of these interactions on a kill site with unrelated individuals just hasnt been filmed in un-collared populations. My hope for the film is that it helps people fall in love with the natural world just a little bit more, Lisbon said. I really hope that people can have a positive relationship with nature and that work I do can foster that. If people care about the natural world then they are more likely to want to protect it, he said. Thats my hope. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. It would be easy to write that we as people should come together and work together for the common good of all of the people, without regard for race, sex, natural origin, color, age, religion, handicap or personal beliefs. But all thinking people know that is tantamount to a pipe dream to make such a request and expect it to be honored. As we contemplate just what are we going to do in 2022, everybody is tired of something or somebody. This tiredness could be singular, plural or just in general. People are tired of hearing about civil rights violations. While you are tired of hearing about rights violations, know that those whose rights are being violated are tired of it, too. Everything is not about civil rights violations, but many of the things that throw this country into chaos are about rights being violated, many under color of law (by government or its branches). Those who are the most tired should remember that civil rights violations are not only those about Black males being killed in great numbers by white police officers and non-law enforcement white males. These killings receive the most attention and cause the most public outcry. Are you tired of hearing about school children having their right to a free and safe education violated on such a frequent basis that anyone with a child or grandchild in school should be frightened every time the child leaves for school? Their civil rights are being violated by their peers whose parents are complicit in their obviously troubled children owning guns, then having free access to carry the guns to school, to public rallies, to stores and even to church to take out their anger and bitterness on innocent people. Youre tired of hearing about the coronavirus, and now the new Omicron strain. That tiredness has probably assisted in Alabama being third from last in the nation in its COVID-19 vaccination rate, and at the back of the pack for vaccination for children. According to data reports, Alabama remains far behind in overall vaccinations. For all age groups, only 46.6% of the states total population is fully vaccinated. Only Wyoming and Idaho are worse, although recent reports say they are gaining, and before long Alabama could once again have the lowest vaccination rate in America. Story continues Get tired of this state of affairs and get vaccinated. Stop fighting mask wearing and social distancing. Stop declaring a constitutional right to not get a vaccination. Stop declaring a right to be mask free while family and friends are dying from a virus that does not discriminate. America is so divided on so many issues and people that an urging to come together as a people will fall upon deaf ears. Half of the country is sick and tired of twice-impeached Donald Trump. The other half is still promoting the big lie by ostensibly taking actions to prevent this from happening again. That action has resulted in lawsuits being filed across the country by the Department of Justice to protect the voting rights of the young, the old, the poor, the ill and disabled, and those who simply want to participate in the electoral process by working at the polls or assisting others. People should be sick and tired of the real threat to democracy. The threat is being posed continuously by Trump, the titular head of the Republican Party. The country cannot withstand another presidential campaign by this bully who openly encourages hate, autocracy, selfishness and a notorious disdain for the rule of law. It has been demonstrated time and time again that this would-be dictator firmly believes that the law does not apply to him, his children nor any of his minions. We lost a lot of Americans from the pandemic. We owe its entrenchment to the disgraced former occupant of the White House. We lost a great many Americans who got sick and tired of what the country looked like. They tried to do something about it. Yes, you are sick and tired of a great many things. What are you going to do about it? I say that we have to set aside some of our daily trivia and do as is stated by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible become fishers of men. Elaine Harris Spearman, Esq., a Gadsden native, is the retired legal advisor to the comptroller of the City of St. Louis. The views reflected are her own. This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Elaine Harris Spearman discusses national tiredness Jenifer Lewis attends attend the Los Angeles rally for Kendrick Johnson & premiere screening of "Finding Kendrick Johnson" at Laemmle NoHo 7 on October 29, 2021 in North Hollywood, California. Robin L Marshall/Getty Images A Georgia sheriff is putting up a $500,000 incentive for information related to the death of Kendrick Johnson. Johnson, 17, was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat in 2013, prompting local and federal investigations. His parents have long insisted that their son had been murdered, but authorities said they have not found evidence of foul play. A Georgia sheriff said he's putting up a $500,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest and conviction in the case of a teenage boy who was found dead in a rolled-up gym mat. Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk, who closed the case into the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson late last month after investigators reopened the case in March 2021, announced on January 31 a renewed effort to secure any information that investigators could not uncover. Paulk's office released a 16-page document this past January detailing his investigation, which concluded that no charges will be filed in Johnson's death. Police in 2013 found Johnson's body in a mat in his Valdosta, Georgia, high school gym, prompting local authorities and the Justice Department to open an investigation into his death. Six years ago, authorities closed the case for the first time, ruling Johnson's death an accident. But in March 2021, investigators re-opened the case. And just last week, Paulk closed the case once more. Johnson's parents, who have for years insisted that their son had been murdered, accused him of lying, he told Insider. "I went through all the federal files, wrote up the synopsis, and there's nothing to point to anybody committing a homicide on Kendrick Johnson," he said. "You call me a lot of things, but you can't call me a liar." Paulk said, in response to Johnson's parents, that the reward would serve as an incentive to potentially gather more information. So far, the $500,000 has not yielded any new information, Paulk said. "It'd be a big surprise" if it does, he added, but he'd be happy to put up the money if it leads to something he missed. Story continues "If I had to write that check, it would be satisfying to me that I put somebody in jail that I missed," he said. Paulk said no evidence collected and evaluated by him and other entities like the FBI and the DOJ turned up anything that suggested foul play. But the parents are adamant to believe otherwise, he said. "It's a tragedy to lose a child," Paulk told Insider. "I don't know if they just want to continue to believe there's something out there to find. But what I've seen, and a lot of other people who are a lot more qualified than myself, it's not a homicide." Read the original article on Insider In this photo from July 15, 2019, a state district map is shown as a three-judge panel of the Wake County Superior Court presides over the trial of Common Cause, et al. v. Lewis, et al, in Raleigh, North Carolina. AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File The N.C. Supreme Court rejected the state's new congressional and legislative maps, in a 20-page ruling on Friday. In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that the Republican-crafted maps violated the state's constitution. The legislature has until February 18 to create new maps, or a trial court will have to sign off on a plan. The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday struck down the state's new Republican-drawn congressional and legislative maps, giving Democrats one of their most consequential redistricting legal victories ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. In a 4-3 decision, the court said that the current maps were illegal partisan gerrymanders that violated the state's constitution, calling the congressional and state legislative maps enacted by the legislature "unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt under the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free speech clause, and the freedom of assembly clause of the North Carolina Constitution." The ruling continued: "When, on the basis of partisanship, the General Assembly enacts a districting plan that diminishes or dilutes a voter's opportunity to aggregate with likeminded voters to elect a governing majority that is, when a districting plan systematically makes it harder for one group of voters to elect a governing majority than another group of voters of equal size the General Assembly unconstitutionally infringes upon that voter's fundamental right to vote." The three Republican justices on the court dissented, arguing that the ruling "violates separation of powers by effectively placing responsibility for redistricting with the judicial branch, not the legislative branch as expressly provided in our constitution." The state Supreme Court made its ruling two days after opening arguments began on Wednesday, reversing a January 11 decision by a lower court that allowed the maps to stand. The court gave the Republican-controlled General Assembly until February 18 to craft new redistricting maps for review by the judicial body, or a trial court will have to sign off on a fresh plan. Story continues The decision is a win for Democrats, who have made a concerted effort to challenge Republican-drawn maps this year after being outmaneuvered by an aggressive GOP redistricting effort during then-President Barack Obama's first midterm election cycle in 2010. That year, Democrats lost 63 US House seats wiping out their majority in the lower chamber and ceded 680 state legislative seats to Republicans. Moreover, as a result of recent population gains from the 2020 census, the state has earned an additional House seat through the reapportionment process. In North Carolina, where no winning presidential candidate has carried the state with more than 50.4% of the vote since 2004, Republicans last year drew congressional lines that would have boosted their advantage in the US House delegation from 8 GOP-held seats and 5 seats for Democrats to 10-4, or potentially 11-3. The GOP-crafted maps in the state created an immediate pushback from Democrats, who said that the districts disenfranchised Black voters, which make up 19% of North Carolina's electorate and cast over 1 million ballots in the 2020 election, according to WFAE, a Charlotte-based NPR affiliate. (Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is unable to exercise veto power over the maps.) But, even before President Joe Biden took office, Democrats mapped out potential strategies to battle against conservative attempts to dominate the redistricting process after the 2020 Census. The most recent legal victories were in crucial swing states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, which appear to have given the party hope that it can emerge from the redistricting process on more solid footing than in 2010. Polls and historical trends suggest Democrats face tough headwinds heading into the 2022 election cycle, potentially losing their narrow 222-212 majority. Also, the political party of the president currently in office has historically lost seats during the first midterm election. Biden's approval rating currently hovers in the 40s and recent polls have revealed voter unease about the country's direction. Read the original article on Business Insider Businessman on video call from home during lockdown Online storytelling circles have helped some people cope with pandemic anxiety Credit - Alistair BergGetty Images Last December, as COVID-19 cases spiked and travel restrictions tightened, Deborah Goldstein and her 85-year-old mother journeyed to a faraway forest in Scotland. There, instead of political pundits and dooming newsfeeds, they met an animal-loving teenager, her evil stepmother, and 12 magical elves. In two weeks, theyll travel somewhere elsewithout leaving their Manhattan apartments. That far-off destination in Scotland was the setting of one story told in the free, virtual circle that Goldstein, her mother, and dozens of others join every other Thursday. Hosted by the New York Society for Ethical Cultureone of many groups creating online spaces to share storiesthe circle gives credence to a growing body of research connecting storytelling to profound mental health benefits, which is particularly welcome as anxiety and loneliness continue to climb. Before Goldstein became immersed in the virtual circles stories, she found herself rabidly reading a different kind of story: the news. But the recent retiree soon realized that constantly keeping up with the news was a lota feeling so ubiquitous that even the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised taking breaks. Goldstein, a self-described anxious person, realized she needed an escape. Though Goldstein says shes always loved folk storytelling, shed never gone to anything like this, or known it existed until Ethical Culturea group shed long been a member ofstarted offering virtual storytelling circles during the pandemic. Now, for the past year and a half, shes attended regularly. It wasnt talking about COVID, it wasnt talking about politics, it was just comforting, Goldstein says of the circle. I found my anxiety definitely lessening. Goldstein is far from alone: a study of hospitalized children in Brazil found that those who had stories told to them experienced increased levels of oxytocin and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than a control group. Story continues Daniel Weinshenker, director of the Denver office of StoryCenteranother group offering online circles and workshopssays theres a primal reason why storytelling might lower anxiety while creating comfort in times of uncertainty. Much like Ethical Society, StoryCenters circles happen through Zoom (with the camera optional), and usually consist of five to 25 people. But instead of a few storytellers sharing a made-up tale at random, Weinshenker invites everyone in the roomsometimes in pairs to share a true story related to a specific prompt, usually involving a moment of change. This, he says, can help people cope with the changes, especially the unexpected ones, happening in their own lives. Most of us go through life with a lot of assumptions, and an idea that things are going to stay the way they are, says Weinshenker, whos trained in social work. But when those assumptions are challenged, it can cause deep distress. [For instance], growing up in the Bay Area, it was common for us to feel earthquakes, he says. But when someone new would move to San Francisco, and the ground would move, it would blow them out of their sense of normalcy and comfort, and their whole relationship with the ground and the world. COVID-19, in that sense, has been like an earthquake, ushering in a period of unprecedented loss, grief, and uncertainty. But rather than forcing storytellers to explicitly talk about the uncertainty in their lives, Weinshenkers promptsto talk about a small hero, for instanceinvite storytellers to choose how they prefer to cope, by escaping from that uncertainty or processing it directly. You could escape back to your childhood and talk about your grandma or your cat or a special totem, he explains. Or you could talk about a small hero that gets you through the day, which would then require you to talk about whats going on in your days that you need rescuing from. According to one study, patients struggling with drug abuse experienced statistically significant reductions in depression and anxiety scores after they had been treated with narrative therapya form of directly processing adverse events through storytelling. Another study found that people who wrote stories that drew on traumatic, stressful, or emotional events saw improvements in physical and psychological health. And more recently, backed by these promising results, researchers predicted that those who could create a positive and coherent narrative out of COVID-19 would experience greater emotional well-being, plus have an easier time coping. Still, Weinshenker is careful not to enforce the idea that the stories told in his workshop must have a happily-ever-after ending. We encourage people to be honest about what closure means to them, he says. So, even though the [stressful] situation hasnt changed, maybe their acceptance of it has. Beyond the benefits that arise from processing individual stressors, sharing stories as a group, Weinshenker says, can elicit shared benefits: validation that the world is hard, and connection around the ways people are struggling through the hard stuff together. That sense of shared resilience against a mutual struggle might explain why storytelling has had such success in health care settings: when engaged in storytelling activities, patients with breast cancer, dementia, and chronic illness exhibited reduced social isolation, improved quality of life, and stronger peer-to-peer bonds. And though not as measurable, the group formatpremised on listeners asking questions and sharing reflectionsgrants storytellers a special insight into themselves. Stories beget stories, Weinshenker says, And when you have a space to hear others stories, or think about your own, it invites you to listen to yourself in a different way. Often, he says, storytellers dont know why they choose to tell certain stories, or what impact those stories create, until after theyve shared with the group. He points to one recent example: when a nurse who had typically worked with first-time mothers and babies could no longer make home visits during the pandemic, she told a seemingly unrelated story about a small bird she rescued from outside her window. She hadnt realized it before, but in telling this story, shes making all these connections about how she took care of this bird in the same way she used to take care of her patients and their babies, Weinshenker explained. Shes recognizing what shes lost over the past 18 months, and how shes coped. A Burke County school board member appears to have stepped out on her own to ask Burke County commissioners to help get rid of COVID-19 contact tracing in the school system. But on Friday, Burke County Board of Commissioners Chairman Scott Mulwee took Burke County Board of Education member Leslie Taylor to task for the way she made the request. Taylor, who since being elected in November has argued against contact tracing and has voted against requiring masks in the schools, sent an email on Wednesday making the request to Mulwee and Commissioner Vice Chairman Johnnie Carswell. She also posted the letter on her personal Facebook page. In the email, Taylor said, As a parent and healthcare employee Im calling on you to aid your community and form a joint resolution with the Burke County Board of Education to end the contact tracing and the quarantining of healthy and well students and staff who were identified as possible Covid exposures within the school system. Taylor goes on in the email to say contact tracing is no longer a useful tool as a mitigation measure. In his response to Taylor, Mulwee addressed the way she went about making her request. I received your letter and heard about your social media post, and I am addressing you now as a fellow elected official. I am disappointed that instead of contacting the Board of Commissioners directly regarding your request, you decided instead to speak for the Board of Education by posting your letter on Facebook, Mulwee said. Social media is a powerful tool, and it is a commendable way to keep your constituents informed as an elected official. However, social media is not the place to conduct county business and doing so can potentially harm the relationship between the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education, a relationship that has taken many years to cultivate. Mulwee ends the email, saying, It is my hope that, in the future, your board chair will address this and guide you on how to appropriately conduct yourself as a member of the Board of Education. While some in Burke County may be hoping to end COVID-19 requirements, virus cases remain high. The county health department reported on Friday 10 additional deaths and that Burke added 402 new cases between Tuesday and Thursday. In her email to Mulwee and Carswell, Taylor urges commissioners to review resolutions by other counties in the state that have approved joint resolutions in support of ending contract tracing and quarantine requirements. Union County commissioners and school board members approved a joint resolution in December calling to end contract tracing and quarantine requirements. The joint resolution was sent to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services asking it to do away with quarantine and the schools COVID-19 Toolkit, according to WSOC-TV, a news partner of The News Herald. On Friday, Union County reported 5,914 active virus cases with a 37.7% positivity rate. While it has a high number of cases, Union Countys COVID-19 vaccination rate is 10% higher at 58% of the population 5 years old and older who are fully vaccinated than Burke County. Those who are partially vaccinated is at 60% of the population 5 years old and older in Union County, according to figures from NCDHHS. In Burke County, 48% of the population of those 5 years old and older are fully vaccinated and 51% of that population are partially vaccinated, according to NCDHHS figures. During its Jan. 24 meeting, the Burke County Board of Education voted to ignore a health department requirement of a negative COVID-19 test before returning to the classroom after a virus exposure. The current six-member board split on whether to mandate masks in the classroom, thus having no mask policy. At that meeting, school board Chair Wendi Craven voted in favor of a mask mandate, saying the goal is to keep students in the classroom. She argued that requiring masks would do that because students and teachers would not have to quarantine after an exposure if they wear a mask. According to the latest data released by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard, Burke County Public Schools ranks near the top of all North Carolina school systems in active virus clusters, The News Herald reported last week. As of the Tuesday, Feb. 1 update, the number of active clusters stood at 10, a figure eclipsed only by Onslow County with 16 and Pitt County with 13. Additionally, NCDHHS notified BCPS of two new active clusters in Burke County on Tuesday -- bringing the total to 12. New clusters were identified at W.A. Young and Mountain View elementary schools. Statistics for the total number of individuals infected at the schools have yet to be released by NCDHHS. It would seem business is booming Burke County, based on the agenda for Monday nights meeting of the Morganton City Council. The council is expected to call for public hearings about three new economic development projects, which together could bring nearly 200 new jobs to the area. Project Highlander The first economic development project on this months agenda is Project Highlander, the codename for an expansion of a regional manufacturing business that recently acquired a manufacturing facility in Morganton. Information from the city said the company estimates the work it will put into upgrading its Morganton location, which will include improved internal arrangements, a new loading dock and upgraded utilities, will cost about $5.2 million. About 100 jobs will be created by the expansion, and pay is expected to meet or exceed average county wages. The company behind Project Highlander is looking to obtain two grants to help cover the cost of improving the building. One of the grants, a building reuse grant through the Rural Infrastructure Authority, would be worth $200,000 if granted. That breaks down to $2,000 for each of the 100 new jobs. Burke Development Inc. asked the city to apply for the grant, but the city would split the required 5% local match which would be $5,000 each. The other grant being sought is a $250,000 OneNC grant to assist with upfitting the building. This grants required local match is larger at 25% or $62,500, which will be split by the city and county. That local match will be covered by the city and countys proposed local economic development grants. Both proposed local grants would cover 50% of the projects new taxable investment over three years, starting in the 2023-24 fiscal year. For the city, that would be $14,820 per year or a total of $44,460 based on its current tax rate of 57 cents per $100 of property value. For the county, it would be $18,070 per year or a total of $54,210 with its current 69.5 cents tax rate. Project Bravo A local manufacturing business has plans to renovate and upgrade its Morganton location, expecting to add 25 new jobs that meet or exceed the countys average wage. The company, which hasnt been named but is being referred to as "Project Bravo," anticipates the work to cost about $4.1 million and also is seeking two grants to help with renovation and upgrade costs. The first, another building reuse grant from the Rural Infrastructure Authority, would be worth $200,000 or $8,000 per new job created. BDI asked the county to be the applicant for the grant, but again, the city and county would split the required 5% local match, with each paying $5,000. The company also has applied for a $75,000 OneNC grant to assist with the expansion, for which the city and county would be responsible for a 25% local match. That match would be covered by their proposed local economic development grants. Like the local grants for Project Highlander, Project Bravos local grants would be worth 50% of the taxes paid on new taxable investment for three years starting in the 2023-24 fiscal year. At their current tax rates, that would break down to $11,685 per year or a total of $35,055 for the city, and $14,247.50 per year or a total of $42,742.50 for the county. Project Its About Time After more than 15 years of waiting, a codename like Project Its About Time seems apt for a manufacturing business looking to set up shop in the Burke Business Park. A national manufacturing business that already has renovated, expanded and upgraded another manufacturing facility in Morganton is looking to expand again, this time to the business park on Kathy Road. The facility would take up about 23 of the 83 acres available at the park, and would be the first development to break ground there. The company expects the new facility to cost about $25 million and create 72 new jobs, with the pay for those jobs expected to meet or exceed average county wages. BDI is asking the city, county and three other towns with stakes in the business park to allow them to give the 23 acres of property to the business. Information from the city said BDI believes conveying the land to the company is reasonable because of how long the property has sat dormant, and believes attracting an initial user to the park will help bring others there. If approved, the land gift would be considered an economic development incentive. Before BDI can gift the land, it must get approval from the city, the county and three other towns in Burke County. CoMPAS The citys internet, phone and cable service has two items on the agenda. CoMPAS offers a discount for low-income seniors and those with disabilities, but it recently was brought to city finance director Jessie Parris attention that income requirements havent been updated in at least eight years. With its current limits, a single person would have to make $11,970 or less per year to qualify for the program. A family of four would have to bring in $24,250 or less per year to qualify. In a letter to council members, Parris recommended they approve bringing income requirements in line with last years very low income amounts from HUDs income thresholds. That would bring annual income limits up to: $20,800 for a single person $23,800 for two people $26,750 for three people $29,700 for four people $32,100 for five people $34,500 for six people $36,850 for seven people $39,250 for eight people Council members also will get to decide whether to enter an agreement with a broadband and telecommunications consulting firm to help CoMPAS access federal dollars allocated for broadband access. The Infrastructure and Jobs Act created a $65 billion investment to close the digital divide and make high-speed, reliable and affordable internet access available to all Americans. Council members will decide on an agreement with Uptown Services to access funds from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act the city could use to convert CoMPAS delivery system to a fiber-to-the-home system, the city said. The cost to work with Uptown Services wouldnt exceed $47,000, and funding is available in the 2021-22 budget. Bethel Park The city is looking to move forward with hopes to restore Bethel Park after years of flooding and erosion issues. Wildlands Engineering, one of the citys on-call engineering firms, completed an ecological and storm water improvements study for the city, and the city received a $488,694 grant from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund as a result of the study, according to information from the city. The city already has budgeted $431,695 as a local match for that grant, and phase one of the parks restoration process will begin once the final grant agreement is approved. Monday night, council members will decide whether to award another contract to the firm, this one worth $5,800, that would have the firm apply for grants on the citys behalf for phases two and three of the restoration project. Also up for consideration Monday night are: The rezoning of 2.13 acres of land on Old Jamestown Road A contract with Nexsen Pruet PLLC for lobbying services Appropriation of funds for an insurance rate increase Declaring a garbage truck surplus and approving its sale Declaring rifles used by the Morganton Department of Public Safety as surplus and allowing them to be traded in for replacements A budget amendment to recognize private donations for bathroom renovations at Shuey Park Tax releases in the amount of $104.46 Minutes from the Jan. 3 regular meeting Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941. Follow @cmurphyMNH on Twitter. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Western Piedmont Community College has planned a variety of events to celebrate Black History Month this February: Monday, Feb. 7: Dance and drum performance, 11 a.m., Phifer Hall Theater Dancers from the Southern Swag Dance Academy, owned by dancer and choreographer Kesha Nichols, will be accompanied by the One Drop Krewe Drummers for a performance celebrating Black history. Monday, Feb. 7: Student art show, Goodfellow Gallery, located inside the WPCC library WPCC will showcase a variety of Black history-themed student art featuring the photos of Tristan Loven. The show will remain on display through Tuesday, March 15. Tuesday, Feb. 15: Mike Wiley One-Man Show, The Fire of Freedom, 11 a.m., Phifer Hall Theater The Fire of Freedom is North Carolina-based actor and playwright Mike Wileys riveting dramatization of David Cecelskis book and illuminates Abraham H. Galloways life deepening our insight into the Civil War and Reconstruction as experienced by African Americans in the south. Tuesday, February, 22: Black history trivia competition, 6:30 p.m., Carr Hall, Room 137 People are invited to form trivia teams and register by visiting wpcc.edu/bhm. Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy Caribbean cuisine from Soul Island Food Truck, which will be onsite in the Carr Hall parking lot serving from 5-7 p.m. All events are open to community participation. For more information, visit wpcc.edu/bhm or contact Ann Marie McNeely at 828-448-3509 or amcneely@wpcc.edu. A small group of students, faculty and staff from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics participated in an immersive experience designed to familiarize them with Morganton and Burke County in advance of the Morganton campus of NCSSMs August opening. According to Elizabeth Moose, NCSSMs Dean of Humanities, the experience was designed to familiarize students with local history and culture, with a particular emphasis on the ethnic and cultural diversity of the community. The nine-day forum which took place from Jan. 19-27 was a pilot for a program she hopes to incorporate into the humanities curriculum for all incoming Juniors to NCSSMs Morganton campus. Accompanying Moose on the trip, were 10 students from NCSSMs Durham campus as well as J.J. Watts and Shaquana Suggs, who are Community Coordinators on the Durham Campus. During their time in Burke County, the group participated in Hometown Walkabout, a joint venture of The Industrial Commons and TOSS designed to raise awareness of racial and cultural diversity in Burke County. Hometown Walkabout uses arts-based walking tours that promote and celebrate the local community and advance inclusivity. Hometown Walkabout is a program that raises awareness of racial and cultural diversity in Burke County, Mosse explained. I was one of the first NCSSM staff members to be able to participate in Hometown Walkabout last spring. Moose said that she was profoundly moved by her participation in the program and became convinced that this would be a valuable experience for all the students at NCSSM Morganton. I thought that we needed to make this possible for every incoming junior, she said. As well as incoming for new faculty and staff who are coming in to learn about the community they are entering and becoming a part of. She enlisted the help of Suggs and Watts to create a nine-day program for a pilot group of 10 students, which she hopes to integrate into either the Humanities program or residential life education program that all students at the Morganton Campus will experience during their junior year. Between Hometown Walkabout sessions, the group also explored the area, visiting several local businesses, landmarks and restaurants. Moose said the group was treated to a free meal at Treat, and visited many other popular local destinations, including Thornwell Books, Panaderia La Guatemalteca, The Pie Hole, Little Guatemala and Bigfoot Climbing Gym. Additionally, they visited New Day Christian Church, walked the Fonta Flora trail, viewed the Realidades du Sur (Realities of the South) mural at Food Matters Market and spent a few hours in the Burke County History Museum. Waits Gordon, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Burke County History Museum, said he thoroughly enjoyed hosting the group on Jan. 22. They were a brilliant group, he said. They asked question like you wouldnt believe. They knew a whole lot more than most people that come in there; theyre brilliant young people, smart as they can be. Gordon said he is convinced that having an NCSSM campus in Burke County is going to be a good thing for the area. Its going to be a big deal for Morganton, he said. Those are sophisticated young people and I think they will add a lot to our community. Moose said she was impressed with the museum, calling it a wonderful experience. It was such a tremendous collection and all privately donated, she said. They were so knowledgeable and eager to help us. A lot of our students wanted more time there because we saw just a fraction of the holdings. Moose said these kinds of programs will help NCSSM accomplish its goal of becoming a valuable community partner in Morganton and Burke County. We want, very much, to be good neighbors and good members of the community. she said. We look forward to working with the people of Morganton on community events and partner in ways that will be mutually beneficial. She said it is important that NCSSM students recognize that they are not just a part of the school, but they are also part of a community. She believes that developing this kind of awareness is a critical piece of the education process. One of the important parts of our schools mission is to help young people become the kind of engaged citizens who will make our world better, Moose said. What better way to do that then to join hands with our neighbors and our supporters and our friends in Morganton and learn from each other. Construction and renovations of the Morganton Campus of NCSSM are slated to continue into the summer, with the school welcoming its inaugural class of approximately 150 high school juniors this August. Jason Koon is a staff writer and can be reached at jkoon@morganton.com Powell Countys colorful history includes convicts, cattle ranches, mining camps and transportation corridors traveled by Native Americans long before the arrival of pesky European explorers, trappers and settlers. In 1860, the Mullan Road opened, providing a link between Fort Benton and Walla Walla, Washington, and passing through what would become Powell County. In 1883, the first northern transcontinental railroad, the Northern Pacific, was completed near Gold Creek with the driving of a golden spike. Later, after the rise of the automobile, came The Yellowstone Trail. The trails roots can be traced to 1912 and a group of small town businessmen in South Dakota who dreamed of improved roads across the country. Now, collaboration among Powell County, Deer Lodge and the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site appears poised to complete the Old Yellowstone Trail that will provide non-motorized recreation along the Clark Fork River to walkers, runners, bicyclists, parents pushing strollers and others. A recent edition of the Silver State Post included an invitation to bid on completing Phase 2 of the project. The trail follows the former right-of-way of the Milwaukee Road. A portion of Phase 1 parallels a section of the former roadbed of The Yellowstone Trail. Phase 2 will include construction of a new parking lot and trailhead at Washington Street in Deer Lodge and will add culverts, complete grading and surfacing, add signage and more. When completed, walkers and cyclists will be able to travel from Deer Lodge all the way to Garrison for a total distance of about 12 miles. Amanda Cooley, planning director for Powell County, referenced the new trail in an email Monday. We did just send Phase 2 of the Old Yellowstone Trail out to bid and we are all very excited, as its taken a lot of coordination with landowners, Grant-Kohrs, Rock Creek Cattle Company and our trail engineers to get to this point, Cooley said. Powell County has worked closely with Grant-Kohrs throughout trail planning to navigate National Park Service regulations and minimize disruption to the ranch character and operation, she said. The county will continue to communicate and coordinate with Grant-Kohrs as construction begins and will cooperatively manage the trail once its open to the public. Cooley said the trail will offer residents and visitors the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife. . The most actionable goal is to help existing businesses thrive. Amanda Cooley, planning director, Powell County In addition, she said, the health benefits of trail use can support the regional economy. Certainly a healthy community translates to more vigor in the economy, she said. Less days of work missed and improved general well-being create a healthier workforce. Meanwhile, the city of Deer Lodge hopes a new recreational amenity will enhance the citys quality of life. Jordan Green, chief administrative officer, said generous financial assistance from a local benefactor could make the skateboard park a reality in 2022 at a site west of the Jaycee Park. Separately, Green said the city will make improvements to water and sewer systems with infrastructure funding and related grants. He said Deer Lodge, like other Montana cities, is feeling pressure on housing. Future West, a non-profit in Bozeman, has launched a needs assessment for the city to help it prioritize and plan for the future. He said Deer Lodge and entities like Headwaters RC&D and Montana State University Extension plan to help existing businesses in Deer Lodge take advantage of tourism trends by, for example, developing an online presence. The days of relying solely on billboards to attract tourists is past, Green said. In addition, Deer Lodge received a $30,000 Community Block Grant to create a new Growth Policy. Cooley, like Green, described the importance of supporting businesses in the region. The most actionable goal is to help existing businesses thrive, she said, also citing the importance of an online presence. This will help to maximize visibility and increase revenue at local establishments in the county, Cooley said. She said the county is in the development stage of a tourism website. We will showcase photos of the county, businesses, events, accommodations and tourist destinations, she said. Cooley described the desire to create housing opportunities and tourist accommodations, including campgrounds and hotels. She said Powell County will continue to work with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to pursue cleanup of the Clark Fork River to help make it a safe and clean area for recreationists, tourists and families. The rivers floodplains and banks were contaminated from its headwaters to Milltown from tailings associated with a century of mining and smelting upstream. Cleanup continues along the river upstream of Deer Lodge. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 An average of nearly 30 Marshall Islanders were deported annually from the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2013-2019. With borders closed for nearly two years, a backlog of deportations is expected. Officers with the Guam Police Department arrive at the site of a trash fire in Chalan Pago off Route 10 on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. They were called by the Guam Fire Department after possible human remains were found after the fire was extinguished. President Rodrigo Duterte listens during a meeting at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Matina, Davao City on Jan. 17, 2021. American Canyon has declared a climate change emergency and set the goal of net-zero climate pollution by 2030. Our work has just begun, Mayor Leon Garcia said after the City Council took action on Feb. 1. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: Subscribe for $5.99 per mo Net-zero means reaching a balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere. President Joe Biden wants the United States economy to reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050. City Councilmembers Mark Joseph and Pierre Washington helped lay the groundwork for the citys action. They are on an ad-hoc committee that has worked with local climate change activists such as Jim Wilson and students Emily Bit and Alisa Karesh of Napa Schools for Climate Action. The council resolution calls for the ad-hoc committee to develop net-zero recommendations in such areas as transportation, building, renewable energy, carbon sequestration, and public awareness. It is to present findings within six months. Joseph said the city needs to look at its actions through the lens of climate change. He also said residents need to be involved. If we're really going to make a difference, we have to convince everyone they have to make certain changes in their lives and move forward in this direction, Joseph said. Wilson has urged the county and its cities for years to take steps to combat climate change. He praised the City Council during public comments. Theres nothing comfortable about it, but its thrilling to be able to confront this challenge together with you all, Wilson said. It takes your kind of courageous action to reverse course. He noted the City Council had moved to ban new fossil fuel stations from being built. These are the simple steps, Wilson said. Theyre a struggle, but theyre simple first steps. He suggested the City Council consider a carbon budget aspect to whats done in the city. Linda Brown of Napa Climate NOW! described what she sees as the effects of climate change. Summer and fall have become smoke season with raging wildfires, plants are blossoming earlier, and there's drought. I just hope other cities in California, particularly cities in Napa County and surrounding counties, will follow suit, she told the council. What specific steps the city will take and ask the community to take remains to be seen. There is no immediate fiscal impact from the recommended action, a city report said. However, the resolution does call upon the city to actions in the future and the cost of those actions is not immediately known. Calistoga in August 2021 declared a climate emergency and set a goal of net-zero emissions by 2030. The group Napa Schools for Climate Action has made presentations to various communities. Karesh, a senior at Napa High School, on Jan. 25 asked the Board of Supervisors to hear a presentation from the group. Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss whether to grant the request. On another front, Napa Countys Climate Action Committee is having a greenhouse gas inventory done for the county and its five cities and town. The work is to be completed this summer. You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. COVID-19 shocked the city of Napas finances back in 2020. Tax revenues plummeted when the virus triggered business shutdowns, emptied hotels, and halted travel. The city, in response, rapidly cut expenses and staffing to stay afloat through the 2020-2021 fiscal year. One year later, bolstered by nearly $15 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act which included about $350 billion in aid to states and local governments the city transitioned to recovery. That was June 2021. COVID-19 case rates were low, California had opened back up and visitors were flocking back to Napa. And though two COVID-19 variants have since surged through Napa bringing historical highs in local case rates and hospitalizations the economic recovery that started up in 2021 has exceeded expectations. The city is now projecting it wont even need the American Rescue Plan funding to balance the budget, according to the citys budget officer Jessie Gooch. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. A plan to allocate those funds on one-time projects will go before the Napa City Council in March, Gooch said at a council meeting this week. Another sign of recovery is that, in November last year, the city of Napa was also able to refill a projected $5.44 million budget surplus from the 2020-2021 budget back into park improvements, sidewalks and other areas that were cut in 2020. City manager Steve Potter, however, cautioned people to remember that city revenues had still taken a significant hit, that the surplus was the result of the roughly $20 million drop in expected revenue the city had budgeted for. I think its important to remember, and keep in mind, that we did not experience an increase in general fund operating revenue this year, Potter said at the time. Our current financial situation is a result of the actions we took. Robert Eyler, a Sonoma State economics professor and president of Economic Forensics and Analytics Inc., told the City Council in December 2021 that Napas local economy had been recovering better than most other California travel destinations. He told the council thats likely because major areas of travel popular in other cities, like for conferences, havent made a comeback so far. And Napas been an appealing destination for people who want to get out of urban areas, he said. Napa has really gotten sort of this perfect, positive storm of recovery where people have wanted to get out of the more urban areas of California, Eyler said at the time. But he also told the council that the rise of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 could dampen the local recovery. Reasons for caution were also brought up during a financial forecast presentation last week. Gooch told the City Council that, according to the forecast, city spending will likely outstrip revenues during the next five fiscal years. But predicting future budgets is currently more difficult than usual because of COVID-19, she said. One question clouding the forecast is whether the current recovery is sustainable or just the result of pent-up demand being let loose, she said. And, Gooch added, the future impact of COVID-19 on the workforce also taking into account future variants is currently unknown. Even if the virus continues to become less deadly overall, widespread illness and increasing long-term disability has impacts on workforce availability, Gooch said. City staff vacancies are another area of recovery from the pandemic that continues to persist. The city established a goal in the current budget to refill about 60 positions that were left vacant to save money in 2020-2021. And the city has recently made some progress filling vacancies, according to Human Resources Director Heather Ruiz. But the city still maintains about 76 staff vacancies overall, Ruiz said in January. You can reach Edward Booth at (707) 256-2213. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Helping ease the sting of a dismal 2020, Napa County hotel revenue surged in 2021, reaching pre-pandemic levels. This past year visitors contributed $436 million to the local lodging industry, more than doubling 2020 figures, reported hospitality data and analytics company STR. Back in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, overnight visitors contributed $184 million to the hotel industry. It was a sharp decline from 2019 when guests spent $446 million on Napa Valley accommodations. Napa County hotels suffer 'worst year' due to COVID-19 pandemic Overnight hotel stays in Napa County aren't likely to return to pre-COVID-19 levels for at least a year, tourism industry veterans say. Blood, sweat, and tears, was how Michael Collins, general manager of Archer Napa described the 2021 local hotel market. Our numbers were very strong in 2021, he said. People are willing to travel again, said Linsey Gallagher, president & CEO of Visit Napa Valley, and they are choosing Napa Valley as a safe travel destination. Occupancy rates dipped when comparing 2019 to 2021 (from 72% to 60%), but revenue is only one part of the story, noted Gallagher. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Comparing 2019 to 2020, the average daily room rate rose from $336 a night to $404 a night. That means We generated the same revenue with fewer people, who stayed longer, and spent more, said Gallagher. According to the Visit Napa Valley CEO, because Napa Valley is a rural four-season destination that lends itself naturally to socially distancing and outdoor dining experiences, combined with the fact that Napa County has one of the highest vaccination rates in California, we are in a more fortunate position than other more urban destinations winning back more than our fair share of visitors. The leisure travel business has continued to outperform expectations, said Gallagher. We're also seeing group bookings come back, driven primarily by leisure groups. The trend we are seeing on corporate groups bookings is focused on smaller groups (15-30 people) looking for meaningful experiences (outdoors, when possible) after two years of Zoom purgatory, which is in the sweet spot for our Napa Valley properties, said Gallagher. According to Collins, there was so much pent up demand from travelers that have gone without their weekend getaways, girls trips, honeymoons, etc., that the dam broke when restrictions were released in early 2021, he said. Corporate travel was rebounding and in-person conferences added to the surge in business. Notably, We also paid particular attention to our room rates, at Archer Napa, said Collins. Id like to say we led the pack when we started to increase rates, and it certainly seems like everyone else followed. Ive always said that Id rather run a 75% hotel at a very healthy (daily room rate) as opposed to 100% at a lower rate, which in turn burns out the team, adds additional wear and tear to the rooms, and simply makes it harder to achieve our end goal, said Collins. So far, 2022 is off to a great start as well, said the Archer general manager. Maybe not January due to the surge in COVID cases, but February is looking golden! The year 2021 also brought two notable hotel sales to the Valley. In December the Estate Yountville sold for $356.4 million, making it the most expensive hotel property sale to date in the valley. In November, the Four Seasons Calistoga sold for $175 million. Just this past week, Napa's Silverado Resort and Spa sold for $62.4 million. You can reach reporter Jennifer Huffman at 256-2218 or jhuffman@napanews.com Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Here is the question: Are turkeys named after Turkey, the county? Heres the answer, which is fairly boring but needs to be told. When Europeans first encountered the wild turkey in Mexico, they incorrectly classified the bird as a type of guinea fowl called a turkey fowl. It was Turkish traders who originally sold guinea fowl from Africa to European markets. Turkey has no native turkeys. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Im glad we got that cleared up because I know its always been in the back of your mind: Has the county Turkey always been overrun with the gobblers? Turkey has always been on our tourist visit list, and finally, we were able to hook up with Viking Cruises to travel from Istanbul to Athens in the dead of winter. And the places we visited Istanbul/Constantinople, Rhodes, Ephesus, Crete, Athens were all so historic that the trip, although wet and cold, was worth every minute. Going from the Istanbul airport to the port to board the Viking Sky, I expected total chaos in a city of 16 million due to the rioting over the worthless Turkish lira currency, but nothing of the sort. The city was amazing and quasi-European since its in the 5% of the country that is in Europe, with the rest of the country in Asia Minor or Anatolia (Asia Turkey), separated by the Bosporus Straights. Security to get our bus near the ship was overdone, to the point where port police used sniffer dogs to check the luggage compartment for hashish. Apparently, they hadnt taken into account the demographics of the passengers, all over 60+++. The dogs were totally confounded and probably had to be sent back to sniffer dog rehab because they got a giant nose full of senior meds: Flomax, Prozac, Estrogen pills, baby aspirin and that memory one, ah, whatever it is. Istanbul is full of mosques, some 3,000, along with synagogues and Armenian churches. It was like being in Utah with Mormon chapels on every corner. We had flown 6,700 miles to see the Blue Mosque or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, with its lavish interior, decorated with the blue Iznik tiles. Alas, it had been arbitrarily closed by an unnamed official (President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan) because of projections that COVID-19 will end by summer and there will then be 3 million visitors coming to see it, so it was fenced off to refurbish. This was a huge disappointment, but second best was the Hagia Sophia, originally built as a basilica, converted to a mosque, then into a museum and last year the unnamed official reverted it to a mosque, which was a true wonder. Ben Afflecks 2012 movie ARGO (standing for Assn. of Remote Gambling Operations) was about Iranian militants in 1979 taking over the U.S. embassy, with 66 hostages, during Jimmy Carters presidency. Needless to say, Iran wasnt wild about Affleck filming in Baghdad, so he filmed in the Hagia Sophia mosque, where the lights were too bright so he changed thousands of bulbs for the movie. We also went to see the fortified Topkapi Palace and Harem, multiple buildings over a huge expanse. Between the 15th to 19th centuries, it was the court of the Ottoman empire, full of libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful concubines and scheming eunuchs. One highlight was the sacred relics, room full of things like the Holy Mantle of Prophet Muhammad, his swords and parts of prophets such as Moses, Abraham, Joseph and David. Before we could ask our guide if any of it was real, she made it clear that it was "No more questions please!" I told her that as a Canadian I needed more clarification but she said something to me in Turkish and marched away. First thats ever happened to me. One more place to visit was the Grand Bazaar, holding more than 3,000 shops, where you could spend days exploring, but since we were in a Viking guided tour COVID bubble we could look but not touch. There was stuff we needed to buy disappointing since we were fully masked. We weighed anchor and sailed to Ephesus, where Apostle John did some writing (Gospel of John) and preached in the Great Theatre that held 25,000 worshipers. As my stockbroker friend Cornell reminded me, everybody already knows that Ephesus is where the mother of Jesus, Mary lived out her life. I didnt know that but couldnt admit it to an obvious bible scholar. The Greek theater we visited was used for not only concerts and plays, but also for, political, gladiator and animal fights. The acoustics are so perfect that in modern times Elton John, Sting, Ray Charles, Diana Ross held concerts there without sound systems. Ephesus was, in its time, one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean until it silted over, which destroyed the economy since the port ended up being six kilometers away. Silting goes on today. If youre at a seaside resort and want to go for a swim, itll require you to wade out 300 meters before you find water deep enough. We also saw the Library of Celsus, built in 117 A.D., which held 12,000 scrolls. It was the third-largest library after Alexander Library in Egypt and Pergamon in Turkey. It was destroyed by fire during a Gothic invasion in 262 A.D. Its been partially restored so you can at least see what it might have looked like. We went on to the island of Rhodes, for which we had to fill out a passenger locator form that made Turkeys bureaucratic entry docs look amateur. The ship's guest services were overwhelmed with a boatload of non-techies all needing assistance a 10-year-old could have provided (of whom there was a giant absence). The Viking Sky cruise ship holds 930 passengers with 400 staff. On this cruise, there were 330 guests. Every time you turned around there were five staffers wanting to assist you actually a bit unnerving! Our first-day tour in Rhodes was of the old city. We passed through the ancient gates to see medieval structures, including the 15th-century Hospital of the Knights, now a museum. We arrived at the Palace of the Grand Masters, built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, full of mosaics, paintings and furniture. The whole town is a UNESCO site. Crusaders came and went through Rhodes on the way to and from Jerusalem. St. Paul himself preached to the Rhodians. One of the ancient wonders of the world was the 100-foot high Colossus of Rhodes statue, with each leg of the monster man on a pier straddling the harbor under which ships could pass. Its long gone, of course, but there is talk about re-duplicating it. The island of Crete, just like Rhodes, has been inhabited by everybody for thousands of years. We visited the Monastery of Arkadi, which the Ottomans hated, having tried four times to conquer it, as the monks had helped plot against them for years. In the 1800s they put together a 20,000-man army with heavy weapons and went after the scofflaw monks. When the monks heard about the approaching invaders, they put their extensive hoard of gunpowder in one room, along with 800 people in the monastery. When the Ottomans breached the front door and ran into the building, the monks blew their powder stockpiles and killed most everyone in and near the building. Visiting the place, you could still see where the roof had blown off and the tree in the courtyard where one of the locals had been impaled. Lovely, that!! On to the port of Piraeus near Athens. Our last visit was to see the Temple of Poseidon, with a history touched by gods, kings, and poets, surrounded by the sea and perched atop dramatic cliffs. In Greek mythology, it was here that King Aegeus, a founder of Athens, committed suicide, giving his name to the Aegean Sea. The temple was constructed in 440 BC, boasting 42 Doric columns; today, 15 remain. At the base of one of the columns, we saw the name Lord Byron, the English poet who visited here in 1810. We can only wonder why he vandalized the wonderous temple, leaving him an archeological vandal and early graffiti artist. This was a perfect picture venue, with a close-by rainbow after the rain abated. I asked about who got the pot of gold but the guide, once again, said something under her breath in Turkish. Why does this keep happening to well-meaning Canadians? And, might I add, we were in Greece for five days and never were we able to eat an authentic lamb/beef pita, due to COVID restrictions. As soon as we got home to Napa, we immediately went to Nick the Greeks Souvlaki and Gyro House (at Lincoln and Soscol) and bought the real thing. Well, we were starving after an 18-hour flight. Resistance movement rally on France Square in Yerevan Blinken and Armenia FM sign memorandum on strategic cooperation in nuclear energy Another earthquake registered on Armenian-Georgian border FLYONE ARMENIA launches regular direct flights between Yerevan and Tbilisi Georgia abolishes requirement to wear masks in closed spaces One dollar drops below AMD 450, euro also falls in Armenia Georgia PM receives Justice Minister of Armenia Armenia MFA says there is no discussion, agreement on re-demarcating border with Turkey Cavusoglu claims there is agreement to clarify Armenia-Turkey border Azerbaijan president receives Brice Roquefeuil Armenia ex-defense minister: These authorities are able to use force inside the country Police: 244 people apprehended in Yerevan as of 2pm Incident involving disobedience march participants occurs at Armenian State Pedagogical University Yerevan Police apprehend opposition MP Police: 199 people apprehended in Yerevan as of noon Armenia defense ministry refutes Azerbaijan MOD statement Resistance Movement coordinator says they will assemble at France Square in downtown Yerevan at 6pm Armenia parliament opposition faction leader: More than 200 people apprehended The Azeri Times: Azerbaijan closes airspace for Russia military aircraft to disrupt transportation to Armenia Bill Gates warns of more fertile' COVID-19 variant Police: 3 dozen intersections in Yerevan were closed off by citizens since morning Armenia PM congratulates several Arab countries leaders on Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr 3 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Journalist falls ill during scuffle at civil disobedience action in Yerevan Armenia ex-ruling party official: I assess these actions of disobedience very positively Armenia FM to head for US, will meet with Blinken Armenia Police: 189 people apprehended so far in Yerevan UN announces blocking of millions of tons of grain in Ukraine ports Small plane crashes in Canada, 4 dead 125 people taken to Yerevan police stations Erdogan says will hold talks with Putin this week Quake hits Armenia-Georgia border zone One person falls ill during oppositions peaceful disobedience action in downtown Yerevan Resistance Movement coordinator says 14 streets currently blocked by citizens in Yerevan Peaceful civil disobedience actions kick off in Yerevan early morning Hungary says 10 European countries opened bank accounts in Russia to pay for natural gas in rubles Finland to build fences along Russia border Armenia ex-President Serzh Sargsyan: For 10 years international community said Artsakh should self-determine Putin signs decree on measures to ensure Russia information security 3rd President Serzh Sargsyan is at Yerevans France Square Opposition continues to keep France Square in downtown Yerevan closed Europe asks Russia natural gas giant to increase supplies Clashes break out between police and anarchists in Paris The Jerusalem Post: Time for Israel to not fear Turkey and to recognize Armenian Genocide Armenia opposition lawmaker: People are constantly approaching ex-president Kocharyan (VIDEO) Putin bans foreign investors from organizing regular transfers on public-private, city-private partnership basis Ex-defense minister: Prior to 44-day war it was possible to negotiate in such way that Armenia will not be at war Police dispatching additional forces to Yerevans France Square Opposition to set up tents at France Square in downtown Yerevan (PHOTOS) Armenia opposition MP: How did US, France, Russia talk about Karabakh status after war? Resistance Movement coordinator: Armenian people told whole world that they are masters of their destiny, future Huge opposition rally kicks off in downtown Yerevan Armenia former ruling party official says ex-President Serzh Sargsyan will attend today's opposition rally Russia to impose $101M fine on Google Resistance Movement marches reach French Square in Yerevan Turkey police beat, detain dozens in May Day demonstrations Armenia international airports passenger traffic doubles in first quarter of 2022 Nancy Pelosi visits Kyiv, meets with Zelenskyy Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan defense ministry disseminating disinformation Armenia ex-President Kocharyan joins opposition march to Yerevan US Embassy in Armenia: Large crowds are unpredictable Germany supports EU plans to give up Russian oil Russia MOD announces airstrike on Odessa military airport Italy cancels Covid certificates Resistance Movement marches reaching Yerevan Artsakh President receives Armenian Relief Society delegation 4 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Blinken, Kuleba discuss return of American diplomats to Ukraine Armenia PM: Thanks to joint efforts and work we were able to overcome these crisis situations Person commits suicide by hanging self in Armenias Artik US, UK hold talks to reduce risk of war with China over Taiwan 1 dead, several injured in US festival shooting Drought causes megafire in US New Mexico Biden resumes White House Correspondents' Dinner tradition, Kim Kardashian among celebrity guest Turkey expresses readiness to support UN efforts on Ukraine Survey: Erdogan's rating falls again after slight improvement China launches new remote sensing satellites Clashes between police and protesters against anti-coronavirus measures in Ottawa Denmark sends Piranha 3 APCs and heavy mortars to Ukraine Macron promises Zelenskyy to increase military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine Egyptian tricycle carrying 13 children sinks in Nile Delta killing at least 8 children Iraqi PM: Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia are coming to an end Russian MFA: Dialogue with US on strategic stability is frozen Indian authorities seize 90 kg of heroin-soaked yarn worth $58 million at port Germany sues Italy to the International Court of Justice Parents of fallen soldiers protests at Armenian Prosecutor General's Office building Politico: Germany supported sanctions on uranium imports from Russia Pentagon says American soldiers in Germany began training Ukrainian soldiers Armenia confirms 2 COVID-19 new cases Ecuador declares state of emergency due to rise in crime Armenian and Georgian FMs visit Genocide memorial Armenia opposition: Tomorrow we'll start decisive stage of our struggle with nationwide rally Armenian MFA reacts to Aliyev's statements that Syunik is historical territory of Azerbaijan German authorities may get right to expropriate property of energy companies Ukraine opens criminal case against Azerbaijani ambassador to Moldova Opposition Armenia Bloc: Marches from various directions approaching border line Tesla recalls over 14,600 Model 3 electric vehicles in China due to technical issues Turkey's foreign trade deficit widens by 75% in March Panama Parliament approves law regulating use of crypto assets in country Swedish FM says her country has not yet decided to join NATO More than 100 British elite troops have been deployed to Ukraine amid reports of a Russian invasion, The Mirror reported. According to the publication, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed that countries on NATO's eastern flank must be fully protected from malicious Russian activity. The troops were sent to Ukraine to train Ukrainian special forces in counter-insurgency tactics, sniping and sabotage. At least 1,500 British military personnel who have undergone winter training are already in Estonia, neighboring Russia. The publication claims that Russia began to equip dozens of military field hospitals near its border with Ukraine, where the most intense fighting is allegedly expected, and that more than 100,000 Russian troops, 1,000 tanks and hundreds of armored personnel carriers are now concentrated on the border. The former Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, human rights activist Ruben Melikyan said he expected the EU ambassador to Armenia to publicly and harshly criticize the actions of the political authorities of Armenia against freedom of speech, against the judiciary, against human rights. He noted that the US-based global advocacy organization Freedom House was the first to scathingly criticize the current government's 'shameful criminalization of grave insults.' "Despite unacceptable silence on many issues, this American structure has proved that it still has certain red lines, and that the violation of these red lines is unacceptable," he added. "It is American, and not European structures that will begin this criticism. Why? Because the Americans, on the whole, still have faith in their fundamental values, while in European structures, it seems, hypocrisy has finally defeated adherence to principles. The grounds for such an opinion are more than obvious," he added. "The face of collective Europe in Armenia is the EU Ambassador, and I expect him to publicly and harshly criticize the actions of the political authorities of Armenia against freedom of speech, against the judiciary, against human rights. Why do I expect this from the EU ambassador, and not from the Russian Federation, China, Iran or ambassadors of other countries? For a very simple reason. Until 2018, it was the EU Embassy in Armenia that publicly made critical statements on a variety of issues from the standpoint of democratic values. So, let them be kind to adhere to the same principles now. I promise to be consistent with my expectations and not be content with just Facebook posts, Melikyan added. Hong Kong reaches 80 percent vaccine takeup Carrie Lam said the LeaveHomeSafe app has been updated to show people's vaccination records. Image: Screenshot of Lam's Facebook page Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Sunday the vaccination drive had achieved a significant milestone, with more than 80 percent of eligible people in the SAR having received at least one Covid-19 jab. The percentage translates as around 5.4 million individuals. It excludes children aged between five and 11 who couldn't get jabbed until recently. Writing on her social media page, Lam said more than a million people had already received the third shot. To help the SAR reach a ninety percent vaccination rate as soon as possible, Lam said the government would soon amend regulations to implement a vaccine pass, meaning people who haven't received at least one vaccine dose will be barred from entering many premises. She said the authorities will announce the details of the vaccine pass this week, before it's rolled out on February 24. Lam called on those who haven't been jabbed especially the elderly to get their shot. A new study revealed that child care programs in the United States that practiced child masking early in the COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020) experienced a 13 per cent reduction in program closure within the following year, and continued child masking throughout the one-year study period was associated with a 14 per cent reduction in program closure. The first-of-its-kind study of child masking, was published in 'JAMA Network Open', a peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association. It followed the experiences of 6,654 center-based and home-based child care professionals from all 50 states during a one-year period (May/June 2020 through May/June 2021). It was part of a series of studies aimed at informing policies regarding the health and wellbeing of children in child care programs, as well as the 1.1 million child care professionals who care for them. This study has been believed to be the first large-scale longitudinal study of the potential effects of various safety measures used to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in child care programs and keep this essential service open for working families. These findings come at a time when child masking in schools and child cares continues to be hotly debated, particularly as a surge in cases related to the omicron variant has led to a wave of child care disruptions, affecting millions of American families. During the study period, 43 per cent of child care programs had closed at least temporarily due to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in either a child or staff member, researchers said. Although several safety measures were studied (e.g., adult and child masking, 6-foot distancing, staggered arrivals and departures, outdoor drop-off and pick-up), child masking emerged as the strategy most associated with reduced child care closure rates, keeping children in safe learning and care environments and allowing working parents and child care providers to remain employed, researchers said. Six-foot distancing of seating and cots in child care facilities, when used over the one-year period, was associated with a 7 per cent reduction in the odds of COVID-19-related child care closure. The study controlled for the degree of local COVID-19 transmission in the community. "We have been seeing increased numbers of children, especially young children not yet able to be vaccinated against COVID-19, admitted to our children's hospital," said Thomas Murray, associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital and the study's lead author. "It is heartening to know that following child masking recommendations for children two years and older may be an effective means for keeping young children in child care programs and potentially lowering their risk for COVID-19." Although the study provided encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of child masking, only 9 per cent of child care programs required children two years and older to wear face masks during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. That percentage increased to 33 per cent by May and June 2021. Masking rates were much higher for staff members, with 64 per cent reporting that all adult staff were wearing masks in May and June 2021. Research has shown that children two years and older can safely wear masks in child care settings. "It's the disruptions in learning opportunities and care routines that harm children, not the masks," said Walter Gilliam, a professor of child psychiatry and psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and the study's senior author. "It is our responsibility to protect our young children by providing them with safe learning environments," Gilliam said. "We need to remember that young children are incredibly observant. If they cannot see us smile with our mouths, they still will see us smile with our eyes or in the way in which we talk with them. Masks don't harm children; COVID-19 does." Previous research from the Yale team, released in August 2021, showed that 78 per cent of child care providers are vaccinated against COVID-19, a rate significantly higher than the general population at that time (65 per cent). However, most children in child care programs are under five years old and not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. This leaves these young children more vulnerable for complications due to COVID-19. "Until children under five years old are able to be vaccinated against COVID-19, they are a particularly vulnerable population," said Murray, a pediatric infectious disease expert. "We need to ensure that the adults and older children around them are vaccinated and following other proven precautions for keeping young children safe, such as having children two years and over wearing facial masks when in congregate settings like child care programs." The study was conducted before the highly contagious omicron variant became the predominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States. "It is possible that child masking may be even more important during the current surge of cases caused by omicron," explained Dr. Murray. The study comes at a time when child care programs are experiencing increased staffing shortages due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, which further threatens the vulnerable child care infrastructure -- and when much-anticipated funding increases for early care and education is stalled in the U.S. Senate. Child care closures due to COVID-19 illnesses and staffing challenges have made it very difficult for working parents to sustain employment. These closures also harm the ability of young children to benefit from the important social and early learning opportunities provided by a stable, safe, and caring early childhood program, researchers said. "We know that children benefit from in-person learning opportunities, and this includes young children, and we know that many parents rely on child care in order to go to work," said Gilliam, an expert on child care and early childhood policy. "Child masking will not eliminate all child care closures, but it may help reduce some of them, keeping our young children with caring adults who support their learning and development. "Child care professionals have had it very rough these past two years," Gilliam added. "They struggle to obtain even simple things like access to COVID-19 testing, masks, and pay protection during inevitable closures. We show how much we care for our children through how well we support these child care professionals who are doing their best in very trying times to keep our young children safe and well." (ANI) As per a statement issued by the state's ATS, the accused has been identified as Sandeep Kumar, a key member of gangster Aman Shrivastava's gang. "He has been working with gangsters for the last 12-13 years," said the ATS. A cash amount of Rs 32,08,300 collected by extortion and important papers related to the gang's extortion business have been recovered from his possession, added the ATS. (ANI) Three people died while one was injured after a car collided with a tractor-trolley near Lahli village in Haryana's Rohtak on Saturday. As per the police, of the three deceased, one has been identified as Vivek, a resident of Chunnipura in Rohtak, while another deceased has been identified as a resident from Zirakpur in Punjab. The third deceased is yet to be identified. "All three bodies have been sent to Rohtak PGI Hospital for post-mortem and one injured person is admitted there for the treatment," said Kalanaur Station House Officer Sushila. The investigation in the case is underway, she added. "A vehicle with Punjab number was coming towards Rohtak from Kalanaur side while a tractor-trolley was coming from the opposite side. The speed of the car was so high that it hit the trolley from behind. The accident was so horrific that the car blew up," said an eyewitness. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav taking a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) on Saturday stated that the BJP's pain has increased after Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary allied with SP for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Addressing a public meeting, the SP chief said that "Their (BJP) pain has increased after RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary allied with me for Uttar Pradesh polls. They are saying we will leave him (Jayant Chaudhary) later but I want to say that once Samajwadi people hold someone's hand, we don't leave them." Taking a jibe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yadav said that "Baba is an amazing Chief Minister, he has no work apart from spreading lies." He further said that this is an election to save the Constitution of the country. "The future of the youth has been ruined by this BJP government. The government is not able to give them jobs and the age of the youth is increasing, but if our government is formed, we will do the work of giving age relaxation," said SP chief. Praising the role of the farmers, who continued to work in their fields in spite of the declaration of a lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, he said the country would have faced a problem of food shortage had the farmers not worked without fear during the pandemic. "The problem of food would have arisen in front of the people if farmers would have not worked during COVID, but the BJP government, which claims to have doubled the income of the farmers, is not able to provide fertilizer to them," he said. He further promised to give compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of the farmers who died during their year-long agitation against three agriculture laws of the Centre. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also lauded the farmers for their unity that forced the Centre to withdraw the three laws. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27 and March 3 and 7 in seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67 per cent vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats. (ANI) BSF said that the smugglers were trying to smuggle narcotics through Samba International Border. The seized narcotics are likely to be heroin. "In the early hours of 6 Feb, the alert troops of BSF Jammu neutralized 3 Pak smugglers who were trying to smuggle Narcotics through Samba International border and recovered 36 Packets (Approx 36 Kgs) of Narcotics, likely to be Heroin and thwarted a big smuggling attempt," said SPS Sandhu, Deputy Inspector General, BSF Jammu. The search of the area is in progress, said the officer. (ANI) Asia's biggest plant has been established in Madhya Pradesh's Indore to produce bio-CNG from domestic waste generated every day in the city, informed Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) commissioner Pratibha Pal said on Saturday. According to the Pratibha Pal, the plant will produce 18,000 kilograms of bio-CNG, which will be used to power IMC's transport buses, as well as a large quantity of compost. Pratibha said, "About 1100 tonnes of garbage is generated every day, out of which about 600 tonnes of household wet waste is generated. By using this wet waste, we have set up a Bio CNG plant on a Public-Private Partnership model with a capacity of 550 MT which will generate 18,000 kg of Bio CNG per day as well as 100 tonnes of compost from the remaining waste." According to the Municipality Commissioner, the company that manufactures it, Indo Enviro Solution Limited has been given land. "The company would produce half the CNG and will give us cheaper than the market price of Rs 5 per kg so that 250 city buses can be run. As well as the company will also pay a premium of Rs 2.5 crore to the Municipal Corporation annually," informed Pal. Nitish Tripathi of plant head of Ever Enviro Resource Management said, "This is India's first project, where the domestic organic waste would make more than 17000 kg of bio-CNG." He informed that the trial run had been initiated in which 1500 kg of bio-CNG is being made. "Soon the whole plant will start functioning. Half of the CNG will be given to Indore Municipal Corporation at cheaper rates, the rest we will sell in the market," added Tripathi. Tripathi further added that vehicles from 90 wards of the city collect the garbage and transfer it to 11 stations from where it is brought to the trenching ground plant where the waste is sorted and separated. "The pure material is separated from the slurry wastes. Then the processing is done to make biogas, bio-CNG is prepared in a process of 20 to 25 days," he added. Tripathi said that a filling station has been built for ready CNG from where city buses of the Municipal Corporation can fill CNG. (ANI) The Dindoshi Police have arrested three drug peddlers on Saturday. The police have recovered 23 Kilogram (Kg) Ganja from the accused. The case has been registered under NDPS Act and the police have also issued summons against the other two accused in the case. Further investigations are awaited. (ANI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to address public meetings in three Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in his day-long event on Sunday. Singh is learnt to start his first public address from Hamirpur constituency followed by Rath and Mahoba. "Today, February 6, I shall address election meetings at Hamirpur, Rath and Mahoba assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Look forward to it," Rajnath Singh tweeted. As the first of seven phases elections in Uttar Pradesh is slated on February 10, the Defence Minister is continuously addressing public gathering in different constituencies in the 403 member Assembly in the state as well as other poll-bound states of Punjab and Uttarakhand for nearly last one month. While addressing three public gatherings in Uttar Pradesh's Baldev, Kheragarh and Agra in his day-long visit to the state on Saturday, the Defence Minister praised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his action against criminals and creating fear in hurts of "mafias" (known criminals) and increasing economy of the state to 21 lakh crore from Rs 11 lakh crore during his five-year regime since 2017, putting the state at 2nd position in India in terms of economy. Rajnath Singh on Saturday also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent statement in Parliament, blaming the BJP-led government's foreign policy to bring China and Pakistan together. Referring to a violent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakh's Galwan valley, the Defence Minister had said the Indian soldiers displayed exemplary courage and valour in the line of duty and even sacrificed their lives. Taking a jibe at Gandhi over the number of casualties on the Chinese side, he had said, "It means you (Rahulji) will accept whatever Chinese mouthpiece Global Times says." Singh referred to a report published in Australian newspaper "The Klaxon", which stated the possibility of 38-50 Chinese casualties. Singh also said that, unlike other parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fulfilled all the promises that it made to the public. The Minister informed how the BJP government abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and brought Citizenship Amendment Act for the reliably persecuted Indians residing in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Singh on Saturday also attacked Samajwadi Party accusing it of doing "politics of appeasement", and asserted that "only BJP can do development" in Uttar Pradesh. Assembly Elections will be held over a total of seven phases for the five states. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls in seven phases, Manipur in two, the rest in a single phase. Goa, Uttarakhand, and Punjab will go for polls on February 14 in one phase, and Manipur from February 27. The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to polls in seven phases on February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. Out of these five states going to polls in the coming months, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in all the states except in Punjab, where the ruling party is Congress. (ANI) The Congress MLA Kaneez Fatima along with her supporters protested outside the Kalaburagi District Collector's office on Saturday amid the ongoing hijab controversy in Karnataka. The state education administration has sought a ban on wearing of hijab by the school students on the grounbds that it disturbs harmony and the uniforms' guidelines be strictly enforced. Fatima, while speaking to reporters, said that she too wears the hijab to the Assembly, and dared the state government to stop her from doing so. "We're ready for a change in the colour of the hijab to match it with the uniform, but we cannot stop wearing it. I wear hijab to the Assembly as well, they can stop me if they can," said Fatima. Fatima, who represents the Gulbarga (North) constituency in the Karnataka Assembly, also alleged that the girl students are being oppressed by the state education administration. "Their (girl students) entry is being denied in the schools while the annual examinations are only two months away. So, people of all castes and religion have gathered at the DC office, Kalaburagi," said Fatima. The Congress MLA also said that a memorandum will be submitted to the state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on the issue, while protests will also be held in Udupi later. "Till now, everyone was wearing it (hijab). It's too late now. Why are they suddenly stopping us? Burkha is nothing new," added Fatima. On Saturday, the Karnataka education department had issued an order, stating all schools under it should follow the uniform as stipulated by the state government, while students of private institutions would have to adhere to the dress code decided by their respective management. "Clothes which disturb equality, integrity and public order will be banned," the order stated. (ANI) The Election Commission of India on Sunday granted relaxation for holding indoor and outdoor public meetings in the five poll-bound states while sticking with the ban on roadshows, rallies, processions, and 'padyatra'. "Restrictions regarding outdoor meeting/indoor meetings/rallies will be further relaxed subject to the condition that the number of persons attending the indoor/outdoor meetings/rallies will be limited to a maximum of 50 per cent of the capacity of Indoor halls and 30 per cent of the open ground capacity or as fixed by DEO as per the requirement of the social distancing norms and whichever is less," ECI said in a statement. "Ban on roadshows, pad yatras, cycle/bike/vehicle rallies, and processions will remain as before. A maximum number of persons permissible for door-to-door campaigning fixed at 20 will also remain as before. Ban on campaign between 8 PM and 8 AM will also continue as before," it added. The decision was taken after the Election Commission held a meeting with the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, on Saturday to assess the prevailing ground situation. The Health Ministry informed the Commission that COVID-19 cases are fast receding in the country and the poll going states are contributing a very small proportion of the total reported cases in the country. The commission has appointed Special Observers for the poll-bound states to oversee the holding of the free and fair elections. "Many Special Observers have sent their reports and have stated that the COVID situation has improved substantially and positivity rate has come down significantly," the ECI said. The Commission further said that the open ground rallies can be held only on the grounds specifically designated by the district authorities and subject to compliance with all the conditions of SDMA. "Allocation of these grounds will be given equitably by the district administration through e-Suvidha portal on the first come first serve basis. Capacities of these grounds will be fixed by the District Administration well in advance and notified to all the parties," it added. The Election Commission will review the situation periodically and take necessary decisions for amendment in its guidelines based on ground-level situation, added the statement. Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held on February 10, 14, 20, 23, 27, and March 3 and 7. Elections in Goa and Uttarakhand will be held on February 14 and in Manipur from February 27 to March 3. Elections in Punjab will be held on February 20. The counting of votes will be done on March 10. (ANI) While speaking to ANI, Vaid said, "Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in his 111 days of rule has done very well. So everybody wants Channi to be the CM." He added, "If Channi is declared CM candidate, Congress will get additional 10 seats." According to the Congress MLA, everybody in Punjab is eagerly waiting for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to declare the CM candidate today. Rahul Gandhi would make the announcement of Congress' Chief Ministerial face at 2 pm in Ludhiana on Sunday. When asked about Navjot Singh Sidhu as the CM face, Vaid said, "He is our President. Whatever the party high command decides, it will be accepted by all Congress cadres. I don't think Sidhu would also object to it. He is also a party cadre like us." Punjab would vote for the 117 seat-assembly elections on February 20 while the counting is on March 10. (ANI) Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday offered a 'chadar' at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on the occasion of the 810th annual Urs and read out the Prime Minister's message of tolerance and harmony. Naqvi read out Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message, "Unity in diversity is the identity of India. Harmonious co-existence of different religions, sects and beliefs in the country is our speciality. For strengthening the socio-cultural fabric of the country in different periods, the saints, mahatmas, Pirs and Fakirs have played an important role. In this respect, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti's name is taken with full respect and reverence, who spread the message of love and harmony in the society." Naqvi said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for Sufis, sacraments of saints and resolve for inclusive empowerment of the society is the ideologue to make India a Vishwa Guru." Naqvi presented a "chadar" on behalf of Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of the 810th annual Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Dargah Ajmer Sharif here today and read out his message to the people of all sections of the society present in large numbers. PM Modi in his message said, "Congratulations and warm wishes to his followers across the world on the 810th Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Sending 'Chadar' in Ajmer Sharif on the occasion of Urs of the great Sufi saint who spread the message of humanity across the world. I pay tribute to him." In his message, the Prime Minister added, "Generations will continue to be inspired by the ideas and thoughts of Garib Nawaz. An example of harmony and brotherhood, this festival of Urs will further strengthen the faith and belief of the devotees. With this belief of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on the occasion of the annual Urs, I wish the nation, happiness and prosperity from the Dargah of Ajmer Sharif." The "chadar", sent by the Prime Minister, was welcomed with full respect by the Anjuman Committee of the Dargah and presented in the 'Darbar' of Khwaja Garib Nawaz. Speaking on the occasion, Naqvi said, "Today the world is looking at Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the icon of world peace with hope and confidence. This is the result of the blessings of the Sufi saints." Naqvi said that the life of Khwaja Garib Nawaz inspires us to further strengthen the power of social harmony and unity so that we can defeat the negative forces that create conflict and dissociation. The teaching of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is an "effective resolution of world peace" and a meaningful message of Hindustani Sanskar-Sankalp-Sanskriti. The Urs festival is an annual festival held at Ajmer which commemorates the death anniversary of the Sufi saint. Thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine from all over India and abroad during the Urs. (ANI) A press release from the Indian Army read, "In a solemn ceremony at BB Cantt, Lieutenant General DP Pandey, GOC Chinar Corps led all ranks in paying homage to the gallant soldier on behalf of the proud Nation." Late Sepoy Sanjay Kumar Bhat, on Saturday, while carrying out road opening operation on NH 1A near Fruit Mandi, Parimpora was hit from behind by a civil truck, the release said. He was immediately evacuated to a civil hospital, Noora Hospital, Zainakut, and further shifted to 92 Base Hospital. However, Bhat succumbed to his injuries. 43-year-old Bhat joined the Army in 2006. He belonged to the Village Mishriwala Camp of Jammu Tehsil in Jammu and Kashmir, said in a press statement. The mortal remains of Late Sepoy Sanjay Kumar Bhat will be taken for last rites to his native place, where he would be laid to rest with full military honours. "In this hour of grief, the Army stands in solidarity with the bereaved family and remains committed to their dignity and wellbeing," the press release added. (ANI) Moments after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced Charanjit Singh Channi as the Chief Ministerial face of the party for the upcoming Assembly polls in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha on Sunday hit out at the party and asked if Congress could find only a man "accused of illegal sand mining" as their CM face among 3 crore Punjabis. "It is indeed sad that out of 3 crore Punjabis - Congress chose a person who is accused of illegal sand mining and transfer posting scam as their CM candidate," Chadha wrote on Twitter. In a self-made video, Chadha said, "It is sad that Congress has made such a person as their Chief Ministerial face who sold even the sand of Punjab. The person on whom all serious allegations are framed like illegal sand mining, transfer-posting scam. The person whose nephew's house when raided was found to have Rs 10 crore in cash, luxury cars, has been made the CM face. They chose such a candidate in whose constituency illegal mining was going on which was exposed by the Aam Aadmi Party. Among 3 crore Punjabis in the state, did Congress find only such a man? They found such a man who could not live without corruption for 111 days?" The AAP leader further said that the people of Punjab have to choose between a "dishonest and a hardcore honest man". "The people of Punjab have two options, on one side there is a dishonest man who has such serious allegations, and on the other hand, there is a hardcore honest man who left the career of crores of rupees, and raised the voice of Punjab till Lok Sabha. Please give a chance to Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal," he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday announced in Ludhiana that incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will be Congress chief ministerial face in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu who was also present in the rally in his speech before Rahul Gandhi said that "he will accept the decision of Rahul Gandhi." After Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post following months of feud with Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi was named as Punjab's Chief Minister in September last year. Punjab will go to the polls on February 20. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI) Declaring incumbent Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief ministerial candidate from Congress for the upcoming Punjab polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that the state needs someone who understands poverty and hunger. "People of Punjab said that they want a Chief Minister who comes from a financially poor family. We want someone who understands poverty, hunger, and the anxiety the poor face because Punjab needs that person to lead them. Punjab CM candidate will be Charanjit Singh Channi," Rahul Gandhi said. Rahul Gandhi made the following announcement in his rally in Ludhiana. The announcement came after months of speculation around the Chief Ministerial face of Congress between Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. After the announcement, Channi while extending courtesy to everyone involved in the decision of making him CM face said, "This is a big battle which I can't fight alone. I don't have the money, courage to fight it. The people of Punjab will fight this battle." Ahead of the announcement, Sidhu while addressing the rally had said that he will accept Rahul Gandhi's decision. "If I am given the decision-making power, I will finish the mafia, improve people's lives. If not given power, I will walk with a smile with whomever you make CM, I accept Rahul Gandhi's decision," Sidhu said. Channi was picked up as Chief Minister after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from the post in September last year amid unending infighting in the party. The parting was on a bitter note and Amarinder Singh has formed his own party to fight the polls. Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress Party is contesting the election in alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). Punjab will go to the polls on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10. In the 2017 Assembly polls in the state, Congress won an absolute majority by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government which had been in power for 10 years. (ANI) Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday suggested that Goa should get rid of the 'disease of defection' and for that people should defeat politicians who defect to other political parties. "The disease of defection should stop in Goa and it is only possible if people decide to defeat the defectors during by-elections. People should defeat such politicians who defect," former Union Minister said. Goa assembly which comprises only 40 seats often faces the problem of MLA's defecting from one party to another, thus, leaving the state in political instability. Chidambaram made the following comments during a press conference in state capital Panaji while releasing the Congress manifesto for upcoming Goa assembly elections. In its manifesto, Congress promised resumption of mining activities in the state within 3 to 6 months after coming to power. "If the economy of Goa should improve then, it is very important to start legal mining and promised that resumption of mining activities in the state within 3 to 6 months after Congress comes to power," said Chidambaram. "For Goa, the problem is not about finding resources, but the problem is with the allocation of resources. There are three avenues for the state budget, governments own resources, the share of central government revenues and central governments grants," he said. "Source of funds was never a problem, but the problem was with allocation of funds. If wise hands and thinking minds can allocate funds then all the issues highlighted in the manifesto can be achieved in 5 years," he added. Citing an example of how state resources can increase, he said that if Goa becomes an IT and pharmaceutical hub then the resources will multiply. "If one fails to attend to the problems then revenues are depressed," he said. Congress' vision for Goa is to create a knowledge-driven, diversified and cosmopolitan Goa built on unique social, cultural and ecological values. "To achieve this vision, seven pillars consisting Suramya Goa - Serene Goa, Susanskrut Goa - Cultured Goa, Santulit Goa - Balanced Goa, Suvidhya Goa- Knowledge-centric enlightened Goa, Samrudh Goa- Affluent Goa, Sushaseet Goa- Well Governed Goa and Swanandi Goa - Healthy Goa," the statement by the party read. "Under the Nyay scheme, Congress will provide help of Rs 6000 monthly to poor families," it adds. Goa will go to the Assembly polls on February 14. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI) "His contributions to Indian classical music will be ever remembered by posterity," said the Chief Minister in a statement. The mortal remains of Pandit Damodar Hota will be cremated with state honours, announced the Chief Minister. He conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved family of the artiste. (ANI) Kerala BJP Vice President KS Radhakrishnan on Sunday hit out at state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the Gold smuggling case after prime accused Swapna Suresh's revelations in the case, and said that the Chief Minister's Office was fully aware of the smuggling activities. Speaking to ANI, Radhakrishnan said, "The CMO was fully aware of the gold smuggling activities. This fact has been consistently denied by the CM. The question is who appointed Sivasankar as the point of contact. As it has been revealed by Swapna, after having proper discussions with the Consulate General when he visited the CMO in the presence of CM, then the CM appointed Sivasankar as the point of contact. That's very important. And after that, the consulate has been contacting Sivasankar for this thing and that thing." "Sivasankar in turn had been a constant visitor there in the office of the Consulate General. So the link between Sivasankar and the Consulate General was so established. There are certain doubts regarding the propriety of a bureaucrat who goes regularly to visit a Consulate General of a foreign country. And what was the business of the State of Kerala with that Consulate General?" he added. The BJP leader said that the Chief Minister cannot evade the question regarding his role in the case. "The CM cannot avoid or evade the question regarding what exactly the role of the CM in the gold smuggling case. You appointed him. And after the appointment, has he been enjoying the freehand without informing the CM? Is it practically possible? So the CM should explain what exactly was his role in the notorious gold smuggling case," he said. Swapna Suresh, prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case on Friday alleged that she was exploited and manipulated by M Sivasankar, principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The statements came after Sivasankar in his upcoming autobiography "Aswathamavu: Verum Oru Aana" alleged that Swapna had trapped him by gifting him an iPhone. However, that proved to be a major proof against him later on. Speaking to ANI, Swapna said, "It is not absconding according to me, I was clearly instructed by Sivasankar that unless and until I receive a written summons from the authority, I may not have to appear before the customs authorities. And before appearing, it is better that I seek anticipatory bail. And as per his instructions, Sandeep and my husband's instruction, I followed them blindly and I went in for anticipatory bail and I landed up in Bangalore. And I was declared absconding. I was exploited and manipulated." The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019. (ANI) Mandaviya said that this decision will further strengthen the country's fight against the pandemic. "DCGI has granted emergency use permission to single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine in India. This is the 9th #COVID19 vaccine in the country. This will further strengthen the nation's collective fight against the pandemic," said Mandaviya in a tweet. Earlier on Saturday, the subject expert committee under India's drug regulator had recommended Russia's Sputnik Light one-shot COVID-19 vaccine, sources had told ANI. Sources had said that the DCGI was expected to soon give final approval to Russia's Sputnik Light. Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories is the Indian partner of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which has sought approval from the Indian drug regulator for use of single-dose Russia's Sputnik Light one shot. The recommendation was given as the primary dose. Recently, the company submitted a proposal for conducting trials of Sputnik Light as a booster to other vaccines. Sputnik Light is the first component of the two doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. (ANI) Amid Karnataka hijab row, the protest by students to be allowed to attend classes wearing a hijab continued in Udupi on Sunday. A group of students had marched to their college in Kundapur wearing saffron scarves on Saturday as a sign of protest over an incident on February 4 when students wearing hijab were allegedly denied entry to a college in the Kundapur area of Udupi. Notably, the state government has invoked provisions of the Karnataka Education Act saying that the students are to wear uniforms chosen by the college panel. "Everything was normal till we were told to remove the hijab by the college administration. We opposed and then everything changed," said Shafa, a commerce student, who was sitting outside a government college in Udupi on Sunday. Students, who were protesting against the administration's order disallowing them to enter classes by wearing hijab, have decided to continue their protest against the state government and the concerned authorities for allegedly not allowing them into the classrooms and the college campus with hijab. "We were thrown out of the classrooms and we were also sent out of the campus for asking our fundamental right which Constitution provided us to follow essential religious practices. We are not committing any crime," Shafa said. The protests have triggered political debates with Congress and the BJP attacking each other over the issue. Reacting to this, she said that the BJP government and school authorities are playing politics over it. Almas, a PU science branch student, said that debates on TV channels make statements against their religious practice of wearing a hijab. "We will continue our protest for the right which has been given by the Constitution to us even though our school and government keep us outside the colleges for years," said Alia. Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagarana Vedike and many other right-wing organisations also decided to continue their protest against girls who are protesting in favour of wearing a hijab. "They have all their rights to practise religious issues at home and they can follow it in Madarasa and in Masjid not in schools. Only uniform is must in schools. They (Muslims) started a new trend and we will continue our saffron shawl protest till they agree and stop this drama," said Shashikanth Sharma, convenor VHP. "Students must wear schools uniform which is decided by the administration. They can only be allowed to wear uniforms and no religious practices are allowed in any schools in Karnataka. We will not allow India to become another Afghanistan or Pakistan," said state revenue minister R Ashok while speaking to media persons in Bengaluru. Pre-University education board on Saturday has released a circular stating that no religious practices will be allowed. The board said that only the uniform which the school administration decided can be allowed to be worn and no other religious practices will be allowed in colleges. (ANI) Drawing comparisons between previous governments of other parties and present Bharatiya Janata Party government in Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said no one can say that any BJP minister has been accused of corruption. "Earlier, ministers used to be accused of corruption, but now can anyone say either in Delhi or UP that any of our ministers has been accused of corruption?" said Rajnath Singh at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur. "As long as there is corruption, the kind of development we want will not happen," he added. Here, Rajnath Singh was making a veiled reference to corruption allegations faced by Congress-led subsequent UPA governments at the Centre and Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in UP before BJP came to power at both Centre and state. Before addressing the rally, Singh paid his tribute at the Samadhi Sthal (cemetery) of Swami Roti Ram Maharaj in Hamirpur. The 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to go to polls in seven phases on February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3, and March 7. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 10. (ANI) Later, she performed 'Dehri Pujan' at the temple. She washed the 'dehri' with rose water and applied perfume on it. After worship, she said to the media, "We have come here to receive the blessings of Thakurji. Samajwadi Party will form a government with a strong majority." Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The counting of votes will be done on March 10. (ANI) Speaking to ANI, DCP, Vadodara Police said, "An incident of rape with a minor of 17-years of age was reported. We have registered an FIR under POCSO Act. The victim's father has committed the rape. After the death of her mother, she lived with her father. She was raped multiple times since 2021." Later, the police took the accused under custody and registered an FIR under the POCSO Act. The police further informed that the matter came to the fore after her aunt took her to a doctor. "When her aunt took her to a doctor, it was revealed that she was pregnant after which they brought her to the police station. The medical examination confirmed that she was 18-week pregnant," the police officer said. We will ensure stringent action against the accused on the basis of scientific evidence, the police further said. (ANI) In a joint operation of the Border Security force (BSF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG), heroin weighing 14 kgs worth Rs 35 crore was seized near Panchala in Rajasthan's Barmer district. "In a joint operation, Border Security Force, SOG & Barmer Police recovered 14 Kgs of Heroin near village Panchala in Barmer district. The approximate value of recovered heroin in the international market is Rs 35 crore," PRO of BSF Gujarat Frontier said. Further details are awaited. (ANI) Using the historic milestone of her Platinum Jubilee, British Queen Elizabeth II redefined the future of the monarchy, calling for the Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen Camilla when Charles becomes King. "When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service," said Queen Elizabeth II in her message on the eve of the 70th anniversary of her Accession to the throne. "February 6 marks the 70th anniversary of my Accession in 1952. It is a day that even after 70 years, I still remember as much for the death of my father, King George VI, as for the start of my reign," the Queen added. Further, the Queen stated that "as we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service." "So as I look forward to continuing to serve you with all my heart, I hope this jubilee wil bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities after some difficult times for so many of us," the Queen added. The British Queen would be expected to consult her direct heirs Charles and William before making such a significant announcement about titles, which suggests they both agreed and felt the British public is ready to accept Camilla as Queen, according to CNN. The British Queen laid out her vision for the institution's transition in an extraordinary message released as she reached the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. It is a hugely significant intervention from the monarch, who is the only person who can define royal titles. Camilla became something of a public pariah following the breakdown of Charles and Diana's union in the mid-90s, reported CNN. In 2005, when Charles married Camilla, the couple announced she intended to be known as "Princess Consort" despite having a right to the title of Queen. It was seen as a recognition of the sensitivities around a title that was destined for Charles' first wife, Diana. (ANI) "I wish President @RTErdogan and his wife a swift recovery from COVID-19," Mitsotakis said on Twitter on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Erdogan said on Twitter that he and his wife had received positive COVID-19 test results, but were only exhibiting mild symptoms. The Turkish leader specified that they had contracted the Omicron variant. Erdogan said that he was going to continue working from home. Relations between Greece and Turkey have seriously deteriorated in recent years due to territorial claims in the Mediterranean, illegal migration, and the Cyprus issue. (ANI/Sputnik) Moscow [Russia], February 6 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States has been stoking fear of Russia with claims that it is plotting a "false flag" attack to justify an invasion in Ukraine, much like it did in the lead up to the 2003 war in Iraq, activists told Sputnik. Christian Guevara, of the Claudia Jones School for Political Education, a grassroots organization advocating social justice, argued that claims of "imminent threats" were straight out of the US playbook. He compared the recent accusations to the "axis of evil" claims that George W. Bush made in 2002 based on the false US and UK intel, a year before ordering the invasion of Iraq. "It's extremely obvious the US and UK are working day and night to procure a wave of anti-Russia fear, much like the same entities did in 2002," he said. Guevara pointed out that the US seemed more capable of sending troops and weapons to Ukraine than of providing enough COVID-19 tests as well as the most basic economic and health care assistance to Americans at home. "To be clear, it wouldn't be justified even if they had done those things, but it's sad that Americans receive nothing and still blindly follow what the state says," he added. Victoria Ross, Community Coordinator at the Western New York Peace Center told Sputnik that the United Nations should mediate the Ukraine conflict and that "all troops should back off and let's have all parties negotiate." Ross emphasized that there should be more negotiations and not escalation and warned that it is very alarming to see two nuclear powers "flexing their muscles." A wave of small anti-NATO protests against a possible war on Russia took place across the US on Saturday, days after the Department of State alleged that Moscow planned to release a fake video of the genocide of Russian speakers by Ukrainian troops. Pressed for proof, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the US and the UK would not have declassified this information if it were not true. (ANI/Sputnik) Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said: "We assure and pledge that there is no threat from Afghan soil to any country." "The problem exists in Pakistan, it is their own internal problem," TOLOnews quoted Bilal as saying. The Taliban also denied the presence of any group, including the TTP on Afghan soil saying that the Afghan territory will not be used against any country. It came after Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that Pakistan forces were using the military equipment remaining from NATO forces, according to TOLOnews. "They (the Pakistan military) use military equipment remaining from NATO forces. In my opinion, the Afghan Taliban made a large effort to dissuade the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), but they do not understand," said Rashid on Geo TV. "They (TTP) are settled in Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktia and Khost provinces, which are along the (Durand Line), and they launch attacks against Pakistan. The attacks have increased," Rashid added. Earlier, the International Crisis Group maintained that Islamabad is seeking to take further benefits from the 20-year war in Afghanistan. (ANI) Lack of public transport system to Pakistan's Islamabad airport, which is located 25 kilometres west of Islamabad, is becoming a financial burden for regular commuters. Hailing a cab or minivan from Rawalpindi to the airport costs anywhere between Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500, reported The Express Tribune. This rate goes up for night time and early morning commuters who have to pay between Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000. The airport became operational nearly four years ago but the metro facility leading to the airport has been in the completion pipeline for a very long time but nothing has been materialized till now, reported the Express Tribune. Farid Bhatti, a junior employee at the airport also complained saying that a major portion of his salary goes to commuting to work. "We are four employees who split the travel cost amongst us now, but we suffered a great deal in the start and the employer did not offer any help either," said Bhatti. Najib Malik, who has just arrived from the United Kingdom to Islamabad with his family, was also shocked to know of the price that the taxi driver quoted him. "After I had loaded all my luggage in the cab, the driver demanded Rs 10,000 to drive us till Bhara Kahu," he said, as per the newspaper. National Highway Authority of Pakistan said that though the metro bus project was completed in March last year, however, it was only focused on infrastructure. Pointing out to the unavailability of other facilities the official said, "Purchasing buses, maintenance, and operations is not our job,", reported the newspaper. (ANI) According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the forces conducted the IBO on the reported presence of terrorists in the area and the TTP terrorist was trying to escape, reported ARY News. "Huge cache of arms, ammunition, explosives, IEDs, Mortars, grenade and communication equipment recovered from the terrorist hideout," ISPR added. In another operation, LEAs recovered M-16 Rifles and Ammo at the Makeen district of South Waziristan. Earlier today, two terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan's Datta Khel, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).said. The weapons and ammunition recovered by ISPR from the hideout included submachine guns, hand grenades and a large number of multiple calibre rounds, reported the news channel. (ANI) After a three-day clearance operation in Balochistan, a report has emerged that a civilian has been killed during the operation which was launched after terrorists attacked security forces camps in the Panjgur and Naushki areas of the province. "My cousin has been abducted from Tejaban(kech) by death squad of Mir khalid and their colleagues Akil s/o of mehrab, Tariq s/o of mehrab. Later they killed my cousin in Balgatar operation and putter one Ak47 that he is freedom figter, he was only a civilian," a Twitter user named Islam Murad Baloch wrote. Pakistan military has said that a total of 20 terrorists and its nine security personnel were killed in a three-day clearance operation in Balochistan. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, three terrorists, including two high-value targets, linked to the attacks were killed in Kech district's Balgatar area on Friday. On Saturday, the ISPR said that the operation was taken place on Wednesday evening, had been completed, according to Dawn. The Military further stated that both attacks in Panjgur and Naushki areas were repulsed successfully. During an exchange of fire with the terrorists in Naushki, nine terrorists and four security personnel were killed including an officer, said the ISPR. Security forces had carried out a clearance operation to hunt down the hiding terrorists in Panjgur, it said, adding that initially four fleeing terrorists were killed there and as many were encircled by security forces the next day, according to Dawn. "All encircled terrorists were killed in today's (Saturday) operation as they failed to surrender," the ISPR said. (ANI) Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2022 shows the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Issues such as rebuilding Africa from the brunt of the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring continental peace and security, socio-economic development, as well as representation of Africa in multilateral international institutions took center stage at the AU Assembly Summit. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, told African leaders the need to exert concerted efforts towards effectively responding to challenges such as COVID-19, expansion of terrorism and insecurity while strengthening and preserving multilateralism. "The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged mankind deep down in its conscience. We cannot, when we meet physically for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, avoid asking ourselves, about ourselves, our doubts, our anxieties, our concerns for our organization and for our Africa," he said. Mahamat said the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a contraction in growth of 2.1 percent in 2020 and increased the debt ratio by 10 points of the continent's GDP. "The two major scourges that are COVID-19 and terrorism on a continental level, must added to our intrinsic fragilities," he said. He said Africa's security situation is deeply marred by the metastasis of terrorism and the dangerous resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government. Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who is also the outgoing chairperson of the AU, on his part echoed Mahamat's assertion as he emphasized the need to exert concerted efforts in realizing Africa's 50-year continental development Agenda 2063. Tshisekedi, in particular, emphasized the need to silence the guns across the African continent. "Silencing the guns in the continent is still a major imperative. However, we have to walk the talk. It is high time that we consolidate the African architecture of peace and security and to ensure the general operationalization of the African Standby Force," he said. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also addressed the AU Assembly summit via video link. "We need to ignite the engine of peace across Africa. Conflicts and violence have many roots -- from economic inequalities and competition for scarce resources, to ethnic and religious tensions, among others," Guterres told African leaders. "African states are proudly multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural. The AU is about showing how people can co-exist, even flourish, by working together," he added. Guterres emphasized that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals depends on supporting massive investments in strong health and education systems, in job-creation, especially in the green and care sectors, and in universal social protection, gender equality, and opportunities for young people, among others. During the summit, Senegalese President Macky Sall took over the one-year term rotating AU chairmanship from DRC's President Tshisekedi. In his acceptance speech, the Senegalese President stressed the need to accelerate Africa's short and long term targets, which includes the fight against the pandemic as well as building an Africa that can withstand current and future socio-economic and political shocks. African leaders also acknowledged the 20th anniversary of the founding of the AU this year as a successor to the former Organization of African Unity, reiterating realization of the major aspirations of the pan-African bloc. Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2022 shows the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2022 shows the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) Photo taken on Feb. 5, 2022 shows the 35th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), also the outgoing chairperson of the African Union (AU), speaks during the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb. 5, 2022. The 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat speaks during the 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb. 5, 2022. The 35th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly kicked off here on Saturday as African leaders met physically for the first time since the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The two-day summit, slated from Feb. 5 to 6 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme of the year "Building Resilience in Nutrition on the African Continent: Accelerate the Human Capital, Social and Economic Development." (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) Handicrafts are making a comeback in Jammu and Kashmir, thanks to the government's efforts over the last two years to breathe fresh life into the traditional arts and crafts that have long been a part of the Himalayan region's culture. Jammu and Kashmir, an Indian Union Territory (UT) is a popular tourist destination. Following the devastation caused by Pakistan backed terrorism in J-K, this essential industry, which employed thousands of people, took the brunt of the fighting. The handicrafts industry was damaged but now with the efforts put in by the government, the industry is reviving. New Delhi sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the procurement of Pashmina for artisans and weavers following which the J-K government directed the Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP), reported Saudi Gazette. Also, in August 2021, the J-K government unveiled the 'Karkhandar' (entrepreneurs) scheme to give a fresh lease of life to the craft scene in Jammu and Kashmir and especially to the languishing crafts. Under the scheme, the meritorious trainees are given Rs 2,000/month as honorarium and the trainer gets Rs 2000/month for each trainee and plus Rs 25,000/- for logistics, raw materials among others, as per Saudi Gazette. Furthermore, the Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom has been organizing back-to-back exhibitions for the J-K artisans in different parts of the country. J-K handicrafts are not limited to shawls and carpets; craftsmen in the Union Territory produce a broad range of goods, including paper machie work, wood carving, willow work, namda, chain stitch, and sozni, among others. UT's handcrafted items are well-known worldwide and have a large market. There are around 2.50 lakh craftsmen in J-K who rely only on handicrafts for their living. Furthermore, this industry has a lot of room for growth in terms of employment prospects. In Kashmir, there are 16 distinct crafts with which around 60 per cent of families are directly or indirectly engaged. According to Saudi Gazette, there are around 4 to 5 lakh craftsmen and 179 significant craft clusters linked with the handicraft sector of J-K, which generates an income of more than a thousand crore rupees. Moreover, J-K's handicrafts are world-renowned, and the traditional handicraft business has grown into a significant sector. The government has given the industry top focus because of its substantial employment base and export possibilities. Carpet weaving, silks, shawls, basketry, ceramics, copper and silverware, paper-mache, and walnut wood are just a few of the small-scale and cottage industries that the UT is known for. (ANI) Students celebrated Basanta Panchami as they climbed up the temple located on the hilltop of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Swayambhunath in Nepal's Kathmandu, prayed Goddess Saraswati and wrote their name on the wall. The walls and edges of the temple are filled with names and scribbles in places where anyone can reach, some guided by parents while some writing on their own. The day of Basanta Panchami in Nepal is considered an auspicious day to make a fresh start to know the alphabet. "She (Saraswati) is considered the goddess of education who drives us to the right path of enlightenment that's why she is worshipped at least once a year," Nabin Raj Upadhyay, an intermediate level student told ANI. Basanta Panchami which also is popular amongst students as Saraswati Pooja falls on Shukla Panchami of Nepali month with marks the beginning of spring season. It follows the religious belief that if students worship Saraswati, they will get success in their studies. Many of the parents brought their sons and daughter to the temple to introduce them to alphabets by writing on the walls and edges of the temple, marking it as their start to the academic field. "It comes as our tradition that has gone into the long run as Goddess Saraswati is considered as the main source of education and awareness, upon bringing children here on Saraswati Pooja is believed to shower them with blessings and good fortunes," Kiran Rana Magar, father of a 3-year-old told ANI. In comparison to earlier years, a celebration of Saraswati Puja this year is largely limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic as most schools in Kathmandu Valley chose not to organize any formal events to celebrate. On the same occasion, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Vice President Nanda Kishor Pun, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana, Speaker of House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota and Chairman of National Assembly Ganesh Timalsina participated in special rituals at Hanuman Dhoka. (ANI) "Former FARC members set forests on fire in Colombian Amazon in order to capture land for extensive livestock farming and coca cultivation," Molano wrote on Twitter. The Minister also published photos of 17 people on a wanted list for setting the Colombian Amazon's forests on fire. FARC was created in 1964 as a left-wing armed force operating against the Colombian government. In 2017, after a disarmament process, it became the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force political party. Nevertheless, in August 2019, former FARC leader Ivan Marquez declared his return to the armed struggle. More than 90% of coca plantations are located in the so-called Silver Triangle, consisting of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. (ANI/Sputnik) Jammu and Kashmir has been moving in the right direction after the abolition of Article 370 in 2019 as more jobs have been created through various projects by the Government of India, according to an Indonesia-based think tank. In an effort to know more about India and Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) has organized an international webinar with the title "75 years of India's Independence: Jammu and Kashmir's journey toward prosperity" on February 4. "Kashmiris are proud of being Indian citizens. They want peace and prosperity," said Utpal Kaul, International Coordinator for the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, Veeramalla Anjaiah (CSEAS). While another speaker, Lt. General (ret) Syed Ata Hasnain said: "Pakistan is a rogue state. India has more Muslims than Pakistan". "Pakistan itself was the violator and spoiler of UN resolutions. Since Pakistan never withdrew its forces, India did not withdraw its troops. The UN dropped the idea of conducting a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir," Veeramalla Anjaiah said while speaking at the event. India's GDP was less than USD 30 billion with 340 million people in 1947. At present, India is the world's largest democracy with 1.40 billion people, according to the think tank. Lt. General (ret) Vinod Bhatia said: "India is the world's biggest democracy and a responsible nuclear power. Peace is not acceptable to Pakistan". "To deal with security challenges (in J&K), it would require a mix of approach between soft and hard measures," said Dr Anton Aliabbas. With USD 3.04 trillion nominal gross domestic product (GDP), India is the world's 6th largest economy. It has the world's fourth strongest military force. India's current literacy rate is 74.37 percent, according to CSEAS. It added that Jammu and Kashmir has been suffering from wars, Pakistan-sponsored terror attacks since 1947. "The main culprit for all the suffering of Kashmiris is Pakistan during the last 75 years. Every year, Pakistan observes Kashmir Solidarity Day (KSD), a national holiday in Pakistan, on February 5 every year to show solidarity with the Kashmiri people," CSEAS said. In an effort to quell the unrest created by Pakistan and boost economic development, the Indian government decided to scrap Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 on August 5, 2019. (ANI) Alberoni University's Yaqub Yasna said that his fellow colleagues have accused him of blasphemy, The Khaama Press News Agency reported on Sunday. The Khaama report said Yasna's colleagues who accused him of blasphemy are lecturers in the faculties of religious studies, agriculture, and education. The Alberoni University lecturer said that his colleagues and students accuse him of blasphemy but added that he has disrespected no religion. The Alberoni University officials and Taliban are yet to comment on the issue. After the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August last year, some 229 university lecturers from the top three universities in Afghanistan left the country. The Taliban officials have been called out by members of the international community over human rights issues at various world forums. (ANI) Peiris is on a three-day visit to strengthen bilateral ties including in areas of trade and connectivity. He will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. "Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Prof. G. L. Peiris arrives in Delhi on an official visit," tweeted External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. Jaishankar met Peiris in September last year in New York and held a comprehensive discussion on the close partnership between the two countries. Sri Lanka's Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa had travelled to India in December last year. His trip focused on measures concerning the economic crisis faced by the island nation. Jaishankar had a virtual meeting with Sri Lankan Finance Minister on January 15 and conveyed that India has always stood with Sri Lanka and will continue to extend support. The USD 400 million SAARC currency swap facility has been extended to Sri Lanka and the ACU settlement of $ 515.2 million has been deferred by two months. Another USD 500 million LOC for the purchase of fuel from India has also been extended. India delivered 100,000 Rapid Antigen Self Test Kits to Sri Lanka on Friday to assist it in the fight against COVID-19. (ANI) Having learnt lessons from the Afghanistan fiasco, US President Joe Biden is implementing an inclusive approach along with playing a proactive role in handling the Ukraine crisis. Expert Jim Cook believes that the fresh approach would produce a foreign policy success for Biden and the West, while delivering a blow to autocratic states that violate international rules and norms. Whereas Putin's overreach in Ukraine is bringing NATO closer together and encouraging traditionally "neutral" countries such as Finland to join the alliance,as noted by National Interest magazine. US administration under President Joe Biden has come to terms with the situation in Ukraine with recent lessons learned from Afghanistan. While diplomacy continues, the prospect of conflict seems more likely than not. Further complicating matters, Biden carries the stigma of "strategic failure" from the botched withdrawal that ended the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan as noted by National Interest magazine. The Afghanistan debacle signaled weakness to US partners, competitors, and adversaries alike. Consequently, the desire to avoid another international catastrophe is influencing the Biden administration's response to the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, this is a remarkable turn of events for someone who campaigned on his extensive foreign policy experience. Upon assuming office, Biden declared that "America is back" and pledged to "repair our alliances" to meet the challenge of strategic competition from China and Russia, writes Jim Cook for the National Interest. Unfortunately, US President Joe Biden's ambitions (and credibility) took a big hit in the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal that began a precipitous decline in public approval which remains underwater today. Meanwhile, these political headwinds led members of his own political party to voice concerns that the lack of "easy options" to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine could make Biden appear weak. At the same time, critics such as House Representative Mike Turner from Republican Congress argued that the Afghanistan withdrawal "shows that this administration has a broken foreign policy and has raised questions about its commitment to its allies. " Nevertheless, there is bipartisan support for Ukraine on Capitol Hill as demonstrated by a delegation of U.S. senators that recently traveled to Kiev in a "show of solidarity" against Russian aggression. Meanwhile, there is a remarkable turn of events for someone who campaigned on his extensive foreign policy experience. Upon assuming office, Biden declared that "America is back" and pledged to "repair our alliances" to meet the challenge of strategic competition from China and Russia. Unfortunately, his ambitions (and credibility) took a big hit in the aftermath of the Afghanistan withdrawal that began a precipitous decline in public approval which remains underwater today, writes Jim Cook for the National Interest. These political headwinds led members of his own political party to voice concerns that the lack of "easy options" to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine could make Biden appear weak. Given the painful lessons from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden is setting expectations by treating the Ukraine situation as a full-scale crisis. The administration is taking (and leading) a more proactive approach with stark warnings that a Russian military invasion of Ukraine would be the largest since World War II and "would change the world." Moreover, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said such an attack would be "horrific" with a "significant amount of casualties, as analyzed by National Interest. The Biden administration is applying some of the lessons learned from the Afghanistan experience by taking a more proactive and inclusive approach towards the Ukraine crisis. The risk, of course, is the president's zeal to reestablish U.S. credibility will manifest in bellicose words and actions that (unintentionally) elevate tensions with Russia and increase the possibility of a strategic miscalculation that leads to armed conflict, as noted by National Interest. (ANI) London [UK], February 6 (ANI/Sputnik): The United Kingdom has sent more than 100 special forces advisers to Kiev to train and aid the Ukrainian military as tensions rise over Ukraine, the British newspaper Mirror reported on Sunday, citing a military source. "UK special forces have been deployed to the region to help and advise the Ukrainian military. They have a wide skill set which will no doubt be very useful to the Ukrainian forces," the source said as quoted by the Mirror. The British troops from the SAS, the SBS, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support, which are no longer engaged in Afghanistan, are expected to teach Ukrainian special forces counter-insurgency tactics, sniping and sabotage, according to the source. The precarious situation around Ukraine has deteriorated in recent weeks with the United States and European Union voicing concerns over the Russian military buildup at the Ukrainian border, and NATO urging allies to enhance their military support for Kiev. So far, the US, UK, Canada, Poland and Baltic states have supplied several batches of weapons to Ukraine, with Washington dispatching additional forces to neighboring Poland and Romania. Russia in turn has repeatedly denied having intentions to invade any country, pointing to NATO's military activity near its borders, which it deems a threat to its national security. (ANI/Sputnik) Sardar Mohammad Yusuf, who is PML leader in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to honour his commitment to make the Hazara division a separate province, the Dawn newspaper reported. "Not only the prime minister but also the leadership of other political parties had committed that Hazara division would be given the status of a separate federating unit, so they should now honour their commitments," said Yusuf, who is also the chairman of Sobah Hazara Tehreek, According to Yusuf, the creation of more federating units was important for good governance and asked the ruling PTI government to constitute a commission for the purpose. PML parliamentary leader said his party had constituted a committee comprising lawmakers from various political parties to raise the issue in the parliament and other relevant forums. The National Commission on Human Rights has estimated thousands of Hazaras -- adherents of the minority Shia Muslim sect --- have been killed in targeted attacks in Pakistan since 2004. They have been subject to targeted shootings and mass bomb and suicide attacks, particularly in Quetta, where the majority of the country's estimated half a million Hazaras reside. Back in April last year, Mohammad Yusuf had said the movement for Haraza province would succeed soon. He had said the provincial status for the region would serve both political and administrative purposes. (ANI) The people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) have condemned Pakistan for observing February 5 as Kashmir Solidarity Day and on the contrary marked it as "Fraud Day". Several protest rallies are held across PoK in areas like Bagh, Mong and Hajira where the people lambasted Islamabad for its double standards on Kashmir. Young political activists in their address compared the infrastructure of Srinagar to Islamabad. They said that Srinagar has better facilities than even Islamabad, so what kind of solidarity is the Pakistani establishment talking about? Sajid Amin, a political activist said, "I will not compare development in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot and Mirpur with Srinagar but Srinagar's comparison has to be done with Islamabad. The kind of hospitals Srinagar city has, such a facility is not even available in Islamabad. I wish there could be a university in Rawalpindi and Islamabad which can be compared with the university in Srinagar. Our resources have been looted and our rivers have been diverted (by Pakistan) that causes severe environmental hazards". Other political activists have accused Islamabad of using Kashmir for political gains and spreading anti-India hatred and propaganda. Pakistan has designated February 5 as a national holiday in order to "express solidarity" with the Kashmir separatist movement. Since its launch in 1990, anti-India groups and individuals have used Kashmir Day to convince the people in J&K and incite violence. Since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A in 2019, the efforts of Pakistan have had no effect in Kashmir, indicating a shift in the narrative and Pak-sponsored agendas have failed consistently in the valley. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is rapidly improving, with civilians cooperating with the army and other forces to eradicate terrorism and create a peaceful atmosphere. (ANI) BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob in Beijing on Sunday, calling on both sides to deepen the synergy of development strategies and promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations in the post-pandemic era. China is reluctant to side with Russia in the current Ukraine crisis so much so for economic reasons as the Chinese economy is already in a shaky spot, giving less incentive to Xi Jinping to tie his country's fortunes to Moscow's in the event of a military crisis. Russia has one obvious ally to turn to as geopolitical sparks fly with the West over Ukraine, as noted by CNN. But don't expect China to offer much more than supportive words to its northern neighbor should the United States and Europe follow through with threats to slam Russia's economy if Moscow launches an invasion of Ukraine. Beijing's diplomatic and military ties with Moscow may be strong, but its economic allegiances are a lot more complex. Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday as the Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off. The Kremlin described the meeting as warm and constructive, and the leaders agreed to deepen their cooperation, according to an account published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua. Russian oil giant Rosneft said it had agreed to boost supplies to China over the next decade, according to CNN. Meanwhile, US lawmakers are threatening to impose what they call the "mother of all sanctions" on Russia should it cross a red line. European leaders are also preparing punishments that would go way beyond the curbs imposed on Russia when it annexed Crimea in 2014. China which has its own tensions with the West has already expressed diplomatic support for its ally. In a joint statement issued Friday after their meeting, Xi and Putin said both sides opposed "further enlargement of North Atlantic Treaty Organization." Russia fears Ukraine may join the alliance. "Xi almost certainly believes there is a strategic interest in supporting Russia," said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Washington DC based Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He pointed out that China "remains at permanent loggerheads" with the United States. There is already some evidence that tensions with the West have deepened cooperation between China and Russia, according to Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow and chair of Russia in the Asia Pacific Program at Carnegie Moscow Center. He cited arms deals, the joint development of weapons, and an "increased number of joint drills" between the two powers, as analyzed by CNN. But it's not clear how far that would extend to deeper economic cooperation in the face of harsh sanctions. Russia depends deeply on China for trade, but that's not the case the other way round. And the Chinese economy is already in a shaky spot, giving less incentive to Xi to tie his country's fortunes to Moscow's in the event of a military crisis. Trade between Russia and China in 2015 fell 29% from the year before, according to official statistics from China. Chinese direct investment into Russia also suffered, according to CNN.(ANI) China has gone to great lengths to keep the coronavirus out of its borders. It has screened mail and tested thousands of packages of fruit and frozen foods despite little evidence that the virus can be transmitted through such products. It has locked down entire cities, leaving Chinese citizens stranded without medicine or food, according to New York Times. That strict coronavirus policy has also had alarming consequences well beyond China. Southeast Asian fruit farmers are especially vulnerable because so much of the region's exports are directed toward the country. In 2020, the total fruit exports from Southeast Asia to China stood at roughly USD 6 billion. Long lines of trucks arriving from Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos are now backed up on China's border crossings. Dragon fruit farmers in Vietnam, who export mostly to China, have been pushed heavily into debt, according to New York Times. In Myanmar, watermelon exporters are dumping their fruit on the border because truck drivers have been told to quarantine for 15 days before they can bring the goods into China. The restrictions appear to have especially hurt Vietnam's dragon fruit farmers. After nine cities in China said they had detected the coronavirus on dragon fruit imported from Vietnam, the authorities shut down supermarkets selling the fruit, forced at least 1,000 people who had come into contact with the fruit to quarantine, and ordered customers to be tested, according to New York Times. Then, in late December, China closed its border with Vietnam for the first time during the pandemic. "China did not tell Vietnam anything in advance," said Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association. China accounts for more than 55 percent of Vietnam's USD 3.2 billion in fruit and vegetable exports, chief of which is the dragon fruit. The ripple effects of China's zero-Covid policy have accelerated discussions about Southeast Asia's dependence on the world's second-largest economy. They have also coincided with growing anxiety in the region over Beijing's presence in the South China Sea, disputed waters that many Southeast Asian nations claim as their own, as noted by New York Times. (ANI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday concluded his 4-day Beijing visit after an early morning meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where both leaders reviewed their bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues. The Pakistan Embassy in China said this was the first meeting of the two leaders since Imran Khan's visit to the country in October 2019. During his meeting with Xi, Imran Khan underscored that China was Pakistan's "steadfast partner and Iron Brother." "The two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, in a warm and cordial atmosphere," Pakistan Embassy said in a tweet. Imran Khan praised China's continued support and assistance to Pakistan's socio-economic development which he said had benefited from the high-quality development of CPEC. He also welcomed increased Chinese investments in CPEC's Phase-II which centred on industrialization and improving people's livelihoods. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who accompanied Imran Khan on his visit to Beijing, separately met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Qureshi thanked the Chinese FM for the country's support for Pakistan's national development and reaffirmed his country's support to China on all issues of its core interest. During his 4-day Beijing visit, Imran Khan attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and met the Chinese leadership for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). On Friday, Pakistan and China inked the Framework Agreement on Industrial Cooperation under Beijing's multi-billion CPEC project in Pakistan. Media reports said the visit was largely aimed to seek financial relief from the communist regime on Belt and Road debts but rising security concerns could kill many key projects. The CPEC authority last week during a meeting with Khan cautioned that Chinese Independent Power Producers (IPPs) may soon suspend their operations under Power Purchase Agreements due to the rising prices of coal in international markets. (ANI) The Chinese embassy in Kabul said a train carrying 600 tons of aid in wheat is set to depart from China's Xinjiang for Afghanistan, as noted by Ariana News. Wang Yu, China's ambassador to Kabul, tweeted on Sunday, that this was the second shipment of Chinese aid to the Afghan people in a week. China's assistance has come in the wake as Taliban has looked for assistance from the Western aid agencies as noted during the recent Oslo conference in Norway in January this year. On the other hand, half of the Afghan population is starving and needs urgent assistance to survive especially because the freezing winter has been hitting Afghanistan. Meanwhile, China announced last week that it had sent about 500 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including food, especially wheat, oil, and sugar. Earlier, Wang said that as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan intensified, the country had so far provided 3,600 tons of food and non-food items to the country, according to Ariana News. (ANI) Pakistan principal opposition parties Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan People's Party join hands to move no-trust motion against ruling Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government. After almost a year of strained relations over the issue of en masse resignations from assemblies, the top PPP and PML-N leadership met in Lahore on Saturday and agreed to leave the thorny issue behind for a common cause -- sending Prime Minister Imran Khan home -- and pledged to weigh all options to achieve the goal, including a no-confidence move and joint long march, as noted by Dawn. Former president Asif Ali Zardari and his son PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and vice president Maryam Nawaz over lunch in Model Town and discussed different options put forward by both the parties to oust the PTI government. Analysts say this appears to be a serious move by the opposition parties to achieve their target in a long time. It was a rare sight that Zardari visited the residence of Sharif exclusively to see him. Earlier, the PPP co-chairman would only call on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif here. During the meeting, PML-N leader Maryam Sharif connected the elder Zardari with her father, Nawaz, over the phone and both talked about moving together for a common cause. After the meeting, Shehbaz confirmed to journalists outside his house at a joint media talk with Bilawal that there was a "difference of opinion" within his party over the issue of a no-confidence motion against the PTI government, which had pretty much cleared now, according to Dawn. "The PPP was always clear about a no-confidence motion against the federal government, but the PML-N had a difference of opinion. But now there has been a consensus to a large extent in the party. This proposal will be presented before the PML-N's central executive committee (CEC) and supremo Nawaz Sharif in a couple of days," Shehbaz Sharif announced. According to the PML-N, the party president spoke to Nawaz, over the phone and told him about the meeting with the PPP leadership. Shehbaz also spoke to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the president of the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), and told him about the meeting. He said the PDM would be taken into confidence about the PML-N's contacts with the PPP. Both the PPP and PML-N have announced separate long marches on Islamabad with the former's starting on Feb 27 and the latter's March 23. Both parties have not yet confirmed whether they will stage a sit-in after reaching the capital, as noted by Dawn. (ANI) Moscow [Russia], February 6 (ANI/Sputnik): Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife a full recovery from the coronavirus and "good health for many years to come," the Kremlin press service said on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he and his wife contracted the Omicron strain of coronavirus, with the disease running mildly. "Dear Mr. President, dear friend, I would like to sincerely support you and your wife. I am sure that your energy and good spirits will help you cope with the virus in the shortest time possible," Putin said, as quoted on the Kremlin website, adding that he wishes Erdogan and his wife a full recovery and strong health for many years to come. (ANI/Sputnik) India would like to have long-lasting cooperation with Afghanistan by increasing its aid. India has earmarked USD 26.7 million to Afghanistan, keeping a continuing focus on its people, without recognizing, like the rest of the world community, the Taliban regime, as noted by Khaama Press Agency. The sum allocated in India's Annual Budget for the year April 2022-March 2023 is less compared to USD 47.6 million of 2021-22, which can be easily explained by the lack of formal ties, especially the economic relations since the Taliban took control last August. Like the world community, India seeks an inclusive government in Afghanistan that allows a role for women and for the ethnic minorities, besides freedom for girls to study and women to work. Taliban have so far not heeded to the global appeal. India responded to a global appeal for medicine last December and flew two tons of aid, a gesture that was appreciated by the Taliban with the hope for continued medical supplies. However, India and Afghanistan have not been that lucky on economic aid. After protracted modalities worked out with Pakistan, India this month is expected to send the much-awaited aid of wheat. However, delays have been caused by Pakistan's refusal to allow the use of its territory for India to reach a landlocked Afghanistan, as analyzed by Khaama Press Agency. Pakistan blocks India's access on the ground that it would amount to allowing India to reap economic benefits from Afghanistan, even as the latter vigorously campaigns for humanitarian aid reaching Afghanistan. The impasse was broken when Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Islamabad and personally appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan. To get around this obstacle, Iran has offered to facilitate the movement of Indian aid via Chabahar port. The jointly developed port also receives fund allocation in the Annual Budget. Some years back, Pakistan had blocked Indian-supplied biscuits to the malnourished Afghan children readied in response to a United Nations appeal. The consignment rotted on the India-Pakistan border and had to be destroyed. India's role in Afghanistan has been dictated by the volatile conditions in that country for the last five decades and by the obstacles from Pakistan that lie between the two. It had burgeoning ties during the monarchy and even through the 1980s when the country was ruled by Soviet-backed regimes, as noted Khaama Press Agency. Since 2001 after the US invasion, India had emerged as Afghanistan's biggest aid supporter in the region investing USD three billion in numerous mega infrastructure projects. Afghanistan has been a steady recipient of India's grants over the last two decades and the Government of President Ashraf Ghani last year received around Rs348 crores (USD 46 million). India has showcased its assistance to Afghanistan as aid-oriented, which is focused on development projects on the ground. Shaida Mohammad Abdali, Afghanistan's ambassador to India, in April 2017 pointed out that India "is the biggest regional donor to Afghanistan and fifth-largest donor globally with over USD 3 billion in assistance. India has built over 200 public and private schools, sponsors over 1,000 scholarships, hosts over 16,000 Afghan students." Relations between Afghanistan and India received a major boost in 2011 with the signing of a strategic partnership agreement. It was Afghanistan's first since the Soviet invasion of 1979 and was before one was signed with the United States. India sought to expand its economic presence in Afghanistan through 2002- 2021 and thus, earned considerable goodwill among the Afghan people. A number of farm production and irrigation schemes, help to medium and small industries, and IT centers across the country came upon the ground, as noted by Khaama Press Agency. (ANI) Five Afghan air force pilots, who left Afghanistan after the fall of the former government led by Ashraf Ghani, have returned to the country and resumed work, announced the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on Sunday. "Five Afghan pilots who left country, based on propaganda, answered our call and came back to Afghanistan," Tolo News quoted Enayatullah Khwarizmi, MoD's spokesperson as saying. With the fall of Ashraf Ghani's government, many of the experienced military and air force staff of Afghanistan fled the country to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, but no details are available about where these five pilots are returning from, Tolo News reported. "The leadership of the Ministry of Defense has consistently called on everyone to come back and serve their country," said Khwarizmi. In the meantime, Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Islamic Emirate, welcomed the return of Afghan pilots on Twitter, saying "Afghanistan currently needs professionals". "Afghanistan needs everyone who is a specialist: doctors, engineers, pilots and teachers," Tolo News quoted Sarwar Neyazai, a military expert as saying. Citing the reports, Tolo News reported that around 140 Afghan air force pilots and personnel who were trapped in Tajikistan after leaving Afghanistan have since gone to the United States. According to Afghan media, the return of the Afghan pilots comes days after the United Nations said in a report that over 100 Afghan military forces of the previous government were killed since the Islamic Emirate came to power. However, the report was denied by the Islamic Emirate. (ANI) As the US faces strategic challenges as a part of its maritime strategy, the US allies may need the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System to strengthen the deterrence posture. After years of testing, the Navy's breakthrough electromagnetic catapult is now integrated into the service's new generation of Ford-class carriers. Beyond the benefits of smoother launches, America's aviators can now carry out more maritime air assault sorties without wearing out their airframes, as noted by National Interest magazine. The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is drawing greater interest from US allies, and given the advantages of dual-carrier interoperable missions, the United States should seize this moment to strengthen global deterrence by providing the technology to trusted partners, writes Kris Osborn for the National Interest. Another less recognized advantage is the system's adaptability. This can allow EMALS to support amphibious assault ships or low-cost, attritable aircraft for which building runways is cost-prohibitive or not possible due to challenging terrain. In addition, U.S. allies without aircraft carriers could consider EMALS for other surface ships. Should it come to fruition, this would massively expand power projection capabilities and bolster allied global deterrence posture. This kind of combined power could strengthen the deterrence posture of the United States and its allies vis-a-vis China. Outside of the obvious tactical benefits, there would also be notable economic benefits for US allies. By taking advantage of a system that the United States has already spent billions on, allies would be able to upgrade their naval power projection capabilities without having to invest in development. Late last year, the US State Department approved the sale of the system to France--a clear step toward strengthening North Atlantic Treaty Organization deterrence in the European and Mediterranean theatres, as noted by National Interest. Further, there could also be enormous tactical and strategic benefits from extending EMALS collaboration to Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India. With the EMALS, these partners could collectively enhance power projection in the Pacific while distributing the load between each ally. As tensions rise from Ukraine to Taiwan, that enhanced strength is sorely needed, writes Kris Osborn for the National Interest. After years of scientific research, innovation, and testing, the system has now proven to be an operational success. Last year, in a key milestone, the Navy and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems reached 8,000 carrier launches with the system. If fighters can fly more sorties, they are able to dwell longer and adjust their attacks should new intelligence or targeting information arise. Joint carrier operations can also improve the chances that an air campaign will be able to destroy, overwhelm, or defeat enemy air defenses As EMALS is engineered to be both steady and tailorable, it can be adjusted for different aircraft weights and configurations. This is particularly valuable because the amount of thrust required varies depending on a complex range of interwoven factors, including airframe size and shape, the wind speed, and the speed of the aircraft carrier itself. General Atomics is already delivering EMALS for the second and third Ford-class carriers. These capabilities will strengthen the strongest link in America's chain of deterrence. It's time to help allies and partners do the same, as noted by National Interest. (ANI) This message was conveyed by Deborah Lyons head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan to Afghanistan's acting Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Abdul Kabir. "@DeborahLyonsUN met dfA DepPM Abdul Kabir today to convey deepening concern about the well-being of 'disappeared' women activists. Kabir committed to seek answers. We appreciate this and await update. World support to Afghanistan is eroded without respect for all Afghan's rights," the UN Mission in Afghanistan tweeted. Separately, Special Envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson slammed the Taliban, saying that arbitrary detention of citizens contradicts outfits' declared commitments to upholding human rights. "The Taliban announced 'interim government' claims to be owned by the people. Arbitrary detention of citizens and disappearances undermine such claims and contradict their declared commitments to upholding human rights. I join the call for an immediate release," Niklasson tweeted. Earlier this week, US Special Envoy Rina Amiri had asked the Taliban to stop unjust detentions of Afghans' human rights if the outfit wishes to seek legitimacy from the Afghan people and the world. "These unjust detentions must stop. If the Taliban seek legitimacy from the Afghan people & the world, they must respect Afghans' human rights - especially for women - including the freedom of expression and immediately release these women, their relatives, and other activists," Amiri had tweeted. This comes after media reports said that the Taliban arrested two women activists in Kabul on Thursday. Recently, women activists who were voicing for their rights in the capital city started disappearing in recent months. The UN Mission in Afghanistan has sought information from the Taliban on the latest reported detentions by the outfit. (ANI) China-proposed outlook for Horn of Africa ignites hope for stability, development Xinhua) 09:14, February 06, 2022 -- The countries in the Horn of Africa (HoA) urgently need to find fresh conflict resolution approaches to ensure stability and peaceful socio-economic development. -- China stands ready to propose the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa" to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges. -- China has been part of efforts to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges. ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Amid a series of old and emerging security perils, the countries in the Horn of Africa (HoA) urgently need to find fresh conflict resolution approaches to ensure stability and peaceful socio-economic development. China stands ready to propose the "Outlook on Peace and Development in the Horn of Africa" to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said when visiting Kenya in early January. Chinese and Ethiopian staff members monitor the loading of containers to be transported by the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway in Ethiopia, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Photo by Tang Yongcheng/Xinhua) The proposal came after Wang visited Ethiopia in early December last year and Eritrea in early January, before his trip to Kenya. The three are countries in HoA region. The proposal has received positive responses from Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and other countries in the region, which believe that it meets the urgent needs of countries in the HoA, and that China's appointment of a special envoy of the Chinese Foreign Ministry for the HoA affairs indicates that the Chinese side will play a more active and constructive role there. STABILITY PREREQUISITE FOR DEVELOPMENT There are two main considerations in China's proposal, said Wu Peng, head of the Department of African Affairs of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first is to respect and support the countries in the HoA to give full play to their own initiative, eliminate interference from powers outside the region, and let the HoA countries solve the current peace and security issues on their own, Wu said. Noting that peace and stability are the prerequisite for economic and social development, he said that there can be no lasting and solid peace without development, which is also based on China's historical experience. Therefore, the second is that China is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with countries in the HoA to promote regional economic development and lay a solid foundation for regional peace and stability, Wu added. In their interviews with Xinhua, African experts said that security concerns and unstability pose a serious threat to the continent's development. Eyob Belachew, an Ethiopia-based international relations and political analyst, said the region is one of "the most volatile regions in the world" at present. "The Horn of Africa has been afflicted by inter-state and intra-states conflicts and proxy wars mostly due to geo-politics, geo-strategically and also geo-economic factors," Belachew told Xinhua recently. "The region has witnessed other forms of conflict such as terrorism, piracy and proliferation of small and light weapons. As if these are not enough, the Horn has also been a theater of cross-border conflicts with regional ramifications," Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, told Xinhua recently. Recurrent natural disasters such as droughts, consistent flooding and desert locust invasions, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have further complicated the region's path to peace, development and good governance. CHINA-PROPOSED OUTLOOK China has been part of efforts to support regional countries in addressing security, development and governance challenges. Wang, during his latest visit to Kenya, said the HoA, albeit with a unique strategic location and great development potential, has in recent years experienced flare-ups of hot issues and eruptions of conflicts and confrontations, which run counter to the interests of the people in the region and have to be stopped. China is willing to propose the outlook to support the region in realizing long-term stability, peace and prosperity, Wang said, adding the core of the outlook is to support countries in the region to stay out of any geopolitical competition between major countries while keeping their fate in their own hands. Freight trains are seen at Nairobi station of Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Nov. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) The senior Chinese official outlined three major priorities, noting that the Horn of Africa should strengthen intra-regional dialogue to overcome security challenges; should accelerate regional revitalization to overcome development challenges; and should explore effective ways to overcome governance challenges. Belachew, noting that the regional security concerns are multifaceted amid a number of competing and important players, said possible solutions must be systematic and efficient to establish longer term regional stability. "China's initiative can play a significant role in the peace-building process and development in the Horn of Africa. By providing the platform and also the experience since China itself implemented in its peaceful rise to modernize its nation, I believe that the Horn countries can learn a lot from the Chinese experience," the analyst said. Experts widely commended the appointment of a Chinese Special Envoy as an important step to help realize the vision of peaceful development in the region. "Beijing's foreign policy of non-belligerence is an asset and should serve as a galvanizing voice in search for sustainable peace and security in the region," said Adhere. CHINA'S CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE According to a recent report by the Africa Policy Institute, a pan-African think tank, since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was proposed in 2013, China has supported modern infrastructure projects such as railways, roads, ports, dams, industries, and digital connectivity, injecting vitality into Kenya's growth. "In less than a decade, Kenya has a brand new 670-kilometer modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) connecting the port of Mombasa and the inland (dry) port of Naivasha," said the report titled "Shared Prosperity: Tracking the Belt and Road Initiative in Kenya, 2018-2021." The report indicated that as a result of the BRI, Kenya has many new industries which employ thousands of people and boost the economy. There are on average six passenger trains and 17 freight trains operating along the Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi SGR on a daily basis, which have reduced travel times while guaranteeing the safety of commuters and bulk cargo. Chinese and Kenyan drivers prepare to launch the train at Nairobi station of Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, Nov. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) George Agutu, a middle-aged civil servant who works in Mombasa said the modern train service has guaranteed him seamless travel to Nairobi every weekend for a reunion with his family. "I now conveniently take the SGR night train to Nairobi on Friday night to be with my family and back to work on Sunday," Agutu said. Eliud Muraya, a Nairobi-based entrepreneur, said the SGR freight service can deliver his imported merchandise in less than a week at affordable prices and with enhanced safety while it used to take 30 days by ferry cargo from the port of Mombasa to his premises with clearance hurdles. Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, noted the SGR has eased congestion at the port of Mombasa to the benefit of local and foreign investors. He said a large number of trucks have been removed from Kenyan highways, which also brings ecological benefits to the country. The Chinese-built 752.7-km-long Ethiopia-Djibouti standard gauge railway, which connects landlocked Ethiopia to Djibouti port, recorded about 86.13 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2021, up 37.5 percent compared to 2020. The line has been used by 449 passenger trains and 1,469 freight trains over the year. The railway has also improved the efficiency of operation, with the time to process a freight train at the Port of Doraleh in Djibouti reduced from three days to one-and-a-half days, while the loading and unloading time at the dry port of Modjo has been reduced from 12 to seven hours. Besides, China has been helping deal with natural disasters in the region and has enabled locals to quickly and effectively respond disasters. When Ethiopia suffered from the worst desert locust invasion in about 25 years for much of 2019 and 2020, the Chinese government had donated batches of what the Ethiopian government described as "timely and much-needed" anti-locust materials. China also donated relief food consisting of 945 tons of rice to Kenyans when Kenya declared a drought-induced national disaster in September last year after 23 arid and semi-arid counties were affected by drought, leaving about 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, China has made numerous donations of anti-pandemic medical supplies and vaccines. China-donated Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Feb. 10, 2021. (Photo by Li Boyuan/Xinhua) The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA), which started implementing various life-changing programs in Ethiopia in 2015 targeting vulnerable people including refugee children, also showed China's growing engagement in fighting poverty within the region. By the end of 2020, the CFPA had benefited some 130,000 people in Ethiopia, with the number of beneficiaries still growing. (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) Afghanistan's first deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar called on the government institutions to present their plans to tackle the economic meltdown and root out poverty from the country. Speaking to a conference in Kabul today, Mullah Baradar accused the previous governments of corruption, saying that the funds for Afghanistan over the last 20 years "poured into the pockets" of certain individuals so the country is not self-sufficient, as noted by Tolo News. "I instruct the officials of all ministries and departments to share their short- and long-term plans for economic development with us," he said. Mullah Baradar promised that the Taliban will take significant steps to address the current crisis in the country. "This is the responsibility of all of us to work for economic progress. We should do something to reduce the level of poverty and provide work opportunities for the people in the country," he said. "A safe environment will pave the way for investment inside Afghanistan," he added. The Second Deputy of Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, said administrative corruption in the government departments has been eradicated. "We support the private sectors to improve the economy in Afghanistan and to attract investors to invest in various fields in the country," he said. Afghanistan's national revenue is estimated at around 5 billion dollars. The first deputy of the PM said that almost 50 per cent of the revenue was previously being embezzled due to widespread corruption, as noted by Tolo News. (ANI) India on Sunday joined the ranks with more than 30 countries that have authorized the use of the Russian one-shot Sputnik Light vaccine against coronavirus. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund), in a statement, announced that the Sputnik vaccine has been authorized by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). "Thus Sputnik Light has been registered in more than 30 countries with total population of over 2.5 billion people. A number of countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, UAE, San Marino and Philippines, have already authorized Sputnik Light as a universal booster," the RDIF release said. RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev, said authorization of Sputnik Light in India is another major step in successful cooperation between Russia and India in the fight against COVID. "Sputnik Light has proven to be safe and effective both as a standalone vaccine and a universal booster shot to vaccines of other producers, helping to induce stronger immune response as compared to two shots of the same vaccine. The heterologous boosting approach using Sputnik Light is the solution to increase efficacy and duration of other vaccines, including against Omicron variant," Dmitriev added. A preliminary study of the Gamaleya Center has found that Sputnik Light as a booster significantly increases virus-neutralizing activity against Omicron, which is comparable to titers observed after Sputnik V against wild-type virus, associated with high levels of protection. A unique comparative study[1] conducted at Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Italy by a team of 12 Italian and 9 Russian scientists led by Francesco Vaia, Director of the Spallanzani Institute and Alexander Gintsburg, Director of the Gamaleya Center has shown that Sputnik V vaccine demonstrates more than 2 times higher titers of virus neutralizing antibodies to Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant than 2 doses of Pfizer vaccine (2.1 times higher in total and 2.6 times higher 3 months after vaccination). The study was conducted in equal laboratory conditions on comparable sera samples from individuals vaccinated with Sputnik V and Pfizer with a similar level of IgG antibodies and virus-neutralizing activity against Wuhan variant. Sputnik V showed significantly smaller (2.6 times) reduction of virus neutralizing activity against Omicron as compared to reference Wuhan variant than Pfizer vaccine (8.1-fold reduction for Sputnik V in contrast to 21.4-fold reduction for Pfizer vaccine). Based on the data collected by the Spallanzani Institute and results of previous studies, heterologous ("mix&match") boosting with Sputnik Light is the best solution to increase other vaccines' efficacy and extend the booster protection period as optimal adenoviral platform configuration provides better protection against Omicron and other mutations. Sputnik Light is based on recombinant human adenovirus serotype number 26 (the first component of Sputnik V). A one-shot vaccination regimen of Sputnik Light provides for ease of administration and helps to increase efficacy and duration of other vaccines when used as a booster shot. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, a major partner of RDIF in India, has conducted local clinical trials of Sputnik Light in India. Positive data from these trials have been presented to India's regulator and contributed to the positive decision by DCGI. Clinical studies and the real-world data in many countries have demonstrated Sputnik Light is a safe and effective vaccine when used both on a standalone basis and as a booster. A study in Argentina on heterogeneous regimens combining Sputnik Light and vaccines produced by AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna and Cansino has demonstrated that each "vaccine cocktail" combination with Sputnik Light provided higher antibody titer on 14th day after administering the second dose as compared to original homogenous (same vaccine as first and second dose) regimens of each of the vaccines. Sputnik Light will add to India's national vaccine portfolio and join Sputnik V, which was approved in the country in April 2021. India is the leading production hub for Sputnik V. Sputnik V and Sputnik Light are based on a safe and effective human adenoviral vector platform and have not been associated with rare serious adverse events following vaccination, such as myocarditis or pericarditis. The highest safety and efficacy of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light was demonstrated in more than 30 studies and real-world data from more than 60 countries. Sputnik V has been authorized in 71 countries with total population of over 4 bn people. To facilitate the necessary production capacities, RDIF has reached agreements with the leading Indian pharmaceutical companies, including Serum Institute of India - the world's largest vaccine producer, as well as Gland Pharma, Hetero Biopharma, Panacea Biotec, Stelis Biopharma, Virchow Biotech and Morepen. (ANI) "Terrorists from inside Afghanistan, across the international border, opened fire on Pakistani troops in Kurram district," Dawn newspaper quoted the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement. "As per intelligence reports, due to fire of [our] own troops, terrorists suffered heavy casualties," the statement said. The ISPR statement said Pakistan strongly condemns the "use of Afghan soil by terrorists" and expects that the interim Afghan government will not allow conduct of such activities against Pakistan in future, the Dawn newspaper reported. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack, the Pakistani newspaper reported. Pakistan is witnessing a tide of violence in recent months. In recent months, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the southwestern region of the country, with recent attacks on security posts in Pakistan that resulted in the death of seven Pakistani soldiers and 13 separatists. On Thursday, Pakistan's Interior Ministry issued a threat alert in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the Panjgur and Naushki districts of Balochistan. This is the second threat alert issued in less than two weeks. (ANI) The EU has followed the United Nations adoption of a humanitarian exemption to Taliban-related sanctions on 22 December 2021, Khaama Press reported. It further reported that as per the new exemptions by the EU, it will allow frozen assets of Afghanistan to be used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs in the country or to support such activities. In the meantime, the exemptions will also allow the process and use of the fund for the above-mentioned purposes. According to Khaama Press, the United Kingdom also adopted a humanitarian exception to its Afghanistan sanctions last week. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since the Taliban took control of Kabul in mid-August last year. A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged the country, already suffering from high poverty levels, into a full-blown economic crisis. (ANI) According to the Afghanistan government sources, terrorists surrendered following mediation efforts by tribal elders, as noted by Ariana News. Dr. Bashir, head of Nangarhar Intelligence Directorate, said that based on an amnesty decree, Daesh militants surrendered to the Taliban government and that the process is "ongoing". The terrorists have also expressed remorse and said they regret having joined the group. Nangarhar's tribal elders have, however, warned the newly surrendered terrorists that they will face harsh consequences if they rejoin Daesh. "We have brought them here; they vowed that they will not rejoin Daesh, and they regret their past actions," said Ghulam Ali Malik, a tribal elder. "The tribal elders said if the former terrorists rejoin Daesh, they will burn down their homes and will expel them from Afghanistan," said Malik Zainuddin, another tribal elder. This comes after over 500 Daesh members surrendered to the Taliban regime in Nangarhar following the takeover of power in mid-August, according to Ariana News. (ANI) This visit to Russia is taking place at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, ARY News reported. During this visit, Imran Khan will be accompanied by a high-level delegation of ministers from his cabinet. In March 1999, then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the country's last premier to visit Russia. This comes after reports emerged last month that Moscow and Islamabad are in talks to finalise a plan for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit this year. Imran Khan has already extended a formal invitation to Putin, The Express Tribune newspaper had said in its report, adding that Pakistan PM reiterated the invitation to him during his telephonic conversation last month. The Pakistani newspaper had said Putin's visit was under discussion for the last two years but could not materialise because of several reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Moscow also wants that there must be "big-ticket projects" or other initiatives that the Russian president would announce when he finally undertakes the trip to Pakistan, according to the report. (ANI) The Imran Khan government's patience seems to be running thin with the Taliban as terrorists used Afghan soil on Sunday to kill five Pakistani soldiers from across the border. The patience of Pakistan -- which is accused of supporting the Taliban during its advance against the previous Afghan government -- with the interim Afghan government seems to be running thin as for the first time it publically condemned the use of Afghan soil against it since the Taliban takeover after its five soldiers died in the exchange of fire with terrorists from across the border on Sunday, reported The Express Tribune. "Terrorists from inside Afghanistan across the international border, opened fire on Pakistani troops in Kurram District," The Express Tribune quoted Inter-Services Public Relation as saying in a statement. Islamabad strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan and "expects that interim Afghan government will not allow the conduct of such activities against Pakistan, in future," added the ISPR in the statement. This is the first time Islamabad officially condemned the use of Afghan soil against it under Taliban rule. On previous occasions, the Imran Khan government opted to downplay similar incidents. Even when the local Taliban soldiers tried to disrupt the border fencing, Pakistan termed it a "localised problem", reported The Express Tribune. The direct criticism by the Imran Khan government points that now Islamabad is running out of patience with the interim Taliban government as, despite its repeated promises, Afghan soil continued to be used by terrorists against Pakistan. Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has also condemned the incident and stated the interim Taliban government should ensure that such attacks do not take place as promised. During the recent visit of Pakistan's National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf to Afghanistan, the Taliban had assured that Afghan soil would not be used against any country including Pakistan. The Imran Khan government for a long time had been urging the Taliban to take action against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan or deny them space to operate out of Afghan soil. Even Islamabad was engaged in talks with the TTP through the Afghan Taliban. However, Islamabad maintained that those talks broke down due to the harsh demands of the TTP in recent times. After the breakdown of the talks, TTP had resumed its violent activities against Pakistan. Pakistan is witnessing a surge of attacks in recent days and these are not limited to one area or province of the country. In the last fifteen days, Lahore, Islamabad, Balochistan's Panjgur and Naushki areas have witnessed attacks that have claimed a number of lives. (ANI) The New York Times Oleg Y. Tinkov was worth more than $9 billion in November, renowned as one of Russias few self-made business tycoons after building his fortune outside the energy and minerals industries that were the playgrounds of Russian kleptocracy. Then, last month, Tinkov, the founder of one of Russias biggest banks, criticized the war in Ukraine in a post on Instagram. The next day, he said, President Vladimir Putins administration contacted his executives and threatened to nationalize his bank if it d A husband and wife were found dead in western Kentucky Sunday morning after a man shot his wife and then himself, according to the Warren County sheriffs office. The sheriffs office received a 911 call early Sunday from a man in Bowling Green who said hed just shot his wife. When police arrived, they found the husband and wife both dead from gunshot wounds, according to the sheriffs office. Investigators believed the husbands gunshot wound was self-inflicted, according to the sheriffs office. Names of the husband and wife were being withheld until family members were notified, according to the sheriffs office. Militants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group surrender to intelligence authorities in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2022. Fifty affiliated militants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group surrendered in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a provincial official said on Sunday. (Photo by Hamidullah/Xinhua) JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Fifty affiliated militants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group surrendered in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a provincial official said on Sunday. "A total of 50 members of the IS group give up fighting and surrendered to intelligence authorities in Nangarhar on Sunday," Mohammad Bashir, head of the provincial intelligence office, told reporters. He said the surrendered militants were active in Khogiani, Chaparhar, Shiwa, Rodat, Mumand Dara and Kot districts of Nangarhar, a known IS militants' stronghold. The IS militants have not responded to the report. Militants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group surrender to intelligence authorities in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2022. Fifty affiliated militants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group surrendered in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, a provincial official said on Sunday. (Photo by Hamidullah/Xinhua) Apple has shared the first trailer for its upcoming TV+ exclusive Shining Girls. Starring Elisabeth Moss of Mad Men and The Handmaids Tale fame as a Chicago reporter in search of the man who assaulted her, the series will debut on April 29th with the first three episodes of the series available to stream that same day. Subsequent episodes will follow every Friday for the next five weeks. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Shining Girls also stars Hamilton actor Phillipa Soo and Wagner Moura, best known for portraying Pablo Escobar in Netflix's Narcos. The story centers around a man named Harper Curtis, a Depression-era drifter who finds a house in Chicago with doors to other time periods. Curtis uses that power to kill young women with bright potential. The protagonist of the tale, Kirby Mazrachi, survives her encounter with Curtis and then turns the tables on him. One of our talents is abandoning us for Massachusetts. I guess we can't really blame Liam Castellan too much; he's leaving us his legacy of directing, writing and acting. He is one of my husband's favorites here, and I'll wish Liam success in his new theater job. Maybe I'll drown my sorrow in "The Nature of Trees," a concert band work by Canadian composer Cait Nishimura. South-central Indiana band students will come to Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music next week, and Nishimura's piece will premiere for students and the public alike. Castellan casting off Here comes another blow for Bloomington theater. Director, playwright and actor Castellan will leave soon for his new job in the Berkshires. In less than a month he'll be the development associate at Barrington Stage Company, in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Liam Castellan "I will always love this town. It gave me an education, some great career experiences, some great friends, and most importantly it gave me the love of my life," he said. They're going to miss us and our wonderful town. Among his favorite things from here are his graduate degree, his first commission as a playwright, scads of good theater experiences and that wife. Just about the only thing he won't miss is "most of" our pizzas. He also mentioned our state Legislature. "Making theater is based largely on two things: storytelling and building community," he noted. Castellan will still do some work on the creative side, but now he'll be an administrator, telling stories not to audiences but donors. "Telling the story of your organization is essential throughout fundraising, from grant applications to engaging one-on-one with individual or corporate donors," he said. More: WWII hero the focus of Bloomington composer Lauren Bernofsky's developing opera Castellan has often pursued theater administration and theater-making simultaneously. While he helped with payroll and billing at the Indiana University Auditorium, he got to direct two shows, act in one and teach two theater classes in the community. Story continues "I believe I'm the first IU Theatre MFA student to take arts administration classes at SPEA (now the O'Neill School)," Castellan said. He took four classes, the maximum allowed outside the department, and believes this may have snagged him the Barrington Stage position. "Now that I have an MFA in directing," he said, "I see this new job as kind of my grad school for fundraising." Barrington Stage Company is a large regional theater with a national profile that is doing quality work, including a strong history of new plays. "I feel like I'll be able to learn and grow a lot as a member of a four- to six-person team (depending on the time of year) in the development department, which appeals to a theater-maker like me who loves collaboration." "It's funny how different this interview feels, when I don't have a specific project to plug," he said. "'IU Theatre Alum Leaves Town' hardly feels like news to me." Oh, but it is. And sad news (for us) at that. Composition to inspire area band students, public High school band students from south-central Indiana will come to the IU Jacobs School of Music Feb. 8 to make music, and the public is invited to a concert that evening. "Its a great project that brings together student leadership, faculty mentoring, rural community partners (four high school band programs) and a lovely new work by a women composer in Canada," said Alain Barker, director, music entrepreneurship and career development and senior lecturer in music. Cait Nishimura, composer. More: Canfield adds new composition to accomplishments during eclectic musical career The music day belongs to a more comprehensive project that celebrates a co-commission by the National Band Association Chapter at IU, the IU Jacobs School of Music, and high school band programs in the Hoosier towns of Paoli, Salem, Nashville and Huntingburg. The National Band Association students are leading the project, under supervision and advisement. The concert's commissioned piece by Nishimura will premiere at 8 p.m. Feb. 8 in the Musical Arts Center, played by the Jacobs concert band. Assistant professor of music Jason Nam will conduct. Other pieces will also be performed by IU's concert and symphonic bands. During the day, the partnering high school bands will have a chance to practice playing "The Nature of Trees" alongside the IU band, including getting live feedback from the composer online. The band association's mission includes encouraging students to compose wind band literature and perform quality music in general and to help people who are interested or involved in band, on any level. A livestream of the performance will be accessible on IU Music Live at https://bit.ly/3ujupz4. If you go WHAT: Livestream and in person concert, featuring "The Nature of Trees," a concert band work by Canadian composer Cait Nishimura, displaying emotions the band community has experienced throughout the pandemic. Find more at https://bit.ly/3HjKrwq. WHEN: 8 p.m. Feb. 8. WHERE: Musical Arts Center, 101 N. Jordan Ave., 812-855-7433. TICKETS: Free. This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Theater mainstay moving on; IU concert band to premiere new work By Lidia Kelly (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that the reopening of the country's borders to international tourists may not be far away, adding that the parliament will debate the matter this week. Australia, which shut its borders in March of 2020, has been going through a staggered reopening in recent months, allowing in only its citizens and residents, skilled migrants, international students and certain seasonal workers. In January, Morrison said he hoped international borders could fully reopen before Easter. His popularity has been sliding in recent months, however, in part reflecting questions about his handling of the Omicron outbreak, and he faces pressure from a federal election that must be called by May. While the highly transmissible Omicron variant keeps spreading, hospitalisations and deaths have been stabilising, with News Corp newspapers over the weekend quoting unnamed sources as saying that Australia may reopen its borders within two or three weeks. "We are looking forward to be able to make that decision to open up our borders and welcome visitors back to Australia again as soon as we safely and possibly can," Morrison said on Sunday. "But I really do not believe that that is far away." The first 2022 sitting of the Australian parliament is to start on Monday and Morrison said that reopening borders to tourists will be addressed "very early on". Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Insiders programme on Sunday that the government is "very close" to deciding. Australia, which has nearly 95% of the eligible population aged 16 and over double-vaccinated against the coronavirus and nearly nine million people with more than two doses, requires all international travellers to be vaccinated or provide evidence of a medical vaccination exemption to enter the country. As of midday on Sunday, the country's latest daily reports showed 43 coronavirus-related deaths: 28 in New South Wales state, nine in Queensland and six in Victoria. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Edmund Klamann) Intense Tropical Cyclone Batsirai crashed into the east coast of Madagascar over the weekend, unleashing destructive winds, destroying entire towns and adding further hardships to a country still reeling from the effects of Ana in late January. Officials reported at least 21 deaths as a result of the storm and fear this number may climb in the days to come. The powerful cyclone had the equivalent strength of a Category 3 major hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 111-129 mph, or 178-208 km/h) on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic or East Pacific basins at the time of landfall, which occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday, local time, between Nosy-Varika and Mananjary. At its peak, Batsirai had equivalent wind strength to a Category 4 major hurricane (maximum sustained winds of 130-156 mph, or 209-251 km/h) at times as it battered the islands of Reunion and Mauritius to the east of Madagascar this past week. More than 62,000 people were displaced from their homes, and hundreds of schools were damaged in the storm's fury, leaving nearly 10,000 children without a school to attend, ABC News reported. "It's as if we had just been bombed. The city of Nosy-Varika is almost 95% destroyed. The solid houses saw their roofs torn off by the wind. The wooden huts have, for the most part, been destroyed," Willy Raharijaona, technical advisor to the vice president of Madagascar's Senate, told Reuters. Mananjary faired no better, according to early reports, with one resident telling AFP that "no matter where you go everything is destroyed." Nearly 6,000 buildings were flooded in the town and surrounding areas, with 3,000 structures destroyed, The Associated Press reported. Satellite images leading up to landfall captured the sheer breadth of the storm, including a well-defined eye indicative of the power of the cyclone as it churned across the southwestern Indian Ocean. Dangerous seas stirred by the storm contributed to a Mauritian oil tanker running aground on Reunion Island late last week. Fortunately, all sailors on board were rescued. Twelve people were injured on the island as a result of the cyclone's impacts there, and around 10,000 people remained without power on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. Story continues Rainfall amounts surpassed 12 inches (305 mm) in Vacoas, Mauritius, despite the cyclone only delivering a glancing blow to the island. South of the point of impact in Madagascar, the French national meteorological service, Meteo-France, warned of a 3-foot (1-meter) storm surge, leading to significant coastal flooding. The agency said the storm posed a "very serious threat to the area." "The winds are terrible. I've never experienced this. Mananjary has never experienced such a situation. The waves are very high," one resident of Mananjary explained to Reuters via telephone. Scenes captured by locals showed the ground littered with debris with trees snapped in half or completely uprooted and power lines downed by the intensity of the cyclone's winds. Washed out roads and bridges have made it difficult for officials to assess the full scope of the damage. Even areas farther inland were not spared by Batsirai's fury. In Fianarantsoa, 125 miles west of Mananjary, one resident told Reuters that there was "only desolation" in the town with floodwaters engulfing the entire area. The World Food Program's director for Madagascar, Pasqualina DiSirio, said that the region's rice crops, which are a main source of food for Madagascar residents, would be severely damaged. Ahead of the storm, Madagascar braced for impact Friday with emergency shelters constructed and search and rescue teams ready for deployment. Approximately 150,000 people were estimated to be displaced due to the cyclone, according to Reuters. Batsirai's bitter blow comes a mere two weeks after Ana crossed northern portions of the country. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP "What later became Tropical Storm Ana in the Mozambique Channel struck Madagascar on Jan. 22 and ultimately left at least 55 dead due to a combination of torrential rainfall and dangerous mudslides," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. Emergency response efforts were described as "overstretched" in the wake of Ana's impact, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a statement, adding that Batsirai would likely "worsen the overall country's humanitarian situation." Ana would go on to impact Mozambique and Malawi in southeast Africa, where additional fatalities brought the storm's death toll to at least 88. Although Batisrai has not spared Madagascar, AccuWeather meteorologists say the storm is not on the same path as Ana. The cyclone emerged in the Mozambique Channel and had started to curve southward away from Africa as of Monday afternoon, local time. This curved path, however, may cause downpours to persist across Madagascar on Tuesday, adding additional hardships to areas that were inflicted with substantial damage. For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform. President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron speak prior to a meeting at La Villa Bonaparte in Rome President Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday about Russia's military buildup along its border with Ukraine. "The leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia's continued military build-up on Ukraine's borders, and affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said in a statement on Sunday regarding the call. "They agreed their teams will remain in touch and continue consulting with our Allies and partners, including Ukraine," the White House added. The presidents' call came ahead of Macron's trip to Moscow and Kyiv scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. France has pushed for diplomatic talks to resolve the crisis as Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border. While Moscow has demanded that Ukraine not be permitted to join NATO, Russia maintains that it does not plan to invade Ukraine despite U.S. officials warning it would do so in coming days. On Sunday, the Biden administration also reiterated that it would punish Russia by going after elites in the event of an attack. "There are critical technologies that Russia is dependent on the United States and our allies on, technologies that Russia, that China does not have access to. Russian elites who we would cut off from the global financial system are not putting their money in China," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said on CBS's "Face The Nation." "They're putting their money in Europe and in the United States. And those elites, those who are helping President Putin make these decisions, we would cut them and their families off from the global financial system in ways that would limit their ability to do business in the ways they've done it in the past. Throughout my life, whenever we talk about Black history, we seem to always focus on many of the same giants: Frederick Douglass, Madam C.J. Walker, George Washington Carver, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., etc. These were all great leaders and people I admire, but it soon became clear to me that Black history was being made right here in my own neighborhood every day. These often-unsung heroes were not trying to be anything other than their true selves but their contributions to Okaloosa County should never be taken for granted because it is upon their shoulders we now stand. Sabu Williams Niceville event: Okaloosa County's Catholic Black History Mass returns to Niceville 'Education is foremost': Grads from the last segregated school for Blacks in Crestview reflect on past I came to Okaloosa County as a young airman at Eglin Air Force Base. Shortly after my arrival I began to observe the works of those who were here long before me some who had lived here all their lives paving the way for others. One such person was Samuel Hayes, a retired master sergeant who during his Army career served as the personal chef to President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Sam, as he was affectionally known, was not the first African American elected official in the county but he was the longest-serving African American elected official as he served on the Crestview City Council from 1978 to 1985 and again from 1987 to 2007. Crestview houses the largest population of African Americans in the county and has had several Blacks on its city council, including Samuel Allen, Mamie Jolly, Lillie Conyers and currently Shannon Hayes. Although we have not had many Black elected officials in our other municipalities, we have had some successes such as Charlie Hill, the first Black elected official in the county. He served on the Fort Walton Beach City Council along with Lee Bobo. Niceville has had two Black council members, William Thomas, and currently Carl Donahoo; and we even have a Black city council member in Cinco Bayou, Danny Dillard. Laurel Hill is the only municipality to have had an African American mayor, Vizell Robbins Jr., and only two Blacks ever have been elected to a countywide position. They are Jean Long, who was elected to the School Board in the early 1980s and Marcus Chambers who was recently elected as school superintendent. Story continues Gladys D. Milton We cannot begin to talk about local Black history without mentioning the contributions of Gladys Milton. Milton earned her license as a midwife in 1959 and delivered more than 2,000 babies in her career. She established a clinic now known as Eleanor Milton Memorial Birthing Center in Laurel Hill in 1976, but due to her visibility her clinic and her home were often the targets of arson. Milton faced many challenges in her lifetime, but she persevered and overcame every act of injustice ever launched at her. I knew her personally and she was a champion for womens health and literacy. She spent years working to have a library built in north Walton County and after her death in 1999, a branch of the Walton County library was established and named in her honor in Flowersview. Milton also was the author of two books and was inducted into the Florida Womens Hall of Fame in 1994. Another prominent African American was Caroline Allen. She and her husband, Sam Allen, were educators, activists, and avid keepers of local history. They were solely responsible for ensuring we celebrated and remembered May Day because it was on May 23, 1865, that Florida surrendered to the Union army and Black slaves were freed. Caroline Allen also was a businesswoman. She owned and operated a printing shop where she published and distributed a monthly newsletter. The Allens worked tirelessly to establish the Carver Hill Museum in Crestview which stands today as a testimony to their devotion to our history. Caroline Allen was tragically killed in a car accident while attending a family reunion in Texas, but her spirit lives on in the hearts and minds of the many people who knew and loved her. Fairview Park in Crestview was renamed Allen Park in honor of the Allens. Throughout this month as we reflect on American Black history, we need only to pause and look around just for a moment. You will soon discover you dont have far to go to realize we have some amazing, ordinary people who persevered to achieve extraordinary gains to make life a better place for all of us here in Okaloosa County. There are so many local unsung warriors from educators, preachers, civic leaders, politicians, business leaders, etc., who blazed the trail before us; so much so, the Okaloosa County Branch of the NAACP took time in 2011 to identify and recognize 100 such people and organizations. We called them our Legacy 100 and we enshrined their names in brick at Chester Pruitt Park in Fort Walton Beach. I invite you to stop by one day and pay tribute to our legacy. There you will discover we are proud of our heritage; there you will discover we are proud of those upon whose shoulders we now stand. Sabu Williams is the first vice president of the Okaloosa County Branch of the NAACP, an Air Force veteran, and a retired civil servant. He has lived in Okaloosa County since 1978. This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: NAACP vice president Sabu Williams discusses Black history in Okaloosa ABC News One-time Trump acolyte Chris Christie forcefully denounced former President Donald Trump on Sunday over his false assertion that the vice-president has the legal authority to change election results. Furthermore, the former New Jersey governor mocked the disgraced ex-president for unintentionally telling the truth and admitting that he wanted the 2020 presidential election overturned on Jan. 6. In recent days, Trump has increasingly taken aim at former Vice President Mike Pence for bucking Team Trumps pressure campaign to reject electoral votes when Congress met to certify President Joe Bidens election victory. Besides falsely claiming Pence could have overturned the election, the twice-impeached former president has also urged the Jan. 6 House select committee to probe the ex-veep for not keeping Trump in office The Unselect Committee should be investigating why Nancy Pelosi did such a poor job of overseeing security and why Mike Pence did not send back the votes for recertification or approval, in that it has now been shown that he clearly had the right to do so! Trump exclaimed in a furious statement last week. Pence, who confessed last month that he isnt on speaking terms with Trump, reacted by offering up his most forceful rebuke of Trump yet. President Trump is wrong, Pence said at a Federalist Society event last week. I had no right to overturn the election. .@GovChristie says Jan. 6 was a riot that was incited by Donald Trump in an effort to intimidate then-Vice Pres. Pence and Congress. He wanted the election to be overturned. https://t.co/AAG4Zr9ytk pic.twitter.com/9BqInL7fEV This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 6, 2022 During Sundays broadcast of ABCs This Week, Christiewho has repeatedly chastised Trump for peddling election lies and inciting rioters to storm the U.S. Capitolapplauded Pence for finally speaking out against Trumps over-the-top rhetoric. Story continues I dont know why it took him so long, but Im glad that he did, Christie declared. Lets face it. Let's call it what it is. Jan. 6 was a riot that was incited by Donald Trump in an effort to intimidate Mike Pence and the Congress into doing exactly what he said in his own words last week: Overturn the election.The former federal prosecutor, who is transparently weighing a 2024 presidential run, then pointed out that this was a rare instance where the truth-averse former president was honest for a change. In this case, Trump made it known that he actually lost to Biden and was doing everything possible to keep power. He actually told the truth by accident, he snarked. He wanted the election to be overturned. Christie continued: Donald Trump did respond to what the vice president said, and I think its kind of akin to a kid standing in the corner holding his breath. Its immature, and its beneath the office that he held. In a statement on Friday, Trumpwho has floated the idea of pardoning Jan. 6 riotersgroused that Pence acted as an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected President as quickly as possible, dropping his new nickname for the Senate minority leader. In other words, I was right and everyone knows it, the ex-president added. Clinging tightly to Trump, the Republican National Committee recently censured GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for taking part in the Jan. 6 committee and claimed they were participating in persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse. Republican party leaders have since attempted to clarify that language and insisted they were referencing the Capitol rioters, though the resolution itself doesnt make that distinction. From my front-row seat, I did not see a lot of legitimate political discourse, former Pence chief of staff Marc Short said in response to the RNC on Sundays Meet the Press. Short, along with other Pence staffers, have also cooperated with the Jan. 6 committee. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on Sunday that Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is "carrying water for Donald Trump" after the party censured two lawmakers sitting on the Jan. 6 committee and declared the Capitol riot by a mob of Trump supporters "legitimate political discourse." During an appearance on ABC's "This Week," Christie told host Martha Raddatz that the resolution was backed by a small number of Republicans who had largely been installed during former President Trump's four-year tenure. "This is just a majority of 168 people. And the RNC, most of those folks, were put into place over the course of the four years by Donald Trump. And so, it's certainly Ronna Romney McDaniel is carrying water for Donald Trump in this regard. And so, let's not make it bigger than it is," Christie said. The resolution that censured Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said the two lawmakers are participating in "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse" by sitting on the Jan. 6 panel, which was convened last year by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The resolution adds the RNC "shall immediately cease any and all support of" both lawmakers "as members of the Republican Party for their behavior which has been destructive to the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party and our republic, and is inconsistent with the position of the Conference." Christie also characterized the resolution as a mistake by the party because it fails to keep the focus on Biden administration and was not reflective of people who want to move on from the 2020 election. "They say that part of the reason for the resolution is they want to keep the focus on Joe Biden and the failures of the Democratic administration. Well, how did that work for you? All anybody is talking about this weekend is this resolution rather than talking about the failures of the Biden administration," Christie said. BEIRUT, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Culture Ministry on Sunday handed over to Iraq 337 ancient artifacts that had been on display in a private Lebanese museum for years, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada returned the items, which include clay tablets, to Iraqi Ambassador to Lebanon Haider Shyaa Al-Barrak during a ceremony held at the National Museum of Beirut, NNA said. "We are celebrating the handing over of 337 artifacts that are of different eras of civilizations in Mesopotamia," Al-Barrak said at the ceremony. Many of Iraq's antiquities were smuggled abroad during decades of war in the country. Sharone Sayegh (front left, in blue shirt and yellow jacket) with the ensemble in the North American tour of Come From Away Come From Away is a rare musical forged directly from real people and recent history. Widely perceived as the 9/11 musical, Come From Away focuses on hope and humanity in the aftermath of tragedy highlighting Canadians hospitality to stranded airline passengers on and immediately after Sept. 11, 2001. Broadway in Columbus and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present the national tour of the Broadway hit, which will open Feb. 8 at the Ohio Theatre. You wouldnt expect a musical about 9/11 to be so uplifting, but its more of a 9/12 show about what can be done when people pull together, Bonnie Harris said from Gander, Newfoundland. Weaving oral histories Harris, the Gander SPCA manager who spearheaded efforts to save 19 animals overlooked on planes, became a character in the musical created by Canadians Irene Sankoff and David Hein from recording interviews with the nicknamed plane people and islanders. Mike Faist: Gahanna native Mike Faist garners rave reviews for breakthrough role in Spielberg's 'West Side Story' I was leery about how Newfoundlanders were going to be portrayed, but I was blown away. I know its accurate because living in Gander, I hear stories of the people portrayed, Harris said. Collaborating as composer-lyricist-authors to develop their musical over six years, Sankoff and Hein wove an oral-history collage depicting how 9,300 Gander residents welcomed, fed and housed 6,700 passengers and crew from 38 diverted flights. Somehow, they fit it all into a 100-minute one-act that runs smoothly... with my character really five or six people (including other caretakers), and some characters composites of 50 or 60 people, Harris said. The ensemble in the North American tour of Come From Away. Earning acclaim Nominated for seven 2017 Tony awards, including best musical, score, and book, Come From Away won a Tony for Christopher Ashleys direction, New Yorks Drama Desk Award for outstanding musical and Londons Olivier Award for best new musical. Story continues In his review, New York Times critic Ben Brantley praised the big bearhug of a musical for its agile staging, honorable intentions, air of improvisational urgency and respect for the materials complexity. Even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure, Brantley wrote. Overcoming odds Today, the production is about to surpass 1,400 performances on Broadway. It was a word-of-mouth hit against the odds, producer Sue Frost said. We knew Come From Away would be a challenge because its a tricky title, an ensemble without stars, and everyone would call it the 9/11 musical, Frost said. Theatrical presentations: 'Come From Away' by Broadway in Columbus and a bounty of comedians coming to town Visiting Gander in 2011 to interview residents and returning visitors during a 10th-anniversary reunion, Sankoff and Hein created a two-act musical workshopped at Ontarios Sheridan College in 2012, with 45 minutes featured at two 2013 festivals. We were so moved by the unique spin on something we all thought we were familiar with, said Frost, who saw the early effort with Otterbein University graduate Randy Adams, her co-founding partner in Junkyard Dog Productions. What captured us was the amazing story and how they were telling it, with direct address to the audience," said Adams, an Ohio native who will return to town this week and meet with Otterbein students. A story like this, about everyday people responding as a community, rarely gets told in such a theatrical way," Adams said. A scene from the poignant muscial "Come From Away." Tightening focus While recognizing issues in the work in progress, Junkyard Dogs optioned Come From Away in 2013 for development. It was longer, with an intermission, and in the first 90 minutes written, people hadnt even gotten off the planes yet, Frost said. The challenge: Compressing the multifaceted story into a long one-act. This is a roller coaster and you cant stop... The people in Gander didnt stop and didnt get to rest, Frost said. Co-produced in 2015 by Californias La Jolla Playhouse with follow-up runs in Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C., Come From Away gradually came into form under Ashley, with costumes by Ohio State University graduate Toni-Leslie James. Countering misperceptions When we took it on, as an ensemble piece with tricky material and limited characters, we didnt imagine what life it might have, Frost said. Consistently enthusiastic audiences made them envision its Broadway potential. Even after final standing ovations, complete strangers remained standing, sharing 9/11 memories with one another, Frost said. We realized this musical does have resonance and speaks to many people, she said. Even so, they wondered how to correct misleading social-media references to the 9/11 show, Frost said. Pop concerts: From dance diva Dua Lipa to death metal Ghost, Columbus venues offer array of concerts Not until Frost, Adams and several marketing-team members toured New Yorks 9/11 memorial in 2016 and discovered the museums 9/12 area did they have their aha! moment. The docent said thats where they tell the positive stories. We came out realizing thats our musical. This isnt about 9/11, but what happened afterwards, Frost said. Shaping up for Broadway To fulfill the shows promise, though, the creative team had to shape history into a good-humored drama without fictionalizing its source material, as most musicals do. Developing a show is an ongoing process, but one thing David and Irene were adamant about is that they werent going to make anything up, Frost said. When we said we need more dramatic tension here, they had to dig farther and do more research, she said. For instance, the creators had heard about Hannah ORourke, a stranded passenger worried about the fate of her son, a Manhattan firefighter. They knew they had to sit down with her family... and find out how they (Hannah and her husband Dennis) were feeling about their son, who perished in the twin towers, Frost said. The result was I Am Here, a new song not added until Broadway. Singing their stories Sharone Sayegh, who plays Harris on tour, is one of 12 performers singing snippets of songs while frequently shifting among multiple roles. Its an ensemble piece, so we all sing every song in this beautiful and emotional score, Sayegh said. Orchestrating their Celtic-accented score with bagpipes and flutes, Sankoff and Hein evoke Irish folk songs and traditional Newfoundland-Canadian music. Grounded and hardy, the music has a lot of oomph to it, Sayegh said. During the opening Welcome to the Rock, Sayegh, portraying Harris, is driving home from her SPCA job when the radio announces the insane news that many jumbo jets have landed at the airport within two hours. Scared and shocked by such a strange event, Bonnie quickly feels she has to step up and find out if there are any animals on the planes, Sayegh said. Everybody shrugged her off... But she found 19 animals, including two rare bonobo chimpanzees (one headed to Columbus), she said. Playing real people Harris is fun to play, Sayegh said, because shes tough and a little sassy. I like to bring warm honesty to Bonnie to reflect her direct culture and show her sharpness comes from... love and caring, she said. After performing on Broadway in other musicals, Sayegh got something special from Come From Away. Its an honor to play real living characters. I feel excited to play someone who really exists, because everything I say really happened, she said. Sayegh appreciates the opportunity to tell an inspiring story. I love that people in Gander didnt think twice about opening their homes and helping... Playing multiple characters shows their community, she said. Our country has gone through a lot, she added, so its important to see a musical about kindness and human connection. mgrossberg1@gmail.com @mgrossberg1 At a glance Broadway in Columbus and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts will present Come From Away at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8-10, 8 p.m. Feb. 11, 2 and 8 p.m. Feb. 12 and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St. Masks and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test required. Tickets start at $39 at CBUSArts Ticket Center (614-469-0939, www.cbusarts.com) This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Come From Away' musical to run Feb. 8-13 in Columbus Photo by Thomas M Jackson/Getty Images Comedian Jimmy Carr has landed himself in hot water for making light of the Holocaust in his new Netflix stand-up special His Dark Material. In a widely-shared clip, Carr makes a joke about the Gypsy and Roma people slaughtered by Nazi Germany. When people talk about the Holocaust, they talk about the tragedy of 6 million Jewish lives being lost to the Nazi war machine. But they never mention the thousands of Gypsies that were killed by the Nazis, Carr said. No one ever wants to talk about that, because no one ever wants to talk about the positives. I dont know what I should be more gutted or disgusted by here.. the kind of Racism that us GRT people are forced to live with every day.. thats its still absolutely ok to demonise us & our demise as a jokeor the reactions of whooping & cheering from the audience.. pic.twitter.com/nZnJslasX2 Mikey Walsh (@thatbloodyMikey) February 4, 2022 As reported by NBC News, Carr defends the joke later in the special, calling it educational because a lot of people dont know that the Nazis also killed in their thousands, gypsies, homosexuals, disabled people and Jehovahs Witnesses. Olivia Marks-Woldman, CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Trust, condemned Carrs remarks in a statement on Friday: We are absolutely appalled at Jimmy Carrs comment about persecution suffered by Roma and Sinti people under Nazi oppression, and horrified that gales of laughter followed his remarks, Marks-Woldman said. Hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti people suffered prejudice, slave labour, sterilization and mass murder simply because of their identity. These are not experiences for mockery. Marks-Woldman continued, The widespread ignorance of this recent history needs to be addressed and we urge everyone to learn more about the past and the experiences of Roma people today. Roma and Sinti people still face dreadful prejudice as this incident shows. Charles and Camilla have been married for nearly 17 years (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire) Eleven years ago when the Duchess of Cornwall visited a childrens centre in Wiltshire she was asked by an eight-year-old: Are you going to be queen one day? Looking a little shocked, Camilla replied with the quip: You never know. But now we do. The Queen has used her Platinum Jubilee message to the nation to set out her wish for Queen Camilla, crowned as a consort at the Prince of Waless side when the time comes. (PA Wire) There was fierce debate and controversy in the run-up to Charles and Camillas wedding 17 years ago over whether the then-Mrs Parker Bowles would one day be Queen. The wife of a king automatically becomes a queen consort and only a change in legislation will prevent her from doing so. Royal aides insisted, when she married Charles, that Camilla did not want to be queen and said originally that she intended to be known instead as Princess Consort the first in British history when Charles acceded to the throne. But the careful use of the verb to intend left this open to change in the future. Any mention of Princess Consort was removed from Charless website during a revamp in 2018. At the time of the couples royal wedding, the princes advisers argued that Camilla would simply choose not to call herself queen and be known as Princess Consort. But the Government and other experts said that unless there was a change in the law, Camilla would still legally become queen when Charles became king, no matter what she chose to call herself. Much has changed in the years since Charles whom aides once said had no intention of remarrying wed his former mistress. Camilla was blamed for the breakdown of the princes marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales and when news of their affair first came to light, she faced vitriolic criticism. But in the decades after the Waleses divorce, the untimely death of Diana in 1997 and Camillas acceptance into The Firm, the public mood towards the former Mrs Parker Bowles has softened. Story continues Camilla has gradually taken on a more prominent position within the royal family, from riding next to the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee carriage procession to attending the State Opening of Parliament. She was made a Privy Counsellor in 2016 ahead of the Queens official 90th birthday, meaning she will be beside Charles when he is formally proclaimed monarch at the Accession Council. Through charity work championing literacy, and highlighting the problem of domestic abuse and sexual violence, Camilla has carved out her own royal role. She has also become a favourite with the royal press pack for her cheery nature and accommodating approach on royal engagements. In 2010, when Charles was put on the spot and asked if Camilla would be his queen in an interview, he replied: Thats, thats, well see, wont we? That could be. Charless official biographer, Jonathan Dimbleby, told BBCs Panorama programme in 2005 that people might one day want Camilla to be queen. But he also warned that questions remained over her future role, including what would happen if the prince died first. Weve seen massive shifts in public opinion, from her, Camilla, being regarded as the other woman, through to her being seen now as a very attractive spouse who makes the prince happy, who appears in public, who is gracious, who joins in in a crowd, who communicates very effectively, Dimbleby said. Women married to a monarch have historically been crowned Queen Consort. Such was the case for the George VIs wife, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and for George Vs wife Queen Mary the Queens grandmother. The exception was Queen Mary II who, with her husband King William III, was joint-Sovereign from 1689 to 1694. The royal website used to declare: A Queen consort is crowned with the King, in a similar but simpler ceremony. But following Charless marriage to Camilla, it added the get-out clause unless decided otherwise. Queen Victorias husband, Albert, was appointed Prince Consort some 17 years after his marriage. He worked diligently to win the publics affection after suffering initial hostility. Victoria had wanted him to be King Consort when they married, but the then prime minister Lord Melbourne ruled it out. The Duke of Edinburgh did not hold the title Prince Consort, having rejected the offer in the early years of the Queens reign. Men married to a British monarch have never been crowned at their wifes coronation and do not become King. By Alvaro Murillo SAN JOSE (Reuters) -Former president Jose Maria Figueres comfortably led the preliminary vote count in Sunday's Costa Rican presidential election, with former finance minister Rodrigo Chaves poised to defy expectations to face him in a second-round run-off. Figueres was seen winning 27.3% of the vote based on returns from nearly three-quarters of polling stations, with economist Chaves pulling past evangelical Christian Fabricio Alvarado to carve out an advantage in second with 16.6% of the tally. Chaves, a former World Bank official who has forged an anti-establishment reputation since running the finance ministry for about half a year under outgoing Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado, had been running fourth in recent opinion polls. "Chaves has a liberal economic position, is socially conservative, pro-law and order and against the political class," said Rotsay Rosales, a political scientist and head of the National Policy Observatory of the University of Costa Rica. Fabricio Alvarado of the neo-Pentecostal New Republic Party and runner-up in the Central American country's 2018 election, was running third, garnering support of 15.2%. To win the first round outright, a candidate had to secure more than 40% of votes. The two leading contenders will face each other in a run-off on April 3. A total of 25 candidates were competing in the first round. Chaves, who in the campaign rejected accusations he had been censured for sexual harassment earlier in his career, urged Figueres to pursue a dignified discourse in the run-off. "I have been attacked by few, but very viciously. If I made a mistake, I apologize," he told supporters. Figueres, who governed from 1994 to 1998 under the centrist National Liberation Party, had been a slight favorite heading into the first round, according to opinion polls. All 57 seats of the national legislative assembly are also up for grabs. A divided legislature is likely, with local media forecasting Figueres' National Liberation Party (PLN) would win the most seats with 19, but well short of a majority. Story continues Costa Ricans have said they want their next leader to tackle corruption and high unemployment rates during a four-year term. The electoral tribunal said voting went smoothly across the country and reported a preliminary turnout of about 60%. In the capital, San Jose, Enrique Romero, a 52-year-old construction worker, said he would vote for Figueres. "I want things to improve, that the government functions better," Romero said. "The situation is critical. It is not about going back to the past, but about moving forward and learning from experience." President Carlos Alvarado, a center-left politician, cannot seek a second consecutive term. About a third of the voters in the Central American nation of about 5 million people had not made up their minds on whom to back ahead of the election, according to opinion polls. Victor Morales, a 56-year-old who sells flags, was among those who were undecided. "My business has dropped due to the bad governments we have had," Morales said. "Before, people used to rally to support political parties." The ruling center-left Citizen Action (PAC) party, which has been in power for two terms, received less than 1% of support in the Center for Research and Political Studies poll. The national assembly, among other responsibilities, is due to negotiate important financial support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). (Reporting by Alvaro Murillo in San Jose; Additional reporting by Diego Ore; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Chris Reese, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle and Michael Perry) Kirk Detweiler is the executive director of the Palace Theatre. Since the commute to my last job was 1,958 miles from Marion to Maho Beach, Saint Maarten, the 90 seconds it takes me to leave my apartment and hang up my coat in my office is a welcome extreme. Working at the Palace Theatre on West Center Street and living in the Harding Centre across the street certainly has its advantages. Living and working in two of the most historically iconic buildings in Marion makes for a convenient and fascinating existence. The Palace was built in 1928 and is one of nearly 100 theatres designed by European-born American architect John Eberson. The Marion Palace is one of only 16 Eberson theatres remaining in operation. Ever since the Palace Cultural Arts Association saved the building from demolition in 1975 for a mere $78,000 and within a year, with the help of $500,000 in local donations, restored it to former glory, the Palace Theatre has been the cornerstone of the arts community in Marion. The Hotel Harding was built in 1924, a good four years before the Palace, and the pair still make a handsome couple. Both were built when railroad tracks ran down the middle of Center Street, when Marion was a crossroads for four major railroad companies. Traveling theatrical companies coming and going between New York and Chicago would stop and perform in Marion, when it was a sought after and notable destination thanks to the attention it got from being the hometown of our 29th president. The Palace Theatre and the Harding Center on Center Street are two of the most historically-significant buildings in Marion. The Hotel Harding was converted to a senior living space in the 1990s and now is home to a mixture of seniors and OSUM students. If you believe a story on the website Spooky Marion, a couple of ghosts have also taken up residence in the basement. Living there is very peaceful and quiet, and I have never encountered anything but polite neighbors and some great food at the Harding Harbor Seafood Restaurant on the first floor! As executive director at the Palace, I have had to close up shop a couple of late nights by myself, and although I havent had any supernatural experiences, a couple of Palace veterans have told me late at night they have heard the faint and distant sound of a woman singing and vocalizing from an unidentifiable location. Two of my staff members claimed to have heard a disembodied voice say hello when they were the only ones in the theatre. Every so often, a water faucet will turn itself on. And most recently, Ive discovered a vintage 1928 doll who resides in the office space has randomly changed locations. Spooky? Not really. But definitely cool. Story continues But dont let that scare you away from a visit to my second home! If you havent been to the Palace lately, your next opportunity will be Feb. 12 in the May Pavilion when we present a Valentines weekend treat, Dueling Pianos. On Feb. 18, 19 and 20, the future of Marions theatre community will perform the Junior Play, Back to the 80s, directed by Emily Yaksic. More events taking place this month include the 1989 romantic comedy movie, When Harry Met Sally (Feb. 11 & 13), Trivia Night in the May (Feb. 17), the musical comedy, The Church Basement Ladies (Feb. 26), and Line Dance lessons with yours truly (Feb. 28). Kirk Detweiler is the executive director of the Marion Palace Theatre. For more information about theatre events and activities, go to marionpalace.org. This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion Palace Theatre and Harding Centre - part of Marion's history Kindergartners practice to stay an arms length apart from each other from their teacher, Shelly Kelly, for COVID-19 protocols on the first day of school for District 186 at Owen Marsh Elementary School in Springfield, Ill., Monday, August 23, 2021. Illinois public and private schools are required to have indoor masking for staff and children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and in child-care centers [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register] The attorney at the center of the school mask mandate case in which a 7th Judicial Circuit Court judge Friday granted a temporary restraining order against Gov. JB Pritzker's executive order said school districts like Springfield's are "on notice" about enforcing such policies. "To the extent that the Springfield school district wants to continue forcing these mask and vaccination policies, they're doing it at their own peril because the judge has said it's illegal," said attorney Thomas DeVore of Greenville, who represented the plaintiffs in several cases against the state. "If they wanted to continue in their illegal behavior, even if there's no injunction stopping them, they're exposing themselves to significant financial liability." While Springfield School District 186 wasn't enjoined to the specific case Judge Raylene Grischow ruled on, Grischow did declare emergency rules regarding mask mandates and staff vaccination and testing requirements from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education "void." School districts, Grischow said, may "govern themselves accordingly." Related: Illinois schools temporarily blocked from enforcing mask mandates and vaccinations In a letter to teachers Sunday, Superintendent Jennifer Gill said District 186 is "encouraging everyone to consider following mitigations at school to maintain consistency until a more definitive ruling and additional guidance are brought forth. However, at this time, we cannot mandate anyone to follow these mitigations while we are under a Temporary Restraining Order. "Navigating the continuously changing landscape of the pandemic has been challenging, but our goal continues to be to keep students in school." Douglas Wood, the Ball-Chatham superintendent, said in a letter that the mitigations--masks, weekly testing of unvaccinated staff and exclusions of asymptomatic students and staff members who are close contacts to positive cases--are "recommended, but not required." Story continues The district remains committed to maintaining "in-person learning and will continue to do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our students, staff and families," Wood said in the letter. Jacksonville School District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek said the goal of the district and the school board was to stay in our lane. Our role is not to develop safety guidelines. We are educators, not medical experts. Our role is to develop local plans on how to implement guidelines." Attorney Thomas DeVore speaks to a reporter after a judge granted a temporary injunction sought by Sangamon County against his clients Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. DeVore's clients were restaurants in Springfield that were continuing to operate without food permits.The restaurants were serving indoor diners Sunday in defiance of the mitigations that went into effect last week and their licenses were suspended. [Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register] Jacksonville was one of the school districts named in the lawsuit. Both Gill and Ptacek said they were awaiting further rulings from the weekend. Both have met with district attorneys. The Springfield board of education meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Springfield Education Association president Angie Meneghetti said Sunday that the teachers union's executive board was having an emergency meeting Sunday. "This is a disaster," Meneghetti said. Springfield Catholic Schools now consider COVID-19 protocols as "guidance, not mandates," according to a statement from the diocese. That includes students and teachers and employees having the option of wearing masks. However, "pastors and principals...are given the discretion to decide other safety precautions and mitigating strategies," the statement read. At Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, masks are now optional, president Sister Katherine O'Connor informed parents. Unvaccinated faculty and staff will have the option of testing. Some teachers, O'Connor said, will have the right to make masks mandatory in individual classrooms due to health vulnerabilities. The state's school mask mandate has been in place since September 2021. Illinois Education Association president Kathi Griffin said this has the potential to stop in person learning altogether. "The judges ruling today calls into question the safety of schools across the state, and we will support all efforts to stop its immediate implementation while state and district defendants pursue an appeal," Griffin said in a statement Saturday. Students, drivers and other personnel will still be required to wear masks on buses due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDCfederal requirement. Illinois Federation of Teachers president Dan Montgomery found Grischow's ruling "legally faulty and a threat to public health." More: Blackburn College hires Jody Sturgeon to coach, mentor student work committee The Illinois Federation of Teachers is greatly distressed at the judges temporary restraining order (TRO) in this case," Montgomery's statement read. "Hundreds of thousands of students, teachers and staff across Illinois are doing their best to remain healthy and keep schools open. We believe what the judge ordered today is...a threat to keeping Illinois schools open for in-person learning." Condemning the ruling, Pritzker said in a statement Friday the Illinois Attorney General was seeking an expedited appeal in the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court to restore the mandates. Absent any further legal rulings over the weekend, DeVore said if a student showed up to school in Springfield without a mask on, "that school district has a decision to make. Are we going to continue to enforce this and say put your mask on knowing that the judge says they don't have the authority to do so? Superintendent Jennifer Gill, left, proposes District 186s Return to Learn plan that will include universal masking during a Springfield District 186 Board of Education meeting along with Board President Anthony Mares, right, at the District 186 headquarters in Springfield, Ill., Monday, August 2, 2021. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register] "That's the spot these school districts are at. I think children and parents are well within their rights to say it doesn't matter that this case doesn't directly involve me. The judge says as a whole, none of you have this authority. So my kid's walking in, and if you're going to try to force him to wear a mask merely because they're not on this case, I'm letting you know right now I'm going to sue you. They could." Kimberly Smoot, a family and consumer science teacher at Springfield High School, was one of four District 186 teachers who filed suit against the executive orders. Although the TRO didn't directly address that case, Smoot said the judge's more wide-reaching language was "a game-changer." "I think its going to be the beginning of the end for all of this," Smoot said late Friday. "Slowly but surely all the stuff is going to be done away. People are going to start asking questions: why did they have to wear masks, get tested or get vaccinated?" Amy Bounds, who has three children Springfield public schools, said she will keep them in masks Monday. "I want my kids to wear masks. They don't have a problem with them," Bounds said. "I bought them cutesy ones, animals faces, camouflage. They don't complain about them. Even if it's only a little protection, I feel a little is better than none. "People can do with their kids what they want with their kids. As long as my kids are following my rules, I'm fine with that." For Bounds, it is personal. She spent five days in the hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia. Bounds' father is currently in the hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia and has been on a ventilator for a little over a week. Adrienne Boatman, whose son, Lennox, is a first grader at Wilcox Elementary School, said masks should be mandatory for teachers and students at schools. "If you have to wear a mask, get tested or get vaccinated, I'm all for it because this is serious matter and it should be taken seriously," Boatman said. "(By not wearing a mask) you're putting our children at risk, you're putting our parents at risk. You're putting our teachers at risk and they're all essential for in-person learning to continue. "If they want to go back to remote learning, then they can stay the path. As far as I'm concerned, I don't think it's a good idea to have kids go to school without masks." This story will be updated. Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie. This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Schools react to Illinois mask mandates, COVID rules being voided Lina in a national costume, Orihovo-Vasylivka village, Donetsk, 2018 (Mark Neville) His focus has been on a diverse range of subjects, from model holiday makers on the sunny beaches of Odessa, to those living on the frontline in Eastern Ukraine. By making the country his home, Mark Neville has fully immersed himself into Ukrainian culture and provides a unique insight into the global conflict now threatening the region. He says: In order for me to realise this project, I needed to understand how it feels to call Ukraine my home, to live at the geographic centre of Europe, and feel war rumbling away on ones borders as a daily reality. I understand how this threat has devastated the whole country, and how deeply unsettled people feel. Circus performer Yulia Kravchenko with her monkey in Odessa, 2017 (Mark Neville) Monument to the Second World War, Luhansk, 2019 (Mark Neville) His new book called Stop Tanks with Books is a call to action for world leaders as the possibility of global conflict with Russia edges closer, and the international community holds its breath. Nevilles activist strategy involves a targeted book dissemination. He has released 750 copies of his new photography book to politicians, media members and policy makers in a plea to end the war. Russia is facing international pressure after amassing a military force of more than 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border, in what has been called the largest mobilisation in Europe for decades. Russia ascertains that Western powers discussions on the threat of war are provocative. Russian ambassador Vasily Nebenzia said in a recent meeting: You are almost calling for this, you want it to happen. Miners at Hirske Mine, Luhansk, Eastern Ukraine. 27 February 2021 (Mark Neville) The Choir at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Orthodox Church, 2017 (Mark Neville) Meanwhile, Ukraines President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has led a drive to increase their armed forces and restore confidence by 100,000 troops. The tourism board is encouraging visitors to Keep calm and visit Ukraine, despite the looming threat of a Russian invasion. But things are far from calm, and Ukraine has been dealing with Russian aggression long before this escalation hit global headlines. According to the UN, more than two million people have been forced to flee their homes since fighting in the far east of the country began in 2014. But many believe this number has risen dramatically. Story continues Policewomen, Mariupol, 2019 (Mark Neville) Stalingrad checkpoint, Avdiivka, Donetsk, 2016 / Woman smoking on a bench in Myrnohrad, Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine 2 March 2021 (Mark Neville) Neville in Mariupol, frontline Ukraine, November 2021 (Mark Neville) There are currently 3.5 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Ukraine as a result of the conflict, the UN says. Neville has personally seen the plight of those who have been forced to leave their homes and witnessed their resilience in the face of growing unrest. He says: I interviewed countless families who had been forced to flee their homes in Donbas, who had witnessed and experienced unimaginable horror, and who literally had nothing left; no possessions, no security, no income, no pension, and no hope. Neville powerfully describes the extremely tense situation on the ground in Ukraine at the beginning of the year. Everyone here is discussing what to do if the conflict reaches Kyiv. Do we stay and fight? Do we leave for Western Ukraine? Or do we flee Ukraine completely? Yana and Igor Karaman with friend Galina, Odessa, 2017 (Mark Neville) Rhythm Buro rave, Kyiv, 2019 (Mark Neville) View on Podil District, Kyiv, 2021 (Mark Neville) I wonder what the international response would be if Stockholm, London, Paris, or New York were threatened with an unprovoked and imminent invasion by Russia? Last year Ukraine celebrated 30 years of independence, and yet the fight for that independence continues. Looking through Nevilles photographs, you get a poignant sense of a people who live on the edge of everything. Of war, poverty, and democracy. Being in this constant state of siege is something Neville hopes to portray in his photographs. Neville says: Mental health issues amongst the population of Donbas region have risen exponentially due to the incredible stress and pressure of living on the frontline of a war. Ukrainsk, Donetsk, 2021 (Mark Neville) Miners at Chervonohrad Mine, Lviv, Western Ukraine, 2021 (Mark Neville) Celebrating the 30th Anniversary Year of Ukraines Independence, Kyiv, 2021 (Mark Neville) While also providing first-hand experiences and snapshots of the situation on the ground, Neville hopes his book will galvanise the international community to further humanitarian efforts. The book acts as a plea for media and the international community to stop ignoring the displacement of Ukrainians in the disputed lands bordering Russian territory. Neville says in his introduction: The aim is for recipients of this book to be prompted into real action which will result in an end to the war, an end to the killing in Eastern Ukraine, and the withdrawal of Russian forces from occupied territories in Donbas and Crimea. Cat in Ukrainka, Donetsk, 2021 (Mark Neville) Alina, Orihovo Vasylivka village, Donetsk, 2018 (Mark Neville) Though everything hangs in the balance, Nevilles work also demonstrates the passion he has for Ukraine and their people, and his view that a peaceful solution must be achievable. The greatest threat to Putins ambitions is an independent, free, democratic and thriving Ukraine on his doorstep, Neville says. Ukrainians made a democratic decision over 30 years ago to forge for themselves a free nation. Mark Nevilles book is now available to buy at Setanta Books. Just what is going on in America today? Why is it that after a deep history of racial violence and division, there still is a continuous outcry for fairness and equal treatment in American communities across the country? What is it that propels individuals to use their energy and talents to ensure that no one but themselves, their families and their chosen people have the same opportunity that they have, whether the person succeeds or fails once given that opportunity? The political ads are getting worse by the day. Aside from the idolatry of the disgraced former president, they are in your face and not designed to represent all of the people, only those who see, think and believe the way those behind the ads do. It is easy to get tired. So many people have been on the battlefield for so long that it can become discouraging to have to spent a lifetime fighting for rights that are God given and constitutionally correct. It is not lost on the voters that these battles must be fought against those who seek to deprive people of basic rights, who are motivated by selfishness and a need to be recognized. The redistricting issue has been dismissed by many in the community who fail to understand the importance of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund participating in one of the three lawsuits filed to challenge the Alabama congressional map drawn by a Republican-controlled legislature. A three-judge panel that consisted of a U.S. circuit judge and two U.S. district judges criticized the attorneys for the state for what they described as misstatement of law and facts, according to an article appearing in the Montgomery Advertiser. The ruling gives Black voters the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice, white or Black. Alabamas U.S. House delegation has one Black member out of seven. This number is not representative of the states population. Some believe that the issues tackled by organizations, sororities, fraternities and those who are committed to change should mirror what they see or believe are the issues that should be addressed. Story continues Those people have a narrow, self-purposed view. They do not possess the ability to see the bigger picture. It is not ours to understand why. Those that do understand that change begins at the top must press forward. It is extremely important that voting rights issues be recognized as one of the most critical matters facing the voting public. Those rights are at the center of a national siege. Access to the ballot is at the heart of an all-out effort to protect the right to vote. It is hard to protect something that people do not use. That is a major reason why most forward-thinking people and organizations are focused on voter registration, voter access and getting voters to the polls. Some would like to think that the heart of the issue only affects African Americans. Voting rights and access includes the poor, the disabled, the elderly, those with challenged circumstances and fear of COVID-19 and the spawned-off viruses. As we look across Alabama and other states, many will be electing new chief executives. Gadsden is among the cities that will be electing a new Mayor. The new mayor of Gadsden will face many thorny issues. Some would like the now non-issue of a pet food ingredient plant in Etowah County to be at the top. This race is for mayor of Gadsden, not Etowah County. The mayor will be elected by Gadsden residents. The 2020 Census lists Gadsdens population as 33,945. The demographic breakdown is 54.3% white alone (not Hispanic or Latino), 36.8% Black alone, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, and the rest scattered. It is easy to understand why the last election in 2018 resulted in a runoff. Every vote counts. These numbers tell anybody why there must certainly be a focus on getting the vote out. The worst thing that residents could do is to not vote at all. The mayoral candidates are at work, getting their names out and lining up foot soldiers. No one has a lock on the race. Surrogates are trying hard to convince people that they can influence the numbers. Everybody has a reason for doing whatever they are doing. Gadsden is a beautiful place if you look at the topography and the city as a whole, on the surface. I have often said, however, that a shiny apple may contain worms. I believe the mayor-elect should offer a reunification of sorts. Those of us who love the city of our birth should come together for the common goal of improving the lives of all of our residents. We must contend with the loss of industry and failing housing by making government representative of Gadsdens population and establishing of a Citizens Service Bureau to address the needs and complaints of the citys residents. No citizen should have to contact anyone other than an elected official to have their city issue addressed. That is the reason for a council member being elected from each district. Get a better council member if your communitys needs are being ignored. The president of the City Council recently put it bluntly: Citizens of Gadsden should speak up for themselves. They should not be cowards. Elaine Harris Spearman, Esq., a Gadsden native, is the retired legal advisor to the comptroller of the City of St. Louis. The views reflected are her own. This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Voting rights must be preserved SUVA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Fiji announced on Sunday that the national curfew from 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. will be lifted from midnight on Sunday as more COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. Announcing the government's decision in a press conference on Sunday, Fiji's Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said that the curfew was previously implemented to prevent non-essential gatherings that can spread COVID-19 and allow for contact tracing at certain hours of the evening. In some ways it served as a national barometer of progress towards normalcy, he said, adding that as they moved the time to 6:00 p.m. hour by hour to midnight in recognition of reaching Fiji's vaccination targets, now it is removed entirely. He also announced the government's decision to ease some of the COVID-19 restrictions. From Monday, public service vehicles can operate at full capacity, which include buses, mini-buses, carriers and taxis. However, the Fijian government will continue to enforce mask-wearing aboard all public service vehicles. Indoor and outdoor sporting events, including competitive sports, may be held with spectators at 80-percent capacity provided those spectators wear masks. The nationwide curfew was implemented in Fiji in early 2020 following the island nation reporting its first confirmed COVID-19 case. Fiji, which has a population of around 900,000, has recorded more than 63,000 COVID-19 cases, with 811 deaths. Currently, 92.8 percent of adults in Fiji have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccines while 98.1 percent have at least received the first dose. As of Jan. 31 this year, a total of 78,806 people have so far received booster doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. For the month of February, a further 175,558 people have become eligible for booster doses. JACKSBORO, Tenn. Adam Braseel, the Tennessee exoneree who spent 12 years in prison for a 2006 murder he didnt commit, has never met a stranger. When you sit in his cozy townhouse 28 miles northwest of Knoxville, conversation comes easy. Do you have an hour? Hell give you the long version. Four minutes? No problem, hell make it quick. Braseel could tell you a story, this implausible, dark and retched tale that, like a lame man made to walk, he cant stop telling: Twelve years of his young adulthood stolen. Twelve years of progress and plans and joys and tears and love and loss, all gone. All of that is true. But thats not his story. Instead, the 38-year-old will tell you about grace and love and the power of prayer and how his life has changed. Hell tell you about his wife Racquel, about the two of them recently celebrating their first anniversary. Hell tell you about how a high-profile attorney sought him out and about the call he got from Gov. Bill Lee, forever clearing his name. Mainly hell tell you about his faith that grew, not shrank, while he was behind bars and how that faith is worth shouting about. We have an opportunity to take and tell our story and embrace our stories individually, and by doing so we can help others, he said. Thats what my story is really all about. ... I dont want to be the guy who begged for help for all these years and then, now that Im home and Im able to help others, not capitalize on that opportunity. The long road here Braseel spent well over a decade in a state penitentiary for the 2006 murder of 60-year-old Malcom Burrows, who died on a rural road near Tracy City in Grundy County. The redhead was connected to the murder only after being identified in a photo lineup. No forensic evidence ever tied him to the crime. Attorneys for Adam Braseel, left, serving a life sentence for murder, say eyewitnesses mistook him for Kermit Bryson, right, a felon who died after killing a police officer in 2008. In 2015, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Judge Justin Angel threw out the guilty verdict and ordered a new trial, freeing Braseel for months before the state Court of Criminal Appeals overruled that decision and sent him back to prison. Story continues He was granted a new trial two years later when the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found that fingerprints on the passenger door handle of Burrows' car at the murder scene didn't belong to Braseel. Instead, they belonged to Kermit Eugene Bryson, a local felon who killed himself two years later while on the run for killing Shane Tate, a Grundy County deputy. The men resembled each other, both with small builds and hair color. That retrial ended in 2019 when Braseel entered whats known as an Alford plea meaning he didnt admit guilt but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict to aggravated assault. Though he knew he was innocent, the Alford plea was the only way he could leave prison without a lengthy legal fight. He had already served more time than the aggravated assault would have allowed. He was free. Adam Braseel fights back tears as he waits for a hearing to begin in Grundy County Circuit Court in 2019. Still, he was a felon, and that hung over his head until Lees exoneration, the highest act of clemency under Tennessee law. It means Lee does not believe Braseel committed the crime for which he was convicted. Using his story Faith is not tangible, but if it were, and you could see it and feel it, it would look like Adam Braseel. When life hands you adversities simple everyday adversities, not big ones like being locked up thats where the rubber meets the road, he said. Its this faith that keeps him from being bitter about his ordeal. Its this faith too, that gives him strength to share his story. Hes determined to help others. What that will look like in practice is still an unknown. Will he and Racquel, 35, start a foundation? Will they begin a prison ministry? Go on a speaking tour? Who knows. Theres time to figure it out. I like making myself vulnerable, he said. I like talking about things that are uncomfortable because it helps other people. Dont mistake this overflow of love and kindness as a sign that hes forgotten what happened to him. But it does mean, he said, that he looks at life differently. It doesnt change the fact that theyve done me terribly, terribly wrong, he said. Because so much good has come from what people have meant for evil ... when you take gold and put it in a refining pot and off into that fiery furnace, it melts, as everybody says, but it also purifies it, it refines it. It makes it more and more valuable. Still, he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Late last year he agreed to work with Kathleen Zellner, the Chicago-based attorney who specializes in exoneration lawsuits and rose to fame by representing Steven Avery, whose trial is the focus of the hit Netflix series Making a Murderer. They will, most likely, file a federal civil rights lawsuit aimed at recouping what he is owed, though no lawsuit has been filed yet. A letter of exoneration is displayed in the Jacksboro home of Adam Braseel and his wife Racquel. Up first, however, will be an inquiry with the Tennessee Board of Claims to see what Braseel might be owed. The board can reward an exonerated prisoner up to $1 million, the states maximum allowed, though any money from the state is paid in monthly installments, per state law. In 2018 the board awarded $1 million to Lawrence McKinney, a Wilson County man who spent 31 years in prison for a rape and burglary conviction before being exonerated by Gov. Bill Haslam. You know, the wrong that has been done to me should have never happened, he said. There are safeguards that can be implemented that were never implemented, that should be implemented. Theres things to fix. Its deep. Its complex. Its bigger than me. It's not a question of forgiveness. There's no grudge here, he said. It's about what's right. I keep it simple. They put me away for a murder that I didnt have anything to do with," he said. "But if someone is guilty of something, they deserve, according to the law of the land, to be held accountable. You should take responsibility for your wrongdoing. Thats all Im asking." Life now In February 2020, Racquel was in the midst of completing her masters degree in criminal justice listening to true crime podcasts at her home in Hartford, Wisconsin, when Braseel's case became an episode on the show Generation Why." The podcast went through the twists and turns of the case and interviewed him. Intrigued, she found and followed the Help Exonerate Adam Braseel Facebook page, and then liked a post Adam shared on his personal Facebook page. So, I liked (the page), because I felt bad for him, like listening to what happened to him. I was like, That's so horrible, I'm just gonna, you know, like the page and then like his post to show support, she said laughing. Adam wasted no time. He messaged her asking, jokingly, if she would be his girlfriend. Adam Braseel and his wife Racquel recently celebrated their one-year anniversary. Racquel listened to a podcast about Adam's journey and the two later connected over social media. I mean, I was kind of stalking her, you know, looking at her pictures and she's pretty, she's modest, and you know, so I threw the message out there being silly. So that's really that's how it started. The messages turned into video calls and the video calls turned into a couple of visits, first for Adam and then for Racquel. Adam had a list of what he was looking for in a wife and knew almost immediately that she was perfect. He called it the easiest decision he ever made. Obviously, we have our struggles, but even with our struggles, we keep persevering, he said. And we keep growing together and its confirmation that I made the right choice. I want someone whos going to help me get to heaven, and thats what I found in Racquel. Adam and Racquel Braseel say they don't know what the future holds, and that's OK. "God provided and he continues to provide for me," he said. The two were married in September 2020 and settled in Jacksboro, close to the miles of trails for his off-road RZR vehicle. Racquel works out of their townhouse for a medical software company. The owner of Lifetime Docks, Chris Stephens, threw Adam a lifeline in the form of a job when he was released from prison, and hes been repaying that favor ever since. The couple plan to move into a house soon. Beyond that, though, life is an unknown, and thats fine. They have the faith that things will work out. Theyve seen it. Theyve lived it. "God provided and he continues to provide for me," he said. "Im OK with not knowing. As uncomfortable as it is, Im OK with being uncomfortable. ... I'm experienced in being uncomfortable and not knowing, and God's still provided." Tyler Whetstone is a Knox News politics reporter focusing on Knoxville and Knox County. Connect with Tyler: Twitter | Email Make our community, our society and our republic stronger by supporting robust local journalism. Subscribe online at knoxnews.com/subscribe. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Exonerated Tennessee inmate Adam Braseel is ready to tell his story Wayne County Commissioner Becky Foster is seeking re-election, according to Wayne County Board of Elections filings. Note: This story has been changed to fix an error. See correction at bottom. WOOSTER The next primary election might be months away, but that doesn't mean candidates, communities and elections boards sit idle. Candidates hoping to be elected or to retain their seats were required to file by Feb. 2 with their local board of elections. Any issues for the upcoming ballot also were filed by last Wednesday. Recognition: Wayne Board of Elections director named GOP Volunteer of the Year Here's what you need to know about the primary election on Tuesday, May 3. Who is running for 78th District state representative? Scott Wiggam Two candidates vie for the newly formed Ohio House of Representatives 78th District seat, which would cover all of Wayne County if the newly created district maps stand. Rep. Scott Wiggam will seek the Republican nomination for the district, according to Wayne County Board of Elections filings. Before district maps changed, Wiggam represented District 1, which covered Wayne County, Ruling: Ohio Elections Commission rules in favor of Rep. Wiggam, others in finance complaint Wiggam was first elected in 2017. Since in office, he served on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the State and Local Government Committee, among others. He faced scrutiny from the Ohio Elections Commission in 2021, accused of violating campaign finance law. The commission voted in his favor, The Daily Record reported in October. Mark Gooch will seek the Democratic nomination in May. Who else is running in Wayne County? A couple of familiar faces are running for re-election in Wayne County including, Jarra Underwood, the county auditor. She runs unopposed, election filings show. County Commissioner Becky Foster did not file for re-election. In her stead, Richard Frazier and Jonathan Hofstetter, both Republicans, will run for the spot. Wayne County will see a new Common Pleas judge as Judge Mark Weist will not seek re-election. Municipal Judge Timothy VanSickle hopes to take Weist's place, while Common Pleas Judge Corey Spitler is running to retain his spot. Story continues Ballot issues in Wayne County A number of ballot issues are up for a vote in the May primary election: A 0.5-mill general improvement tax levy in the Chippewa Local School District. A five-year 1% renewal income tax for Chippewa Local Schools would fund current operating expenses. A 2-year 2.9-mill fire and emergency medical services tax levy renewal for the East Wayne Joint Fire District. A 2-year 2.9-mill fire and emergency services tax levy renewal for the Northern Sugar Creek Fire District. A 2-year 1.5-mill tax levy renewal for the Southern Sugar Creek Fire District would fund fire and emergency services. A 1-mill additional tax levy of 10 years would fund the construction, maintenance and acquisition of police equipment, buildings and supplies for the city of Norton. Three wine, mixed beverage and liquor options are up for a vote in Wooster for the announced Mariola Italian restaurant and the Meijer store that will be located along Smithville Western Road. Who is running in Holmes County? Commissioner Rob Ault (left) reads a resolution. The list of candidates is short in Holmes County, according to filings with the Board of Elections. Current County Commissioner Rob Ault did not file for re-election, according to the board. Two vie for his seat: Dave Hall and Eric Strouse, both Republicans. Incumbent County Auditor Jackie McKee is running uncontested for re-election. What is the County Central Committee? The position with the most candidates on the ballot is for those seeking to be on the County Central Committee, with 58 in Wayne and 10 in Holmes. This position is split between the political parties of the region, so usually Republican and Democrat. Those elected to this committee are responsible for things like candidate endorsements, proposing ballot issues and promoting voter registration. These committees can coordinate campaigns, phone banks, basic campaign headquarter operations and choose replacements for candidates who quit in the middle of their term. Correction: There are no issues listed on the Holmes County Board of Elections website for the 2022 primary election as of Feb. 6. An earlier version of this story included incorrect ballot information for that county. Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com On Twitter: @Bryce_Buyakie This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Primary election 2022: Who and what is on the ballot in Wayne, Holmes? Feb. 5MACON A former pastor from Georgia who was conducting missionary work in Uganda when he sexually assaulted a girl under the care of his church has pleaded guilty to his crime in federal court. Eric Tuininga, 44, of Milledgeville, pleaded guilty to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places before Chief U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell. Upon entry of his guilty plea, Tuininga was taken into custody pending his sentencing. Tuininga faces a maximum 30 years in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release up to life and a maximum $250,000 fine. In addition, Tuininga will have to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 3, 2022. "Eric Tuininga used his trusted position as a pastor to sexually assault a young Ugandan girl in his care," U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. "This was a challenging case, but law enforcement worked diligently to ensure that Tuininga did not escape justice for his crime overseas. The U.S. Attorney's Office, along with our national and international law enforcement partners, will do everything in our power to catch child predators and hold them accountable for their crimes." "Tuininga was supposed to be someone that could be trusted, but instead he abused that trust and victimized a child," Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama, said. "HSI and its law enforcement partners will continue to utilize every resource available to identify, arrest and prosecute those who prey upon children." According to court documents, a U.S. citizen affiliated with the U.S.-based Orthodox Presbyterian Church operating in Mbale, Uganda, contacted U.S. Embassy Kampala American Citizen Services in June 2019, to report that Tuininga, who was working as one of the group's ministers, was having sex with Ugandan female minors as young as 14 years old who were under the care of the organization. Story continues U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security agents in Kampala, Uganda, opened an investigation into the allegations. Finding Tuininga had already returned to his home in the Middle District of Georgia, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Child Exploitation Unit, Atlanta, continued the investigation. Federal agents identified a Ugandan minor who was 14 years old in March 2019 when Tuininga had sex with her as he was working as a pastor with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Tuininga now admits that he came to know the victim in his capacity as a religious leader and that the victim would often visit the OPC church, including a religious compound, overseen by Tuininga. Tuininga also now admits that he engaged in illicit sexual conduct with the child. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, HSI-Child Exploitation Unit with special assistance from U.S. Department of State, DSS agents in Kampala, Uganda. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Kalim and Katelyn Semales are prosecuting the case. Vice President Mike Pence, joined at left by chief of staff Marc Short, finishes a swearing-in ceremony for senators in the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, Pool Marc Short said on Sunday that former President Trump received "bad advice" regarding challenges to the 2020 election. On NBC's "Meet the Press," Mike Pence's former chief of staff said some advisors peddled "random and novel ideas." Short reaffirmed that Pence was committed to fulfilling to his constitutional role on January 6. Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, said on Sunday that former President Donald Trump received "a lot of bad advice" in his attempts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. During an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Republican advisor rejected any notion that Pence had considered a delay in certifying now-President Joe Biden's electoral victory and told host Chuck Todd that Trump heard from a range of individuals about challenges to the results that weren't rooted in the law. "I think, unfortunately, the president had many bad advisors who were basically snake-oil salesmen giving him really random and novel ideas as what the vice president could do," Short said. When Todd asked if the former president had received "bad advice" from advisors or had sought it out, Short said that he was unsure. "I don't know the answer to that question," he responded. "I think that, honestly, he did get a lot of bad advice, but I think that it was not something that the vice president from the very beginning he counseled the president, 'I don't think I have that authority, always willing to look at something that you want to send our way,' but never thought he had that authority." For weeks after the November election, Trump pursued myriad legal challenges centered in swing states that he narrowly lost to now-President Joe Biden, which include Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The then-president attempted to have mail-in ballots tossed in Pennsylvania, pursued a recount of ballots in two heavily-Democratic jurisdictions in Wisconsin, and pressed Republican state lawmakers across the country to conduct "forensic" audits of ballots, including the high-profile audit in Maricopa County, Ariz., which resulted in Biden picking up more votes in the final tabulation. Story continues Trump also sought to have Pence overturn the Electoral College results on January 6, 2021 and it was later revealed that former campaign attorney Jenna Ellis devised a memo for the vice president to send electoral votes back to several key states in an attempt to have the House vote to keep the then-president in office for a second term. Last month, Short privately testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot, according to multiple reports. While on "Meet the Press," Short said that while he had "significant concerns" regarding the administration of elections in several swing states, it was not enough to change the results that solidified a Biden win. "[T]he campaign had opportunities to bring that evidence up until December 14 and didn't," he said. "And so I think at this point you have to assume that he was duly elected and the reality is that there was not enough significant fraud that was presented that would have overturned any of those states' elections." He added: "I think the reality again is we're asking, 'What's the constitutional role of the vice president of the United States?' We're governed by rule of laws not rule of men." Short said Pence "was doing his duty, which was what he was required to, under an oath to the Constitution to defend it." Read the original article on Business Insider Happy Ballet Day Raleigh! First, today's weather: Periods of rain. High: 42 Low: 35. If you are reading this, so are your potential customers. Click here to learn how you can sponsor the Raleigh Daily. Here are the top stories today in Raleigh: Today, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Anne Baldwin will be meeting with Wake County Public Health to explore ways to drop the indoor mask mandate. She believes that numbers are encouraging right now and "at some point, we're all going to have to be responsible for ourselves." She emphasizes that it may take a few weeks because they don't want to jump the gun. (abc11) Campbell Law School students will be joining a national call to action by helping provide assistance to individuals affected by the eviction crisis. The law students will spend approximately 81,000 hours helping to provide legal assistance to communities in need across the country. (CBS17) After the voting maps were struck down by the N.C. Supreme Court, Republican lawmakers are poising themselves to shift Supreme Court power in the coming election. Democratic Supreme Court Justice Sam Ervin is up for reelection, and his Democratic colleague Robin Hudson is not seeking reelection. State Senator Ralph Hise, issued a statement that said that "Democrats will come to regret the precedent that is set," by high court's justices intervening. (WRAL) A suspect in the 2021 murder of Jamel Ramel Haskins of Durham has been arrested. The suspect Chris Emmanuel Wiggins was arrested and charged in Raleigh and is being held without bond. He is facing charges of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a felon. (CBS17) From our sponsor: Today's Raleigh Daily is brought to you in part by Newrez, a leading nationwide mortgage lender. Make a smart move for your future and refinance with Newrez today. Call 844-979-1707 to connect with a Newrez loan officer. Newrez, LLC (NMLS #3013) Story continues Today in Raleigh: From my notebook: It's Ballet Day and right now you can catch the Carolina Ballet doing Romeo & Juliet at Fletcher Opera Theatre. Check out the Downtown Raleigh Alliance 's Guide to Valentine's Day. East Cloud Kung fu of Raleigh rang in the Lunar New Year with a special celebration at the N.C. Museum of Art. (Spectrum News 1) More from our sponsors thanks for supporting local news! Events: Co-Parenting, Alimony & Child Support Vesta's Charlotte, NC Hub (February 8) Taxes in Retirement Seminar (February 8) Add your event Loving the Raleigh Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved: Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe Get your local business featured in front of readers Send me a news tip or suggestion at raleigh@patch.com You're all caught up for today! I'll see you around. CJ Fullford This article originally appeared on the Raleigh Patch (Bloomberg) -- Most Read from Bloomberg Acquisitions will grow more difficult for GlobalWafers Co., Chief Executive Officer Doris Hsu said on Sunday, days after a $5 billion deal to buy Germanys Siltronic AG fell through. As GlobalWafers grows bigger and wins more market share, we will face more challenges in acquisitions due to antitrust reviews or increasing geopolitical concerns from governments, Hsu said during a call with analysts and reporters. GlobalWafers bid won Chinese approval but Germany blocked the attempt to create what could have been the worlds largest maker of the silicon wafers used in chipmaking. On Sunday, Hsu declined to comment extensively on Berlins action other than to say the company was told that German officials didnt have enough time to review the deal. The scuttled acquisition has raised questions about the headwinds for international consolidation in the chip industry, as nations increasingly view semiconductor manufacturing as a national security priority. A persistent chip shortage over the past year has hurt a wide swath of industries and alarmed governments around the world. The Taiwanese company, which has said it would reassess its investment strategy, is not in a rush to dispose its 13.7% stake in Siltronic as market demand remains strong, Hsu said. Over the next three years, the company will spend $2 billion for a greenfield project and set aside another $1.6 billion or brownfield expansion, Hsu said. The Asian firm had hoped Siltronic would boost its capabilities in high-speed 5G networking and internet-of-things technologies, as well as accelerating progress toward compound-based semiconductors -- the next stage in development beyond silicon. Story continues Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2022 Bloomberg L.P. Rep. Matt Gaetz watching during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on December 12, 2019. AP Rep. Matt Gaetz said he was "quite disappointed" that Mike Pence didn't overturn the 2020 election. Gaetz made the comments on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast over the weekend. Pence last week broke with Donald Trump and said he didn't have the authority to change the results. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said he was "disappointed" in Vice President Mike Pence when he did not attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Gaetz, while speaking on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast on Saturday, detailed his final meeting in the White House with Pence, who was vice president at the time. He said those in favor of overturning the election had assembled "substantive arguments" that they "thought would be persuasive to state legislatures who were looking for a signal to take more aggressive action to not maintain the fiction of elections that were not run fairly." But Pence didn't bite, Gaetz said. "I knew then that he was not going to show a great deal of boldness before the Congress," said Gaetz, who is under investigation by the US Department of Justice over potential violations of sex-trafficking laws, prompting Bannon to ask whether it was because Pence "didn't understand the content of what had gone on." Despite claims from Gaetz, former President Donald Trump, and others in the GOP, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Biden won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, making Trump a one-term president. "It was more just the defeatism in his eyes and the tone," Gaetz said on Bannon's podcast. "It reminded me of those George W. Bush years, where there was just kind of an exasperation that we had to surrender to the frame of the media, the powers that be, and that we didn't have the ability to carve out our own destiny." Story continues Last week, Pence made a rare break with Trump, saying on Friday that the former president was "wrong" to suggest that Pence had the authority to change the election results. Pence was responsible for overseeing the counting of the Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021, at the same time a pro-Trump mob stormed the building. "The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone," Pence said last week. "And frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president." On Saturday, Gaetz maintained he was disappointed in Pence. "We put forward arguments and affidavits and evidence," Gaetz said. "We showed him videos. We were in the cabinet room meeting with Mike Pence in the days leading up to January 6, and I left quite disappointed that he was not motivated by our argument." Read the original article on Business Insider In October 2019 the Pennsylvania Legislature passed PA Act 77, joining 31 other states and Washington D.C., in allowing No Excuse Mail-In Voting. Not a moment too soon as the 2020 pandemic surely would have impacted voter access and heavier turnout in-person at the polls would have exacerbated the 2020 swell of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Ed Palattellas Erie Times article published in The Intelligencer Dec. 23, 2020, documented Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly and others' Nov, 21, 2020, Act 77 constitutional court challenge seeking to void 2.5 million Pennsylvania mail-in ballots. This action was denied in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Pennsylvanias vote count was certified. After reading that article, I wrote directly to Congressman Kelly. In that letter I posed several questions to him regarding Act 77, most importantly: Do you object to no excuse voting by mail in PA or just enactment via Act 77? If you agree with no excuse mail in voting, why not allow Act 77 to remain in place temporarily while simultaneously supporting a State Constitutional Amendment allowing no excuse mail in voting? Eliminating Act 77 before a Constitutional Amendment is in place would disenfranchise millions of PA voters for years... That letter has gone unanswered by word or action; unsurprising given he has refused interviews to discuss the subject. What has become clear in todays political environment is that the far right is doing everything possible to restrict voting access hoping it will improve Republicans chances of winning. Now, Congressman Kelly is leading a renewed effort to declare Act 77 unconstitutional. Eleven of the 14 Pennsylvania congressmen supporting this latest court challenge voted to pass Act 77. Whats changed since their October 2019 vote? Their guy didnt win in 2020. The endgame appears to be the 2024 presidential election, but whats the interim strategy? Republicans are trying to remove Act 77 but arent willing to leave it in place while a constitutional amendment is processed. Nor are they simultaneously proposing a constitutional amendment to take its place. Why? Story continues They have no intention of doing so. They only use that process to bypass the governors veto with their own initiatives. Even if they were so inclined, it would take years to complete the process and get an amendment on the ballot. In the meantime, eliminating no-excuse voting, the absentee ballot deadline extension and voter registration extension provided by Act 77 now would serve to suppress voting in the 2022 election. Whats at stake in Pennsylvania? One U.S. senator, 17 U.S. Congressional seats, one governor, 25 state senators and 203 state congressional seats. As in many other states like Texas, the interim Republican goal is to attempt to regain control of the U.S. Senate and House, then stifle any Democratic initiatives and nominations regardless of worthiness similar to what happened during the Obama administration, all to make the current president appear ineffective. At the state level, the goal is it create a Republican super majority that can override gubernatorial vetoes. I urge everyone to contact their state legislators and candidates and urge them to end this vote suppression initiative and do whatever is necessary to preserve Pennsylvania mail-in voting permanently. And, vote in May and November it matters. Brian Maguire is a resident of Chalfont. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: More than meets the eye in GOP's efforts to kill Act 77 in Pennsylvania The attention of the world was turned to France on April 15th, 2019, as the Notre Dame Cathedral lit up in flames. This towering edifice that has stood for over 800 years was aflame as onlookers watched stunned at the sight of the beautiful cathedral on fire. I remember watching the event on the news and thinking, could this be a prophetic picture of western civilization? Empires rise and fall, civilizations decline over time and there is every indication that western civilization is heading for a sudden fall. Open borders, wokeness, massive reforms in the education system and identity politics have led to massive changes in the culture of many countries. Western civilization is on fire and just like the onlookers who stood helpless and watched the Notre Dame burn, many can only do the same, as the world they once knew is radically altered. The case for western civilization Anyone who has paid attention to events unfolding from 2020 would have noticed the phrase, burn it down used several times as droves of individuals called for the destruction of the systems that have held their countries together. Many of these individuals have claimed to be Social Justice Warriors. It's very easy to destroy - but it takes patience and wisdom to build. There is no perfect civilization, and there will not be until Jesus establishes his kingdom upon the earth - this is one of the reasons why the famous economist Thomas Sowell would always say, there are no solutions, only trade-offs. There are obvious evils that can be linked to western civilization such as slavery, racism, etc., but these issues are not exclusively western, they have nothing to do with the color of a mans skin. We are all flawed, and we need the redeeming power of Christ to liberate us. Those who say, burn it down, can only speak freely because men and women whom they claim to despise stood, fought, and built the country in which they stand. They are standing on the shoulders of giants and raining insults at them. Were the founding fathers of America or European countries perfect? Far from it! They were full of faults like the rest of us, but many labored for their country, and for that reason, they deserve to be honored. Those who want to burn it down should take some lessons from history - Leninist Russia and Maos China took the same route and it ended in unimaginable consequences. Honoring the fathers Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi Chapter 4, verses 5-6) A generation that refuses to honor the fathers will not receive their inheritance. One of the basic strategies of the devil in destroying the heritage of nations is to cause hatred to rise for the fathers and mothers. If the Elijah anointing comes to restore the fathers to the children and vice-versa, then the Jezebel spirit comes to cause division between the fathers and the children. Over the past couple of years, there has been so much dishonor for the fathers of many nations. This is a deliberate ploy of the enemy to destroy the heritage of nations. The commandment to honor fathers and mothers (Ephesians chapter 6, verse 2) comes with a promise: that it may be well with thee When you see the statues of fathers being destroyed, their names and legacy being smeared, understand that its a deliberate ploy of the enemy to make sure that a generation does not inherit the promise that comes with honoring the fathers. Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and a large part of the Bible is given to genealogies. If the church is to counter the woke culture of hatred for the fathers, there must be a true restoration of honor in the church. We as the Ekklesia of Christ must emphasize honoring the fathers and the mothers that still labor among us and those who are now in heaven. The culture of honor must be restored. The need for courage Centuries ago, Rome fell as the Barbarians invaded through her gates. In America and a large part of Europe today, the Barbarians are already within the gates of the city. They are on the college campuses, they are in high schools, they own mainstream media, they run social media, they are even in the churches. Though the situation looks dark, I believe this will be our finest hour. One word spoken in truth can take down a thousand lies. A little monk named Martin Luther changed the course of history by standing against the most powerful body of his day, the Roman Catholic Church. Little did Luther know that his 95-thesis posted on that little door in Wittenberg would conquer a thousand lies. Maybe we need a thousand men with the courage of Luther in this hour to stand against the invasion of the barbarians. Maybe we need just one or two who would not give up the standards of truth for the passing pleasures of this world. Even as the world gets darker, I firmly believe that this would be our finest hour. May the church of Jesus Christ arise and shine! Kayla Giles was found guilty Jan. 29 in the 2018 shooting death of her husband, but that case isn't the only legal matter involving her. She has related and unrelated criminal charges still pending, as well as multiple civil lawsuits in federal and district courts filed by her and against her. The home on Credeur Road in Pineville where Kayla Giles once lived with her husband, Thomas Coutee Jr., before his death was destroyed in a February 2020 fire. It was ruled an arson and remains under investigation. So, what's next? Giles had no visible reaction when she was found guilty of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in the Sept. 8, 2018, killing of estranged husband Thomas Coutee Jr., 30. The verdict came on the afternoon of Giles' 35th birthday after four days of jury selection, five days of testimony and a morning of closing arguments. Verdict delivered: Kayla Giles found guilty of 2nd-degree murder, obstruction of justice Trial coverage: Friend testifies Kayla Giles told her she wanted to kill husband, asked to borrow gun Jurors twice sent questions out to 9th Judicial District Court Judge Greg Beard, and a bailiff returned with word of a verdict just minutes after jurors finished with the second question. The mandatory penalty in Louisiana for second-degree murder is life in prison without possibility of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. She's scheduled to be sentenced on March 28. Coutee's family will have the chance to offer victim impact statements before Beard sentences her. Theft and domestic abuse battery Less than two weeks after Coutee's death, on Sept. 17, 2018, Giles again was arrested by the Alexandria Police Department on charges of felony theft between $5,000 and $25,000. The charges stemmed from complaints Coutee made about the theft of $5,200 from his Red River Bank account and from an incident during another child swap in which Giles allegedly hit Coutee repeatedly. While these incidents played a prominent role in the murder trial, it's not known if formal charges ever will be brought against her since she's already set to be sentenced to life in prison. An email seeking clarification sent to the Louisiana Attorney General's Office wasn't immediately returned. Story continues Cathy Pearson (middle), the mother of Thomas Coutee Jr., hugs a supporter Saturday outside the Rapides Parish Courthouse. Coutee's estranged wife, Kayla Giles, was found guilty in his 2018 shooting death. Pineville house fire On Feb. 7, 2020, the house Giles once had shared with Coutee was destroyed in a fire that later was ruled an arson. At the time, Giles was in Oklahoma on a court-approved visit to see her only son. But she also attempted to see her oldest daughter, who was a witness to the shooting, in a nearby town. Fire coverage: Kayla Giles home 'intentionally set' on fre; complaint seeks protective order Contempt of court: Unauthorized visit to daughter lands Kayla Giles in jail for 30 days Giles was found in contempt of court for that and served 30 days in jail. The Louisiana State Fire Marshal investigated the blaze, ruling that it was an arson. Investigators are still working on the case, a spokesperson said on Monday. Federal lawsuit against insurer Giles filed a federal lawsuit against the insurer of her homeowner's policy, USAA General Indemnity Co., for failing to pay after the fire. The company cited the arson investigation in its response to Giles' claim. The lawsuit was put on hold until Giles' criminal case was resolved. On Jan. 31, a status conference was held in which the stay in the case was extended through April 29, according to online court records. The extension is to allow the fire marshal's report to be completed, Giles' criminal conviction to be verified and for any appeal of that conviction to be confirmed. Lawsuit over self-defense policy Giles filed another federal lawsuit against Delta Defense LLC and United Specialty Insurance Co. over the policy she purchased when she bought the Ruger LCP .380 pistol used to kill Coutee. She called the insurer from the scene to start her claim, which was mentioned several times during her trial. Giles had received an initial $50,000 through the policy for an attorney retainer, but the insurer halted action on anything else because of the criminal charges. Lawsuits filed: Kayla Giles files lawsuit over halted payments on self-defense policy The policy Giles bought insured her as a platinum member through the United States Concealed Carry Association, Inc., making her eligible to be paid up to $150,000 for criminal defense fees. Both companies have sought to be dismissed from the lawsuit. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Dee Drell lifted the stay order in this case. He gave Giles 21 days to file any opposition to the companies' motions for summary judgment. The companies will have another seven days after that to respond. Wrongful death lawsuits The guardian of Giles' and Coutee's daughter and Coutee's father, Thomas Coutee Sr., filed wrongful death civil lawsuits in the 9th Judicial District Court in 2019. More: Father, guardian file wrongful death lawsuits against Kayla Giles No action has been taken in either lawsuit. Unemployment fraud case Giles was arrested in October 2020, along with Forest Hill resident Teri Nichole Champagne, for allegedly stealing as much as $300,000 in unemployment benefits in Louisiana and other states. Arrest by AG: State accuses Kayla Giles, Forest Hill woman of stealing $300K in benefits She was arrested by the AG's office in East Baton Rouge Parish on charges of identity theft, government benefits fraud, criminal conspiracy and money laundering. A spokesperson with the AG's office said that, in light of Giles' conviction in Coutee's death, "we are reviewing future prosecutorial action." This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: After Kayla Giles was found guilty, what about other cases involving her? This past week brought a flurry of news, kicked off by a blizzard that buried Greater Fall River in almost 2 feet of snow. As we prepare to kick off a still freezing but less snowy week, let's take a look back at our recent top headlines. It was a heartbreaking week for almost a dozen Fall River residents displaced following a four-alarm fire at their multi-family Irving Street home. Two firefighters were injured and difficult conditions caused by the nor'easter hampered efforts to battle the blaze that destroyed the building. Also among The Herald News' most-read stories, a King of Beers has been crowned and the new member of Budweiser's royal court hails from Swansea. In other news, a look at shoveling requirements for city homeowners, the judge clarifies his order for former mayor Jasiel Correia's self-surrender date, and Fall River's fire chief retires. In case you missed it, here are The Herald News top stories from last week according to our readers. Fall River firefighters battle a four-alarm fire at a multi-family home at 140 Irving St. on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2002. Battling a fire and a blizzard Two Fall River firefighters were injured battling a massive four-alarm blaze that broke out in a multi-family home at 140 Irving St. last Saturday night. Mayor Paul Coogan, who was at the scene, said the house was "totally destroyed" but praised the "tremendous effort" of firefighters who had to deal difficult conditions caused by the powerful nor'easter that dumped nearly two feet of snow on the city last Saturday, such as frozen and buried hydrants, streets clogged with cars and firetrucks getting stuck in the snow. The same apartment house had also suffered damage in a freakish 2021 blaze. Read more about it here. 'Convergence' of bad conditions:: Firefighters injured battling 4-alarm fire; blizzard hampers efforts 'It was horrific': Irving Street apartment house fire wasn't the first fire on that block Paul Castro, of Warren, Rhode Island, wears his handmade King of Beers outfit in front of a castle built of Bud cases in Swansea. Hear ye, hear ye Swansea native Paul Castro has taken his rightful place as Budweisers lord and ruler, winning the beer makers King of Bud contest along with a kings ransom $50,000 cash reward and bragging rights as the king of the King of Beers. Story continues The contest, which ran last fall, asked Bud drinkers to share photos on social media showing their love for Budweiser. He posted photos of himself decked in an astonishing hand-crafted royal costume made from hundreds of glittering red bottlecaps and a chain-mail shirt of can-tabs, standing before a colossal castle built of Bud cases. It was enough to catch the attention of the Bud big-wigs. Read more about his ascension to the throne here. 'Ten years and 10,000 beers': Swansea native Paul Castro is crowned the king of Budweiser Ziad Nasrallah shovels on High street Fall River. Shovel ready The pounding the Fall River area took in last week's blizzard could only mean one thing: lots of shoveling. But just what are the shoveling requirements for responsible homeowners? And what happens if you stay inside binge-watching "Ozark" instead of shoveling? Check out the rules for what must be shoveled and when here. Do you shovel your sidewalk?: Here are Fall River's rules about that. Then-Mayor Jasiel Correia walks down South Main Street, waving to a cheering crowd during the Fall River Children's Holiday Parade on Dec. 1, 2018. Correia prison date amended Former mayor Jasiel Correia II could be headed to federal prison on Valentine's Day. The Bureau of Prisons having notified the Court that they cannot accommodate a self-surrender on a weekend, defendant Jasiel Correia II shall report to the facility designated for his confinement up to and including February 14, 2022, according to an online court docket entry filed Monday by federal court Judge Douglas Woodlock. Attorney Steven Sabra said Woodlock's latest order doesnt necessarily mean that Correia will be entering the Federal Correctional Institution Berlin, in New Hampshire in two weeks to begin his six-year sentence for government corruption. Read more on this story here. Correia update:: Could ex-mayor be going to prison on Valentine's Day? Judge amends order. Fall River Fire Chief John Lynch with his first and last issued helmet. Fire chief hangs up his hat As his distinguished 36-year career wound down on Friday, Fall River Fire Chief John Lynch reflected on the last nearly four decades, ending an interview with a version of his trademark quote. Im leaving the greatest department on the planet, said Lynch, who at age 65 is required to take retirement. With no reservations, and Im sure it's going to continue to be the best department on the planet. It seemed like only yesterday that I got my first assignment, said Lynch, whose career began on Jan. 27, 1986, at age 29. Read more about the city native, his long career and plans for retirement here. A look back: Fall River Fire Chief John Lynch retires after 36 years This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Top stories from Fall River, Swansea, Somerset, Westport MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis on Saturday demanding justice in the fatal police shooting of a young Black man, Amir Locke, during a "no-knock" raid on his apartment earlier this week. The boisterous but peaceful crowd, chanting Locke's name and the slogan "no justice, no peace," rallied at Government Plaza in Minnesota's largest city three days after Locke, 22, was shot on his couch by police. The day after the killing, police released video footage from the raid, which showed Locke was holding a gun as he twisted beneath a blanket on his sofa after being roused by officers moments before he was slain. Police have said the officers were exercising a "no-knock" search warrant, which authorizes police to enter private property without first alerting occupants or announcing their presence. The warrant was issued in relation to a homicide probe led by detectives from the neighboring Saint Paul Police Department. Locke was not named in the warrant, and Minneapolis police have acknowledged it was unclear how or whether he was connected to that investigation. On Thursday, interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman told a news conference the county attorney's office was reviewing the shooting, and that video from the incident appeared to show Locke's gun pointed toward officers when they opened fire. Activists at the protest said Locke had a right to possess a weapon in his own home and was never given the chance to disarm himself in the chaotic moments as police stormed into his apartment without warning. At least 500 demonstrators assembled in below-freezing temperatures on Saturday, demanding an unconditional ban on no-knock warrants, the dismissal and arrest of officers involved in the shooting, and the resignation of the mayor and police chief. A series of speakers led the crowd through chants demanding racial justice and denouncing police violence against Black people, who organizers said have been disproportionately targeted by heavy-handed, and discriminatory law enforcement tactics. Story continues Live video footage of the protest from Reuters showed the crowd remained orderly, while police kept a low profile presence on the fringes of the rally. On Friday, Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the Locke shooting, ordering a moratorium on "no-knock" search warrants, saying he was acting to "ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted." The Locke shooting was the latest of a string of incidents to put Minneapolis-area police department under scrutiny. Almost two years ago, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by a white officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during an arrest on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Outrage over Floyd's death sparked a nationwide movement challenging police brutality and bias in the U.S. criminal justice system. The video of Locke's arrest showed police unlocking his apartment with a key and officers shouting, "Police, search warrant, get on the ground," as they entered. An officer then kicks at the couch where Locke was lying and as Locke turns, his arm emerges from under the blanket with a gun seen in his hand. Almost immediately, police fired at least three shots. Lawyers for Locke's family said he had no criminal history and legally possessed a firearm at the time of his death. (Reporting by Reuters Video News staff in Minneapolis; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by David Gregorio) Hundreds of people protested in the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota after police killed a 22-year-old Black man during a no-knock raid, with demonstrators demanding that the practice be banned. The loud but peaceful crowd chanted the name of Amir Locke on Saturday, three days after he was killed by police within ten seconds after they entered an apartment where he was sleeping on the couch. In body camera footage released by the office of Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey, Mr Locke can be seen holding a gun, which his family say he had a legal permit for. The no-knock search warrant, which allows officers to enter a home without announcing their presence, was issued in relation to a homicide investigation conducted by the police department in St Paul, Minneapolis twin city. The chief of police in Minneapolis has confirmed that Mr Locke was not named in the warrant, and its unclear if hes connected to the investigation. Chief Amelia Huffman told reporters on Thursday that the county attorneys office is looking into the shooting that killed Mr Locke. She also said that the video showed that Mr Locke had pointed his weapon in the direction of officers. A demonstrator chants Amir Locke's name during a rally in protest of his killing, outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 5, 2022 (AFP via Getty Images) Demonstrators march behind a banner reading Justice for Amir Locke and All Stolen Lives during a rally in protest of the killing of Amir Locke, outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 5, 2022 (AFP via Getty Images) Protesters argued that Mr Locke had the right to have his weapon and wasnt afforded the chance to disarm himself and cooperate with the police during the quick raid. The at least 500 demonstrators demanded that the police chief and mayor resign, as well as that the officers involved in the shooting be dismissed from the department, according to The Guardian. Two protesters embrace at a racial justice rally for Amir Locke on February 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Getty Images) Hundreds gathered in cold weather during a rally in protest of the killing of Amir Locke, outside the Police precint in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 5, 2022 (AFP via Getty Images) Speakers insisted that more be done to combat police violence against Black people, arguing that they are targets of extreme law enforcement tactics. Mayor Jacob Frey ordered a moratorium on no-knock raids on Friday to ensure the safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted. The Minneapolis Police Department has been heavily criticised in recent years. On 25 May 2020, the murder of George Floyd prompted nationwide protests after a white officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Mr Floyds neck for more than nine minutes. On 25 June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. Story continues A protester holds their fist in the air in front of the downtown skyline during a racial justice march for Amir Locke on February 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Getty Images) A demonstrator's dog wears a Karen Wells, the mother of Mr Locke, has hired lawyer Ben Crump, who also represented the family of Mr Floyd. Police entered the apartment where Mr Locke was killed at 6.48am on Wednesday. Mr Crump said in a statement that as in the case of Breonna Taylor, the tragic killing of Amir Locke shows a pattern of no-knock warrants having deadly consequences for Black Americans. This is yet another example of why we need to put an end to these kinds of search warrants so that one day, Black Americans will be able to sleep safely in their beds at night. Andre Locke, father of Amir Locke, speaks at a racial justice march on February 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Getty Images) Protesters gather ahead of a racial justice march for Amir Locke on February 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Getty Images) Civil rights lawyer and community activist Nekima Levy Armstrong said the family of Mr Locke had told her that he had a license for the gun, that he had a concealed carry permit, that he wasnt a resident of the apartment where he was shot, that law enforcement hadnt been searching for him, and that he wasnt one of the three people named in the no-knock warrant. Ms Armstrong posted the body camera video on social media, writing that it was for those who can stomach the murderous conduct of the Minneapolis Police Department. Lavish Mack chants during a racial justice march for Amir Locke on February 5, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Getty Images) Police point their guns at Amir Locke as he lies on a sofa under a blanket before being shot (Minneapolis Police Department/AF) The mother in me is furious and sick to my stomach. Amir never had a chance to survive that encounter with police, she said. The footage was released following outrage at the incident, with some comparing it to the deadly shooting of Ms Taylor, who was shot and killed during the execution of a no-knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2020. Neighbour Keri Coquemont told CBS Minnesota that I feel very anxious. More anxious about why something of such magnitude, and Im on the same floor and I didnt hear anything. I heard nothing. No gunshots, no police announcing [themselves], no police sirens, she added. Susan Larson told the local TV station that she moved out of the apartment next door on Saturday because she didnt feel safe. I probably called 911 no fewer than 10, 11, 12 times, Ms Larson told CBS. I didnt feel safe. I was scared out of my mind. Activist DJ Hooker said during a press conference and vigil outside the apartment building on Wednesday that police decided if a Black man got to live or die in nine seconds. Why did they have to endanger every single person in this apartment building? Somebody could have been out in the hallway, somebody could have got shot above, activist Toussaint Morrison added. The video shows Mr Locke on a couch covered by a blanket and holding a gun in the moments before hes shot by Minneapolis officers. In the footage, several officers enter the apartment at 6.48am on Wednesday using a key, shooting Mr Locke within 10 seconds of entering the home. When they enter the apartment, the police officers yell police search warrant several times as well as hands and get on the ground. One of the officers kicks the couch, and Mr Locke starts to come out from under the blanket holding a firearm. The police officers then fire three rounds, Mr Locke falls to the floor and the video ends. The bodycam footage was released about 36 hours after the shooting, as the public called for transparency from the authorities in what happened to Mr Locke. Mr Locke had two wounds in his chest and one in his right wrist, an incident report said. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the body camera video raises about as many questions as it does answers and that the city was working to find answers as quickly as possible and in transparent fashion. The matter is being investigated, including by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Approximately nine seconds into the entry, officers encountered a male who was armed with a handgun pointed in the direction of officers. At one point, shots were fired, and the adult male suspect was struck. Officers immediately provided emergency aid and carried the suspect down to the lobby to meet paramedics, police said in a press release. Any officer-involved shooting is a tragic incident, Chief Huffman told reporters on Wednesday. This is the call that no police chief wants to receive. Lets start with the reality that any loss of life is tragic, Mr Frey said. And thats where were keeping our thoughts front and center as we work alongside our community partners, and as the investigation gets underway. LAKELAND Two of the 16 books conservatives are proposing to ban from Polk County public school libraries because they say they are pornographic were written by the late Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison Beloved and The Bluest Eye. Morrison, who died in 2019 at age 88, tackled some of the most difficult topics facing society in her books. At issue in these two are passages that describe bestiality, incest, child rape and white supremacy. Beloved won the Pulitzer Price for literature and is the story of one familys trauma from excruciating physical and sexual abuse as slaves, which is described in the book. The most controversial passage in the book deals with a group of five men in their 20s. When a new female slave arrives on their small plantation one of only two females on a plantation they are forbidden to leave the men wait for a year for Sethe, who is 13, to choose one of them. In the meantime, rather than assault her (the rape of slave females was common) they have sex with calves on the plantation. Literature or pornography? National effort to label school library books as pornography takes root in Polk Pulled from shelves: Why Polk schools are handling these 16 books differently than a typical complaint The law: How does Florida law jive with US Supreme Court precedent regarding the banning of books Read More: Mulberry couple told of horrific life as slaves "The Bluest Eye" is about an 11-year-old girl, Pecola, who feels ugly because she is not white. Morrison juxtaposed lines from the Dick and Jane books with her prose to compare the life of an idyllic white family to that of a poor black family with serious issues. The most controversial passage in the book is when she is attacked and impregnated by her father in 1940s Ohio. The book describes when he drunkenly rapes her. Molestation and sexual assault of children remains a problem in current society, with the Polk County Sheriff's Department holding routine stings to catch people who solicit sex from people they think are minors, but who are actually undercover detectives. Story continues Polk County Sheriff's Office officials said they arrested people for sexually battering 332 minors between 2017 and 2022. Experts say Toni Morrison was trying to bring up the often taboo topics Experts say Morrison was trying to bring up the often taboo topics of rape and incest so women and children who suffer silently through it could talk about it and recover from it. Nora Pelizzari, director of communications for the National Coalition Against Censorship, said the novels need to be viewed in their entirety and not just the recitation of one passage. Students arent reading one thing they're reading a whole book, Pelizzari said. If someones reaction to Beloved is, Thats a sexy book, then maybe we need to keep an eye on that person. Maxine Montgomery, a Florida State University English professor and expert on Morrisons literature, called Beloved an evocative work of fiction that uses poetic language to explore the ugliness of slavery and racism. Montgomery said Morrison mined the deep well of Biblical writing, gospel music, jazz and the timeless tradition of Black storytelling to craft her novels. She also uses history. The story of Sethe Garner is based on the true story of Margaret Garner who tried to escape slavery in 1856 with her husband and four children. When their plantation master and federal marshals showed up hours later to reclaim them, Garner tried to murder all of her children, succeeding with one. She was returned to the plantation and eventually sold to a plantation in Arkansas. I think the novel is, I would say, almost 300 pages long and it has a profound message about the need to remember the past so that we can move beyond it, which is something the best psychiatrist or psychologist would tell any patient, Montgomery said. "It has a lot to say about the resilience of the human spirit in the face of opposition... the importance of self-love, how it's important to acknowledge your worth as an individual, to love yourself even in the midst of a society that would try to destroy your self-image. That is a more profound lesson than a one-line mention of somebody having sex with the cow." Montgomery, 62, grew up in Mulberry, graduating from Mulberry High School in 1977. Her father, Sam Montgomery, was Mulberry's first Black city commissioner. He was also on the planning board, and the historical gallery at the phosphate museum is named for him. She said her early years of school were segregated, but she began attending Mulberry Elementary School in the second grade. She said, for the most part, her parents, church and community insulated her from racism, but she remembers some Jim Crow era policies. As Black folk, we weren't allowed to go into the front doors of certain business establishments, and I knew that there was tension, racially, in the city of Mulberry, but I've had a fairly sheltered life, Montgomery said. As for trying to ban these two works that experts view as literary classics, Montgomery said their real issue isnt with the sexual material. She's trying to pay tribute to those nameless, faceless, invisible souls whose stories have been erased in the service of presenting a one-dimensional whitewash version of history and culture, and which is why this conservative move is so sinister because I see that move as an attempt to re-erase or re-silence or re-marginalized the same folks that Toni Morrison is trying to resurrect, Montgomery said. So the issue is not with the cows. The issue is with the attempt to control or display history in ways that erase, ignore, exclude the very valid, unique, sometimes unsettling experiences on the part of people from underrepresented backgrounds. So why include sex with calves at all? Because there were horrific circumstances that infringed on the lives of Black folk during that time, and the real issue is not that one or two lines from 'Beloved,' but the issue is that slavery was real, it was horrific, and that there were aspects of American history that are uncomfortable, unsettling, and those aspects of our history have influenced things that are going on even today, Montgomery said. But again, rather than confront the complexity of what Morrison is saying, conservative groups want to single out that one aspect of a novel that is so rich and immersive that's mind boggling. Wendy Beaver holds a Ph.D in English and teaches International Baccalaureate students in Hillsborough County. She has taught Beloved for years and said Morrisons use of sex with calves was a literary device to equate slaves with cattle which is, historically, exactly what happened prior to 1865, when slaves were considered three-quarters of a human and bought and sold like cattle. In referencing the rape of calves, Morrison asks readers to recognize the dehumanization of slaves, in this case a group of men denied the normalcy of family life (none of them is married), Beaver texted The Ledger. There is no single book in my experience that does everything this one does...covers all the ground: what it means to be human(e), what it means to be a parent, what it means to forgive (including oneself), what it means to remember. It would be a shame to exclude it as an option from any curriculum. Pelizzari called Morrisons works literary masterpieces and said literature can do what cold facts and dates in history books simply cant. Its one thing to read in a history book facts about slavery and another to emotionally connect with characters in a book, Pelizzari said. Books are how we dont just learn history, but internalize it and feel it. And books are really how we learn that learning history keeps us from repeating it...it allows us to inhabit these worlds. Is it going to make some people uncomfortable? Probably. But learning truth might be uncomfortable for some people. We dont know how people are going to react, and we cant limit what students are allowed to learn in some attempts to eliminate discomfort in education. Because then what would education be? Ledger reporter Kimberly C. Moore can be reached at kmoore@theledger.com or 863-802-7514. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Toni Morrison experts say she paid tribute to 'faceless, invisible souls' (Reuters) - James Hardie, the world's largest fibre cement maker, on Monday raised its annual profit forecast for the fourth time this fiscal year, and guided to even higher earnings next year, driven by a boom in the housing sector in North America. New home sales in the United States, which makes up 70% of the company's revenue, rose in every month of the December quarter and are expected to be robust despite the prospect of higher mortgage rates, driving up demand for building materials. That is likely to support the company's prospects, even as it looks for a new chief executive after firing Jack Truong last month over claims of misconduct and complaints about his management style. Truong has rejected the claims. The Dublin-based firm said it now expects adjusted net income between $620 million and $630 million for fiscal 2022, up from its earlier forecast of $605 million to $625 million. For fiscal 2023, it forecast adjusted profit of between $740 million to $820 million. It also posted adjusted net income of $154.1 million in the December quarter, up from $123.3 million a year ago. Quarterly net sales were $900 million, up 22% from last year, with its North America segment contributing $644.9 million. (Reporting by Harshita Swaminathan; Editing by Catherine Evans) "Born Hungry:" Julia Child Becomes 'The French Chef,'" by Alex Prud'homme; illustrated by Sarah Green. Its a lot easier to be a follower than a leader. Its a lot easier to take the safe path than the more difficult. Compared to years past, todays cultural climate seems to push us to tow the line, to follow orders and not disrupt the system, to be a sheep instead of a shepherd. All of that is too bad. We need to encourage freedom of thought, boldness of action, and determination to follow ones heart, dreams and convictions. Books can be useful in planting those seeds with children, and thats what todays reviewed books are all about. Take a look for yourself. Books to Borrow The following book is available at many public libraries. The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing, by Suzanne Jurmain, photographs various credits, Houghton Mifflin, 104 pages Read Aloud: Age 10 and older. Read Yourself: Age 10-11 and older. First there is a bone-freezing chill, a crushing headache, and a stomach twisted in pain. This is quickly followed by a boiling hot fever, skin and the whites of the eyes that turn yellow. Streams of vomit black with digested clots of blood occur over and over. The victim of this terrible disease called yellow fever will, in all likelihood, be dead in days. The trail of misery and death had been occurring for a long time. The fever struck the rich. It struck the poor. It killed the humble, and it humbled the important. It was widely known that yellow fever killed, but doctors and scientists were unable to combat the disease because they didnt know what caused it. Here is the true story of how four Americans and one Cuban tracked down one of the worlds most vicious killers yellow fever. Expertly researched and written, this astonishing story is a must-read. Librarians Choice Library: Stark County District Library, East Canton Branch, 224 N. Wood St., East Canton Executive Director: Mary Ellen Icaza Senior Director of Public Services: Jen Welsh Branch Manager: Ann Pukansky Choices this week: Home, by Jeannie Baker; Rocks in His Head, by Carol Otis Hurst; The Friend, by Sarah Stewart Story continues Books to Buy The following books are available at favorite bookstores. Born Hungry: Julia Child Becomes the French Chef, by Alex Prudhomme, illustrated by Sarah Green, Calkins Creek, 2022, 40 pages, $18.99 hardcover Read Aloud: age 7-10. Read Yourself: age 7/8-10. Julia Child didnt grow up cooking. In fact, as a kid the only thing she knew how to do in the kitchen was boil water and make toast. But at six feet, two inches tall, she was constantly hungry, and by the time she lived in Paris and had discovered how delicious French food was, she was determined to learn how to cook all of it and cook it well. Numerous unsuccessful attempts in the kitchen led Julia to attend cooking classes at the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. As the only female student, she wasnt welcome at first. But Julia became the best student, and Chef Max Bugnard took her under his wing. She was a fast learner, and even when she made mistakes, it didnt stop Julia. As it turned out, Julia Child became Americas first celebrity TV chef, authored numerous cookbooks, and won many well-deserved awards. Julia Childs determination and unstoppable enthusiasm proves that if you want something badly enough and work hard to achieve your goals, anything is possible, and "Born Hungry: Julia Child Becomes 'The French Chef'" makes that crystal clear in an engaging, colorful way. "Only Margaret: A Story About Margaret Wise Brown," written by Candice Ransom; illustrated by Nan Lawson. Only Margaret: A Story About Margaret Wise Brown, by Candice Ransome, illustrated by Nan Lawson, Eerdmans, 2021, 56 pages, $17.99 hardcover Read Aloud: age 5-9. Read Yourself: age 7/8-9. As a child, Margaret Wise Brown was an energetic, imaginative child who made up stories to tell her little sister and read her fairy tales where shed often change words to her own preferred liking. As a young adult, Margarets essay was published in her college magazine, and her teacher urged her to become a writer. Margaret loved words but wasnt certain she could write what people would like to read. Although Margaret switched to a teachers college she ultimately decided against becoming a teacher after her interaction with children and listening to their wonderful made-up stories. It was then that Margaret decided she would become a writer of books for children. Margarets imagination and her stories for children continued to bloom, and in nine years she had published over fifty books and was quite famous. In time, she wrote more and more stories for children, won numerous awards, and today is recognized as a pioneer of picture books. A fun, fascinating look at a woman who persevered and followed her dreams, "Only Margaret" is an inspirational book that will delight young and old alike. Kendal A. Rautzhan This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kendal Rautzhan: Inspiring true stories of people who dared to make a difference Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business Secretary - ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Kwasi Kwarteng was accused of disrespecting victims of fraud after defending the Prime Ministers misleading claim that crime had fallen by 14 per cent when it had in fact risen by 14 per cent. The Business Secretary said Boris Johnson was correct in his claim as he had excluded fraud from the official crime figures, which showed that other offences had fallen by 14 per cent. "I think fraud is really, really important, but people are talking particularly about burglaries, about personal injury, about physical crimes, and I think in that context we're seeing lower crimes, I think the Prime Minister was right, Mr Kwarteng told the BBCs Sunday Morning programme. "He was referring to personal injury and crime in relation to individuals. The point the Prime Minister was making is that crime that people experience in their day-to-day lives... in terms of burglary, in terms of physical injury, has gone down and that's absolutely right." When fraud and computer misuse crimes were included in the figures what had been a decline of 14 per cent in a year, turned into a 14 per cent rise. 'Shamfully out of touch' Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, said: "Suggesting that fraud is a lesser crime not experienced by people in their day-to-day lives is shamefully out of touch and disrespectful to victims across the country, scammed by dangerous criminals and losing hard-earned life savings. "Yet again the Conservatives are downgrading or ignoring criminal fraud. Lord Agnew [the minister who resigned over the failure of the Government to get a grip on fraud] said it best - the Government has 'little interest in the consequences of fraud to our society'. "This chaotic and incompetent Government is a complete disgrace - they cannot be trusted to take seriously our safety and security." The UK Statistics Authority ruled last week that the statement by Boris Johnson in the House of Commons claiming a 14 per cent fall in crime was misleading, as was a press release put out by the Home Office. It comes as the Business Secretary on Sunday also defended Boris Johnson's controversial Jimmy Savile attack on Sir Keir Starmer. He told Sky News that Mr Johnson's comments to the Labour leader were "perfectly reasonable". If you would have told 18-year-old me that in college, I would get to interview Michael Vick, cover the longest football game in ACC history or be in Brooklyn, New York, while the Hokies won their first-ever ACC Championship on the hardwood, I probably would not have missed the Collegiate Ti NEW ORLEANS Two white men were arrested earlier this week, days after a Black delivery driver accused them of chasing him and shooting at him after he dropped off a package in a Mississippi city. But driver Demonterrio Gibson, 24, on Friday said he doesnt believe police took him seriously at first and his attorneys say both suspects have been undercharged and should face charges of attempted murder. Nobody was injured but the chase and gunfire have sparked social media complaints of racism in Brookhaven, Mississippi, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) south of Jackson and pushback in local media from the citys Black police chief. Gregory Case and his son Brandon Case were arrested and released on bond Tuesday in connection with the alleged Jan. 24 attack on Gibson, 24. Gregory Case faces a charge of conspiracy; Brandon Case, shooting into a motor vehicle. Lawyers for Gibson say more serious charges, including hate crime charges, are warranted in what they believe was a racially motivated assault. I want both of them charged with attempted murder, attorney Carlos Moore said Friday. Moore and attorney James Bryant compared the incident to the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was running empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision in 2020 when three white strangers chased him down and blasted him with a shotgun. The white men, including a father and son, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life. Defense lawyers said they suspected he had committed crimes in their neighborhood, but prosecutors said there was no evidence of that. The three still face a federal hate crime trial. Case to be presented to grand jury Brookhaven, with a population that is 68% Black, is in Lincoln County, where District Attorney Dee Bates said information will be presented to a grand jury for a decision on charges once police complete the investigation of the Gibson incident. Witnesses, including Gibson, will be able to testify. Story continues Gibson told The Associated Press on Friday that he was in uniform when the incident happened. He said he was in a van rented by FedEx but that it did not have a FedEx logo on it. He pulled into a driveway and dropped off a package sometime after 7 p.m. on Jan. 24. Before he turned his van around in the driveway to exit, he said, he noticed a white pickup truck pulling away from another house on the same large lot. He said the pickup driver tried to cut him off as he exited the driveway. Gibson swerved around him and then encountered a second man. I drive down about two or three houses and there's another guy standing in the middle of the street, with a gun pointed at my vehicle, said Gibson. The man motioned for him to stop. I'm looking at him, like shaking my head, because why would I stop for somebody with a gun? Gibson said the man fired as he drove away, damaging the van and packages inside. He said the white pickup chased him to the interstate highway near Brookhaven before ending the chase. Later, police told local news outlets that the elder Case was the suspected pickup driver, while Brandon Case was the man in the street. Gregory Case is 58, and his son is 35, according to The Daily Leader of Brookhaven. Gibson said he called police and was told by one officer that police had received a call about a suspicious person at the same address at the same time. I said, Sir, Im not a suspicious person. I'm a FedEx worker. I was just doing my job and they shot at me.' Police chief responds on social media The Cases have not commented publicly on their arrests. The municipal clerk's office in Brookhaven said Friday morning it had not yet received paperwork on their arrests or information on their attorneys. Police chief Kenny Collins did not return calls from the AP seeking more information. Early this week, Collins, who is Black, pushed back against allegations on social media of racism in Brookhaven. Were not going to have outsiders coming in trying to stir that up, he told The Daily Leader. Brookhaven is not a racist, prejudiced town. You cant judge a town by the actions of two individuals. People need to be careful what they post on social media, Collins said. If somebody is killed or hurt because of what you post on social media, you will be charged, too. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lawyers demand serious charges for shooting at Black FedEx driver Jeff Fortenberry. US House of Representatives Attorneys for GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry say he was confused when questioned by the FBI. A federal grand jury in October indicted him on charges of lying to the FBI in connection with an investigation into potential campaign finance violations. His attorneys plan to call up an expert who can speak to the fallibility of memory and aging. Attorneys representing GOP Rep. Jeff Fortenberry plan to argue the Nebraska lawmaker was confused because of his age during FBI questioning on potential campaign finance violations, according to new court documents. Pretrial briefs filed on Friday say his attorneys plan to call up an expert who can speak to the fallibility of memory and aging to contest the accusation that he lied to the FBI, The Omaha World-Herald reported. According to the report, his lawyers said they wanted his entire conversation with the FBI played for the jury to show agents' questions were repetitive and Fortenberry was confused rather than lying. Representatives for Fortenberry did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Sunday. Prosecutors pushed back on the request, saying such an expert would only make common-sense observations about memory, according to the report. A federal grand jury in October indicted Fortenberry, 61, on charges of lying to the FBI. The indictment charged him with one count of "scheming to falsify and conceal material facts" and two counts of making false statements to investigators in connection with an FBI investigation into potential campaign finance violations. Fortenberry is among several lawmakers who investigators said received illegal campaign contributions from the Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, violating federal laws banning foreign nationals from donating to political candidates. "A number of years ago, some very bad people illegally transferred money into my campaign, along with several other members of Congress," Fortenberry said in October in response to the accusations. "They were caught, they were punished and they've been held accountable, thankfully." Story continues According to an FBI affidavit filed earlier this year, the donations went to Fortenberry's campaign in March 2016. "I answered their questions. Later, we went back and answered further questions," Fortenberry said in a YouTube video. "I told them what I knew and what I understood. They've accused me of lying to them and are charging me with this. We're shocked. We're stunned. I feel so personally betrayed. We thought we were trying to help and so now we will have to fight." Fortenberry has pleaded not guilty to all charges. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday before US District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. of Los Angeles. A trial date has not yet been set, The Omaha World-Herald reported. Insider's Grace Panetta and Sonam Sheth contributed to this report. Read the original article on Business Insider Morris Brown This obituary is part of We Will Remember, a series about those weve lost to the coronavirus. Morris Brown was a music lover known for having an infectious laugh and silky baritone voice that could put a smile on your face. He was also an avid fan of jazz music and an advocate for equal rights. Brown, 64, died May 12 at the University of Michigan Hospital as a result of complications from COVID-19. Born and raised in Ypsilanti, Brown graduated from Willow Run High School, attended Washtenaw Community College and Western Michigan University and graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in communication. Known to many as Pete, Peter Brown or Uncle Pete, Brown worked as a radio personality for several radio stations, including WEMU-FM at EMU, WCBN-FM at the University of Michigan, WTRF-FM in Lansing and WGPR-FM in Detroit. Morris Brown with his pet Justice. His musical skills led him to play bass guitar for the bands Frosted and Stolen Legacy during his early years. He retired as an audiovisual technician from the University of Michigan. Brown loved music of all kinds, but jazz and reggae were his favorites. Odell Bailey a friend of 45 years, college roommate and godfather to Browns son, noted that Brown also worked as an emcee at many concerts, including the Detroit Jazz Festival. Morris Brown, left, and Odell Bailey. We attended every Detroit Jazz Festival since its inception, Bailey said. Brown collected all types of media, and Bailey laughingly recalled that their one-bedroom apartment during their college years had more music than space. Browns collection grew over the years, and his walls were covered with albums, CDs, books and photographs. Chianti Brown, left, William Brown and Morris Brown. He often said, I like to capture the moment, daughter Chianti Brown recalled after thinking about the many photos her father took. Brown was a people person who never met a stranger and took time to let people know that he cared. He was also an advocate for equal rights, his daughter said. Growing up, we knew so many different people from all walks of life, Chianti said. He had people who were homeless to people who were well-traveled in our home. He treated people with respect. Story continues His infectious smile made people feel as if he had known them forever, according to Bailey, who said: Pete was a kind spirit, and he always greeted you with love and respect. His famous greeting for many of us was, How you doing Blackman?' Morris Brown and Odell Bailey during the early years of the Detroit Jazz Festival. Brown loved to travel and spent a year traveling in and out of the country with his special friend Ifeoma Nwankwo before the pandemic, his daughter noted. He had underlying health conditions, and "he was very careful because he didnt want to get sick," she said. A couple of weeks after being vaccinated, Brown began feeling ill, but thought he was merely experiencing vaccination side effects. After several days, his condition worsened, and he went by ambulance to the hospital, where he learned he had COVID-19 and fluid in his lungs. Before being put on a respirator, he asked Bailey to look after his son in the event that he didn't recover. Thats the last conversation we had before he passed, Bailey said sadly. Morris Brown Brown is survived by his mother, K.D Brown; children Chianti and William; siblings Johnnie Mae Brandon, Phyllis Luster (Brown), Connie (Rick) Mason and Donna Cherif; best friend Odell Bailey; special friend Ifeoma Nwankwo, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. If you have a family member or close friend who has died from COVID-19 and you would like to share their story, please visit our memorial wall and select Share a story. Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Morris Brown, metro Detroit radio personality, died of COVID-19 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) on Saturday asked immigration authorities to speed up the processes that would help nearly 2,000 migrants get documents to regularize their stay in Mexico or let them travel through Mexico without being detained. Migrants, including minors, currently survive "in conditions contrary to respect for their dignity" in the southern city of Tapachula, near the Guatemala border, the commission said in a statement. The National Migration Institute (INM) and the Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) urgently need to provide humanitarian assistance to these migrants, it said. "The INM and COMAR have been asked to immediately create working groups in order to speed up the migratory regularization procedures, or the recognition of refugee status," it said. The INM also should guarantee "the free transit through national territory of people once the corresponding identification documents have been issued." On Thursday https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/protesting-migrants-southern-mexico-threaten-form-new-caravan-2022-02-04, hundreds of migrants in Tapachula protested against the slow pace of government visa approvals and threatened to form a fresh caravan that would head to the U.S. border. Neither the INM nor COMAR immediately responded to requests for comment. Last week, the INM said that "there is no need for marches or demonstrations" for migrants to complete their paperwork. Amid pressure from Washington, Mexico has tried to stem large waves of migrants traveling in U.S.-bound caravans. Tens of thousands of migrants flee their home countries each year in an attempt to reach the United States, but many of them also seek refuge and protection in Mexico. (Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Leslie Adler) Valentine's Day is widely recognized as the prime time for romance. Fortunately for Oklahoma couples, the Sooner State boasts plenty of prime spots for enjoying a romantic walk, a scenic sunset or a pretty picnic. In honor of Feb. 14, here are 14 romantic spots to visit across Oklahoma: 1. Lake Hefner lighthouse, Oklahoma City Whether you're looking for picturesque dining or a charming drive, Lake Hefner, situated between NW Grand Boulevard and Hefner Road and Hefner Parkway and Macarthur Avenue, is considered one of the loveliest spots in Oklahoma City. For a moment of romance and relaxation, stroll with your sweetie to the lighthouse and get a close-up view of the water. For more information, go to https://www.okc.gov. 2. Philbrook Gardens, Tulsa What's more romantic than an escape to Italy? Recently named the most beautiful place in Oklahoma by House Beautiful Magazine, the 25-acre gardens at the Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S Rockford Rd., are like a corner of Tuscany right in Tulsa. Admission to the expansive formal gardens is included in the cost of general admission to the museum. For more information, go to https://philbrook.org/visit/philbrook-gardens. Price Tower in Bartlesville is Frank Lloyd Wright's only fully realized skyscraper 3. Price Tower, Bartlesville Bartlesville is home to Price Tower, 510 Dewey Ave., the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright's only fully realized skyscraper. Visitors can check out the art gallery, take a tour, have a meal or stay overnight. For more information, go to https://www.pricetower.org. The public art piece "The Unexpected Us," a collaboration of Oklahoma City artists Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman, is located at Scissortail Park. 4. 'The Unexpected Us' at Scissortail Park, OKC Love isn't always a walk in the park, but a walk in the park with the person you love can provide a perfect path to romance. In downtown OKC's Scissortail Park, 300 SW 7, the public art piece "The Unexpected Us" can supply a cozy destination. A collaboration of Oklahoma City artists Denise Duong and Gabriel Friedman, the installation is a woven willow stick structure shaped like a bird, and couples can duck inside, have a seat and find a little hideaway from the rest of the world. Story continues For more information, go to https://scissortailpark.org. 5. Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Pawhuska How stunning is the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve? The 40,000-acre expanse, 15316 County Rd. 4201 near Pawhuska, is literally Hollywood beautiful. Three-time Academy Award nominee Terrence Malick, who grew up in Bartlesville, cast the Sooner State in a gorgeous golden light in his 2012 romantic drama "To the Wonder," with the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve proving a scene-stealer opposite A-listers Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams. For more information, go to https://www.nature.org. Visitors walk through a hallway inside Factory Obscura's "Mix-Tape" experience in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. 6. Factory Obscura's 'Mix-Tape,' Oklahoma City OKC arts collective Factory Obscura offers a rock 'n' roll wonderland with its permanent interactive attraction "Mix-Tape," 25 NW 9. It even comes with its own "Tunnel of Love." A hallway shaped like hearts shot through with pink lights is among the colorful highlights of the kaleidoscopic arts playground. For more information, go to https://www.factoryobscura.com/mixtape. The historic Collings Castle in Turner Falls Park is seen on Thursday, April 14, 2011, in Davis, Oklahoma. 7. Collings Castle at Turner Falls, Davis It's hard to imagine a more romantic adventure than exploring the ruins of a castle. Built in the 1930s as a private residence, the remains of Collings Castle from maze-like rooms to steep staircases are tucked away in Turner Falls Park, Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 77 in Davis. For more information, go to https://www.turnerfallspark.com. A couple walks their dog along the Promenade at Scissortail Park toward the Skydance Bridge Thursday, January 21, 2021. 8. Skydance Bridge, OKC Inspired by the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahomas state bird, the Skydance Bridge flies high above Interstate 40 near downtown OKC. Couples can amble along the 380-foot-long pedestrian bridge and pass right under the 197-foot-tall sculpture, which after dark is specially lighted for Valentine's Day. For more information, go to https://www.okc.gov. 9. Natural Falls State Park, Colcord Waterfalls land high on the list of romantic natural wonders, and Natural Falls State Park, 19225 E 578 Rd. in Colcord, is consistently named one of the most beautiful places in Oklahoma. Located near the Oklahoma/Arkansas border, the highlight of this state park is the 77-foot waterfall that cascades through rock formations into a peaceful valley at the bottom. Visitors have two captivating spots to see this eye-popping wonder: A railed observation platform lets hikers to overlook the falls, while an observation deck with seating is situated at the foot of the falls. For more information, go to https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/natural-falls-state-park. One of Edmond's many public artworks, "Key to My Heart," an interactive piece by Zonly Looman, was installed in fall 2020 at the Festival Market Place, 30 W First in downtown. 10. 'Key to My Heart,' Edmond One of Edmond's many public artworks, "Key to My Heart," an interactive piece by Zonly Looman, was installed in fall 2020 at the Festival Market Place, 30 W First in downtown. In the vein of the famed Love Lock Bridge in Paris, visitors are encouraged to add locks to the large steel sculpture to symbolize their everlasting love. For more information, go to https://visitedmondok.com/art.php. 11. Medicine Park Nestled in the Wichita Mountains, Medicine Park was founded in 1908 and is billed as Oklahoma's first resort town. With its quaint cobblestone walls and buildings, scenic trails around Medicine Creek or Bath Lake and abundance of shops, restaurants and bed and breakfasts, it's a charming small-town oasis in southwestern Oklahoma. For more information, go to https://medicinepark.com. The downtown skyline is silhouetted as the sun sets at the Oklahoma River in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. 12. Oklahoma River, Oklahoma City Although the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City offers a bounty of recreational activities, it's also a mighty pretty place to saunter along, with trails running along the north and south banks open for runners, skaters, bikers and, yes, walkers. For more information, go to https://www.riversportokc.org/visit/about/oklahoma-river. Enid artist Romy Owens' large-scale public artwork "Under Her Wing Was the Universe" is seen at sunset. 13. 'Under Her Wing Was the Universe,' Enid Enid artist Romy Owens' hometown public art project, "Under Her Wing Was the Universe" is a monumental steel canopy situated in a 2.5-acre native prairie in downtown Enid at W Park Ave. The functional abstract sculpture covers a walkway that glitters in the sunlight and is equipped with the starry light installation underneath that illuminates every evening, making it an ideal spot for couples to sit or stroll, day or night. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/underherwingwastheuniverse. 14. Quartz Mountain State Park, Lone Wolf If you want to share a spectacular sunset with your honey lamb, it's hard to top Quartz Mountain State Park, 14722 Highway 44a in Lone Wolf. Situated next to Lake Altus-Lugert, the park has recently undergone renovations that have polished this Oklahoma gem to a new shine. For more information, go to https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/quartz-mountain-state-park. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Valentine's Day in Oklahoma: Here are 14 romantic spots for a date The proposed Safe Waterways Act would require Florida communities to post warning signs like this one at public waterways when there are high levels of fecal bacteria. There is no question that the proposed Safe Waterways Act which has been crafted by two Florida lawmakers (state Sen. Lori Berman and state Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson) and backed by numerous environmental groups across the state would make a difference in protecting the public health of Floridians. Among other things, the Safe Waterways Act would: Require county health departments to post warning signs at public waterbodies particularly swimming spots and other recreational sites that contain notable levels of fecal bacteria, which carries potential health risks for those exposed to it. Require the Florida Department of Health to directly notify communities when it issues health advisories for contaminated water sites used for swimming and other public activities. Require communities to keep posted signage in place near affected waterways until testing can verify that bacteria levels meet the appropriate standards for safe use. First, lets put aside the immediate question that many of you are surely asking at this moment, which is: "What, you mean these things arent already required in Florida to protect our public health???" Sadly, the answer to that is "No." Instead let's focus on the other question that needs to be asked right now regarding the Safe Waterways Act: Why isnt the Florida Legislature showing a proper sense of urgency to give this common-sense legislation the full hearing it deserves? More opinion: We must address the challenges we face in 2022 And: Keep water quality a top priority in Sarasota Unfortunately, there is no logical answer for that. While the Safe Waterways Act was introduced months ago, its only now up for being heard by the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, which is scheduled to address it during a Feb. 7 session. Meanwhile, the House Professions and Public Health Sub-Committee, which is chaired by state Rep. Will Robinson of Bradenton, still hasn't put the Safe Waterways Act up for discussion which is a must for the legislation to keep advancing through the lawmaking process. Story continues Heres the bottom line: Its time for the Florida Senate to step up the pace and give the Safe Waterways Act a genuine shot at becoming law. And it's certainly well past time for Robinsons House subcommittee to start giving the Safe Waterways Act the true deliberation it warrants. Floridians should be able to swim and enjoy other recreational activities in bodies of water that arent rife with fecal bacteria. That's obvious. But it should also be obvious that when these sites do possess troubling levels of nasty crud, Floridians deserve to know about it in a quick and timely manner. Our lawmakers need to stop treading water, and start taking action on the Safe Waterways Act. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Safe Waterways Act would help Floridians know where it's safe to swim QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) Pakistan's military said security forces cleared two areas in a southwestern province of separatist militants after they attacked two army camps, leaving nine soldiers dead and six others wounded. Twenty militants were killed in intense, hours-long firefights and follow-up operations, it said. The military statement issued late Saturday said militants attacked security forces camps in Baluchistan province in the districts of Naushki and Panjgur late Wednesday and both attacks were eventually repulsed. A recently formed separatist group, the Baluchistan Nationalist Army, claimed responsibility for the attacks in a Twitter post. The military said nine attackers were killed in Naushki, while four troops, including an officer, were killed. It said in Panjgur, security forces repulsed the attack after an intense exchange of fire and the attackers fled the area. Security forces began an operation to hunt down the fleeing attackers and a curfew in the areas was imposed. Four fleeing militants were killed in Panjgur, while four who were hiding elsewhere were killed in a Saturday operation when they refused to surrender, the military said. It said three other militants linked to the attacks were killed in the district of Kech on Friday. Five soldiers were killed and six others wounded in follow-up operations. A spokesman for the Baluch Liberation Army, a separatist group that operates under the umbrella of the Baluchistan Nationalist Army, said its Panjgur and Naushki offensive came to an end after more than 70 hours. After the martyrdom of all sixteen suicide-attackers of the Majeed Brigade of the Baluch Liberation Army, Operation Gunjal reached its conclusion, said Jaend Baluch, the purported spokesman, in a message to reporters on WhatsApp. Baluch said nine of the men attacked the Frontier Corps camp in Naushki and six stormed into the Panjgur camp. Authorities say they have quelled an insurgency launched by Baluch separatists demanding independence from Pakistan in the southwestern province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. However, attacks on security forces and their installations have persisted. Separatists and militants have regularly staged attacks in Baluchistan in recent years. Last week, 10 soldiers were killed in an attack on a security post in the province. Story continues The militant Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP also has a presence in Baluchistan. It is an umbrella group that is separate from the Afghan Taliban. Also Sunday the military said that it returned fire after militants inside Afghanistan shot at a security post in the Kurram tribal district, causing heavy loses to the attackers. It said it lost five troops in the exchange, but gave no further details. In its statement, the military said Pakistan expects the interim Afghan government will not allow further activity against Pakistan in the future. In a separate statement Sunday, the military said security forces killed a would-be suicide bomber from the Pakistani Taliban in the district of Tank in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The killing was part of a continuing operation to eliminate militant accomplices in the area. Separately, security forces arrested a militant during a raid at a hideout in in the Sarwakai area of the South Waziristan tribal district. The military statement said militant Allah Noor was trying to escape wearing woman's burqa to hide his identify. In the Makeen area of South Waziristan, troops seized arms, ammunition and communications gear and arrested four people who were transporting them. ___ Associated Press writer Zarar Khan and Asim Tanveer in Islamabad and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the disabled community differently than it does able-bodied people, putting them more at risk for infection, loss of medical care, and discrimination and stigma. Cara Pritchett, 25, of Upper Arlington, said she wouldn't have been able to make it through the past two years if not for family, friends and nonprofit groups that support those with disabilities. Cara Pritchett lights up when she talks about family members who have helped her navigate life with cerebral palsy during the COVID-19 pandemic. The oldest of four siblings, Pritchett, 25, of Upper Arlington, said she was diagnosed with a mild form of cerebral palsy shortly after she being born. The congenital disorder caused her to lose function of the right side of her body and led to other developmental and medical issues later in life. Despite being more likely to be infected by COVID-19 and contract severe illnesses from the virus, many people with disabilities and their advocates say they feel like the community has been overlooked and pushed aside during the pandemic. "The pandemic has not been very good to me," she said. Without family, Pritchett said she doesn't know how she would have made it through the past two year being in and out of the hospital with ulcerative colitis, having difficulties finding a job willing to accommodate her conditions, and losing her best friend in a hit-and-run crash. "They've been through it all with me," Pritchett said of her family. Disabilities: Dublin woman, a self-advocate, named to county board of developmental disabilities There are about 2.6 million adults like Pritchett in Ohio who have a disability and are more likely to develop other chronic conditions and lack access to health care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disability advocates demand public apology after 'hurtful' comments from CDC director Last month, some 150 disability advocacy groups spoke out after CDC director Rochelle Walensky shared in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" what she called the "encouraging news" that most COVID-19 deaths among vaccinated individuals in a small study had other health problems and were "unwell to begin with." Afterward, disability rights activist Imani Barbarin started the viral "#MyDisabledLifeIsWorthy" to call out Walensky's remarks, and she's been joined by people from across the world. Story continues The CDC director apologized and met with a group of disability activists after what she acknowledged was a hurtful, yet unintentional, statement, according to a CDC press release. Walensky also committed the CDC to regular engagements with the disability community. The disability community is often overlooked or made to feel devalued and dehumanized, said Sue Hetrick, executive director of the Center for Disability Empowerment, a Columbus nonprofit that helps connect people with disabilities to housing, jobs, transportation and other service in Franklin, Licking, Delaware and Union counties. "A lot of time policies or decisions are made without the input of people with disabilities," Hetrick said. "There isn't the awareness of the non-disabled community about who they are as people, not just what their needs are." Opinion: People with disabilities are struggling to survive the pandemic Medical discrimination, accessibility issues amid COVID People like Hetrick and Kerstin Sjoberg, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy organization Disability Rights Ohio, have fought discrimination and a lack of awareness throughout the pandemic. As hospitals decide how to ration ventilators, medication and beds during a crisis, people with disabilities could be given lower priority based on stereotypes about their quality of life and how effective treatment might be, Sjoberg said. Disability Rights Ohio worked with the Ohio Department of Health to create crisis standards of care for hospitals and doctors that are inclusive of the disabled community, but they're only recommendations, she said. Sjoberg added that the new state budget gives the health department more influence in hospital policy, and she hopes disability-inclusive recommendations will be incorporated into hospital care guidelines. The discrimination already exists in our system, and its not just doctors. Its part of our society, Sjoberg said. 'We made it through today': Coronavirus adds to issues for those with developmental disabilities Some people with disabilities require aides and other workers who help them at home or in facilities to navigate daily life. This presented a problem during the pandemic, Hetrick said, because social distancing and slowing the spread of the virus became next to impossible, making it harder to protect vulnerable populations. The pandemic also may have isolated people with disabilities or prevented loved ones from visiting or keeping in touch, Sjoberg said. Without these natural support systems, it also became harder for people in institutions or congregate settings to report neglect and abuse. So Disability Rights Ohio created a virtual abuse and neglect reporting system and Q &A section where people can get information on personal protective equipment, safe housing, accurate information about COVID-19 vaccinations and more. It's, of course, better to have it face-to-face, Sjoberg said. "We've been able to keep that core function operating very effectively during this process." People with disabilities also often face the most barriers trying to get vaccinations, Hetrick said. Accessibility issues, concerns about reactions with existing medications or conditions or fear about poor treatment can get in the way, she said. "Information is not always accessible to people with disabilities, whether that's written information that's given to them, the kind of language that's used to inform them," Hetrick said. "Transportation is a huge barrier." To help with these issues, the Center for Disability Empowerment (CDE) and the Ohio Department of Health will host pop-up vaccination clinics in late-February or March and provide scheduling assistance and transportation for those who need it, she said. Other news: Some Ohioans will move on from COVID, but those most impacted may never be able to forget Finding support systems for people with disabilities Pritchett struggled to find a job in child care as the pandemic shrank opportunities and shut down schools and day cares. She turned to the CDE for help last year, and even though she found a job she loves at Riverside Methodist Childcare Center in Upper Arlington, the group still checks in with her today. "I've always said that people with disabilities are some of the strongest people I've ever met, because of the barriers that we're always facing," said Shari Veleba, a CDE information and referral coordinator. Pritchett's parents and younger siblings also helped her deal with the boredom of having to isolate at home and the challenges of having to deal with new health issues. Even now, her parents continue to support her by doing such things as sending her TikToks showing disability activists, she said. And Pritchett said her younger siblings Jake, John, Madison and Taylor are some of her biggest supporters in life, with Jake being especially encouraging as Pritchett dealt with the grief over the death of her friend. She said he took her to the cemetery and wrote an essay about how strong she's been this past year as his college application essay. "He wrote the paper without me or anyone knowing what it was about, so when I read it, I was shocked and emotional," Pritchett said. "Knowing that those were his words makes it really special." AWright1@gannett.com @aubreymwright Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: COVID-19: People with disabilities feel forgotten, face discrimination A Petersburg man was killed in this crash on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie County Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. DINWIDDIE A Petersburg man was killed early Saturday morning when his car was hit by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 near Gatewood Road. State police said the accident happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. at the 51-mile market on southbound I-85. According to reports, the car was stopped on the right shoulder of the highway and pulled back on in the path of the truck that could not stop in time. The driver of the car, Trevino Bell, 25, of Petersburg, was killed instantly. Police said he was not wearing his seat belt. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured. it was not immediately clear why the car was stopped on the side of the road. More: Protective order and affidavit: Casino meeting with Petersburg NAACP ends in political chaos More: Car sale in Hopewell goes bad. Seller robbed of cash by people who bought the vehicle This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg man killed in crash with tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Feb. 11 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. WORCESTER The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra in Lublin, Poland, is widely acclaimed by music critics and the public and has gone on many international concert tours. Wojciech Rodek, director and principal conductor of the orchestra, born in 1977, has been called "one of the most prominent conductors of his generation." However, neither the orchestra nor Rodek had visited the United States until they flew out on a plane flew from Warsaw, Poland, to Miami, Florida on Jan. 12. On Jan. 15, Rodek led the orchestra for its first concert on U.S. soil at Daytona Beach. The tour will run into early March. "So it's a long tour. Fifty-five days," Rodek said. The tour will include a concert at Mechanics Hall at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 presented by Music Worcester. The program includes Rossini's Gazza Ladra Overture, Grieg's Piano Concerto, and Schubert's Symphony No. 9 Great. The guest pianist is Tomasz Ritter, who won the first International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments. Rodek said he looked up Mechanics Hall ahead of time. "I saw this concert hall only in photos, but it's a great venue and in Worcester I hope we will play a very great concert," he said. Pandemic a challenge The orchestra has chosen quite a challenging time to make its first visit to the U.S. as the Omicron variant has continued to fuel the COVID pandemic and other individuals or performing groups have been canceling concerts (including The Knights & Aaron Diehl who had been scheduled to perform at Mechanics Hall Jan. 14). Wojciech Rodek is the director and principal conductor of The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra. "The tour is very, very interesting. Sometimes stressing. A big chance to play very good halls with fantastic audiences," Rodek said during a recent telephone interview from South Carolina where the orchestra was going to perform that night at The Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center. Arranging a concert tour is something that is done months in advance. "Our planning, I thought it would be the end of this catastrophic time," Rodek said of the pandemic. Story continues However, once Rodek and the orchestra committed to coming, there was no backing down. "It was very difficult to do it. But for us it's important. It's our first (U.S.) tour. I think we are the first symphonic orchestra that comes to the United States (since the pandemic). I think it's very important in this difficult time to make live music and hope for the future that the end of the pandemic is very close," he said. Beethoven's Fifth Symphony So this could end up being a victory tour for the Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra. Rodek noted that one of the works it is performing on its U.S. tour (although not in Worcester) is Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. "It's a symphony of fight. The first notes are symbol of the letter 'V' (for Victory)." Guest pianist Tomasz Ritter will perform with The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra at Mechanics Hall. In the Second World War the Allies played the opening of the symphony on radio broadcasts symbolizing ultimate victory. "I hope it's the symbol of our victory over COVID 19," Rodek said. The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra previously celebrated victory when it was the first to perform a symphony concert in post- World War II Poland on May 18, 1945. It had just been formed a few months earlier. The orchestra's home is Lublin, a city of about 350,000 people in Eastern Poland that had suffered considerably under the Nazi occupation. Lublin has a long cultural history, and the orchestra is named after Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880), a violinist and composer who is regarded as among the greatest violinists of all time. "We are very close to his music," Rodek said. Worldwide tour The orchestra stays close to its community. "Our hall is very nice. Our orchestra is very popular in Poland. I am very lucky to be the principal conductor. The audience always welcomes us," Rodek said. Tours have included performances in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Germany, South Korea, Denmark and Ukraine. Rodek, who is from in Brzeg, Poland, began studying piano at the age of 8 and then turned to conducting at the Music Academy in Wroclaw, Poland. He also studied conducting in Moscow. In 2015, he was awarded the Medal of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for Merit to Culture-Gloria Artis. On his initiative, the Youth Orchestra of the Wieniawski Philharmonic was established, which brings together the most talented young musicians from across Eastern Poland. Pre-pandemic the orchestra was putting on about four to five symphonic programs a month. Currently, "we have chamber concerts with limited orchestra," Rodek said. Seating capacity in the concert hall is about 30% at present. The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra is "a state orchestra," Rodek said. "It's a little different than in the United States." The orchestra receives government support, although that is not the be all and end all, especially in these difficult times. As orchestra director "I have to work very hard not only in music but in business," Rodek said. Tomasz Ritter, who is originally from Lublin, won the International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments playing on pianos from the composer's era in the 1840s. The orchestra isn't carrying around an 1842 piano on its U.S. tour, Rodek said. Worcester to hear piano concerto Not much else will be missing from Ritter's prize-winning renditions. "His (Ritter's) phrasing, his construction of music is very extraordinary. I think he is one of the most important pianists in the world. He was born in Lublin, so we know him well," Rodek said. In Worcester, Ritter will be playing Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor (1868), the only piano concerto the Norwegian composer completed. Nevertheless, it is such a masterpiece that Grieg is called "the Chopin of the North," Rodek said in reference to the shared brilliance with Polish composer Frederic Chopin. "So the music of Grieg and Chopin are very close," Rodek said. The "Great" Symphony (1825-26), is the the final symphony completed by the German composer Franz Schubert. It is a lengthy work, but mesmerizingly so, that builds music and then is rhythmically relentless at the end. "It's very close to my heart. Our history (Poland and Germany) was so close. Not only tragical history, the music is so close to our folk melodies," Rodek said. The "Great" Symphony can be a great way to conclude a successful visit. "The symphony is so long. The last movement plays very fast notes. It's very difficult from a physical point of view," Rodek said. "It is for us, every time we play this symphony, a great achievement." The Polish Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra presented by Music Worcester When: 8 p.m., Feb. 11 Where: Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester How much: $55; students $17.50; youth $7.50. Proof of vaccination and wearing of masks required. musicworcester.org This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Polish orchestra on first U.S. tour looks for great achievements By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis condemned female genital mutilation and trafficking of women for prostitution on Sunday, calling them humiliating affronts to women's dignity and urging officials to do everything possible to end both. "This practice, which is unfortunately common in various parts of the world, humiliates the dignity of a woman and gravely attacks her physical integrity," Francis said, speaking on the U.N. International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). According to the United Nations, FGM is concentrated in about 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East but is also practiced by immigrant populations elsewhere. More than four million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM this year, the U.N. says. Francis, speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square for his weekly blessing and address, noted that the practice was often carried out in conditions that endangered a girl's health. In a related appeal, Francis called for more efforts to stop human trafficking, particularly of women and girls for forced prostitution. "This is a deep wound inflicted by the shameful search for gain without any respect for the human person," he said ahead of the Catholic Church's International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking this Tuesday. "There are so many girls that we see on the streets who are not free. They are slaves of traffickers who send them to work and beat them if they don't return with money. This happens today, in our cities," he said. They include Rome where authorities say criminal gangs lure women to Italy with the promise of jobs and then force them into prostitution, threatening to harm their families back home if they go to the police. Calling both FGM and trafficking of persons, "wounds of humanity," Francis urged leaders "to act decisively to stop both the exploitation as well as humiliating practices that afflict above all women and girls". Catholic nuns in Rome are at the forefront of fighting trafficking of women. In 2016, Francis visited a Rome safe house where a charity protects women freed from pimps. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Susan Fenton) Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in New Zealand. Rob Jefferies/Getty Images Prince Charles shared a statement on Sunday celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. He also praised his wife, Camilla, for being his "steadfast support." Queen Elizabeth II said she wants Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when Prince Charles becomes King. The Prince of Wales praised his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, after Queen Elizabeth II announced she wanted her to be known as "Queen Camilla" in the future. The Queen made the announcement on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne and the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. Prince Charles, 73, noted the occasion Sunday with a statement on Twitter. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) February 6, 2022 "On this historic day, my wife and I join you all in congratulating Her Majesty The Queen on the remarkable achievement of serving this nation, the Realms and Commonwealth for seventy years," the statement read. "The Queen's devotion to the welfare of all her people inspires still greater admiration with each passing year." Prince Charles then acknowledged his mother's "sincere wish" that Camilla, 74, be known as "Queen Consort" once he takes the throne. The Queen, 95, also spoke about Prince Charles ascending the throne in her official statement on Saturday. "We are deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother's wish. As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout," Prince Charles' statement read. He continued: "The year of this unprecedented Platinum Jubilee brings opportunity for all to come together in celebrating the service of The Queen, by whose example we will continue to be led in the years to come." Story continues Representatives for Clarence House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Queen Elizabeth II made the announcement on February 5. Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images People reported that Camilla was initially expected to become Princess Consort instead of Queen Consort. "It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne," read the press release shared on the day the couple announced their engagement in February 2005. Prince Charles and Camilla were married on April 9, 2005, at Windsor Castle. Camilla was given the title Duchess of Cornwall following the ceremony. Read the original article on Insider In February 1952, then-princess Elizabeth arrived in Kenya on an official visit. She left as Queen. With the death of her father, King George VI, back in London, Elizabeth automatically assumed the throne, beginning a reign that has, as of Sunday, lasted a historic seven decades. The Queen is the first British monarch to ever celebrate her so-called Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. In that time, 14 prime ministers have led the British government. On Sunday, Buckingham Palace released a new photo of the 95-year-old Queen to commemorate her jubilee, showing her smiling beside a portrait of her late father and next to one of the red boxes in which she receives briefing papers. In a message released Saturday to mark the occasion, she said she views her Accession Day with mixed feelings, remembering it as much for the death of her father as for the day she began her reign. "These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefitted us all," the Queen said in the message. "And I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us and especially to the younger generations in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth." She also made reference to her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year at age 99, saying she felt "blessed" to have had a partner who was "willing to carry out the role of consort and unselfishly make the sacrifices that go with it." For the first time ever, the Queen also said that when she dies and her oldest son, Prince Charles, becomes king, it is her "sincere wish" that his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, be known as queen consort. When Charles and Camilla married in 2005, the royals had said she would only be known as princess consort when Charles assumed the throne. That was believed to be out of respect for the late Princess Diana, as well as the sensitivities around the marriage of two divorced people. Story continues But the Queen, who, as monarch, is also the ceremonial head of the Church of England, appears to have decided that times have changed and Camilla has now been accepted by the public at large. The Queen noted in her Saturday statement that Camilla has put in years of "loyal service." In a statement released Sunday, Charles congratulated his mother for her Platinum Jubilee and thanked her for honoring his wife. "We are deeply conscious of the honor represented by my mother's wish," he said. "As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout." More on this Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk Friday in Beijing. Putin was there for the opening of the Winter Olympic Games. (Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik) When Russias Vladimir Putin massed 100,000 troops on Ukraines borders, the United States and its European allies responded with a hastily assembled assortment of carrots and sticks to deter him from an invasion. The sticks included military aid to Ukraine, troop deployments to Poland and other countries bordering Russia and surprisingly credible warnings that military action would trigger crippling economic sanctions. Putin has united the West behind U.S. leadership, Ed Luce wrote in Londons Financial Times last week. It has been years since that sentence could be written with a straight face. The carrots have taken longer. Diplomats are scrambling to devise what they call offramps arrangements both sides can live with that would make it easier for Putin to change course. Two weeks ago, Putin was demanding quick acceptance of his demands, and U.S. officials were warning that an invasion appeared imminent. Last week, the Russian leader abruptly shifted his tone and said there was still time to find a diplomatic solution. It isnt clear what changed. But one factor may be that potential offramps have come into view. Putin insists that Ukraine, once part of Moscows empire, cannot be allowed to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which he views as an anti-Russian alliance. As a practical matter, Ukraine isnt going to be offered NATO membership any time soon. The alliance admits a new country only if all members currently 30 agree, and in this case, they dont. The likelihood that Ukraine is going to join NATO in the near term is not very likely, President Biden said last month. So there is room to work if [Putin] wants to do that. The problem is that in 2008, at the urging of then-President George W. Bush, NATO promised Ukraine membership some day. Biden and other leaders from the alliance have refused to revoke that promise because that would effectively concede Putin a veto over NATO decisions. One solution, former diplomats suggest, would be for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to voluntarily postpone Ukraine's membership bid. Story continues The cleanest solution would be for Zelensky to delay Ukraines application to say, for example, that it wont happen while hes president, Douglas Lute, a former NATO ambassador to Ukraine, told me last week. He could say, We still intend to join NATO some day; its just not in the cards now. But Putin will have to offer him something in return. Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, floated a similar idea. If [Zelensky] decides that future [NATO] membership and the question of Russian occupation of Ukraine are two things to put on the table, I think we may move toward a solution, he said last week on NBC's "Meet the Press." No pressure, Durbin added: Its his decision entirely. That could be politically unpopular for Zelensky. Thanks partly to Putins threats, Ukrainians increasingly support NATO membership; one recent poll found almost 60% in favor. One other player could solve this problem: Putin. Nothing would stop the Russian president from eliciting private promises from individual NATO leaders that they will not allow Ukraine to join the alliance. France, Germany and Hungary have all opposed Ukrainian membership in the past. That would be one way to solve the problem, if Putin wants an exit, said Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. But Putin has asked much more from the West than merely blocking Ukraines application for NATO membership. In a sweeping list of demands in December, he said he wanted commitments that NATO would withdraw its troops and military hardware from the 14 countries that joined the alliance after 1997 meaning all of Eastern Europe. He also asked that the United States remove its remaining nuclear weapons from the continent. In effect, he demanded that NATO agree to shrink itself, undo two decades of expansion and dismantle much of Europe's current security architecture. The effect was the opposite of what Putin wanted. NATO immediately bolstered its forces in the east, including the former Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Biden dispatched 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland, Romania and Germany. Britain sent troops to Estonia; Canada to Latvia; France and Italy to Romania. All of which, paradoxically, could make negotiating easier, not harder. Now Russia faces more NATO troops near its borders. If Putin is willing to enter negotiations to limit troops on both sides, the U.S. and its allies are too. Another of Putins concerns should also be easy to negotiate. The Russian president has long complained about U.S.-made Aegis missile launchers in Eastern Europe. The United States says the missile bases are purely defensive; Putin charges that they could put TLAM cruise missiles, a sophisticated offensive weapon, within minutes of Moscow. The solution, Lute said, is straightforward: missile inspection agreements on both sides of the border. We have no intention of putting TLAM there, he said. Wed be giving away something we dont want. Which offramps might Putin consider? That depends on a more basic question: What does Putin really want? Perhaps his new enthusiasm for diplomacy last week meant Putin isnt bent on war after all. Or else he merely needs more time to move military units into place. Or hes decided to wait until Feb. 20, the end of the Winter Olympics, to avoid offending Chinas Xi Jinping. Or hes simply decided to negotiate to find out what price he can command for standing down. In any case, the problem isnt a shortage of available offramps. The exits are there. Its up to Putin to use them. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Fox News Sunday that he believes Russia is prepared to invade Ukraine. "We are in the window," Sullivan said in response to a question from host Martha MacCallum. "Any day now, Russia could take military action against Ukraine or it could be a couple of weeks from now, or Russia could choose to take the diplomatic path instead." President Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month that there was a "distinct possibility" Russia could invade in February. Russian tanks and other heavy equipment will be able to move more easily over frozen ground, so some believe that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to order an invasion, he will do so before the spring thaw. "If war breaks out," Sullivan added, "it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe ... it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well." The Biden administration warned lawmakers last week that Ukraine could suffer 50,000 civilian casualties if Russia invades and that the capital city of Kyiv could fall to the Russians within 72 hours. Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, dismissed this assessment as "madness" and "scaremongering." Sullivan also discussed potential sanctions against Russia, which he said would include refusing to allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which will transport Russian natural gas from Russia to Germany to move forward. He said the U.S. is taking "steps to ensure that Russia's attempts to use energy as a weapon get frustrated," including "find[ing] cargoes of liquefied natural gas going elsewhere in the world and redirect[ing] them to Europe." The Biden administration announced a version of this plan last month. You may also like Woody Allen goes out with a whimper South Texas butterfly sanctuary closes indefinitely due to QAnon conspiracies, escalating threats The fantasy of a Trump-slaying Republican Belarusian Ministry of Defence TV, "Voyen TV" (Military TV), released footage on Saturday of the jets, designed to provide close air support for ground forces, arriving at the airfield in the Brest region. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday (February 3) that there had been a significant movement of Russian military forces into Ukraine's northern neighbor Belarus in recent days. The Kremlin has described the Allied Resolve exercises, running until February 20, as a rehearsal for repelling external aggression and says its forces will withdraw after the drills. Belarus shares its western border with NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, while Ukraine lies to its south. A South Carolina police officer shot and killed a man Sunday in Georgetown County after a police chase that led to a wreck, officials said. Robert Langley, 46, of Hemingway, was taken to Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital, where he died, according to Georgetown County Coroner Chase Ridgeway. An autopsy will be performed Friday at Medical University of South Carolina. The police officer with the Hemingway Police Department in Williamsburg County who shot Langley was pursuing Langley in a chase that crossed county lines, ultimately ending in a wreck at Choppee and Schoolhouse roads, according to the Georgetown County Sheriffs Office Facebook post on Sunday. Details of what happened to lead to the chase and fatal shooting were not released. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the incident. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) endorsed the reelection campaign of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Sunday. Murkowski said she similarly would endorse Manchin if he runs again. (Photo: CNN) Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia endorsed the reelection campaign of his Republican colleague Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Sunday, saying his loyalty goes beyond party lines. It doesnt matter if Im a Democrat, and theyre a Republican, or vice versa, he said in a rare joint interview with Murkowski on CNNs State of the Union. Its hypocritical to basically work with a person day in and day out, and then when theyre in cycle youre supposed to be against them just because they have an R or D by their name, he said. If these are good people Ive worked with, we have accomplished a lot, why in the world wouldnt I want to work with them and continue to work with them? "I'm endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski. Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them," says Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski's bid for reelection. #CNNSOTUpic.twitter.com/k9dI6XNwci State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 6, 2022 Murkowski, who is currently not facing a Democratic challenger, has been at odds with members of her own party. She is a longtime critic of former President Donald Trump and was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict him at his second impeachment trial in 2021. On Friday, she condemned the Republican National Committees censure of two fellow GOP senators for participating in a House investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump, who has endorsed one of Murkowskis Republican opponents in her reelection bid, last year vowed to campaign against her, calling her a disloyal and very bad senator. Im not here to be the representative of the Republican Party. Im here to be the representative for Alaskan people. And I take that charge very, very seriously, Murkowski said Sunday when asked about how uncomfortable it can be to not follow party lines. Story continues Manchin, who has faced similar conflict with members of his own party, similarly said he puts his states constituents before those in Washington. Im not a Washington Democrat, Im a good old West Virginia Democrat, who likes all my West Virginia Republicans, and I know that I have to have their input for us to get good outcomes for our West Virginia citizens we represent, he said. Murkowski said she would endorse Manchin if he decides to run for reelection in 2024. Though he has yet to announce a decision, Democrats have already suggested he could lose party endorsements over his refusal to endorse President Joe Bidens climate and social spending bill last year. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related... Lunar New Year was celebrated in Sioux Falls with Lion Dances, drumming and a Pho eating contest on Saturday night. Lunar Fest, held at Active Generations, brought together the Asian community as well as parts of the wider Sioux Falls community, for Lunar New Year, which traditionally marks the Asian lunar calendar. 2022 is the year of the tiger. "Lunar Fest is the ultimate celebration of food, family and culture," said Vince Danh, 30, who emceed Lunar Fest. "For so long in Sioux Falls, our community didn't really have anything we could call our own. So being able to organize it with the community, it's an event for the community by the community." More: Asian Americans mark Lunar New Year with resilience: 'Joy is the most radical form of rebellion' The Mini Lotus Dance Team dances during Lunar Fest, celebrating the Lunar New Year, in Sioux Falls on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. Throughout the night, children danced to popular K-pop (Korean-pop) songs while adults sang traditional Vietnamese ballads. The first-ever Pho eating contest was held, with guest star Mayor Paul TenHaken participating. But the most popular part of the evening was the Lion Dance, which is meant to bring good luck for the new year. Children and adults alike crowded near the dancers and gave them red envelopes filled with money. Follow Annie Todd on Twitter @AnnieTodd96. Reach out to her with tips, questions and other community news at atodd@argusleader.com or give her a call at 605-215-3757. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lunar New Year festival held in Sioux Falls with lion dances, food The board of Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPB) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 15th of March, with investors receiving US$0.42 per share. This payment means that the dividend yield will be 1.9%, which is around the industry average. View our latest analysis for Spectrum Brands Holdings Spectrum Brands Holdings' Distributions May Be Difficult To Sustain We aren't too impressed by dividend yields unless they can be sustained over time. Despite not being profitable, Spectrum Brands Holdings is paying out most of its free cash flow as a dividend. Generally it is unsustainable for a company to be paying a dividend while unprofitable, and with limited reinvestment into the business growth may be slow. Over the next year, EPS could expand by 22.2% if recent trends continue. The company seems to be going down the right path, but it will probably take a little bit longer than a year to cross over into profitability. Unfortunately, for the dividend to continue at current levels the company definitely needs to get there sooner rather than later. Spectrum Brands Holdings' Dividend Has Lacked Consistency Looking back, the dividend has been unstable but with a relatively short history, we think it may be a bit early to draw conclusions about long term dividend sustainability. Since 2018, the dividend has gone from US$10.42 to US$1.68. The dividend has fallen 84% over that period. Declining dividends isn't generally what we look for as they can indicate that the company is running into some challenges. The Company Could Face Some Challenges Growing The Dividend With a relatively unstable dividend, and a poor history of shrinking dividends, it's even more important to see if EPS is growing. We are encouraged to see that Spectrum Brands Holdings has grown earnings per share at 22% per year over the past five years. The company hasn't been turning a profit, but it running in the right direction. If profitability can be achieved soon and growth continues apace, this stock could certainly turn into a solid dividend payer. Story continues The Dividend Could Prove To Be Unreliable Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. In general, the distributions are a little bit higher than we would like, but we can't ignore the fact the quickly growing earnings gives this stock great potential in the future. We would be a touch cautious of relying on this stock primarily for the dividend income. Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. At the same time, there are other factors our readers should be conscious of before pouring capital into a stock. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Spectrum Brands Holdings that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Book stack Fiction Children Sometimes Cake, by Edwina Wyatt Sometimes its your birthday. And sometimes it isnt. But even if its not your birthday, its still important to celebrate everyday things like Tuesdays, coconuts, and orange, and, also yellow and lions. And monkeys. And purple. Friends Audrey and Lion find pleasure and solace in marking small moments together, with the help of balloons and confetti and drums and games and hats. For anyone who has ever wished for a birthday party every day of the year, this is a story about finding your own reasons to have cake and to enjoy spending time with good friends. Teens The Red Palace, by June Hur In 1758 Korea there are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval. But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon's closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher's innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation. In her hunt for the truth, she encounters , a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, the two must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed. Adults Bright Burning Things, by Lisa Harding Sonya used to perform on stage. She used to attend glamorous parties, date handsome men, ride in fast cars. But somewhere along the way, the stage lights Sonya lived for dimmed for good. In their absence, came darknessblackouts, empty cupboards, hazy nights she can't remember. What keeps Sonya from losing herself completely is Tommy, her son. But her immense love for Tommy is in fierce conflict with her immense love of the bottle. Addiction amplifies her fear of losing her child; every maternal misstep compels her to drink. Tommy's precious life is in her shaky hands. Eventually Sonya is forced to make a choice. Give up drinking or lose Tommy forever. Story continues Nonfiction Children Only in America: The Weird and Wonderful 50 States, by Heather Alexander "Only in America" explores the strangest claims to fame and the most unusual place names every state has to offer. Visit the city of Dinosaur, drop by the Pizza Museum, find out where it is illegal to feed a pig without a permit, and check out the worlds only carhenge (thats right, Stonehenge reconstructed using cars). Illustrated by the brilliant Alan Berry-Rhys in a bold graphic art style that evokes vintage Americana, the book is arranged state by state, giving key facts about each and presenting an alternative and hilarious look at quirky phenomena that are truly only in America. Teens Race of the Century: The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile, by Neal Bascomb There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be beyond the limits of human foot speed. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners each set out to break this barrier: Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur; John Landy the privileged son of a genteel Australian family; and Wes Santee the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete. Spanning three continents and defying the odds, these athletes' collective quest captivated the world. Adults Rise: My Story, by Lindsey Vonn Eighty-two World Cup wins. Twenty World Cup titles. Three Olympic medals. Seven World Championship medals. A fixture in the American sports landscape for almost twenty years, Lindsey Vonn is a legend. With a career that spanned a transformation in how America recognizes and celebrates female athletes, Vonn who retired in 2019 as the most decorated American skier of all time was in the vanguard of that change, helping blaze a trail for other world-class female athletes and reimagining what it meant to pursue speed at all costs. In "Rise," Vonn shares her incredible journey for the first time, going behind the scenes of a life built around resilience and risk-taking. While this iconic grit and perseverance helped her battle a catalog of injuries, these injuries came with a cost physical, of course, but also mental. Vonn opens up about her decades-long depression and struggles with self-confidence, discussing candidly how her mental health challenges influenced her career without defining her. This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark, Summit libraries' listings for Feb. 6 John Roost loved business; but he loved politics more. He was born in 1823 in the city of Harderwijk, in the province of Gelderland, The Netherlands. In 1847, he immigrated to Holland but continued to Grand Rapids where he found work as a wheelwright. In 1849, he opened a wagon-making and blacksmith business in Grandville. In 1854, he moved back to Holland and, with Ame Venema, opened a wagon factory named Roost and Venema. More History: Henry and Anna Post ensured Holland's economic viability More History: Holland founder was a 'social entrepreneur' More History: Coatsworth, King and Holland's fruit-growing industry In 1856, he and John Van Dyke became co-owners of Howards Saw Mill, located on the north side of Black Lake. In 1858, he was elected Holland Township Supervisor, a position he held for three years. He was also elected as highway commissioner. While in office, Roost was asked to negotiate a loan to build a channel and breakwater between Black Lake and Lake Michigan, and purchase and resell swamp land from the state of Michigan to help finance it. In the midst of his work, Roost, a staunch Republican, almost lost his political positions when a group of Democrats tried to unseat and replace him with Henry Post. Apparently, they had convinced the sheriff of Grand Haven County to arrest him on charges of embezzlement. But the charges were false and the ruse didnt stick. Steve VanderVeen Still in office, Roost headed to New York to raise money by selling bonds to wealthy members of the Reformed Church of America. He didnt succeed, however, partly because Albertus Van Raalte had gotten there first. Van Raalte was simultaneously raising funds for his Holland Academy (the forerunner of Hope College). Van Raalte did help Roost acquire acreage and resell it. In 1860, Roost co-founded De Grondwet (The Constitution), a local Republican newspaper. He was also appointed Hollands postmaster by Republican Abraham Lincoln, unseating Henry Post. Story continues In 1861, Roost was elected County Treasurer. In 1862, he was appointed U.S. Enrolling Office and Assistant Country Assessor however, he was removed from his postmaster role when Andrew Johnson, a Democrat, became president after Lincolns assassination. In 1867, Roost, while serving as Holland City Supervisor, sold De Grondwet to Johannes Hoogesteger and Leendert Mulder. He then purchased the Waverly Stone Quarry from Henry Post, correctly foreseeing the potential of mining deeper and using the newfound stone for constructing the breakwaters of the Holland, Saugatuck and Grand Haven harbors. He hired his son-in-law, Fillmore Bird, to manage the quarry. By that time, Roost also owned Hollands Grand Haven Hotel, which sat on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and River Avenue. In 1870, Roost served in the Michigan Legislature. In 1871, he not only lost his hotel to the Great Holland Fire, but also his fruit trees and cranberry marsh. In 1872, he served as Holland City Attorney. In 1873, in response to the fire and a national economic depression, Roost and other members of Hollands political and economic elite formed the Citizens Association of Holland to encourage immigration, manufacturing and praiseworthy enterprise. In 1874, despite his losses, Roost, along with John Coatsworth, were two of the Holland areas largest peach growers. In 1877, Roost and a man named Klassen from Grand Rapids formed a brick works at the head of Black Lake; by 1878, they had 15 employees producing 15,000 red and cream-colored bricks a day. But they couldnt compete with Berend Veneklasens Zeeland Brick Company and eventually closed the business. In 1878, Roost served as Holland City Clerk. Coincidentally, De Grondwet became the citys printer. Subscribe: Learn more about our latest subscription offers! In 1879, Roost sold his interest in Howards Saw Mill to his son-in-law, Fillmore Bird. In 1885, he sold Bird his interest in Waverly Stone. In 1887, Bird sold the quarry back to Henry Post and other investors, including Posts son, John C. Post, and William Garrod. The quarry then experienced a third resurgence as the stone became fashionable and prominently used in Hollands Clock Tower Building, Castle Park, Graves Hall and other buildings and residences built by James Huntley. In the 1890s, it's likely Roost also gave up peach-growing, as bountiful harvests depressed peach prices. Then Roost had a political and spiritual change of heart. Possibly due to his declining business fortune, as well as the scandals of the Ulysses S. Grant administration (1869-1877), Roost joined the Democrat party. He also joined Grace Episcopal Church. Then, in 1881, he ran for Holland mayor and won. In 1882, he was elected to the state senate. He died in 1885. Information for this article comes from Robert Swierengas "Holland, Michigan," migenweb.org/ottawa/holland/history, htc.holland.mi.us, and mdoe.state.mi.us. Steve VanderVeen is a resident of Holland. You can reach him and see his stories at start-upacademeinc.com. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Steve VanderVeen: John Roost and his love of business, politics National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned that there could be costs for China, too, if the country is seen as backing a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The comments come just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping stood side by side at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. The more than 5,000 word statement released following the Putin-Xi meeting said the friendship between the two States has no limits and that there are no forbidden areas of cooperation. The U.S. has warned Moscow of severe economic costs if troops move across Ukraines border. And those costs could affect China as well, Sullivan said on ABCs This Week, though he said he believes China understands it is not positioned to compensate Russia for the economic losses that would come from our sanctions. If Russia does choose to move forward, not only will it come at a strategic cost to Russia, but if China is seen as having supported it, it will come at some costs to China as well in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of Europe and in the eyes of other countries who are looking on now and sending a clear message that they would prefer to see diplomacy over war, Sullivan said. Its also worth noting that the English version of the Putin-Xi statement doesnt mention the word Ukraine, Sullivan said earlier on Fox News Sunday, which suggests that China is not so excited about cheerleading Russia on Ukraine. On multiple TV networks on Sunday, Sullivan spoke a similar narrative, telling reporters that the United States is prepared for any timeline in which Putin decides to act, whether an invasion comes in days or weeks. Sullivan and U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield both made it clear they believe diplomacy is still a viable path. Were still working to discourage the Russians from making the wrong choice, Thomas-Greenfield said on CNNs State of the Union. Sullivan also confirmed that the U.S. and its allies are willing to negotiate with Russia on missile deployments in Europe if Russia retreats. Story continues We are prepared alongside our allies and partners to negotiate issues of mutual concern when it comes to European security, and yes, that would include reciprocal limitations on the placement of offensive missiles, Sullivan said on Fox. It would include greater transparency measures, it would include mechanisms to reduce the possibility of mistake or escalation if there were incidents at sea or in the air. We are prepared to do all of that, just as we have been over the course of the past decades in the Cold War and after. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. made concessions on missiles in Turkey as part of a solution to a crisis that threatened to lead to nuclear war between the United States and Soviet Union. If Russia wants to sit at the table into that, we are prepared to come flanked by allies and partners and negotiate an outcome along those lines, Sullivan continued. If Russia chooses to go a different path, we are ready for that too. Tom Holland said that he didn't call Andrew Garfield after being cast as Spider-Man. The actor said that he looked back on it with "clarity and regret" given how Garfield's run ended. Holland said that he and Garfield were able to share their Spider-Man connection on "No Way Home." Tom Holland said he regrets that he never called Andrew Garfield after being cast as Spider-Man, but that "Spider-Man: No Way Home" was the actors' opportunity to share the character. "Something I can look back on now with a little bit of clarity and regret is that I never called [Garfield] when I took over as Spider-Man," Holland told The Hollywood Reporter. Holland is the latest in a series of live-action Spider-Men that includes Garfield, who starred in "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its sequel, as well as Tobey Maguire, who starred in Sam Raimi's trilogy of 2000s Spider-Man films. The trio reunited in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," in which Holland's Peter Parker must work together with Garfield's and Maguire's in order to protect his dimension from a host of classic Spider-Man villains. Holland took on the character's mantle after Garfield's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," which didn't land as strongly with critics or audiences. While, as Gizmodo reported, there were originally plans for a third film starring Garfield as Peter Parker, the movie was scrapped. "Had someone said to me after my second movie that I was done and this other kid was taking over, I would've been heartbroken," Holland told The Hollywood Reporter. "So looking back, I wish I had the chance to make amends with him, but this film was an opportunity." Holland told Deadline that it was "daunting" to meet his fellow Spider-Men during filming, and that he had asked Zendaya and Jacob Batalon to be his "support system" during their first meeting. However, he quickly realized that he didn't need to be nervous. Now, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he "could not be happier" for his costar. Story continues "It was not only an opportunity for [Garfield] to make peace with the character and the studio, but it was also an opportunity for me and him to have this moment where we realize we could share this thing," Holland continued. "The look on his face when he saves Zendaya is totally genuine, and I'm really proud of him." As Insider's Kirsten Acuna wrote, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" gave closure to Garfield's Spider-Man saga, and his iteration of the character. In "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," Garfield's Peter Parker fails to save his girlfriend, Gwen (Emma Stone), after she falls off a clock tower. In "No Way Home," he expresses deep regret over Gwen's death, but later redeems himself by saving MJ (Zendaya) after she falls in a manner similar to Gwen. "I'm really chuffed that [Garfield] got this opportunity to win back the world and for people to be reminded that his Spider-Man movies are fantastic and brilliant in their own right," Holland told The Hollywood Reporter. Read the original article on Insider Dean Cousino Monroe News Reporter Dean Cousino announced his retirement after 45 years with the paper. Earlier announcement: After 45 years, Monroe News Reporter Dean Cousino retiring Following his announcement, many tributes were submitted, thanking Cousino for his fair reporting and dedication to many agencies. Here are some of those tributes: In the world of extension, there are three traditional ways of getting educational information out to the public; individual consultations, meetings, and media, including print and radio primarily. Thirty years ago, when I came to Monroe County, there were two newspapers that wrote stories about agriculture. The Monroe Evening News and Dean Cousino and the Monroe Guardian had a writer, Larry See, Jr. And we had Bob Driscoll of Milan, with the Michigan Farm Radio Network. Although all contributed to local farm news, people and events, Dean has been steadfast in his reporting, including lots of photos of farmers and people at events. Above all else, Dean has worked hard to be at multiple events, day and night, and to get the stories out in a timely and newsworthy manner. All of us in agriculture will miss Dean and his reliable presence, friendship and reporting. Ned Birkey, MSU Extension Educator Emeritus "During my tenure as Monroe County 4-H agent/ County Extension Director Dean's dedication to his community as a reporter for the Monroe News was always on display. Dean worked long hours (certainly during Fair Week) to get the story right in terms of the 4-H member as well as the total 4-H program. You could always count on Dean to be there reporting on what he had seen and heard as accurately as he could. Michigan State University, Monroe County and the people served by these institutions benefited enormously from Dean's efforts. He will be missed." Dale H. Brose, County Extension Director Emeritus Dean has been a great asset and supporter from day one of the MSU/MCCC Ag program. He has always shown true interest and enjoyment with everything the students and program have done. We will miss him for sure, and wish Dean all the best in his retirement! Story continues Andy McCain, Program Coordinator for Institute of Agricultural Technology, Michigan State University and Monroe County Community College. The Monroe County Fair has been truly blessed over the years for someone like Dean to take such as interest in reporting on all fair related events. We will miss Dean and wish him all the happiness he deserves with his retirement. From Darryl Diamond, Manager of the Monroe County fair The board and staff of the Monroe Conservation District wish you all the best, and want you to know you will be missed. Catherine Acerboni; Manager, Monroe Conservation District For all the years that I have been involved with the Monroe County Farm Bureau, whenever there was something of interest or importance to both the farming and non-farming communities, we always made sure to let Dean know. No matter if it was to promote a local gathering of armers or to give local farmers a larger stage to present their message, it was Dean Cousino and his dedication to our members and our community that we could always count on. The residents of Monroe County were lucky to have both the efforts displayed by Dean, but also the cooperation of The Monroe News to create the weekly Farm page. An entire page set aside for agriculture is such a very rare occurrence these days and we were doubly blessed for the welcoming open door policy shown by Dean. He will be almost impossible to replace and his weekly articles will be greatly missed. We all wish Dean contentment as he enters retirement. From Roger Bezek, President Monroe County Farm Bureau This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Tributes for retiring reporter Cousino: `You will be missed' I tried Noodles & Company for the first time and already want to go back. Molly O'Brien I visited Noodles & Company, a Colorado-based fast-casual chain, for the first time. I appreciated the wide range of menu items, from pasta dishes to zoodles to soups and salads. The Japanese pan noodles were delicious and I plan on going back to try even more dishes soon. Noodles & Company is known for serving internationally-inspired and American noodle dishes, pasta, salads, and soups. Though the chain began as a Colorado-based restaurant, there are now 452 locations across 30 different states. California alone has 15 locations. Here are some of my initial thoughts after visiting Noodles & Co. for the first time: There are seemingly endless combinations of noodles, spices, and proteins I was excited to see that Noodles & Company offered so many choices. Molly O'Brien Upon walking into the restaurant, I noticed how many choices are on the menu. I was pleasantly surprised by the range of what seemed like healthy options, such as noodles made from vegetables. The chain also offers vegetarian and low-calorie choices. You can even customize your dish by substituting regular pasta with zoodles or cauliflower noodles or adding protein like chicken or steak. There was also a variety of drinks and seasonings to choose from. Molly O'Brien I consider myself a health-conscious diner, so I appreciated the wide range of options. The restaurant had a clean, industrial feeling design and atmosphere The inside of Noodles & Company had a clean, industrial feel. Molly O'Brien The layout and design of the restaurant felt efficient, and the decor reminded me of a Chipotle-esque industrial, clean feel. I wanted to taste something from each section of the menu including mac and cheese, signature, and classic but I wasn't sure where to start. The menu has a selection of pasta, soups, salads, and even shareable options. Molly O'Brien I asked the employee working at the register for her recommendations and for what people seem to like. Based on her advice, I ordered the penne rosa, the buffalo mac and cheese, the Japanese pan noodles, and a plain order of zoodles, to try out their texture and flavor. My order came out to $25 for four small dishes, or about $8 each. I feel like I got a decent amount of food for this price since I couldn't finish it all in one sitting. Story continues After I got my food, I dined outside. Molly O'Brien There was plenty of dining space inside and outside. After about a 10-minute wait, I got my food and sat out on the patio. Each dish was flavorful and well-portioned I decided to get four different pasta and noodle dishes. Molly O'Brien The penne rosa was bursting with flavor, with whole bites and bits of tomato. The dish wasn't as creamy as I expected, but I liked that there was feta cheese sprinkled on top. The spicy buffalo mac was soupier in texture rather than creamy, but I liked that there was extra cheese sprinkled on top of this dish as well. If I had taken it to-go and eaten it at home, I would have microwaved it to melt the cheese on top. Still, it tasted good and I didn't think it was too spicy. The Japanese pan noodles had a nice tang in the broad but balanced mix of flavors. The texture of these noodles was my favorite of the four dishes, as they were thick, long, and soft to bite into. Finally, I tried the zucchini noodles, which I ordered plain to test out the flavor and texture without the distraction of spices and sauces. I had the option to put extra seasoning on my food. Molly O'Brien However, if I wanted to add an extra kick to my plain zoodles, there were also jars of Smoulder from Boulder spice mixes inside the restaurant. The zoodles were thickly cut, and I think they could have been a great alternative in dishes like the Japanese pan noodles if I were gluten sensitive or trying to make a health-conscious substitution that still tasted good. I plan to go back again to try more noodle combinations The writer with noodle and pasta dishes The dishes I tried from Noodles & Company were tasty.Molly O'Brien In addition to traditional noodle dishes, the chain serves soups, salads, and a generous kids' menu with a selection of classics like Wisconsin mac and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs. There are also family meal options, which can feed up to four people and include portions of more than one type of pasta. Noodles & Company offers seemingly endless options. Molly O'Brien Overall, Noodles & Co. felt like somewhere you could dine-in with family or friends or get to-go for a fast-casual meal, with something for everyone on the menu. It seems like there are an endless number of noodle dishes to try, so I'll be going back again. Read the original article on Insider By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian judges on Sunday rejected President Kais Saied's moves to disband the council that oversees them, a move they see as undermining their independence, setting up a new struggle over his consolidation of power. Saied announced overnight he was dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council, one of the few remaining state bodies still able to act independently of him, the latest in a series of moves his opponents call a coup. In July he suddenly suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister and said he could rule by decree, and he has since said he will rewrite the 2014 democratic constitution before putting it to a public referendum. Saied has vowed to uphold rights and freedoms won in the 2011 revolution that introduced democracy, but his critics say he is leaning increasingly on the security forces and fear he will take a harsher stance against dissent. However, Tunisia's dire economic problems and a looming crisis in public finances risk undermining Saied's declared plan to reset the 2011 revolution with a new constitution, raising the possibility of public unrest. Saied has been tussling with the judiciary for months, criticising its decisions, accusing it of corruption and saying it has been infiltrated by his political enemies. The Supreme Judicial Council head, Youssef Bouzakher, early on Sunday said its dissolution was illegal and marked an attempt to bring judges under presidential instruction. "Judges will not stay silent," he warned. Later, two other judicial organisations condemned the move as unconstitutional. The Young Magistrates Association said it was part of a political purge of the judiciary and the Judges Association said Saied was trying to amass all powers in his own hands. Saied, a constitutional law professor before running for president in 2019, is married to a judge and has repeatedly said that the judiciary should remember it represents a function of the state rather than being the state itself. Story continues In January, he revoked financial privileges for the council's members, accusing the independent body established in 2016 of appointing judges to their positions based on loyalty to its leadership. "Their place is not where they sit now, but where the accused stand," Saied said of the council members in his overnight speech, delivered from the building of the Interior Ministry, which oversees Tunisia's security forces. Saied had called on supporters to protest against the council on Sunday, but only a few hundred people turned up. Some held a banner saying: "The people want to cleanse the judiciary." Several main parties in the suspended parliament, including the moderate Islamist Ennahda which has been part of successive governments since 2011, accuse Saied of a coup. Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi, who is also the speaker of the suspended parliament, said in a statement on Sunday that the body rejected Saied's decision to dissolve the council and voiced solidarity with the judges. Three other parties, Attayar, Joumhouri and Ettakatol, issued a joint statement rejecting the move. (Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Nick Macfie) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. special representative for North Korea will meet with Japanese and South Korean officials later this week, the U.S. State Department said on Sunday, following a series of ballistic missile tests U.S. officials said Pyongyang launched last month. U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim will travel to Honolulu from Feb. 10-15 to host a trilateral meeting "to discuss a broad range of issues, including the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the department said in a statement. North Korea has long been banned from conducting nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches by the U.N. Security Council, but the United States and others have said it carried out nine ballistic missile launches in January - the most in a single month in the history of the country's nuclear and missile programs. The United Nations, in a confidential report seen by Reuters, said North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the past year in addition to cyberattacks on Cryptocurrency exchanges. [nL1N2UG0GA] Japanese Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro and South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, Noh Kyu-duk, will also attend the meetings. "The U.S. will reiterate its commitment to regional security and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," at a Feb. 12 Trilateral Ministerial meeting, the department added. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Toby Chopra and Nick Macfie) By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Chinese leaders on Saturday that he expected authorities to allow U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to make a "credible visit" to the country, including Xinjiang, the United Nations said. Guterres met with China's President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics, according to a U.N. readout of the meetings. Bachelet has long sought access to Xinjiang to investigate accusations of abuse against ethnic Uyghurs. The issue has soured relations between Beijing and the West, sparking accusations of genocide from Washington and a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/china-says-us-diplomatic-boycott-winter-olympics-could-harm-co-operation-2021-12-07 by some countries of the Winter Olympics. "The Secretary-General ... expressed his expectation that the contacts between the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chinese authorities will allow for a credible visit of the High Commissioner to China, including Xinjiang," said the U.N. readout of Guterres' meetings. Bachelet's office in Geneva said last month https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-agrees-xinjiang-vist-by-un-rights-chief-early-2022-south-china-morning-2022-01-28 that conversations were underway for a possible trip to the area in northwest China in the first half of the year. Rights groups accuse China of widescale abuses against Uyghurs and other minority groups, including torture, forced labor and detention of 1 million people in internment camps. China calls them re-education and training facilities, denies abuses, and says it is combating religious extremism. Guterres also discussed Afghanistan and climate change - among other issues - during his meetings with Xi and Wang. "The Secretary-General recognized the important efforts China is making to address climate change but reiterated the appeal for additional efforts to accelerate the transition to the green economy to bridge the emissions gap," said the U.N. statement. Guterres traveled to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on Friday. The ceremony concluded https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/after-fraught-games-run-up-beijing-turns-opening-ceremony-2022-02-04 with the Olympic flame cauldron lit by two young Chinese Olympians, one of them a member of China's Uyghur minority. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by David Gregorio) WARSAW (Reuters) - A plane carrying U.S. troops landed in Poland on Sunday, a Reuters witness said, as Washington reinforces its NATO allies in Eastern Europe amid a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border. U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania, as Washington moves to reassure jittery NATO allies. The Pentagon said that around 1,700 service members, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, would deploy from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland. Sunday's arrival of the C17 aircraft followed a plane carrying the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division, U.S. Army Major General Christopher Donahue, which landed on Saturday at Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, and a few planes with U.S. military equipment and an "advance group". It was not immediately clear how many troops arrived, but a C17 aircraft is "designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and their equipment", according to the U.S. Air Force website. "Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and obviously during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together," Donahue said on Sunday. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said minutes after the plane landed that this was the first group of American soldiers "from an elite unit". "...More planes will be landing in the coming hours. The soldiers will operate in the southeastern part of our country," he added. Russia has denied plans to invade Ukraine but has deployed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders and says it could take unspecified military measures if its demands are not met, including a promise by NATO never to admit Ukraine. (Reporting by Anna Koper and Kuba Stezycki; Editing by Nick Macfie) Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the number of troops that have arrived in Poland thus far, and to include a quote from Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue. RZESZOW-JASIONKA, Poland A few dozen elite U.S troops and equipment were seen landing Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine on President Joe Bidens orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Polands border with Ukraine. A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan. Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty, we know that we are stronger together, Donahue said at the airport. U.S. Army officers after arrival at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, coming from Wiesbaden, Germany where a U.S. Army administration garrison is based. (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) Biden ordered additional U.S. troops deployed to Poland, Romania and Germany to demonstrate to both allies and foes Americas commitment to NATOs eastern flank amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. NATOs eastern member Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine. Romania borders Ukraine. The division can rapidly deploy within 18 hours and conduct parachute assaults to secure key objectives. Based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the divisions history goes back to 1917. Earlier in the week, U.S. planes brought equipment and logistics troops in preparation for the arrival of elements of the division to the airport, located 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Polands border with Ukraine. Polish soldiers have previously worked together with the U.S. division on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Maj. Przemyslaw Lipczynski, a spokesman for the Polish Armys 18th Mechanized Division. Some 4,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Poland since 2017 on a rotating basis. Helping the Loudonville-Perrysville Schools deal with mental health needs of students are three staff members of the Appleseed Community Mental Helath Center in Ashland, from left, Alissa Schmidt, Kayla Crew and Mindy Wilson. Fourth and last in a series of personality stories about people involved in providing mental health assistance to students in the Loudonville-Perrysville Schools who need them. LOUDONVILLE - Three staffers from the Appleseed Community Mental Health Center in Ashland provide mental health services for students in the Loudonville-Perrysville School District who need them. These professionals include Kayla Crew, school-based therapist, and Mindy Wilson and Alyssa Schmidt, school community liaisons. Kayla Crew Crew, who grew up in Big Prairie and is a graduate of West Holmes High School, described her role as providing needed mental health counseling to students. I am also available to assist with schoolwide crisis responses as needed, and provide social-emotional lessons for second- and third-graders. Her work coincides with an initiative, prompted both by school leaders and members of the community group Redbird Resilient, to improve and increase mental health services in the school district. I feel the initiatives here have been great, Crew said. We have a great mental health team, and work together to do our best to meet the needs of both students and staff in the school district. I am aware of similar efforts in other school districts, and feel it is a great benefit for school districts to have, Crew added. These initiatives help to break through some of the barriers we face at times for families. Crew said she has wanted to work in a position of being there to help friends in need, and helping youth coming out of hard places, since I was in high school. She has a total of seven years of post-secondary education in the mental health field, including a Bachelor of Science in both psychology and sociology from Ashland University, and a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Capella University. While at AU, she volunteered as a research assistant for a social psychologist for three years. She also worked for four years as a mental health case manager, completed a nine-month internship as a counselor, and has been working with a license to provide counseling services for over a year-and-a-half, giving her a total of six years of field experience working with all ages and assisting with a variety of needs. Story continues She also volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters for over seven years, and as a youth leader for over three. At her previous job she worked as a mental health case manager in the Wooster City Schools, specifically at the Parkview Elementary School but at other buildings as well, helping students learn skills to be successful in the classroom. She also helped families make connections with local resources where needed. She left that job for a position as an adult therapist, but found she missed working with youth. When I learned about the Loudonville school job, I jumped at the opportunity, Crew said. She was already attending church in Loudonville, at the New Hope Community Church. She has been working with Appleseed for the past year and a half. Some of the most prevalent concerns she has seen in working with L-P students are struggles with self-harm, suicidal ideation, trauma responses and fostering healthy friendships or relationships. I have found working with the team in the L-P Schools has been a pleasure, Crew said. We could not do what we do without a caring staff. I feel I have been welcomed by the staff, and have enjoyed getting to know the teachers as I continue to work in the district. Mindy Wilson Wilson, also a West Holmes High graduate who grew up in Nashville, serves as the liaison serving the six grades, junior high and high school, at Loudonville High School. My role is to identify student and family needs, provide easier access to community resources, collaborate with school staff, respond to crisis situations in the school, increase student attendance and engage families and increase partnerships and communication between parents and schools, Wilson said. Previously, she worked for 12 years with the elderly in health-care situations. Specifically, I identified the needs of individuals and then linked them and their families to community resources, she said, winding up serving as director of social services. She earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Kentucky Christian University, and became the school liaison in Loudonville in November. Biggest issues I see with the students here are anxiety, depression and self-harm, Wilson said. Our students need to know they have support, and with my position, I am able to let them know they are not alone, and that I can provide crisis intervention for them when necessary. I also believe that all of the schools in Ashland County are lucky to have school liaisons to help with needs students may have, she added. Loudonville, particularly, has a great mental health team to help students and families in the school district. Wilson stressed I am not a counselor, but I enjoy being a listening ear for students, and a help in finding resources they may need. She mentioned that Loudonville High Principal Chrissy Butts has been helpful in getting me acclimated to the school. The two high school secretaries, assistant principal, and guidance counselors are amazing, too. They have all welcomed me and we make a great team for the students. Alyssa Schmidt Schmidt serves as liaison for students in the McMullen (grades K-3) and Budd (4-6) elementary Schools. She sees her role as to be supportive to families in the schools. One of the ways I do this is by making connections with students to identify their needs, which can include attendance, academics, behaviors, stressors for kids, concerns at home and issues surrounding social skills". I often reach out to parents to address these concerns and/or make referrals as necessary, Schmidt added. As a school liaison its important to collaborate with staff and to engage families so we can identify barriers and solve problems. The goal is to help students be successful. Schmidt grew up in Fredericktown, and then earned a degree in criminal justice at Tiffin University. Years ago, she worked at a childrens services department and worked side by side with school liaisons and the families they worked with, she said. I admired the relationships they were able to build with families as they supported them, she said. I happily took the opportunity to become a liaison when the job at the Loudonville schools opened in October. Issues I am confronting here include children dealing with anxiety, anger, behavioral issues and social skills, she said. Ive met with several students to offer a space where they can talk, take time to calm down, and find ways to handle situations. Not all children are the same, so we work to establish coping skills that are the most effective for each child individually. She praised the L-P Schools for trying to support the mental health needs of students. It is a big task that I feel the district is navigating successfully. I believe most schools in Ashland County are implementing similar initiatives. Like Wilson, Schmidt stressed I am not a counselor. My background is in social work, which supports my role as the liaison trying to connect the school and families as well as supporting families. She noted when I arrived in the L-P District last fall I was clearly the new kid on the block, and its never easy going into an environment not knowing anyone and being the new person; however, I feel the staff has really stepped up in welcoming me. This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Appleseed staffers provide mental health services for L-P students In January, Palm Springs official Facebook account posted about a new airline coming to town and a community shredding event. There were also helpful updates on city facilities closing because of COVID, ways to get affordable internet and more. Not mentioned: The prospect of the city council allowing 95-foot-tall warehouses around Interstate 10, changing the desert landscape. That likewise didnt warrant a press release. And the decision has since generated surprise and anger, including from people who said they knew nothing about it until the council vote. Its not surprising that government agencies tend to promote good or innocuous news over controversy. But why do we take that for granted? Nearly all governments claim to be an open book with the public: The City of Palm Springs is committed to open and transparent government, says its website. Palm Springs does make a lot of public documents available online, and announces public events including council meetings. But if youre going to claim to be transparent, you have to be as clear about the controversial topics as you are about the feel-good stuff. Eric Hartley To be clear, Im not picking on Palm Springs: The warehouse issue is only the latest example. Ive also seen this in other places where Ive worked as a journalist: Nevada, Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere in California. And residents feeling blindsided has been a common thread in recent news covered in The Desert Sun, some of which I later looked into for editorials. (Im one of seven members of the independent editorial board, but writing this column myself.) Amy Blaisdell, Palm Springs communications director, wasn't available for an interview. And in an email, she didn't respond directly when I asked whether the city had done enough to let people know about the potential for much larger warehouses. But she said she and colleagues manage a NextDoor community with almost 25,000 followers, plus other social media accounts, including a Spanish-language Facebook page. They also meet regularly with community leaders and send out advisories before council meetings that summarize significant topics on the agenda. Story continues Blaisdell said the city is open to new and effective ways to keep people informed, but that a lot of residents already find what they want to know and speak up. Shes right that Palm Springs has a lot of engaged residents, many of whom comment at public meetings. But there and in other places, residents have complained they often arent aware of planned changes until theyre a done deal or far enough along that they might as well be. And that gets to the crux of the problem. Technically, most information on what elected officials decide isnt secret; its on public agendas and voted on in public meetings, as required by law. You can find it if you know where to look. But public agencies can make that hard. Witness some recent meeting agenda titles on high-profile topics. When College of the Desert trustees signed off on consulting deals to raise the schools sinking public image and figure out what to do next on plans for a Palm Springs campus: Approval of Contracts / Agreements / Amendments / Revenue Agreements / Non-Monetary Agreements. When Desert Hot Springs allowed massive 120-foot-tall warehouses (up from 50 feet): General Plan Amendment No. 21-2, Zone Change No. 21-1, Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 21-2, and Adoption of a General Plan Update EIR Addendum. When Palm Springs considered clearing the way for its own mega-warehouses: City council consideration of the decision of the planning commission to continue discussion to a date uncertain of zone text amendment case 5.1547 ZTA, relating to development standards for warehouse/fulfillment centers. All perfectly clear, right? Such titles, while procedurally accurate, are useless to 99% of residents. Thats where others in the city should come in, translating jargon to English so residents know whats happening. Its common for public agencies to hire former journalists to oversee that kind of public outreach; Blaisdell is one. So is Brooke Beare, the communications director for Indio. She told me city staffers do their best to keep residents informed, but its gotten even harder to reach everyone when there are so many more ways to find information. For some thats still the newspaper or TV news; for others, it might be WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Facebook. There are always people who are going to say that they were not provided information, Beare said. The means of outreach are so widespread you do your absolute best to reach people where they are. I didnt ask Beare to opine on other cities outreach; she spoke only about Indio. But she said its hard to boil complicated topics down even when you try your best. Issues are often more complex than simple language will allow, she said. You want to write in a simple and clear way, but its very hard to do sometimes. The media has a role to play, too; we're part of how a lot of residents stay informed. But even when you're a journalist who has combed public agendas for years, as I have, it can be a challenge to understand some of the dense language. It's not fair to put this all on people like Beare or Blaisdell. They don't draw up the meeting agendas or decide what the councils will be discussing. It's the job of everyone in government to remember who they work for. Even when issues are complicated, they can usually be described in less confusing ways. A lot of people might make their voices heard in Palm Springs, but thats not true everywhere. Ive often talked to elected and appointed officials, in the valley and elsewhere, who bemoan the lack of resident participation. They hold public hearings on big issues, they send out detailed agendas and hear little or nothing. They arent trying to hide anything, they say, but instead want to hear from residents. I dont doubt their sincerity. But whatever the intent, governments dont always make it easy for constituents to stay in the loop. When the warehouse rules were coming before the Palm Springs council, the city sent out an advisory summarizing a few notable topics on the agenda, including continued discussion related to development standards for warehouse/fulfillment centers. Much better than that inscrutable agenda title but still not great. Would you know from reading that the council might vote on a major change that night? The message could have instead said: The council will consider a proposal to allow 95-foot-tall warehouses along Interstate 10, up from the current 40 feet, along with other changes. Trying to inform residents is a tough job, for sure, even if a topic doesnt require much translation. When Indio wanted to get word out about a neighborhood cleanup day, Beare said, it mailed notices to every home in the area, had volunteers hand out fliers door to door and put it on social media and an email newsletter. It was all bilingual. Yet when code enforcement officers went around a few days beforehand to make sure folks knew about the event, most had heard nothing. You cant force people living busy lives to pay attention to government. But government can help ... or hurt. I think few if any people in public office set out to keep information from residents. But if thats frequently the result or even the perception something is wrong. Eric Hartley is The Desert Sun's opinion editor. Email him at eric.hartley@desertsun.com This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Why do some in Coachella Valley feel blindsided by big changes? The Wilmington Police Department's boat, moored on the Christina River downtown, sank Saturday. No one was onboard when it went down, police said. It was later hauled back to the surface. Wilmington police spokesperson David Karas said the boat "experienced an issue that caused it to begin to sink," but did not elaborate. The boat was "recovered" about two hours later and is now "being assessed to evaluate necessary repairs," Karas said. He said they are still trying to determine why it went under. The effort to rescue the boat shut down Beech Street near the Children's Museum and blocked off part of the Riverfront boardwalk. Onlookers gathered near caution tape to watch the effort to pull this boat above water unfold. CONTROVERSY: Wilmington council president brings Police Department's 'whitest Black guy' trophy to light First responders carried large inflatables, pipes and diving gear down to the dock where the 27-foot boat is usually stationed. Before the boat was pulled out of the water, no part of it was visible above the surface. In order to lift the boat, a diver brought flotation devices down to place between the boat and the riverbed. The inflatables then lifted the boat far enough out of the water for a crane to pull it the rest of the way out. Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Wilmington police boat sinks near Riverfront A woman is dead after falling from the top of a mast on a nearly 150-year-old ship at a Galveston, Texas harbor, outlets report. The woman, 58, was a volunteer working on the vessel, KTRK reported. She was wearing a safety harness when she fell around noon on Saturday, Jan. 5, according to the outlet. The ship, named ELISSA, was constructed in 1877 and acquired by the Galveston Historical Foundation in the 1970s and restored. The Tall Ship is one of three in the world like it that can still sail, according to the foundation, which maintains the vessel and operates it as a floating museum. About 40,000 visitors come aboard the ship each year. Although the volunteer was using safety gear, her harness unclipped from the lines it was supposed to be attached to, police told Galveston newspaper The Daily News. Police are investigating the fall, and ELISSA will be closed for the rest of the weekend, the paper reported. Teen charged with brothers murder after stray bullet story falls apart, TX cops say Sonic workers car explodes outside restaurant. Odd smell saved him, Texas cops say Driver trying to reverse instead plunges 40 feet into a ravine, Georgia police say Family shocked no charges to be filed in 6-year-olds Colorado amusement park death In its role as a regional partner of the Indiana Arts Commission, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County will present workshops on Feb. 8 and 9 to assist with the application process. SOUTH BEND The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) is now accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2023 Arts Project Support (APS) and Arts Organization Support (AOS) Grants. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. March 9. As one of IACs Regional Arts Partner representatives, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County will hold the following workshops to assist with the application process: Arts Project Support Workshop at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 Arts Organization Support Workshop at 2 p.m. Feb. 9 Admission is free, and the workshops will be conducted through Zoom. Registration links are available online at cfsjc.org/IACgrants. For more information, call Kayla Myers at 574-232-0041 or email kayla@cfsjc.org. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Workshops held for applying for IAC grants Chicago Bulls fans chanted M-V-P on Sunday afternoon for DeMar DeRozan, a familiar refrain this season at the United Center, as the All-Star guard went off again during a season-high 45-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers. But the MVP of the game and perhaps the frontrunner for the 2021-22 award was 76ers center Joel Embiid, who scored 40 points and hauled in 10 rebounds in a 119-108 win over the undermanned Bulls. Embiids dominance in the fourth quarter prevented the Bulls from completing a comeback after they cut a 17-point deficit to four, and he led the 76ers to their third straight win against the Bulls in the season series. The loss denied Bulls coach Billy Donovan and his staff the task of coaching in the NBA All-Star Game, an honor that goes to the coaching staff of the team in each conference with the best winning percentage through Sundays games. The Miami Heats Eric Spoelstra will coach Team Durant on Feb. 20 in Cleveland after the Bulls fell a half-game behind the Heat in the Eastern Conference race. I brought it up to the guys, thought extra motivation wouldve been special, DeRozan said. Those guys deserve it. It wouldve been great to get those guys in there. It was on my mind. I told Billy at the end of the game I was going to try my best to get this game for them. Would have loved to see those guys get the opportunity. The opportunity doesnt come around often. ... We just fell short of it. With Zach LaVine and Coby White out again and Nikola Vucevic having the tall task of trying to defend Embiid, the onus was on DeRozan to carry the load on offense. He did it for the first three quarters and played 41 minutes overall, but he couldnt get the Bulls over the hump. Trailing by four at 100-96 with less than 7 minutes left, the Bulls watched Embiid score eight of the 76ers next 11 points to take back the momentum. DeRozan and Vucevic couldnt do it all, though they tried. They combined to take 59% of the Bulls shots (48 of 81) and made 67% of their field goals (26 of 39). Story continues LaVine, an All-Star reserve, missed his second straight game with back tightness and obviously was missed. While Donovan said LaVine has progressed, he couldnt say whether LaVine would be available Monday night against the Phoenix Suns, who have the leagues best record at 42-10. White, out with a groin injury, also is questionable. The Bulls lacked backcourt depth even with those two healthy, and their absences were evident Sunday with Matt Thomas getting starters minutes off the bench (34-plus) and scoring five points on 2-for-10 shooting. Ayo Dosunmu has stepped up of late, but the rookie from Illinois scored only eight points Sunday while attempting only eight shots. Javonte Green added 17 points on 5-for-6 shooting. Donovan said Whites injury isnt a major concern, but he couldnt commit to him playing Monday either. Its not ideal with the number of backcourt players we have, Donovan said. The Bulls have a chance to make a significant move this week and improve the roster for the stretch run. The NBA trade deadline arrives Thursday, but Donovan said executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have to take into consideration the fact the team hasnt had its top players together for a prolonged stretch. I think theyre going to really, really look at (when) March comes, can we really get whole? What is that going to look like? Donovan said. Do we need to stay who we are and let this group play itself out? Or is there something that says: You know what? This could really make our team better? Donovan said management keeps him apprised, but Karnisovas hasnt had to have a big conversation yet on a potential move. That has not taken place at all, Donovan said. I know he and his staff have been in a lot, theyre working and doing what they need to do. Its allowed me to focus on our team. Donovan said theres a strong possibility forward Patrick Williams will return before the regular season ends, which also could factor into the decision on whether to make a deal. The Bulls biggest need is another big man to help Vucevic, though they also could use another 3-point threat. The Bulls went 7-for-26 (26.9%) beyond the arc Sunday without LaVine and White, two of their best outside threats. DeRozan said its understood were going to get everybody back in due time, adding the players just have to deal with the adversity until then. Lonzo Ball is off crutches and was on the bench Sunday, and the Bulls are optimistic the return of Ball and Alex Caruso in March or early April will revitalize a team that has dearly missed the two guards. Having Zo on the bench tonight was great, DeRozan said. Just seeing those guys around, working back toward getting healthy, it gives us the extra juice we need. Asked if the Bulls should do something at the deadline, DeRozan pointed out they are missing Ball, Caruso and Williams. We have them, and theyll be back, he said. We dont need to worry or stress about having nobody else. Those three right there, I guarantee every team in this NBA wish they had those three guys. Were going to get those guys back and well be fine. So the players dont mind if management stands pat? Only you guys talk about that, DeRozan said, referring to the media. We dont talk about it. The clock is ticking, and the East race is wide open. Karnisovas must soon decide whether the teams great chemistry is more important than getting outside help for the stretch run. One thing Karnisovas has on his side is this: No matter which way he goes, Bulls fans likely will give him the benefit of the doubt. Although another Islamic State leader has been killed, the organization will endure in Iraq and Syria as long as the United States and its allies continue to substitute targeted killings for a more comprehensive counterterrorism strategy. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the Islamic States leader, Abu Ibrahim Hashimi Qurayshi, had been taken off the battlefield near Idlib province in northwestern Syria. Believed to be in his mid-40s, Qurayshi had a $10 million bounty on his head at the time of his death. He had been tracked down to a safe house by U.S. Special Operations Forces and surrounded. During the raid, which was designed to minimize civilian casualties, Qurayshi detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and several of his family members. It is of little surprise that Qurayshi would refuse to give himself up and kill his family instead of allowing them to surrender. After all, the ISIS leader was perhaps most notorious for his decision to endorse the abduction, enslavement and rape of Yazidi women and girls, earning him a reputation as a sociopath. The raid on Qurayshi bore hallmarks of the operation that resulted in the death of his predecessor, longtime ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in October 2019. In that raid, which also occurred in northwestern Syria, al-Baghdadi blew himself up rather than be captured alive. Qurayshi, who was not nearly as well-known as Baghdadi, was forced to spend most of his time evading capture and was therefore unable or unwilling to release propaganda videos or audio recordings on a consistent basis. But his lack of public profile should not obscure the fact that Qurayshi was a well-respected strategist, especially within the Islamic State. He was also intimately involved with helping to shape the Islamic States strategy. One of Qurayshis first messages to ISIS cadres was to free their imprisoned comrades. Given last months prison break on the edge of Hasakah, Syria, it seems that Qurayshi intended for ISIS to gain momentum as it had previously done through prison break campaigns. The most high-profile one was the Breaking the Walls campaign in 2012-2013, which freed hundreds of ISIS fighters from prisons throughout Iraq, replenishing the organization and reinforcing its ranks. Targeting terrorist leaders, also known as decapitation strikes, can provide tactical wins while never rising to the level of strategic victories. These operations are akin to a sugar high temporarily satisfying but offering little sustenance over the long term. In other words, U.S. Special Operations Forces can conduct strikes against high-value terrorist targets in perpetuity without ever achieving a lasting impact on the groups organizational structure, financing, logistics or other components critical to a groups longevity and success. Another issue in discerning what impact the death of Qurayshi will have is related to a military concept called intelligence gain/loss. This means asking tough questions about the costs versus benefits of an operation: Is the value of collecting information from an enemy target worth more than destroying the target? After a decapitation strike, sometimes the next leader in line to head the group is even more ruthless and bloodthirsty than those who came before. The next Islamic State leader could be someone relatively unknown, which will present the U.S. and its allies with a challenge in terms of intelligence collection and mapping his network. Yet this scenario would also pose a challenge for the Islamic State, particularly if the next leader is not someone with a reputation on par with previous leaders. Whoever comes next may not have the same level of credentials, which could lead to a generational rift within the group or create fissures and splintering between internal factions competing for resources and power. One major question is how Qurayshis death will affect the Islamic States global operations, particularly at its branches in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. When the franchise groups and provinces of transnational terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida have previously been unable to communicate with core leadership for extended periods, these regional affiliates have focused more on local issues, jettisoning the global objectives often pushed by top leadership. Western countries benefit from a decapitation strike because it weakens the global networks most likely to plot attacks in Europe and the United States. In the aftermath of the haphazard U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, there were widespread concerns that Washington would also pull the last remaining troops from other military theaters, including Syria. With the Qurayshi raid, the Biden administration is sending a message to allies and adversaries that the U.S. maintains top-tier intelligence and counterterrorism expertise and can plan sophisticated operations in inhospitable environments. The Islamic States slogan is baqiya wa tatamad or remaining and expanding. Without a clearly articulated strategy on the part of the Biden administration, the cycle of decapitation strikes followed by terrorist revivals will continue indefinitely. As a result, the U.S. could very well find itself playing directly into the Islamic States hands, remaining in the Middle East, with no plan for what comes next in Syria. Colin P. Clarke is director of policy and research at the Soufan Group and a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center. He has presented his research on counterterrorism to governments, militaries and intelligence services throughout the world. Loose talk often rules the day, but what we say and how we say it still matter. Just ask Whoopi Goldberg, who, while talking about a graphic novel about the Holocaust that was banned by a Tennessee school board, asserted a stunningly wrong view of history. The Holocaust was not about race but about mans inhumanity to man, she said Monday on ABCs The View. When her co-hosts pushed back, she insisted: But these are two white groups of people, she said. This is white people doing it to white people, so yall going to fight amongst yourselves. Her comments were ignorant or misinformed and led to immediate and widespread condemnation. Racism was central to Nazi ideology. Jews were not defined by religion, but by race. Nazi racist beliefs fueled genocide and mass murder, the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington responded to Goldberg in a tweet. Goldberg quickly apologized. My words upset so many people, which was not my intention, she said. I misspoke. But Kim Godwin, ABC News president, while acknowledging Goldbergs apologies, suspended her from The View for two weeks, saying Goldberg needed to think about the impact of her wrong and hurtful comments. Goldberg, a longtime ally of the Jewish community, was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in 1955. The origin of her stage name is hazy. The true story is that my family is Jewish, Buddhist, Baptist and Catholic none of which I subscribe to, by the way, as I dont believe in man-made religions ... So I took the last name from a Jewish ancestor. And I happen to be gaseous, which explains the first name, short for whoopee cushion, she told Reuters in the 1990s. But subsequent research by Henry Louis Gates Jr. revealed Goldbergs roots traced to West Africa, and she had no Jewish forebears, Gates wrote in his 2009 book In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past. Goldbergs recent comments seem to reflect an evolving definition of race and racism as relating only to people of color, some Jewish scholars said. What she said was really horrendous, but its not her original idea, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, said in an interview on Talkline with Zev Brenner, a radio program and podcast. I dont think she has a bad bone in her body, but shes parroting now a new definition thats wrong. This woke definition of race as exclusively pertaining to Blacks and other people of color, Cooper said, is repeated over and over, taught in schools and has been adopted by some in the Jewish community. But Adolph Hitler and the Nazis were all about race, he said. We were the ultimate inferior race. Polls show Americans in the 21st century may be losing the shared memory of the horrors of the Holocaust, when about one third of the worlds Jews were murdered. Only 45% of American adults know 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, a Pew Research Center survey reported in 2020. In a separate survey at the same time, only 38% of teens know 6 million Jews were killed. The banned book that sparked Goldbergs comments, Maus by Art Spiegelman, tells the story of his parents in Nazi death camps. The book depicts Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. Maus won a Pulitzer Special Award in Letters in 1992. The McMinn County School Board in southeast Tennessee voted last month to ban the book from the 8th grade language arts curriculum because of inappropriate language eight curse words and a drawing of a naked female mouse, thus missing the point of the work altogether. This is not about left versus right, Spiegelman told The Tennessean newspaper. This is about a culture war thats gotten totally out of control. Nothing spurs readership like censorship. The Maus books have sold out on Amazon and wont be available for weeks. For her part, Goldberg got a history lesson from which others may learn. It is indeed about race because Hitler and the Nazis considered Jews to be an inferior race, she said Tuesday. Now, words matter, and mine are no exception. I regret my comments, as I said, and I stand corrected. Marsha Mercer writes from Washington. You may contact her at marsha.mercer@yahoo.com. Editors note: Heres a bonus Stargazing that got lost in the email ether a few weeks ago. The image of an astronomer to many people is a nocturnal creature huddled in some cold observatory dome, studying the heavens from the business end of a long optical telescope with eye and camera. That quote is attributed to a gentleman named James Mullaney, and although I will admit to having huddled around my telescope in some pretty frigid southwest Iowa weather, we do not consider ourselves to be a nocturnal creature. French author and astronomer Camille Flammarion in his Dreams of an Astronomer wrote: It is one of the charms of astronomy that it enables us to see through space. Those who remain in ignorance of this science do not even know that they are depriving themselves of the most agreeable satisfactions of the mind. They are like travelers who pass through a wonderful landscape without asking where they are. I suppose I began asking some 70 years ago, and even after that period of time I am still amazed by the celestial landscapes of southwest Iowa. Astronomers, both amateur and professional, consider themselves as investigators of the universe whose work is often divided between observational and theoretical research. Of course, the easiest aspect of astronomy is to get involved in the observational side. All it takes is the purchase of a quality telescope or binoculars and possess a basic understanding of the sky. Its once you begin observing the heavens that you also begin to absorb some of the theoretical as well as philosophical values of the science of astronomy. Studies have shown that a majority of professional astronomers use observatories for only a few nights during the month, and then only for observing some very faint celestial object. For the astronomer involved in theoretical research, it isnt unusual for them to never enter an observatory. They make their calculations on paper, merely feeding the observational data obtained by others in these calculations. What all astronomers have in common is the love of the heavens and the universe, and the greatest difference between amateur and professional is that the latter get paid for what they do. Be that as it may, amateur astronomers, who outnumber their professional counterparts 30 to 1, contribute enormous amounts of valuable data to the field. It is not that they are more adept than the professionals. The larger observatories just dont have the time to do the meticulous observations that amateurs are in the best position to do, primarily by sheer numbers. Certainly not everyone has an interest in the stars or astronomy. Those who do and want to take the time to ask where they are can do so by attending a meeting of the Omaha Astronomical Society, which meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. The meetings are held in room 169 of the Durham Science Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge St. Although the meeting officially begins at 7:30 p.m., there is a 6:45 p.m. astronomical and beginners question time. On yet another subject, our evening star planet Venus, has now sunk below the western horizon and will soon reappear in the early morning eastern sky about an hour before sunrise. Venus will be shining at a -4.3 magnitude and early risers should have no difficulty in locating our sister planet shining in the low morning eastern sky. DES MOINES The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Black mans argument that he was denied his right to an impartial jury because of a flawed process that excluded Black people and resulted in only white jurors. It is the second time the states high court heard an appeal from Kenneth Lee Lilly, who was convicted for helping a relative rob a southeastern Iowa bank in 2016. Lilly alleged that his right to an impartial jury under the U.S. and Iowa constitutions was violated because neither his jury nor the group from which his jury was selected included any Black people. Lilly, 57, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for robbery with a mandatory 17 1/2 years to be served before parole eligibility. He was accused of driving Lafayette A. Evans, a relative from Nashville, Tennessee, to a branch of the Fort Madison Bank on June 29, 2016. Evans fired several shots in the bank and at a police officer. He ran away with $224,000 in a backpack but was shot and killed by officers. Lilly was tried in Lee County, where about 3% of the population of 33,000 is Black. His attorney, Shellie Knipfer-Mcclellan, said Lilly was disappointed in the outcome. Nevertheless, our hope is that there will be continued work to improve the jury system to fulfill the constitutional guarantee of an impartial jury drawn from a fair cross-section of the community, she said. David Walker, a retired Drake University Law professor who wrote a brief to the court for the NAACP supporting a new trial for Lilly, said his case and others in recent years have helped improve jury management practices in Iowa, but that work remains to ensure proper balance. The big picture and the long race is to work in all ways at all levels to secure jury pools and panels that represent a fair cross section of the community and are more likely to yield a jury drawn from a fair cross section, he said. A decision in an individual case doesnt alter that. The attorney generals office declined to comment about the ruling. In the first appeal in 2019, the court returned Lillys case to the district court for a hearing on whether his rights were violated by the jury selection process. The judge rejected his claims and Lilly again appealed. The court upheld the lower courts decision that he failed to prove Black citizens are excluded from jury pools because they are underrepresented in the voter registration and drivers license lists from which names are drawn in Iowa. Lilly claimed that low-income people tend to register to vote and to acquire drivers licenses and nonoperator identification cards at a lower rate than other members of the community. He also said Black citizens make up a higher percentage of low-income people in Lee County. And he inferred that Black people are underrepresented in the lists from which jury pools are sourced. In hearing his case the first time, the court established that such jury pool challenges must identify a practice that led to the underrepresentation, and it cannot be run-of-the-mill jury management practices. Many states use voter registration and drivers license identification lists to construct a list from which to draw jury pools, Justice Matthew McDermott wrote for the court, which unanimously agreed. The lists are the only ones that Iowa law requires courts to use in drawing jury pools. Because he challenges a run-of-the-mill practice, and no other practices, Lilly cannot show a violation under the Sixth Amendment, the court said. The court also concluded Lillys challenge under the Iowa Constitution fails because he offered no evidence to establish that low-income people register to vote or get drivers licenses or nonoperator identification cards at lower rates. While all seven justices agreed with the outcome, Justice Edward Mansfield, joined in his opinion by Justice Brent Appel, left the door open to such challenges, saying if it is found that a practice that leads to systematic underrepresentation of a distinctive group in jury pools can be identified and corrected, there is no reason to shield that practice from scrutiny just because it is relatively commonplace. He said Iowa lawyers are gathering data. Justice Christopher McDonald, in a separate opinion joined by Chief Justice Susan Christensen and Thomas Waterman, was more willing to block such challenges, saying allowing such cases to continue to surface is undermining the administration of justice, rendering it incredibly difficult simply to have a jury trial without months of discovery, expensive motion practice, expensive expert witness testimony, and days of hearings. The Miss Nebraska Scholarship Program is now accepting applications for Little Sisters for the 2022 Miss Nebraska competition. This annual event, and the official preliminary competition to the Miss America competition, also showcases second and third grade girls, pairing them with local candidates during their week of state finals. Started 30 years ago, the Little Sisters program was created as a goodwill gesture between families throughout the community and the candidates representing all parts of Nebraska. Little Sisters meet their Big Sisters (Miss Nebraska candidates) at a Spring orientation, and often stay in touch through Miss Nebraska week in June. During that week of state competition, the Little Sisters themselves do not compete; instead, they get to hang out with their Big Sisters during luncheons and rehearsals, and the accompany the candidates on stage. Past Little Sisters often share stories of the positive mentors, friendships, and inspiring leadership they took away from their experiences. Several have gone on to compete for the titles of Miss Nebraskas Outstanding Teen or Miss Nebraska. These relationships last a lifetime, said Tracy Hoffman, parent to a past Little Sister, Anissa. When Allison (Tietjen) won Miss Nebraska in 2017, they celebrated together. As they embraced, Allison whispered we did it. And they stood in the embrace for several minutes. This is the best program and I highly recommend it. All second and third grade girls from anywhere in Nebraska are welcome to apply. For more information and for application materials, visit the Miss Nebraska Scholarship Program website missnebraska.org/little-sisters. The Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference will be in person this year, from Feb. 24 to 25, at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Kearney. The two-day conference will offer a variety of topics with over 20 workshop sessions. By participating in these workshop sessions, attendees will learn how to better manage risk, improve their farms and ranches and become more successful operators and business partners. Keynote speakers include Katie Dilse, Carey Portell and Maggie Holub. Each keynote speaker has a unique background and story to tell that will inspire attendees. Dilse, a North Dakota farm girl, was named one of the Top 40 under 40 by the Business Watch magazine for her professional development, community contributions and influential voice. Coming from an agricultural background, she understands the importance of the work women in agriculture do every day. Portell, a cattle farmer located in mid-Missouri, will inspire attendees by talking about how she has overcome barriers after a fatal drunk-driving crash and is now thriving with disabilities. Holub, a Nebraska crop farmer, will tell her story of returning to the farm after her father passed away. She will discuss balancing the farm, fitness, and a full-time career with Farm Credit Services of America. Registration for the two-day event is open on the Nebraska Women in Agriculture website at wia.unl.edu. Early bird registration ends Feb. 9 and increases after this time, but participants are welcome to register at any time. Chinese premier stresses practical cooperation with Pakistan Xinhua) 10:24, February 06, 2022 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday expressed willingness to strengthen all-dimensional practical cooperation with Pakistan. While meeting with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Li said China always takes Pakistan as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and supports Pakistan's pursuit of prosperity. Li said China supports its enterprises to invest in Pakistan, and appreciates the Pakistani government's efforts to safeguard the safety of Chinese firms and personnel in the country. China will actively consider expanding the import of agricultural products from Pakistan, Li said. Khan said the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Pakistan is firmly committed to the flagship project of the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor and will continue strengthening cooperation in multiple fields, he said, adding that the country will do its utmost to ensure the safety of the Chinese people and projects in Pakistan. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Tao) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) The North Platte and Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau will propose to incorporate as a nonprofit organization, separate and apart from the county, at Mondays Lincoln County commissioners meeting. The Visitors Bureau approached the subject in April 2021 and the commissioners voted against the proposal, citing a number of reasons that included the legality of the move, a concern voiced by Deputy County Attorney Tyler Volkmer. Its not written anywhere in the law we can do this, Volkmer said at the April 26, 2021, commissioners meeting. Commissioner Joe Hewgley said at that time he was concerned the Visitors Bureau uses tax money and that a tax cannot be implemented unless a government entity can be responsible on behalf of the people. We knew it was going to be a long process, Burke said after the meeting in April. We just wanted to start that ball rolling because we want to grow quickly. Burke said at the time, the next step is to speak to the Nebraska attorney general to figure out a legal mechanism to accomplish their goal. The vote was 4-1 against the proposal at the April 26 meeting. The commissioners will consider authorizing the Visitors Bureau to incorporate as a nonprofit on Monday. Should the board approve the move for the Visitors Bureau, the commissioners will then discuss and consider entering into a lease agreement for office equipment and other county property with the nonprofit. The board will also discuss and consider entering into a contract with the nonprofit to provide services to Lincoln County under the Nebraska Visitors Development Act. The board will discuss and consider authorizing the chairman to sign an underwriting engagement and disclosure letter with D. A. Davidson and a resolution for the early redemption of the countys general obligation refunding bonds, series 2017. The commissioners will also discuss and consider a resolution authorizing the issuance by the county of its general obligation refunding bonds, series 2022, in the principal amount not to exceed $4.7 million, for the purpose of refinancing the bonds in order to achieve interest cost of savings and related matters. In other business, the board will: Discuss and consider a salt shed for the Lincoln County Road Department. Discuss and consider appointment to fill a vacancy on the Lincoln County Noxious Weed Board. Discuss and consider a resolution in support of LB 788. Discuss and consider a resolution in support of LB 1125. The board will go into closed session to discuss strategy with respect to pending or imminent litigation, real estate purchase, deployment of security personnel and devices or evaluation of job performance so as to prevent needless injury to reputation (if necessary). A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: Vice president doesn't have power to 'change the outcome' of elections CLAIM: Vice President Mike Pence "did have the right to change the outcome" of the 2020 election but chose not to use it. THE FACTS: The vice president has no power to unilaterally "change" or overturn the presidential election results of a state under the Constitution or any law, experts say. While former President Donald Trump is no longer directly posting on Twitter or Facebook, a statement he issued on Sunday soon swirled on social media falsely claiming that his former vice president "did have the right to change the outcome" of the 2020 election and that he "could have overturned" it. Trump pointed to a current effort in Congress to amend the Electoral Count Act, a law enacted in 1887 and amended in 1948, as purported proof for his assertion. The role of the vice president in the counting of Electoral College votes is largely ceremonial, as The Associated Press has explained. The Constitution directs the president of the Senate to open the certificates of the election results from the states in the presence of the Senate and House and instructs that the votes "shall then be counted," said Garrett Epps, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Oregon. He noted that the vice president is not explicitly referenced. However, the vice president serves as president of the Senate; if absent, the senior most senator from the majority party serves in that role. That language indicates Congress not just the president of the Senate is to count the votes, Epps said, and doesn't afford the vice president any special power to overturn them. The Electoral Count Act does allow for an objection to a state's vote in writing if it is signed by a member of the House and a member of the Senate. If there is such a request, then the House and Senate meet in separate sessions to consider it. The objection is only sustained if both chambers agree to it by a simple majority vote. Legislators are indeed in talks to update that law. Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in an interview on Sunday that she was "hopeful that we can come up with a bipartisan bill that will make very clear that the vice president's role is simply ministerial, that he has no ability to halt the count." Michael McConell, a law professor and director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, said there are some ambiguities within the Electoral Count Act that could be shored up, including language referring to how Congress handles competing slates of electors from a state when the law says only those that are "regularly given" shall be counted. But none of the ambiguities could be reasonably interpreted as giving the vice president the power to unilaterally overturn an election's results, said McConell, a former federal appellate judge. He said there was no serious basis for that claim. Lawmakers are also proposing changes to the Electoral Count Act regarding the threshold required for members of Congress to raise objections to a state's electoral votes, and the grounds for raising such objections. Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report. Trucks, crowds at Canada anti-vaccination protest exaggerated CLAIM: Law enforcement officials in Canada report over 100,000 trucks and millions of people showed up last weekend in Ottawa for a vaccine mandate protest. THE FACTS: No such estimates have been provided by the law enforcement agencies named in posts circulating on social media the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ontario Provincial Police, representatives said. As thousands of protesters gathered in Ottawa over the weekend to rally against vaccine mandates, numerous false claims about the event spread on social media. Some cited exaggerated crowd numbers, wrongly attributed to Canadian law enforcement, while others shared miscaptioned photos to erroneously suggest they showed the trucker demonstrations. Posts circulating Saturday and Sunday stated: "The OPP have reported over 100,000 trucks in Ottawa, an estimated 2.3 million on foot and an 'abudance' of trucks parked in fields just outside of the city. RCMP reports over 130,000 trucks in the city and more than 20,000 parked in fields outside of the city." But the claims are false, spokespersons for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ontario Provincial Police told The Associated Press. "We are able to confirm that the RCMP did not issue any numbers publicly in relation to this," Stephanie Dumoulin, a spokesperson for the agency, wrote in an email to the AP. "These numbers did not come from the Ontario Provincial Police," Bill Dickson, a spokesperson for the department, confirmed in a separate email to the AP. "We have not released any numbers." Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly estimated there were about 8,000 people at the protest in the city on Saturday, according to Amy Gagnon, a spokesperson for the agency. Some protesters parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Others carried signs and flags with swastikas and some used the statue of Canadian hero Terry Fox to display an anti-vaccine statement, the AP reported. Some of the demonstrators were protesting a new rule that went into effect on Jan. 15 requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully immunized against the coronavirus. The U.S. has mandated the same requirement on truckers entering the country. The Canadian Trucking Alliance said a large number of the protesters had no connection to the trucking industry, adding they have a separate agenda to push. Other social media users this week shared a video of truckers taking part in the annual Feast of San Michele event in Turin, Italy, in 2021, but falsely claimed it showed Italian truckers mobilizing in support of the anti-vaccine protests in Canada on Jan. 28. Similarly, a 2019 photo of an unrelated protest in the Netherlands was misrepresented to incorrectly suggest it showed farmers blocking a freeway in solidarity with the Canadian protests. Associated Press writer Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed this report with additional reporting from Beatrice Dupuy in New York and Sophia Tulp in Atlanta. Canadian prime minister remained in Ottawa area amid protests CLAIM: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been "hiding out" in the U.S. as a convoy of truckers and protesters demonstrate against vaccine mandates in Ottawa. THE FACTS: The prime minister's office confirmed to The Associated Press that Trudeau has not left Canada. Trudeau was also recorded giving a press conference in the Canadian capital region on Monday, the same day that some social media users falsely claimed he was in the U.S. Additionally, public itineraries released by the prime minister's office show that he has remained near Ottawa, the capital of Canada, for more than a week. But as thousands of protesters gathered in Canada's capital to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns, several social media users pushed the falsehood that Trudeau fled Canada for the U.S. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, amplified the idea on Monday, tweeting to his nearly 85,000 followers: "If Justin Trudeau is hiding in the United States, we should return him to Canada and make him face his own people immediately. No safe haven for fleeing COVID tyrants. #LiveFree #DeportTrudeau." Roy's tweet came hours after Trudeau had given a public address from the Ottawa area in which he called for unity and condemned acts of violence at the protests. The prime minister has been isolating at hom e in Ottawa since Thursday, after learning he had been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. On Monday, Trudeau announced he also tested positive for the virus. Canadian rules mandate that fully-vaccinated people who test positive must isolate at home for five days and until symptoms improve. People who test positive for COVID-19 are not permitted to travel. There's no evidence that Trudeau has recently traveled outside of Canada, either. Itineraries released by his office show that he was based in the Ottawa capital region for all of last week, and for most of January. A spokesperson for the prime minister's office confirmed the daily, public itineraries accurately reflect the locations provided and that Trudeau "did not and has not left Canada." A number of protesters have remained in the capital this week. Sophia Tulp False claim spreads about Japanese ivermectin study, despite correction CLAIM: A Japanese study "says ivermectin is effective against Omicron in phase III trial." THE FACTS: While scientists continue to conduct research into the drug's use against COVID-19, the finding being cited refers to pre-clinical research not a "phase III trial," which involves testing the drug on humans. Social media users are sharing the false information about a Japanese company's research into using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, after Reuters published an erroneous headline Monday that it soon corrected. The inaccurate headline stated: "Japan's Kowa says ivermectin effective against Omicron in phase III trial." The story made it appear that the results broke significant new ground. "Phase III" clinical trials are conducted on people. But the research done by Kowa Co. Ltd. was conducted in a lab. The report was based on an announcement from Kowa that said ivermectin showed "antiviral" effects against omicron and other variants in pre-clinical research. Kowa said in a statement to the AP that "the press release announced that ivermectin was effective against Omicron strain" in an "in vitro study (i.e. non-clinical study), not in the clinical study." The company said it was currently conducting a study on volunteers to further evaluate the effectiveness of ivermectin in treating COVID-19. Reuters soon corrected its story and acknowledged the mistake. Its current headline reads: "Ivermectin shows 'antiviral effect' against COVID, Japanese company says." But social media accounts continue to share the falsehood. Ivermectin is approved in the U.S. in tablet form to treat parasitic worms as well as a topical solution to treat external parasites. The drug is also available for animals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not authorized ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19. And a National Institutes of Health panel on COVID-19 treatment guidelines has said there is "insufficient evidence" to "recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19." A 2020 study in Australia found ivermectin inhibited the replication of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in a laboratory setting. But Dr. David Fajgenbaum, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania who directs a database tracking research into treatments for COVID-19, said that showing a drug to be effective in lab tests on cells is a "starting point." Fajgenbaum said there have been 25 randomized controlled trials a gold-standard for research studying ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19. The trials have collectively involved more than 2,000 patients, he said, and the results have been mixed. "In my opinion, there's a possibility of benefit, but given that so many trials have been done, if it clearly was effective you would expect that the majority of trials would show that it was effective," Fajgenbaum said. "If something works, then it should be a rare occurrence that a trial is done and it doesn't show that it works." Angelo Fichera US congressman shares neo-Nazi's quote wrongly attributed to Voltaire CLAIM: French philosopher Voltaire said: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." THE FACTS: Enlightenment-era writer Voltaire did not say this. The quote, which was paraphrased, comes from a 1993 radio broadcast by Kevin Alfred Strom, who has been identified as a neo-Nazi by organizations that monitor hate groups. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, shared the incorrectly attributed quote in a tweet Sunday to his more than 320,000 followers, with a caption criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. The tweet contained a cartoon image along with the phrase: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize - Voltaire." Massie, who has been critical of pandemic mask and vaccine mandates, said in the caption of the post: "You mustn't question Fauci, for he is science." Many social media users quickly pointed out that the quote was wrongly attributed to Voltaire. Still, it was shared more than 7,000 times, including by many believing the attribution was correct. As of Friday, Massie's tweet remained online and the congressman had not publicly commented on the error. His office did not respond to a request for comment. The original quote from Strom, an American white nationalist and Holocaust denier, has been used previously online and paraphrased in a variety of ways. In a 1993 radio broadcast, Strom said: "To determine the true rulers of any society, all you must do is ask yourself this question: Who is it that I am not permitted to criticize?" according to an internet archive containing his full remarks. Despite the quote originating more than a hundred years after Voltaire's death in 1778, it has been repurposed and incorrectly attributed to him dozens of times. In 2019, actor John Cusack tweeted the quote before deleting the post and apologizing. Strom again took credit for the quote in a 2017 blog post in which he wrote: "My statement has become the stuff of Internet memes, quote collections, graphics, and motivational posters. Trouble is, the quote is almost always attributed to the 18th-century French writer Voltaire, and not to me." Associated Press writer Sophia Tulp in Atlanta contributed this report. No plan for fourth round of federal stimulus checks, despite claims CLAIM: The IRS will issue a fourth round of stimulus checks to Americans in February 2022. THE FACTS: While some states have created stimulus programs for their own residents, Congress has not approved any plans to issue another round of nationwide stimulus checks. A spokesperson for the IRS confirmed that there have been three rounds of economic impact payments in total. Posts circulating widely on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube this week shared different versions of the baseless claim that a fourth round of federal stimulus checks was coming this month. One post on Facebook falsely claimed $2,000 checks would be deposited in bank accounts nationwide on Feb. 9, while a blog headline hinted many Americans may be eligible for $1,400 in relief in the near future. Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers approved three rounds of stimulus payments to American households, up to $1,200 per person in March 2020, up to $600 per person in December 2020 and up to $1,400 per person in March 2021. But Congress, which would have to approve any new government spending for nationwide stimulus, has not to date authorized another wave of payments from the federal government. IRS spokesman Anthony Burke confirmed in an email that there were three rounds of economic impact payments, all of which were already paid. Some advocates have urged the federal government to issue more direct payments to American households. In March, a group of 21 Democratic senators called for President Joe Biden to include recurring payments in his "Build Back Better" long-term economic plan. In May, asked about whether one of the bills in that plan could include a fourth round of direct payments, White House press secretary Jen Psaki punted back to Congress, saying, "We'll see what members of Congress propose, but those are not free." Meanwhile, some states have taken initiative to issue economic stimulus payments to their own residents. In California, for example, residents who have filed their 2020 tax returns and made less than $75,000 that year are eligible for payments through a "Golden State Stimulus" program. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report. ___ Because holocaust educators have failed at their jobs orrr society doesnt value or fund those efforts? Edited at 2022-02-06 08:48 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Holocaust survivors have spent their entire lifetime teaching about what they lived through and it's their fault people are saying stuffs like that ????? jfc Reply Parent Thread Link They mean historians/scholars, not survivors. Reply Parent Thread Link I didnt think it needed to be expanded, but Sinti and Roma have often been deliberately left out of any discussions on the Holocaust, including early in the Nuremberg trials, as well as any discussions on reparations for either of those communities. And yes, even among Holocaust educators, there will sadly still be a stigma against talking about the Romani. Elie Wiesel was adamantly opposed to there being any representation for Roma and Sinti survivors in the US Holocaust Memorial. The point she tried to make is that even among people who study and push for better education on the Holocaust, many still contribute to antiziganism by leaving us out of that education, or reducing us to footnotes. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link When no one cares about what you're doing the best way to get attention is to be an offensive dickhead. Reply Thread Link What shocks me is that out of everything THIS is what hes under fire for. Cause this is far from the worse stuff hes said. Reply Parent Thread Link 500k dead people = a-okay is NOT the worst thing he'd said?? Reply Parent Thread Link I have to assume that is because there is fatigue on the part of people who are used to being targets to fuckwits like Jimmy Carr. It is exhausting fighting constant battles which bring more fame and notoriety to the people causing the problem, while nothing really changes for those who are the victims of hate speech. Reply Parent Thread Link He's one of those, "It's okay! I'm an equal opportunity offender comedian." Reply Parent Thread Link The laughter and clapping after that horrible joke are sickening. In this day and age while discrimination and violence against Romani in Europe are still happening? Fuck him. he plans to "go down swinging" in light of him "already getting canceled" Petition to ban celebrities and other powerful people from using the word cancel from now until the end of time, please. Reply Thread Link The English term gypsy originated from the misunderstanding that the Roma came from Egypt, an assumption made due to brown skin. Its historical use has been extremely pejorative, and often associated with accusations of crime. (3/) Madeline Potter (@madeline_cct) February 5, 2022 Reply Thread Link Interesting that it translates to "untouchable" considering that's the term used in India as well (the Dalit caste) and it's believed that Romani people originated in India. Reply Parent Thread Link Associated with crime This is def true cause when I use to volunteer at a hospital, I worked reception and Roma family was there cause the dad was sick. I didnt think anything of it but everyone around me kept telling me to guard my cellphone and stuff cause their quick to steal. Everyone kept telling me how theyd have something of theirs stolen whole vacationing in Europe. It was the first I had heard of these accusations against them. Reply Parent Thread Link Fuck off you hair plugged asshole and take your fake laughter with you. Reply Thread Link I (regretfully) watched his special over Christmas and the entire thing was awful. Reply Thread Link Thank you for collecting so many Romani perspectives here. It confuses me to no end why racism against Romani and other Travellers is so accepted to the point that in the US many people dont even have an awareness of it. Ive confronted people IRL for using the g word & its variants and often have to explain that Roma people even exist Reply Thread Link There are only estimated to be about a million Romani people in America (0.2% of the population), concentrated in very small areas. 95% of Americans will never meet a Romani person/Traveller and likely has no idea who they are or the history. Reply Parent Thread Link yeah this is honestly something a lot of members originally learned from here lmao because there were a ton of posts where people were unaware it's a slur Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Romani culture and history is never taught or talked about in the US. Plus it doesnt help that the only US show Ive seen about Romanis in America is a reality show where every episode ends in a drunken brawl, highlights questionable relationships (15 year old girls getting married to older male relatives), and other offensive stereotypes about the Romani. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link that lack of awareness is real. it wasn't until my early 20s that i ever even heard the word "romani". i only came to learn of the roma people through the bellydancing* community (itself imperfect and arguably appropriative, but there is a part of the community genuinely invested in learning the histories and variations of the dance and the peoples who practice it) when someone shared an article of people casually sunbathing in italy next to the covered corpses of two romani girls. this was in 2008. i looked it up again just now and the headlines still use the g-slur even when the content of the article is decrying the dehumanization of the roma. like, i knew of "ciganos" growing up in brazil (there was a telenovela - a problematic portrayal at best), but didn't even realize they were an ethnic group. i was completely ignorant. that lack of awareness means their erasure in the americas (where they are a relatively small ethbic group) and ongoing rampant discrimation against them in europe. i'm grateful the internet/social media has allowed be to repair that ignorance and that we can seek out and directly learn from roma people and their experiences. *the term itself is debated, i'm using it here for clarity Reply Parent Thread Expand Link we have this weird image of them here. either the free-spirited nomad or the shady swindler. nobody thinks it's weird that they're used as a Halloween costume. Reply Parent Thread Link The slur is used as a first name in Australia at least. Reply Parent Thread Link When someone jokes about being canceled by the internet a few times, it always makes me suspicious of them. He was in a very funny video of a new show where he ask questions to contestants and one of those questions was something like "why was I canceled last year for the 3rd time?" or something like that. Reply Thread Link how disgusting and he's done this BEFORE?? Get these white men OUTTA here Reply Thread Link Can we just get rid of him already? Reply Thread Link Is he the one with the insufferable laugh Reply Thread Link Hes the weird laughing host in our house. I had no idea he was so gross! :/ Reply Parent Thread Link i'm still stunned that you can be blatantly anti-romani and people generally don't blink an eye or they'll agree. jimmy carr has never been funny and he needs to face some consequences that actually stick. Reply Thread Link I'm Romanian, born and raised. Romani people are treated like absolute trash all over Europe, and especially in Romania. I can't help but feel like he's speaking from the heart here, and it's fucking gross. Reply Thread Link These big tech companies like Spotify and Netflix really STUMBLING over themselves to get that MAGA money huh Realized that daddy Trumps grift train was coming to a stop so decided to go out and hunt for those peoples dollars themselves. Bold strategy, cotton! Edited at 2022-02-06 09:06 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link Hatred and racism against Romani people has nothing to do with Trump/MAGA/right-wing people. Ask some liberal Europeans what they think and you'll get a bunch of "Romani people are awful but we're not racist for thinking that because it's true!" comments. Reply Parent Thread Link i definitely remember comments here to that effect in previous romani posts Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Of course not, Im not saying that. Theres been hatred for the Romani for eons. Im specifically referring to tech companies giving platforms and paying millions to entertainers to spew racism not because they dont care or even because theyre gun ho about free speech, but because theyre specifically targeting and going after pockets of conservative viewers despite knowing itll start shit online because its lucrative to do so. Or else they certainly wouldnt pay for this content to show up on their sites. That doesnt mean that liberals arent prejudiced against the Romani. Edited at 2022-02-06 09:46 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link that has nothing to do with MAGA, you can't use americans understanding of racism on everything Reply Parent Thread Expand Link While aerospace companies try to figure out the all-electric aircraft, oil majors are looking at a far less costly solution for net-zero flights. With the world pivoting towards net-zero emissions, the aviation industry is being forced to adapt. Sustainability and net-zero emissions have reached the aviation industry, where start-ups, major aircraft manufacturers, aerospace engine makers, and even NASA are developing and testing battery-powered aircraft. The worlds first all-electric commuter aircraft is getting ready for its first flight, which is expected to take place within weeks, courtesy of the company Eviation. Eviations Alice all-electric aircraft has a maximum range of 440 nautical miles (just over 500 miles). Battery technology is much more difficult to perfect in airplanes than in cars, not only considering the range of the battery but also the weight of the battery pack, which, currently, is a big drawback toward electric planes becoming competitive to large passenger aircraft. An actual electric aircraft with the capacity and technology to fly as many passengers as the aircraft running on jet fuel is a decade, or probably even more, away. Still, start-ups and legacy aerospace companies are working to develop all-electric aircraft, and some say they are ready for the first flight. One is Eviations Alice, which underwent engine testing north of Seattle last week. The aircraft is weeks away from its first flight, Eviation CEO Omer Bar-Yohay told CNN Business. Eviation has designed three Alice versionsa commuter one to fly nine passengers, a six-passenger executive configuration, and a cargo configuration. Unveiling the executive configuration in December, Eviation Vice President of Sales Jessica Pruss said, It is electrifying to introduce the design today and announce that we are currently taking orders for the aircraft that will be delivered in 2026. The cargo configuration also has orders, as DHL Express ordered last year 12 fully electric Alice eCargo planes from Eviation, which expects to deliver the Alice electric aircraft to DHL Express in 2024. Other aerospace companies are also working on electric airplanes. NASA and GE Aviation announced in 2021 a new research partnership, aiming to conduct ground and flight tests of a megawatt (MW) class hybrid-electric propulsion system by the mid-2020s. As part of NASAs Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, $260 million will be invested by NASA, GE Aviation, and partners over five years to accelerate the introduction of hybrid electric flight technologies for commercial aviation. Related: The Story Behind The Worst Energy Policy In The United States This week, GE Aviation said it had selected Boeing to support flight tests of the hybrid-electric propulsion system using a modified Saab 340B aircraft and CT7-9B turboprop engines. Working with GE Aviation, we will make a significant impact on the advancement of electrified propulsion for commercial air transport, said Per Beith, president and CEO of Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences. Aerospace engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce said last month that its all-electric Spirit of Innovation aircraft is officially the worlds fastest all-electric aircraft, having set two new independently confirmed world records. This is another milestone that will help make jet zero a reality and supports our ambitions to deliver the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonize transport across air, land and sea, said Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East said. Apart from major advances in battery and propulsion technology, the all-electric passenger aircraft will also need clearly stated regulation from aviation authorities. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for example, is still working on guidelines and adding a regulatory framework for electric airplanes. Some certifications could require the FAA to issue special conditions or additional airworthiness criteria, depending on the type of project. Determining qualifications for these aircraft is an ongoing process, an FAA spokesperson told CNN. Commercial passenger aircraft is at least a decade away, analysts say. If all-electric commuter and charter airplanes take off, then it could be the turn of electric commercial passenger aircraft. For that we need Boeing or Airbus to come out with an actual electric airplane. I would see that in about 10 years, Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts, told CNN. While aerospace companies try to figure out the all-electric aircraft, oil majors are looking at a far less costly solution for net-zero flightssustainable aviation fuel. BP is collaborating with British Airways on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Shell targets at least 10 percent of its global aviation fuel sales to be SAF by 2030, while TotalEnergies launched SAF production at its a Mede biorefinery in southern France and its Oudalle facility near Le Havre last year. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: While the countrys president insists his new reforms will improve Mexicos energy security, many in the industry believe they will actually lead to electricity being dirtier and more expensive. Despite being the second-biggest oil producer in Latin America, Mexico seems unable to effectively develop its oil industry. Challenges and failures have been discussed in the media for years, and it seems that even with President Andres Manuels (AMLO) new approach to the countrys energy sector few results have been seen. There are some challenges to Mexicos oil and gas industry that have been around for years, with no political administration seeming to be able to resolve them. Some of the main obstacles to developing the countrys oil industry include declining oil reserves, the lack of financing and expertise to develop its deep-water crude reserves, the illegal siphoning of oil products from pipelines by cartels, corruption within governments and national energy companies, and the lack of pipeline infrastructure across the country. And experts worry that Mexicos new approach to oil and gas could harm the industry even further. In recent years, Mexico has come to rely on the U.S. for its oil imports despite its domestic huge crude reserves. Due to the lack of refining infrastructure, Mexico produces its crude for export. It is refined in the U.S. and then Mexico imports the finished product back to the country. So when President AMLO came into office in 2018, he vowed to nationalize the energy sector to boost Mexicos energy security by decreasing the number of private firms participating in the sector and increasing the role of state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). In addition, hes pledged to stop all crude exports by 2024. But recent developments suggest AMLO may be moving backward in his energy policies. While AMLO insists his new reforms will improve Mexicos energy security, many in the industry believe they will actually lead to electricity being dirtier and more expensive, pushing away international investment, and undermining regulatory institutions because of the heavy hand of the government. In fact, AMLO appears to be going back in time, taking many of his ideas from the state-owned energy company-dominated economy of the 1960s and 70s. This goes almost entirely against the strategy of the previous administration, which welcomed new foreign companies into Mexicos energy industry. For the first time, private companies were allowed to open their own petrol stations, instead of just Pemex. The idea of monopolizing the countrys energy sector would undo this recent liberalization. Pemex exports have been steadily declining in recent years, from around 1.9 million bpd in 2004 to 1.02 million bpd last year, a decrease of 46 percent. And this is not Pemexs only problem. The state-owned oil company has been repeatedly criticized at the international level for its poor safety and environmental standards. Related: Geopolitical Tensions Could Send Aluminum Prices Even Higher Last year, Pemex fell in two of the Natural Gas Intelligences (NGI) key environmental indicators. It also came under fire for increasing the quantity of methane it burns off through gas flaring. In terms of safety, in 2021 Fitch Ratings suggested that PEMEX safety incidents will challenge its production growth target. Fires at its Ku-Maloob-Zaap production fields and at a Oaxacan refinery have also tarnished the firms reputation. If Mexico is to rely on Pemex to develop its national oil and gas industry, while pushing out foreign investors, it has a long way to go. Pemex CEO Octavio Romero announced plans to boost production to 1.51 million bpd in 2022 and 2 million bpd in 2023, reducing the need for imports. The company aims to refine its crude in six refineries. One of these plants is currently under construction in the southeast state of Tabasco. And Pemex, under AMLOs plan, is expected to take over the Deer Park refinery outside of Houston, at a cost of $1.2 billion to Mexican taxpayers. But the refinery has been reporting losses since 2018, with little hope of revival. The purchase of the Deer Park refinery is expected to be completed early this year according to the Mexican government. Romero suggested that the cost of the takeover included $596 million for the controlling interest of the refinery, with the rest paying off Pemexs debt to Royal Dutch Shell. Meanwhile, reports suggest its 340,000 bpd Dos Bocas construction in Tabasco is way over budget at a projected cost of $12.5 billion, or around 40 percent higher than original estimates. This is mainly due to construction delays and rising materials costs, a challenge that has been felt worldwide during the pandemic. Although many suggest the budget was most likely unrealistic to begin with. The refinery was due to be up and running by late 2022, a target that is unlikely to be met. With systemic challenges to Mexicos oil and gas industry that have persisted for decades, any political power attempting to reform the countrys energy sector would face a monumental task. However, AMLOs nationalist approach to energy seems to be doomed for the outset. Relying on a debt-ridden national oil company that has a poor reputation internationally and has been facing decreasing oil output for years simply isnt realistic. In addition, poor budgeting and construction projections mean that the refineries needed to support the halting of Mexicos oil exports are unlikely to be running successfully any time soon. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Mining is a risky business and can also be an extremely lucrative business in environments that stimulate demand for metals and minerals Very much like Big Oil shareholders, the owners of Big Mining seem to have grown tired of the boom-bust cycle so typical of commodity industries and would rather have stable returns. A World Bank report recently forecasted that we would need more than 3 billion tons of metals and minerals to limit the rise in global temperatures by 2 degrees by 2050. That's more than 3 billion tons in raw materials for solar, wind, and battery storage. The World Bank is not the only one. The International Monetary Fund reported in December that the future demand for metals and minerals may well top the current global supply. The IMF also said that "The needed ramp-up in mining investment and operations could be challenging." The forecast surge in demand is certainly great news for the mining industry, which has been a pariah for ages due to its massive environmental impact. Now, somewhat ironically, it is about to turn into the one indispensable industry for the energy transition. Still, big miners are treading cautiously. Battery metals such as nickel, cobalt, and, of course, lithium, are in the spotlight when there's any kind of discussion about the energy transition. As the IMF notes, a typical EV battery pack contains some 8 kilograms of lithium, 35 kilograms of nickel, 20 kilograms of manganese, and 14 kilograms of cobalt. These metals, then, should be a magnet for big mining companiesand they are. Rio Tinto recently planned to open one of the world's biggest lithium mines in Serbia. Local opposition to the project, however, led to the revocation of Rio's license for the mine that would have provided a quite comfortable lithium supply source for ambitious European carmakers who are marching towards an all-EV age. Reuters reported this week that big mining majors were making joint venture deals with junior miners active in battery metals exploration and production instead of outright buying them. For Big Mining, the report said, expansion into battery metals was a fine balancing act between getting on the bandwagon of the energy transition and keeping shareholders happy. Very much like Big Oil shareholders, the owners of Big Mining seem to have grown tired of the boom-bust cycle so typical of commodity industries and would rather have stable returns. Yet, at the same time, investors have also become more aware of the change in trends: ESG is all the rage now, and battery metals fit perfectly with ESG investing principles. So, why is Big Mining not diving right in? Because it doesn't want to shoulder all the risks on its own. Mining is a risky business by nature, again very much like oil and gas. First, you can never be certain that exploration will be successful. Even if it is, as in Serbia, you may encounter local opposition strong enough to pull the plug on the project. Or the project may be in a politically unstable country such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which produces two-thirds of the world's cobalt. Miners are allergic to politically unstable jurisdictions even if they are forced to do business there. Then there are the extensive lead times for a new mine: going from successful exploration results to actual mining could take a decade or even more. In the current environment, with all the forecasts pointing to a fast and strong surge in demand for metals and minerals used in batteries, it is faster to team up with a junior already exploring for, say, nickel, in Tanzania than start from scratch. At the same time, it appears safer to team up with this junior rather than buy it outright. This is what BHP Group, formerly BHP Billiton, is doing with junior miner Kabanga Nickel. The major joined the junior as partner in its exploration work in Tanzania with a $50-million investment in the project. First production from the Kabanga mine is expected in 2025, and besides nickel, it will also include copper and cobalt. According to energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, the trend will intensify in the future: "We expect the diversified miners to enter new geographies in 2022 through the acquisition of early-stage projects," said research director James Whiteside, as quoted by Reuters. The amount of money big miners are willing to spend on this expansion, however, may remain limited because of rising commodity prices. It may sound counterintuitive, what with all the bullish forecasts, but with their experience in reckless spending and the consequences of it, miners appear to have learned a valuable lesson and are unwilling to risk too much, even with the bullish forecasts. After all, forecasts are very far from set in stone. These same forecasts, in fact, could pull the brakes on the energy transition. The transition to a large extent hinges on wind, solar, and storage becoming cheaper than fossil fuels, because if low-carbon energy is unaffordable, then it's not really a viable alternative for most people. Granted, those in Germany and the UK, for instance, who are already paying more for low-carbon energy are used to it, but if prices continue rising, this may well change. But with the raw materials needed to produce the solar panels for farms and the windmills for parks getting increasingly expensive, developers are already complaining their profits are under threat. The same trend is evident in battery metals: the great electrification rush among carmakers might stumble when the end-price for their EVs becomes too high, even with government incentives because the battery metals and copper used in them double or tremble in price because of supply constraints. Mining is a risky business. It can also be an extremely lucrative business in environments that stimulate demand for metals and minerals, such as the energy transition. Still, that's no reason to go all-in when you can spread the risk more evenly in case things don't pan out as go-green governments plan them. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: My first job as a library director was for my hometown library. The budget was modest, to say the least. If I wanted anything for the library that the budget couldnt cover, I had to find a way to pay for it. At one point, a local nonprofit reached out to offer English classes to the community, and needed $5,000 to fund the program. Our small citys population was more than 60% Hispanic, and there was a real need for English language skills. I made an appointment with the president of the local bank, and explained how the program would benefit families in the city, providing the language skills to help people find jobs, read with their children, and become more involved and engaged citizens. Would the bank help support this program? They agreed to contribute $2,500 to the project, the largest single gift theyd ever given to the library, and the city provided the remaining funds to launch the program. This was one of my first experiences with the powerful impact of public/private partnerships: Local donors working with a government department to successfully meet a community need. Andrew Carnegie, long considered the patron saint of libraries, is an iconic example of one of the biggest and most successful public/private partnerships for public libraries. Carnegie offered funds to communities that could demonstrate the need for libraries and commit to sustained funding of them. He funded the construction of over 1,600 public libraries in the U.S., with nearly 800 of them still in use today. Omaha Public Library has a long history of working with donors to provide resources and services outside the scope of its annual budget. The Friends of OPL and the OPL Foundation are nonprofits that fundraise for OPL, and have been for decades. The Friends group primarily generates funds through book sales at W. Clarke Swanson branch. Their efforts help to pay for partnership passes, staff scholarships, and special programs like the Jane Austen Tea and Virginia Frank Memorial Writing Contest. The Foundation focuses on large projects, such as access to the Omaha World-Herald archives and a renovated childrens space at Charles B. Washington branch. They raised over $180,000 in early 2020 to help supplement digital collections when COVID closed OPL to the public; and fully funded a pop-up bookmobile that is currently being built and should be available by the end of this year. Donor support for OPL does not only come through the Friends and Foundation. The relationship between OPL and Heritage Omaha is a perfect example. More than a decade ago, people in libraries and the philanthropic community began to discuss the impact that a collaboration could have for OPL and the community we serve. That conversation has led us to now, where we are exploring the potential for a new central library at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Were hopeful that OPL will have the opportunity to offer the library services that our patrons expect and deserve, and much-needed technology, in an accessible and beautiful space for people to learn, create, and change their lives. As Andrew Carnegie said, A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. Its a never failing spring in the desert. Lets dream big. Omahas Black community was still small when Matthew Oliver Ricketts arrived in 1880. He stayed for only 20 years. But when he left for St. Joseph, Missouri, the community lost its leading Black statesman. He had been the first Black representative in the old, two-house Nebraska Legislature. While Ricketts lived here, Omahas Black population grew from an estimated 800 to an official 1900 census count of 3,443. Jobs with the Union Pacific drew newcomers early in that period. Often they came from Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City. Many crossed the state line from Kansas. Robert Johnson, who was 91 when The World-Herald interviewed him in 1961, recalled Omahas good schools and lack of restrictions on voting privileges were attractive reasons. Johnson told the Omaha Star that during his early years in Omaha there were no public places where a person would be refused service because of race. Minority housing was no problem because a man could afford to buy wherever he could afford. Whites would patronize Black businesses. Such integration would not last into the advent of the 20th century. Ricketts, who was born in Kentucky of slave parents, grew up in Missouri and graduated from Lincoln Institute in 1876 when he was 18. He taught school in Boonville, Missouri, where his father was a minister, for about four years before coming to Omaha. In search of work, he took a job as janitor at the Omaha Medical College. Once he was around the students, he decided to be a doctor and entered the school. In March 1884, he was its first Black graduate and the first of any Nebraska college or university. From his biography in the Directory of Deceased American Physicians, he did an internship in St. Joseph in 1884 and received his first medical license from the state of Missouri in 1886 and from Nebraska in 1891. Dr. Ricketts was a Republican. He lost his first bid for the Legislature in 1886. He was undeterred and increased his political stature while championing civil rights. He took an Omaha saloonkeeper to court for charging him, and no one else, $1 for a beer. He was the president of the states Afro-American League. He was elected to the lower chamber of the Legislature in 1892 in a countywide vote he finished third and again in 1894. During his second term, he was temporary speaker of the house. But he had made political enemies and Omahas three Black-operated newspapers in 1896 declined to endorse his renomination. U.S. Sen. John Thurston (R-Neb.) sought to give Dr. Ricketts a position in the federal government, but Rep. David Mercer of Omaha, also a Republican, blocked the appointment. The Omaha Monitor, upon Dr. Ricketts death in 1917, said the rejection and other reverses bittered him on the city. He moved to St. Joseph in 1901, where he practiced medicine until his passing. Wrote the Monitor: His later years were filled with disappointments and sorrows and this in a large measure accounts for his death at the comparatively early age of 60 years. Like all of us he had his faults and limitations, but his excellencies exceeded his faults and his removal from Omaha was a distinct loss to the community. Omahas first Black officeholder was Daniel Rogers, who was elected constable of the downtown Third Ward in 1880. That jurisdiction was between the Missouri River and 15th Street, Cass to Jackson Streets. Around that time, John Claus Hubbard (born 1853), who had been a schoolteacher in St. Louis, became the political powerbroker in the Third Ward. He was publisher of the Colored Advocate newspaper. The power passed in 1890 to Nate Brown, who controlled the ward for almost a decade. He lost it in 1900 to his old partner in a saloon, Vic Walker. In 1887, Millard Singleton (1859-1939) was elected constable of the Eighth Ward. P.H. Horan was the White justice of the peace for the ward. Early in their terms in 1888, they agreed to switch offices and got the OK from the county commissioners. Singleton was unsuccessful in his bid in 1896 for the lower chamber of the State Legislature. Silas Robbins (1857-1916) was the first Black attorney in Omaha. An Indiana native, he was admitted to the bar in Woodville, Mississippi, in 1885, then in Indiana and finally in Nebraska in 1889. He practiced law for 28 years and sold real estate. Dr. William H.C. Stephenson (1836-1899) preceded Ricketts as the citys first Black man to practice medicine. His specialty was eclectic medicine, which made use of noninvasive therapies and healing practices. Born of slave parents near Washington, D.C., he went west to California and then to Virginia City, where he was Nevadas first Black physician in 1863. He came to Omaha in 1875 and was in private practice. The citys first prominent Black spiritual leader was the Rev. John Albert Williams. His contributions to the city as a whole merit a standalone column, which will come later during Black History Month. More about Omahas Black history can be learned through the Great Plains Black History Museum and from North Omaha history experts Adam Fletcher Sasses recent book, #OmahaBlackHistory, which was consulted in pursuing leads for this column. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LINCOLN Lawmakers dreams of making major tax cuts this year are about to collide head-on with the pandemic-driven costs of caring for Nebraskas most vulnerable citizens. On the one side are proposals to reduce individual and corporate income taxes, exempt Social Security benefits from taxes and drive down property tax bills with increased state aid for schools. On the other are providers like Alan Zavodny, CEO at North Star Services, talking about his board approving pay raises that could send the longtime developmental disability service provider over the edge. He said the no-win decision puts North Star more than $400,000 into the red, but may allow the agency to compete for workers in an increasingly tight labor market. The agency only survived this far by using ridiculous amounts of overtime and having supervisors take shifts as front-line workers. Never has the future of the DD system hung in the balance more than today, Zavodny told members of the Appropriations Committee last week. I dont know if theres enough duct tape and baling wire in the world to hold this thing together and keep it from flying apart. He was among numerous people who urged the committee to put money in the state budget for higher payment rates to Nebraskas health and human services providers. They spoke in support of proposals to raise provider rates by 10% to 15% in the fiscal year starting July 1, bills that would boost state spending by $75 million or more for the two-year budget period. Based on the committees preliminary budget plan, that would leave $30 million or less for tax cuts or other spending priorities. The amount available could change after a state panel meets in late February to update state revenue projections. State Sen. John Stinner of Gering, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said rate increases are necessary to fulfill the states obligations in an unprecedented time. He said he hopes to lay a foundation, between state dollars and federal pandemic relief money, so providers can emerge from the pandemic with competitive wages and the ability to provide critical services. Increasing provider rates is something you have to do, he said. You do not want to call out the National Guard for group homes. All Im trying to do is do whats right, trying to keep people in business, trying to keep services going. But it will be up to the full Legislature to decide where to put the states money. One testifier last week spoke against the rate increases and urged the Appropriations Committee to exercise fiscal restraint. Instead of looking for ways we can spend, spend, spend, we should be looking for ways to return money to the taxpayer where it came from, said Terry Jessen, who identified himself as a taxpayer, voter and Nebraska resident. We shouldnt get caught up in, hey, we have a pot full of money, lets see how fast we can spend it. Gov. Pete Ricketts did not include any permanent rate increases in his budget proposal, while calling for nearly $67 million worth of tax cuts in the budget period ending June 30, 2023. His proposal would leave about $40 million for other tax cuts or spending priorities. However, his administration boosted select provider rates for the first six months of this year, using $61 million of federal pandemic relief dollars, federal matching funds and unspent state dollars. He also proposed using the one-time pandemic relief money to extend some child welfare rate increases for a year. Among those not included in the temporary rate increases were the states behavioral health providers, who told the Appropriations Committee of staff shortages and rising costs that reduce their ability to help hurting people, at the same time that the pandemic has created an explosion of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, family conflict and trauma. Jon Day, executive director at Blue Valley Behavioral Health, said his mostly rural agency has seen a 20% increase in adults and children seeking services since the start of the pandemic, compared with the 3% or 4% annual increases pre-COVID-19. People are truly hurting in a way that weve never experienced before, he said. Nursing home representatives and child welfare providers painted much the same kind of picture. In long-term care, representatives told of nursing homes forced to boost beginning wages for certified nursing assistants to $20 or $22 an hour, up from $12.50 an hour, yet still unable to fill all the staff vacancies. They told of revenues declining as staff shortages and pandemic fallout translate into fewer residents. Nathan Schema, president and CEO of the Good Samaritan Society, said his organization closed three Nebraska homes at the end of the year when the financial trends could not be reconciled. Our costs have gone up exponentially in the last two years, he said. In child welfare, providers described wait lists for services to heal troubled families and help abused and neglected children. They told of payment rates that have increased only 6% since 2010, while state requirements have raised costs. They testified about family reunifications delayed because of staff shortages and of cases turned away because agencies could not afford the losses on driving long distances or providing intensive services. We have found ways to cobble things together over the years, said Jeff Schmidt, president of Jenda Family Services. Were at a point where that is no longer possible. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. While the world watches Ukraine for signs of a Russian invasion, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been brandishing his nuclear sword in a way that is bound to draw attention in the command bunker at Offutt Air Force Bases U.S. Strategic Command. North Korea conducted 11 missile launches in January compared with nine the entire previous year. Its more than in any other single month in North Korean history, said Ankit Panda, an Asia-Pacific expert with the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The flurry kicked off Jan. 5 with the first of two tests of new hypersonic missiles and concluded Jan. 30 with the launch of an intermediate-range Hwasong 12 rocket capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam. The tests covered an array of systems, including cruise missiles and short-range ground-to-ground missiles, launched from trucks and others from trains. Still, the barrage caused barely a diplomatic ripple, in the United States or internationally. Everybodys pretty chill. I dont know why people arent more worked up, said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at Californias Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Theyre really going to expand their nuclear arsenal. One place where the launches were certainly closely watched was in StratComs underground Global Operations Center, at Offutt. StratComs team of military and civilian monitors staff the command post 24/7, watching for threats to the United States via a worldwide system of sensors on land, at sea, in the air and in space. Every one of those launches, there are multiple people involved (at StratCom), said Rick Evans, director of the University of Nebraskas National Strategic Research Institute, a StratCom-funded academic alliance. Evans, a retired Air Force major general, served in top leadership posts at StratCom during a previous series of missile tests in 2016 and 2017. Part of that time was as StratComs acting deputy commander, the second-highest ranking officer. Thats the time frame we saw (North Korea) get very active, Evans said. The 2016-17 launches numbered more than three dozen and included several tests of intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The sequence also included three underground tests of nuclear weapons. The explosions and missiles set off alarms at the Offutt command post. Literally, its a ding, then-Col. Reyes Colon, a StratCom battle-watch commander from 2015-18, told The World-Herald in a 2016 interview. That alerts me that theres an event thats going on. Evans said StratComs battle staff often knows in advance when a test is coming. Russia and China typically announce them in advance, so there is no mistake. In the case of North Korea, the various intelligence streams that come from the U.S. and its allies in the region notably, South Korea and Japan may pick up clues. One important intelligence source is the U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft that keep a close watch on North Korean activities in particular, the 55th Wings RC-135 Rivet Joints, which are continuously deployed to Okinawa. The Rivet Joints fly frequent tracks near North Koreas borders, casting a surveillance net that can pick up a range of electronic signals up to 300 miles away. The four-engine jets carry interpreters who can translate intercepted radio communications. Three Rivet Joints deployed to Japan conducted at least 13 flights over the Korean Peninsula in January, according to Amelia Smith, a hobbyist from Massachusetts who tracks military surveillance flights on public websites and tweets about them using the handle @ameliairheart. Evans said the Rivet Joints constant data collection helps analysts notice when something is different and may be leading to a launch. Theyre out there characterizing the battle space, he said. Theyre flying missions every single day. With advance warning, the 55th Wing can also deploy the RC-135S Cobra Ball. The jet, distinctive because of its black right wing, carries gear that can record the sights and sounds of missiles in flight and gain critical knowledge about their capabilities. Once StratComs network of sensors detect a launch, as it would have during the last month, it triggers a conference that may include representatives of Northern Command, Space Command, Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Forces Japan and U.S. Forces Korea. Most launches are regional. Theyre going almost straight up and straight down, Evans said. If its threatening the homeland, then youll have more people involved. That could mean activating missile defense batteries in Alaska and California, which were designed to counter small-scale strikes by rogue actors such as North Korea onesies and twosies, Evans called them. In a dire situation, the president could be brought in. North Koreas launches over the past several months were telegraphed at a Communist Party Congress early last year, Panda said. Kim laid out a five-year plan that included development of a wide array of weapons: cruise missiles, anti-aircraft rocket systems, multiple-warhead missiles, tactical nuclear weapons, sub-launched missiles, even a super-large hydrogen bomb, according to the Stimson Centers influential Korea-watching website, 38North. Most of Januarys tests involved smaller weapons and were predictable, Lewis said, which may account for the muted response compared with the worldwide outcry over the 2016-17 series. I dont think we should freak out, Lewis said. Its all stuff weve seen before in one form or another. On the other hand, these systems are all vastly improved. He described the deployment of missiles on railcars as a really big deal. He also sees the plan to build small battlefield nuclear weapons as ominous evidence of Kims willingness to actually use them presumably in a conflict with South Korea. Kim wants the ability to use tactical nuclear weapons, Lewis said. They are now testing them and no one seems to care. The end-of-the-month test of the Hwasong 12 prompted the biggest stir. Kim hadnt launched one in more than four years, and it partially broke the unilateral moratorium on testing longer-range missiles he had announced in April 2018 as a confidence-building measure. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement condemning the launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. He expressed great concern and urged North Korea to desist from taking any further counter-productive actions, according to a U.N. spokesman. The Biden administration called on North Korea to return to long-stalled talks on its nuclear and missile programs. Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, described the launches as destabilizing to the region and said the United States was still committed to its longstanding policy of removing all nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. But Panda said the denuclearization policy has little support outside the government, given how far North Korea has come in developing nuclear weapons. It came out of a time when the only nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula were American weapons, Panda said. Very few believe its realistic. Lewis goes further. Its just totally delusional, he said. Lewis fears their success could give Kim the perceived security to return to an era when North Korea blew up commercial airliners and launched attacks on the South Korean government. In the late 1960s, North Korea shot down a Navy reconnaissance plane 90 miles from its shore and seized the Navy surveillance ship USS Pueblo and crew for 11 months. The North Koreans have made the kind of advances that give them a fighting chance, Lewis said. Theres a persistent risk of a serious crisis if the North Koreans push it too far. Evans described Kim as a boisterous individual who likes to prove hes important. How do you get attention? Evans said. You shoot missiles. At the same time, with North Koreas growing nuclear capabilities, he predicts Kim will remain a headache at StratCom. Theyre still a rogue nation, Evans said. Thats got to worry us. This report includes material from the Associated Press. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. I recently spoke with a variety of Nebraska state senators, past and present, about how our Legislature can best address the tensions that sometimes arise between rural and urban interests. Current lawmakers pointed to habits that promote trust. Old-timers helped me understand relevant history. One of the present-day leaders I consulted was Sen. Tom Briese, an Albion farmer who is among the most stalwart of rural champions at the State Capitol. Brieses response, true to his gentlemanly character, illustrates a key principle for healthy Nebraska government: As I consider what we (rural senators) can get across the finish line, I realize that others with perhaps some competing interests also have to have some successes. Ideally, everybody has to win if were going to get things done. Senators have a duty to pursue level-headed negotiation, Briese observed: Success in the Legislature is often a result of considerable compromise and accommodation by necessity. In the policy-making arena, a my way or the highway mentality rarely leads to success. Its not always possible to erase all differences in perspective and interest, but a constructive atmosphere can at least open up possibilities for common ground where possible. I called Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha for his observations. Cavanaugh is an urban progressive who serves on committees (Agriculture; Natural Resources; General Affairs) with ample representation from rural lawmakers. I asked for Agriculture for the exact reason of getting a better understanding of my rural friends, he told me. Last summer, he visited Nebraska grazing land, along with rural colleagues including Sen. Tim Gragert of Creighton and Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson, to examine Nebraskas problem with invasive red cedar. As legislation was crafted on the issue this year, Cavanaugh was well plugged into the policy conversation with rural senators and groups including the Nebraska Cattlemen, the Natural Conservancy and Pheasants Forever. Cavanaugh and rural conservatives in the Legislature still disagree vigorously during floor debate on various issues, but their disagreements focus on policy, not on the kind of political mud wrestling regularly on display in Congress or on cable TV. Cavanaugh emphasized the need for building relationships and promoting mutual trust: Its fundamentally important to try to understand other peoples perspectives and find the parts where you can agree, and it builds around that. When I raised this topic with Brad Ashford, a former 2nd District congressman who served a total of 16 years in the Legislature, he pointed with admiration to multiple colleagues in his time who successfully worked across the rural-urban divide. Among the examples (the list here is a mix of urban and rural lawmakers): Sens. George Coordsen, Jerome Warner, Doug Kristensen, Scott Moore, Tim Hall and Bernice Labedz. An all-important political fact aided the efforts of such senators, Ashford said: There was a sense of Nebraska being one state. He credited governors such as Bob Kerrey, a Democrat, and Kay Orr, a Republican, for promoting that sense of connectedness. Ashford also pointed to the remarkable trajectory of Ed Zorinsky, who went from being mayor of Omaha to become one of the U.S. Senates most outspoken champions of rural causes. Zorinsky, a Republican-turned-Democrat who likely never saw a tractor up close until his 1976 Senate run, went to Washington and eventually became ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, where he tirelessly advocated for the nations farming and ranching interests. At Zorinskys death in 1987, Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole stated: Rural America never had a better friend. My conversation with former Speaker Doug Kristensen since 2002 the chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney was rich in an examination of Nebraska history. Rural lawmakers dominated the unicameral Legislature for generations, but things began to change in the early 1960s, Kristensen said. The U.S. Supreme Courts one-person-one-vote ruling in that era meant that political representation must be properly reflect population, and the eastward migration pattern in Nebraska began to spur ever-stronger demands on the Legislature to address urban needs. Issues such as state aid to schools, gun policy and above all redistricting fueled strong clashes between rural and urban interests in the late 20th century, its true, Kristensen said. But his 14 years at the State Capitol also were replete with examples of rural-urban cooperation steered to success by capable, fair-minded lawmakers such as Warner of Waverly. An earlier figure of particular note, Kristensen said, was Sen. Maurice Kremer of Aurora, who served from 1963 to 1983. Kremers skilled, unifying leadership resulted in multiple examples of landmark water-policy legislation. Kristensen pointed to the series of Nebraska governors in the late 20th century Kerrey, Orr, Ben Nelson, Mike Johanns who demonstrated the ability to appeal to both rural and urban interests. On so many issues, he cautioned, the states overall interest on rural-urban matters is clear: You have to work together. Otherwise, one side is going to win and the other is going to lose, and were too small a state to have that happen. Ashford concurred and pointed to a particular need: The state is in trouble because it cant reunify, and that is a big problem. We need to reignite the idea that were one Nebraska. Indeed. But who in our states political life is leading that cause? Im seeing plenty of dividers. But where are the uniters? Geitner Simmons, a longtime student of Nebraska government, is a writer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a former World-Herald editorial page editor. Views do not represent UNL. Twitter: @GeitnerSimmons. Write him at gcolumn100@gmail.com. Well all stick together, in all kinds of weather. That line from Nebraska U.s school song sums up the spirit of the Cornhusker State. Sure, we dont always agree on everything. But we also dont judge ourselves by how neatly we all agree we judge ourselves by how we can disagree, sometimes passionately, and still move forward together. On March 1, 3 and 5, Nebraskans will show the rest of the country how to set aside political fighting and focus on solving problems. Civic Nebraska and Unify America invite Nebraskans to join The Unify Challenge a live, one-to-one, online video conversation program that connects pairs of Nebraskans across political, ideological, geographic and other divides. Nebraska will be the first state to conduct a border-to-border Unify Challenge, and were aiming to set a high bar for the rest of the country. If youre over 18 and live in Nebraska, you can help make the challenge a success. From Sioux County in the Panhandle to Omaha in the east; Cherry County in the Sandhills and Franklin County in the south, were expecting proud Nebraskans to join in. The Unify Challenge is designed to be more than a pleasant meet-and-greet. Itll be a serious conversation that emphasizes listening, dialogue and collective problem-solving. Participants may be paired with someone who votes differently, who has a different background, or who lives in a different part of our state. This may sound intimidating or uncomfortable. But Unify Challenge participants share a love of country and want to keep it strong, not divided, so its unsurprising to see how often participants agree with their partner, find common ground and enjoy the virtual screen-to-screen conversation. Harry Nathan Gottlieb, Unify Americas founder, puts it this way: Talking with your political or even geographic opposite sounds impossible if youve spent time on Twitter, but the Unify Challenge for Nebraska isnt that at all. Its about identifying goals Nebraskans share and effective problem-solving for the communities we love and weve seen a lot of love for the communities of Nebraska. So lets talk, Nebraska. Sign up for one of three dates and times to be paired with another Nebraskan. To register, go to UnifyNebraska.com and select your preferred time: Noon CST (11 a.m. MST) on March 1. 7 p.m. CST (6 p.m. MST) on March 3. 10 a.m. CST (9 a.m. MST) on March 5. Democracy begins in discussion, as the saying goes. So lets get the conversation going. Nancy Petitto is director of civic health programs for Civic Nebraska, a statewide, nonpartisan organization dedicated to strengthening the states civic life. Our public schools are the nations best-ever social program, providing the fuel to pursue the American dream and fulfilling our shared commitment to equal opportunity. They are great for socialization, too, giving students foundational shared knowledge about our history and culture, teaching them to spend long stretches of time with peers and how to live under basic rules and relate to authority figures. So it is great news that the Omaha Public Schools have won approval to provide free lunches to all students through the 2024-25 school year through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Community Eligibility Program. What does that have to do with education? Kids cant learn if they arent in school, and a free meal creates an incentive for both students and parents to ensure attendance. When Council Bluffs Community schools qualified for the program, officials there calculated that free breakfast and lunch can save families $700 per year for elementary students and up to $900 a year per high school student. OPS has been offering free breakfast to all students since 2000. Kids cant learn as easily or as much if they are hungry. You know that from trying to work if your stomach is growling. In a very concrete way, meal service indeed helps provide fuel to pursue the American dream by ensuring that students are in a position to absorb material provided in classrooms. Almost 78% of OPS students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch last year, according to Nebraska Department of Education data, so the ongoing need is significant. It also is growing 15 years ago, 60% of OPS students qualified for the traditional meal program. It is known that some families eligible for free and reduced-price lunches dont complete the paperwork, sometimes because of pride and being afraid their children will be labeled. More than 65,000 people in Douglas County are food-insecure, according to 2019 data from Feeding America, which coordinates the work of more than 200 U.S. food banks. About half of county residents who are food-insecure have too much income to qualify for Nebraskas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, The World-Heralds Lauren Wagner reported. Removing eligibility requirements for in-school lunches further incentivizes attendance, provides nourishment through the day and offers additional opportunities for socialization. We all know the importance of sharing meals together as school communities, Charles Wakefield, chief operations officer for OPS, told Wagner. Our cafeterias are places where students learn about each other, experience new foods, practice making healthy food choices and fuel up for their day of learning. We know that COVID-19 has disrupted schools and learning. We dont know how long it will take students to get back to even, but we believe this is a small, easy step that will help. Some residents chafe at the idea of providing a free lunch for everyone. We urge them to think about high-dollar boarding schools, where the cost of attendance includes room and board. The costs of public schools are shared because they are critical and effective social and socialization programs that serve the greater good. In Heartland Theatres latest production, Life Sucks, playwright Aaron Posner scoops up 19th century Uncle Vanya and plops him down in a TikTok generation. A place where the titular character is on his third, or is it his fourth, therapist and the question of is life suffering does it suck is democratized to the nth degree. Using the outline (and spirit) of Anton Chekhovs masterwork Uncle Vanya, "Life Sucks doesnt shirk from asking the big questions like "what is happiness," but it is also interested in the examining the petty emotions of longing, jealously and rejection. Put another way, it asks: Why does unrequited love jack us up so badly? It is housemate Pickles (Joi Hoffsommer) who gives the audience its first hint as to what this journey is all about, as she reminisces about her lost love Iris. Where does that love go? she asks before she decides that it goes nowhere. Love is still there. Its really Ella (Andrea Wagoner), though, who stirs up all the love troubles. Shes come, with her professor-husband Robert (Rhys Lovell), to the home shared by Vanya (Dave Montague) and Sonia (Jacqueline Schwarzentraub). Robert may have some life-altering news for the pair, but all Vanya can think about is Ella. And Sonia? Well, she has a preoccupation of her own, family friend Dr. Aster (Douglas Malcolm). While the play program lists seven characters in this love menage, theres an uncredited eighth the audience. Rarely has the fourth wall been broken so many times, with characters asking the audience for love life advice and taking polls on who they prefer to sleep with. Kathleen Kirk as Babs is a delight as she tells the audience the story of her Jewish grandfather who advised that, when it comes to life, one should eat every morsel of it! Visiting director Liz Fisher has used a deft hand in guiding this fine ensemble of actors through material that is, at turns, profound and absurd and then funny and heartbreaking. Unrequited love sucks, but it can also be quite humorous. While the play is ultimately a comedy, Fisher and her actors navigate that fine line, just as Chekhov did, in finding the humor in tragedy. The cast also demonstrates some budding improv skills. The impressionistic set design by Chad Lowell instils a wonderful mood with a full moon rising and the walls of Vanya and Sonias house creating a shadow of woods in the background. The lighting design by Robert Fulton throws gentle pools of cobalt blue softening the blows of the hard truths that that land on scorned lovers. Costume co-designers Jennifer Maloy and Vicky Snyder go all-in for plaids in the Voynitsky household, and dress Babs in a beautiful pair of far-out psychedelic overalls. Life Sucks plays Feb. 10-13 and 17-19 at Heartland Theatre. For tickets call 309-452-8709 or go to heartlandtheatre.org. The play has adult language and situations. All attendees must show proof of vaccination before entering the theater. IF YOU GO What: Life Sucks" - a play by Aaron Posner Where: Heartland Theatre, 1110 Douglas St., Community Activity Center, Normal When: Feb. 10-12 and 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.; matinees on Feb. 13 and Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. Cost: General admission $17, senior and military $15, students $7 John D. Poling is a freelance writer who reviews plays for The Pantagraph. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 SPRINGFIELD Students at scores of districts across the state may be freed from wearing a mask in the classroom, with an Illinois judge ruling Friday that Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 mandate was authorized illegally. Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow on Friday granted a request from attorney Tom DeVore to temporarily halt the governors executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools, finding that the measures are beyond the governors authority and deprive students of due process. "This court acknowledges the tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, not only on this state but throughout the nation and globe," Grischow wrote in a ruling that affects 146 Illinois school districts, including the public school system in Chicago. "Nonetheless, it is the duty of the Courts to preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the boundaries of the authority granted under the Constitution." Pritzker had harsh words for the judge's decision and quickly urged the state's attorney general's office to appeal, suggesting the ruling could spark another surge in the virus and force schools to close their doors and revert to online classes. "The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities and this may force schools to go remote," Pritzker said in a statement. "This shows yet again that the mask mandate and school exclusion protocols are essential tools to keep schools open and everyone safe." Attorney General Kwame Raoul agreed with Pritzker that the ruling would make it more difficult to protect students and school employees from the virus, and said he would appeal. "This decision sends the message that all students do not have the same right to safely access schools and classrooms in Illinois, particularly if they have disabilities or other health concerns," Raoul said in a statement. The ruling "prioritizes a relatively small group of plaintiffs who refuse to follow widely-accepted science over the rights of other students, faculty and staff to enter schools without the fear of contracting a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 31,000 Illinois residents or taking that virus home to their loved ones," Raoul said. In her ruling, Judge Grischow agreed with the parents and teachers who argued that only local health departments, and not the governor or school districts, have the authority to require such measures. She also agreed with parents who argued that the state cannot require districts to force staffers to get vaccinated or test weekly "without first providing them due process of law." The restraining order prevents the state from ordering school districts to require students involved in the lawsuit to wear masks if they object, except during the terms of lawful order of quarantine issued from their respective health department. The order also prevents the state from requiring school districts to force school employees who sued to get vaccinated or test weekly if they object, without first providing them due process of law. Grischow denied DeVores request that the lawsuits be given class certification, which if granted, would have extended the ruling to all students at the nearly 170 school districts named in the two lawsuits one filed against 146 school districts, and a second filed by school employees against 21 school districts. Although she denied class certification, Grischow pointed out in a footnote to the decision that she had declared the emergency rules at issue from the Illinois Department of Health and Illinois School Board of Education void. Thus, non-named Plaintiffs and School Districts throughout this State may govern themselves accordingly, she wrote. The judges ruling means that any school district that attempts to enforce the mask requirement against any student whose parents joined the lawsuit would be held in contempt of court, according to DeVore, who said parents who want the ruling to apply to their children can join the lawsuit. But it met near-immediate resistance, with more than 50 school districts across the state being placed on probation by the Illinois State Board of Education in late August for defying the mandate. Most eventually came into compliance. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of parents in 146 school districts in Macoupin County in mid-October last year. It was later moved to Grischow's courtroom in Sangamon County. Representatives of Bloomington-Normal's two school districts both told The Pantagraph Saturday they're looking for possible effects from the ruling. Dayna Brown, spokesperson for McLean County Unit 5 schools, said the district is not a party to the suit, but they are reviewing the decision to see if will have any implications for Unit 5. Bloomington School District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly said they're also reviewing the judge's ruling and will tell families as soon as possible whether their students and staff will be impacted. The state's two major teachers unions, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, criticized the ruling in statements Friday evening. This decision has the potential to shut our schools down, effectively closing our school buildings and perhaps being potent enough to stop in person learning altogether," said IEA President Kathi Griffin. IFT President Dan Montgomery said the union will "insist that school districts statewide abide by existing agreements on health and safety." It's not the first pandemic-related case Grischow has ruled on. In December 2020, she tossed out an earlier ruling made by a Clay County judge that said Pritzker did not have the authority to issue emergency orders beyond 30 days. That suit had been brought by state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, who is now a candidate for governor. Pritzker told reporters earlier Friday that he was "very hopeful" that mask mandates could be removed soon given the rapid decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations following the state's omicron variant surge, though he attributed the drop to stringent mitigations such as indoor masking. "I believe that we should remove masks as soon as we possibly can," Pritzker said. "I'm constantly listening to the doctors and scientists and encouraging them, 'when can we do this, what's the right time, what's the right way to do it.' And so, very hopeful we can make an announcement about that." Lee Enterprises reporters Brenden Moore and Brendan Denison and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Prosecutors in Bernina Mata's 1999 murder trial made an unusual claim about her motive to kill: the fact that she identified as a lesbian. Troy Owens, then an assistant state's attorney in Boone County, Illinois, prosecuted the case. He alleged that Mata was "a hardcore lesbian" who decided to kill John Draheim after he made a pass at her at a local bar in Belvidere, outside Rockford. "A normal heterosexual woman would not be so offended by such conduct as to murder," Owens argued at Mata's trial. Mata's attorneys said she acted in self-defense after Draheim came back to her apartment and tried to rape her. The attorneys argued that her sexual orientation had nothing to do with her actions. Mata's roommate at the time testified for the prosecution that Mata had told him she planned to murder Draheim because she was angry that he touched her at the bar. (He pleaded guilty to helping dispose of the body and was sentenced to four years in prison.) The jury sided with the prosecution and sentenced Mata to death. In 2003, then-Gov. George Ryan commuted her sentence to life in prison, along with the sentences of everyone else on death row in Illinois. In 2006, an appeals court found there was sufficient evidence to prove that Mata had planned the murder in advance. Now, Mata's lawyers are asking Gov. J.B. Pritzker to grant her release from prison to fix what they call a "horrendous wrong." They have filed a petition for executive clemency. The petition will now go to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, which will hold a hearing in April and then make a recommendation to Pritzker. "Essentially, our criminal legal system is replicating the very forces and dynamics and oppression that some of us say we're against," said Joey Mogul, a partner at the People's Law Office who has represented Mata since 2002. "I think Bernina Mata's story exemplifies that how racism and anti-lesbian oppression was used to incarcerate and try to kill her." Owens, who is now an attorney in private practice, said in an interview with Injustice Watch the arguments he made at trial about her lesbian identity were "not biased." A dozen local organizations are backing Mata's bid for clemency, and advocates are working to support her through the process and raise awareness about her case. "These last 23 years have been very hard for me," Mata wrote in a letter to her supporters in October. "I am not the same person I was all those years ago. I am 51 years old now and would really love a second chance at life." But Mogul and the rest of Mata's "freedom team" face long odds in their fight for her release. Since 2014, Illinois governors have granted less than 10% of clemency petitions that they've reviewed, according to an analysis of the data from the Prisoner Review Board through October 2021. In just the past two years, Pritzker has granted over 90 commutations which is over three times more than have been granted in the previous decade but still a small percentage of the requests that he has received. Women with history of abuse are more vulnerable to incarceration Mata is one of 44 women serving life sentences in Illinois as of September. Like many other incarcerated women, Mata is a survivor of abuse. She was sexually abused as a child by her father and stepfather, Mogul said. Mata's attorneys say Draheim was trying to rape Mata at the time of the murder. The clemency petition cites his history of domestic violence, including a 1995 conviction for domestic battery and an order of protection filed against him by his ex-wife in 1997. Before Mata went on trial for Draheim's murder, a forensic psychologist examined her and determined that she was suffering from rape trauma syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and had flashbacks of her abusive father at the time of the crime, according to Mogul. Women and members of the LGBTQ community who have experienced abuse are more vulnerable than men to arrest and incarceration, said attorney Rachel White-Domain, director of the Women & Survivors Project at the Illinois Prison Project and part of Mata's legal team. The pattern is known as the "abuse-to-prison pipeline." Research shows that most women in prison have experienced abuse or trauma. According a report by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in 2010 the most recent on the subject 99% of incarcerated women in Illinois reported having experienced emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse at some point in their lives. A recent report by the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit research organization that promotes criminal justice reform, suggests that women face gender-based stigmas and biases in the courts that can affect their sentencing outcomes. Those biases are compounded for women of color, such as Mata, who is Latinx, Mogul said. Mata's attorneys say that happened in her case. The prosecutors, judge, and jury failed to take her history of abuse into account, instead relying on outdated and incorrect stereotypes about her lesbian identity, Mogul said. "If it wasn't for these ways of demonizing her based on her race and sexual identity, she never would have been charged with capital murder," Mogul said. "She would have never been given a death sentence, let alone have a life sentence, and it's likely she could be out to this day." Owens defended his handling of the case and his use of Mata's sexual orientation as a motive for murder. "If there was a heterosexual motive to kill, we would have argued that if it existed," Owens said. "If there was any other basis to argue that she had to kill, then we would have used that as a basis for motive." Clemency has an established history with lawyers and abolitionists as a tool to free criminalized survivors of abuse. In the late 1980s, as self-defense laws changed nationally, clemency campaigns for "battered women" began popping up in various states, White-Domain said. She said the Illinois Clemency Project for Battered Women had dozens of successes in the 1990s. More recently, "participatory defense campaigns" have been an abolitionist organizing strategy to support survivors, especially people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. Groups like Love & Protect, a Chicago organization that supports criminalized survivors, have successfully helped free survivors, such as Marissa Alexander, Tewkunzi Green, and Bresha Meadows. Effective defense campaigns demonstrate care for incarcerated people through letter-writing campaigns, prison visits, and financial support, according to members of Love & Protect. They also work to raise public awareness about a case and push for legal remedies, such as getting prosecutors to drop charges, asking courts to review a wrongful conviction, or petitioning a governor to commute a sentence. "Clemency is an extremely proper vehicle to address exactly the sort of problems that we see in Bernina's case mainly not recognizing or understanding trauma and abuse and how they can affect someone's mindset," White-Domain said. "I think there's agreement that we have come a very, very long way since 1998 on issues like that." 'A check on the excesses of the judicial system' Illinois abolished discretionary parole in 1978, which means that people serving life sentences, such as Mata, have only one avenue for release: executive clemency. The Illinois constitution gives the governor broad powers to grant pardons, which eliminate a person's criminal record (usually after the state releases them from prison), and commutations, which shorten a person's sentence. "It's supposed to be a check on the excesses of the judicial system," White-Domain said. But historically, governors have denied clemency petitions far more often than they've granted them. Since 2004, Illinois governors have granted about 1,150 pardons and 117 commutations out of more than 11,000 clemency petitions heard by the Prisoner Review Board. More than 75% of the commutations over that period were granted by Pritzker from January 2020 through October 2021. (The Prisoner Review Board did not respond to our request for updated data.) Since he came into office in January 2019, Pritzker has granted more than 200 pardons and nearly 100 commutations, according to the data from the Prisoner Review Board. That's about one-quarter of the petitions that he has acted upon. Many of those came as the Covid-19 pandemic swept through prisons last year, killing at least 88 incarcerated people. Pritzker also pardoned more than 11,000 people for marijuana possession in December 2019, on the eve of cannabis legalization in the state, the Chicago Tribune reported. But those pardons are not included in the Prisoner Review Board's data. The Prisoner Review Board heard about 650 clemency petitions per year, on average, from 2004 to 2019. The board makes a confidential recommendation to the governor, who has no deadline to decide. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, approved less than 5% of clemency petitions that he reviewed, according to an Injustice Watch analysis of the data. From 2009 to 2015, former Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, approved 25% of clemency petitions that he reviewed, many of which were backlogged from his predecessor, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich, a Democrat who had his sentence on federal corruption charges commuted last year by former President Donald Trump, granted 65 pardons. That was less than 1% of petitions heard by the Prisoner Review Board during his six years in office, according to the Prisoner Review Board data. Filing for clemency is typically the last option for incarcerated people after they've exhausted all avenues for appeal. Many incarcerated people file clemency petitions without the help of an outside attorney, said Anthony Jones, a paralegal who served almost 30 years in prison. He helped dozens of other prisoners file clemency petitions while he was in Stateville Correctional Center, he said. Those petitions are less likely to be approved but no less worthy of mercy, said Jones, whose petition for clemency was granted by Pritzker last year. He currently works as a community educator at the Illinois Prison Project. While incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Illinois, Mata received her GED certificate, has taken college courses, trained service dogs, and helped care for incarcerated people with disabilities, Mogul said. Her freedom team hopes that her accomplishments in prison, along with the details of her prosecution, will be enough to convince the Prisoner Review Board and Pritzker to give her a chance at freedom. "We're really fortunate that we have this tremendous team of people who are supporting Bernina and wrapping their arms around her," Mogul said, "and showing the (Prisoner Review Board) that she is a valuable human being, like all human beings, that she's loved, that she's cared for." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 100 years ago Feb. 6, 1922: A full-page ad extols virtues of the 1922 Franklin. The Syracuse-made car has been around for 20 years, with models ranging in price from $2,450 to $3,800. The engine is air cooled, and its frame is wood rather than steel. The Franklin gets 20 miles per gallon of gas. 75 years ago Feb. 6, 1947: About 200 seedmen, growers and staff members attended the Funk Bros. Seed Co. annual winter meeting. The news was good: The hybrid seed corn profit was twice its 1940 level. And five of the seven winners of the corn-growing contest resulted from the G-hybrid seeds. 50 years ago Feb. 6, 1972: Local losses today include F. Russell Foster and Dr. Leon T. Fruin. Foster headed the McLean County Public Aid Department for 32 years before retiring in September 1970. Fruin was a Normal physician and president of the Illinois State Medical Society when he died. 25 years ago Feb. 6, 1997: The Humane Society is suing the Town of Normal over a bequest from a resident. The suit alleges she died leaving money to build a new animal shelter with matching funds from the town, and that the town violated the provision. Mayor Karraker says its up to the courts to decide. Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com. Prices of fuel have gone up at the pumps across the country because the Price Stabilization and Energy Recovery levy, which is a key component of the fuel price build-up, has been restored by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) after it was suspended for about three months. The levy was suspended last year as a means of reducing the burden on consumers. Already, COPEC has called for the withdrawal of the levy and has now urged the government to adopt the dual pricing module to stabilise fuel prices and the accompanying economic difficulties. Our expectation as a chamber is that, authorities should be looking for ways to bring down fuel prices. One could bring the dual pricing method where anytime international market prices go up, they ease down on the taxes and anytime international prices decline, they can [apply] the full extent of the taxes because fuel prices going up on the world market is of greater benefit to Ghana than we are currently making it to be. So as you can see, we have crossed the GH7 mark, its quite certain that by the second window of February which will commence in about 12 days, prices will go up again, Duncan Amoah added. The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), in October 2021 approved the removal of the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy (PRSL) on petrol, diesel, and LPG for two months as requested by President Akufo-Addo. The PSRL is 16 pesewas per litre on petrol, fourteen pesewas per litre (GHp14/Lt) on diesel and fourteen pesewas per kilogram (GHp14/Kg) on LPG. Currently, some Oil Marketing Companies are already selling fuel beyond the GH 7 per litre mark, which means the reintroduction of the levy will send prices further above GH 7 per litre. The Institute for Energy Security (IES) has already said the prices of petroleum products are expected to increase at various pumps across the country due to an upsurge in the prices of the commodity on the international market. Source: citinewsroom Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Mr Gabriel Anokye, Senior Revenue Officer of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has bemoaned the dwindling revenue mobilization at the Hamile border due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the coup d'etat in neighbouring Burkina-Faso. He said though the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of the country's borders, which affected revenue mobilization, the recent coup in Burkina Faso had worsened the situation, making it difficult to meet their targets. Mr Anokye told the GNA in an interview at Hamile that before the outbreak of COVID-19, about 1,200 long vehicles with goods used to pass through the border monthly but that has reduced to between 700 and 800 and further declined recently due to the coup d'etat in Burkina Faso. "Burkina Faso doesn't have seaport and they rely on the Tema Port for imports, which we also generate a lot of revenue from. We sometimes get as much as GH12,000 from one vehicle depending on the goods in it", he explained. "Again, because the borders are closed, the Ghanaian and Burkinabe traders are no longer transacting businesses as it were, which obviously has affected revenue mobilization. The coup d'etat has also worsened the situation", he said. He said though there had not been an influx of Burkinabe nationals into the country due to the coup d'etat, they were highly alert for any unforeseen circumstances. He said security was tight at the border with businesses going on normally and expressed the hope that the situation would normalize to improve revenue mobilisation. He cautioned the public against using unapproved routes to cross the border and that the law would deal with them if they do so. There was calm at the border when the GNA arrived there with long vehicles in queues to either enter or leave the country. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Reverend Dr Kwadwo Bempah of the Holy Hill Assemblies of God Church has urged Christians to give God first place in their lives to experience prosperity. "Serving God makes one prosperous. Seek God first and He will take care of all your needs. It doesn't matter what prophesies you have received. If you do not pursue God first, you won't experience the blessings He has in stock for you," he said. Rev Dr. Bempah gave the advice on Sunday whilst delivering a sermon titled, "Engaging the law of seedtime and harvest." He quoted from Psalm 63:8 saying: "My soul [my life, my very self] clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." He said some ways Christians could make God a priority in their lives were through soul winning, giving of firstfruits, financial seeds and being obedient to every instruction from God. Rev Dr Bempah again quoted from Psalm 119:46 saying: "I will speak to kings about your laws, and I will not be ashamed." He said if any Christian was ashamed to talk about God, He would also be ashamed to be associated with that Christian. Rev Dr Bempah added that anyone who advanced God's Kingdom and pursued God's business would also have God advancing his life. He entreated them to always walk in obedience to God because every promise of God became manifested through the law of obedience. Rev Dr Bempah said Christians must not withhold their financial seeds and offerings from God because every seed sown was an opportunity for them to experience financial overflows. God will always give you a seed to see what youll use it for. Every seed God gives you is what He will use to meet your need, he said. He quoted from Galatians 6:7; Dont be misledyou cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea says the Majority Caucus will henceforth, ensure that the embattled Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson does not participate in any parliamentary business. According to him, once a High Court of the land has declared the MP as a non-legislator and ordered his seat vacant, he cannot be allowed into the Chamber. The Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson has been slapped with criminal charges including perjury and forgery by the Attorney-Generals office. Also, the MP has been charged with an additional offence of deceit and knowingly making a false declaration to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he did not owe allegiance to another country to acquire a Ghanaian passport. The charges have been described by the Minority as frivolous and a lousy tactic by the Akufo-Addo led government to pass the controversial Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) Bill. Having failed several times to pass the much-loathed e-levy in the wake of the nationalistic resistance of the gallant 137 NDC Members of Parliament, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government has now resorted to crude and disgraceful tactics to reduce the numbers of NDC MPs in the august house of Parliament, hoping that would help the regime to railroad the e-levy into law, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference. In a sharp rebuttal, however, Mr Atta Akyea said claims that the criminal prosecution against the MP is to reduce and weaken the Minoritys strength, can best be described as preposterous. So we are saying that when it comes to criminality and it is the NDC who are affected, we shouldnt pursue them? We shouldnt do anything about crime because a bill is pending before Parliament? he questioned. Speaking to JoyNews parliamentary correspondent, Kwesi Parker-Wilson, Mr Atta Akyea said his side will draw the attention of the Speaker anytime Mr Quayson appears in the Chamber to partake in the business of the House. How can a non-MP be in the Chamber and deliberate on matters considering legislation? They should know better. I was even surprised that the Speaker did not call his attention to the fact that he should get out of the Chamber. Until that decision by the High Court is reversed, he has no right to be in the Chamber, he said. Source: The Newsroom Online Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Donna Thompson-Daniel (foreground) and her children Renbrook Daniel (left) and Robert Daniel II live in Hartford's Blue Hills neighborhood. Thompson-Daniel has lived in her house on Lyme Street for 34 years and is chair of the Blue Hills neighborhood revitalization zone. She says people in the neighborhood are worried about how they will pay more property taxes when they're already struggling with higher gas and food bills. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) Hartford Many homeowners in Hartford face property tax bills that could soar by $1,000 or more after a recently-completed real estate revaluation found strong gains in home values fueled by the pandemics hot housing market. The overall value of single-family houses surged nearly 30% compared with the last revaluation in 2016. Two- and three-family houses also considered residential real estate saw even larger overall jumps of 38% and 46%, respectively, in appraisals, according to the city. Advertisement The whopping increases have caught some homeowners in the city off guard, while they are still struggling with the fallout from the coronavirus. A lot of people are really hurting, said Donna Thompson-Daniel, chairwoman of the Blue Hills Neighborhood Revitalization Zone. Not only are property taxes going up, but we also know food went up. Gas went up. Clothing has gone up. But our paychecks have not gone up. Advertisement Thompson-Daniel, a retired school crossing guard who now works as a substitute teacher, saw the appraisal on her 1,100-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath Cape on Lyme Street jump nearly 40% to $165,400 from $118,400 in 2016. Donna Thompson-Daniel, at center, and her children Robert Daniel II, at left, and Renbrook live in Hartford's Blue Hills neighborhood. The appraisal on Thompson-Daniel's Cape jumped nearly 40%. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) Im waiting to see how many people are going to be able to afford to live where they are living right now, Thompson-Daniel said. Some of these people are going to have to go and get a second job. And some of them are not young people. The city is going to have to figure out how to get some relief for property owners, Thompson-Daniel said. If I was looking to sell, I would be making some money, said Thompson-Daniel, who has lived in her house for 34 years. But Im not looking to move out of my neighborhood because I love it here. Another equation While residential real estate saw big gains, the fallout from the pandemic had the opposite affect on most segments of commercial real estate. The value of larger office buildings, hotels and restaurants generally tumbled, the revaluation found, as uncertainty swirls around emerging from the pandemic. It is still unclear as to what extent companies will bring back workers to the office, if they will downsize or renew leases and how business travel will be reshaped. The city said office property values could fall by as much as 10% overall. CityPlace I, downtown Hartfords tallest office tower, for instance, had its appraised value fall from $103 million in 2016 to $82 million in last falls revaluation, a 20% decline. City Places owners, Paradigm Properties of Boston, declined to comment. Advertisement The appraised value of CityPlace I, at left, fell 20% in the city's recently-completed real estate revaluation. (Rick Hartford | The Hartford Courant) Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said the revaluation confirmed what the city has observed throughout the pandemic: the surge in the housing market seen in towns and cities across the state and the struggles in the office market. There is no question in this reval that residential properties will make up a larger share of the total taxable property than it did in the previous reval, Bronin said. We are going to do our best in our budget process to mitigate the impact on homeowners by reducing the mill rate modestly, if we can, but that will only cushion the blow a little bit. Owners of larger apartment buildings, with four or more units, also are bracing for possible hefty tax increases. Larger apartment properties considered commercial rather than residential real estate was a bright spot in commercial real estate. In Hartford and across the country, investors have been shoveling funds into apartment projects and purchases, pushing up values. City officials point out that the trends arent all bad for office buildings downtown, however, with some signing leases with new tenants despite the pandemic. For example, the owners of One Financial Plaza, the Gold Building, inked a lease with Sun Life Financial last summer for 47,000 square feet, enough space for up to 450 employees. Advertisement Appraisals The decline in appraisals for office and other commercial properties the largest segment of taxable properties in the city is taking on even greater significance in Hartford than elsewhere because of how the citys property taxes are calculated. Hartford's One Financial Plaza, the "Gold Building," recently signed leases including one for 47,000 square feet that could eventually bring 450 workers downtown. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) Property tax bills are based on a percentage of the appraised value, or the assessed value. Hartford, unlike all other towns and cities in Connecticut, figures the assessed value differently for residential and commercial property. Commercial property is assessed at 70% of appraised value, while residential is pegged at 36.75%. The two-tiered system dates from the late 1970s and was intended to soften increases to homeowners after a long period between revaluations. State law now requires property revaluations to be conducted every five years. [ Vehicle and home values swell Connecticut grand lists ] Bronin said the city could seek approval for delaying the revaluation, but he is wary of doing that, worried about further erosion in commercial property values in the next few years. This may be one of those situations where the best choice is simply the least bad option, Bronin said. Advertisement Tax exempts complicate things Hartford has struggled with its tax rate of 74.29 mills, with commercial property owners paying the highest real estate taxes in the state and some of the steepest in the country. On top of that, the value of tax-exempt real estate government buildings, hospitals and churches exceed the value of taxable real estate by a third. Property taxes are calculated by multiplying the tax rate by the assessed value and dividing that number by 1,000. City Assessor John Philip said Hartford is just at the beginning of the process that will lead to the tax bills that come due July 1. News @3 Daily Catch up on the days top headlines sent directly to your inbox weekdays at 3 p.m > The new appraisals and assessed values, mailed two weeks ago to residents and commercial property owners, are a key indicator of how tax bills will play out. But they are not the only piece of the puzzle, Philip said. The citys grand list the total of all taxable property is expected to increase, potentially pushing the tax rate down The citys grand list now stands at about $4 billion, but the grand list for 2021 is still being drawn up, Philip said. Advertisement How much local tax money the city budgets to provide services to taxpayers also weighs heavily on the tax rate. Property owners who do not agree with their appraisals and resulting assessments can discuss them with the consultant that performed the appraisal. If still not satisfied, a formal appeal can be filed with the city, Philip said. Bronin said the two-tiered assessment system, which is much lower for residential property, actually puts Hartford in line with or in some cases lower than some surrounding suburban towns when it comes to taxing residential properties. The citys assessment system is the cause for a lot of confusion, Bronin said, and a better approach might be establishing separate tax rates for residential and commercial property. Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com. The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper has expressed his disappointment in ECOWAS leaders after another coup d'etat in Burkina Faso. "I'm so disappointed in the ECOWAS leaders...the coup leaders are even better than them. Currently, over 70 percent of Burkina Faso are now under the control of Islamic insurgents; were the ECOWAS leaders asleep when that was happening?" he queried while contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An average increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels would see more than 99 percent of the world's coral reefs unable to recover from ever more frequent marine heat waves. Coral reefs that anchor a quarter of marine wildlife and the livelihoods of more than half-a-billion people will most likely be wiped out even if global warming is capped within Paris climate goals, researchers said Tuesday. An average increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels would see more than 99 percent of the world's coral reefs unable to recover from ever more frequent marine heat waves, they reported in the journal PLOS Climate. At two degrees of warming, mortality will be 100 percent according to the study, which used a new generation of climate models with an unprecedented resolution of one square kilometre. "The stark reality is that there is no safe limit of global warming for coral reefs," lead author Adele Dixon, a researcher at the University of Leeds' School of Biology, told AFP. "1.5C is still too much warming for the ecosystems on the frontline of climate change." The 2015 Paris Agreement enjoins nearly 200 nations to keep global heating "well below" 2C (36 degrees Fahrenheit). But with more deadly storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts after only 1.1C of warming to date, the world has embraced the treaty's more ambitious aspirational goal of a 1.5C limit. A landmark report in August by the UN's IPCC climate science panel said global temperatures could hit the 1.5C threshold as soon as 2030. In 2018, the IPCC predicted that 70 to 90 percent of corals would be lost at the 1.5C threshold, and 99 percent if temperatures rose another half-a-degree. The new findings suggest those grim forecasts were in fact unduly optimistic. Marine heatwaves "Our work shows that corals worldwide will be even more at risk from climate change than we thought," Dixon said. How coral bleaching happens. The problem is marine heatwaves and the time it takes for living coral to recover from them, a healing period known as "thermal refugia". Coral communities usually need at least 10 years to bounce back, and that's assuming "all other factors"no pollution or dynamite fishing, for example"are optimal", said co-author Maria Beger, also at Leeds. But increased warming is reducing the length of thermal refugia beyond the ability of corals to adapt. "We project that more than 99 percent of coral reefs will be exposed at 1.5C to intolerable thermal stress, and 100 percent of coral reefs at 2C," Beger told AFP. Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral system in the world, has seen five mass bleaching events in the last 25 years. An unpublished study obtained by AFP, written by experts at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch unit, says the Great Barrier Reef was in the grips of a record-breaking heat spell yet again in November and December. Oceans absorb about 93 percent of the excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions, shielding land surfaces but generating huge, long-lasting marine heatwaves that are already pushing many species of corals past their limits of tolerance. A single so-called bleaching event in 1998 caused by warming waters wiped out eight percent of all corals. Coral reefs cover only a tiny fraction0.2 percentof the ocean floor, but they are home to at least a quarter of all marine animals and plants. Besides supporting marine ecosystems, they also provide protein, jobs and protection from storms and shoreline erosion for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The value of goods and services from coral reefs is about $2.7 trillion per year, including $36 billion in tourism, the report said. Global warming, with the help of pollution, wiped out 14 percent of the world's coral reefs from 2009 to 2018, leaving graveyards of bleached skeletons where vibrant ecosystems once thrived, recent research has shown. Loss of coral during that period varied by region, ranging from five percent in East Asia to 95 percent in the eastern tropical Pacific. Explore further Global warming kills 14 percent of world's corals in a decade More information: Future loss of local-scale thermal refugia in coral reef ecosystems, PLoS Climate, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000004 Journal information: PLOS Climate Future loss of local-scale thermal refugia in coral reef ecosystems, 2022 AFP GLENS FALLS Crowds of people from all around could be seen walking through Shepard Park for the 60th Lake George Winter Carnival on Saturday afternoon. Nancy Nichols, co-chairperson of the event, thanked everyone for attending during the opening ceremony. She welcomed the crowd out of COVID into the 60th year of the carnival. She clarified saying that last year would have been the 60th year, but the pandemic forced the events cancellation. We are so excited to be back, Nichols said. Gina Mintzer, executive director of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, was thrilled to see so many people at this years event. She said that she had met people from all over, including Connecticut and New Jersey. She touted the many winter activities that the area has to offer, highlighting the Warren County Ice Fishing Challenge and the Ice Castles at Charles R. Wood Park. There is so much to see and do and were so glad that you joined us today, Mintzer said. Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr encouraged the crowd to take advantage of all of the fun activities being offered. Saturdays events included a chili cook-off, outhouse races that took place at Battlefield Park due to slushy conditions on the ice and the annual Lake George Winter Carnival Parade. Other activities, like pony and helicopter rides, had folks waiting in lines as they bundled up in multiple layers, hats and gloves. LaFarr stressed the importance of staying safe while having a good time. Be out, be safe. When youre out on the ice, stay away from the shoreline. If you need anything call us, were here for you, he said. Enjoy, be safe and have a great time. Miss New York Sydney Park was visiting Lake George for the second time, and said that it was an amazing place to be. She said that it was one of the crown jewels of New York. Park expressed her hope for the crowd to enjoy themselves, and left them with a message for the day. Stay safe, stay warm, and please do not slip, she said. At the front end of Shepard Park, the smell of cut wood filled the air. People crowded around as Chuck Jennett, known to most as The Woodchuck, was carving wood with a chainsaw. Someone from the crowd asked him what kind of wood he was using while he was filling his tool with gas. Frozen wood, Jennett said as he laughed with the crowd. Jennett has been making wood carvings for 26 years, and this was his fourth year showing his skills at the carnival. He took a break to warm his hands by a fire pit near his other carvings on display for sale. He said that some of the smaller pieces take roughly 20 minutes to complete and others can take up to 40 minutes. The Winter Carnival will continue every weekend throughout February. Sundays events include the Sundae Fun-Day and Karaoke/Open Mic at noon, the Super Bowl Sunday Warm Up-Keg Toss sponsored by The Lagoon and the continuation of both the Lake George Dogs Got Talent Contest at 2 p.m., hosted by The Dog Cabin, and the Polar Plunge at 3 p.m. Registration for the Polar Plunge will be held at the souvenir tent in Shepard Park. Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at (518) 742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 2 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BALLSTON SPA A Corinth man was sentenced on Friday to 6 months in jail for driving drunk and causing a crash that injured four people last June. Matthew S. Lawrence, 25, was arrested on June 10 after police said he was driving his 2001 Ford 350 truck and struck a 2017 Mercedes Benz on Main Street in Corinth. All occupants of the Mercedes needed to be transported by ambulance to Saratoga Hospital for evaluation and treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Police said Lawrence was speeding, intoxicated and driving while his drivers license was suspended for an alcohol-related conviction in April 2021. Lawrence pleaded guilty in Saratoga County Court on Nov. 1 to felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. He was also sentenced on Friday to 5 years of probation. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. FORT EDWARD A Hartford sex offender is expected to receive a sentence of 1 to 3 years in prison for failing to update his address. Ty Schoolcraft was arrested in September by state police after investigators received a tip that he had moved from Vermont to New York and had not informed authorities in either state. Schoolcraft was convicted in 2002 in Illinois of predatory criminal sexual assault in a case involving a victim under the age of 13, according to the Vermont sex offender database. Schoolcraft pleaded guilty in Washington County Court on Jan. 28 to a felony count of failure to register. He will be sentenced on March 4. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. GLENS FALLS The Glens Falls Common Council will host a public hearing on Tuesday for a proposed law that would require residents to prevent light from shining off their property. The hearing will begin at 7:25 p.m., just before the regularly scheduled meeting of the council at 7:30 p.m. The main motivation is to make sure that everybodys privacy is intact and that everybodys being good neighbors, said Mayor Bill Collins. Collins put a light on his home last year. He said that he set it up to shine toward a darker portion of his driveway. What he didnt realize was the light had been bleeding over onto his neighbors property. We realized that we had some complaints over the last year about people putting in lights that were shining directly at their neighbors homes, he said. Collins said that as the council was fielding complaints, the city did not have a law in place dealing with exterior lighting. The council felt that now was the time to put such a law in place. Collins described it as a common sense piece of legislation. The law would create Chapter 129 in the code of the city of Glens Falls, and would set minimum standards and responsibilities for occupants and owners of a property. Regulations would allow for illumination levels that are appropriate for use, while simultaneously promoting security and safety. If the law is passed, all exterior lights must be designed and located to prevent light or glare from going across property lines for all residential properties. Light fixtures will be designated to prevent light pollution by shielding the light downward and away from other properties. Lights on poles wont be allowed to be taller than the building it illuminates, or taller than 10 feet. If the law is passed, a resident who has lighting that is not in compliance will need to remove, replace or change it in accordance with the law. We will approach them and say the light that you currently have doesnt meet these guidelines, and wed like you to take it down or change it, Collins said. In my case, it would be to point it (the light) toward my driveway and not toward my neighbors bedroom. Residents will meet with the citys Building and Codes Department to see how the issue can be resolved. The mayor made it clear that the city will be reasonable and work with the citizens of the city anyway they can. Its not like were just going to start handing out violations and saying, you must have this down by next Tuesday. We work with and for the community, Collins said. The city plans to work with individuals to help them understand what the intent of the law is and how they can work together to comply with it. Residents will have the opportunity to have their voices heard during the public hearing. Based on what is said during the hearing, the council may make amendments to the law. If it seems like the public is in favor and has no concerns, the law will be put on the agenda for the next meeting for a vote. Collins stated that the city will always be open to making changes to make the lives of the residents better and safer. Theres always the need to look at your current laws and say, do they meet the needs of the community? Thats all this is, he said. Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at (518) 742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Warren County reported a seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate of 9.8% on Saturday, marking the first time that has happened since Dec. 28. Health Services reported 68 additional COVID-19 cases on Saturday. Over the past five days, the county has reported 352 new cases. Hospitalizations decreased from Fridays report. There were 15 county residents in the hospital related to COVID on Saturday, which is two fewer than the previous report. Nine of those involved vaccinated individuals. There are three critically ill residents with COVID-19, which is one less than Friday. Health Services reported that there were 301 COVID-related hospitalizations throughout the Capital Region, which is 17 fewer than on Friday. Warren County has distributed 3,500 COVID-19 at-home test kits throughout the county this week. For more information on how to get one, visit the countys website. Warren County Health Services will be holding vaccination clinics that are open to the public at area schools this week: North Warren Central School, Monday, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Queensbury Union Free School District, Tuesday, 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Lake George Central School, Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Health Services will also host a clinic on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Warren County Municipal Center. For information and registration links visit the countys COVID hub. Warren Countys rolling five-day average for new cases was reported at 70.4 on Saturday. According to New York States Vaccine Tracker, Warren Countys vaccination rate stood at 74.5%, with 79.7% of the population receiving at least one dose. The countys vaccination rate for individuals 18 years old and older was reported at 88.7% on Saturday. Statewide Gov. Kathy Hochul reported that the states single-day positivity rate was 3.76%, which is the first time it has been below 4% since Nov. 26. As we come down from the peak of omicron, it is clear that New Yorkers are doing the right things to keep each other safe and healthy, Hochul said in a news release. The state saw a total of 7,246 positive cases added on Saturday. The seven-day positivity rate was reported at 4.87%. There were 5,466 total hospitalizations related to COVID, which is 345 less than on Friday. Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at (518) 742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com. Love 1 Funny 1 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. By now you have heard of the culture clash: Neil Young versus Joe Rogan, one standing on the rock of facts, the other running with the wind of lies. Rogan, whose hugely popular Spotify podcast may have the largest audience in the world, recently platformed the anti-vaxxer, Dr. Robert Malone. Malone, who has previously been banned from Twitter for the same stuff, did his usual promoting of baseless conspiracy theories, including some amazing lies about the COVID-19 vaccines. An angry Neil nailed Spotify, accusing it of spreading disinformation. He declared that Spotify can have Rogan or Young, but not both. Spotify then took down his songs, showing both its business sense (The Joe Rogan Experience is worth over $100,000,000 to Spotify) and its lack of concern for the truth and the public health. Neil said, Spotify has recently become a very damaging force via its public misinformation and lies about COVID. He is not alone. Sharing that opinion are over 1,000 scientists, professors, doctors, nurses and other public health professionals, also Donald Trumps niece, Mary, and several other great musicians. All have urged Spotify to crack down on fake news about COVID-19 on its streaming platform. I guess it is time to tackle the conspiracy business more deeply. A few years ago, conspiracies were like wisps of smoke drifting in from remote places, non-threatening if a bit unpleasant smells that didnt merit more than a wrinkled nose. Recently, the world of fake news has wildly caught fire. Horribly, the conflagration has brought us sickness, violence and death. It is not just anti-vax stuff; that craziness is but a piece of many other societal problems. Most terrible are the climate change doubters, who are really roasting us all. So, what is a conspiracy? Broadly speaking, it is a supposedly secret plan devised by a group to do something that is harmful to another group in some sinister way. All of them have at their centers the erosion of trust in collectives of individuals or institutions perceived as having power. You have heard the stories: All governments are evil, especially big ones, oppressing the masses, robbing folks of their freedom. Small, secret and powerful organizations control the world order for the purpose of cornering wealth and privilege. Various organizations cover up the existence of extra-terrestrial life who have come to help or harm us (not sure which). Climate change is a hoax propagated by tree-huggers so they can have a bigger backyard to play in. The Holocaust was invented by Jews to gain sympathy. The Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol was a peaceful demonstration, and the media has totally distorted the events. The 9/11 attacks were an inside job, nobody ever walked on the moon, Paul McCartney died in 1966, and so on. Theories that powerful individuals or groups are behind catastrophic events seem to have always been with us. I wrote about that in an essay a month ago, so I wont repeat. But I cant resist one more example. In 64 A.D., the city of Rome burned catastrophically. The theory grew up that emperor Nero set the fire so that he could rebuild Rome as a monument to himself, and that he delightedly played his fiddle while watching the conflagration. The best historical data actually indicates that Nero was probably 35 miles away from Rome when the fire started. We dont know who started the rumors. However, he was neither a good emperor nor a good person. Certainly there were powerful anti-Nero political factions that wanted to get rid of him. Neros clever response? He created a conspiracy theory that the small Christian community had set the fire. He then went on a throw-the-Christians-to-the-lions rampage. How is it that conspiratorial thinking, the astounding spreading of fake news and the massive strength of the loud voices attached have now become such a part of the mainstream of our social, political and public health conversations? How I see it Here is how I see it. First, we start with two of the oldest things of human beings. The first is the amazing development of our brains, which at some extreme of pre-history made us start the what-in-the-world wondering process: What am I, what am I doing here, and who made this place? These questions were preludes to myth-making. Then, secondly, we began to sit around fires and to chant the explanations our elders made up: A great creator made the world out of darkness and then made humans out of clay. These first songs were the preludes to religion and history itself. Second, there is a built-in human foible, which becomes obvious as we trace our evolving stories through time, with our crises and our reactions to them. For some reason, we cannot tolerate the possibility that a bad luck thing sometimes just plain happens. Instead, we have a primal need to explain why that nasty harm is happening to a seemingly blameless folk. We fabricate a story. We blame the crisis on some outside force an angry god, perhaps, or the other tribe, the one already thought to be an agent of a dark force. This, of course, is a conspiracy theory. Fake news, also called disinformation or misinformation, is similar in nature but with the modern power of social media to speed its spread. It is defined as the deliberate creation and sharing of false and/or manipulated information that is intended to deceive and mislead audiences. Joe Rogans podcast falls into this category, platforming as it does so many conspiracy theorists. And note: Rogan keeps and grows his popularity by bringing on the outrageous. Why does he and so many others do it, creating fake news even though they know they are misrepresenting the facts and know that some will suffer as a result? What are they after? Just popularity? Money? Attention? Political gain? Power? Character assassination? Whatever the motive, it is so self-serving, so manipulative, so disinterested in the greater good that it can clearly be labeled as malevolent. Once some fake news is created, those who then spread it through social media do so for different reasons. Folks like Rogans audience are hungry for a steady focus in a time of turmoil. They become beguiled by a self-identified expert boasting of his imagined expertise, and are then captivated by his disinformation. Thereafter, they make it their own and pass it on as true wisdom. Though they may be foolish in believing the fake news, their motives are not so awful. What such folks seek is not personal gain but contentment and comfort within a cocoon of similar thinkers, sheltered from the winds of uncertainty. In our so-heavily conflicted world, it feels safe to be there and satisfying to have a defined and maybe colorful myth at the center of the cocoon, the center of ones tribe. Now, thanks to the Joe Rogans of the world, we are seeing tons of fake news about COVID-19 and the anti-COVID vaccines. They are spreading like the virus. A partial list includes: The virus SARS-CoV-2 was invented in a virology laboratory in Wuhan, China, with money provided by our National Institutes of Health. The virus was caused by the 5G network. The vaccines alter DNA and make women infertile. Vaccines kill more people than they protect. Vaccines contains a computer microchip designed by Bill Gates to develop a worldwide surveillance system. Vaccines are part of a diabolical plot to enslave all humans. A double pandemic disaster Again, mistrust of a powerful force is at the center of any fake news theory. In the COVID-19 conflict, it is mistrust of scientific and medical knowledge and skepticism toward the recommendations of public health. The teaming up of the so-contagious virus with the so-fast spread of disinformation through social media makes for a double pandemic disaster. Sadly, people are dying needlessly. But more: The situation is made much worse by the terrible hyper-polarization of society, including along the political fracture lines. Here is a striking example. A recent study by National Public Radio looked at two publicly available databases: the voting records of counties across the U.S. in the last presidential election, and deaths from COVID-19 since May of 2021 in those counties. Folks who lived in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump were three times more likely to die from the virus than those living in counties which voted for Joe Biden. Dont be angry out there, you Republicans; of course it cannot be concluded that your politics causes death. However, we are talking about real people dying here. It is, therefore, really important that we think about what seems to be a pretty strong correlation and ask why is this happening. I will now hastily leave this subject. Why has science lost so much ground in the media wars? Why are the messages of public health authorities not well enough trusted? Is the problem the message or the messenger? Personally, I believe in the scientific approach. I believe science has proven, for example, that vaccines are both very safe and very effective. The problem isnt the message. It is that the era of total acceptance of science is over. And it is that the current voices trying to explain the science and its values arent anywhere near as captivating as The Joe Rogan Experience. The pandemics seem overwhelming, yet we must gather strength and ask, what is to be done? Maybe we should hark back to those beginnings: everyone loves a story around the fire. Yes, public health voices must be consistent and transparent, but they must also learn to spin their learned and vital, but perhaps dull, messages into much more captivating narratives. The stories must be good enough to repeat and repeat waters of truth dripping on the rocks of doubt. A bedtime story It is getting late. Here is a bedtime story. Chapter 1. There once was a man named Antonio, a man who first drew his sword against villainous disease vectors in the Middle Ages of the Nineteen Hundreds. For decades he sat at the bedsides of his thousands of patients, holding their hands, his sword ready on his knees. Each night, tired as he was, he couldnt rest until every one had been talked to and touched and given whatever could help. In the night, he dreamed of new ways to shape new blades. In the morning, he rose up and strode to his castle foundries, where he forged so many more swords. These he gave to other gallant warriors to fight the invading armies of Marauding Microbes. Untold millions were spared the wrath of pathogens and were grateful for their lives. Chapter 2. Yet the world turned. A Mutant Monster began stalking the land, slipping surreptitiously into peoples homes, killing so many, maiming others. Antonio and his army took up their swords and stood heroically in its way. But it attacked with an ally, a Leviathan of Loathing. This one oozed around, besieging brains, rearranging attitudes and twisting tempers in the poor people. Accusations of artifice and avarice, deception and double dealing, were aimed absurdly at Antonio and his allies. The dogs of war were let slip between factions of the same nation. Attacked from all sides, and with his weapons weakened, Antonio could no longer protect the people or even sooth the sick. At last, with the Mutant Monster massacring millions, he sank to his knees, pleading his case to the people: Come to your senses or all will be lost! But with minds controlled by the Leviathan of Loathing, they had come to be uncaring about the crisis. Coming in Chapter 3: Will the people toss off their torpor and respond to reason? Will Antonio arise, reassemble his wonderful warriors and turn the tide? Will the Mutant Monster and the Leviathan of Loathing be vanquished before the world is wasted? Be safe and well. Richard P. Leach, M.D., is an internist, infectious disease consultant and travel and tropical medicine specialist. He practiced in Glens Falls for 35 years, also serving as Glens Falls Hospitals infection control officer and hospital epidemiologist. Retiring from private practice in 2011, he continued to provide travel medicine counseling at the Warren County Clinic until COVID-19 forced its cancellation. Warren County keeps him on as a medical director and consultant to the Tuberculosis Program. Dr. Leach is known for his role as co-founder and president of the Adirondack AIDS Task Force in the 1980s and 1990s, as the founder and president of the Glens Falls Medical Mission and its Project Guatemala in the 1990s, as the husband of Dr. Loren Baim, as the father of Christina Johnston, Timothy Leach, Molly Leach and Marta Leach, and as the grandfather of Rhone and of 3-week-old Thatcher James. Absecon Atlantic City Avalon Barnegat Township Bridgeton Egg Harbor Township Linwood Longport Millville Book club: The Millville Womans Club will host its monthly book discussion 1:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the clubhouse at 300 E St. This months book is Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts. If interested in participating, call Eloise Sulzman at 856-691-7434. New Gretna Veterans museum open: The Veterans United Military Memorial Museum at 5576 Route 9 in New Gretna is open to the public on weekends with reservations. The museum was established in 1985 with the goal of highlighting the achievements of service men and women and includes military artifacts. For information, visit vummm.org or call Jim Comis at 609-296-2210. Ocean City Food is Love food drive: The Ocean City Board of Realtors is kicking off its 2022 Food Is Love drive and collecting donations through Feb. 28. The drive will collect nonperishable food items, laundry and dish detergent, as well as Shoprite and ACME gift cards, which will be donated to the Ecumenical Food Cupboard in Ocean City to provide for local needy families. Bring donations to Ocean City Board of Realtors, 405 22nd St.; Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach, 109 34th St. and 901 Simpson Ave.; RE/MAX at The Shore, 3301 Bay Ave.; Fox Real Estate, 894 Brighton by the Beach; Monihan Realty, 717 Battersea Road and 3201 Central Ave.; or to Long & Foster Real Estate, 14 E. 9th St. For more information or a complete list of items needed, call Vicki Heebner at 609-399-0128 or email Vicki@ocbor.com. Sea Isle City 2022 beach tags on sale: Beach tags are available at the pre-season rate of $20 each at following locations: Welcome Center, 300 JFK Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, only cash or checks accepted; Municipal Tax Office, second floor of City Hall, 233 JFK Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; or the beach tag vending machine, lobby of City Hall, accessible 24-hours a day, cash only. For information, call 609-263-8687. Fingerprinting service: The Police Department provides a free ink card fingerprinting service as a courtesy to Sea Isle City residents, property owners and businesses. Once the ink fingerprints are taken, the officer will sign the card and return it to the owner. Police will not retain a copy of the fingerprints, nor conduct any background checks. The service is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Police Headquarters, however, other times are available upon request. To reserve an appointment, call 609-263-4311, ext. 0. AARP bus trips: AARP Chapter 710 offers theater outings via motor coach transportation. Costs include admission to the show, transportation and lunch. Rescheduled from Feb. 23 to March 9: High School Reunion an 80s Mystery at Mount Hope Winery in Manheim, Pennsylvania, $98 per person; April 5: Sherlock Returns at Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in Hampton, $105 per person. To buy tickets for any of these bus trips, call Eileen Hagan at 609-412-3197. Stafford Township SRHS hosts Color Guard competition: The Southern Regional High School Color Guard will host its inaugural indoor Color Guard competition Feb. 13 featuring 12 groups from throughout the state. Doors will open at 11:15 a.m., with the show beginning at noon. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Concessions will be available for sale in the cafeteria. Masks are mandatory for all attendees. Fishing Flea Market: Southern Regional High School will host its annual fishing show from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Middle School cafeteria. The event features vendors with new and used fishing gear and services, hourly door prizes provided by Captain Seagulls Nautical Charts, gift certificates from local charter boats and items donated by show vendors. All proceeds benefit the Southern Regional High School Fishing Club. Admission is $4 and children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. For more information, call Jason Hoch at 609-597-9481, ext. 2120 or jhoch@srsd.net. Vineland Miss Tri-City Scholarship Pageant: Young women ages 16-18 who live or go to school in the Vineland/Millville/Buena area are invited to participate in the Miss Tri-City Scholarship Pageant. The pageant will be held May 14 at the Landis Theater in Vineland. Spots are limited. For more information, visit misstricitypageant.com. Womans Club: The Womans Club of Vineland is looking for women interested in helping the community with various projects and meeting other women with similar interests. Meetings are held in the clubhouse at 677 S. Main Road. For more information, call 856-696-3944 or like the group on Facebook. Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. For most of us, not a day goes by without interacting with one of their products or services. In 2022, whether we want to or not, Big Tech is a part of our lives. With that dominance growing, it is up to the government to remain vigilant against these corporations abusing their power. A good example of that watchdog role are the recent lawsuits by four state attorneys general, including Washington AG Bob Ferguson, against Google for violating user privacy. The bipartisan group which also includes the District of Columbia, Indiana and Texas alleges that Google employs deceptive practices, making it nearly impossible for users to avoid sharing their location data. The tech giant uses that information to target ads, denying consumers the ability to choose, and to track sensitive location data to make a profit, Ferguson said in a statement. Google kept tracking individuals location data even after consumers told the corporation to stop, he said. This is not only dishonest its unlawful. The company promised users that if they turned off location history, any place they visited would no longer be stored, but according to the lawsuit, even when consumers opted out of location tracking through that setting, Google recorded their whereabouts via other means. That discrepancy was first noted in 2018 by The Associated Press, which found that while Google is generally open about asking permission to use location information, some Google apps automatically stored time-stamped location data without asking. The AP discovered that location was used by weather updates on Android phones or stored by simply opening the Google Maps app. Even some searches unrelated to location, such as chocolate chip cookies, would pinpoint the users precise latitude and longitude. Thats a complete disregard for privacy and a violation of the Washington State Consumer Protection Act all so that Google can sell you some Chips Ahoy. This is not the first lawsuit against Google that Washington is a part of, nor has Google been the sole target. Big Tech is now facing a host of legal challenges from bipartisan coalitions of state attorneys general, as well as increased scrutiny by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Its about time. For too long, little to no regulation was the default setting for the internets development and growth. This allowed for innovation to flourish through the rise and fall of tech players big and small, but todays undisputed dominance of a few companies and their monopolistic power to stifle competition show that is no longer the case. Litigation is an important part of keeping these companies worst impulses in check, but strong action by regulators, as well as legislation from Congress, is also needed. Big Tech can and does play a positive role in our lives, but we must be able to dictate the terms for the good of all. Other views is a sampling of other editorial board opinions on national issues. Calling it "medicine without the red tape," neighborhood health team nurse Kelly Toth treats patient Eusebio Avila. Because he said he was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, it was necessary to see Avila outside the Hands On Hartford community center neighborhood health clinic. A COVID-19 and influenza test were provided as well as consultation for high-blood pressure and treatment for cold-damaged skin. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) Hartford Johnny Gonzalez-Benitez went to the Hands On Hartford shelter Wednesday looking for a meal. He walked out several hours later with not only a full stomach but also a new jacket and undergarments, toiletries and an appointment to see a dentist for an urgent tooth issue. As it turned out, Gonzalez-Benitez, a 54-year-old Hartford resident who recently lost his apartment and most of his possessions in a fire, had stumbled upon a mobile clinic held by Hartford HealthCares neighborhood health team, which formed last summer in an attempt to meet local residents where they are. Advertisement They found me an appointment for Tuesday, Gonzalez-Benitez said excitedly. And they hooked me up with some stuff. Neighborhood health team nurse Kelly Toth offers a jacket to Johnny Gonzalez-Benitez, whose home was destroyed by fire. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed profound gaps in health care access nationwide, leading to hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths. There are gaps in Connecticut, too. But hospital officials say it also has inspired them to think creatively about how to fill those gaps. Advertisement In the case of Hartford HealthCares neighborhood health team, that has meant bringing resources into underserved Connecticut communities, offering not only medical treatment including physicals, vaccines, screenings and minor procedures but also legal services, behavioral health resources and help accessing welfare benefits. [ More than 10,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Connecticut. Heres why experts say it wont stop ] Its a clinic for the whole person, said Kelly Toth, an advanced practice registered nurse who leads the neighborhood health team. Yes, we have medical stuff, but we can treat the whole person, and we bring it to where its needed. A new template In a country where trust in medical institutions decreased during the pandemic, where a quarter of people dont have a primary care physician and where small health issues are often allowed to fester into major ones, those on the neighborhood health team say this model provides an essential service. It strips the red tape out of medicine and lets us just do what we intended to do, Toth said. Even if a clinic only brings five patients in the door, those five patients are getting very uniquely tailored attention and care to whatever their need is. Hartford HealthCare officials say the neighborhood health program grew directly from strategies that worked during the pandemic. First came mass testing and vaccination sites, then vaccine outreach, including mobile teams who went site to site vaccinating people in their own communities. That effort offered a template for the new neighborhood health team, which visits sites across Connecticut four days a week, often returning to certain locations on a regular schedule. [ Gov. Ned Lamont hints Connecticuts school mask mandate might end soon. Is that a good idea? ] Health care is a right, said Janine Fonfara, Hartford HealthCares director of behavioral health integration. The pandemic has certainly highlighted that we need to be able to bring health care to everyone. Members of the eight-person team say they are able, over time, to connect with patients in a way they might not be able to in a more traditional setting. Sometimes that means chatting with them over breakfast or playing cards with them during downtime. Advertisement Edwin Smith, a 56-year-old Hartford resident, first met the neighborhood health team at the Open Hearth shelter, where he was staying. Smith had been trying to enter a drug treatment program but said he was struggling to find one that would take him. With help from Priscilla Pandozzi, the teams clinical social worker, he was admitted to one the next day. Since completing the 21-day treatment program, Smith has continued to visit Pandozzi during the neighborhood health teams twice-monthly stops at The Open Hearth. It helps me a lot because if Im struggling, I can depend on them and they can help me, Smith said. They help right there, the same day. Hartford HealthCare clinicians David Mingolelli and Roslyn Williams care for Matthew Morrett's injured foot. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) Stephanie Boyce, manager of homeless prevention and outreach for Hands On Hartford, said that when Hartford HealthCares neighborhood health team visits, they typically serve a mix of people who show up specifically for medical needs and people who visit for other reasons and then seek care because its available on site. For those worried about what to eat and where to sleep, Boyce said, medical needs can sometimes seem secondary. Having care come to them, therefore, can be essential. We know that for folks experiencing homelessness, theyre busy just trying to survive, Boyce said. Being able to have those services here when they come is really crucial to having all of their needs met. Advertisement Members of the neighborhood health team say they hope treating minor health issues as they arise will prevent more serious problems whether physical, mental or behavioral from developing over time. No patient is turned away for lack of insurance or ability to pay, a Hartford HealthCare spokesperson said. Matthew Morrett, 36, said he regularly visits Hands On Hartford for meals and made sure to stop by Wednesday so nurses could look at his injured foot. Asked what he would have done about his foot if not for the mobile clinic, he paused and then smiled. Let it get worse, he said. Let it get to the point where I wouldve been forced to go to the emergency room. Building trust Hartford HealthCare isnt alone in considering how to better reach patients who cant or wont come in for regular visits. Dr. Tom Balcezak, chief clinical officer at Yale New Haven Health, said the system has begun providing acute care in patients homes in a way it never did previously. Were doing all kinds of video visits now that we never used to do, Balcezak said. All those things are rapidly, rapidly changing. Community Health Center Inc. President and CEO Mark Masselli said the organization has increasingly focused on providing care through schools, which he sees as a central hub of community life. Advertisement We have to really embrace a delivery system that aligns with where people go, Masselli said. Wheres the best place to deliver [care]? Its not a health care place. Hartford, Ct. - 02/02/2022 - Hartford HealthCare client Cynthia Hudson (left) hugs nurse Jacqueline Bengston after visiting their neighborhood health site set up at Hands On Hartford. "She gave me a blessing," said Hudson. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) According to one survey conducted in early 2021, only 64% of Americans completely or somewhat trust the health care system. Part of CHCs goal, Masselli said, is to develop trust within a community by meeting people in places theyre already comfortable. The need to develop trust also helps motivate the Hartford HealthCare neighborhood health team. Toth said some patients are reluctant or intimated at first, only to soften over time. Maybe at first they just want to chat outside. Then they might stop in for coffee. Before long, theyre seeking treatment for a range of issues. Breaking News As it happens Get the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut > Seeing the same faces and engaging continually, little by little folks become more comfortable, Toth said. If they dont trust us, theyre not going to come in. Dawn Filippa, a registered nurse on the neighborhood health team, tells stories of cutting peoples hair and buying them supplies. When Gonzalez-Benitez, the man who lost his belongings in a fire, mentioned Wednesday that he could use undergarments, a member of the neighborhood health team dashed to a nearby dollar store to buy some. Advertisement The team loves to do that kind of stuff, Filippa said. Ultimately, Hartford HealthCares neighborhood health initiative consists only of one eight-person team, visiting a handful of sites a week not nearly enough to change the way health care is delivered statewide. But the people behind the program say its here to stay and only likely to grow in the future. This is something that certainly has longevity to it, Toth said. The needs arent going to go away when the pandemic goes away. The needs will still be there. Courant staff writer Eliza Fawcett contributed to this report. Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com. Economic sanctions have, in recent years, become one of the most important tools of U.S. foreign policy. There are currently more than 20 countries subjected to various sanctions from the U.S. government. But if more Americans knew how many innocent civilians actually die as a result of these sanctions, would the worst of them be permitted? We may be about to find out in Afghanistan. Sanctions currently imposed on the country are on track to take the lives of more civilians in the coming year than have been killed by 20 years of warfare. Theres no hiding it any more. Projections through the winter estimate that 22.8 million people will face high levels of acute food insecurity. This is 55% of Afghanistans population, the highest ever recorded in the country. An estimated 1 million children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition this year. Children who are malnourished are more likely to die from diseases, even when they can get enough calories and nutrients to survive. Already, 98% of the population is not getting enough food, according to the U.N. World Food Programme. The biggest and most destructive sanction currently facing Afghanistan is the seizure of more than $9 billion of the countrys assets that are held at the U.S. Federal Reserve. This is equivalent to about half of Afghanistans economy, and about 18 months of the countrys imports which include food, medicine and infrastructure needs that are vital to public health. But the effect of this loss of Central Bank assets turns out to be much deadlier than the loss of essential imports. The assets confiscated are in dollars; countries need these hard currency international reserves in order to maintain a stable financial system and economy. Since the freezing of the countrys reserves, Cash shortages and the loss of correspondent banking relationships have crippled Afghan banks, reports the International Monetary Fund. Press reports from the ground describe the calamitous human cost of the disruption that results when these reserves are lost: desperate mothers seeking medicine for emaciated children; soaring numbers of people going without income; farmers giving up on working their land. Afghanistans currency has depreciated by more than 25% since August, driving the price of food and other essentials beyond the reach of many people in what was already the poorest country in Asia. Banks have imposed a $400 limit on cash withdrawals, and also restrictions that make businesses unable to meet their payrolls. This pushes more people into unemployment and acute hunger. Supporters of the sanctions, in the U.S. government and elsewhere, have responded that people who are starving, malnourished or unemployed as a result of sanctions can be helped with international aid. However, it is clear that the logic of destroying an economy and then trying to save people with aid does not work. Aid will replace only a very small fraction of the countrys loss of income, which the IMF estimates could fall by an astounding, unprecedented 30% in the months ahead. And there are enormous difficulties in delivering the aid: the banking system is hobbled, international banks and even some aid groups are reluctant to take the risks involved in transferring funds, and there are breakdowns in transport, as well as other essential services because of the sanctions and resultant economic contraction. Washington and its allies have argued that sanctions are a necessary response to Taliban human rights abuses, including repression of women. But its the people, especially the poorest, who pay the price. How many tens or hundreds of thousands of women and girls should be sacrificed in order to punish the Taliban? Western governments, led by the United States as during 20 years of war, are not likely to get any concessions from the Taliban by destroying the Afghan economy. But an enormous price will be paid by millions of innocent people, many of whom will die, as food, health care, employment and income become increasingly scarce. Members of the U.S. Congress are starting to push back: four dozen sent a letter to President Joe Biden in December noting: The U.S. confiscation of $9.4 billion in Afghanistans currency reserves is plunging the country deeper into economic and humanitarian crisis. This collective punishment is hideously wrong and immoral. The Biden administration can remove the biggest contributing factor with the stroke of a pen. They should do so immediately, before it is too late. Mark Weisbrot is the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. He is the author of Failed: What the Experts Got Wrong About the Global Economy (Oxford University Press). He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Following the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of the Treasury froze Afghanistan Central Banks reserves. The Taliban is currently on the Treasurys Specially Designated Nationals list. In the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, many commentators and analysts have argued that the economic sanctions should be lifted to address the dire economic situation in the country. While the effectiveness of economic sanctions is widely debated, a number of studies illustrate that economic sanctions are effective when levied against countries with small economies and when modest policy benchmarks are the goal. Why shouldnt the U.S. lift the economic sanctions? First, economic sanctions are a conventional coercive policy instrument deployed primarily to achieve foreign policies such as curtailing financial sources of terrorism. The Treasury has more than 30 active sanctions programs against countries and entities such as Islamic State, al-Qaida and the Taliban, which blocks their access to U.S.-based funds. By appointing a number of individuals who are on various designated terrorist lists (see the Department of State-designated foreign terrorist organizations) to key Cabinet posts, the Taliban has made diplomatic engagement very difficult. A case in point is the recent inclusion of Anas Haqqani in a diplomatic delegation to Norway. Haqqani, is a senior leader in the terrorist Haqqani Network, which has been implicated in numerous deadly terror attacks including an attack at Serena hotel in Kabul leading to the death of seven foreigners including a Norwegian journalist. His presence sparked outcry among Norwegians and calls for his arrest. Reportedly, the Taliban were concerned about the potential arrest of Haqqani by the Norwegian police and were preparing to take a number of civilians in Mazar-i-Sharif as hostages to exchange for Haqqani if he was detained in Norway. Furthermore, given the Talibans close ties with a number of terrorist organizations (al-Qaida, ISIS-K and others) currently present in Afghanistan, lifting economic sanctions will inevitably lead to easier access of these groups to financial resources. Second, economic sanctions send a strong message, not only to the Taliban but also to other insurgent and terrorist organizations, that overthrowing a democratically elected government will have consequences. Should the sanctions be terminated, the message to other terrorist organizations is that they can rise to power through violence and be met with few consequences. The Talibans victory has already boosted the morale of many terrorist organizations. More concessions will further embolden these terrorist groups. Third, the Taliban cannot be trusted. Lifting the sanctions does not mean that the Taliban will meet international demands. While the U.S. made significant concessions such as unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and releasing Taliban prisoners, the Taliban made very few promises, and delivered on even fewer. A condition of the U.S.-Taliban agreement was that the Taliban should engage in intra-Afghan dialogue in order to reach a political settlement. Instead, the Taliban took control militarily. The Taliban, emboldened by a successful agreement and a sweeping victory, views itself as the de jure sovereign. It regards any pressure by the international community as interference in Afghanistans internal affairs and has threatened to resort to violence if it is not recognized by the international community. There is no guarantee that terminating sanctions will compel the Taliban to stop its harsh policies toward women, its oppressive behavior toward minorities, or its retaliation against the former government officials and security personnel. Furthermore, there is a real possibility that international aid and Afghanistans frozen assets will be misappropriated by the Taliban rather than reaching Afghan civilians. Finally, womens rights and the unfolding humanitarian crisis are the Talibans bargaining chips. The Taliban has adopted a hard-bargaining tactic including extreme demands such as foreign recognition, unfreezing of Afghanistans reserves and termination of sanctions before addressing womens education and employment. The Taliban leadership believes that the international community will eventually concede given the humanitarian crisis. If alleviating the dire economic condition was the Talibans priority, they would have agreed to the Norwegian proposition of opening an international bank in Kabul so that Afghans could have access to cash. Instead, the Taliban delegation in Norway has demanded that aid and funding should be transferred to bank accounts under their control and that the Taliban should be removed from the list of terrorist organizations. Given that redeployment of U.S. forces is highly unlikely, economic sanctions remain the only foreign policy tool for the United States to exert pressure on the Taliban. The Taliban might be malleable under economic sanctions, but it certainly will not pay any heed to international demands should the sanctions be removed. Feeling Inadequate When Comparing With Others Feburary 1, 2021 I was preparing to leave Singapore for graduate school in the United States when I bumped into an elementary school friend. We quickly got caught up, and he asked what was next for me. On hearing that I was about to pursue a Ph.D., his mood turned sour. Thats good for you, he kept repeating. But his tone was tinged with envy. I was astonished because I had always compared myself with other friends who were then starting as lawyers, bankers, doctors, engineers, and the like. And ironically, I had not thought much of my career path in comparison with others. As Theodore Roosevelt put well, Comparison is the thief of joy. And in this situation, comparisons robbed the joy for everyone involved. Classic work in psychologyby Leon Festingerhas pointed out that we intrinsically engage in comparisonswith others. We do this because we desire to know where we stand. Yet, we can go about this in amanner that robs ourhappiness, like turning on the light to look aheadbut finding ourinadequacies spotlighted. Over the years, I have learned that feelings of inadequacy often arise when we rely on perceived external metrics rather than our internal compass. Instead of comparing, we need to look inward to find the cardinal directions for our life and calling. You may want to put a pause on social comparisons and ask yourself these questions and consider the answers: Are you doing what you are passionate about doing? If so, continue to do it because you love it not because of greater prestige or income than others. If so, continue to do it because you love it not because of greater prestige or income than others. Are you adversely reacting to others success? If so, proactively take time to reset and calibrate to your calling. If so, proactively take time to reset and calibrate to your calling. Are you feeling unhappy because of where you stand? If so, focus your energies on cultivating your own strengths and talents. May we all engage in fewer social comparisons and experience greater well-being. Be well, Louis Dr. Louis Tay Tay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. He has expertise in well-being, assessments, and data science. Be sure to check back each week for another wellness tip of the week! Visit this page to learn more about members of the Research Collaborative Well-Being Resources: Office of the Dean of Students, Student Support Services Counseling and Psychological Services Virtual Student Life To join the conversation and learn more, use the hashtag #PurdueStepstoLeaps on social channels: MACON For Paul Butler, time spent in the field is the most fun part of farming. Much of what farmers do could be described as business management paperwork, taxes, marketing and more said Butler, who farms in Macon and Logan counties in central Illinois. And all that work isnt nearly as fun as working in the field. The fieldwork, the actual act of farming, is a pretty small percentage of the work that we do anymore, he said. Soon, it might not be part of it at all. John Deeres fully autonomous tractor consists of its 8R tractor and 2430 chisel plow, combined with six pairs of stereo cameras and an advanced artificial intelligence system that allow the tractor to navigate itself. The high-tech vehicle emblazoned with the Moline company's iconic deer logo marks a massive leap forward for farmers, who will have a solution for improving yields and efficiencies. That could mean a shift in a crucial sector of the economy that generates billions for the state every year. According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the marketing of agricultural commodities in Illinois alone makes over $19 billion annually. Related industries like ag manufacturing and food production contribute additional billions to the state's economy. John Deere has long been a major contributor to Illinois' economy. The Fortune 500 company's world headquarters are located in Moline, providing numerous jobs in the Quad-City area. John Deere reported a worldwide net revenue of over $44 billion for 2021. One reason for the agriculture industry's push toward automation is that the demographics of farming are changing, said Stuart Birrell, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University. The average American farmer is getting older, and farm workers' skill sets are changing. Well-calibrated machines can be more effective and productive than can humans, he said. "The modern combines and the modern tractors, they are so big and their performance so high that only a few of them need to be built," Birrell said. "You're really looking at a custom build, sort of like a Lamborghini versus just a normal run-of-the-mill car." The real question, Birrell said, is will John Deere's autonomous technology prove worthy of such a high investment or become a liability for farmers? No one inside these vehicles Companies like Tesla Inc. have been developing and testing self-driving cars for decades. Tesla's autopilot technology currently allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road, similar to the autosteer features many farmers have in their tractors today. The main difference between most self-driving cars and John Deere's autonomous tractor is that the tractor requires no person inside. The fully autonomous 8R tractor must first be transported to a field and given coordinates to follow. From there, farmers can control the process via a smartphone app that allows them to start and stop the machine, monitor its progress and adjust its speed and depth. The tractor can only till land; it cant autonomously perform other tasks like seeding or harvesting. Farmers could theoretically run the tractor 24/7 with it only requiring breaks every 8 to 10 hours for refueling. John Deere, which declined an interview request for this story, said the tractor would be available for purchase later this year but did not specify when. The development comes as farms across the country experience sharp labor shortages, with 2020 census data showing increasing amounts of Americans moving away from rural areas. Self-driving tractors could eliminate some farms need for additional labor, said Andy Dole, a sixth generation family farmer from Mattoon in eastern Illinois. Without a doubt, this is going to have a huge positive impact on the employment issues, Dole said. Labor issues in farming have worsened during the pandemic as many other industries experience worker shortages. This makes any autonomous technology more attractive to farmers who cant find or cant afford to hire additional workers, according to Mattoon farmer Kris Heller. Being able to take somebody out of that seat and have them doing something else is a valuable asset, he said. The pluses For Deere, the self-driving tractor is marketed as a way to feed the world. According to Virginia Techs 2020 Global Agricultural Productivity Report, the global population is expected to grow to nearly 10 billion people by 2050. To feed that many people, agricultural productivity must also increase an average rate of 1.73% per year. In addition to meeting increased food demands, self-driving tractors also have a more personal appeal, Dole said giving farmers a break. Farmers are typically a breed that work themselves to death, he said. The ability to monitor a tractors progress away from the field could mean more time for family dinners or kids sporting events. That could reduce stress and improve the overall mental health and well-being of all farm laborers, he said. Drawbacks Still, some are hesitant to trust new technology. Part of that might be age differences, Butler said. People whove been in the industry longer tend to be slower to adapt to new advancements. But farmers of all ages care about their machinery and might be skeptical of technology that John Deere says can detect and avoid obstacles. Anything from rocks to deer antlers could be half buried in dirt and could cause thousands of dollars in damage to equipment if not properly avoided, Butler said. Heller worries increased reliance on autonomous machinery could lead to the loss of valuable knowledge some farmers have been honing for decades. They know every problem area, every good spot, he said. They just know the ground that they farm and have farmed for years. Some family farmers also fear that new technology like John Deeres self-driving tractor might make it harder for smaller operations to compete with larger corporate farms. But even as the new tractor enters the market this year, many local farmers will probably still not be able to afford it, said Jack Bartholomew, Operations Manager at Bottom Line Solutions in Morton. John Deere hasnt released official pricing yet, but Bartholomew estimates a full system, complete with the 8R tractor, plow and autonomous tech, will likely cost upward of $700,000. John Deere has said the self-driving system will retrofit back on some recently-purchased John Deere tractors. Farmers might also run into repair issues with new, more complex systems, Bartholomew said. John Deere has in the past faced criticism for its controversial right-to-repair policies, which some farmers say make it more difficult for them to repair machinery on their own. It could take decades for autonomous tractors to become the new normal. Bartholomew still sells new autosteer systems to farmers across central Illinois, and the first hands-free autosteer tractor was introduced in the late 1990s. There's a curve for people who like technology, Bartholomew said. Then there's the next group that sits back to wait to see what happens. The financial outlook While some sit back and wait, investors continue to push the ag industry closer to an automated future. Venture capitalist firm AgFunder's 2021 Farm Tech Investment Report found that annual Investment in farm technology jumped from $1.1 billion in 2012 to $7.9 billion in 2020. A December study from PitchBook Data Inc. similarly found that investors put a record $1.54 billion into AI agriculture software companies in 2021, compared to $1.42 billion in 2020 and a combined $1.03 billion in 2018 and 2019. In just a few decades, farming could change dramatically. With industry giants like John Deere pushing automation, real-life farming might end up mimicking computer games like FarmVille, Bartholomew said. Who knows? You know, 10 to 20 years from now, there could be a couple of people sitting in an office in front of a whole bunch of computer screens, basically running (a farm), he said. Its that very idea that makes some farmers nervous, that the fun aspects of farming will become rarer. I think there's some fear of having that being taken away, Butler said. But Dole said he would choose to be cautiously optimistic. Innovation in agriculture is necessary to increasing food production and ensuring American farms can compete on the global stage. If our competitors are doing it, we're only giving ourselves a disadvantage by not at least giving it a shot, he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Idle thoughts in an election year. Iowa's precinct caucuses convene tomorrow for both Republicans and Democrats. This begins what we might consider a nine-month political gestation period, delivering a new Congress and other elected officials in the Nov. 8 election. In another month, there will be county conventions for each party, followed by district conventions in April; the state's primary will be June 7. For most Americans, the caucus system seems a relic of the past and, in truth, it harkens back to the beginnings of democracy in Athens, where eligible males gathered regularly to hear arguments, ask questions, and finally vote on various matters. Tomorrows meetings will bring together party activists who will meet face-to-face, trading opinions and votes. Later on, in the June primary, the people choose their party's candidates. Whatever the political procedures states use, there is a problem common to them all: they will represent the will of a narrow slice of each partys membership and a smaller percentage of the state at large. Only the most committed will show up to cast primary votes. Which is why we often wind up with candidates of extremist views. The sad fact is that most Americans are quick to criticize the government, blaming it for anything that goes wrong, but slow to be part of the solution by giving the democratic process careful thought and informed participation. The loudest voice at the end of the bar too often winds up as his partys choice. You have perhaps heard the cogent saying: "Democracy doesnt work; we work it." Thats what makes it so frustrating at times. Too many voters recognize a candidates party label, rather than his or her qualifications. They havent made the effort to judge the candidates knowledge, ability, or commitment to find solutions through compromise. I have run for office as a Democrat, even though I started in life wanting to be a Republican. Down South, the Republican Party was opposed to segregation and I wanted to be aligned with that. It was Dick Nixons presence on the Republican ticket in 1952 that prompted me to cast my first vote for the Democrat. I was to spend much of my adult years voting against this unscrupulous man. But it was the rare year in which I did not split my vote, from the top of the ticket to the bottom. When I entered the Illinois Senate, the first colleagues I talked to were Republicans. They were instructive and helpful. Fifty years ago, you could find politicians right and left on both sides of the aisle. One of the most liberal senators in the chamber back then was a collar county Republican. The most conservative later became an ally in passing one of my major bills. We could talk across the aisle and did. That doesnt mean that G.O.P. party discipline wasnt strong, but that it could bend when it made sense to do so. When the Republicans wanted to cut a deal with Democratic Governor Dan Walker, they asked me to be the go-between. When I protested that I was not close to Walker, I received one of the two best compliments I was to receive in politics: "We trust you." Over the years, I have given advice and help to both Republicans and Democrats. If a candidate has integrity, party affiliation doesnt matter. But politics can be a slippery business and you can make wrong choices. Let me give you an example. When Dan Walker lost the gubernatorial primary to Michael Howlett in 1976, I was among the many who thought he had made a mistake. Mike could have been secretary of state for life, but Mayor Richard Daley hounded him to oppose Walker. In the end he agreed and won a narrow victory. But the media uncovered a minor scandal which doomed his campaign. He was opposed by Republican Jim Thompson, a fresh presence in the G.O.P. who seemed to be the kind of straight arrow the office needed. In the end, I decided to vote for Thompson. After the election, I had a private meeting with him and said I thought him a reformer and he could count on my support. Two years into his first term, my confidence was shaken. During his campaign, he had pledged to veto any legislative pay raise. He was true to his word, but there was a catch. Near the end of the session, he called for a meeting of Senate and House leaders and shocked them by proposing that they pass a pay raise: $8,000 for legislators and $16,000 for him. After the meeting, George Ryan, the Republican house leader, objected, saying "hell take $8,000 like the rest of us." The plan was simple. Pass the bill, send it to him and he would veto it as promised. Then each chamber could override the veto; all to be done within the space of three days. If the governor did nothing, the bill would become law in 60 days. But he immediately vetoed the bill and sent it back to the legislature where it was quickly overridden. Thompson had kept his word, but it was part of a devious plot of is own devising to secure a pay raise for himself and legislators. When I learned what was afoot, I alerted a trusted reporter and Thompson was publicly implicated in the scheme. We were no longer allies. Even if you pay attention you can make a bad choice. But that doesnt absolve you of the obligation to do so; especially at either caucus or primary. A democratic republic is what you make it. Its easy to blame others, but the ultimate responsibility of getting it right is yours. Don Wooten is a former Illinois state senator and a regular columnist. Email him at: donwooten4115@gmail.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The story of Princeton is the story of Iowa itself. Settlers created our town in the early 1800s, relying on the Mississippi River and rail service for jobs and commerce. Now, all these decades later, corporate dealings threaten our states treasured past and are infringing upon our relationship with our residents way of life. Last year, Canadian Pacific (CP) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) announced a $31 billion merger that is pending approval by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). This decision, made in faraway corporate boardrooms, will have a substantive impact on communities here in eastern Iowa and demands reconsideration by the powers that be. Should the STB approve this merger, 14.4 more trains will pass through Princeton every single day. This would cut Princeton residents off from their regular small businesses, favorite parks, and perhaps most importantly, the Mississippi River for excessive amounts of time. Those that prefer to shop, eat, and play locally may instead turn to out-of-town alternatives. In 10 years time, the increase in rail traffic could render our community unrecognizable. This problem isnt unique to our corner of the state, either. Iowans from several counties in any direction are also reeling from excessive rail traffic and considering its effect on their well-being, safety and commute. After all, theres nothing more frustrating for drivers and pedestrians alike than being stuck behind a seemingly never-ending train on a busy afternoon. The average CP train is just over a mile-and-a-half long but can regularly reach up to over two-and-a-quarter miles long. Its true that freight trains are getting longer everywhere, but CP has repeatedly promised to address these concerns and failed to do so. We shouldnt reward a massive corporation for violating the trust of its stakeholders, but the STB seems poised to do exactly that. The proposed merger could also hurt Princeton property values. An Old Dominion University study found that consistent exposure to 65 decibels or greater of railroad noise pollution could reduce property values by up to 18%, a mark well below the 85-decibel average of most freight trains. Eastern Iowa residents shouldnt have to weigh a multi-billion-dollar merger when balancing their household budgets. Rather, the STB should ensure that CP and KCS have plans to compensate and make up for this proximity-based plunge in property values. To consider how the merger will affect the community, the STB should undergo a thorough study, as mandated by Congress. Last year, our federal legislators passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocated funds to study the effect of long trains on traffic, public safety, and the environment. Barring the completion of that study, the STB cannot confidently say that this merger wont negatively impact eastern Iowa. It seems that $31 billion is the price tag for ignoring eastern Iowas concerns. Until the corporations in question can address these concerns, the STB ought to delay ruling on the proposed merger. Theres simply too much at stake for our homeowners, small businesses, and public safety to act hastily. Communities up and down the Mississippi River boast unique fixtures and developments adjacent to the railroad, all of which are subject to an explosion in railroad traffic that would fundamentally alter nearby residents relationship with them. I hope youll join me in urging the STB to keep these concerns in mind during deliberation and pursue a thorough, unhurried review of the CP-KCS merger. Such is the only avenue for communities worried about this deal, which should be the primary concern of our federal government and regulators. Kevin Kernan is the mayor of Princeton. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Whoopi Goldberg blew it big time with her comment on The View on Monday that the Holocaust was not about race but mans inhumanity to man. But even though she later doubled down on her misstatements during an interview with Stephen Colbert, it didnt take her long to come out with a true apology: She had been wrong, downright inaccurate, but now she had learned. Did that merit a two-week suspension by ABC News? OK, but the important issue is that Goldberg was sadly misinformed about both the Holocaust and how the idea of race was used by the Nazis, and then she realized it and spoke out about it. Most of us have similar lessons to learn about mass acts of violent hatred, and Goldbergs wrongful statement is one model for how to go about changing our perceptions. A great deal has been made of whether Goldberg was accurate in not identifying the Jewish people, an estimated 6 million of whom died under Nazi rule, as a race. She wouldnt be the first to tangle with that complicated issue; its widely debated among scholars and within the Jewish community. Certainly, most (but not all) Jewish people are white and thus arent targeted for the color of their skin. Race is more of a social construct than a hard-and-fast reality, viewed differently by various people, though often one with terrible consequences for groups that are enslaved, attacked and mistreated. Certainly, the Nazis considered Jews to be a race, one to be targeted for annihilation. The more troubling aspect of Goldbergs comment was the part about the Holocaust being an example of mans inhumanity to man. Thats not untrue, but it reduces one of historys most awful acts of hatred against specific groups to a large-scale random act of meanness. Genocide is a lot more than an act of inhumanity. The Holocaust was an almost unbelievably massive mass murder of targeted groups. Though Jews were killed in much larger numbers than others, the Nazis also targeted the Roma, gay people and others considered subhuman. And it didnt matter to the Nazis whether people with obvious disabilities were Aryan; they were nonetheless deemed unworthy of life and 200,000 of them were systematically killed. In other words, the Holocaust was a particularly gruesome and awful example of bias and hatred toward certain groups of people simply because of an aspect of their identity. In U.S. history, that kind of hateful prejudice has most affected the Indigenous, Black, Latino and Asian populations. But we all should realize that world history is made up of a long list of genocide and mistreatment by more powerful, dominant groups against those seen as other. They continue today in forms both dramatic and subtle. Goldberg may not be an intellectual, but she is a generally well-informed person. That she didnt understand what the Holocaust was about indicates that there are many people in our country who are ill-informed on this and other historical and modern events of group mistreatment. Its clear that we need more of this kind of education. One good thing about a celebrity mishap is that it prods people into new awareness of the topic in question. They debate with friends and acquaintances; they launch internet searches. Or at least they just hear a well-spoken apology and maybe gain a new glimmer of understanding. Goldberg learned something; the best we can do at this point is not punish her but follow her example. Karin Klein is a Los Angeles Times opinion writer. This was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In 1978, Jim Sutton surmised that Rapid City, South Dakota would be an ideal home for a winter rodeo, a big-time event capable of attracting the best cowboys and cowgirls in the world and letting them strut their stuff before large, enthusiastic crowds. And while the Rodeo Rapid City, formerly known as the Black Hills Stock Show, has been of consistently high-quality year after year as evidenced by four selections as the PRCAs Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year this years 45th edition may be the very best of all. An inaugural appearance at the spacious Summit Arena has added to the excitement, as has provided the record crowds in each performance, a cavalcade of top PRCA professional cowboys and cowgirls have delighted the large crowds winning efforts. Saturday two performances checked all of those boxes. And for South Dakota rodeo fans, it added a little extra as Eagle Butte's Shorty Garrett fashioned an 85.5-point ride in the evening to share the win with Iowa bronc rider Riggin Smith who turned in his winning ride in the Saturday matinee. I knew nothing about that horse. I knew his name and his number, Garrett said of his ride aboard Sutton Rodeos Spark Plug. Ive been having some tough luck with the draws not lining up for a guy. We were patient and just waited, and I though, heck, it cant be any worse than what Ive been getting on, and it wasnt. It worked out great. You go long enough and youll get a good one, and I did tonight. Riggin Smiths effort earlier in the day was equally impressive. the Winterset, Iowa saddle bronc rider got to the front end quickly and settled into a comfortable spurring lick aboard Burch Rodeos Pip Squeak. Ive been on that horse before, Smith, a past PRCA rookie of the year, said. I was actually the first guy to get on that horse in saddle bronc riding since hed been a bareback horse, and, man, we got a long a lot better today than we did the last time. That time was a 77. He was the same then, I wasnt very good. Tim Bingham, an Idaho bull rider working his way back into form after a series of injuries, fed off that afternoon energy to grab the lead in his event with an 85-point trip. His dance partner, a New Frontier Rodeo bull spun left out of the chute, quickly faded back to the right before straightening out at the end. The shifty moves didnt phase the 30-year-old, 3-time NFR qualifier. In fact, it played right into his wheelhouse. The bull wasnt really solid on a pattern but he kept the same style of bucking throughout, which to me is more important, Bingham said. He was really up and down and came off the ground on the front end and went every which way. But he kept that same bucking style so it didnt really matter to me whether he was switching up or not since I could keep the same timing throughout the whole ride. Matinee rodeo fans witnessed another quality rough stock effort as Caleb Bennett, 33-year-old veteran with 9 trips to the NFR on his resume, spurred Sutton Rodeos Wes Texas to 86-points to move into second on the leaderboard. After seeing his draw for Rodeo Rapid City, Bennett drove up from Texas overnight for a hard ride on a horse with a lot of tricky moves. I thought thats a really good draw so I better go try that, Bennett said. He was kind of all over the place and had some sneaky moves and was getting in the air and thats icing on the cake when they are doing that. Its a little bit of work, but fun at the same time as long as you are doing your job. The evening performance produced an even better bareback performance as 30-year-old Orin Larson, another veteran with a distinguished record (seven NFR appearances), exceeded Bennetts score and nearly overtook event winner Garrett Shadbolt (89) with an 88.5 effort. Ive been on that horse a number of times. I was eighty-eight on him last fall and the year before and won both rodeos, Larson said of his ride Muddy Creek Rodeos Pejuta, We have some pretty good chemistry and it was pretty awesome to have him again. To get on a special horse like that at an awesome venue is pretty awesome. The timed event end of Summit Arena also produced a rodeo winner on Saturday night as Ari-Anna Flynn (Roland, Oklahoma) executed the cloverleaf in a blazing 13.05 seconds to cop rodeo top money in barrel racing. Rodeo Rapid City gave the Saturday night sold-out crowd a fitting finale to Rodeo Rapid City 2022 as a couple of young bull riders closed out the rodeo with matching 87-point rides to share top money. JR Stratford (Byers, Kansas) followed up an arena record performance (93.5) to win last years rodeo. Going back-to-back in bull riding with the luck of the draw and pens of rank bulls in the same venue is a seldom occurrence. I really enjoy coming to this rodeo. Its a great crowd and a great feeling here. Theres nothing like Rapid City, Stratford said. I had a really good bull from Suttons thats been to the finals. Ive been thinking about him all week and the adrenalin was pumping tonight, and it finally came together and I got it done. Tristan ONeal came into Rapid City as a virtual unknow in bull riding circles. His 87-point ride will change that. I never seen the bull and I got online and looked at a few stats and thought he looked kind of average, nothing too crazy, ONeal said. But tonight, he had a really good trip. Normally, I dont like bulls that spin away from my hand but tonight it worked out and I stayed in it with him bucking and kicking the whole time. This is hands down the biggest rodeo Ive ever won. My dad, Michael ONeal is from Rapid City, he was born and raised here so that makes it even more special. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sen. Joe Morrissey has proposed a bill that would establish by January 2023 a public defenders office in Henrico County, where local officials say they did not ask for the legislation and some local attorneys say its not needed. Public defenders represent people facing criminal charges who cannot afford to hire their own lawyer. Currently, judges in Henrico County select from a list of private defense attorneys who have been certified and trained for court-appointed work by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, the same agency that oversees the 28 existing public defenders offices including those in Richmond the states largest and Chesterfield the newest office created last year after passage of similar legislation proposed by Morrissey. The county, which is not in Morrisseys district, is hesitant to throw its support behind the bill over local funding concerns and because there has been no discussion with local officials about the legislation, according to John Vithoulkas, the county manager. Nobody asked me to do it, said Morrissey, D-Richmond, of the bill. I am a firm believer that public defenders offices provide one of the most valuable systems in the criminal justice system. And with a [public defenders] office I felt this way when I was a prosecutor you get folks that are zealous advocates for their clients. They are strictly focused on criminal defense. They have the resources; they have training; they have investigators; they have sentence mitigators; they have all the tools to adequately defend somebody. Although attorneys interviewed for this story who practice in Henrico echoed Morrisseys statements about the need for zealous and specialized criminal defense, most said indigent defendants are already getting that from the experienced private defense bar in Henrico. Its an incredible defense bar in Henrico County, said attorney Owen Conway, who has been on the qualified list for court-appointed work for 12 years. Its highly sought after to be on that list. Shannon Dillon, another attorney with more than a decade of experience in both circuit and juvenile courts, said public defenders tend to be younger, less experienced attorneys and, like prosecutors, to have high turnover. That could negatively impact clients, she said, especially juveniles, who often are assigned the same attorney to provide consistency. Shes represented the same juvenile clients for years. Peter Baruch, a former prosecutor in Henrico and Petersburg and a former public defender in Petersburg, said he doesnt see any need for a public defenders office in Henrico. The lawyers they would be replacing in Henrico are some of the most respected and skilled defense attorneys in the Richmond area, said Baruch, who has been on the court-appointed list for 10 years but handles mostly private-retained work now. Henrico has always had the reputation of having the best court-appointed attorney list in the commonwealth of Virginia. While its been years since I was a Petersburg public defender, I recall many days when I was tasked with representing over 10 clients in one day, and it is difficult to be effective in that situation. There are attorneys who support the measure, as well. Trevor Taylor, who represents indigent clients in Henrico courts, testified as the bill passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in 9-5 vote saying a public defenders office could help keep poor defendants out of jail. They would be present for a clients first appearance to object if cash bond is set, he said court-appointed or retained attorneys usually get involved after that. Citing a 2017 study, a defendant in Henrico is twice as likely to get a cash bond in Henrico as in Richmond, Taylor told the senators. Talk of public defense in Henrico has swirled for years, so the proposed legislation didnt catch the private defense bar by surprise as it did in Chesterfield last year. In a story last year, the Chesterfield Bar Association said it hadnt learned of the legislation until it had already passed one side of state legislature and had no time to conduct a meaningful poll of its members or formulate an official position. The Henrico Bar Association did not respond to requests for comment. Henrico Commonwealths Attorney Shannon Taylor said she supports a public defenders office in the county, but there are several other pieces of legislation that has her saying not yet. One bill, proposed by Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, asks the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission to study the feasibility, cost and implementation of statewide coverage of public defenders offices. Another, from Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, requires that any county or city that provides local supplemental funding to a prosecutors office must do the same for public defenders. Taylors budget is about $6.2 million, about twice the estimated $3.5 million the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission told lawmakers that it would cost to establish a public defenders office in the county. That $3.5 million estimate covers the salaries 24 attorneys, two investigators, two mitigation specialists who help with sentencing, and seven other administrative positions, as well as office space and other general office expenses. The state, through a formula set by its Compensation Board, funds only about 38% of Taylors total budget, she and county officials said. The remaining 68% comes from the county. Its really ballooned into what on paper looks like a county responsibility, when ultimately the [Compensation] Board is supposed to properly fund the commonwealths attorney, and thats one of the primary issues that we have and why we cant take a stance either way, because the proper fiscal analysis and evaluation hasnt been completed yet, said Cari Tretina, the countys chief of staff. Vithoulkas said if a public defenders office were created in Henrico, hed like to see parity in funding between it and Taylors office, which would mean another large supplement that the county hasnt budgeted for. I just cant imagine throwing this kind of money at a problem weve not even talked about, he said. But again, the countys not taking a position on a bill we havent asked to be put forward. Morrissey said the county is not off the hook to fund this. He filed a budget amendment for $3.3 million to cover most of the costs. Morrissey represents Senate District 16, which includes all of the cities of Hopewell and Petersburg and parts of the city of Richmond and Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George counties, but none of Henrico. None of the local delegation has joined as patrons on the bill, though Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, whose district extends into Henrico, voted in favor of it in the Judiciary Committee. Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, voted against it. I believe that if Henrico gets a [public defenders] office, the judicial system will be better for it. Thats it, Morrissey said. I dont I have no secret agenda. I just want the judicial system to be the best that it can be. And a [public defenders] office provides that. The bill still has to make it through the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee before it can move to the floor for a full Senate vote. If approved there, it would have to make its way through the House. The Richmond Christmas Mother Fund has completed its 2021 campaign with $323,710.35 in gifts from residents, businesses and organizations in the Richmond region. The campaigns final report added $2,243.54 to the previous total. The Times-Dispatch has followed its tradition of publishing the names of donors to the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund throughout the holiday season. Your generosity helps the fund support initiatives across the region to brighten the holiday season for thousands of your neighbors. The Times-Dispatch has sponsored the Richmond Christmas Mother program, a yearly holiday fund drive, since 1935, some of those years in partnership with the former afternoon newspaper, The Richmond News Leader. The Richmond Christmas Mother program receives donations from RTD readers and advertisers, and it is building an endowment to help future services. Previously reported $321,466.81 Todays gifts $2,243.54 Grand total $323,710.35 John and Debbie Dunlap, in honor of our grandchildren $250 Frederick S. Fisher, in memory of Bruce C. Fisher $50 Thank you, Petra and Gary Glover, for all of your charitable work, from Robert and Laura Tramonte $1,000 In memory of Anne Cunningham Woodfin $100 In memory of John Howlett Woodfin Sr. $100 Anonymous $250 Paul Venti leads a prayer at a memorial for six workers killed by the explosion at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown 12 years ago. Venti, who drove from North Carolina for the ceremony, was a union steward at the plant at the time. (Don Stacom) MIDDLETOWN Twelve years have gone by since a horrific explosion at the Kleen Energy plant in Middletown killed six workers and injured dozens more, but Kyle Zimmer said the pain remains. The grief never goes away. It may seem its getting easier, but then something will trigger it and youre right back in that spot again, said Zimmer, a union safety official who worked on the search-and-rescue mission right after the blast. Advertisement We all know what a horrific scene this was. And here we are, 12 years after, still remembering the workers who gave up their life in this tragedy, Zimmer told a crowd of several dozen who stood at a memorial Sunday morning to mark the anniversary. The annual gatherings began in 2011 as a way to comfort the survivors of the six men, the roughly 50 injured victims and the hundreds of construction workers who were horrified by what happened to their coworkers on the $1 billion project. Advertisement These services play an important part in our healing process, and we can never, never let them go, said Zimmer. Similar gatherings have taken place to honor victims of the state lottery shooting in Newington, the LAmbiance Plaza collapse and the Hartford Distributors mass shooting. All of these services are very powerful in helping the people who worked on these sites and the families of those that were lost to cope with the grief that comes with this every day, Zimmer said. Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim speaks at a memorial gathering for workers killed in the 2010 Kleen Energy plant explosion. To his left is Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who also spoke at the memorial Sunday. (Don Stacom) The 12 years that have elapsed since the Kleen Energy explosion are extra reason to continue the annual memorials, Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim said Sunday as he praised the organizers. Thank you making sure that every year, year after year, we are gathered here to recognize this occasion especially now, past the 10-year mark, Florsheim said. Now, the event is starting to move into the historical period. Were entering a period where it will be a distant memory or before they were old enough to remember, and so it is all the more important we gather here. A series of speakers said unions must continue to pressure lawmakers around the country to improve worker safety. Investigators determined that O&G Industries of Torrington, the general contractor building the Kleen Energy plant, tried to flush an enormous network of pipes using natural gas. The process, called a gas blow, was banned by then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell afterward, and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited O&G and other contractors for more than 110 safety violations. The world is different now for people who work at places like Kleen Energy all over our country, Florsheim said. Thats because of the events that happened here and the work you have done to change that environment. Advertisement Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. > The audience held a moment of silence in honor of the six workers who died: Peter Chepulis, Ronald Crabb, Raymond Dobratz, Kenneth Haskell, Roy Rushton and Chris Walters. Florsheim called on the crowd to press for even stronger worker safety measures in the future. The way we can honor their legacy as working people is to continue that fight, Florsheim said. Too many people still die at work. Too many people still work in unsafe conditions. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz offered a similar message. Today we take an opportunity to think about each of those people we lost, she said. We know theyre looking down now theyre asking what are all of us doing to make sure that people who are working now, who are on the front lines, are protected and have the safety laws and regulations in place so they can go home to their families. Paul Venti, a retired union steward who was friends with victims of the Kleen Energy plant explosion, stands by a memorial to them. (Don Stacom) Paul Venti, who had been a union steward at Kleen Energy when the blast happened, said hes determined to keep the memory alive. Advertisement I worked with these guys on other jobs. I fished with them. They were great friends of mine, said Venti, a retiree who drove from North Carolina to host the ceremony. Youve got to remember the people who went to work and never came home. Workplace safety is everybodys business. Ty Cooper lived in Ghent for a while when he was a student at Norfolk State University in the 1990s. He lived a few blocks from Naro Expanded Cinema and loved checking out its movies. He dreamed of one day hosting his own movie screening there. Today, hes doing just that. The screening of his film Amanda begins at 8 p.m., and a panel discussion with Cooper and two of the actresses will follow. The 28-minute movie was also screened in Charlottesville, Richmond and Park City, Utah. In January, the film won the Best Narrative Short Award at the winter 2022 Montreal Independent Film Festival. The festival received 700 submissions, and judges selected about 30 for the category, Cooper said. His time in Norfolk meant so much to him that he knew he had to come back for his screening tour. For me, its just an ecstatic feeling. The movie follows the eponymous protagonist, 28-year-old artist Amanda. Her mother died from cancer when she was 9. As she starts a new romance, she must face unresolved issues before she can move forward. The film is about community, trauma, relationships and art, Cooper said. So often, he said, people make decisions based on the unresolved emotional turmoil, grief or loss they experienced as children. He pulled from his own story: His mother beat cancer a few years ago, but his father is now battling prostate cancer. Hes lost other relatives, including aunts and uncles, to the disease. Its been almost a back-to-back situation of losses, he said. Cooper, who grew up in New York, has always appreciated art and recalled his mother taking him to shows on Broadway. Once he got to Norfolk State, the marketing and business administration major created a business, Lifeview Marketing & Visuals. He promoted such events as concerts, shows and bus trips. He graduated in 1995 and still runs the company, focusing on campaigns for cities, politicians and organizations such as the United Way and the YMCA. He is now based in Charlottesville and has a home in Virginia Beach. But even with the business, Cooper felt a pull to storytelling. He wrote his first stage play, Please Papa Dont, in 1997. Its about a father who loses his job and faith, and how that impacts the family. It was a dark piece with lots of comedy intertwined, Cooper said. Real life. He started producing his own films in 2002. His work centers on characters and their journeys and their desire for a resolution. His 2019 short film Mingle won the Grand Jury First Short Award at the American Filmatic Arts Awards and honorable mention for Best Comedy Short at the Independent Shorts Awards. Cooper and the crew shot Amanda in the snow, sleet and rain for five days in Richmond in February 2021. He collaborated with keyboardist and composer Alex Moody, who has written for Cooper before. Moody set music to one particular scene, and Cooper asked him to remove it. He thought the dialogue was enough. He said, What do you want? You want people to cry? Cooper recalled. I said yes. He watched it, and he ran out of the studio because he had to cry. Cooper said Sundays screening will be a homecoming. When you come back to Norfolk to show your body of work and local businesses step up, or anyone steps up to support it, it makes you feel so good. Its even better than getting an award, he said. Cooper is excited for other projects, including a sequel to Amanda and a screenplay called Stain. It is about a white police officer who is married to a Black woman and they have biracial children. The officer kills an unarmed Black teenager. He cant wait for more people to experience Amanda and all its complexities, he said. His hair is graying. His nerves are fraying. Denzel Washingtons Macbeth is a man quite literally running out of time even before he meets those witches. At 66, Washington is certainly at the older end of the spectrum of conceivable Macbeths. But it makes wonderful sense: In Joel Coens brilliantly imagined, brilliantly executed The Tragedy of Macbeth, we confront a man who knows in his bones his aching bones that the witches prophecy has given him his last chance to be what wants, no, deserves: King of Scotland. For an actor of Washingtons unique skill set, not to mention facility with Shakespearean verse, Macbeth at any age would be right, frankly. But theres something wonderful about the fact that it took this long, with all the experience and seasoning Washington now brings to bear. Still, this isnt simply a matter of an actor meeting a role at the right time. No matter how cursed or unlucky the so-called Scottish play is in theater lore, the stars seem to be aligned here. As Lady Macbeth, Frances McDormand is a perfect partner to Washington in age (64) and every other way, adding her signature clear-eyed urgency and a few legendarily icy stares to an often caricatured role. And boy, do these two look right together. Maybe its true, as somebody said, that the Macbeths have the only good marriage in Shakespeare though the bar is not high. (Those teenagers Romeo and Juliet had a very short one.) Completing the dream trio is director Coen (McDormands husband, in his first solo outing without brother Ethan), creating an austere and chilling yet gorgeous and stylish cinematic universe. Its a world in black and white and gray, full of fog, shadows and mist a chiaroscuro vision that seems half real, half fantasy. Designer Stefan Dechants set, built onto sound stages, is populated by Brutalist-type structures, high walls, long corridors and tall staircases and dirt paths outside. The key sensation is emptiness: There seems barely a prop around except for swords, doing their vicious work. It feels vaguely medieval but unconnected to a specific period and thankfully not 2021, either. Most strikingly, Coen and superb cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel present a film literally wrapped in a box, in what they call an academy-ratio square frame. As befits the bards briefest tragedy (albeit with a long list of murders most foul), Coens film clocks in well under two hours. We begin, as we should, with the three witches, and the ominous fair is foul, and foul is fair line meaning all is not what it seems, an understatement of Shakespearean proportions. In a terrific creative decision, Coen gives us only one actor, the wonderful veteran Kathryn Hunter, as a shape-shifting contortionist who morphs at will into three identical figures. Despite a few judicious cuts, the language is preserved and the story is, of course, the same: After the witches prophesize that Macbeth will become king, he decides, propelled by the tough-love urgings of his wife (When you durst do it, THEN you were a man) to hasten the process by murdering much-loved King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson, excellent). Washingtons Macbeth, who often speaks in a soft voice even a whisper is racked with indecision beforehand. But what if we fail, he asks. We fail? his wife replies, but in McDormands reading, its essentially, Look at us, what the heck do we have to lose? (Dont answer that, folks.) And so the bloody cycle begins. This Macbeth is, as always, about politics, power and the corrosive effects of ambition. It is not, however, about sociopaths. It feels more about mediocrity and the desperation that brings than monstrosity. Theres much acting talent here beyond the leads. Corey Hawkins, a standout in pretty much anything he does, is a dashing presence as noble Macduff, who has the distinction of killing Macbeth (this swordfight doesnt disappoint) once he apprises him that he was untimely ripped from his mothers womb very bad news if youre Macbeth. As Macduffs doomed wife, Moses Ingram makes much of her one scene. Washington, whos played Shakespeare onstage numerous times (and onscreen in 1993) recently said that its where I started, and where I want to finish. As a student at Fordham University, he played Othello, a role he prepared for by listening to recordings of Laurence Olivier in the library. When he speaks of finishing, one hopes he isnt referring to anytime soon. After all, King Lear awaits right, Mr. Washington? But as for his Macbeth, its McDormand who perhaps said it best when asked recently about casting the role. You dont make lists for a generations Macbeth, she said. One is born, and then they play it. Sounds about right. The Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley recently announced winners of the 2022 Scholastic Art Awards for the Southwest Region of Virginia. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the countrys longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 712, and are sponsored by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The Fine Arts Center serves as the affiliate partner for the Scholastic Art Awards for the Southwest Region. Despite the challenges faced by area art teachers, students and families during the past two academic years, more than 400 artworks were submitted for judging this year. Award categories include Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mention and five top awards referred to as the American Visions Nominations. Approximately 30% of the entries qualify for awards, and the top 5% to 10% from each region move forward to compete in national judging. Last year, the alliance provided more than $37,000 in scholarships and awards to art students. In Southwest Virginia, students represented schools from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Floyd, Pulaski County, Radford and Riner in the NRV, along with Buchanan, Chatham Hall, Daleville, Fincastle, Lexington, Roanoke, Rural Retreat and Salem, plus some home-schooled students and a student who attends the Virginia Virtual Academy. This year, the top five awards in the Southwest Virginia Region went to: Cedar Krisch from Blacksburg High School, whose teacher is Katy Dryman; Fiona Aquilo, who is homeschooled, whose teacher is Lisa Aquilo; Carys DeRolf from Glenvar High School, who earned two American Visions nominations, and whose teacher is Stephen Graves; and Emalyn Sylvester-Johnson from the Burton Center for Arts & Technology in Salem, whose teacher is Natalie Strum. These five pieces and all of the Gold Key winners are now entered into the national competition with a chance for scholarships and additional awards. This years national winners should be announced on March 17. A celebration of the national winners is planned at a special awards ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City in June. An online gallery of the award-winning art is available on the Fine Arts Centers website at FACNRV.org/scholastic-2022. There will also be an exhibition of the student winners at the center, located at 21 W. Main St. in historic downtown Pulaski, beginning Feb. 8. The exhibit will culminate with an awards reception for the student artists, their families and their teachers on March 27. The Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley has been the official affiliate of the Scholastic Art Awards for Southwest Virginia for nearly 20 years. In 2021, the alliance honored the Fine Arts Center with the Gold Key for Excellence in the Field for their management of the program. More information about the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards can be found by visiting artandwriting.org. For more information about the Fine Arts Center, please visit our website at FACNRV.org. - Submitted by John Ross Certain events in this column began nearly 40 years ago, during my eight-year quest to earn a four-year English degree from the University of Maryland. I was a rotten student. Maryland kicked me out but a couple of years later allowed me back in, reluctantly. And while studying in College Park, Id occasionally wonder which, if any, professors in Taliaferro Hall were destined for future literary success. Finally, we have an answer to that question. Her name is Jewell Parker Rhodes. Today, shes a grandmother who lives in Seattle and occupies the Virginia G. Piper Endowed chair in Creative Writing at Arizona State University. Back then, she was a relatively recent doctor of arts out of Carnegie Mellon University. We first met in a shoe store where I worked. One day Jewell came in and bought every pair of sale boots we had that fit her tiny feet. The transaction was memorable in part because I worked on commission. But thats not the only reason the memory persists. Another was Jewells bright and sunny personality. Yet another yeah, its superficial and borders on objectification was her stunning beauty. (Thursday, I was surprised when she told those days were a period of great personal anguish and career uncertainty. She hid the troubles well.) Because she looked about 19 at the time, I assumed she was just another university student. My chin almost hit the floor when she told me she was an assistant professor and taught English. Later, I signed up for a senior-level review she taught in fantasy and science fiction. That class had electricity like Id never before experienced in College Park. Lots of subjects, such as Milton or English Restoration Drama, are interesting. But Jewells class was also exciting and fun. At the beginning of her academic career, it seemed almost as if shed discovered the precise ratio of ingredients for the secret sauce that motivates learners. She applied that to the class with enthusiasm, smarts, kindness, encouragement and respect. Though I didnt fully understand it at the time, perhaps a chief undercurrent in that classroom was love. She loves teaching, and we loved learning from her. The energy flowed both ways. Science Fiction and Fantasy was the only course I passed that semester. To the chagrin of a number of Maryland humanities undergrads, Jewell didnt get tenure back in the early 1980s. But, she met her future husband at Maryland (Brad) and they moved on, ultimately landing in Arizona. They moved to Seattle just before the pandemic. In the intervening years, Jewells published a long list of novels, both adult and young fiction, as well as a memoir and books on writing. One of the more recent Ghost Boys, a 2018 New York Times youth-fiction bestseller, has won at least 30 awards. Its also been banned from schools in one Florida county. Parents in Texas are seeking to ban it, too, along with a slew of other books. I read that news on NBC last week with growing excitement, thanks to a contrarian principle known as the Streisand effect. It holds that attempts to suppress information have the unintended consequence of spreading it more widely, because of the resulting publicity. This has occurred time and again with great works of American literature. Examples include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; The Color Purple by Alice Walker, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee; and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I reckon thats due to a strong forbidden-apple element in the human psyche that makes us desire things we cant have. It goes all the way back to the dawn of man. Anyway, Thursday I called Jewell up to offer congratulations on her new status as a banned author. The last time we saw each other was in the 1990s, when she gave a lecture at Hollins University. We talked on the phone for about 90 minutes Thursday evening. Most of it was catching up, and talking about our kids, spouses, grandchildren, and events years ago in College Park. Eventually, we got around to her work. She was far less thrilled than I that Ghost Boys has been banned from schools in some places. It almost killed her to write that novel, she said. She had to halt work on it for months at a time; the process was so emotional. Im just much more saddened that people are afraid of emotions and ideas in a book, she told me. Art, telling stories, in particular, is an essential part of our humanity. Stories develop empathy and allow for us to process emotions in a safe, supportive environment. People who ban books are fearful of humanitys most distinguishing qualities namely, imagination, critical thought and emotional intelligence. Ghost Boys begins with the death of a 12-year-old Black boy. Jerome is shot and killed by a white police officer. The child had a toy gun that the cop mistook for real. (Those circumstances are not at all dissimilar to the 2016 fatal police shooting here in the Roanoke Valley of Kionte Spencer, 18.) And then the narrative turns metaphysical. After his death, Jeromes soul meets the soul of Emmett Till. Till was a 14-year-old black boy lynched in 1955 Mississippi, allegedly after hed offended a white woman. The next part I lifted from jewellparkerrhodes.com, her website: Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her fathers actions. Notice the word may in that first preceding sentence. It telegraphs the ambiguity at the heart of most great literature. That grayness can be uncomfortable for readers to process, however. Way, way too much of life cant be neatly categorized into black or white. Jewell brings a life perspective to that question thats different than most of ours. Brad McWilliams, her 6-foot 4-inch husband of 37 years, is white. Their daughter Kelly (a novelist in her 30s) was born light-skinned and appears white. Evan, their son, younger but also in his 30s, is tall like his dad and noticeably darker. Evans life has been punctuated by challenges Kellys never encountered, in large part because his skin is darker, Jewell said. Such as being stopped and frisked by police while walking down a street in New York City, when Evan attended Columbia University. All that stuff adds layers of heavy mojo on top of the celebration and joy I felt at Ghost Boys being banned. Jewells reaction is far more nuanced. Underneath it lies real pain. The message of the book is, You cant undo the past, Jewell told me. You can only do your best to move forward and make things right. Theres a different message in this column. I guess its about the difference between sharing wisdom and being a wiseacre. You probably know where Jewell and I stand in that equation. Its something I gleaned from our chat. She probably did, too. A book-banning movement is growing across America right now. Its not the first and it wont be the last. Will Ghost Boys be banned in any Virginia schools? Thats a hard question to answer. But there was much talk during last falls gubernatorial campaign about banning Beloved, by Nobel-winning author Toni Morrison. Shes one of Jewells heroines. We left the conversation with Jewell hoping her books sell because readers appreciate them for their art, rather than because of a politicians desire to ban them. On the other hand, If I get more people to read my books because theyve been banned, Ill take it, she said. Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com . Follow him on Twitter:@dancaseysblog . Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CHRISTIANSBURG Montgomery County Public Schools officials have been given the green light to begin putting together a draft resolution that would enable collective bargaining if the school board does in fact approve that measure later. The move the county School Board made this past week is part of several steps that, if adopted, would allow MCPS teachers and staff to unionize, something the state legalized for public employees in 2020. The specific measure the school board passed this past week authorizes its superintendent, the board chair and vice chair, legal counsel to develop a draft collective bargaining resolution in collaboration with employee organizations who are so interested for the school boards consideration. School board members Dana Partin and Jamie Bond abstained on the vote. The matter this past week led to some confusion among some board members. Other board members and MCPS officials, however, clarified that the vote wasnt a call to allow collective bargaining. School board Chairwoman Sue Kass said it allows district officials and staff to go ahead and put together something to be brought back to the board to approve or not approve. This is OK, you can go work on it, Kass said. The issue sparked a discussion about whether district officials currently arent supportive of employees. Kass, however, said the collective bargaining talk isnt an indication of a lack of support for employees, but is instead a way to raise their involvement and give them a stronger voice. Saying I support everyone is different than us actually letting teachers be part of the process, said Kass, who is a former teacher. Superintendent Mark Miear also addressed the issue by speaking about his three decades in education, a career where he said he started out as a teacher assistant. He said he moved into school administration as a way to better support teachers. There were times I didnt feel supported as a teacher, Miear said, adding that there were also times he didnt feel he was being heard. Or what I was saying was being valued. Miear said school employees need the most support possible, especially as he believes that education is currently under attack and due to the fact they deal directly with the students. Were in a crisis right now, folks, he said. I believe were being unrightly accused of certain things that are happening in our classrooms. Miear said teachers in MCPS are teaching students real history, how it truly occurred, and that the district will continue to encourage that even if it makes some in the community uncomfortable. School boards and school employees across the state have been dealing with a politically charged environment over debate concerning critical race theory and other issues. But we have to teach it correctly. Period, Miear said. Miear also spoke about the need to address the shrinking pool of applicants for school employment. The legalization of collective bargaining for school employees has drawn praise from members of the Montgomery County Education Association. Glen Chilcote, the MCEA president, said the administration and the school board have overall done a great job of supporting teachers. But having certain protection and certain things in place to make sure the learning environments for our students are positive and good, and remain that way, is the impetus for this, he said. Chilcote said it would give employees a voice beyond the school board meetings, or public address where theyre only allowed a few minutes to comment on matters. Collective bargaining also gives employees stronger protections, especially if they enter difficult times in the future and have to face problems such as a school board member who tries to divert funding away from public schools, Chilcote said. And if such a problem were to surface, it would give employees greater opportunities to address the matter with such an elected official, he said. When we have this avenue for communication, we are going to be able to educate, and all sides are going to be able to educate each other, Chilcote said. We want to make sure every single student has the best learning environment possible. Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An excavators claw no one in local history circles saw coming leveled a house that records say was once the home of Henrietta Lacks, the Roanoke-born woman described as the mother of modern medicine. In a freakish stroke of bad timing, a local historian discovered the home standing vacant on a Hurt Park street, but city officials werent told of its significance in time to call off the demolition. Code enforcement officials did not know Lacks had lived in the American Foursquare house on Norfolk Avenue, which had become unsafe, said Dan Webb, codes compliance administrator. Nor did the owner. An excavator tore down the dwelling at 1102 Norfolk Ave. S.W., which was at least 95 years old, about four months before the start of the pandemic, The Roanoke Times found. Nelson Harris, an author of history books, pastor and former mayor, said he found the home never before associated with Lacks by discovering her fathers name in local residential records. Harris said he might have mentioned it to a few friends in passing, other history nerds like myself. Just looked like an old home in need of some attention, he said. Webb said his office placarded the front door with a bright yellow sign that read, THIS STRUCTURE IN UNSAFE in about March 2018. Below it officials tacked a copy of a letter to the owner, titled NOTICE OF UNSAFE STRUCTURE, he said. Harris said he saw no such warning notice when he was there, nor did he see any sign that Roanoke had condemned the home. One week after Harris first stopped by the house in September 2019, the city issued a building permit for its demolition, according to city records. Demolition followed in November. The previously unknown episode involving the house has jolted members of a local campaign organizing memorial tributes to Lacks. It blows my mind that it was there up until a few years ago, said Vice Mayor Trish White-Boyd, who was informed of the existence of the house and about its demolition in a Roanoke Times interview last month. Lacks lived in Roanoke from birth in 1920 to 1924, spending most of her short life elsewhere. At age 31, while living in Maryland, she entered the hospital of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore for treatment of cervical cancer, during which time doctors removed some of her cancerous cells. The first immortal cell line for medical research, valued by scientists worldwide to this day, was created with the cells from Lacks body. Due to their ability to divide endlessly in the laboratory, they provided an unparalleled platform for research, supported such breakthroughs as the development of the polio vaccine and made billions for industry. Lacks died that year. It would have taken about $75,000 to save the house, an owners representative said. A recently announced fundraiser to place a statue of Lacks in downtown where part of a plaza across from city hall was renamed in her honor last year raised $18,000 in about the first month of its existence toward a goal of collecting $140,000. The house did not stand in a local or national historic district; by law its demolition was assumed to have no negative impact on historical values, Webb said. Had an historic designation for that neighborhood been in place, a historic review would have occurred beforehand. However, such a review would have focused on historical significance from only an architectural standpoint. It would not have gotten into the historical importance of those who lived there, Webb said. Given the city staffs adherence to the rules, Webb said it would be up to the city council or city administration to grapple with whether the loss of Lacks former home requires any particular response from the city. Maybe, in the future, we should look a little bit further into some of these houses that we have to demolish, Webb said. Roanoke historian and school system employee Jordan Bell, who played no role in finding the house, insisted that Roanoke must embrace its history. Whenever I hear about something being torn down I cringe, Bell said. Thats exactly the reason right there. Donald Shovely, associate minister at Jerusalem Baptist Church, said he knew nothing about Lacks having lived at the address, which is next door to the church. As was the case with Webb, Shovely knew who Henrietta Lacks was, however. But at no time in Shovelys 64 years of attending Jerusalem Baptist did anybody mention Lacks lived that close as a child. Had the community known of Lacks tie to the home, Shovely asserted, the owner could have collected enough money to save it. The property owner, members of the Ferrell family, could have gotten the money free probably, Shovely said. But no one knew. For at least 10 years, historians and some local residents have known Lacks was born in the vicinity of Norfolk Avenue and 12th Street Southwest and that that house had been knocked down decades earlier. That came out in and after a 2010 book that broke the story of Lacks, her connection to Roanoke, the groundbreaking research performed with her HeLa cells and ethical issues raised by their use without her prior consent. With publication of the book, Roanoke learned in one breath that a city native had standing in the global scientific community but that her birth home no longer remained. In fact, another home almost as important was standing, according to city directories and real estate records. In her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, author Rebecca Skloot didnt mention a second family home a short distance away. Harriss discovery of the second family dwelling added little to Lacks overall life story, as she would have lived there only about a year or so before her parents moved her to another city in 1924. But for a city wishing to memorialize her place in local history, the second house represented a new point of local interest with appreciable qualities that the first residence, now part of Perry Park, could not. Harris decided he would mention the find to state officials responsible for approving historical markers. Now pending before state officials, a marker request Harris filed could receive approval later this year, he said. Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant in Roanoke on Aug. 1, 1920, Skloot learned from her birth certificate. The Roanoke city directory by publisher Hill Directory Co. in Richmond said John Pleasants, the name provided for Henriettas father with an s on the end, lived at 28 12th St. SW in 1920. This Hurt Park address, assumed to be where Loretta Pleasant was born, was demolished in about 1970. City directories of the era listed residences only by head of household. A person with a different name owned the 12th Street house, suggesting that the Pleasants rented. However, it was surely a family home, as shown by the 1920 census, which said eight children lived there even before little Loretta came along in late summer, according to Harris. The family size information agrees with information living family members. The recently demolished home sat about 350 feet to the southeast, also in Hurt Park. John Pleasants bought 1102 Norfolk Ave. S.W. in 1919 and posted it as collateral in April 1922 to support a $3,000 loan from the Peoples Perpetual Loan and Building Association, according to records recorded in Roanoke Circuit Court. A 1936 Roanoke Times article described the association as a local home-building enterprise that loaned money to home builders. By 1923 the Norfolk Avenue address had a dwelling on it and the Pleasants family lived there, according to that years city directory. The home where Lacks was believed to have been born, 28 12th St., was occupied by William Green, the city directory for 1923 said, suggesting the Pleasants had left. Real estate records dont give the purpose of the loan and its not possible to say for sure it was taken out to build the house. City records also say the recently demolished house was built in 1905, long before the Pleasants family lived in the neighborhood. In addition, while the city directory called the head of household Pleasants, the family called him Pleasant. The city directory listed his wife as Eliza, which matches family-provided information. One more point of confusion is that the directories of the 1920s listed 1102 Norfolk Ave. as 1100 Norfolk Ave. No one interviewed for this story knew the reason. Henrietta Lacks family members say her mom died in 1924 in connection with giving birth at home, according to published accounts. Her death prompted her husband, who city directories said worked as a railroad brakeman, to relocate his youngest children to the homes family members elsewhere. Lacks went to Clover near South Boston in Halifax County and is buried in that area. John Pleasants continued to appear in the annual city directory as the occupant of 1102 Norfolk Ave. through 1929. Along the way, Lorettas first name became Henrietta. Family members have told historians they dont recall the reason. Her last name changed in marriage. After Pleasants owned it, the Norfolk Avenue home changed hands in 1930, 1947, 1955, 1962, 1964, 1985 and 2009. Records identify the current owner as Mary Jean Ferrell and James Henry Ferrell, et al. Angelia Sanders of Roanoke, who identified Mary Jean Ferrell as her aunt, said in a recent interview that her aunt has never heard of Lacks. Nor had Sanders heard of her. Peeling exterior paint, rotted wood siding and decayed porch columns had brought the home to the citys attention. It needed a new roof, reconstruction of overhang extensions and chimney repair. The tax assessors office valued the home at $10,500 and the land, about one-sixth of an acre, about the same. In March 2018, code enforcement officials sent Ferrell a Notice of Unsafe Structure a copy of which was obtained by the Roanoke Times in which the city condemned the house and ordered that no one could live there. It would have been at least 95 years old at the time and, Sanders said, vacant for about 20 years. Knock it down or correct all violations, the citys letter told Ferrell. State law empowers municipalities to eliminate public nuisances, which include dangerous buildings, in their boundaries. Ferrell and other family members figured they needed $70,000 to $80,000, her niece said. Ferrell was trying to save the house. We worked with her for a good while, said Webb, the codes compliance administrator. Funds did not materialize. Nineteen and a half months after the notice was first issued to Ferrell, the four-bedroom house fell. This was a fairly straightforward demolition. The house was unsafe and in imminent danger of collapse, Webb said. In early January, Harris went out to check again on 1102 Norfolk Ave. his first time out there since 2019. The lot was vacant. I thought, what? What?, Harris said. I literally drove around the block saying, I know this house is here, I know this house is here. Then, no, its not. It is kind of sad that the two homes in which the family lived are no longer around, given her legacy and the fact that now as a city were trying to do something to recognize and honor that. But it is what it is at this point, Harris said. Tax officials have yet to subtract the value of the house from the assessed value of Ferrells property. Such an action would reduce the total value of the land-only parcel to $9,800. Ferrell has been billed for the demolition, which cost more than $20,000. Adding in fees, costs and late-payment penalties, she owes $34,824, according to the Roanoke treasurers office. Plus interest until paid. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The NRV Public Health Task Force and the American Red Cross have teamed up to host a community blood drive on Friday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Blue Ridge Church, at 1655 Roanoke St. in Christiansburg. The American Red Cross blood supply is at its lowest level in over 10 years, said Blacksburg Chief of Police Anthony Wilson. If the blood crisis continues, it can impact care delivery in every health care system in the region. All donors will receive a choice of an American Red Cross tote bag or T-shirt. Additionally, all donors who schedule an online appointment with a valid email address will receive a $10 Amazon gift card via email. From accident victims and cancer patients to premature babies, hospital patients rely on all of us to make sure blood is available to help those who need it, said Alan Fabian, chief executive officer of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. Your blood donation can help save the lives of many people. Our community needs you now. Donors of all blood types can make an appointment by visiting www.redcrossblood.org and clicking on Rapid Pass. When searching for the NRV Task Force blood drive, search by date and 24073 zip. - Submitted by Christopher Finley FOREST In 1993, Royce and Kathy Husted, with their four sons, moved from the Chicago area to a farm in rural Bedford County. Old Elkton Farm, a scenic plot of 115 acres of rolling hills, mountain views, wooded areas, a pond and Elk Creek trailing through, is, according to the family, the best place ever. Now, the land located along U.S. 221, not far from Forest Middle School, is forever protected through the Central Virginia Land Conservancy. Founded in 2003, CVaLC is a nonprofit organization that works with landowners in the Central Virginia region to preserve agricultural properties through voluntary agreements known as conservation easements. In 2019, the organization merged with Roanoke-based Blue Ridge Land Conservancy to cover a wider region. Land owners can approach the organization about an easement, but often, CVaLC reaches out to property owners through the mail, providing information about the option, said Jennifer Wills, program manager of CVaLC. Its significant for several reasons, Wills said of the easements. One is, its forever. When someone puts a conservation easement on their land, its in perpetuity, so whoever buys the land next is bound by the restrictions in that easement. Its permanently protected land. The Husteds decided to leave the Chicago area when urban development started to feel overwhelming and intrusive. It was developing like crazy, and we just didnt like the way you could hardly get out of your driveway. Everything changed, Royce said. We just had to get something a little more open and comfortable for our lifestyle. The family traveled around and explored their options, visiting California, and going all over the East Coast. Virginia always held the most appeal for them, and the couple chose to make Bedford County their new home. You have all the biodiversity in Virginia, Kathy said. And the winters are cold, but theyre not cold like we were in Illinois. We wont leave. We love it. Royce added they enjoyed the change of seasons in Virginia as well. Several years ago, the Husteds decided to pursue a conservation easement after learning some neighbors, who own about 120 acres in the area, had one. The easements help protect agriculture, viewsheds, waterways, open spaces, animals and other nature components, Wills said. Additionally, in the governments eyes, putting an easement on property is viewed as a type of donation, meaning the property owners are eligible for tax credits. Old Elkton Farm once totaled 600 acres, Royce said. Over time, the land was sold to developers until it was whittled down to the 115 acres he and Kathy purchased. When they moved in 28 years ago, the Husteds planted numerous trees. Sugar maples, willow oaks and other oak varieties are among those now thriving. Two miles of walking trails also have been created on the property, and some acreage is leased to a horse owner. Fish thrive in a lake on the property, and wild animals find a home on the land. Since finding their dream farm, Kathy has found a continual stream of inspiration from the property, with its wooded areas, mountain views and waterways. Royce, likewise, found the land ideal for continuing his career as an independent inventor. He has more than 100 patents under his belt, including for snow bikes back in the 1970s; a braking system for tractors and heavy equipment; the Gazelle Glider exercise machine; and the Zinger chair, an electric mobility chair designed to be more maneuverable and portable without requiring specialized vehicles and lift equipment. Royce converted the farms old dairy barn into a shop where he could continue inventing. Ive been using it for 28 years now, Royce said of the converted barn. In the Husteds agreement with the land conservancy, which was signed and took effect Dec. 27, 2021, a limited number of homes could be built on the property for instance, if any of their children wished to construct a home on the farm near their parents but the land cannot be converted into a high-density housing development like the growing number of such land uses along the U.S. 221 corridor. A buffer of trees will be maintained along the front of the property to protect the scenic view from the road. Water on the property will likewise be protected. In the Central Virginia region, CVaLC currently has about 20 easements covering 4,000 acres, Wills said. There is no minimum acreage requirement for an easement. A five-acre parcel in one place could be as important as 500 acres somewhere else. It depends on what is on the land and/or whats near the land, she said. Kathy and Royce said they will put up a sign on their property announcing its protected status, and Kathy said she hopes other land owners will see it and consider entering an easement as well. The Husteds said they are glad to know this land always will be protected from development. Were glad we did it. It was quite a project. It took over a year to get through, but were happy to do it, and we hope other people will decide to do it, too, Kathy said. The top lawyers at three public colleges in Virginia have left their jobs since Jason Miyares became attorney general, moves Democratic and higher education leaders say show Miyares using excessive influence. Miyares fired Tim Heaphy, counsel for the University of Virginia, and Brian Walther, counsel for George Mason University. And he removed Mike Melis, head lawyer for Virginia Commonwealth University, and assigned him to the Office of the Attorney General. These personnel decisions suggest colleges are being used as part of a political agenda, said Carl Tobias, law professor at the University of Richmond, a private school. Universities need to be free, open places and not be politicized by the appointment of counsel who are loyal to the attorney general but not loyal to the university, Tobias said. The job shuffling comes as Miyares and Gov. Glenn Youngkin have made changes to COVID vaccine mandates at state colleges. A directive from Youngkin ended the mandate for employees, and a legal opinion from Miyares led to colleges disbanding the mandate for students. Though college leaders seemed to oppose the end of mandates, they voiced little complaint. The firing and removing of college counsels reinforce the fact that state colleges have little recourse to oppose an administration, unlike K-12 school districts, which sued Youngkin over mask requirements. The message youre sending is you better watch out, said Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax. If you dont, the governor will yank you or the attorney general will yank you. College counsels arent just employees of their schoolsthey are employees of the attorney general. They serve at the pleasure of the attorney general, said Victoria LaCivita, spokesperson for Miyares. Its common practice for an incoming administration to appoint new staff that share the philosophical and legal approach of the new attorney general, she added. But its not common, professors and lawyers countered, for the changes to be made in such overtly political ways. There were potential political elements to the changes at UVA and George Mason. Heaphy was the top investigator for the House panel investigating the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Walther was replaced by the Anne Gentry, wife of Kevin Gentry, a GOP donor and executive for Koch Industries. LaCivita said Heaphys firing had nothing to do with the Jan. 6 investigation and that Walthers replacement, Anne Gentry, is plenty qualified. Gentry was associate counsel at George Mason. Alternate Headline: Interim Counsel chosen based off of seniority, LaCivita said via Twitter. Women are so much more than their husbands job. Miyares wanted counsels who share the philosophical and legal approach of the Attorney General, LaCivita said. She declined to explain why Melis was moved from VCU. Miyares named Jacob Belue interim counsel at VCU while a full-time replacement is found. Jasmine Yoon was named UVAs interim counsel. Miyares actions werent unprecedented or unlawful, said Jon Becker, professor of education at VCU. But the moves appear to be based on politics. Gentry is well qualified having served in that office for a long time, but the optics are not great if we care about making these decisions absent political considerations, Becker said. The governor already has a path to influencing state colleges, but its a longer, indirect one. A president leads a university, the president serves under a board of visitors, and the board is appointed by the governor. Subverting these paths, Keam said, sends a message to colleges they better fall in line behind the administration. Its rare, but not unprecedented, for college employees to be the target of political maneuverings. In 2010, Republican attorney general Ken Cuccinelli attempted to investigate Michael Mann, a climate researcher at the University of Virginia. In an affair known as Climategate, climate change skeptics used stolen emails to attempt to discredit scientists such as Mann. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Cuccinelli did not have the authority to make those demands. In the end, Keam said, Mann became a hero to the left for standing up for academic freedom. Stetson University law professor Peter Lake told the Daily Progress that politicians attempts to micromanage state universities have grown across the country. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered professors at the University of Florida to stop testifying as expert witnesses in lawsuits attacking new state election laws. The professors had expressed opinions that the law suppressed voting rights. A federal court judge overturned DeSantis order last week. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools said it would investigate this matter. Accreditation forbids undue influence by external people or bodies. But the association wont investigate the situation at UVA, the Daily Progress reported. In Alaska, Gov. Mike Dunleavy offered to minimize budget cuts to the University of Alaska if the college reduced spending in certain areas. The accreditor for the university said the governors actions may violate standards for independence. Ultimately, its difficult for a state college to push back against an administration, Tobias said. While there is a formula to determine a colleges funding, to some degree, schools are at the mercy of the governor and General Assembly. Theres likely nothing stopping a university from hiring its own counsel with its own money, Tobias said. But opposing an administration could still put a college in danger of losing funding. Gregory Washington, president of George Mason University, was one of the few administrators to speak out against the end of vaccine mandates. This is clearly not a ruling we wanted, he told The Washington Post, saying vaccine mandates were working well. Asked if George Mason has any recourse moving forward, a spokesperson for the university did not respond. NORWICH, Conn. (AP) A man died in a Connecticut police holding cell Friday, hours after he was arrested in Norwich on drug and gun possession charges, officials said. Prison bars (Vicki Cronis-Nohe) Brenton Chambers, 42, was arrested around 4:30 p.m. Thursday at a probation office at Norwich City Hall. His death was reported to state authorities around 3:30 a.m. Friday. Advertisement Chambers was being held pending a court appearance scheduled for Friday, Connecticut Inspector General Robert J. Devlin Jr. said. Devlins office and the state police are investigating Chambers death. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday. Advertisement Chambers was arrested Thursday after probation officials requested police to their office. The Norwich Bulletin reported that a police arrest report said Chambers had a gun and drugs heroin or fentanyl that was packaged for sale. The world is watching as Russia once again threatens democracy in Europe. Only a strong and resolute United States can provide the required leadership to preserve the democratic world order that underpins our national security. It is not enough for the U.S. to support just any form of tepid response. Sanctions alone have a history of failure. The current administration needs to be prepared to disprove a growing perception of lethargy and indecision and lead decisive and collective actions that will reassure any friend and deter any adversary. The last time the Russian Federation forcefully annexed a part of Ukraine was in 2014 when they occupied the Crimea. It was the first time since the end of the Second World War that a nation rewrote the map of Europe through aggressive military conquest. The United States, along with its European allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), effectively did nothing. The global lack of accountability in 2014 set the tone for a series of unfortunate actions that followed by an emboldened Russian Federation. Under the guise of the actions of nationalist separatists, Russia enabled the use of a sophisticated SA-11 surface-to-air missile to shoot down a civilian airliner. Everyone on board was killed. The western nations did little more than protest. In an ongoing intervention, the Russians deployed their military to Syria to support the murderous, illegitimate regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Consequently, the Assad regime survived a popular pro-democratic uprising in Syria with the aid of Russian airpower and the commission of acts that could only be called war crimes. Again, the western allies and partners did what ultimately amounted to nothing. Instead, the United States opted for more diplomatically and politically ambiguous stances declaring red lines and then failing to enforce them while innocent people, many of them children, fell victim to the use of outlawed weapons of mass destruction, among other heinous crimes. Events in 2017 marked a turning point when the United States finally responded meaningfully to the Assad regime in a successful punitive strike after learning of a confirmed use of nerve gas against innocent civilians. When the Assad regime tested American resolve again in 2018 by using chemical weapons against civilians once more, the United States and its European allies responded even more forcefully. The use of weapons of mass destruction against civilians hasnt happened again. Also in 2018, the United States faced a Russian government backed mercenary organization the Wagner Group in one of the bloodiest single battles since the American military deployed to fight ISIS. Reminiscent of the darkest days at the height of the cold war, Americans found themselves facing Russians directly in plausibly deniable combat. Some 500 mercenaries and pro-Assad fighters, equipped with armored vehicles and light artillery, descended upon a small team of American commandos and local pro-democratic forces at a small outpost in Syria. Indisputably aware of the presence of U.S. forces, Russia declined to stop the attack. The American troops were forced to defend themselves. Aided by a strong presence of U.S. airpower, the pro-regime forces and Russian mercenaries retreated. Nearly 200-300 attackers were killed during this act of collective self-defense. The United States suffered zero casualties. The outcome sent a clear message America was strong, committed, and steadfast. The U.S. government could still act decisively in the defense of its interests, its warriors, and its partners. In 2019, the United States military successfully deployed special operations forces into Syria to eliminate Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the most dangerous terrorist in the world. In 2020, the United States successfully carried out a surgical drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the second most dangerous terrorist in the world. By 2020, the physical ISIS caliphate, which had viciously carved a brutal pseudo-state the size of Britain out of the heart of the Middle East, was finally destroyed. The dramatic improvement in the national security environment in the short span of a few years came from a reinvigorated American commitment to act decisively to defend its interests and core values. The accurately perceived strengthening of American resolve effectively created a safer world for those who believe in the inalienable rights of all people. Russias recent actions in Eastern Europe and even North Koreas resuming of testing ballistic missiles, validate that when there is a referendum on strength verse weakness, and people elect weakness, it sends a strong statement to the world. Much like the transition between the Carter and the Reagan administrations, a strong, steadfast United States can deter aggression and create preconditions for the spread of democratic values. The converse is also true. The measure of our collective commitment, represented by the actions of our elected leaders, either invites aggression or promotes peace through strength. Tragic events in the last year have created the perception that the United States may again lack the resolve to act and to lead decisively when our values are challenged. As history has shown, appeasement or tolerance of the use of force to advance undemocratic ambitions leads to a more unstable and dangerous world for everyone, everywhere. The underpinning of the United States national security is our duty to act in the defense of the democratic values that Americans should hold sacred. As President John F. Kennedy articulated, the foundation of American security is the commitment to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty. It should be the obligation of the United States and the European allies who share our values, to stand firm in the face of naked expansionist ambition and be willing to act meaningfully to protect and support Ukraine, a nation that has embraced western-style liberal democratic values and has petitioned for NATO membership. A world that is allowed to become dangerous to our values becomes dangerous to our people. The eyes of the world, hopeful and hostile, are on us. If the United States shows the resolve to stand firm and act decisively, then we will be taking an important small step towards ensuring that the ever growing free world we inherited from the greatest generation will be alive and well to pass on to the children of the next generation. Roanoke native Annie LeHardy, a Hidden Valley High School graduate, is the former deputy director for communications to first lady Melania Trump. LeHardy previously served as the principal assistant press secretary to President Donald Trump. In her four years at the White House, she served in numerous positions on the press teams in both the West Wing and the Office of the First Lady. Legislation that appears to take a gentler approach to crime can be a tough sell, especially this year in Virginia, with a newly installed Republican governor and Republican majority in the House of Delegates. Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, offered his own pro-law enforcement stance during a virtual press conference last month outlining Democratic legislative priorities. The last thing were doing is defunding the police the opposite, in fact, he said. Youre not going to get good people unless theyre properly funded. Nonetheless, Edwards stumped for a set of justice system reforms that, viewed politically, fall somewhere toward the progressive end of the spectrum which would seem to imperil their chances in the House of Delegates, and make it unlikely that Gov. Glenn Youngkin will pull his signing pen out of its stand. Still, they are interesting to discuss, intriguing grist for thought. One bill he touted would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except for aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer. (With the death penalty abolished in Virginia as of March 2021, aggravated murder is the new legal term for the murder charge that carries the harshest possible punishment. A conviction for aggravated murder of a police officer entails an automatic life sentence.) Edwards reasoning for eliminating mandatory minimums is straightforward. We have sentencing guidelines that judges are trained to follow, he said. Judges, by looking at the facts of the case, can best decide what the proper sentence should be. Mandatory sentencing runs against that concept, that philosophy. Those who support efforts like Edwards argue that mandatory minimums dont deter crime and that in practice they result in disproportionately longer prison sentences for Black offenders. Nonpartisan advocacy group Justice Forward Virginia dates our states use of mandatory minimum sentences back to 1968, though many of the mandatory punishments on the books were adopted in the 1990s, when both major parties vied for the title of toughest on crime. Republican Gov. George Allen won election in 1994 on promises to increase mandatory minimums, pass a three-strikes-and-youre-out bill making a third violent felony conviction an automatic life sentence and, most famously, abolish parole. All of those things came to pass during his watch. Longtime Richmond Times-Dispatch political journalist Jeff Schapiro has suggested with tongue planted in cheek that based on the confrontational leadership style demonstrated in the first month of his administration, Youngkin is the second coming of George Allen. Should that analogy hold true, it bodes ill for any attempt to get rid of mandatory minimums. Another of Edwards bills would revise the standards that apply to barrier crimes criminal convictions that legally disqualify a person from holding certain jobs. Virginias laws are considered especially harsh compared to other states. For example, someone with a drug conviction in their youth is barred with no possibility of appeal from working as a professional substance abuse counselor, even if theyve undergone successful recovery and had their life together for decades. This particular problem harms more than just the applicant, as in that field clients respect the word of peers who have firsthand knowledge of their ordeals. They can serve better because of their experience, Edwards said. The commission is recommending that we at least give people a chance to have an appeals process to get a waiver in certain categories. Edwards also seeks to raise the maximum age at which youth committing offenses fall under the jurisdiction of state juvenile and domestic relations courts, changing the cutoff from 18 years of age to 21. The principle behind this has science as a guide, as Edwards explained. Researchers have studied, over the years, the brain, he said. We know where judgment is in the brain. Its up here in the subfrontal lobe. It doesnt mature until 21, 24 or 25. Thus people between ages 21 and 25 cant truly be called fully mature. A 19-year-olds not the same as a 29-year-old, he said. Young adults have a tendency to be impetuous. They have poor judgment. Often, they take risks more regularly, theyre peer-oriented, they do whatever the peers want to do. The juvenile courts are best able to deal with delinquents under 21, like we used to do thats a reference to the era prior to 1971, when across the country 21 was considered the age of legal adulthood. That changed with the ratification of the 26th Amendment that granted 18-year-olds the right to vote, a response to the military draft during the Vietnam War and the slogan old enough to fight, old enough to vote. This view that brain development should be taken into account for defendants in their early 20s has support from the National Institute of Justice, which is the research, development and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. Many young people who offend at ages 18-20, which brings them into the adult justice system, would have been likely to desist naturally in the next few years, states a 2014 report. Developmental studies of late adolescence and early adulthood do not support the notion that there is any naturally occurring break in the prevalence of offending at age 18. This argument about brain development might seem like a bolt from the blue, but its not new. More than a decade ago, as the Virginia State Crime Commission studied the utility of trying juveniles as adults for certain serious crimes, neuropsychologist Vincent Culotta argued that the justice system should take brain biology and psychology into account in deciding to what degree a teen can be held responsible for a crime. At the time his words received a cold reception from state legislators on the commission. In April 2020, with Democrats in control of state government, the standard for automatically trying juveniles as adults finally budged, with the minimum age raised from 14 to 16. That new law did not eliminate the ability of prosecutors to charge 14- and 15-year-olds as adults, but theyre now required to review a report about the teen compiled by court services before they pursue that option. Edwards age of delinquency bill, a natural follow-up measure deserving of discussion, might be arriving a year too late. " " Chocolate is the one of the most beloved foods on Earth. Diana Miller/Getty Images Love chocolate? You're not alone. In fact, the industry boasts a stunning worldwide value of more than $131 billion [source: Markets & Markets]. Whether you yearn for gourmet truffles, a gas station candy bar or a confection somewhere in between, some sort of chocolate-flavored product is likely your Achilles heel. Indeed, chocolate is so beloved that some people wind down a long, stressful day with a bit of chocolate rather than a glass of wine or a beer. Although chocolate has been consumed since at least 1500 B.C.E., the way it's enjoyed today is a huge departure from how the original chocoholics tried it. Mesoamericans, who were the first to crack the potential of the cacao bean, simply fermented, roasted and then ground the beans to produce a bitter beverage. No sweeteners, no added sugar, just beans. The taste is fairly akin to taking a bite of today's unsweetened baking chocolate. Although it might not sound like such a delicacy, cacao drinks were often enjoyed on celebratory occasions, or to show one's status in society [source: Garthwaite]. Advertisement Europeans later added sugar and milk, but they were still drinking chocolate instead of eating it until the Industrial Revolution. If entrepreneurs hadn't figured out how to process it further to make it easier to eat (and less expensive), chocolate might never have morphed into the pervasive treat that it is today. Can you imagine? Americans eat up to 12 pounds (5 kilograms) of chocolate every year, but they aren't the winners by far when it comes to chocolate consumption that honor goes to the Swiss, who wolf down 22 pounds (10 kilograms) a year [source: World Atlas of Chocolate]. Next up, let's dive a little deeper into the sticky sweet history of chocolate. " " Saavik (portrayed by Kirstie Alley) is faced with a moral dilemma when she's contacted by the freighter the Kobayashi Maru. She must choose between rescuing its crew, a decision that would put Saavik's own ship at risk and potentially starting a war, or leaving the crew to die. StarTrek A half-Vulcan Starfleet cadet is faced with a moral dilemma. While commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise, Saavik (portrayed by Kirstie Alley) is contacted by the Kobayashi Maru, a civilian freighter that's struck a mine and lost all power. The situation is dire. Without assistance, those stranded souls are as good as dead. Yet the accident occurred in the Neutral Zone, an area of space dividing the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Rescuing this crew means entering the Zone, a decision that would put Saavik's own ship at risk and potentially start a war. But can she bear the thought of letting innocent people suffer and die on her watch? Saavik decides she can't. She orders the Enterprise into the Zone, violating a critical treaty. That provokes an immediate attack from Klingon warships. Within minutes, Saavik loses her vessel and its crew. And the worst may be yet to come. So begins the 1982 blockbuster "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Saavik, we soon learn, has just taken Starfleet's hardest training exercise. Simply called the Kobayashi Maru, it's a simulation that puts future commanders in a classic "no-win scenario." Or at least, it's supposed to. The audience is told a certain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) was the only person to actually "beat" the Kobayashi Maru test albeit, on his third try. How'd he do it? Well, by all accounts, Capt. Kirk cheated. Advertisement Winning a No-win Scenario "Star Trek" has been a playground for philosophers ever since the original series launched Sept. 8, 1966. Introduced in "Wrath of Khan," the Kobayashi Maru is what ethicists might call a "trolley problem." When the only way to save some lives is by sacrificing others, what's the morally correct thing to do? Most of us would try to find a loophole. When young Kirk didn't just find one, he invented one. "I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship," he tells a curious Saavik. "I changed the conditions of the test, got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose." Neither does his counterpart in the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot. This "Star Trek" shows Chris Pine playing an alternate-reality Kirk who bests the Kobayashi Maru with the same trick only this time, he's reprimanded instead of rewarded. Both iterations of the character swear they "don't believe" in no-win scenarios. Obviously, we can't pick the brain of a fictional space captain, but we can talk to a lifelong Trekkie: "Star Trek" superfan Jessie Earl, who contributes to The Advocate magazine and explores the history of the "Star Trek" franchise on her YouTube channel. "Perhaps the biggest misconception about the test [speaks to] the mythos surrounding Capt. Kirk's solution to the problem," Earl says via email. As she explains, Kirk thinks "there is always a way out of a no-win scenario, even if it involves cheating. Starfleet itself, as well as many Trek fans, praise Kirk's ingenious solution to the test." " " A soldier with the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade assesses weapons systems. The force-on-force Kobayashi Maru exercise simulation gives soldiers an opportunity to develop cyber skills while operating alongside their civilian and sister service colleagues. U.S. Army Advertisement To Boldly ... Cheat? Good old Kirk has a real talent for thinking outside the box. By reprogramming the Kobayashi Maru, he avoided all the horrible outcomes it was designed to present. Choosing between two bad options isn't always a necessity in real life. Americans love a good story about innovators who when confronted by an unfair or narrow-minded industry simply changed the rules to get ahead. Oscar-winning films like "The Social Network" (2010) and 2014's "The Imitation Game" arguably fall into that genre. Heist movies have a similar appeal. Off-screen, we needn't condone cheating, but there's always something to be said for creativity. Inspired by the Kobayashi Maru, Gregory Conti and James Caroland of the U.S. armed forces once encouraged their own IT students to cheat on an upcoming, one-question math quiz. But there was a caveat: Anyone caught cheating by the proctors would receive a failing grade. That got everybody's creative juices flowing. One student painstakingly wrote the correct answer on a soda can. Another hid it in the near-exact duplicate of a textbook cover they'd made. Sometimes, cheating is hard work. Advertisement A Test of Character Getting back to Kirk, in the 2009 movie, he justifies cheating on the Kobayashi Maru by claiming the test "itself is a cheat" since it was "programmed to be unwinnable." Like the old proverb says, turnabout is fair play. The problem, according to Earl, is that Kirk's solution "costs him an important lesson ... that there are some situations where you just can't get away unscathed." "Humans are an incredibly binary-oriented species," she says. "No-win scenarios force us to acknowledge that often, there is no right or wrong answer, only differing answers with different results and consequences." Pines' Kirk called the Kobayashi Maru unwinnable, but winning it was never the objective. "Wrath of Khan" posits that the test's real value lies in the way it forces Starfleet cadets to face death. Spock, as played by Zachary Quinto, repeats this sentiment in the 2009 film. "The Kobayashi Maru is not at all about competence at technical skills, but a test of character," Earl says. Leonard Nimoy's Spock proves his own mettle late in "Star Trek II." A showdown with the villainous Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) leaves the Enterprise crippled and well within range of a devastating explosive. At the cost of his own life, Spock enters an irradiated engine room and makes the repairs necessary for his crewmates to escape. "I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now," the dying Vulcan muses to Kirk. "What do you think of my solution?" Advertisement Final Takeaways "The entirety of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan's plot is actually a rejection of Kirk's disbelief in a no-win scenario," opines Earl. "While Kirk's unwillingness to accept defeat allows him to continually push himself even in the most desperate of situations it sometimes makes him unwilling to sacrifice anything." His tenacity has merit. Yet Spock's heroic death leaves a grieving Kirk to reconsider his philosophy. Though the Enterprise gets the better of Khan, it'd be hard to call the end result a "win." "When weighing decisions, we must directly confront the ramifications of our actions," Earl says. "And the job of a leader is to understand that you hold the responsibility for others' lives in [your] hands." Now That's Intimidating There's a rumor that Khan's massive, gratuitously exposed chest muscles in "Star Trek II" were prosthetic. Don't believe it. The pecs were real; Montalban was in fantastic shape for a guy who turned 62 in the year of the film's release. Attention, farmers, after April 1 you will be required to show your SCATE card, issued by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, to be eligible for agriculture sales tax exemption. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture is rolling out a handy new card for farmers to use for agricultural sales tax exemptions. As many farmers know, South Carolina state law offers several sales tax exemptions for items used in agricultural production. For many years, farmers have had to fill out a paper form, the ST-8F, to receive these exemptions. But after April 1, farmers must instead show their SCATE (South Carolina agricultural tax exemption) card to retailers to demonstrate they are eligible for these exemptions. The program is similar to Georgias GATE card, but unlike in Georgia, South Carolina users do not need to meet a minimum farm income threshold to be eligible. Its important to understand that state law is not changing. Farmers will still be able to receive the same exemptions as before. There will be a price for the SCATE card. A SCATE card costs $24 and is good for three years. You can apply for your SCATE card starting Feb. 1, using the online portal at scatecard.com. You must apply and pay online; there is no paper application. Youll need the following information in order to apply: Taxpayer ID Number personal [SSN] or business [FEIN] Valid email address Credit card or bank account number Questions about SCATE? Contact the South Carolina Department of Agriculture at scate@scda.sc.gov or 803-734-2210. For questions specifically about tax exemptions, you can email the South Carolina Department of Revenue at FarmExemption@dor.sc.gov. You can also read the FAQs at scatecard.com. If you want in-person support, Clemson Extension agent Bethany Funkhouser will be hosting a workshop on how to apply and pay online. On February 10, Clemson Extension will be hosting a SCATE Card Workshop at ArborOne Farm Credit, 900 Woody Jones Blvd. Florence, SC 29501. There will be a representative from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture via Zoom to explain the details of the SCATE card. They will also walk through the process of applying. A representative from the South Carolina Department of Revenue will also be joining via Zoom to answer questions. Afterward, we will assist individuals with applying, so please bring your smartphone, tablet, and/or laptop for assistance. The cost of the workshop is $5 and light refreshments will be provided. Please call 843-393-0484 to pre-register. We understand that you may want to attend but cant come in person and we are offering accommodations by allowing individuals to join via Zoom. When registering please let us know if you need those accommodations. If you have any questions, please contact 843-944-8584 or bnf@clemson.edu. Growers meeting to attend The cucurbit pre-plant meeting will take place in Blackville on Feb. 8. There will also be a two-part online cucurbit meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10 & 17 at 6 p.m. Register for these meetings to get your critical grower information by going to scgrower.com. While you are there check out the blogs and sign up to receive the newsletter on all the major grower updates happening around the state. We also hope to see everyone out at the Center Pivot Irrigation Workshop and Tradeshow at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center on Pocket Road in Florence on Feb. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Workshop presentation topics include an introduction to Clemson Extensions new Center Pivot Irrigation Test Program, cost-share opportunities through the Natural Resource Conservation Service, energy-saving incentives, and irrigation scheduling techniques. Door prizes include a sprinkler package from Komet, an endgun from Komet, a sprinkler package from Nelson, a Mister Mistr from Agri-Inject/W.P. Law, CPIT assessments from Clemson Extension, and more. Certified crop adviser (CCA) credits will be offered. You must pre-register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/center-pivot-irrigation-in-sc-workshop-and-tradeshow-florence-sc-tickets-244632942717 The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer. In civil rights circles, its not uncommon to hear people say, Justice delayed is justice denied, particularly when it comes to recent shootings and deaths of Black men across America. This phrase, a legal maxim attributed to 19th-century British statesman William Gladstone, led my father, a longtime Georgia columnist, to paraphrase it when considering how government doesnt seem to work well these days. Government delayed is government denied, he suggested. What most Americans want is a government at all levels which stands for a fair and impartial functioning of our nation, and for the just execution of the laws it has passed, he wrote in late January. Back in the 50s and 60s, the Eisenhower and Kennedy years, people had a 75 percent trust in government. But these days, no matter the party, people have less than a 25 percent trust in government. That got me to think about how government, an unwieldy process sometimes likened to making sausage, often seems to be stalled from doing much thats meaningful at all. Here are two examples just this week: State senators continued to debate whether to approve the so-called Compassionate Care Act, a proposal pushed for eight years by state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, to allow people ailing from epilepsy, cancer and more to use legal cannabis to relieve major pain and suffering. While Davis says its the most conservative medical marijuana proposal in the country, opposition remains and the bill seems like its being talked to death. After eight years. Next, theres a renewed call for South Carolina legislators to pass a hate crimes law. The Palmetto State and Wyoming are the only two states in the union to not have such a measure. In a state that spawned a racist hopped up on internet hate who gunned down nine people praying in a Charleston church, its not too much to ask lawmakers to criminalize hate. And if they want to go further, they can wake up and close the gun loophole that allowed the murderer to buy the pistol used in the slayings more than six years ago. With both cases, the people are waiting for government to act. In Washington, its no different as Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate seem to be in a continuing game of one-upmanship simply to score points, not do much to help regular people. Notes my father in his column: Because of the 50-50 split between the parties in the Senate, Republicans are stalling with all their might, not allowing even simple bills to get to the floor. President Bidens plan to bolster many aspects of our government, such as passing a voting improvement plan, and items to bolster our infrastructure, are turned back by Republican shenanigans. The main obstructionist in all this is Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who by his use of his Senate rules has already changed the way the Supreme Court is now made up. McConnell has said that Senate Republicans will offer no legislative agenda before the 2022 elections and that he is 100 percent focused on stopping Biden. That in itself seems to be another way to say government denied. And now can McConnell block another Supreme Court nomination? National, state and local governments dont need to rush things and create bad legislation that may lead to unintended, harmful consequences. But they need to talk with each other, collaborate and work on problems, not just obstruct, obfuscate and slither. South Carolina has myriad challenges that need serious attention better teacher pay, proven education programs that fill big gaps, access to health care for more of our neighbors, tax fairness and comprehensive tax reform. Our states ethics laws need to be updated to stop giving unfair advantages to legislators. Our governments are supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people. These days, the first two seem to be broken so they often are of little help. We can do better. Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com. "Faithful Execution in the Fifty States" | Main | Sentencing court's "abandonment of impartiality and unwillingness to follow the law" prompts reversal and rebuke This AP article, headlined "Judge says Idaho governor cant veto clemency for condemned man," reports on a new state ruling concerning who has capital commutation authority in the Gem State. Here are some of the details: A judge says Idahos governor doesnt have the power to veto a clemency recommendation by the states parole board for a terminally ill man who was expected to be executed this year. The ruling from 2nd District Judge Jay Gaskill on Friday says putting Gerald Pizzuto Jr. to death would be illegal and so the court wont issue a death warrant a required document before an execution can occur. Gov. Brad Littles office vowed to appeal. Pizzuto, 66, has been on death row for more than three decades after being convicted for the July 1985 slayings of two gold prospectors at a cabin north of McCall. He was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection last year, but after a clemency hearing the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole voted 4-3 to recommended that Pizzutos sentence be changed to life in prison. The board cited Pizzutos poor health he has terminal bladder cancer, heart disease and diabetes as well as decreased intellectual function and said commutation would be an act of mercy. Little, however, rejected the recommendation and said he wouldnt commute Pizzutos sentence. Little noted the man committed the Idaho slayings shortly after being released from prison in Michigan, where he had been convicted of rape. Pizzutos attorneys with the Federal Defender Services of Idaho went to court, with attorney Jonah Horwitz arguing last month that while Idahos Constitution gives the governor the power to grant temporary reprieves from execution, it stops far short of allowing the governor to override the parole boards commutation recommendation. Attorneys for the state had argued a phrase added by amendment in 1986 to the relevant section of the constitution, only as provided by statute, meant that the Legislature could modify the way commutation and parole powers are carried out. Deputy Attorney General LaMont Anderson told Gaskill during oral arguments that the Legislature had done exactly that in a state law that said the parole board could recommend commutation, but the governor must approve. In Fridays ruling, Gaskill said the final decision on commuting a sentence rests with the parole board and not the governor. If the drafters intended to allow the governor to have the power of commutation, which is greater than the power to grant respites and reprieves, the drafters could have specifically stated this, Gaskill said, pointing out that the constitutions of several other states including Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Pennsylvania do explicitly give commutation power to the governor. The judge also noted that the section of Idahos Constitution detailing the parole and commutation powers had been amended a few times throughout the states history most recently in 1986 but none of the amendments gave full commutation authority to the governor.... In an emailed statement, the governors office said the decision was the ruling of one judge, and said Little had followed the constitution and state law as written. Governor Little will challenge this ruling because the state must have the ability to carry out the death penalty as ordered by the court in this case, the office said. Pizzuto was convicted of rape, robbery and four brutally gruesome murders. This matter is now left for a higher court to ultimately decide. Employers and employees may have reason to look forward to a more normal 2022. The start of the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic is marked by a sharp downturn in the omicron variant that spiked across the world in December. With a sharp decline in January and February, employers could start returning to the workplace, although thats far from certain. Advertisement Top Workplaces 2022 Executives at several companies who believed theyd return by the end of 2021 have put off plans until later this year or are mum about their plans to avoid announcing changes later. For the annual Top Workplaces recognition program, recognition gives employees credit for what they create, raises the profile of your business or organization and lets prospective employees see that your workplace stands out. Advertisement Adams & Knight, a marketing agency in Avon that was a Top Workplace in 2021, capitalized on the designation. It grew during the pandemic, crediting the success of its clients that include health care and financial services. In the past 14 or 15 months, it added five to its staff of 51, bolstering its interactive team, account services and other areas. There was a huge need to communicate and get out messages, said Reem Nouh, senior vice president of strategic services at Adams & Knight. How to get the vaccine, how to stay safe, how to get care. There was a continued need to get the message out there. Nouh, who also heads culture and brand experience at Adams & Knight, said the Top Workplaces designation is particularly important to her because its closer to the culture and brand experience. Its coming from our employees and our team members, she said. That designation means even more. To be a Top Workplace, any organization with 50 or more employees in Hartford, Middlesex, New London, Tolland and Windham counties is eligible to participate. They may be public or private, nonprofit organizations or government agencies. Workplaces are evaluated by their employees using a 24-question survey. Companies will be surveyed during February through May. Nouh said Adams & Knight is using the Top Workplaces designation to recruit employees. Advertisement They want to be part of Adams & Knight. They stay because of the culture, she said. This designation helps reinforce that from a credible third party. News @3 Daily Catch up on the days top headlines sent directly to your inbox weekdays at 3 p.m > The Top Workplaces designation also helps attract clients, Nouh said. Energage, the projects research partner, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 61 markets and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in 2021. The first nomination deadline is March 11, and publication will be in September. Nominations must be posted at https://www.courant.com/nominate. Alternatively, the phone number for nominations is 860-256-4476. Last year, 817 organizations were invited and 82 were surveyed. Fifth-eight winners were recognized. Advertisement The number of employees represented by organizations that were surveyed numbered 34,079. Of that, 30,116 were invited to take the survey and 16,119 responded. Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com. DES MOINES -- While pork producers are concerned about the consequences of Proposition 12 in California, there is still the possibility the situation will somehow get resolved. California is the fifth largest economy in the world and it holds 12% of the U.S. population. Those are heavy pork consumers, folks, said Cody McKinley of the National Pork Producers Council. McKinley moderated a panel discussion on the subject during the Iowa Pork Congress Jan. 26. Joining him was Michael Formica, an attorney with NPPC, who talked about the legal issues surrounding Prop 12. The proposition, which was passed as a ballot initiative by California voters in 2018, has not yet been implemented. A California court ruled last week that implementation should be delayed by six months after regulations are finalized. Formica said opponents of Prop 12 have taken the case to the United States Supreme Court but do not know yet if the court will take up their case. Between those court cases, Formica said there is the possibility the proposition could be overturned or limited by the courts. The major legal question is in regards to interstate commerce. The California proposal would not only put space requirements on pork production in California but would ban the sale of products sold in the state that were not produced in facilities that meet the required space provisions. That would impact pork producers across the country. There is a similar proposal in Massachusetts that pork producers are also watching, Formica said. Question 3 in Massachusetts was approved by voters there in 2016, but before the end of the year the legislature extended implementation until Aug. 15 and moved jurisdiction from the state attorney generals office to the state Department of Agriculture. If Prop 12 does end up becoming law as is, some packing plants will likely work with farmers to meet the requirements of that market, which would mean certifying that a certain amount of space is allowed for all breeding stock. That could lead to more open pen gestation because all gilts over six months of age that could be breeding stock would require 24 square feet of space. Stalls could still be used for farrowing, but changes would need to be made to most breeding facilities. The total cost per pig might be in the range of $5, according to Kent Bang of Compeer Financial, who joined Formica for last weeks session. But he said the move could also lead to increased sow mortality as animals fight, and fewer pigs born alive due to embryo loss. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 KIRON, Iowa -- In talking about his new book, "Walking Through the Fire," former Republican Rep. Steve King has a constant refrain: He's not a sore loser. "I was so careful to write it without sour grapes being a component of it," King said of the biographical work, which largely focuses on fallout from a 2019 New York Times interview in which he seemed to defend white supremacy. The episode, which set off a national firestorm, contributed to the end of the outspoken conservative's 18-year career in Congress, representing western Iowa. "There's no sour grapes written in this book," King reiterated near the end of a recent interview with The Journal. "It's not in my head or heart. I have a fulfilling life." Swamp things Within the first chapter of "Walking Through the Fire," which is a phrase reworked from the late conservative journalist and commentator Andrew Breitbart, King calls Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, who beat him in the 2020 GOP primary, an "off-the-shelf state senator." King accuses Trip Gabriel, the New York Times reporter who interviewed King for the 2019 story, of being a race baiter. And, he labels House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who led the decision to strip King of all his committee assignments in the aftermath of The Times story, a "classic narcissistic abuser" and a "witch hunter." "I thought I was too gentle, honestly and objectively. I thought I was too gentle with them, given what they had done," King said an interview with The Journal. "I didn't think I was being harsh with Randy Feenstra at all...He was about number five on their list of candidates that they tried to recruit...but he took the bait and so I don't know how you describe it any more gently than off the shelf." No sour grapes. In Chapter 2 of his book, King admits to taking glee with former Gov. Terry Branstad potentially being glum at a 2016 Iowa Caucus victory party because Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who the Republican governor opposed, won that night. Bruce Rastetter, an Iowa businessman and longtime major Branstad donor, gets characterized as a "hatchet man" in the same stretch. According to King, Rastetter once tried to recruit him to run against long-serving Sen. Chuck Grassley, but later turned to finding potential opponents for King. "Its the breadth and the depth of the swamp. I just don't think people can see it from where they sit. I couldn't see it even from where I sat until that whole thing unfolded on me," King said of the book's central thesis. King's personal website states: "Congressman King was targeted with a well-orchestrated 'hit' by the Leftist media and Republican establishment. His crime: warning his constituents and his colleagues that Western Civilization was under assault." Whiteout While attempting to recontextualize the New York Times interview where he said: "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization how did that language become offensive?" King brings up several white nationalists and white supremacists who have been mentioned in discussions about him. On David Duke, a former head of the Ku Klux Klan and purveyor of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, King wrote "I am convinced (he) is being subsidized by the Left to create mischief for the right." Asked about that claim in the Journal interview, King alleged: "that was written in a tongue-in-cheek tone" and then said "they trot David Duke out constantly and try to paint any conservative Republican as somehow having an association, affiliation or ideology that might reflect David Duke." "They" Further into the interview, Kings said "They manufacture stories, they've taken things out of context. They embellished things that didn't have any substance to acknowledge." When asked who "they" is, King replied: "That would be, of course, all the forces on the left, but on the Republican side, it would be the elitists, the establishment, the never-Trumpers, the globalists, those folks that are part of the structure." A 2018 Atlantic article finds the phrase "globalist" or "globalism" being used early on in reference to Adolf Hitler's war aims. More recently, the phrase has been a go-to for figures such as former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and Alex Jones, who has been sued for spreading false claims about the Sandy Hook massacre of 20 children and six staff members. When asked if he had any reservations about using a term common to Alex Jones' radio show, King said in part: "Listen carefully to the message and read the words and put it within the context...Never ever associate someone because even one word matched...You cannot tie somebody else's ideology together." In Chapter 15 of the book, King references writer Ajah Hales comparing his words about U.S. birth rates to that of neo-Nazi David Lane, who participated in the murder of Jewish radio host Alan Berg. "We need to recognize these people like Hales are as sick and obsessed as the Lanes are." Asked in the Journal interview about that passage, King said: "That was just a comparison to show people what's going on or to emphasize the important values that I want people to draw from this book." Though he doesn't name him directly in the book, King also relates the time he got in trouble for sharing a Breitbart article a "British fellow" tweeted out. The man in question, Mark Collett, turned out to have had a past of making anti-Semitic remarks, including espousing the idea that pornography is a Jewish conspiracy meant to topple Christianity. "I had no idea who the guy was," King writes in the book. "He at least never served as the Exalted Cyclops (a KKK reference) of anything, and his facts were straight." When asked if there should be cases where the messenger and message should not be separated, King said in the interview: "I don't think it's valid. At all. What I say I stand up for. What somebody else says, I'm not accountable for that." Out on a limb When not talking about controversial figures he's been related to, or opining on a "growing Hispanic presence" what he calls a "real threat" to a single language and common culture, King offers up a few details about more personal matters in his own life. King credits his father, Emmett King, as the reason he is "the one to crawl farthest out on the limb of controversy." He said Emmett was rigid on principle: "He said, 'Here's the Constitution. It is the supreme law of the land. The rest of the laws are written within the framework of this Constitution, all the way down through the state and the local levels and ordinances. And your options are: You can abide by these laws. Or if you disagree, then you can go lobby your legislator or run for office.'" Early on in the book, King talks about a time, before he started his family's decades-old construction company in Kiron, that he had an opportunity to work on a project near the Trans-Alaska Pipeline for what today would be $65 an hour. Ultimately, King didn't go and part of the reason is attributed to overreaching environmentalists in the 1970s. Miracle in Tanzania On May 6, 2017, when a school bus accident killed 36 people and severely injured three children in Tanzania. A 13-year-old girl named Sadhia, another 13-year-old girl named Doreen and a 12-year-old boy named Wilson survived but sustained severe injuries. Knowing that the young patients required medical treatment not available in Tanzania, Dakota Dunes-based surgeon, Dr. Steve Meyer, who runs a a local humanitarian organization that works in the east-African nation, began working his contacts to secure use of a medical evacuation plane to the United States. One of those contacts was King. The three children eventually made it to MercyOne hospital in Sioux City, where they received extensive medical treatment and survived. Once they made it back to their home country, Meyer, as well as King, went to visit. In "Walking Through the Fire," King has incredibly fond language about the day. "If I am stricken by Alzheimers and destined to lose my memories one at a time, let this cherished day in my memory be the last to go." In the same chapter, King tells that story, he wonders if he would've even been able to help out with the Miracle Kids had he been forced out of office sooner for his numerous controversies. Jared McNett is an online editor and reporter for the Sioux City Journal. You can reach him at 712-293-4234 and follow him on Twitter @TwoHeadedBoy98. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. While it may be set in a Latin world, Promised Land is about other immigrant stories, too, says Christina Ochoa, who plays the daughter of a vineyard owner. Every immigrant is different. Every story is different, she says. Everyone has such a different point of view and seeing that represented, where theres no common denominator, is real diversity. A stunt coordinator, whos Vietnamese American, told Executive Producer Matt Lopez the series reminded him of his parents story. They didnt come over a wall. They came in a boat, but its such a fundamentally American story. I like to say that Promised Land is a Latino story, but its an American journey. In the new ABC drama, viewers get the perspectives of the rich vineyard owner, his children, the immigrants who work in the fields and the rivals who want to take him down. Lopez says his inspirations are diverse, too: Dallas and East of Eden. J.R. Ewing was sort of my spirit animal, he explains. East of Eden, which he read less than two years ago, unfolded like a 10 oclock soap. And yet, in terms of what its going for, its striving for so much more. Thats, I think, what Promised Land really tries to do. John Ortiz, who plays Joe Sandoval, the owner of Heritage House Vineyards, has plenty to juggle including an ex-wife (played by Bellamy Young) who wants to gain control of the family business, and children, step-children and a second wife (played by Cecilia Suarez) who, Lopez says, is the heart and soul of the family. Her journey is the one that resonated the most with me, he says. For Ortiz, thats as it should be. I come from a home of strong women who raised me, he says. I think its beautiful. Suarez says theres more to her character than first-time viewers may realize. This is a woman who is not only a mother or a wife, shes a full woman with desires, with doubts, with complexities, with contradictions. And that is hard to find. Because Promised Land includes a wide range of characters, Lopez wanted to make sure he had a variety of voices to inform them. By having a lot of Latino and Latina members behind the camera, on the writing staff, theres a level of personal investment and that filters through in the material, he says. When we were casting, we had actors who would come in and say, My parents were fruit pickers in Santa Paula. Ive never seen their story on screen before. Thank you. At the other extreme: actors who were grateful the series wasnt showing a wealthy Latino family in a drug cartel. To make sure it represented the range of experiences, the producers hired a cultural consultant who could advise the actors about regional dialects. It was very important that these people sounded like where they were from, says Andres Velez, who plays an undocumented immigrant who works at Heritage House. Ive seen other shows and other things where people are supposed to be from a certain country and they dont sound like that. It took me away from the story. For Young, who seems like an outsider in this world, Promised Land has been a great learning experience. It tells these storiesof people living the American dream any way they can. The soapy aspects of the story may draw viewers in, but also our hearts are going to expand because we see the people, people just like us. And thats what compassion grows from. "Promised Land" airs on ABC. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Staying in? We've got you covered Get the recommendations on what's streaming now, games you'll love, TV news and more with our weekly Home Entertainment newsletter! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Students from 1st through 12th grades, who are either enrolled in a Catholic school of home-schooled, may crate a visual art submission to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary by 3 p.m. April 1 for the festival, with a theme of "Mary, Mother of God and Our Mother, A Model of the Perfect Communicator." LONDON (AP) When 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was proclaimed queen on Feb. 6, 1952, the British Empire stretched across the world, royalty was widely revered and televisions were still a novelty item. The world has undergone profound changes since then and so has the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II's empire shrank, then crumbled. While most people in Britain remain loyal to the queen and respect her years of service to the nation, attitudes about the monarchy have swung from unquestioning deference to scrutiny. In the 1980s, Princess Diana brought global star power to the House of Windsor, but also ushered in an era in which the royal family was forced to negotiate an uneasy relationship with the media. Over her 70-year reign, the queen has at times reluctantly overseen the modernization of the family known as "The Firm" and its adaptation to evolving expectations. As Britain marks the 95-year-old monarch's Platinum Jubilee on Sunday, here's a look at some key moments of change: 1953: ELIZABETH'S CORONATION AND THE AGE OF TELEVISION On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth's coronation at Westminster Abbey was the first time most people had watched an event live on television. Millions around the world saw the ceremony on TV, outnumbering the radio audience for the first time. The coronation broadcast heralded a turning point for television - as well as the monarchy making the Windsors seem much more real by bringing them into people's living rooms. In 1957, the queen made her first televised Christmas broadcast, saying she hoped the new medium would make her message "more personal and direct." "It is inevitable that I should seem a rather remote figure to many of you But now, at least for a few minutes, I welcome you to the peace of my own home," she said at the time. ___ 1957: 'WINDS OF CHANGE' AS THE COLONIES BREAK AWAY In 1957, Ghana became the first British colony in Africa to celebrate independence. Three years later, then British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made his famous "winds of change" speech in South Africa, telling lawmakers there that "whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact." By 1970, most of Britain's African and Caribbean colonies had gained independence. In 1997, the handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule marked the final chapter of the British Empire. Britain still has pockets of overseas territories, the largest of which is the Falkland Islands. The queen remains the head of state in 15 Commonwealth countries including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. ___ 1970: FIRST ROYAL 'WALKABOUT' In another shift with the times, the queen carried out the first royal "walkabout" which sees members of the royal family greeting, chatting and shaking hands with ordinary people at public events in Sydney, during a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. The practice has since become a key part of the royals' public relations strategy. Princess Diana perhaps best embodied the power of such outings, showcasing her empathy and knack for connecting with people as she walked among adoring well-wishers. ___ 1990s: PRINCESS DIANA AND A TURBULENT ERA Diana's fairy-tale wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 brought youthful glamour and irresistible star power to the House of Windsor. But the very public way the couple's marriage disintegrated eroded respect for the monarchy. The 1990s saw the monarchy's popularity sink to new lows as royal family dramas from tell-all interviews to embarrassing phone conversations and topless photos continued to play out in public like soap operas. In 1992, the queen famously referred to her 40th year on the throne as her "annus horribilis" (horrible year) as the marriages of three of her four children collapsed. 1997: DIANA'S DEATH AND A CHANGE OF TONE FOR THE MONARCHY When Diana died in a Paris car crash in August 1997, the queen was widely criticized for her perceived aloofness and being out of touch with the grieving nation. Many were angry at the royals' failure to lower the flag at Buckingham Palace and at the queen's decision to stay secluded with her family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. After days of intense pressure, the queen finally broke her silence, addressing the nation on television as "your queen and grandmother" and acknowledging that "we have all been trying in our different ways to cope." 2011: ELIZABETH'S STATE VISIT TO IRELAND In May 2011, the queen became the first British monarch to set foot in Ireland in 100 years. King George V visited in 1911, a decade before the creation of the Irish Free State. The queen spoke of her sincere sympathy for all those who suffered because of the two countries' "troubled past," and the trip was widely praised as a historic moment of reconciliation. 2012: DIAMOND JUBILEE AND THE LONDON OLYMPICS The queen's Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her 60 years on the throne, marked a period of record popularity for the queen and the royal family. The national mood of jubilation and support for the queen was boosted by Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding a year earlier and general euphoria as London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics. 2020: 'MEGXIT' AND PRINCE ANDREW'S TROUBLES In recent years the royal family has been buffeted by two unprecedented PR disasters: the departure of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to the U.S., citing intense media scrutiny and racist attitudes among the British media, and growing sex abuse allegations against Prince Andrew, the queen's middle son. Harry and Meghan, who stepped downed from their royal duties in 2020, have accused the royal family of racism and called out its lack of compassion for Meghan's mental health struggles. Harry has openly and repeatedly criticized the royal family for the way he was brought up. Meanwhile, Andrew is fighting a U.S. lawsuit filed by a woman who says she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17. Last month, Andrew was stripped of all his honorary military titles in an apparent effort to distance him from the monarchy. 2021: THE DEATH OF PRINCE PHILIP On April 9, 2021, the queen lost Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years and her "strength and stay" throughout most of her life. A scaled-down, socially-distanced funeral was held amid coronavirus restrictions. Somber images of the queen sitting alone in St. George's Chapel were a stark reminder that she was entering the twilight years of her reign, with increasing duties handed to her heir, Prince Charles. ___ Follow AP stories on Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The two top leaders in the state legislature House Speaker Matt Ritter, right, of Hartford and Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney of New Haven chat last year at the Capitol in Hartford before a bill signing by Gov. Ned Lamont. They will be working together to cut taxes and improve mental health during the 2022 session. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant) HARTFORD As the 2022 legislative session opens Wednesday, lawmakers will be scrambling in an election year to cut taxes, balance the budget, and try to solve the vexing problems of juvenile crime and childrens mental health. Lawmakers are confident that they will reach a deal on issues like tax cuts because those are popular for both Democrats and Republicans during an election year. The question is which taxes will be cut and by how much. Advertisement Virtually every major tax is on a wish list for legislators and political candidates, but lawmakers have some constraints because they cannot use federal money directly for tax cuts. The latest projections are that the state will have budget surpluses of $1.48 billion in the current fiscal year and more than $1 billion next year, but much of that is driven by coronavirus stimulus money that will eventually run out. Gov. Ned Lamont, the most influential person in the debate, is calling for $336 million in tax cuts that include expanding the residential property tax credit and reducing car taxes two long-running issues at the Capitol. House Democrats are looking to create a new child tax credit of as much as $600 per child, while the quickest move is by Senate Republicans who want to cut the sales tax by Feb. 15 in order to provide immediate relief to consumers. Advertisement After years of tight budgets, large deficits and tough fiscal times, Lamont said taxpayers deserve relief. Weve earned it, Lamont told reporters. Were doing everything we can to make Connecticut more affordable. But lawmakers caution that no final decisions will likely be made until May because the legislature traditionally waits to learn the final collection numbers from the state income tax deadline that has been pushed back this year to April 18. The General Assembly will also be working under tighter-than-usual time constraints in one of the shortest sessions in state history. Based on the scheduling rules set forth in the state constitution and the vagaries of the calendar, the session will end on May 4 less than three months away. That compares to sessions that can last more than five months. As a result, some complicated, controversial bills that would generate long debates will not be debated in the House and Senate as the lengthy clashes would eat up precious time needed for other bills. Those issues will then be pushed back past the election and into 2023. Taxes Lamonts plan calls for expanding the eligibility of the property tax credit far beyond the current limits. The credit would be restored to its original level as all residential property owners would be eligible, depending on income limits. Currently, the credit is limited only to those age 65 and over, as well as those with dependents. Lamont is also calling for increasing the maximum credit to $300 per tax return, up from $200. Advertisement House Republicans agree with Lamonts call for full eligibility, but they also want to see the credit boosted back to a maximum of $500 the level when Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell was in office 15 years ago. Both Republicans and Democrats have complained for more than 25 years about car taxes, and various governors have tried to eliminate the tax with no success. The reason is that municipalities rely on the car taxes for hundreds of millions of dollars every year to balance their budgets, and they balk at the elimination unless they are fully reimbursed by the state. Lamont says hell cut the car tax for any towns with a mill rate above 29 thus helping 103 of the 169 towns. Its just insane the way its set up right now, Lamont said. You could have a Honda in Hartford and youre paying a higher property tax on it than a Hummer in Hartland or Harwinton. You have a higher property tax rate in some of our cities than you do in other places because they dont have the same tax base. Juvenile crime Republicans and Democrats have sharply different ideas on how to address juvenile crime. Republicans cite a series of high-profile car jackings and auto thefts to say that juveniles are committing crimes with little punishment because the legislature raised the age so that they are treated as juveniles instead of adults. Democrats counter that overall crime is down and juveniles can suffer long-term harm from incarceration. Advertisement The states prison population has been cut by more than half after reaching an all-time peak of 19,894 in February 2008. The prison population exploded by about 1,200 after the parole system was frozen following the triple homicide and arson in Cheshire on July 23, 2007. In a comprehensive plan, House Republicans unveiled 25 proposals to increase prison sentences, expand victims rights and support police. Those include making changes in the Democrat-written police accountability law that was sharply criticized by Republicans, police chiefs and many rank-and-file officers. Rep. Greg Howard, who has spent 20 years as a Stonington police officer and detective, said lawmakers need to allow broader flexibility in consent searches during motor vehicle stops as an essential function of law enforcement. He added that officers who receive mental health assessments need protections so that they do not fear being disciplined or demoted. Lamont said that he is looking for reasonable common ground among lawmakers on crime. This is something we can do together, Lamont said. But Rep. Steven Stafstrom of Bridgeport and Toni Walker of New Haven two of the most influential Democrats were not impressed with the Republican viewpoint. Advertisement Despite the Republicans election-year spin, residents should be assured that Connecticut is one of the safest states in the nation and crime remains at near decadeslong lows, they said. Connecticut Democrats have worked to address the pandemic-driven uptick in certain criminal activity that all states have experienced by investing in police resources to solve motor vehicle crimes, providing more arrestee information to police and working with the courts to speed up the time it takes to process a case. We agree that more flexibility could be provided around how long a juvenile can be held, and it would be beneficial to expand the use of GPS monitoring. ... We also hope [Republicans] will work with us to address the proliferation of guns on our streets. These are the types of policies that will work to continue to reduce crime not a return to the Republicans failed 1990s strategy of mass incarceration. Mental health for children and adults House and Senate Democrats will be pushing hard for improvements in mental health care, particularly for children who have been isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney of New Haven said the issue is so important that it could be designated as Senate Bill 1, which is traditionally set aside as the top priority for Senate Democrats. The pandemic has pointed out an already existing crisis that has only gotten worse during the pandemic, Looney said in an interview. There is a grave concern about a shortfall between the need and the services available. The bill is still being crafted, but the ideas include increased Medicaid reimbursements for health care providers, more social workers in schools, increased access to mental health care, more affordability and improvements in telemedicine. Advertisement House Speaker Matt Ritter of Hartford said the complicated issue will require continued vigilance and attention by legislators. Were not going to solve the issue in one year, Ritter said. Cities and towns The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, which represents communities across the state, is pushing a nine-point agenda, ranging from taxes and education to land use and public health. The mayors and first selectmen want the legislature to reduce the current over-reliance on a regressive property tax system through municipal revenue diversification and providing incentives for municipalities to expand shared and regional services. The leaders have called in the past for the option of allowing the towns to consider a regional hotel tax, which would allow cities and towns to divide up the additional revenue, or a regional sales tax that could generate additional money in cities with major malls like Danbury and Manchester. The leaders also want a phase-in of the current property tax revaluations and a local option to delay property tax revaluation for one year. Local leaders are seeking increased state funding for buying police body and car cameras, which became a key issue under the police accountability law following the death of George Floyd while handcuffed in police custody in Minneapolis. Advertisement These proposals are popular, common-sense initiatives to make life easier and more affordable for Connecticut families and residents, said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who serves as CCMs president. State tax commissioner Mark Boughton said that Lamont is 100 percent committed to reimbursing the municipalities for the car tax money. To ... [the] mayors and first selectmen that are out there, as an ex-mayor, dont worry. Weve got you covered, said Boughton, who served as Danburys mayor for 20 years. Youre going to get your money. Aid in dying Despite a long-running battle and a short session, advocates are pushing again for a controversial bill known as aid in dying. The measure, however, has failed every time it has been debated dating from a public hearing in 1994. The proposal calls for allowing mentally competent patients with less than six months to live to receive a prescription from a doctor for a lethal dose of medication. The idea has been raised at least 14 times in the legislature over nearly three decades, but has never received a vote in the full House of Representatives or Senate due to a lack of support. At least nine states and the District of Columbia have passed similar laws. Advertisement In 2021, for the first time, a bill was approved by the public health committee generating hope by advocates that the measure was gaining momentum. With the short session, the battle will be difficult, lawmakers said. We could have all the time in the world, and it would still fail, said House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford. Extending Lamonts executive orders The first issue that legislators will tackle is whether to extend 11 of Lamonts executive orders regarding the coronavirus pandemic that are scheduled to expire on Feb. 15. Lawmakers intend to hold an informational hearing on Zoom from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to gain insight from invited experts on public health and education. The most controversial order focuses on wearing masks in school, which Candelora says should end. My concern is were going on two years of children being put in masks, and we still dont know what the metrics are, how successful its been, what has been the impacts on our childrens education, Candelora said. They have been the silent victims through COVID. ... Theyre sort of being subdued into silence. Ritters 96 Democratic caucus members have five different viewpoints on masks. Advertisement I have people who think masks should be local option immediately, Ritter said in an interview. I have people who think masks should go for 60 days. I have people who think masks should go for the rest of the school year. I have people who think masks should go for the rest of the calendar year, and I have people who would let the public health commissioner decide. Ritter said he is not sure what will happen with masks in schools. Even with the pandemic continuing, Lamont will deliver his State of the State Address in the historic Hall of the House on Wednesday. With health concerns, some legislators might watch the speech from their offices, and the exact attendance is not yet known. Unlike past years, the House gallery will not be open to lobbyists and the general public due to the pandemic. I think the governor will be giving a speech to a decent crowd, Ritter said. It wont be sold out, but it will be a decent crowd. Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com. Former President Donald Trump has further if thats possible undistinguished himself by again attacking his vice president, Mike Pence. In another of his ongoing email messages to supporters (which are usually accompanied by a donate button), Trump says he wanted Pence to overturn the results of the last election. He referenced a bipartisan effort to strengthen the Electoral College Act of 1887, ensuring that no vice president can be allowed to overturn presidential election results, assuming that vote counts in the individual states are accurate and governors have properly submitted them to Congress for ratification. While the wisdom of updating that law is debated, there is another issue that is long overdue for consideration. And that is Trumps condemnation not criticism, but condemnation of anyone who disagrees with his claim to have had the election stolen from him. This is not about that claim. It is about Trumps language and personality, his demeaning of Democrats, the media and even some fellow Republicans who dont subscribe to his line. Trump effectively lumped his most loyal vice president into the tub of RINOs and others he regards as enemies. During their four years in office, Pence never spoke ill of his boss. When I once asked him about Trumps personality he responded, look at the results. In some ways this has been a bargain with the devil. Republicans and especially evangelical Christians who once honored character and the practice of personal morality as at least equal to a presidents stand on political issues now refuse to hold Trump to that standard. What does it mean to make a deal with the devil? Anne W. Zahra, M.Ed, is a language teacher. She responded to the question on the website Answers.com: When you make a deal with the devil, you ally yourself with a person of ill repute to accomplish what you want. The idea here is that you compromise your principles in a way that may turn out to be extremely harmful to you. Is that not what especially evangelicals and others who highly regard personal integrity in our leaders have done with Trump? Does the end justify meanness and lying? Can they ever credibly question the behavior and language of future presidents when they have sold their souls on this big question? There are many quotations about revenge and grudges from famous and not so famous people over the centuries. Two make my point: Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on (Criss Jami, Salome: In Every Inch in Every Mile). The second: Anger, resentment and jealousy doesnt change the heart of others it only changes yours (Shannon Alder, 300 Questions to Ask Your Parents Before Its Too Late). Writing in The Washington Post, columnist Henry Olsen notes that Pence has avoided criticizing Trump since both men left office. Olsen says Pence should reconsider. Sure, some on the left seek to divide Republicans in hopes the dreadful record of Biden and his fellow Democrats will not be the main issue this November and in 2024, but from my observance of Pence since he was in Congress, it is not in his nature to engage in personal attacks, even when he has been falsely accused. As a practicing Christian, Pence abides by the teachings of his true Leader who spoke of turning the other cheek. Some Bible commentators interpret this as saying let God handle it. Thats a far better bargain than hitting back and descending to the level of his critic. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 We dont even know the womans name yet. In fact, we dont know much of anything about her except that she is Black. Thats not a lot, but its more than enough for some people. Ever since last week, when Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, and President Biden said he would keep a campaign promise to nominate an African-American woman to the court, Republicans have stumbled all over themselves to decry this terrible thing. Like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who said on his podcast: Black women are what, 6 percent of the U.S. population? [Biden] is saying to 94 percent of Americans, 'I don't give a damn about you, you are ineligible'." Yeeeah, but no. By that logic (if you want to call it that) no one could be a Supreme Court justice. White men, after all, are just 30 percent of the population; if Biden made a group of them his de facto favorites, would that not tell 70 percent of Americans, 'I don't give a damn about you, you are ineligible"? Then theres former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who tweeted, Would be nice if Pres Biden chose a Supreme Court nominee who was best qualified without a race/gender litmus test. Which conveniently overlooks the fact that Haleys former boss, that retired steak salesman from Florida, vowed to and did name a woman to the Supreme Court. For that matter, Ronald Reagan made and kept a similar vow and went on to nominate Antonin Scalia because he wanted a jurist of Italian heritage. Which brings us to the most insidious criticism of this woman weve not yet met. Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, among others, has dubbed her a beneficiary of the dread affirmative action. The term, of course, refers to setting aside a coveted slot a job, a spot in school and now, apparently, a Supreme Court seat for an applicant of the preferred race or gender. Think about that and then, think about this: Since 1790, there have been 115 Supreme Court justices; five have been women, two have been African American. So it seems fair to ask who, precisely is it that has had slots set aside for them and who has not? The same goes for the institution in which Wicker serves: 1,994 senators, 58 of them women, 11 of them Black. Is it just coincidence that white men like Wicker got the nod roughly 97 percent of the time? Were they really the best, the brightest and the most deserving? Or did he, like thousands before him, not benefit from a tacit understanding that certain things are set aside for white men, a de facto affirmative action that clears most Americans from the competition before it even begins? And were expected to be upset because Biden wants to name a Black woman to the High Court? Um ... no. He understands what his critics pretend not to. Which is that achieving diversity requires intentionality. If you are counting on it to simply happen by dint of white males good intentions and pure hearts, you will be waiting a very long time. Wickers whining is emblematic of the moral myopia and intellectual sclerosis that too often comes from a lifetime of unearned advantage. You learn to think of it as your entitlement and any small deviation therefrom as an unbearable affront to The Way Things Are Supposed To Be. So now comes this unnamed Black woman getting some taste of the kind of preference hes enjoyed his entire life, and the senator feels put-upon. One can only marvel at the hypocrisy. Affirmative action? Oh, please. If it werent for that, Roger Wicker might not even have a job. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Beware when someone offers you a gift you dont need and didnt request. This is what South Dakota state Rep. Phil Jensen is doing with House Bill 1172, entitled An Act to assist students in objectively reviewing scientific information. Assist? He is not offering money for better lab materials. The bill reads: A classroom teacher may not be prohibited from helping students enrolled in a school district understand, analyze, critique, or review, in an objective scientific manner, the strengths and weaknesses of scientific information presented in courses that are aligned to the content standards established pursuant to 13-3-48. Ive taught for decades. Everyday I help students objectively understand, critique, and review the material we cover. So what is Rep. Jensen really after? Weve seen this bill many times. Each time its proponents conduct a frontal attack on accepted scientific principles. These people dont seek to help students understand but rather to dilute the teaching of science it with non-scientific ideas. You can help protect science education today by writing your senator and representatives asking them to vote NO on HB 1172. -- Mark Winegar, Vermillion, S.D. Love 4 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Banning books is so 20th century. In this the 21st century its impossible to do that, particularly since theres a little thing called the Internet that nearly every student has access to. If you havent looked, theres a lot worse material online than there ever was in print. Unless a parent or guardian has managed to block every device a child can access, its out there. To say that schools should remove books from their shelves is naive at best. Curriculum is a different matter. That should be vetted. But why all the interest now? Surely, schools have curriculum committees that assess such material. They also have something called a budget that doesnt allow them to buy new books every year. So the text your son or daughter is using could actually be one you held, too. What this smacks of is the kind of saber-rattling fear that politicians want to introduce just to suggest someone is pulling something over on parents. Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman fueled the fire when he told fellow legislators there was a sinister agenda afoot among teachers and journalists. Earlier, he called for jailing educators who provided obscene materials to children and for removing the material from schools. But what books, specifically, are they and who determines if they are obscene? Decades ago, Sioux City put X-rated video tapes on trial and tried to get them banned from video stores. Guess what? They didnt meet the requirements and, if we still had video stores, they could likely still be on shelves. Now, talk of book banning is just that talk. To get in an uproar about phantom teaching materials is just a way for politicians to frighten voters. By branding teachers as radicals trying to brainwash students, they can justify pulling funding from the one area that needs it most. Iowas public schools were once the states greatest asset. People around the world extolled the education system we had in place. Now its lagging, largely because those politicians did not address overcrowding, teacher shortages and finance-driven changes to curriculum. Pulling out the old weve got to look closer at those books tactic isnt whats necessary. Trust the great teachers youve hired, fund them so they can do their jobs and ask the parents to reconsider what they let their children see online. Love 11 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A five-year-old boy trapped in a deep well in northern Morocco since Tuesday died before rescuers managed to get to him late on Saturday. The rescue efforts captivated the nation and many around the world were following the massive operations to try to save the boy, Rayan Oram. When he was pulled out of the well, he was wrapped in a yellow blanket and some onlookers initially cheered. But only minutes later it became clear the story had ended in tragedy and Moroccan King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the boys parents in a statement. Advertisement Rayan had plunged more than 100 feet down the well outside his home village of Ighran, located in the northern Chefchaouen province Tuesday evening. His family realized the boy was missing when they heard crying and they lowered a phone into the well with the light and camera switched on so they could try to locate him. He was crying lift me up, a family member said. Rescuers sent oxygen, food and water down to the boy but it was unclear whether he was able to use them. They also lowered a camera to keep track of how he was doing. The well is 18 inches wide at the top and narrows as it gets deeper, which made it impossible for rescuers to go down to him directly. Rescuers first tried to dig in the well itself but they started getting worried the walls would collapse on Rayan, who was trapped in a tight space that was thought to be less than 20 inches in diameter. Then they used bulldozers to dig a parallel ditch and then excavated a horizontal tunnel to reach the boy. The camera that had been lowered into the well showed the boy was alive and conscious on Thursday. But then there were no updates on his conditions and rescue workers said it was difficult to know the boys condition. Many onlookers had gathered at the site cheering on the rescue workers and many used the hashtag #SaveRayan in Morocco and around the world to call attention to the boys plight. Russia has amassed at least 70 percent of the military power it would need to launch a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials told lawmakers and European partners in recent days. Biden administration officials held closed meetings with lawmakers in the House and Senate Thursday and said that if Moscow chose to go ahead, Russian forces could quickly surround and capture Kyiv and remove the countrys president. According to the latest intelligence assessments, a full invasion of Ukraine could kill as many as 50,000 civilians, 25,000 members of the Ukrainian military, and 10,000 Russian forces. The invasion could also spark a refugee crisis in Europe with anywhere from one million to five million people fleeing, many of whom would pour into Poland. Advertisement The intelligence assessments still say its unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a final decision to invade but the ground is expected to reach peak freeze by around Feb. 15. Meanwhile, Russia continues to build up its combat forces along the border. As of Friday, there 83 Russian battalion tactical groups, consisting of anywhere from 750 to 1,000 soldiers each, in position for an attack. That marks a sharp increase from 60 two weeks ago. An additional 14 battalion tactical groups are on their way to the border. U.S. intelligence estimates Russia would want anywhere between 110 and 130 battalion tactical groups in place to carry out a full-scale invasion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With so many troops in place some sort of action may be inevitable, some officials warn. Our worry would be that you dont park battle groups on the border of another country twice and do nothing, a European official told the Washington Post in reference to the troop buildup last year. I think thats the real fear that I have. [Putins] now put them all out there. If he does nothing again what does that say to the wider international community about the might of Russia? Whether Putin actually goes through with a full-scale invasion though is a subject of much debate in European and U.S. circles. Some European officials say Putin could choose to start small and gauge the global reaction first. Russia quickly pushed back against the assessments, characterizing them as part of a pattern. Madness and scaremongering continues. what if we would say that US could seize London in a week and cause 300K civilian deaths? Russias deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, tweeted early Sunday morning. Protesters that have taken over much of the Canadian capitals downtown are disrupting daily life in Ottawa and authorities are making renewed efforts to stop anyone from attempting to provide support to the demonstrators. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said protesters far outnumber police and authorities are losing this battle against the demonstrators that have camped out in Canadas capital for 10 days. The situation at this point is completely out of control because the individuals with the protest are calling the shots, Watson said on a local radio station. They have far more people than we have police officers. Police are now boosting efforts to try to cut off any lifelines to the protests, warning that anyone taking material aid, such as fuel, to the protesters could be arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Freedom Convoy began as a way to protest rules that required truckers that cross into the United States to be fully vaccinated. But the protests have grown into a movement that is against all public health measures designed to try to stem the spread of COVID-19. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities and towns across the country to express their support for the demonstrations taking place in Ottawa. Protesters reached Ottawa last weekend and they said theyre going to stay there until their demands are met. The situation has reached a breaking point and Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly said the city needed an additional surge of resources to respond to the protests. This is a siege, Sloly said. It is something that is different in our democracy than Ive ever experienced in my life. Sloly has faced criticism for what many have described as a soft hand on protesters. The demonstrators remain highly organized, well-funded, extremely committed to resisting all attempts to end the demonstrations safely, Sloly told reporters Friday. This remains, as it was from the beginning, an increasingly volatile and increasingly dangerous demonstration. Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world with 81 percent of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 while 43 percent have received a booster shot. Protest against NATO and the US in front of the Slovak Parliamentary building on February 2, 2022. (Source: Sme - Marko Erd) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Only eight years ago, up to 83 percent of people in Slovakia opposed Russia's aggression against Ukraine. They believed the fate of Ukraine should be decided by Ukrainians in elections and not by Russia and its military intervention in Crimea and Donbas. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Now, the largest portion of the population, 44.1 percent, believes that the US and NATO are to blame for the tension in the east. While the world waits to see what Russian President Vladimir Putin will do with the 130,000 Russian troops ready at the borders with Ukraine, Russia is already winning one conflict in Slovakia - the information war. "In eight years, Russia's disinformation machinery has persuaded a significant part of the Slovak public that white is black and black is white," said Globsec think tank analyst Miroslava Sawiris. The Slovak opposition now benefits from the influenced public opinion. Mainly Smer of Robert Fico has returned to the top ranks in political popularity polls thanks to its rejection of the possible arrival of a symbolic number of NATO troops to Slovakia and of the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the US. Yet in the last decade, nobody contributed to tightening the relationship between Slovakia and NATO and particularly the US more than the previous Smer-led governments of Robert Fico and Peter Pellegrini, with the participation of the Slovak National Party (SNS) of Andrej Danko. "It was their governments that bought the American Blackhawk helicopters, the F-16 fighter jets that we will be using for decades to come," said security analyst Daniel Milo who works for the Interior Ministry. "They were also the ones to start talks about the defence deal. They sent the Slovak troops to the Baltic region as part of a NATO mission. Their current pro-Russian stances are thus more of an act for the voters." Related article Related article Reversal of fortune: Robert Fico is on course to lead the most popular party again Read more The voters have been subjected to eight-years-long massive disinformation campaign that Russia has been leading against NATO and the EU, spending hundreds of millions of euros every year on it. Although it is also aimed at people in Czechia, Hungary or the Balkans, the campaign seems to have the strongest effect on people in Slovakia. Last year, Globsec put Slovakia in the group of the most pro-Russian states in central and eastern Europe, the so-called bear huggers. "Most Slovaks perceive Russia as the victim. Many consider Russia the most important strategic partner and the perception of Russia as the big Slavic brother still prevails among Slovak society," the study found. The Sme daily set out to find out how the public opinion on Russia has developed since the 1990s, how politicians used it for their aims, and why they could not benefit from it if it wasn't for the leader of the 19th-century national awakening movement, Ludovit Stur. How Russians benefited from Stur https://sputniknews.com/20220206/as-thaw-in-turkish-israeli-relations-appears-to-be-deepening-whats-behind-recent-rapprochement-1092790838.html As Thaw in Turkish-Israeli Relations Appears to Be Deepening, What's Behind Recent Rapprochement? As Thaw in Turkish-Israeli Relations Appears to Be Deepening, What's Behind Recent Rapprochement? Relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv began to sour in 2008, following an Israeli military campaign in Gaza. In 2010, the fallout continued after the Mavi... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T07:08+0000 2022-02-06T07:08+0000 2022-02-06T11:19+0000 israel turkey /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/15752/29/157522933_0:0:361:203_1920x0_80_0_0_dbc5c9e5303f3000d2472158fd1261ad.jpg Last week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced that Israeli President Isaac Herzog is expected to visit Turkey in mid-March as both countries are looking to improve their strained bilateral ties.Turning a New PageDr Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Turkey expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security and the Moshe Dayan Centre at Tel Aviv University, says the idea is that the Israeli president's visit to Ankara will turn a page in the rather sour relations between the two nations."The visit is expected to normalise relations between the two countries. It should bring more cooperation, tourism, trade and, potentially, energy projects".The Energy DriveEnergy has been one of the most important factors driving Turkey's foreign policy, believes the expert. Over the years, the energy-hungry state has been relying on supplies from Iran, Russia, and Azerbaijan but those have proven problematic recently.With Iran, the constant competiton between the pair has caused ties to fracture. This is not only due to their disagreement about the Syrian civil war, where the two states support opposing sides, but the backing Turkey has given Azerbaijan, Iran's regional rival, and the criticism it has levelled against the Islamic Republic's supposed involvement in Yemen, as well as Tehran's belief that Ankara is making headway into northern Iraq.In terms of relations with Moscow, ties have not been smooth either. The two nations have found themselves on opposite sides in the Libyan saga, while in Syria ties reached a boiling point in February 2020 when forces loyal to President Bashar Assad killed 34 Turkish soldiers, allegedly using Russian weapons. And, more recently, in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Ankara voiced its support for Kiev and provided it with military equipment."Turkey [seems to be] re-evaluating its energy policy. And it understood once again that it needed to diversify its energy resources", explained Cohen Yanarocak.Relations With Its NeighboursEnergy policy is not the only matter that Ankara is now reconsidering. They are also recalculating their foreign policy in general."So the decision-makers in Ankara have at last internalised that their foreign policy doctrine of 'precious loneliness' does not serve Turkey. Rather, it is causing irrevocable damage", he added.Recalculating Its RouteNow, it appears that Turkey is willing to take another route. Aside from attempting to mend fences with Israel, ties with whom started to deteriorate in 2008 following an Israeli campaign in Gaza, Ankara has also been taking steps to soothe arguments with other regional powers.In November, the head of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, visited Turkey and Erdogan is planning to return a visit in February to boost relations between the two states.The Turkish president has also indicated that he will reinstate the nation's ambassador to Egypt, most probably after his UAE trip, and work towards mending relations that soured following Ankara's support for the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), a movement deemed a terrorist organisation by Egypt and a number of other regional players.That backing of the MB and its offshoot Hamas has always been a major source of discord between Turkey and its neighbours. Ankara has often been blamed for harbouring their leaders and activists, for providing them with monetary assistance, and for even granting them citizenship.A rapprochement with Israel and other regional powers isn't impossible even without scrapping those ties, believes Cohen Yanarocak, but he admits that overcoming this challenge will not be an easy task.If this happens, the expert says, relations will eventually improve, because after all, it is not "mission impossible". turkey Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Elizabeth Blade Elizabeth Blade News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Elizabeth Blade israel, turkey Lincoln and the Contraband" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (Courtesy of Jonathan W. White) Jonathan White, Christopher Newport Universitys associate professor of American Studies, will launch his latest book, A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House, during a virtual lecture 7 p.m., Feb. 7. It will be shown on the Hampton History Museums Facebook page. People can submit questions in the comments section during the discussion. Advertisement The cover of "A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House," a book by Jonathan W. White. White is an associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University. (Courtesy of Jonathan W. White) The book discusses how the nations 16th president welcomed hundreds of Blacks, former enslaved people and abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth to the White House between 1862 and 1865. Prior to the Civil War, African Americans were almost entirely excluded from the White House unless they were servants or enslaved. These visits, White argues, transformed the trajectory of race relations in the United States. Advertisement According to White, the president talked to his guests about citizenship and voting rights, allowing Blacks to use the White House as a national stage to amplify their calls for equality. Daywatch Weekdays Start your morning with today's local news > The lecture will be added to the museums playlist and website after the Monday lecture. The book will be available at the museums shop for $26. Members get 10% off. To reserve one and have it signed by White, call 757-727-6824. If you go When: 7:00 p.m. Where: Hampton History Museum Facebook page; facebook.com/HamptonHistoryMuseum Tickets: Free Details: tinyurl.com/LincolnWhiteHouse; 757-727-1102 Saleen Martin, 757-446-2027, saleen.martin@pilotonline.com https://sputniknews.com/20220206/biden-discusses-ukraine-situation-with-french-president---white-house-1092807285.html Biden Discusses Ukraine Situation With French President - White House Biden Discusses Ukraine Situation With French President - White House WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden has discussed the Ukraine situation with French President Emmanuel Macron over the phone, ahead of the latter's... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T21:49+0000 2022-02-06T21:49+0000 2022-02-07T04:05+0000 joe biden emmanuel macron france eu us /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/06/0c/1083135440_0:161:3071:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_8884d219a8c44d262097891a333ee967.jpg "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France. The leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia's continued military buildup on Ukraine's borders, and affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity", the White House said in a Sunday statement.According to the release, Biden and Macron agreed that the two sides will stay in close touch, including in consultation with EU partners and Ukraine.Macron will meet with Putin in Moscow on Monday. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the two presidents are expected to discuss European security, bilateral relations, and the Ukraine situation.In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of a troop buildup near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for an "invasion". Moscow has denied these accusations, repeatedly stating that it is not threatening anyone and at the same time expressing strong concerns over NATO's military activity near the Russian border, which it deems a threat to its national security. france us Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 joe biden, emmanuel macron, france, eu, us https://sputniknews.com/20220206/lukashenko-belarus-and-russia-to-response-together-if-war-starts-in-donbass-1092801168.html Lukashenko: Belarus and Russia to Respond Together if Ukraine Starts War Against Donbass Lukashenko: Belarus and Russia to Respond Together if Ukraine Starts War Against Donbass MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Sunday that his country would coordinate a joint response with Russia if Ukraine started a... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T13:50+0000 2022-02-06T13:50+0000 2022-02-06T14:00+0000 russia belarus ukraine alexander lukashenko /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/15/1080238201_0:0:3061:1722_1920x0_80_0_0_f9186dad9dbb5fcfd3846f06da988ec9.jpg Asked on the show "Soloviev Live" how Belarus would respond to an offensive by Ukraine Lukashenko said, "in the same way as Russia". Asked whether the answer would be coordinated with Moscow, he replied, "naturally".Lukashenko said that Belarus would not export fuel or electricity to Ukraine if Kiev's behaviour led to a war with Russia.Lukashenko said the two allies "drew red lines" and Ukraine would face consequences if it crossed them. Answering a question from the host he confirmed it includes possible rocket strikes against Ukraine.According to the president, the crisis in the region is escalating because the United States is pushing Kiev towards war.In addition to that, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) proved its effectiveness during the unrest in Kazakhstan, and the West knows it, according to Lukashenko.The West understands it is futile to fight against with Russia, according to Lukashenko.Over the past several weeks, Washington, London, and their allies have been pushing the idea that Moscow is planning to "invade" Ukraine, citing a buildup of Russian troops at the border. Russia has repeatedly rejected all the accusations as fake, and, in turn, expressed concerns over NATO's military activities in the region.So far, the US, UK, Canada, and the Baltic States have supplied several batches of lethal arms to Ukraine, with Washington also dispatching additional forces to Poland and Romania.According to Moscow, the "invasion" craze in the media is being stirred up as Kiev is planning a provocation against Russia in Donbass, which has been engulfed in war since 2014. belarus ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 russia, belarus, ukraine, alexander lukashenko https://sputniknews.com/20220206/munich-security-conference-head-hopes-putin-to-participate-online-1092804322.html Munich Security Conference Head Hopes Putin to Participate Online Munich Security Conference Head Hopes Putin to Participate Online BERLIN (Sputnik) - The chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, expressed hope on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will join... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T15:45+0000 2022-02-06T15:45+0000 2022-02-06T17:04+0000 vladimir putin wolfgang ischinger munich security conference /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103468/85/1034688570_0:0:3083:1734_1920x0_80_0_0_8557413bdd3f7e4d00915a0a5cc1cbea.jpg Putin rejected an invitation to take part in the event in person, Ischinger told Germany's Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), but the president might want to address the participants via videoconferencing.The chairman added that US Vice President Kamala Harris, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will partake in the conference.Apart from Scholz and Zelenskyy, about 35 heads of state and prime ministers are expected to attend the meeting, alongside NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.The participation of French President Emmanuel Macron is still in question, according to Ischinger."That has not yet been finally decided in the Elysee Palace," he said.The conference will be attended by nearly 100 ministers, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also expected to join the event.The Munich Security Conference will be held on 18-20 February at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference will take place in a mixed format: not more than 600 participants will be present at the venue. The rest will join the conference online. Every day, the participants will be tested for COVID-19, and all of them will have to submit their vaccination certificates. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 vladimir putin, wolfgang ischinger, munich security conference https://sputniknews.com/20220206/nato-reportedly-contemplates-building-new-pipeline-in-bid-to-reduce-dependency-on-russian-gas-1092797490.html NATO Reportedly Contemplates Building New Pipeline in Bid to Reduce Dependency on Russian Gas NATO Reportedly Contemplates Building New Pipeline in Bid to Reduce Dependency on Russian Gas The launch of the latest pipeline from Russia to Europe, Nord Stream 2, is still being delayed under the pretext of it allegedly being incompatible with the... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T11:00+0000 2022-02-06T11:00+0000 2022-02-06T11:00+0000 europe gas pipeline spain france /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/08/17/1083689998_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_d131606e5f8b8377209f18df62a1ca48.jpg NATO has "plans" to build a pipeline that would connect Catalonia, Spain and France in order to reduce Europe's reliance on Russian natural gas, the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia has reported, citing anonymous sources in the country's government.The proposed structure could reportedly be used to transfer around 7 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year from Algeria and foreign LNG shipments. The latter could be stored and processed in eight LNG plants located in Spain and Portugal, the newspaper said. La Vanguardia's sources claim the proposal is on NATO's "working table" and that Germany is "very interested" in the project.The piepline project itself is not new and is known as Midcat. It was first proposed three years ago, but was rejected by Spanish and French regulators as potentially unprofitable due to Europe's plans to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the century via the use of green energy.Europe's Gas WoesThe reports of a new pipeline being discussed come in the wake of a tough year for the European energy industry, which faced spiking gas prices in 2021. The price tag first breached the ceiling of $1,000 per thousand cubic metres due to the EU's reservoirs being half full after a tough winter, only to reach $2,000 at the end of the year.The skyrocketing prices were generally put down to the EU's failure to fill up its reservoirs in 2021, growing consumption amid the closing of several nuclear power plants in Europe, and the failure to buy extra LNG abroad due to Asian nations buying up all the free stocks of it. Yet, numerous European politicians and their American allies blamed Russia and the EU's dependency on gas supplies from Moscow.Moscow and the Russian gas exporting company Gazprom rejected the accusations, with both stressing that the country has fulfilled all of its contractual obligations on natural gas supplies.At the same time, a joint EU-Russian venture, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was finished in September 2021, still remains non-operational due to a lack of certification. The process of issuing the latter was put "on pause" according to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Berlin claims the pipeline, which could pump up to 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year, might be violating European energy laws, specifically the Third Energy Package.However, there have been several media reports, as well as suggestions from American politicians, that Nord Stream 2's future might fall victim to Western sanctions against Russia in the context of ongoing tensions around Ukraine. https://sputniknews.com/20190915/west-seeking-to-oust-russia-from-gas-market-in-traditions-of-trade-war---german-lawmaker-1076807421.html spain france Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg europe, gas, pipeline, spain, france https://sputniknews.com/20220206/passengers-faced-bedlam-amid-seizure-of-crystal-cruises-ships-for-overdue-bills-1092805646.html Passengers Faced 'Bedlam' Amid Seizure of Crystal Cruises Ships for Overdue Bills Passengers Faced 'Bedlam' Amid Seizure of Crystal Cruises Ships for Overdue Bills The arrests came in response to a Florida-based fuel supplier's lawsuit seeking to reconstitute unpaid bills worth $4.6 million. By the time of the arrests... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T19:38+0000 2022-02-06T19:38+0000 2022-02-06T19:38+0000 world society cruise /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/02/06/1092805621_0:160:3073:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_54b2a4af4ed10e14af4fbec4215ff323.jpg As Crystal Cruises was hastily ejecting its last passengers before taking the ships into neutral waters in an alleged attempt to dodge the arrest warrant, hundreds of clients of the cruise operator faced "bedlam", Cruise Law News has reported.The two ships that have been arrested, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, dumped their passengers in Bimini, the Bahamas at the end of the last month before sailing off to neutral waters. Some of the passengers were expecting to be shipped to California afterward, but with Crystal Cruises facing difficulties, they were left to fend for themselves after being transported to Fort Lauderdale via a ferry.The ejection of passengers itself apparently was not 'smooth sailing' for Crystal Cruises either: as one of the company's customers unleashed a series of complaints on the company's Facebook page over "cancelled ports", only to be "censored" by its moderators for allegedly violating the page's rules. She later described the hardships that the passengers of Crystal Serenity had to endure after being dumped in the cold.Despite setting sails for the high seas, the Crystal Cruises' two ships were eventually arrested on a US arrest warrant issued as a result of a lawsuit by Peninsula Petroleum Far East. The company claims that Crystal Cruises owes it $4.6 million in unpaid fuel bills.Crystal Cruises' third ship, Crystal Endeavor was also reportedly seized in Ushuaia, Argentina. Seatrade Cruise News reported that it disembarked all passengers, but was eventually released and departed for its destination in Uruguay. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg world, society, cruise https://sputniknews.com/20220206/perus-prime-minister-reportedly-resigns-days-after-assuming-post-1092790314.html Peru's Prime Minister Reportedly Resigns Days After Assuming Post Peru's Prime Minister Reportedly Resigns Days After Assuming Post BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) - Peruvian Prime Minister Hector Valer Pinto has submitted a request for resignation to President Pedro Castillo days after assuming... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T05:09+0000 2022-02-06T05:09+0000 2022-02-06T05:24+0000 news peru resignation /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/105606/00/1056060080_0:288:3072:2016_1920x0_80_0_0_114579ae96761a30a16d57c1ae15d5f1.jpg "I have come to tell you that I accept defeat", Pinto was quoted as saying by the Peruvian radio station RPP on Saturday, explaining that allegations of him being an abuser, spread by the media, are all based on false facts.Pinto has submitted his resignation request to President Castillo, according to RPP. The prime minister reportedly plans to sue those individuals spreading domestic violence allegations against him.Pinto became Peru's new prime minister on 1 February. The day after he assumed office, media reports emerged that there were corruption allegations against him and that he was reported for domestic violence in 2016, by his wife and daughter. Pinto has denied all the allegations.Peruvian President Pedro Castillo said on Friday that he had decided to recompose the cabinet, without specifically mentioning Pinto. peru Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 news, peru, resignation https://sputniknews.com/20220206/racist-nft-project-selling-slaves-rebrands-itself-to-feature-people-of-colour-1092803229.html 'Racist' NFT Project Selling Slaves Rebrands Itself to Feature People of Colour 'Racist' NFT Project Selling Slaves Rebrands Itself to Feature People of Colour According to a digital archive the Wayback Machine, the project claimed to have been inspired by Black Lives Matter, a social movement in the US, which aims to fight against racial discrimination and police brutality. 2022-02-06T16:04+0000 2022-02-06T16:04+0000 2022-02-06T16:04+0000 society nft blockchain slavery ethereum cryptocurrency /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/02/06/1092803171_0:48:1920:1128_1920x0_80_0_0_5fa7ba4cce3559633b7c2f8a4c6a2aec.jpg An NFT project called Meta Slaves has rebranded itself after facing online backlash. Initially, it sold images of black people that were generated by artificial intelligence in a bid to draw attention to the notion that "everyone is a slave to something" desires, work, money, etc. However, after facing accusations of racism, the project changed its name to Meta Humans and now offers images of people of various ethnicities, which cost around 0.01 ETH (Ethereum). The project posted an apology on its social media, saying it was created with "good intentions". It is unclear what aims it is pursuing, as its account on the NFT marketplace OpenSea has been removed.According to Vice, over the course of its existence Meta Humans has sold four NFTs to two addresses, accumulating around $117. OpenSea said a user who goes by the nickname Unipic is responsible for creating the project. The account offers various NFTs featuring abstract images as well as plenty of others showing prices starting from $19 and ending with $700. NFTs are sold under various prices from $18 to over $700.Meta Humans is not the first NFT project that has been accused of racism. In December 2021, a project selling digital illustrations depicting George Floyd, an African-American man whose death at the hands of a white police officer in May 2020 sparked massive protests against racial discrimination and police brutality in the United States and other parts of the world. The authors of the project claimed that by buying so-called Floydies, people were getting "a single use n-word pass".Other NFTs sold on markets feature different illustrations of the leader of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler and swastikas. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Max Gorbachev Max Gorbachev News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Max Gorbachev society, nft , blockchain, slavery, ethereum, cryptocurrency https://sputniknews.com/20220206/scam-alert-black-lives-matters-financial-bonanza-finally-put-under-microscope-1092806570.html Scam Alert? Black Lives Matter's Financial Bonanza Finally Put Under Microscope Scam Alert? Black Lives Matter's Financial Bonanza Finally Put Under Microscope Several US states have subjected financial activities of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) to scrutiny, forcing the entity to halt... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T20:08+0000 2022-02-06T20:08+0000 2022-02-06T20:08+0000 us world opinion society black lives matter mass protests riots charity fraud donations /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107850/15/1078501559_0:208:2903:1841_1920x0_80_0_0_813e2d39b1b6ac40530be03392ff9d33.jpg The California Department of Justice on 31 January informed the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) that it is delinquent with The Registry of Charitable Trusts for failing to submit financial reports for the fiscal year ending 31 December 2020, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.The California DoJ requested a copy of the BLMGNF's annual registration renewal fee report as well as its 2020 IRS tax forms and threatened to hold its "directors, trustees, officers and return preparers" personally liable if they fail to disclose what has happened to $60 million in donations within two months. On 2 February 2022, the BLMGNF, the front organisation of the Black Lives Matter movement, halted all its online fundraising streams, according to The Epoch Times.Something is Very Rotten in BLM CharityThe Associated Press broke on 23 February 2021 that the BLMGNF had raised more than $90 million in 2020. Out of this sum, $21.7 million was disbursed in grants to more than 33 organisations, while the foundation's own expenses amounted to approximately $8.4 million in 2020, according to a financial snapshot shared by the BLMGNF with AP.However, the entity has long been subjected to criticism from both conservative observers and left-wing racial activists due to its financial non-transparency. Reports of BLMGNF co-founder Patrisse Cullors's real estate buying spree have added to suspicions that BLMGNF donations could have been used for personal enrichment, something that Cullors has vehemently denied. However, in May 2021 Cullors resigned from the charity, while Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi stepped away from the group months earlier.Makani Themba and Monifa Bandele BLM activists named by Cullors as her successors announced in September 2021 that they never took the job of leading the charity. It is unclear who has been in charge of the BLMGNF's finances since Cullors stepped down. It later turned out that Cullors is tied to several other fundraising organisations whose finances have raised "potential red flags," according to The New York Post's 31 January report.On 5 January 2022, the state of Washington ordered the organisation to immediately cease fundraising until it provides details of its financial activities. The attorneys general of California and Indiana followed suit. Meanwhile, the BLMGNF's charity registration is also "out of compliance" in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Virginia, according to the National Review. Speaking to Fox News on Saturday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita vowed to get to the bottom of the BLMGNF's "scamming" patterns.The Decline of Black Lives MatterOrtel praises Washington, California and Indiana's scrutiny of BLMGNF even though he considers it long overdue. The analyst explains that the California attorney general's assertiveness towards the charity's alleged scam is quite understandable: the Golden Bear State, as well as New York, has high income tax rates which make the values of purported donations to charities substantial, compared to states with low or even no income tax rates."Normally, [California and New York] are more vigilant and aggressive in making examples of charity con artists," Ortel says, adding that he expects New York State Attorney General Letitia James to take action against BLMGNF soon as well. "Good that the process has started finally and that, for now, Democrats are leading the charge."Bishop is less optimistic about the initiative targeting the BLMGNF: "It is doubtful the states will do anything with the midterm elections coming in November," the retired CPA says. He does not rule out that the charity will just wither away with Cullors and others quietly evading responsibility.At the same time, it appears obvious that BLM won't play any role in the 2022 midterm elections, according to Bishop. Previously, American observers openly praised BLM for "galvanising" African American voters during the 2020 presidential elections and to some extent contributing to Joe Biden's victory. However, this time, they are most likely to focus on the Capitol protest and use the "insurrection" narrative as a tool, Bishop forecasts.BLM's Shady Finances Have Long Raised ConcernsRobert Bishop and Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel have been warning about the BLMGNF's apparent scam since early summer 2020.Speaking to Sputnik on 24 June 2020, they drew attention to the fact that the charity has never been registered with the IRS. On 6 September 2016, the BLMGNF concluded a fiscal sponsorship with an International Development Exchange (IDEX), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, later renamed as Thousand Currents. However, according to the observers, Thousand Currents never made fiscal sponsorship agreements with the charity public and never provided details on how solicited funds had been spent by the BLMGNF. To complicate matters further, a heated debate erupted in 2020 about Thousand Currents' Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors Susan Rosenberg, who was sentenced to 58 years in prison on weapons and explosives charges in 1985 and pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001.In July 2020, Thousand Currents stopped providing services to the foundation and assigned its BLMGNF fiscal sponsorship to the nonprofit Tides Foundation. Speaking to Sputnik in March 2021, Ortel and Bishop explained that either the Tides Foundation or the BLMGNF itself must disclose information about the foundations' multi-million earnings by 15 November 2021 in accordance with IRS rules. However, it never happened.Scandals surrounding the BLMGNF have continued to pile up over the past few years, with local Black Lives Matter activists growing disenchanted and frustrated with the charity. Despite amassing considerable wealth, the BLMGNF has nevertheless repeatedly failed to support African Americans across the country, according to New York Magazine's Sean Campbell. Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Ekaterina Blinova Ekaterina Blinova News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Ekaterina Blinova us, world, opinion, society, black lives matter, mass protests, riots, charity, fraud, donations, donors, scam https://sputniknews.com/20220206/us-forensic-pathologist-calls-single-gunman-theory-in-jfks-assassination-bullsht-1092803339.html US Forensic Pathologist Calls Single Gunman Theory in JFK's Assassination 'Bullsh*t' US Forensic Pathologist Calls Single Gunman Theory in JFK's Assassination 'Bullsh*t' The assassination of the 35th US president still raises questions, with significant a number of Americans questioning the official version that JFK was killed... 06.02.2022, Sputnik International 2022-02-06T17:09+0000 2022-02-06T17:09+0000 2022-02-06T17:11+0000 us jfk assassination john f. kennedy /html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/101874/90/1018749092_0:469:1969:1576_1920x0_80_0_0_fac6c8ac47d8438720e8ee1f697fd1fa.png A US forensic pathologist who took part in one of the original government probes into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Dr Cyril Wecht, has slammed the fact that the single gunman theory still remains the officially approved one as "bullsh*t".Wecht made his statement amid the release of his new book "The JFK Assassination Dissected", in which he goes over the six decades he spent trying to uncover all the secrets behind the president's murder. In the book, the forensic pathologist questions the official conclusion of the seven-man Warren Commission, which concluded that a former serviceman who had returned from a prolonged stay in the USSR, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone when he shot JFK twice as his motorcade drove through Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963.Back in 1978, when the House Select Committee on Assassinations was looking into the matter again, Wecht was the only pathologist to question the lone gunman theory. He explains in his book: the trajectories of the two bullets that had hit Kennedy suggest that the second gunner existed. He pointed out at the wound in Kennedys back that had upward trajectory virtually impossible for a gunner shooting from above, Wecht insists.The pathologist also points at inconsistencies and oddities in the 35th president's autopsy. The local Dallas coroner was denied the opportunity to take a look at the wounds and JFK's body was flown to DC. Wecht said the autopsy was instead made by two physicians without forensic pathology certification and experience in dissecting a gunshot wound. In addition, when first reviewing the assassination materials stored in the National Archives in 1972, Wecht discovered that JFK's brain was missing despite being listed in the inventory.CIA to Blame?In his new book, the forensic pathologist alleges that the CIA had a role in JFK's assassination, and specifically its former Director Allen Dulles, who was sacked by Kennedy in 1961 and allegedly had both motive and an opportunity to carry out a hit.Wecht also reveals previously unpublished details about his meetings with Marina Oswald, the gunman's wife. She pointed out that her husband had met and befriended George de Mohrenschildt a person allegedly linked to the CIA and its former Director Allen Dulles.Despite the fact that official investigations into JFK's assassination were concluded decades ago, entire troves of materials related to them remain classified and inaccessible to the public, prompting the emergence of numerous conspiracy theories.Congress passed the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act back in 1992 ordering the release of all related materials. However, the long-awaited publication of the probe materials never happened, with presidents delaying it under the pretext of national security concerns. The latest deadline instructs POTUS to release the documents in December 2022 (unless the old pretext gets used again to delay it). Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 2022 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rosiya Segodnya 252 60 Tim Korso https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093831826_0:0:216:216_100x100_80_0_0_e3f43a960af0c6c99f7eb8ccbf5f812c.jpg us, jfk assassination, john f. kennedy Wheels On Fire's reign of the top class at Woodbine Mohawk Park was interrupted on Saturday night (Feb. 5) when The Greak Freak flew home to land a 17-1 blow and win the $36,000 Preferred Pace. Uhtred took the lead to a :29.1 first quarter before Wheels On Fire, settling into second, circled to the lead entering the backstretch. Driver Chris Christoforou sat third with The Greak Freak to a :59 half and remained put while Points North and Jimmy Freight mounted bids overland to three-quarters in 1:27.2. Off those slow fractions, the tempo quickened in the straightaway. Wheels On Fire held firm on the point as The Greak Freak came motoring to the outside with enough momentum to edge a neck in front of the O'Brien nominee in a 1:54.1 mile. Uhtred finished third and Poseidon Seelster rallied for fourth. A five-year-old gelding by Captaintreacherous, The Greek Freak won his seventh race from 53 starts, pushing his earnings to $309,482. Desiree Jones trains the $37.50 winner for owner Gino Toscani. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. Xi says China-Ecuador relations to enter new development stage Xinhua) 10:42, February 06, 2022 Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang) BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A joint statement on deepening China-Ecuador comprehensive strategic partnership released Saturday will promote the two countries' relations into a new phase of development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said. Xi made the remarks while meeting with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, who attended Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Xi said that both sides should take negotiations on the free trade agreement as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation, and continue to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. China will continue to help Ecuador fight the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen vaccine cooperation, Xi said. Xi said he hopes that Ecuador will continue to provide a fair and convenient business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Ecuador. Lasso said China is Ecuador's most important cooperation partner. With half of its COVID-19 vaccines coming from China, Ecuador has become one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate in Latin America. China's assistance to Ecuador and other countries has never attached any political strings, said the Ecuadorian president, stressing that Ecuador stands ready to actively participate in the Belt and Road cooperation and support the Global Development Initiative put forward by Xi. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Bianji) The corridor in Building J-50 at Naval Station Norfolk doesnt look anything like the weeks-long round of at-sea drilling most sailors do before deployment but then, the Blue Crew of USS Lewis B. Pullers sailors are a bit different. Their ship is nearly 7,000 miles away in the Persian Gulf. Advertisement As the Norfolk-based Blue Crew prepares to depart in a few weeks for another five-month tour, replacing the Pullers Gold Crew, a half-dozen sailors are in the combat systems cubicle, getting a typical at-sea briefing. A few steps down the corridor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Jones is poring over technical briefs and updates on aviation fuel handling. We dont have the usual phased in for readiness. We have to be always combat-ready, said Capt. Daryle Cardone, the Blue Crew commanding officer. Advertisement We could be here in Norfolk on Monday, and on Friday, in contested waters with an Iranian-flag vessel approaching. During the Blue Crews last deployment in Bahrain, Petty Officer 3rd Class Kendra Barrow whose official job is to cook was scrambling up to the flight deck to document encounters with Iranian ships. I never had a chance to get out of the galley before, she said. It makes me feel like Im really in the Navy. She regularly acts as messenger of the watch as part of the Pullers navigation team that drives the warship in addition to cooking for her shipmates. Blue Crews 100-plus sailors often take on jobs outside their official rating. Along with a team of civilian mariners who handle some navigation and the engine room, they run one of the largest and newest kind of ships in the Navy. The 765-foot Pullers job is to get close enough to shore for Marines and Navy special warfare operators to launch missions. Built on the hull of a Navy tanker, it has a flight deck that handles helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft. Its two huge rudders mean the big ship is surprisingly maneuverable, even in the tight spaces of the Gulf. The Blue Crew is just over one quarter the size of the crew on the newest guided missile destroyers. For Petty Officer 1st Class Jessica LeCour, the Blue Crews independent duty corpsman, that means she gets to know her shipmates state of health well. That gives her more scope for preventive and wellness care. Advertisement On her previous ship, she was in charge of a department that did not have a doctor, but with a crew was over three times as large. My phone was ringing all the time I couldnt get out of medical at all, she said. On the Puller, though, shes still on call 24 hours a day, and has had anti-terrorism and flight deck safety watches. She stands CDO command duty officer watches during Pullers typically brief stops at its official home port in Bahrain. Basically, that means her job is to free up Cardone to take care of non-routine issues or even, he jokes, take a brief liberty stay onshore. But when Jones, whose job is to shepherd thousands of gallons of explosive aviation fuel safely, has a problem with the complex system of pipes and pumps and valves that make up Pullers fuel system, hes free to go directly to Cardone. I dont go to him with every little thing, Jones said. But if I need to, I can. And hell listen. Advertisement The way Jones and his shipmates step up to take on a range of tasks outside their official duties means daily life with Blue Crew feels different than time on other ships. I know they can do anything we need to do, Jones said. Command Senior Chief Jerry Gonzalez, the Blue Crews top enlisted sailor, said the need to take on many different tasks gives sailors a leg up on the advancement ladder. Though his own rating had been as an electrician, Gonzalez regularly pitches in alongside Barrow in the galley making his trademark pizza. Everybody likes that, Cardone said. I know everyone is willing; the lieutenant will come in to the galley an get his hands dirty, Barrow said, pointing to Lt. Joshua Croft, the supply officer who is her department head. The unusual five-months-onboard, five-months-in-Norfolk cycle between Blue Crew and its counterparts on the Gold Crew works out better for many sailors than sea-duty usually does, said LeCour. Advertisement On a DDG (destroyer), youre always going out for a week or two or more, even before a typical six-months-plus deployment in the Mediterranean, Middle East or eastern Atlantic, she said. Even pierside, sailors often have to sleep aboard. But we have a lot of ways of keeping in touch when were on the ship, she said. I dont worry about how my cats are doing or whats with my car. Daywatch Weekdays Start your morning with today's local news > And, says Gonzalez, the schedule means sailors on deployment dont have to worry that a special meal like his pizza signals an unexpected extension of time away from home. I tell my wife, Im off for five months and she says Oh? only five months, the 22-year Navy veteran says. The Puller was the first of whats now a threesome of expeditionary sea base ships, commissioned in 2017 and based out of Bahrain since then, with crews coming from Norfolk. Its mobility, and capacity to be a base for aircraft and small boat operations, give the Navy options for a rapid response to challenges on distant shores, Cardone said. Advertisement And it allows Navy and Marine forces to be places without sending the kind of signal that a carrier strike group or amphibious ready group would. There isnt a rule book yet for ESBs, Cardone said. What these sailors are really doing now is writing one. Dave Ress, 757-247-4535, dress@dailypress.com JM Betonsix picked up her third straight win racing for the hottest tandem anywhere as the Yannick Gingras-driven, Ron Burke-trained four-year daughter of Betting Line-Six Of Hearts won the $18,500 high-end conditioned pacing feature for fillies and mares at The Meadowlands Friday night (Feb. 4). Sent to the gate as the 4-5 favourite despite leaving from the outermost post seven in the seven-horse field (there was one scratch), JM Betonsix was able to cruise through fractions of :28, :56 and 1:24 unchallenged on the way to an easy one-length victory in 1:52.2. Divine Deo another Burke student sat the pocket throughout to get the place spot with A Better Game third. Gingras and Burke, who took home the Driver of the Week and Trainer of the Week honours from January 21-22 with 10 and five wins, respectively, continued their early 2022 dominance at The Big M. Last weekends races were cancelled due to the winter storm that hit the region. JM Betonsix won her last start at Woodbine Mohawk Park on December 31 of last year, then moved into Burkes barn and won again on January 21 at The Meadowlands before completing the natural hat trick Friday. Owned by Frank Canzone and Gingras, JM Betonsix returned $3.60 in winning for the sixth time from 26 lifetime starts, good for a bank account of $83,413. PICK-6 HIT: A double carryover of $14,033 in the 20-cent Pick-6 led to $61,639 in new money to create a total pool of $75,672, and those who selected all six winners walked away with a handsome payout of $2,012.86 after a sequence that was extremely obtainable based on winners odds. Starting in race eight and concluding with race 13, the odds of the winning horses were 3-1, 3-5, 4-1, 4-5, 1-1 and 9-2. A LITTLE MORE: Driver Todd McCarthy, back from his vacation in his native Australia, had a winner on his first night back, scoring with 5-1 chance Captains Reign in the fourth race despite racing with a broken headpole. Andy Miller, Joe Bongiorno and Gingras all had two winners on the program. Gingras maintained his sizable lead in the driver standings with 26 wins. Bongiorno is next with 15. Jeff Cullipher trained a pair to victory lane. He now has 10 victories, just two behind leader Burke. All-source handle totalled $2,408,338. Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m. (With files from Meadowlands) Canadian Pharoh played a fierce game of catch-me-if-you-can during the Saturday (Feb. 5) feature at Century Mile, not allowing anyone to collar him en route to victory. Driver David Kelly took no chances with the seven-year-old gelding, placing him on top of his three rivals early in the $10,500 contest. After a sharp first panel of :27.2, Kelly used that short field to his advantage to pocket up favoured Crackle N Burn (Phil Giesbrecht) and backed down the middle half substantially with subsequent splits of :58.2 and 1:29.1. Outlaw Gunsablazin (Jamie Gray) was the first to challenge from third, but Canadian Pharoh had enough left in the tank to sprint home in :27.2 and repel all rivals with a 1:56.3 decision. Crackle N Burn was three parts of a length back in second with Outlaw Gunsablazin enduring broken equipment to stay for show. Owned by trainer Chris Lancaster along with Rob Ostashek Holdings Ltd. of Edmonton, Alta., Canadian Pharoh ($6.30) picked up his 22nd career tally with earnings surpassing $287,000. The win was one of three on the day for Chris Lancaster as he completed a hat trick with back-to-back wins later in the card by Pure Addition ($3.20) and A Cowboys Dream ($2.80). Conditioner Trevor Williams also recorded a hat trick on the Saturday card, sending Jim Strikesitrich ($2.80), Silver Sea ($6.60) and Mystic Dragon ($3.30) to victories. To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Century Mile, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Mile. Blair Corbeil has been involved in harness racing for 25 years, but 2021 marked the first time a horse he has owned was named a finalist for an OBrien Award and the second time as well. It's the first time, hopefully not the last, said Corbeil, a Standardbred Canada director who has owned numerous quality horses over the years in Alberta, Ontario and other racing jurisdictions. There's thousands of other owners wishing they were in our shoes, so weve got to feel pretty honoured. The Beaumont, Alta. businessman shares ownership of two OBrien Award finalists, including Logan Park in the three-year-old trotting colt division and Warrawee Vital in the older pacing horse category both trained by longtime partner and friend Rob Fellows. Logan Park was the top point-earner in his division during the Ontario Sires Stakes regular season with four Gold Series wins and finished second to fellow finalist Fashion Frenzie in the Super Final. The Archangel-Rite Outa The Park gelding banked $366,072 with a 5-3-2 record from 15 sophomore starts for Corbeil and his partners in the Outofthepark Stable, along with breeder Reg Higgs and Arpad Szabo. Among his highlights, Logan Park equalled the all-age trotting track record and smashed the divisional record at Rideau Carleton Raceway with his 1:52.4 triumph in the July 11 Gold leg. Anytime you win a race, it's a highlight, said Corbeil, who owns pieces of about 50 Standardbreds. As anybody that's in the industry knows, there's a lot of things that have to go right in order to win a race. That track record performance in Ottawa was a heck of a race, but he had a lot of great races. There were a lot of good battles. There are some great horses in that program in Ontario. Those Gold finals in Ontario were all really good races and he put in some big miles there. While Corbeil laments Logan Parks misfortune in the Breeders Crown, hes confident the trotter is a Grand Circuit caliber horse who will get another shot at tackling the top guns this year. I thought he had a real good shot at the Breeders Crown down there. He finished second in the elimination and raced huge. And then we drew the 10-hole in the final and we had a horse beside us that was kind of a bad breaker. He went on a break, and we went on a break. I don't know if we had much of a chance from the 10-hole anyways but it's just the way racing goes. You can't have good luck all the time. We've got to be thankful with what we're given. We had multiple drivers on Logan throughout the year and they all did a great job, he continued, referring to Louis-Philippe Roy, Jody Jamieson and James MacDonald. We're thankful to all of them for that as well. Overall, we're ecstatic with his year and he finished it off well and we turned him out sound. Anytime you can have a great campaign with a horse like that and put him away sound and healthy, it's a great sign for next year. Warrawee Vital made the tough transition to the older pacing ranks look easy, putting together a 7-3-3 record from 19 starts while banking just over $200,000 for Corbeil, Yolanda Fellows and M&S Racing Stable. The son of Captaintreacherous out of 2021 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Great Memories was a multiple Grand Circuit stakes winner at three when he took his mark of 1:47.1 at The Red Mile and he carried that speed all the way through his four-year-old campaign. Despite an earlier debut than originally planned due to schedule changes caused by COVID-19, Warrawee Vital got off to a fast start with close runner-up finishes in the opening legs of the Graduate Series at The Meadowlands with Ron Coyne, pacing sub-1:49 and sub-1:48 miles right off the bat before returning to Canada to win five Open/Preferreds at Woodbine Mohawk Park in rein to Trevor Henry. A flashy 1:47.3 victory on September 25 was followed by another memorable performance on October 2 that Corbeil got to witness first-hand. When you're racing against the best like that, they're all big miles, but one in particular and I was fortunate enough to be in Ontario for that race was that one on October 2, recalled Corbeil. When he was parked to the half a quarter in :25.3 and :53 flat to the half and still held off the best horses the country could throw at him to win that race, that race was pretty eye-popping as far as we're concerned. There were some other people outside watching in front of the grandstand and they were blown away by what he did in that race as well. After wintering in Maryland, both Logan Park and Warrawee Vital are back in Ontario, looking good and feeling good as they prepare for their 2022 racing seasons, according to Corbeil. He is quick to acknowledge Fellows and his wife Yolanda for the success of his OBrien Award nominees. Their affiliation began when Corbeil met Fellows at the Harrisburg sale years ago. They continued to dabble in horses together and a shared a connection with Bill Companion furthered their partnership, which turned into friendship as Corbeil expanded his roster in Ontario the last seven years. I mean it all starts with Rob and Yolanda and their team. We have our horses there for a reason: we think they do a very good job at what they do. They've got just a first-class operation; they're first-class people and they ask the same of their staff. Every time we go back and visit and spend days and days there at the farm, it's amazing to see how their staff treat the horses and how well they are looked after. As an owner, it's very reassuring and it's just makes you feel good when they have success and the team has success. As much as it's nice for us, we really, really want to share the success with them too, because they're the ones that put it all together and make it happen. You don't have great horses without great people. Corbeil is also pleased to share his success with another longtime partner. Twenty-five years after being introduced to harness racing by Mike McAllister, its all come full circle as he now gets to celebrate one of his first OBrien nominations with his Outofthepark Stable partner on Logan Park. We'll get together to watch the O'Briens that night for sure, he said. It's always better raising a glass with friends and family. The 2021 Virtual OBrien Awards Gala will be streamed live on standardbredcanada.ca tonight (Sunday, Feb. 6), with the Red Carpet pre-show set to begin at 5:30 p.m. (EST), followed by video greetings at 6:30 p.m. and the awards show at 7 p.m. Trot Insider has learned that Rustys Flying, the winningest pacing mare in North America, passed away recently. She was 14. The daughter of Artiscape and Flying Free amassed 108 wins through 12 seasons of competition, the most of any female Standardbred in harness racing history. She began her career in Delaware under the care of her breeder, Bobby Myers, before taking her 1:53.2 lifetime mark at Tioga Downs in her eight-year-old season. She relocated north of the 49th parallel in the fall of 2018, and won 35 times in Canada over just shy of three years. The final win of her career came at Marquis Downs, in Saskatoon, Sask., on Oct. 2, 2021, for owners David Watson and Kris Jon Bjarnason. She recently passed away after a mishap in her stall. Rustys Flying enjoyed her most illustrious season in 2019 her first full year competing on Canadian soil winning 20 races and finishing third or better in all but eight of her 41 starts. She also amassed double-digit single-season win totals on four other occasions. She has never earned a lot of money per race, she grinds out almost $1,000 per start and she's never won a stakes race or anything like that but she just keeps plugging along, former owner Glenn Tarver said in a 2020 interview. "Shes a blue-collar horse ... she works hard for her money. Rustys Flying earned her nearly $350,000 in purses "the hard way," competing primarily in low-level claiming events through six states and three provinces. Her consistency made her a popular commodity at the claim box, as she was claimed 18 times in her career. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Rustys Flying. More than 30 years ago, I first walked the verdant, rolling hills of Culpeper Countys Brandy Station battlefield. To this day, I remember my thoughts of how beautiful and peaceful were the fields of Fleetwood Hill. B.B. Mitchell, founding president of the Brandy Station Foundation, walked alongside, drinking a beer and telling story after story of growing up and living on this storied acreage. He pointed toward the hamlet of Brandy Station and spoke of the charges and countercharges of Union and Confederate cavalry on June 9, 1863. Then, in a grave, serious voice, he talked about a proposal to convert Brandy Stations fields into a huge, 1,500-acre corporate office and industrial park, and peoples seemingly hopeless battle to stop it. At that moment, as a 25-year-old NASA planner, I knew what most of my private life would focus around for the next several years: preserving this historic site for future generations. I joined the Brandy Station Foundations board and became its chief spokesman for the next eight years. A nearly seven-year legal and public relations battle ensued to save the battlefield, led by BSF and its attorney, Tersh Boasberg. The journey to save the battlefield was a messy, costly, but necessary fight. Unfortunately, many times it pitted neighbor against neighbor, and led to hard feelings and ruined friendships. At the time, most every elected official in Culpeper County supported the corporate/industrial park development proposed by a California developer. Persuading them and the public that tourism and preserving the Civil War battlefield could also lead to economic development seemed impossible. But over timeespecially after people saw two Brandy Station developers fall into bankruptcythe concept gained traction. Our friends at the American Battlefield Trust (formerly the Civil War Trust) significantly aided the effort by purchasing about 950 acres of the Brandy Station battlefield in 1997 and developing a driving tour of these historic properties. For the past 20 years, preservation activities have continued relentlessly, led by Virginia historian Clark B. Hall. As of this writing, the trust and its partners have saved more than 1,700 acres through outright purchase, conservation or historic easements. Many have talked about, someday, turning these preserved acres into a state or national park. There were attempts at the state level, but they didnt gain momentum until the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors and the Culpeper Town Council voted a few years ago to support the state-park concept. Yet it seemed no one in Richmond was listening. Apparently, it was never a high enough priority. That changed recently when new Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed a $4.9 million budget amendment calling for a new state park to preserve much of not only Culpepers Brandy Station battlefield, but also historic sites at Cedar Mountain and Hansbroughs Ridge. The park and its accompanying heritage tourism would be an economic windfall for Culpeper and surrounding communities as upwards of 200,000 visitors per year could pump around $5 million annually into local coffers. State Sen. Bryce Reeves deserves much praise for urging Youngkin to support the state park in Virginias proposed 2023 budget. The governors amendment says the funding provides for the purchase of land to create a new state park in Culpeper County that will have multiple recreational and educational opportunities. All Virginians should support this long-overdue proposal. In a time of polarized partisanship, Youngkin has offered a surprising proposal that should attract strong bipartisan consensussomething that small businesses, environmentalists, preservationists and historians can support! For me, its one huge step toward a goal voiced 30 years ago, to permanently save the Brandy Station battlefield for future generations. Today, as I reflect on the state-park proposal, its a bittersweet moment. I remember those long walks around the fields and streams on Fleetwood Hill with B.B. Mitchell, his passion for preserving not just his property but hundreds of acres around it. That fight was long and hard. The acrimony took a toll on many, but friendships have healed, and life has slowly returned to normal. I imagine that somewhere in the heavens, B.B. is smiling, as he sips a cold one. A former director of Culpeper Countys Brandy Station Foundation, G. Michael Green is a senior executive at NASA in Washington D.C. His viewpoints are his own. He lives in Arlington, Va. Right before last Novembers elections in Virginia, we warned that Democrats were potentially facing a political backlash that could cost them the governors mansion. Shortly thereafter, voters reversed the blue wave election of 2019, when Democrats took control of both chambers of the General Assembly in addition to holding all three statewide offices after a generation of Republican rule in Richmond. That was a heady time for the Democrats legislative leaders, who came to power clearly intending to turn the commonwealth into a reliably blue state. A Washington Post headline summed up their mood at the time: In Virginia, newly empowered Democrats test the blue depths. But just two years later, stunned Democrats found themselves out of power, having lost the House of Delegates and all three statewide offices they had held since 2009. The progressive blue wave turned out to be not quite as deep as they and their activist base thought it was. Thats a lesson for Republican leaders in the House who are facing similar political dynamics as their colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Of course, the winning party gets to set most of the legislative agenda, and theres nothing wrong with that. Elections have consequences, after all, and promises made during hard-fought campaigns can and should be kept if possible. The GOP will certainly not retain every policy the Democrats enacted when they were in power, even if former Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, insists on defending her partys record in defeat. Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, no doubt has other plans. But Virginia still has a closely divided and highly polarized electorate, so it will be challenging for the House to pass legislation that makes it through the Democratic-controlled state Senate, as we saw last week when it voted down key elements of Gov. Youngkins education plan. This could be a recipe for gridlock, but Virginians deserve better than a zero-sum game. Although there are significant areas of disagreement between the two parties on hot-button issues like abortion, gun control, voting standards, criminal justice reform and right-to-work, there are also areas where true bipartisan agreement can be forged. At the end of the day, Virginians of all political persuasions want good schools, safe neighborhoods, an efficient transportation network, cheap and reliable energy, economic freedom, and opportunities for all. If the GOP leadership in the General Assembly focuses on achieving those goals instead of who wins the next election, theyll be much more likely to avoid the kind of backlash that caught their Democratic colleagues by surprise. The (Fredericksburg) Free Lance-Star Sierra Banks is a sophomore at Alliance High School and this will be her ninth year with 4-H. Throughout her time participating in the youth program, Banks has entered a variety of projects including cookie jar, baking, sewing, crafts, plants, rabbits and dog. One of her more recent projects is training her four-year-old golden retriever named Captain for showing at the county fair. Banks said Captain can have a short attention span and low patience, but the pair was able work together to win the overall obedience showmanship class at the 2021 Box Butte County Fair. Captain is over average for his size so its a little bit more difficult showing him ... getting overall obedience showmanship with him this past year was super exciting, Banks said. A project that Banks has been involved with since she first began 4-H is sewing. Banks began sewing at a young age and she has been consistently advancing in the sewing and modeling projects. She explained that beginning or junior modeling can be more relaxed. The participant usually works with 100% cotton materials to make pajamas, pillowcases or bags. Once the 4-Her is able to move up in levels, materials that can be more difficult to work with are typically used to make more advanced clothing items. Banks said that as you gain more experience with sewing, details such as invisible zippers and pockets can be added, and stretchy material could be used. Ive been sewing since I was eight, Banks said. My favorite item Ive made is this blue and white striped jumpsuit that I was able to model at the State Fair and I believe I got a purple (ribbon) modeling that at state. Banks said she became involved with 4-H because both her parents participated when they were young. 4-H has always been something thats been a part of our family, my sister did it when she was young and then I followed her lead, Banks said. The Panhandle 4-H counties offer a large variety of clubs that typically cater towards a specific project. This allows the club members to have easy access to leaders and volunteers that are knowledgeable in the 4-H project. Nebraska 4-H youth are encouraged but not required to join a club. Banks is currently a member of two clubs, the Little Critters Club and Junior Leaders Club. The Junior Leaders Club is an opportunity for any youth older than 12 currently enrolled in 4-H to gain leadership experience and participate in community service. Banks and the other junior leaders enjoyed activities and small trips. They served in the community doing different acts of service throughout the year. She explained that she joined this particular club to get a better understanding of what is going on in 4-H, the county fair and her community and to gain opportunities to contribute in these areas. Something we do as junior leaders is we help out at the pop booth for two to three hours selling drinks, candy and snacks to those that are showing or those that are just browsing around, Banks said. For the 2022 4-H year, Banks as well as Delany Childers and Gavin Bell, are serving as junior council members of the Box Butte County 4-H Council. The youth had to fill out an application and be accepted by the council to join the adults as a junior member. Banks explained that she wanted to be a part of the 4-H council to gain a better understanding of what was happening and how she could become more involved. I wanted to be able to get my voice out there and to help the fair, have a little bit more control over whats happening, Banks said. She reflects that being involved in 4-H has been a great experience for her. In addition to in-depth knowledge of the projects she has enrolled in throughout her 4-H career, Banks has been able to develop her social skills. Being actively involved in the 4-H program has also given her public speaking skills and the confidence to present and speak in front of large groups of people. At the Box Butte County 4-H achievement night, Banks was given the Outstanding 4-Her award for the 2021 4-H year. The award is intended to honor a 4-H member for their performance, dedication and passion for the 4-H program. That was exciting and I was super happy about that, Banks said about winning the award. The cool thing is my sister got to present the award to me over zoom while shes in England. Banks plans to stay involved in the 4-H program after she graduates from college and hopes she can become a project leader or conduct clinics for 4-H youth. Banks said 4-H is about having fun and growing as a person. (4-H) isnt about the ribbons or the placement or the prizes, she explained. Those are a nice benefit but its about the experience and how you feel afterward knowing that youve made something or you showed something with your own two hands. You did that by yourself. Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LARAMIE Information from Wyoming ranchers and other agricultural sectors molded a new ranch management and leadership program being launched this winter in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. The Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership (RMAL) program has two approaches, one to meet the needs of students and another to meet the needs of community members already engaged in ranch management and agriculture. Much of the community-based, non-formal learning opportunities in the program will involve UW Extension. I am very supportive of this program that has been developed based upon clearly defined needs from stakeholders and with their support and ideas, said Barb Rasco, dean of the college, and who is co-teaching the for-credit course. RMAL information and registration is at http://www.uwyo.edu/uwag/rmal. Program interim director Kelly Crane said the RMAL development flipped the usual process of creating an academic program. Most programs start by convening a campus committee and developing a curriculum based on existing courses and faculty expertise. The initial effort in developing the program was listening to people across the state and region. We want the curriculum and educational experiences in RMAL to reflect the specific needs for the future workforce in ranch, natural resource, and agricultural management, Crane said. College personnel heard from ranchers, ag business leaders, elected officials and ranch managers at a May 2018 summit convened by former UW president Lori Nichols at a ranch near Douglas. Another summit was held this fall in northern Wyoming. We asked that group what their workforce needs were for students coming out of our college and were we meeting their needs, said Crane, director of UW Extension. What was heard was the college trains really good rangeland managers, agribusiness professionals and animal scientists. But their perspective is what was needed were students who could integrate all the disciplines of agriculture with a blend of soft skills, interpersonal communication, understanding of public policy and the ability to interact with diverse audiences, he said. We thought this was an opportunity to develop an integrated program in our college that really meets all those needs. College personnel spent the last year and a half traveling the state listening to workforce needs in addition to those received at the summits. A gift from Farm Credit Services of America plus a state match from the Wyoming Legislature provided about $3 million to start the effort. To encourage interaction between UW students and leaders in the fields of ranch management and agriculture, RMAL is offering an on-campus course that will be live-streamed with five different educational events held throughout Wyoming this winter. Four three-hour workshops will be held this winter/spring in Sheridan, Riverton, Evanston and Laramie. These sessions are open to the public and can be attended in person or via Zoom. We hope our students on campus benefit from this opportunity to interact with real issues and real people addressing natural resource, agricultural and leadership challenges in Wyoming, said Crane. Topics include rangeland ecosystems, beef production, managing through winter and new developments in technology, Rasco said. Crane said the colleges aspirations for the program has resonated with ranchers and federal agencies. The needs for the workforce and for the kinds of students we turn out in natural resources have really evolved, Crane said. Theyre embroiled in public policy and public lands issues. We still hope science provides the answers for everything, right? But it doesnt. The issues are complex, and students need professional networks to work with complex issues, he said. Weve had several people say this is exactly what needs to happen, Crane said. Recent alumni say they wish this program was here when they went to school. The RMAL has three planned aspects. An undergraduate program will offer an integrated bachelors degree in ranch management and an ag leadership that focuses on ag business, rangeland management, animal science and leadership skills. The second part is an RMAL institute for a select group of students. Up to 20 may be chosen to attend. Individuals accepted to the RMAL institute will get more intensive training, more expectations for internships and networking with professionals and more experiential learning opportunities, Crane said. RMAL institute graduates may obtain a masters degree in ranch management or a certificate in ranch management and ag leadership. Details of the RMAL program continue to develop. We are just initiating the program development stage on campus, Crane said. Many of the details regarding curriculum, degrees, program names, and time lines will reflect our future conversations with UW faculty and administrators. The third part has been created from discussions around the state, said Crane. And that is to deliver community-based, professional development educational opportunities for existing ag producers, ranchers, ranch managers and natural resource managers, he said. Thats were extension comes in because thats our job. The public option and student option have a required one-day leadership session scheduled in Casper. One of the really resounding messages we get when we talk to people who hire our graduates is they need what is termed soft skills interpersonal communication, writing and public speaking skills Crane said. Its not just about training how people manage ranches, he said. We hope we grow our next generation of leaders in ag business and in federal and state agencies, as well as ranchers. For more information about the program, contact Pepper Jo Six, College of Ag & Natural Resources, Director of Development, (307) 766-4133 or pepperjo@uwyo.edu. Sen. Julie Slama's proposal to seek elimination of the nonpartisan feature of Nebraska's unique one-party Legislature ran into a storm of opposition Thursday at a public hearing, including resistance from four former senators. If that were to happen, former Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley of Kearney warned, "we will look a little bit like Washington" where members of Congress battle every day along party lines. In Nebraska's Legislature, Hadley said, "the emphasis is on you as an individual senator, not party." "We do work for the people, not the parties," former Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha said. "The issues are less party-driven" in Nebraska's Legislature, he said, and more centered on urban or rural interests. "Senators would be expected to toe the line on issues," former Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln said, and a partisan Legislature "would give the governor more power. "Term limits is what should change," Schimek said. Former Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island said he would not have been a candidate for the Legislature if the body had been partisan. Slama said she introduced the proposed constitutional amendment (LR282CA) to let the people decide whether they want to retain the current nonpartisan system or whether they may want to know the party affiliation of legislative candidates. Party identification would give voters "a general sense of where candidates stand," said Slama, an active Republican who was originally appointed to the Legislature in 2019 by Gov. Pete Ricketts. Slama, who lives in Sterling, subsequently was elected to a four-year term in 2020. A parade of speakers opposed the proposal during a noon-hour public hearing before the Legislature's Executive Board. Moving to a partisan Legislature "would remove the possibility of independent decision-making," said Nathan Leach, speaking for Non-Partisan Nebraska. Nebraska's state senators "act in the best interests of their constituents now rather than a political party," he said. A number of speakers suggested that the proposal could have the effect of "disenfranchising 271,000 voters" who are registered now as nonpartisans if subsequent implementation of the change would move legislative candidates onto partisan primary election ballots. "Let's continue to evaluate candidates as people," said Westin Miller, director of public policy for Civic Nebraska. John Hansen of Lincoln, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union, said the proposal would be "a giant step in the wrong direction." Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form The number of Americans looking to start their own business is on the rise, as the coronavirus pandemic creates opportunities for some would-be entrepreneurs. Some lost their job and decided to make their "side hustle" their main occupation. Others reevaluated their priorities and left the corporate world. Some took advantage of the flexibility of working remotely and lower commercial rents. His helmet's strap was undone and it flew off his head. He sustained multiple injuries in the fall and died on the spot, police said. Representational image/PTI HYDERABAD: A 27-year-old software engineer fell to his death from the newly inaugurated Shaikpet flyover on Saturday morning. The police suspect that his bike skidded and fell off the flyover though they are also investigating whether his two-wheeler was hit by another vehicle. The spot on the flyover from where he fell is 30 feet from the road. The deceased, identified as Pritam Bharadwaj, a software engineer of Padmaraonagar, was heading towards Gachibowli from Mehdipatnam when he met with the accident, the police said. Investigating officer, Raidurgam sub-inspector G. Saidulu, said the accident occurred early on Saturday morning. "We suspect that his bike skidded and fell off the flyover. However, CC cameras footage is being accessed to ascertain the cause of the accident," he said, adding, "His helmet's strap was undone and it flew off his head. He sustained multiple injuries in the fall and died on the spot." A case was booked and the police shifted the body for post-mortem examination, said the official, "There are no surveillance cameras at the spot where the incident occurred. We are investigating if he lost control of the vehicle and fell off the flyover or he was hit by another vehicle," added another official. In Andy Pendleton's room at Peachtree Brookdale, a model of a B-24 Liberator bomber hangs over his desk a reminder of the years he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. While a scrapbook full of photos, old training manuals, and other related items could serve as its own history lesson, it's much better to hear the words from Pendleton as he recalls those 27 missions he took part in over Europe. "There are things that I would like the veterans to know about, and what they've done. Anytime I have a chance to promote the veterans, I do so," Pendleton said. And for him, it's about remembering not his own exploits, but those of other veterans, especially the ones who didn't return. Pendleton said like many others at the time, his story isn't exceptional as many were called into service. However, talking with him, you can tell he has great pride in his service. His room is its own museum to his time in the Air Corps, but also to the entire 451st Bombardment Group. Old photos he and others took are tucked away in a scrapbook along with flight manuals and other small artifacts of history. His own history would begin in Elizabeth City, but his pursuit of education and World War II would send him around the world before he ended up in Statesville. Pendleton's interest in aviation wasn't sparked by his time flying in the various theaters of war. He had been studying aeronautics at North Carolina State University before he was drafted into service in 1942, but he said that he had begun the process of enlisting before his number was called. In a letter he wrote to his children and their children detailing most of his service and noting that while he was invited to go to Officer's Candidate School, he was eager to go overseas with the group. From there, Pendleton would train as a bombardier and then be stationed in Wendover, Utah before he and the 451st Bomb Group was sent to the Mediterranean theater to face the Axis Powers of Italy, Germany and others. The grass airfield of Gioia del Colle served as the first base for the 451st, but it proved not to be fitting for the heavy American bombers. Lecce, which was "way down in the heel of Italy's boot" would be their group's temporary home while a new base was prepared in Castelluccia in 1944. In his time serving through 27 missions, he saw most of the war and history from well above the ground. One of those parts of history was the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces. He said he wasn't aware of that at the time, but was grateful for the protection. "We were delighted to have them flying escort for us," Pendleton said. Another one of the things Pendleton recalls though was the freezing temperatures on flights as leather jackets and other gear could only provide so much warmth in an unpressurized cabin. "The worst part of flying, to me, was the cold. I got cold in the time flying, and I don't think I got over it," Pendleton said. "A draft comes through here, I can feel it right away." Around this time Pendleton said circumstances and his training and understanding of Norden bombsights would change his role from one on the ground to one in the air. Training and a few combat missions would follow, but in the letter, Pendleton shared with the Record & Landmark, May 5, 1944, proved to be an exceptional day for him and his fellow airmen. May 5, 1944 After breakfast of eggs not powered ones he was used to as the real ones were reserved for flight crews bacon, toast, hash browns, and coffee, a briefing where the flight crews learned their mission took place in a barn at the estate-turned-air field. The information on their targets in Ploesti, Romania, as well as an "escape kit" for if they were forced to bale out of the plane, were given to them and soon they would make their way to their planes. Pendleton said that one of the worst times was the wait on the ground before engines were started and the planes took off. In his letter, Pendleton admits the apprehension led to him vomiting up that breakfast he had enjoyed, but he said he wasn't the only one that day who did. The mission would take them more than 1,000 miles there and back as they would have to dodge German air defenses on the way. Pendleton would be at the front of the aircraft, where the bombsight was. After a smooth take-off and routine flight to the target other than some light fighter attacks, Pendleton went to the back where the bombs were to set the fuses, some of which were on longer timers that wouldn't explode when they hit the ground. The longer fuses would keep the enemy from coming in so quickly to repair the damage caused initially. Once the bombers began to make their final approach, bombers like Pendleton took over the planes via the bombsight, which was a mechanical computer that could control the plane and helped account for all the conditions that would affect the bombs' flight to the ground. This is typically the time Pendleton hated the most he said, as the enemy fighters peeled off and the flak guns began peppering the sky with deadly ordnance. "I was more concerned with the flak than the fighter planes," Pendleton said. "You could shoot back at the planes as they attacked us, but there was nothing we could do about the flak on the ground and we were up here." "There was defense, we just have to take what they gave us." Everything seemed to be going well, however, as they dropped the payloads over the Romanian oil fields. "Now comes the hairy part," Pendleton wrote in his 1944 letter. After what he described as a very loud crack, the B-24 lurched sideways and threw him off balance. With his job as bombardier completed, his role became the plane's handyman while others remained in their posts. Pendleton made his way to the cockpit to see the pilots struggling with a damaged plane wanting to turn left without their influence. Pendleton said he looked out a window to see one of the plane's four engines damaged. As the pilots took action to activate the engine's fire extinguishers he said they didn't realize it at the time, but the damage was much worse than a lost engine. During this time the plane had dropped out of formation with the rest of the group, which meant that it was a sitting duck for enemy fighters as they wouldn't have the protection of their fellow bombers' guns. That put them in a tough situation as they couldn't keep up, but they didn't wish to draw attention as they attempted to get away from the main group unnoticed. And while they were able to do that, they were able to realize the other problems caused by the damage they had received earlier. The drag caused by that damage meant the previous calculations for fuel to get back to their airbase were useless. As they did the math, they realized that they likely didn't have enough fuel to get there and that their best chance would be to aim for the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, which was occupied by the British military and had a very short runway. But as Pendleton put in his letter, there was an ominous sign of trouble at the end of it. " on which were the remnants of many Allied plans that had tried to use it," Pendleton wrote. "It was, however, better than becoming prisoners of war so we elected to try for it." Still, they weren't committed to that plan just yet. They didn't know for sure if they would make it to either location, so they made an effort to lighten the plane. Everything from machine guns, ammo, first aid kits, sandwiches, papers, used oxygen tanks, and anything that wasn't required was tossed out of the aircraft. Around this time they saw two fighters closing in on them, but while they were unable to communicate with them, they turned out to be Allied planes. Life-or-death decision While Vis was held by the Allies, the prospect of landing on a short runway and the prospect of a possible crash landing there wasn't overly enticing to them. The crew estimated they had enough fuel to make it home, but with no margin for error as the trip was mostly over water. A quick poll of the crew decided they would try to make it to the base in Italy. "So be it," Pendleton wrote. But luck was on their side and they made it back with a safe landing. As they taxied to their spot, the plane ran out of fuel as Pendleton and his crewmates landed a full hour and three minutes after the rest of the group, which had lost three planes that day. According to Pendleton, it was later determined that it was likely a 88mm anti-aircraft shell that scored a hit on their plane. However, it appeared to not have exploded like it had been built to do. Still, it caused enough damage to destroy the engine. For their trouble that day, the group was given a Distinguished Unit Citation, also known as Presidential Unit Citation. 'I'm a blessed, blessed person' While that flight in May of 1944 was dramatic, Pendleton said many went smoothly for him and his crewmates. "Those missions were 15 minutes of real terrible concern and anxiety, and the rest of the six or seven hours, or however long the flight was, was just riding in an airplane," Pendleton said. After the war, Pendleton would pilot many planes in civilian life while making a career with Design Associates in Statesville after earning a degree in architectural engineering from NC State. Pendleton and the business would design a number of building in Statesville, including the First ARP Church. At 99, whether looking back on the war or his life, he sees a life well-lived. "I don't have many complaints, I'm a blessed, blessed person," Pendleton said. Follow Ben Gibson on Facebook and Twitter at @BenGibsonSRL Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid President Ronald Regan I have struggled to comprehend that 2021 is one of the deadliest years on record for law enforcement. I am apprehensive and fearful of what 2022 holds in store for those who choose to wear a badge. With an alarming number of violent deaths of law enforcement officers this past month, I am not encouraged that 2022 will bode well for our profession. As sheriff, I am acutely aware that the men and women of the Iredell County Sheriffs Office are not immune to the violence that seems to be quickly becoming an epidemic, spreading at an alarming rate across our country. As the statistics of slain officers continue to mount, those of us in law enforcement find ourselves in a race against time as we evaluate our equipment, policies, and training offered. We must remain hyper-vigilant and on the cutting edge of technology and training standards. As I watched the widow of slain New York Police Officer, Jason Rivera, eulogize her 22-year-old husband, her words reverberated conversations I have had with others in the years past. She did not mince words when she pointedly spoke about new Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has vowed to dial back prosecution of minor crimes, including resisting arrest. He has openly committed to making incarceration a matter of last resort. While no one wants to see a member of society locked away for months, years, or a lifetime, we must prioritize law-abiding citizens safety and well-being. By prioritizing the safety of our citizens, we in turn prioritize the safety of our officers. As I have said countless times, we must continue to target repeat offenders. We must continue to convict and demand stricter sentences on those who continually victimize society. Statistically, most law enforcement officers who violently lose their lives do so at the hands of a repeat, career criminal. However, this is only one facet to a multi-faceted problem. It takes all of us working together to change the trajectory of our communities, counties, states, and nation. We must remain unafraid to render evil powerless. If the the sheriffs office can assist you in anyway please email me at decampbell@co.iredell.nc.us. Darren Campbell is the sheriff of Iredell County. More than 1,500 birthday cards from nearly every U.S. state have found their way to Willis to help Orland Phillips celebrate his 103rd birthday today (Saturday, Feb. 5). He said yesterday he is tickled all over with the outpouring of love from across the country. With his own car, motorcycle and a girlfriend, Mr. Phillips said he was really on his way in April 1941 when he was drafted into World War II. Raised in Jackson County, West Va., Mr. Phillips said having three brothers made life exciting, and vividly remembers details about growing up during the Great Depression. Some of the familys income came from skins and hides, and Mr. Phillips said, he remembers his dad getting 10 cents per pelt, at one point. All of the Phillips boys served in the Army during WWII, with three in the Pacific and one in Europe. Three of them made it home. Mr. Phillips laughed, remembering, his brother in Europe never was much bothered by the cold, where as he freezes, himself. The tropical climate of the Pacific suited him just fine, he said. His first stop was in the Fiji Islands, where his company stayed for about a week just long enough to pick up on some of the natives language before moving on to New Caledonia and Guadalcanal, where they stayed for about a year. I enjoyed being onboard the ship, Mr. Phillips said. You just sat around and enjoyed the sun on the old, hot ship deck I got to where I could climb a coconut tree as fast as the natives. He said, from camp, you could see the tall mountains in the distance, with fog rising off the river. Those mountains made him think of home only once all day, every day. As machinists, Mr. Phillips explained, his company repaired any damaged, jammed or improper equipment, from firearms to glasses and wrist watches. And, if we needed something we didnt have, we made it, he noted. Mr. Phillips learned to develop photos after joining a camera club in south Charleston as a teenager, and took probably a few thousand pictures while he was deployed. About 98% of them have been ruined by moisture throughout the years, but there are several preserved in various photo albums. After the war, Mr. Phillips moved to Floyd County, where his parents were living, and ended up falling in love with Leona Marshall from Indian Valley. I couldnt just take her and leave, he chuckled. Ive been here ever since They were married for 66 years before Leona died in 2013, and have four daughters. He chuckled at the irony that his dad had four sons, while he has four daughters. The majority of Mr. Phillips career involved welding; he made farm trailers and worked as an independent welder. He was eventually certified for welding steel and an unlimited thickness. The steel was three inches thick on some of those bridge girders, Mr. Phillips recalled. It would take about nine hours to weld one side of it. He said the highest he worked was maybe about 100 feet or so. Two of the last projects he hand a hand in, Mr. Phillips said, was welding on Interstate 95 around Richmond, and on the Claytor Lake bridge. When he wasnt traveling for work, Mr. Phillips built hose reels and hosing cable reels in the shop behind his and Lenoas house. The shop opened in 1973, and the two worked there together, with another man, until Mr. Phillips retired and made it into a woodshop. All Ive ever done is work with my hands, he said, flipping through photos of old projects, including a rocking chair and an assortment of jewelry boxes. Michelle Quesinberry, a caregiver who stays with Mr. Phillips said, from her perspective, his family has been Mr. Phillips secret to reaching 103 years old. He has a family like Ive never seen. Theyve just recently sought outside help theyve been taking turns staying with him day and night since 2014 them and their spouses, she said. Then, he has the support of nieces and nephews, and grandchildren. And, they all respect him so much. All of them say, hes the boss, and he is. Mr. Phillips laughed, then thought long and hard before speaking again. Be honest with yourself and with everybody else, he said. And, if youre gonna do anything, do it right. His daughter Mary Hodge said he used to tell people, when asked how he got to be 100, he just keeps breathing. Indian Valley Elementary students made Mr. Phillips a poster for his birthday, and handmade cards from IVES and Willis Elementary have been particularly special to him. I enjoy them you get some good ones, he said, adding he intends to respond to some of them, especially some from the kids. Mr. Phillips stays busy and keeps everyone on their toes. In the spring, he put a .22 bullet through the center of a bottle cap, and he regularly photographs the birds around his house, sometimes from inside with the help of a remote shutter. He still works with his hands as much as he can. His daughters gave a special thanks to the Willis Post Office and Eudale Higgs, the mail carrier who has delivered Mr. Phillips' cards. They said they "so appreciate said they "so appreciate" every person who sent a card to celebrate their dad. The past week, Mr. Phillips has spent about four hours each evening reading cards. He received 176 on Friday, Feb. 4, bringing the total to 1,547. He said Friday they should keep him busy for a few weeks. Fibre Federal Credit Union and TLC have expanded the areas they provide service from seven counties in Washington and Oregon to 11 counties in the two states. Clark, Lewis, Skamania and Grays Harbor counties join Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Pacific counties in Washington and Columbia, Clatsop, Lincoln and Tillamook counties in Oregon. Anyone who works, worships, attends school or conducts regular business in the counties are eligible for membership, according to a press release from the credit union. Eligibility includes family and household members. Businesses and organizations based in the counties also are eligible to become members of the credit union. According to the press release, the credit union will serve members in the recently added counties remotely through online applications, online and mobile baking and a variety of e-services designed for banking access from anywhere. "Our members are part of our 'Fibre Family' and we look forward to extending the family into this new service area," Fibre Federal's President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bradberry is quoted in the release. "We will support our members in these new counties by ensuring they feel welcome, secure and supported as they plan for their financial future." Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Capitol Dispatch is a weekly politics feature focusing on the actions of our local representatives during the 2022 legislative session. It will run every Sunday during the session. Thursday was the cutoff date for proposed bills to clear the House and Senate committees with the chance of getting passed. For some legislation, that cutoff is literal. The House Education Committee was in the process of voting on a bill requiring bond training for school board members when the Zoom meeting ended Thursday morning. District 19 Rep. Joel McEntire was in the middle of his vote when the call ended. A normal committee hearing might have been able to finagle a way to finish voting, but the computer-enforced time limit killed the bill. In statute, we need to have it done by the exact moment the clock ticks zero or its done, McEntire sad. McEntire and Rep. Jim Walsh, a ranking member of the education committee, referenced that small education bill as an example of how hectic the push can be to meet the cutoff deadline. Smaller bills and pet projects from politicians across the spectrum failed to gain traction as the Legislature enters the second half of this years session. A big takeaway for District 19s Republican legislators is that the push to limit a governors emergency power decisions still is alive. A Senate reform bill with bipartisan support made it out of the State Government and Tribal Affairs committee Wednesday. Walsh said he wasnt thrilled about the specifics of that bill, but he expected it would go through lengthy amendments and negotiations in order to get widespread support for a floor vote. All we need is one vehicle to make it through to keep this going, and that somewhat toothless Senate bill did make it, Walsh said. Not every bill that got stuck in committee this week is done for the rest of the session. Measures can be reintroduced if they are deemed necessary for the state budget or can be successfully amended onto more successful bills. Redistricting votes in both chambers The last-minute chaos surrounding last years redistricting process led to two votes in the Legislature last week. The Washington State Redistricting Commission uses the once-a-decade Census data to create new maps for Congressional and state legislative districts. This years committee reached a verbal agreement on the maps moments before the Nov. 15 deadline, but the final maps werent publicly available until well after that date. Sen. Jeff Wilson was the lead Republican co-sponsor on the bipartisan Senate Bill 5560 that looks to add more transparency to the process. The bill passed the Senate without opposition Wednesday. This is something where both sides of the aisle agree to put this legislation out for the good of the order, Wilson said. Why wait to have problems with the next 10-year Census and redistricting? The bill requires a full redistricting plan, including maps and census block-level descriptions, be made publicly available 72 hours before the commission votes to approve it. Any amendments made to that version of the plan need to be discussed during an open committee session at least 24 hours before the final vote. In the other chamber news Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a lightly amended version of the maps that came out of the redistricting committee. The new maps were approved on an 88-7 vote, well in excess of the two-thirds majority required to amend redistricting maps. The maps will go to the Senate for consideration over the next two days. Washington has a Feb. 8 deadline for the legislature to pass any map amendments. Senate bill would exempt homeless camps from SEPA clearance Two of Southwest Washingtons senators are keeping an eye on a bill that would exempt new homeless camps from the environmental clearance process. Senate Bill 5428 was first introduced during last years legislative session and returned to the table in January. The bill allows some temporary shelters and transitional campsites to be built without having to go through the State Environmental Policy Act review. Campsites could earn the exemption if they are in a jurisdiction that has declared a state of emergency over homelessness and would have 200 occupants at the most. Wilson and Sen. Ann Rivers both mentioned the bill as something they were keeping an eye on this month. Wilson had two proposed amendments that would require site hosts to develop plans for final cleanup and handling medical waste before they received a SEPA exemption. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Canadians have done as they were told during the pandemic. They lined up for shots until the country had one of the developed worlds best vaccination rates, they endured some of North Americas longest lockdowns and theyve complied with a wide assortment of curfews and quarantines. But even in a society known for its civility and deference to authority, many are reaching their limit. Pent-up frustration and rage have burst into the downtown core of the nations capital, with hundreds of truckers and other protesters occupying Ottawas streets for nearly a week to oppose vaccine mandates. Protests are expanding across Canada this weekend and are threatening to spill over into the U.S. with demonstrators planning a convoy to Washington, D.C. The group in Canada has been championed on Fox News and by podcaster Joe Rogan, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump. Demonstrators have started to build makeshift shelters and collect propane tanks, vowing to stay until vaccine mandates are lifted. The populace may disapprove of their un-Canadian-like antics, but there is a growing sense of support for a message theyre delivering that strict COVID-19 restrictions no longer make sense. The protests have been the talk of the nation, around dinner tables, on talk shows and social media. And they serve as a warning shot not just to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but to leaders everywhere: If even Canada is starting to resist pandemic measures, what does that mean for the rest of the world? People are starting to ask, what is the point or what is the efficacy of these restrictions? said Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, a research firm in Vancouver. A late January poll by the institute found 54% of Canadians want to end restrictions and let people self-isolate if theyre at risk. That was up 14 percentage points from just a few weeks earlier. Omicron, a variant thats highly infectious but appears less likely to cause serious illness, has changed the perception of risk, Kurl said. The reaction is not knee-jerk. Its just been building, she said. As COVID-19 fatigue turns into angst, weary government leaders must decide whether its time to start treating the virus as an endemic disease, like seasonal flu. Experts have warned that might be premature. But if Canada is any guide, there will likely be growing public pressure to remove restrictions, whether the science supports that or not. In Ottawa, protests saw thousands of people gather in front of Canadas parliament buildings last weekend. (A separate protest blocked an important border crossing in the west for days.) The numbers have dwindled this week, but police expect they will grow again, and trucker demonstrations are also planned in Toronto. Inside the capital, its the ongoing presence of hundreds of rigs that has made this a unique event. Although there has been almost no violence or property damage, the crowd of trucks lends the demonstrations a menacing air, with the implied threat of heavy machinery in the streets. The city center is almost entirely blockaded, with trucks spilling out into residential neighborhoods. Drivers blast deafening air horns all day and, in some cases, deep into the night. The protests started in reaction to Canadian and U.S. laws that went into effect in January, requiring truckers crossing the border to be fully vaccinated. They have morphed into a fury over COVID restrictions more broadly. Measures to control omicron hit the economy hard in January, resulting in the country losing 200,100 jobs during the month, Statistics Canada said Friday. Im here because Ive been segregated from my family, Cody Ward, a 30-year-old father of three, said while hanging out in the four-door sedan he drove in from Nova Scotia. Parked less than a mile from the House of Commons, near an intersection with apartment buildings and a Catholic church, Ward was surrounded by scores of trucks, lined up three lanes across. Ward said that some extended family members wont let him into their homes because hes unvaccinated and he blamed Canadas politicians for creating a divisive environment. He said hed arrived in Ottawa on Tuesday and is prepared to demonstrate for weeks, or even months. Hes not a trucker, but hes been taken in by an Adopt-a-Trucker program set up by protest organizers, and a local couple is giving him food and shelter. About a third of Canadians support the protest, while 36% think Trudeau should scrap the vaccine mandate for truckers, according to new polling from Innovative Research Group. More than $7.8 million was raised for the protesters on a GoFundMe page, but the crowd-funding site shut it down Friday, citing reports from police of violence and other unlawful activity. Trudeau who labeled the trucker convoy a fringe minority has shown no sign of reversing his governments vaccine mandates. He campaigned and won last years election promising to protect health care and impose new travel restrictions on the unvaccinated. Yet the backlash is being felt by political leaders. Conservative Leader Erin OToole, Trudeaus primary rival in the 2021 election, was dumped by his caucus this week in a putsch led by lawmakers who disliked the partys turn to the center. For some, his refusal to embrace the protesters cause was another sign of weakness. After deposing him in a vote on Wednesday, a few went out and posed for pictures with the truckers. Quebecs premier backed down on a threat to impose a special tax on unvaccinated residents. The government of Saskatchewan, in the heart of the countrys more conservative west, said it will scrap all restrictions soon, including proof-of-vaccination requirements for public places. Eradicating COVID is not realistic and COVID zero is not achievable, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Thursday, imploring residents to live normal lives. Have dinner with your friends. Go to the movies. Go to your kids games, most importantly. You should do all of these things without constantly assessing if your every activity is absolutely necessary. Fonner Park, in planning for future horse-racing growth, has firmed up its policy regarding the use of stalls, which has alienated one longtime Nebraska trainer. Marvin Johnson was not pleased to be told he can bring only horses to Fonner Park this year that he will run at this years meet. Fonner officials have given that message to all trainers. But Johnson notes that he has run many horses at the Grand Island track during the years, and paid a lot of Nebraska taxes. Johnson, who received the message in August, will not compete at Fonner Park this year for the first time since 1974. He feels he is no longer welcome at the Grand Island track. The news was the biggest punch in the gut hes ever had, he says. It left an awful bitter taste in my mouth. Not racing at Fonner Park will prevent him from spending two months with his family that he normally enjoys. Johnson, who lives eight miles from Fonner Park, has children and grandchildren in the area. Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak says Johnson is not being singled out. Marvin Johnson has been racing with us forever. But he is not being treated any differently than what we ask of other horsemen, Kotulak said. The rule is not new, Kotulak said. But with a casino and bigger purses on the horizon, Fonner Park wants to get its stalls in order for the future. In his annual letter to horsemen in the 2022 condition stakes book, Kotulak emphasized that the stall rule will be enforced. Asking trainers to bring only the horses they intend to race is something every racetrack in the world would require, he said. In spreading the news of the tighter enforcement, Kotulak and racing secretary Doug Schoepf informed Johnson first as a matter of courtesy because of his long history here at Fonner Park, Kotulak said. Johnson was informed six months before the racing meet that we were just going to start enforcing a rule that had been loosely or not enforced at all, Kotulak said. And then we called other trainers after we spoke with Marvin, and gave them the same message, Kotulak said. The message, Kotulak said, was to please only bring horses here to race at Fonner Park that you put on your stall application and that you intend to race at Fonner. Johnson said he wont come back to Fonner as long as Kotulak is in charge. If it had been his choice, it would have been different, Johnson said. We never told him not to come, Kotulak said Were disappointed that he didnt come. Even before Fonner gave away Johnsons longstanding barn that he had used, Barn N, he was contacted again to make sure he was really not coming. We didnt want to give his barn away to someone else if he was coming, Kotulak said. Instead of Fonner Park, Johnson will race in Indiana and perhaps other tracks. Nebraskas home, and thats where Id like to be, he said. Hed especially like to be around his family while hes training. And I was kind of forced away from them, said Johnson, whos a member of the Nebraska Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Johnson, 67, didnt run as many horses as usual last year because of bad weather and tough track conditions. Because of those conditions, he didnt have as many horses ready to run in February and March. Otherwise, Id have had a whole lot more starts, he said. Ive always run my share there, lets put it that way, with a little bit of exception for the 46 years Ive been coming there, he said by phone from Indiana. Kotulaks predecessors would never have told me something like that, he said, referring to Al and Bruce Swihart and Hugh Miner. Johnson feels he was singled out. Several trainers dont run all of the horses they stable at Fonner, he said. Johnson understands Kotulaks thinking. But I sure thought I would have been able to do my best and run as many as I could, assuming the track wasnt short on stalls, Johnson said. Johnson could understand the policy if the stalls were going to be full for this years meet. But he says there will be open stalls. If it was me, I dont guess I would have been real quick to kick a guy like me out until they needed the stalls, he said. In telling him that the rule would be enforced, Johnson says Kotulak told him, Were just around the corner from something really good. Higher purses, brought about by the casino, are expected to bring more horsemen to Grand Island. A trainer and his horses are called an outfit. Fonner had a new outfit show up for this years meet, which includes a large number of horses. And we needed a barn for them, Kotulak said. Barn N was a good option. But we still have stall spaces for Marvin Johnson and hes still welcome to come, Kotulak said. Hes never been unwelcome to come. But he must come with the horses on his (stall application) and race those horses. Although new horses are still coming, stalls are still available, Kotulak said. If Johnson follows the stall rule, we can make room for him. It just wont be his barn anymore because that opportunity has since passed. Fonner expects more horsemen to arrive in future years. Hence the tighter policy this year. Were trying to run a business here, and we need horses that are going to come race at Fonner Park, Kotulak said. Johnson, whos worked at Fonner Park since he was 16, says there are other ways this could have been handled. The current thinking at Fonner, he said, is not what have you done for me. Its what you can do for me now, I guess. For all hes contributed to Fonner Park racing, Johnson feels he deserves some loyalty. You shouldnt have to ask for loyalty, Johnson said. In his welcome message to horsemen, Kotulak wrote that I want nothing more than Nebraska thoroughbred horse racing to be able to stand on its own and allow YOU the opportunity to thrive without ever leaving the state. Thank you for being with us in the early days of our goal to return to the good ol days and the better new days to come. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Get 25% off of the regular $65 annual All Access rate. With this subscription you will get: Digital access to ElPasoInc.com and archives (value $45) Print subscription home or business delivered (value $65) Book of Lists (annual rate only, value $50) El Paso Inc. Magazine (value $20) El Paso Kids Inc. Special sections - OR - Get 15% off of the regular $45 annual Digital-only rate. With this subscription you will get: Complete digital access to ElPasoInc.com. In most animal species, males and females differ. This is true for people and other mammals, as well as many species of birds, fish and reptiles. But what about dinosaurs? In 2015, I proposed that variation found in the iconic back plates of stegosaur dinosaurs was due to sex differences. I was surprised by how strongly some of my colleagues disagreed, arguing that differences between sexes, called sexual dimorphism, did not exist in dinosaurs. I am a paleontologist, and the debate sparked by my 2015 paper has made me reconsider how researchers studying ancient animals use statistics. The limited fossil record makes it hard to declare if a dinosaur was sexually dimorphic. But I and some others in my field are beginning to shift away from traditional black-or-white statistical thinking that relies on p-values and statistical significance to define a true finding. Instead of only looking for yes or no answers, we are beginning to consider the estimated magnitude of sexual variation in a species, the degree of uncertainty in that estimate and how these measures compare to other species. This approach offers a more nuanced analysis to challenging questions in paleontology as well as many other fields of science. Differences between males and females Sexual dimorphism is when males and females of a certain species differ on average in a particular trait not including their reproductive anatomy. Classic examples are how male deer have antlers and male peacocks have flashy tail feathers, while the females lack these traits. Dimorphism can also be subtle and unflashy. Often the difference is one of degree, like differences in the average body size between males and females as in gorillas. In these modest cases, researchers use statistics to determine whether a trait differs on average between males and females. The dinosaur dilemma Studying sexual dimorphism in extinct animals is fraught with uncertainty. If you and I independently dig up similar fossils of the same species, they are inevitably going to be slightly different. These differences could be due to sex, but they could also be driven by age young birds are fuzzy, adult birds are sleek. They could also be due to genetics unrelated to sex, like eye color in humans. If paleontologists had thousands of fossils to study of every species, the many sources of biological variation wouldnt matter as much. Unfortunately, the ravages of time have left the fossil record painfully incomplete, often with less than a dozen good specimens for large, extinct vertebrate species. Additionally, there is currently no way to identify the sex of an individual fossil except in rare cases where obvious clues exist, like eggs preserved within the body cavity. So where does all this leave the debate on whether male and female dinosaurs had differences within traits? On the one hand, birds which are direct descendants of dinosaurs commonly show sexual dimorphism. So do crocodilians, dinosaurs next closest living relatives. Evolutionary theory also predicts that, since dinosaurs reproduced with sperm and egg, there would be a benefit to sexual dimorphism. These things all suggest that dinosaurs likely were sexually dimorphic. But in science you need to be quantitative. The challenge is that there is little in the way of statistically significant analyses of the fossil record to support dimorphism. Statistical shifts There are a couple of ways paleontologists could test for sexual dimorphism. They could look to see if there are statistically significant differences between fossils from presumed males and females, but there are very few specimens where researchers know the sex. Another method is to see whether there are two distinct groupings of a trait, called a bimodal distribution, which could suggest a difference between males and females. To tell whether a perceived difference between two groups is true, scientists have traditionally used a tool called the p-value. P-values quantify the probability of a result being due to random chance. If a p-value is low enough, the result is deemed statistically significant and considered unlikely to have happened by chance. But p-values can be heavily influenced by sample size and the design of the study, in addition to the actual degree of sexual dimorphism. Because of the very small sample size of fossils, relying on this statistical technique makes it exceedingly difficult to categorically proclaim what dinosaur species were dimorphic. The weakness of the black-or-white approach that focuses solely on whether a result is statistically significant has led to hundreds of scientists calling to abandon significance testing with p-values in favor of something called effect size statistics. Using this approach, researchers would simply report the measured difference between two groups and the uncertainty in that measurement. Effect size statistics I have begun to apply effect size statistics in my research on dinosaurs. My colleagues and I compared sexual dimorphism in body size between three different dinosaurs: the duck-billed Maiasaura, Tyrannosaurus rex and Psittacosaurus, a small relative of Triceratops. None of these species would be expected to show statistically significant size differences between males and females according to p-values. But that approach does not capture the nature of the variation within these species. When we instead used effect size statistics, we were able to estimate that male and female Maiasaura demonstrate a greater difference in body mass compared to the other two species and that we had a higher confidence in this estimate as well. A few of the characteristics within the data helped reduce the uncertainty. First, we had a large number of Maiasaura fossils, from individuals of various ages. These bones very nicely fit with trajectories of how size changes as an individual grows from juvenile to adult, so we could control for differences due to age and instead focus on differences due to sex. Additionally, the Maiasaura fossils all come from a single bone bed of individuals that died in the same place at the same time. This means that variation between individuals is likely not due to them being different species from different regions or time periods. If my colleagues and I had approached the problem expecting a yes or no answer on whether males and females differed in size, we would have completely missed all of these intricacies. Effect size statistics allow researchers to produce much more nuanced and, I think, informative results. It is almost as much a difference in the philosophical approach to science as it is a mathematical one. Studying dinosaur dimorphism is not the only place p-values create issues. Many fields of science, including medicine and psychology, are having similar debates about issues in statistics and a worrying problem of unrepeatable studies. Embracing uncertainty in data rather than looking for black-or-white answers to questions like whether male and female dinosaurs were sexually dimorphic can help elucidate dinosaur biology. But this shift in thinking may be felt far and wide across the sciences. A careful consideration of problems within statistics could have deep impacts across many fields. [Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversations science newsletter.] Evan Thomas Saitta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Paris, TX (75460) Today Mostly cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 81F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. TINLEY PARK Fourteen years after five women were slain inside a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, police say fresh eyes on the case may help in yielding critical clues needed to solve it. Two new detectives with the department were assigned in December to the case and they're reexamining the evidence collected since the Feb. 2, 2008, shooting deaths at the Brookside Marketplace store southwest of Harlem Avenue and Interstate 80. Killed that day were 42-year-old store manager Rhoda McFarland of Joliet; Jennifer Bishop, 34, of South Bend, Indiana; Sarah Szafranski, 22, of Oak Forest; Connie Woolfolk, 37, of Flossmoor; and Carrie Hudek Chiuso, 33, of Frankfort. A sixth woman, also a store employee, was shot in the neck but survived and provided police with a description of the killer. Since the slayings, police said they have processed some 7,500 leads. The department has a tip line for the investigation, 708-444-5394, and an email address, lanebryant.tipline@tinleypark.org. Ray Violetto, who had been lead investigator, retired last November. Tim Poulos, who worked alongside Violetto, came off the case last October when he was promoted to commander of the department's patrol division. Replacing Violetto and Poulos in the department's investigation are detectives Jeff Graves and Roger Davisson. "They are hard chargers," Poulos said. "They are taking a look at it from Day 1." Despite the passing of years, Poulos said he firmly believes the case will be solved. "We are waiting for that tip to come in, that lead," he said. "I remain confident after 14 years, praying and hoping that day comes. We have hope this is going to come to a resolution some day." Bringing 'fresh eyes' Police Chief Matt Walsh said the detectives taking over bring "fresh eyes" to the investigation. One room in the department's headquarters is devoted to the case, with photos of the victims posted on a wall and several filing cabinets filled with reports and other paperwork the detectives are converting to digital form to make it easier to review. "Maybe there was something we missed initially," Walsh said. Larry Rafferty, the department's deputy chief, noted that in the beginning, with assistance of South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, there were about 50 detectives working the case. "Those leads were coming in fast and furious," Rafferty said, adding that the new detectives might spot something. "I have faith in them, I really do," Rafferty said. "It's an arduous task, it really is." Each year, as it gets close to the anniversary of the slayings, tips "start ticking up" to the department, Poulos said. Some tips, investigators know, are not likely to result in a solid lead, such as someone who sees somebody in a store who might resemble the killer. "We weigh those things out," Rafferty said. "There has to be some value to the tip." Still, he said, police don't just dismiss out of hand something that might at first seem a dead end in the investigation. "You never know what's going to crack it," he said. Still standing and unclaimed is a $100,000 reward, much of it put up by the parent company of Lane Bryant, that was hoped to pry loose key information that would lead to an arrest and conviction. Rafferty said he is surprised the lure of the reward hasn't prompted someone who has solid information to step forward. "I find it very difficult to believe one person did this and didn't talk to somebody about it," he said. Police were nearby Shortly after 10 a.m. on the day of the shootings, which was a Saturday, an African American man about 6-foot to 6-foot-2, with a husky build and broad shoulders, came into the store posing as a delivery man, according to police. Based on the description by the surviving woman, police said he had three to five "puffy" corn rows running from the back of his head to the front, with one strand with green beads hanging over his right cheek. Four women, including McFarland and the other surviving employee, were in the store at the time. The man pulled out a .40-caliber Glock pistol, told them he was robbing the store, then herded the women into a backroom, where they were bound with duct tape and ordered to lay facedown on the floor, according to police. Two other women who came into the store also were similarly restrained. McFarland managed to call 911 on her cellphone, whispering her location to an operator, who told her to stay on the line. McFarland pleaded "hurry" before the connection was lost. An edited version of the 911 call is at the police department's website. The call was first received by the Will County sheriff's office and immediately transferred to Tinley Park, which took the call at 10:44 a.m., according to authorities. A Tinley Park police officer was on a call in Brookside Marketplace, in the parking lot of Super Target a few hundred yards away, and was on the scene within a minute, but the gunman had already fled. Police said they know, by the survivor's account, that the man was in the store for 40 minutes and suspect the women's deaths were the result of a botched robbery. Police had previously said their investigation didn't uncover any evidence to suggest that any of the women knew their assailant. Poulos said that, over the years, he and Violetto visited many jails and prisons, talking to inmates who claimed to have solid information on the case in hopes it would get their sentence reduced. In some cases it meant a face-to-face visit with an inmate, but in others it was a simple matter of looking up records and seeing that someone was in prison at the time of the crime and likely lacked firsthand knowledge, Poulos said. "They never panned out," Poulos said of jail visits. Rafferty said that as years have passed, Tinley Park hasn't scaled back its commitment to supplying the financial resources the department needs to continue the investigation. "Tinley Park has spent a ton of money on this case, Rafferty said. "(Village officials) have never stopped providing the money to do what needs to be done." Rafferty said that as testing advances, that could shed new light on physical evidence collected in the case. "We are still exploring everything," he said. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 CHICAGO Thousands of students at scores of school districts across the state may no longer be required to wear a mask in the classroom, with an Illinois judge ruling Friday that Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 mandate was authorized illegally. Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow on Friday granted a request from downstate attorney Tom DeVore to temporarily halt the governors executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools, finding that the measures are beyond the governors authority and deprive students of due process. This court acknowledges the tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, not only on this State, but throughout the nation and globe, Grischow wrote in the decision. Nonetheless, it is the duty of the Courts to preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the boundaries of the authority granted under the Constitution. Pritzker issued a statement late Friday saying he asked the attorney generals office for an immediate appeal of the decision. The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities and this may force schools to go remote, Pritzker said. In her ruling, the judge sided with parents who allege that students who object to wearing masks or being excluded from school for being a COVID-19 close contact are entitled to due process, and that such measures are a form of modified quarantine that can only be required by the local health department. The (Illinois Department of Public Health) is limited by law to delegating its authority only to certified local health departments and has not been authorized by the Legislature to delegate any of its authority to any other body of government, including school districts, she wrote. The restraining order prevents the state from ordering school districts to require students involved in the lawsuit to wear masks if they object, except during the terms of lawful order of quarantine issued from their respective health department. The order also prevents the state from requiring school districts to force school employees who sued to get vaccinated or test weekly if they object, without first providing them due process of law. Grischow denied DeVores request that the lawsuits be given class certification, which if granted, would have extended the ruling to all students at the nearly 170 school districts named in the two lawsuits one filed by parents against 146 school districts, and a second filed by school employees against 21 school districts. Although she denied class certification, Judge Grischow pointed out in a footnote to the decision that she had declared the emergency rules at issue from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois State Board of Education void. Thus, non-named Plaintiffs and School Districts throughout this State may govern themselves accordingly, she wrote. The judges ruling means that any school district that attempts to enforce the mask requirement against any student whose parents joined the lawsuit would be held in contempt of court, according to DeVore, who said parents who want the ruling to apply to their children can join the lawsuit. DeVore, an outspoken critic of Pritzkers handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, has long argued that the school mask mandate and other mitigation strategies the governor has declared by executive order could not be enforced unless they were formally approved by the General Assembly. I dont pretend to understand the political complexities at Chicago Public Schools, but I do know the law cant be disregarded, and youve got a judge who upheld the law as its written, DeVore said shortly after Judge Grischow issued the ruling. CPS officials were not immediately available for comment Friday. But in a recent parent message, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said if the temporary restraining order was granted, it would require that CPS stop the enforcement of certain current health and safety protocols, including the wearing of masks. If a TRO is issued, CPS will continue to fight against this lawsuit and immediately file for a stay asking that the judges order not be enforced while we appeal the courts decision, Martinez said. Whatever happens with these lawsuits, CPS will strongly encourage all students and staff to continue wearing masks as they have successfully done throughout the school year, Martinez said. We are confident that the vast majority of our school communities will do exactly this, because it is in all of our best interests to stay safe, he said, adding: We feel confident that any change would likely be temporary. We would hope to quickly return to implementing all of the proven protocols that we know are keeping staff and students safe, including the wearing of masks. At Arlington Heights School District 25, which was named in the school employees lawsuit, officials said late Friday that the district is reviewing the judges ruling and will reach out to our staff and our community when we have further information. Many Illinois school districts have said that regardless of the outcome, they will continue to strongly encourage students and staff to follow the states masking guidelines and other COVID-19 protocols. The judges decision brought relief to parents like Shannon Adcock, a Naperville mother of three, and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Indian Prairie School District 204. We had a victory for liberty today, and the kids will finally be able to go to school mask-free, said Adcock, the president of the parents group Awake Illinois. This is a legitimate due process ruling, and youre going to see a lot of families pushing back now, Adcock said. Steve Lucie, a farmer and former longtime school board member with Warsaw Community Unit School District 316, said his involvement in upending the governors school mask mandate and other COVID-19 mitigations started at his kitchen table with a few farmers and neighbors. This ruling is euphoric for all of these parents, and mostly for the kids, Lucie said. Some people arent ready for this, which I understand, but its been our stance all along that parents need to make that choice on their own, he said. Officials with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the states school board were not immediately available for comment on Friday. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Soybeans are one of the top cash crops grown in South Carolina, but high temperatures during the growing season limit yields and cut into profits. Two Clemson University researchers believe a better understanding of traits associated with heat tolerance in soybeans can help in developing heat-tolerant varieties that can lead to more sustainable crop production. They have received a $649,895 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to study soybeans' efficiency for heat tolerance. This grant continues research in which the researchers are examining traits that lead to heat tolerance in soybean. Researchers conducting this study are Sruthi Narayanan, an assistant professor and researcher in the Clemson Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, and Sachin Rustgi, an assistant professor and researcher of molecular breeding housed at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center (REC) in Florence, South Carolina. The long-term goal for this project is to improve soybeans' climate resilience so that it can produce stable yields under heat stress conditions, said Narayanan, lead investigator for the project. The researchers seek to find soybean genes associated with lipid metabolic changes that contribute to heat tolerance. The researchers plan to identify molecular markers to use in screening soybean plants for heat tolerance. Rustgi will use equipment in the Pee Dee RECs molecular breeding lab to conduct his research. Molecular markers for heat tolerance will be the key deliverable from this project, Rustgi said. These markers will help advance soybean breeding programs in developing heat-tolerant varieties. The project aims to generate information on lipid metabolic changes, physiological mechanisms and their genetic controls that confer heat tolerance in soybean. During the project researchers will evaluate contemporary high-value soybean varieties with high seed oleic acid content and drought tolerance. The data generated will provide producers with information on the heat tolerance of these varieties. Soybeans typically are planted in South Carolina from May 10 to July 11 and harvested from Oct. 20 to Dec. 30. They require a soil temperature of about 54 degrees to germinate. Soil temperatures typically are higher than air temperatures during summer months. Climate data shows the average air temperature from May to July in South Carolina is 89 degrees. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, South Carolina temperatures have warmed by one-half to one degree in the past century. Soybeans are a major crop grown in South Carolina. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 310,000 acres of soybeans were harvested in the state in 2020. In addition to being an important crop for South Carolina farmers, soybean also is an important oilseed and affordable source of protein for many people worldwide. Michael Plumblee, Clemson Cooperative Extension Service corn and soybean specialist housed at the Edisto REC in Blackville, said this project has the potential to be very beneficial for the states soybean industry. With our warm summer climate, we often see temperatures more than 85 degrees during the growing season, Plumblee said. At temperatures greater than 85 degrees, we can experience several different issues with soybean such as reduced nodulation, slowed photosynthesis, abortion of flowers and small pods, as well as production of smaller seed. All of these can be yield-limiting. If soybean germplasm can be developed that can tolerate temperatures greater than 85 degrees and then used in breeding programs throughout the Southeastern United States, this ultimately could increase soybean yields across the state and region. This study is funded through Oct. 31, 2026. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 In 1870, Congress ratified the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This was the last of the so-called Reconstruction Acts but over the next two decades many states orchestrated ways to get around the amendment. In South Carolina, legislators devised the Eight Box Law to discourage African Americans from voting on February 9 of 1882. The law called for a separate ballot box for each type of office at every voting location. That meant that there were different boxes for congressman, lieutenant governor, senator, etc. Any vote miscast in the wrong box was voided. The boxes were labeled, and the practice was, in essence, a literacy test. Although election officials were supposedly required to read the labels upon request, that was randomly enforced. In some cases, election officials purposely misread the labels to voters. In addition to increasing the number of ballot boxes, the law instituted strict voter registration procedures which also discriminated against poor and minority groups. The period for registration was shortened and every time a voter relocated, even if it was within the same precinct, he had to re-register. Numbers indicate that the law was successful in decreasing blacks participation in elections. In 1880, roughly 58,000 African Americans cast votes in South Carolina. In 1888, only about 14,000 blacks bothered to go to the polls. Then, in 1894, the law required voters who registered for the first time to submit two affidavits from reputable citizens confirming that the applicant was of good character. The state constitution of 1895 went even further by requiring a literacy test and a poll tax. The man responsible for drafting the original Eight Box Law was Edward McCrady, a conservative attorney and legislator from Charleston who believed that voters should be white, well-educated, and own property. McCrady represented Charleston County in the state House of Representatives from 1880 to 1890. A former lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army, he later served in the South Carolina militia and worked to preserve records of the states Civil War experience. He eventually wrote a four-volume history of the state. In 1899, McCrady was elected president of the South Carolina Historical Society and in 1902 he became vice president of the American Historical Society. McCrady died in 1903 but the effects of his bill continued for years. It wasnt until after World War II that African Americans would return to the polls in significant numbers in South Carolina. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 BOWMAN -- Bowman began their February town council meeting with the third and final reading of their 2022 general fund budget that addresses all the towns expenses up until February 2023. Council voted it into effect, and there will be a copy available at town hall for those interested in reading it over themselves. Mayor Patsy Rhett and other mayors of Orangeburg County were invited to a meeting where proposed changes for the school district were discussed. Rhett announced that on Feb. 16, there will be a presentation at Bethune-Bowman School to discuss the proposed changes with the public, hosted by the superintendent. There will be meetings at Edisto High School on Feb. 15, Orangeburg-Wilkinson on Feb. 23 and Lake Marion on Feb. 24; all meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m., and she urges that everyone attend because firsthand information is better than secondhand information. Bowman has voted to accept the Municipal Association of South Carolina business license ordinance. Going forward, all of Bowmans business licenses will be handled by MASC in Columbia; however businesses can still purchase their license at town hall. For any questions or details on the new system, contact town hall. Councilwoman Shaquetta Pelzer announced that the Unity March has been postponed to March 20 at 2 p.m., and they ask that those who wish to participate bring a poster with a scripture regarding unity written on it for the event. Pelzer said that the Black History Month event will still be Feb. 26 at town hall in the banquet hall, starting at 2 p.m. She said the topic will be History at Home, and they will be focusing on members of the community and their achievements. Rhett announced that on Thursday, Feb. 3, the town will be cutting off the water for citizens with delinquent waters bills in excess of $200 and will turn their water back on after the bills are paid. The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. March 1 at town hall, located at 131 Poplar St. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 South Carolina State University is asking lawmakers for its share of the state's projected $1 billion in surplus money so that the university can, among other things, add a student center and fully rehabilitate Truth Hall. S.C. State Interim President Alexander Conyers reported during a Feb. 3 university trustee board meeting that he and his team of university officials had previously conducted a budget briefing before the House Ways and Means Committee. "The budget brief was very well received. Our total ask this year was $53 million, down from last year's request which was $100 million. We got less than 10 percent of that. So I went in this year and asked for that I thought was a realistic ask," Conyers said. The interim president said the university has pushed for an additional $209 million request for mostly capital improvements and new buildings. Of the $53 million request, $20 million would be set aside for a student center. Another $15 million would be allocated for Truth Hall. Conyers said during the board's December meeting that a only third of the beds in Truth Hall were being used because of the "fire and safety issues" on its top seven floors. Conyers said he told lawmakers that the university had already been exercising sound fiscal management by setting aside $5 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding for a reserve/contingency fund. He said $1 million principal payment had also been made toward a $6 million loan the university had from the state. "Instead of programming that money, we made a decision to make an additional principal payment on the state loan. ... After we made that announcement in Columbia, the committee stated that they will now consider forgiving the remainder of the loan ($3.2 million) because of our proactiveness," Conyers said. "I want to thank our finance team, I want to thank the board and everybody for this situation that we find ourselves in, to be able to make this type of commitment. This is huge going forward, trying to get out of this debt so that if we were to come to the state for bonds for any facility construction, we'll be in a much better position," he said. The interim president said Dr. Louis Whitesides, executive director of the 1890 Research and Extension Program, and his team also made a $10 million request during the budget briefing. "This budget that Dr. Whitesides and the university is requesting is focused on statewide expansion of our 1890 Research and Extension, including the study of limnology down at Camp Daniels on Lake Marion," Conyers said. Other working priorities The interim president said the university would be working toward completing an academic program review, which hasn't been done since 2007. "That will tell us what programs are growing. We need external help with this because we don't want any internal bias. We need forward looking for trends and economic developments for the state and the country," Conyers said. "At my last faculty and staff meeting, I sent the last academic program review to the entire faculty and staff so that everyone has a common starting point when this starts up again and we start engaging with the stakeholders." The university last had a master plan done in 2002, with an update in 2005. Conyers also addressed the idea of a tuition review. "It's not a popular idea, but many universities across the country are looking at and doing tuition resets. That's when you look at tuition and, in some cases, reduce the tuition. ... Currently ... our tuition is $4,500 more than the Pell Grant. Every public HBCU in North Carolina, their tuition is at or below the national Pell Grant when South Carolina State is $4,500," the interim president said. He continued, "Our students who already come from some of the lowest economic divisions come to our campus and, from day one, they're $4,500 in debt for tuition, not counting room and board. You multiply that over four years." "I know it's going to take enrollment ... and then we must also look at what's happening at the federal level as they increase the federal Pell Grant this year to $7,000 at the same time. If we really are going to look at keeping our students, we've got to relook tuition, and we've got to relook how we do retention." He said the university must also conduct a capital campaign, something which has never been done. "You will never get enough state appropriations. It's something that I believe that the alum is ready to do. They've proven their ability to give," Conyers said. Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow "Good News with Gleaton" on Twitter at @DionneTandD Love 4 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online content, including the E-Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047. Looking for some inspiration for how to spend Valentines Day in Casper? Or maybe just a way to get through the February slog? Here are some upcoming events some Valentines-themed, some not to get you started. Performances Randy Brecker and Eric Marienthal with The Metroplexity Big Band This years Kinser Jazz Festival features a performance by Grammy winners Randy Brecker and Eric Marienthal, along with Kris Bergs Metroplexity Big Band. When & where: 7 p.m. Feb. 15 at the John F. Welsh Auditorium at Natrona County High School, located at 930 S. Elm St. Tickets & info: Tickets to the concert are $15 for students and $25 for adults. For more information on how to register, visit caspercollegearts.cc. Stage III Community Theatre performs Almost, Maine Amost, Maine follows the residents of a tiny New England town through stories of love and heartbreak. When & where: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 and 12; and 2 p.m. Feb. 6 and 13 at Stage III Community Theatre, 900 N. Center St. Tickets & info: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students. For tickets, visit stageiiitheatre.org The Casper Theater Company performs The Lady With All the Answers Get a behind-the-curtain view of the life of 50s newspaper columnist Eppie Lederer, known best by her pen name, Ann Landers. The play follows Lederer as she stays up all night to finish a particularly challenging column. When & where: Feb. 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m.; and Feb 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. at the Casper Theater Company, located at 735 CY Avenue. Tickets & info: $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. Tickets can be purchased online at caspertheatercompany.net. For more information, call 307-267-7243. Ideas for gifts and crafts Card making at the library The Natrona County Library will host a workshop on handmade Valentines Day greeting cards. Supplies will be provided. Tickets & info: This event is free, but registration is required. To register, visit the Natrona County Librarys website at natronacountylibrary.org Valentines Day Market Wyoming Food for Thought will host a Valentines Day Market with goods and treats. When & where: Feb. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Food for Thought Commercial Kitchens, 420 W. First St. Community Market A new market will showcase local vendors on Feb. 12 at the Casper Clarion Inn. For more information about whats in store, visit the markets Facebook page. When & where: Feb 12.,10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Clarion Inn, 123 W. E St. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Ive been hearing rumors about living conditions out at the Casper Reentry Center since I arrived in Casper more than a year ago. I first began reporting a story on the facility in June, when I got a call from a resident who has since been released. He told me that the air conditioning wasnt fully working, making the bedrooms unbearably hot at times. He told me hed been turned away from jobs he was more than qualified for because of CRCs reputation. And hed come close to losing jobs because of being put on unexpected holds, keeping him from showing up for scheduled shifts. He had called me on his break at work, and we ended up talking for about an hour. When we hung up, I wasnt sure where to start. Soon, other people began contacting me to share their experiences. Most of them were still living there, but I also spoke with some who had left in recent months, and all of them had been at the facility for at least part of the pandemic. The more people I spoke to, the more they corroborated one anothers stories. I have dozens of pages of notes from those interviews, hours of audio and countless slips of paper that have survived being scattered around my desk, smushed in my pockets or at the bottom of my backpack. I was able to meet several of my sources in person after they were released. Then came the task of checking all this information with officials and administrators. Since the facility is run by a private prison company based outside of Wyoming, it was difficult to nail down any facts or confirm things Id heard from residents. When I called the facilitys director, he told me he couldnt talk to me several times. The most recent time I called, this week, he laughed when I explained what I wanted to know. Miss Gerst, he said, weve had this conversation before. But when I reached out to the companys spokesperson, I was often told that the information I was looking for would infringe on resident privacy. Since I wasnt able to actually get inside the facility tours and visits, I was told, are on pause because of COVID I had to rely on people who live (or lived) there to lend me their eyes and ears. I went out to the building several times with our photographer, Lauren Miller, literally on the outside trying to look in, but only able to catch a glimpse. And after nearly nine months of these conversations, agonizing over details and poring over whatever documents I could get my hands on, I felt confident enough to tell the story. If you have heard anything else about CRC, or have any insight into its operations, let me know at ellen.gerst@trib.com or (307) 266-0544. Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst. Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Rep. Liz Cheney has said that it was her duty to impeach former President Donald Trump, to repeatedly speak out against him and to sit on the House committee thats investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But all those things have resulted in severe backlash and sparked the toughest primary challenger of Cheneys career. There is a clear way for Cheney to gain back some support in Wyoming: Stop rebuking Trump. If Cheney does get ousted in the GOP primary in August, it will undoubtedly be due to her continued and forceful opposition to the former president. My question becomes: Will positioning herself as the anti-Trump ultimately be worth it if it means she loses her ability to represent Wyoming? There might be something to be said for keeping her head down if it means that she can continue to represent the state. This is especially true for Cheney who youd expect, in theory, be doing everything she can to keep a pro-Trump candidate out of office. I dont doubt that Cheney feels morally obligated to battle Trump, but if it costs her her seat, is that ultimately working against her entire cause? Her toughest competitor is Harriet Hageman, a Cheyenne lawyer with the Trump endorsement. Hageman and other Cheney detractors often make the argument that by voting to impeach Trump and rebuking him repeatedly, Cheney is too distracted by her battles with the former president to represent the state adequately. I dont know the answer to that, but she definitely risks her ability to represent Wyomingites by positioning herself as Trumps lead critic on the right. I think Cheney would say its in Wyomings best interest that she represents us. Then again, if a forceful anti-Trump wing of the GOP emerges, Cheney will inevitably be the leader of a group that could last for decades. The congresswoman has also said that she will do anything to keep Trump out of the Oval Office. In my view, theres is a way of living up to that statement: run as an independent in the 2024 presidential election. That likely lead to a Democratic victory, and Cheney still remains a staunch conservative. Cheney shows no sign of backing down: She was already ousted from House Republican leadership for her vote to impeach Trump and repeated statements criticizing him for helping to incite the Jan. 6 attack. That stripped her of some tangible power, but didnt slow her roll. I want to hear from you? Do you think Cheney should keep her head down to improve her odds of reelection? Or would you like her to continue her criticism of the former president? Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 3 Sad 1 Angry 3 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The news about the Jim Bridger Coal Plant in southwest Wyoming has a lot of folks trying to understand what is really going on. The Governor says one thing, Rocky Mountain Power says another, conservation groups say something else, and then most recently the Environmental Protection Agency has weighed in too. What it really boils down to is this: Rocky Mountain Power hastened the demise of the coal plant by not addressing its pollution issues. Basically, the top brass at the utility and the state government had the power to plan for a long-known reality around coal pollution clean-up and simply didnt. That evasive approach from utility and government officials helped them avoid what they thought would be difficult conversations over the years. In fact, this inaction from leaders is what created an emergency situation for Wyoming customers and communities. Rocky Mountain Power and the state knew that the Jim Bridger coal plant needed to cut its smokestack nitrogen oxide pollution way back in 2014. Thats eight years ago. Its all part of Clean Air Act provisions to reduce haze pollution at national parks and wilderness areas, pollutants that also affect peoples respiratory health. Those provisions date back to 1999 more than 20 years ago. Literally every other power company in the West has taken steps over the years to deal with this reality affecting their coal plants, but not Rocky Mountain Power at Bridger. Rocky Mountain Power took the approach that it could just bully its way around coal pollution cleanup at Bridger. But that attitude puts customers like me at risk. Like everyone, my family depends on affordable power bills. That affordability comes from the utility doing adequate planning and analysis for how much power our electric system needs and how to provide that power from generation resources that are the most affordable option. Rocky Mountain Powers co-owner at the Jim Bridger coal plant, Idaho Power, has recognized this reality, as have the utilitys customers in Oregon and Washington. This means if the Governor really gets his wish to save coal, only Wyoming customers are going to be left paying the bills. There just arent enough of us to make that work and keep our power bills low. By ignoring the need for pollution control at the Jim Bridger power plant, Rocky Mountain Power now has a resource plan that not only violates the Clean Air Act but also fails to consider whether closure of one of the units to cut pollution would be the smartest thing to do financially for customers. In short, Rocky Mountain Powers willful ignorance and wishful thinking leaves it scrambling to figure out a Plan B when Plan A was right in front of it the whole time. Corporate executives are gambling with our utility bills, so they can afford to throw caution to the wind. The rest of us dont have that luxury. Workers, communities and bill-payers are served better with a conservative approach that acknowledges reality and plans ahead. And then there is our state government and the mantra you hear from the halls of the capitol that coal is a cheap abundant resource, and we can apparently run our coal plants forever, environmental and cost consequences be damned. By screaming that not on [his] watch will coal plants be closed, the Governor is ignoring basic facts. Coal generates a mere fraction of the power it did a decade ago, losing market edge to lower cost renewable energy and natural gas. This reality is coming crashing home to Wyoming, especially as we grapple with the need to reduce carbon pollution to avert catastrophic climate change. The Governor and Rocky Mountain Power want to appear like theyre doing something, but they are actually putting the burden on citizens like us. Lets call on the Governor to work with Rocky Mountain Power and EPA to find a path forward that keeps power rates low, helps address any job loss and tax revenue consequences of an early coal plant closure, and ensures that Wyoming isnt standing in the way of cleaner electricity. Im confident that this can be achieved, but its time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Elizabeth Cuthbert-Millett is a resident of Laramie Wyoming. Love 1 Funny 2 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Wyoming lawmakers have their work cut out for them. In just over a week, theyll be gathering in Cheyenne to adopt the states next two-year budget. That in itself would be challenging, considering they have only 20 days to complete the work. But the budget is not the only task before lawmakers. This years budget session is unique. Lawmakers must also vote on redistricting, the process of redrawing the states legislative districts in light of population changes recognized during the 2020 U.S. Census. The work has proven difficult, especially due to the declines in rural populations, which are occurring as Wyomings larger cities grow. Lawmakers finally adopted a proposed map last month nearly two months behind schedule. Then there is the matter of the relief aid that lawmakers must distribute. The state is set to receive more than $1 billion in federal money through the American Rescue Plan Act. As weve previously argued, the relief dollars represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put the state on a more sustainable course economically. Gov. Mark Gordon has announced his plans for spending the money, but the Legislature must weigh in first. The decisions they make could reverberate for decades, especially considering Wyoming is standing at an economic crossroads due to changes in the energy sector, which the state has long relied on for tax revenue. Given that trio of tasks, its critical for lawmakers to keep focused during the session. We need a budget that works for Wyoming, living within our means while providing the services that the public relies upon. We need a redistricting process that best represents the reality of our state. And we need to take advantage of what is essentially a lottery ticket, using the federal aid to enact changes that government leaders have long acknowledged are necessary. There will be a temptation for lawmakers to weigh in on myriad other issues, especially the controversies that are debated nightly on cable news. Weve already begun to see such bills surface, and there will undoubtedly be more appearing in the final week before the session. But with only 20 days to work, and with so much already on their plates, legislators dont have the time to lose focus. And with billions of dollars at stake, they need to provide the fiscal review and scrutiny that their constituents expect. Weve seen what can happen when lawmakers let emotion, rather than reason, guide decisions. Last fall, the Legislature hastily gathered for a special session to battle a vaccine mandate that President Joe Biden was trying to enact on workers at large companies. There were plenty of reasons not to rush. The rules pertaining to the mandate had yet to be published, meaning lawmakers didnt know exactly what they were fighting. And the matter was already set to be decided in the federal courts, which had the potential to render moot any legislation the statehouse produced. The session soon collapsed under the weight of its own unreasonable expectations. It produced a single piece of legislation that amounted to a strongly worded statement about medical freedom. Ironically, the federal rules came out shortly after the Legislature adjourned, and the courts ultimately struck down the mandate. While futile, the session cost the state nearly a quarter million dollars. But what was also lost was time. The special session meant lawmakers were focused less on the critical issues of redistricting and the states finances. Time spent on bills that failed and would have ultimately been irrelevant regardless cant be made up. We cant afford to make the same mistake again. The decisions made during this budget session could put the state on sound financial footing and set up Wyoming for a more sustainable future. But for that to happen, lawmakers must stay focused on the task at hand. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A pregnant mother and her family affected by the Quarry Street New Years Day fire say they felt pressured to accept an Oropune Gardens apartment as a permanent home after their years long efforts to find secure housing. The family, who had previously spent months surrounded by debris and without electricity, told the Express they felt as though they were being pushed to mortgage the apartment as a quick fix to their problem. The fact that 106 police killings dating from January 2019 to now are under investigation by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is staggering. Whether the number reflects an actual increase in fatal police shootings, or is the result of greater public willingness to file complaints, growing public confidence in the PCA or the PCAs own willingness to initiate investigations, would require more than bald figures. However, it underscores the PCAs importance as an independent authority with the power to hold the police to account. The Brick in My Pocket By Karen Powell-Riggs (self-published). 50 pp. $7.50. The voice of Tucson poet Karen Powell-Riggs in this collection is subdued, mature, tinged a bit with sadness. And each poem suggests some kind of story the loss of a friend or lover, the effects of aging, nostalgia for unpackaged produce in Bronx markets; a chickadee singing while the poet struggles to find words. Accompanied by black and white photos depicting nature or aging buildings, it is an accessible, affecting collection. And its definitely notas expressed in the barbed poem Advice to a Poetry Critic deserving to be carried off to the round file. Christine Wald-Hopkins The Door in the Nightmare: From the Russian Revolution to Pax Americana By Galina De Roeck (PRAV Publishing). 354 pp. $23.99. This memoir is a many-faceted gem. Its a personal narrative in lyrical prose in sometimes-harrowing situations, a travelogue embedded in history and politics, a lively conversation sparkling with literary allusion, and a no-holds-barred political op-ed. Born in 1938 to Russian emigres, former UA Russian Assistant Professor Galina De Roeck has lived in Yugoslavia, Germany, Morocco, Australia and the U.S. Her early life was marked by fear and flight the familys Belgrade apartment bombed, fleeing armies in WWII, surviving a displaced persons camp in Germany. White Russians, they couldnt return home to a Stalinist USSR after the war, so they emigrated to Morocco. Seeing the revolutionary writing on the wall, then, in Morocco, they left behind their privileged existence there for a life of privation in Australia. Marriage brought her to the U.S. As De Roeck tells it, her mothers drive, father and grandmothers affection and the kindness of others helped her overcome cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic obstacles. De Roeck relates an arc that begins with the terrors of war and eventually involves activism for world peace. Its a fascinating personal and family account reflecting the upheavals of the twentieth century. I am foreign-born, a hybrid American, politically engineered, she writes, and the shape-shifter and busy-body hyphen is the secret hero of my story. Christine Wald-Hopkins Rodrigos Treasure By Vern Lamplot (self-published). 308 pp. $12.99 paperback; $4.99 Kindle. In his second Sonoran Borderlands Mystery, Vern Lamplot resurrects the centuries-old trope of the pleasures and perils of stumbling upon treasure.The happy, hapless, eponymous stumbler in Rodrigos Treasure is working as a Mexican cartel lookout in Southern Arizona when he discovers a large cache of raw silver and gold in an abandoned mine. A Puerto Penasco street kid on foot, Rodrigo needs to (a) figure out how to transport and secure his treasure and (b) hide it from his murderous boss. When Rodrigo reveals his find to his longtime friend Chuy drug dealer and police informant he sets the action in motion. That, in turn, engages other characters from Lamplots previous mystery, A Line in the Sand. When Rodrigo starts spending raw silver, Police Chief Antonia Ramirez and expat retired Phoenix detective Sandman Sanderson have their hands full trying to protect him from the cartel. Recovering journalist and previous director of the San Xavier Mission restoration project, Lamplot again makes good use of his familiarity with the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. The U.S. Marines waila band members make a welcome appearance, and a Big Jim Griffith-like historian provides useful information plus a warning about the thousands of abandoned mines in Arizona. Lamplots next Sonoran Borderlands mystery is in the hopper. This readers ready. Christine Wald-Hopkins Standing in the Pink Clouds By Linda Rizzo Marzano (New Harbor Press). 102 pp. 11.95; Kindle $3.75. This memoirs dedication to all who suffer because of the diseases of alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness sets the tone for the narrative of a tough life. From being the daughter of a disturbed mother ( I had two mommies, a good mommy and a mean mommy) and the sister of a polio-afflicted paranoid schizophrenic, to being the mother of two beloved, although addicted, adult children, Marzano has been both witness to and victim of those diseases. Although presented as a testament to the restorative powers of the Christian faith, Standing in the Pink Clouds reads more like a testament to personal resilience. In unadorned, non-histrionic prose, Marzano relates one life event after another that could easily cripple others among us. Youve got to admire her endurance. Christine Wald-Hopkins Becoming Hopi: A History By Wesley Bernardini, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, Gregson Schachner, and Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma, editors. University of Arizona Press. 664 pp. $75; Kindle $60 The eloquent title says it all: Being Hopi is not an end state so much as a process reflecting an aspirational lifestyle philosophy of humility and hard work. One is always becoming Hopi, say the editors, and the ability to look back on a complex, vibrant history is foundational to moving mindfully into the future. This remarkable volume will facilitate that mindfulness. The Hopi people, note the editors, have long been an intensively studied indigenous group, but because their story has been recorded mostly without benefit of Hopi voices or perspective, the history of the Hopi Mesas is poorly understood. With this collaboration of Hopi people and external researchers, overseen by the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, the editors hope to set the record straight. Fifteen years in the making and astonishing in its scope, Becoming Hopi employs archaeology, oral tradition, historical records and ethnography to present a comprehensive overview of the people who have lived on the Hopi Mesas for more than 2,000 years. It includes chapters on anthropological research, agriculture, landscape, migration and petroglyphs, as well as site maps and descriptions of Ancestral Hopi villages. Becoming Hopi will be an invaluable resource to the academic community, but more importantly, because it was written with Hopi readers in mind, it will be an aid to reflection on the shape of things to come. Helene Woodhams Murder & Mayhem in Tucson By Patrick Whitehurst. The History Press. 147 pp. $32.99 hdcvr, $21.99 pbk, $11.49 Kindle Gun play, foul play, playing with fire sunny Tucson has a dark side pockmarked with murder and mayhem, and author Patrick Whitehurst hits the lowlights with this compendium of true crime and catastrophe. Theres something for everyone, from military misadventures such as the midair collision of WWII fighter bombers over Pantano Wash, to notable conflagrations that consumed civic landmarks such as the Tucson Opera House and the Pioneer Hotel, to 1983s deadly Tropical Storm Octave, which submerged homes, destroyed infrastructure and injured nearly 1,000 people. Many familiar, larger-than-life personalities put in an appearance, including Geronimo, Dillinger, Mafia boss Joe Bonanno and Louise Marshall of Marshall Foundation fame, who had the distinction of being both crime victim and perpetrator when she discovered her unfaithful husband had been trying to poison her with arsenic and shot him for his trouble. In all, it is a wild ride, easily consumed in small bites; each well-illustrated chapter is just a few pages long, true to the style of the History Press which publishes books of local interest. Patrick Whitehurst, who writes both fiction and nonfiction, is the author of the Barker Mysteries novellas. He lives in Tucson. Helene Woodhams Ollie, Ollie, Oxen Free By Michael Wilkinson. BookBaby. 338 pp. $16.18 pbk, $4.99 Kindle. The Odyssean struggle to arrive safe at home is at the thematic heart of this debut novel by teacher, director and author Michael Wilkinson. In it, a young priests growing ambivalence toward the symbols and trappings of religion has eroded his belief in his own vocation. Childhood abuse at his fathers hands has left Matt burdened with self-doubt, and he wears his inadequacies like a hair shirt. Carol, the woman with whom he finds love for the first time, is at once a comfort and a conundrum: Is she a temptress, luring him from the false security of his psychic hiding place and away from his already shaky path? Or is she the essential course correction that will guide him to self-realization and the fulfilling life that eludes him? Can he even commit to her, given his failure to honor the vow he made to the church? The personal conflicts and inner demons of a cast of supporting characters are cleverly woven into Matts story, emphasizing the redemptive power of love, freely given and received, in this deeply introspective, thought-provoking novel. Wilkinson, a Pacific Northwest native, lives in Tucson. Helene Woodhams Saving Seventeen By Michael T. Mayo. Queens Army LLC. 308 pp. $19.95 Dr. Michael T. Mayo, prolific author of several works of fantasy, focuses on saving the living and the dead in this latest outing. In it, the unnamed narrator, under the direction of a higher power referred to as the Source, is told that he must save seventeen, and over the course of the next 300 pages, this appears to be pretty much what he does. In a lengthy series of seemingly unrelated vignettes, the narrator enters and exits various otherworldly portals, ministering to the dead and not-quite dead in the company of the oracles, dwarves, demons, leprechauns and assorted fantastical types. The only way to save oneself is by saving others, concludes the book, a laudable sentiment for a volume otherwise notable for its pure eccentricity. Dr. Mayo maintains a private dental practice in Tucson. Helene Woodhams Helene Woodhams is retired from Pima County Public Library, where she was literary arts librarian and coordinator of Southwest Books of the Year, the librarys annual literature review. Christine Wald-Hopkins, a former educator and occasional essayist, has long been a book critic for national, regional and local newspapers. If you are a Southern Arizona Author and would like your book to be considered for this column, send a copy to: Sara Brown, P.O. Box 26887, Tucson, AZ, 85726-6887. Give the price and contact name. Books must have been published within a year. Authors may submit no more than one book per calendar year. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Legals 0005230866-01 "El Rio is currently soliciting proposals for Medical Equipment from Medical Supply Vendors and/or Manufactures to furnish and deliver to the University Clinic. Submittal Deadline: June 10, 2022, at 5:00pm AZ Time for details, see website at https://www.elrio.org/ about-elrio/rfps/." Published May 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 2022 Arizona Daily Star 0005240526-01 Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless are proposing to construct a 30' - 4" (overall height) Replacement Light Pole Communications Site in the vicinity of 890 North Park Avenue, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona 85719 (lat/long: 32 13' 57.953" N, 110 57' 24.081" W). Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Emily Trimpe, 4685 South Ash Avenue, Suite H-4, Tempe, Arizona 85282, 602.239.4886, Emily.Trimpe@terracon.com. Published May 2, 2022 Arizona Daily 0005235345-01 NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE. Notice is hereby given that Cactus Portable Storage, LLC will sell the contents of certain containers at auction to the highest bidder to satisfy owner's lien. Auction will be held online at www.StorageTreasures.com starting on May 3, 2022 and ending at 12PM EST on May 10, 2022. Contents to be sold may include general household goods, electronics, office & business equipment, furniture, clothing and other miscellaneous property. Published May 2, 2022 Arizona Daily Star 0005227160-01 TS No. 2022-00060-AZ NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE The following legally described trust property will be sold, pursuant to the power of sale under that certain Deed of Trust dated 12/21/2009 and recorded on 12/31/2009 as Instrument No. 20092510236, Book 13716 Page 1373 and rerecorded on as in the official records of Pima County, Arizona, NOTICE! IF YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFENSE TO THE TRUSTEE SALE OR IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECTION TO THE TRUSTEE SALE, YOU MUST FILE AN ACTION AND OBTAIN A COURT ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 65, ARIZONA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, STOPPING THE SALE NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME OF THE LAST BUSINESS DAY BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DATE OF THE SALE, OR YOU MAY HAVE WAIVED ANY DEFENSES OR OBJECTIONS TO THE SALE. UNLESS YOU OBTAIN AN ORDER, THE SALE WILL BE FINAL AND WILL OCCUR at public auction to the highest bidder Courts Building, On the steps outside the East entrance of the Courts Building, 110 West Congress, Tucson, AZ 85701, in Pima County, on 06/09/2022 at 10:30 AM of said day: Legal Description: The land referred to herein below is situated in the county of Pima, state of Arizona, and is described as follows: Lot 49 of picture rocks west subdivision, Pima county, Arizona, according to the map of record in the office of the county recorder, in book 47 of maps and plats, page 2. Except all coal and other minerals as reserved by the United States of America in deed book 214, page 631. Includes the manufactured housing unit as part of the real property described as: YEAR: 1998 MAKE: PALM HARBOR MANUFACTURER: FREEDOM HOMES INC SIZE: 28 X 68 VIN NUMBER: PH0223901U & PH0223901X Purported Street Address: 11090 W OLD PECOS PL, TUCSON, AZ 85743 Tax Parcel Number 213-03-2990 Original Principal Balance: $137,464.00 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE Name and Address of Current Beneficiary: PHH Mortgage Corporation c/o PHH Mortgage Corporation 1 Mortgage Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Name and Address of Original Trustor: HARRY BURLESON AND JUANITA J BURLESON, HUSBAND AND WIFE 11090 W OLD PECOS PL, TUCSON, AZ 85743 Name, Address and Telephone Number of Trustee: Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. Northpark Town Center 1000 Abernathy Rd NE; Bldg 400, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30328 (866) 960-8299 TERMS OF SALE: The trustee is only able to accept cash or a cash equivalent, like a cashier's check or certified check NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE SALE INFORMATION: Sales Line: (866) 960-8299 Website: https://www.altisource.com/loginpage.aspx If the sale is set aside for any reason, including if the Trustee is unable to convey title, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the monies paid to the Trustee. This shall be the Purchaser's sole and exclusive remedy. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Trustor, the Trustee, the Beneficiary, the Beneficiary's Agent, or the Beneficiary's Attorney Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. DATED: April 24, 2022 /s/ Glenda Hamilton Trustee Sale Assistant Pursuant to A.R.S. 33 - 803(A)(6), the trustee herein qualifies as a trustee of the Deed of Trust in the trustee's capacity as a corporation all the stock of which is owned by Premium Title Agency, Inc., an escrow agent in the state of Arizona. The regulators of Premium Title Agency are the Arizona Department of Insurance and the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. is registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission. STATE OF Georgia COUNTY OF Fulton On February 24, 2022, before me, Iman Walcott, personally appeared Glenda Hamilton, who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledge to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature (s) on the instrument the person(s) or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument. WITNESS my hand and official seal. /s/Iman Walcott Iman Walcott NOTARY PUBLIC Published April 25 & May 2, 9, 16, 2022 Arizona Daily Star 0005237147-01 Tucson Electric Power intends to construct a new 30-foot-tall monopole mounted with a 2-foot-diameter microwave dish at a height of 20 feet at the ASARCO Mission Mine at 3158'39.5" North latitude, 1113'32.1" West longitude Universal Transverse Mercator, North American Datum 1983; Township 17 South, Range 13 East, Section 6, Gila and Salt River Baseline Meridian in Sahuarita, Pima County, Arizona. This project is designed to support critical communications for electric operations and enhance service reliability for customers. Comments are sought about the proposed radio equipment upgrades, including any effect on historic properties within their viewshed pursuant to the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement of March 7, 2005 under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the National Environmental Policy Act. Please send written comments to Christopher Ortiz y Pino, Environmental and Land Use Planner, Tucson Electric Power, 3950 E. Irvington Road, Tucson, Arizona 85714, or to Christopher.OrtizYPino@tep.com. Published May 2 & 9, 2022 Arizona Daily Star 0005237187-01 Tucson Electric Power intends to construct a new 30-foot-tall monopole mounted with a 2-foot-diameter microwave dish at a height of 20 feet at the ASARCO Mission Mine at 3158'51.2" North latitude, 1113'19.9" West longitude Universal Transverse Mercator, North American Datum 1983; Township 17 South, Range 13 East, Section 6, Gila and Salt River Baseline Meridian in Sahuarita, Pima County, Arizona. This project is designed to support critical communications for electric operations and enhance service reliability for customers. Comments are sought about the proposed radio equipment upgrades, including any effect on historic properties within their viewshed pursuant to the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement of March 7, 2005 under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the National Environmental Policy Act. Please send written comments to Christopher Ortiz y Pino, Environmental and Land Use Planner, Tucson Electric Power, 3950 E. Irvington Road, Tucson, Arizona 85714, or to Christopher.OrtizYPino@tep.com. Published May 2 & 9, 2022 Arizona Daily Star Pets 0005236873-01 BELGUIM MALINOIS 2 females, 11 months, brown/black, excellent family dog, natural guardian, excellent temperament, sweet personality, $900 - $1200 520-204-3656 0005238479-01 CAIRN TERRIER PUPS, AKC, 1F $800, 3M $700. shots, non-shed, like Toto of Oz. 1-year health guarantee. 520-255-2911 or 520-586-4496. 0005238651-01 GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES, white, 2M, 10-weeks, vet checked, 1st shots and 2nd-worming, $1200 each. 520-975-1869 0005228600-01 PUGGLES PUPPIES, small M & F, also Lab/Great Pyrenees, large M & F mix puppies, all comes w/shots & deworming, pics avail, adoption fee. 520-221-8576 0005239621-01 Yorkshire Terrier. Male 10 wks. Registered. First shot. Parents under 5 lbs. $1500. Marana, Az. ekhand@msn.com (208)989-3367 Rentals 0005205250-01 EARN FREE RENT! Furnished Studio Apartments w/FREE utilities & FREE cable. Stay Where You're Appreciated! Call Now: 520-214-5046 0005205367-01 EARN FREE RENT! Stay Where You're Appreciated! Furnished Studio Apartments w/FREE utilities & FREE cable. Call Now: 520-441-8279 0005227160-01 TS No. 2022-00060-AZ NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE The following legally described trust property will be sold, pursuant to the power of sale under that certain Deed of Trust dated 12/21/2009 and recorded on 12/31/2009 as Instrument No. 20092510236, Book 13716 Page 1373 and rerecorded on as in the official records of Pima County, Arizona, NOTICE! IF YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFENSE TO THE TRUSTEE SALE OR IF YOU HAVE AN OBJECTION TO THE TRUSTEE SALE, YOU MUST FILE AN ACTION AND OBTAIN A COURT ORDER PURSUANT TO RULE 65, ARIZONA RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE, STOPPING THE SALE NO LATER THAN 5:00 P.M. MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME OF THE LAST BUSINESS DAY BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DATE OF THE SALE, OR YOU MAY HAVE WAIVED ANY DEFENSES OR OBJECTIONS TO THE SALE. UNLESS YOU OBTAIN AN ORDER, THE SALE WILL BE FINAL AND WILL OCCUR at public auction to the highest bidder Courts Building, On the steps outside the East entrance of the Courts Building, 110 West Congress, Tucson, AZ 85701, in Pima County, on 06/09/2022 at 10:30 AM of said day: Legal Description: The land referred to herein below is situated in the county of Pima, state of Arizona, and is described as follows: Lot 49 of picture rocks west subdivision, Pima county, Arizona, according to the map of record in the office of the county recorder, in book 47 of maps and plats, page 2. Except all coal and other minerals as reserved by the United States of America in deed book 214, page 631. Includes the manufactured housing unit as part of the real property described as: YEAR: 1998 MAKE: PALM HARBOR MANUFACTURER: FREEDOM HOMES INC SIZE: 28 X 68 VIN NUMBER: PH0223901U & PH0223901X Purported Street Address: 11090 W OLD PECOS PL, TUCSON, AZ 85743 Tax Parcel Number 213-03-2990 Original Principal Balance: $137,464.00 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE Name and Address of Current Beneficiary: PHH Mortgage Corporation c/o PHH Mortgage Corporation 1 Mortgage Way, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Name and Address of Original Trustor: HARRY BURLESON AND JUANITA J BURLESON, HUSBAND AND WIFE 11090 W OLD PECOS PL, TUCSON, AZ 85743 Name, Address and Telephone Number of Trustee: Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. Northpark Town Center 1000 Abernathy Rd NE; Bldg 400, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30328 (866) 960-8299 TERMS OF SALE: The trustee is only able to accept cash or a cash equivalent, like a cashier's check or certified check NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE SALE INFORMATION: Sales Line: (866) 960-8299 Website: https://www.altisource.com/loginpage.aspx If the sale is set aside for any reason, including if the Trustee is unable to convey title, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the monies paid to the Trustee. This shall be the Purchaser's sole and exclusive remedy. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Trustor, the Trustee, the Beneficiary, the Beneficiary's Agent, or the Beneficiary's Attorney Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. DATED: April 24, 2022 /s/ Glenda Hamilton Trustee Sale Assistant Pursuant to A.R.S. 33 - 803(A)(6), the trustee herein qualifies as a trustee of the Deed of Trust in the trustee's capacity as a corporation all the stock of which is owned by Premium Title Agency, Inc., an escrow agent in the state of Arizona. The regulators of Premium Title Agency are the Arizona Department of Insurance and the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. Western Progressive - Arizona, Inc. is registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission. STATE OF Georgia COUNTY OF Fulton On February 24, 2022, before me, Iman Walcott, personally appeared Glenda Hamilton, who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledge to me that he/she/they executed the same in his/her/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their signature (s) on the instrument the person(s) or the entity upon behalf of which the person(s) acted, executed the instrument. WITNESS my hand and official seal. /s/Iman Walcott Iman Walcott NOTARY PUBLIC Published April 25 & May 2, 9, 16, 2022 Arizona Daily Star PHOENIX Arizona lawmakers are moving to block state agencies from giving a third option for those who identify as neither male nor female. HB 2294 would put in statute that any document issued by a state agency, board, commission or department that now is required to indicate an individuals sex may only show that person as male or female. The measure was approved this past week by the House Committee on Government and Elections, with only Republicans in favor, despite pleas from multiple parents who said those choices do not define who their children are. It now awaits a vote of the full House. Rep. John Fillmore, R-Apache Junction, said he believes there currently are no forms that provide an alternative. Instead, he called it kind of a precautionary thing, given that other states, including California, do allow that option. Historically, what happens in California is like a tidal wave, Fillmore said. It just kind of rolls our way. But unbeknownst to Fillmore, that already is happening: The Arizona Department of Transportation does provide an option for driver licenses to have an X instead of M or F where sex is listed. That, however requires an applicant to present a government document presumably from another state showing their gender as non-binary. It is not an option for an Arizonan simply seeking a change in designation. Fillmore said all his measure does is recognize reality. There are two biological sexes, he said, regardless of how people identify themselves. Not true, testified Erica Keppler, telling lawmakers that about 1.3 out of every 1,000 children born are intersex, with ambiguous visible sex organs. It used to be they were assigned a sex at birth, sometimes with surgical alteration, often to tragic results when later on they did identify with the sex assigned to them, Keppler said. And Kristin Downing, said its not just about those children. Downing told lawmakers she drove up from Tucson to tell them about her amazing 15-year-old child who is nonbinary. When they came out about three years ago, our whole community rallied around us, she said. My child is loved and celebrated for who they are, Downing continued. However, every time we have to fill out paperwork, my child does not feel supported because the fact is the state of Arizona only has male and female as options on a form. And that, Downing said, will become even more obvious when her child goes for a drivers license and will have to choose a sex that does not accurately reflect gender. Megan Mogan, another Tucson mother, had her own story. From the moment our non-binary child could walk, could talk, could play, could dress themselves, it was very clear to us that they did not conform to typical gender standards, even though all they saw under their own roof was pretty stereotypical gender standards, she said. Mogan said that did require a learning curve, even among her own parents in their 70s. What we learned is that gender is very nuanced, she said. Its not what we grew up knowing. Fillmore said people can still identify as what they believe they are. But that doesnt make it true. I identify as a little, short, fat, obnoxious guy, he said. And everyone agrees with me, Fillmore continued. But then, again, the day I said I was a multi-millionaire that looked like Troy Donahue, they all kind of rolled their eyeballs. He said thats their business. But we need to have some kind of uniformity or structure as a society in order to be able to deal with this, Fillmore said. House Minority Leader Reginald Bolding, D-Laveen, said things arent that simple. Consider, he said, the issue of people who are of mixed race. In many cases you may be asking people whether you are Black or white or Hispanic or Native, Bolding said. He said those categories have evolved and changed with time. Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said sometimes people have to choose from what are the legal options, saying thats the case with the U.S. Census. That, however, is not true. In 2000 the federal agency for the first time allowed those who do not identify as white to choose not just Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska native, Asian or Pacific Islander, or some other race, to say they are two or more races. And by 2020 more than 11 percent picked that option. Kavanagh, asked about that later, said he would be more than open to provide an alternative designation to someone who is biologically more than one gender or has more than one genders physical attributes. But thats it. I do not think that a person who is a biological male or female should be able to say theyre something else just because in their minds they are, Kavanagh said. And Rep. Teresa Martinez, R-Casa Grande, said sometimes people just have to choose, citing the experience of her mixed-race son, who is sometimes asked about his race. He just picks one, she said. And then he lives his life and he enjoys the many benefits of the different cultures. Bolding, however, said he doesnt see the harm in the state acknowledging that sometimes choices are not binary. By simply mandating that individuals have to check a male or female box I think is hypocritical to what we want to do as a state, he said. We want to make sure were a welcoming state, an open place, and we allow people to be who they are. Fillmore, however, said he sees it as a matter of accuracy and truth, saying its no different than letting people unilaterally decide their own race. During the 1970s and 1980s when they had affirmative action, I would have loved to identify as Black, he said. But I didnt think I could get away with that one. Allowed non-binary designations Here are some non-binary designations that appear on official documents in other states: Arkansas As of 2018, the state was issuing gender-neutral ID cards and driver licenses. California A 2017 law allows a third, non-binary gender marker on birth certificates, driver licenses and identity cards. Colorado Since late 2018 that state allows those who do not identify as male or female to use the X designation on driver licenses. New Mexico Lawmakers amended the state's Vital Records Act in 2019 to add a third designation on state identification documents. Oregon Following a 2016 court ruling, the state agreed to allow a non-binary gender marker on state IDs and driver licenses. And the state in 2018 agreed to allow people to amend their birth certificates to make a similar designation. Utah The state has been issuing X markers on identification cards since 2018, and that option has been available for birth certificates since 2017. Also, the U.S. Department of State issues passports with an X gender marker. The agency also allows applicants to select M or F as a binary gender option even if it does not match the gender on supporting documentation on birth certificates, previous passports or state ID. Capitol Media Services Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Brad Pitts Make It Right Foundation built 109 eye-catching and affordable homes in New Orleans for a community where many people were displaced by damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now this housing development is in disarray. The vast majority of the recently constructed homes are riddled with construction-related problems that have led to mold, termites, rotting wood, flooding and other woes. Structural and other problems are making many residents fear for their health. Make It Right, despite what its name might suggest, has not resolved these issues and has stopped assisting residents. Instead, the movie star-led nonprofit has apparently become defunct. As an urban geographer who researches on housing development, Ive been following Make It Rights travails since 2018, when residents tried to get the New Orleans City Council involved and have municipal authorities inspect the homes. The situation has only deteriorated since then, highlighting the perils that can accompany nonprofit housing development. Supposedly sustainable housing Located in New Orleans historically Black and low-income Lower Ninth Ward, this cluster of affordable homes built between 2008 and 2015 was unusual for several reasons. Notably, these residences were sold, rather than rented to their occupants. The architects who created these homes also tried to make them green and sustainable following a cradle-to-cradle philosophy that centers around the use of safe and reusable materials, clean water and renewable energy. All the homes had solar panels and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. The nonprofit housing developer says its mission is to improve the design and performance of affordable housing and to share best practices associated with the construction of such homes. Make It Right also sought to revitalize the Lower Ninth Ward and bring people together. For example, it built a community garden and held regular meetings for the new homeowners. Although some of these structures are not yet a decade old, my data shows that only six remain in reasonably good shape. Most either have had partial repairs or have been completely renovated because of structural problems. Two were demolished because of severe mold problems. Many of the houses lacked ordinary, essential features such as rain gutters, overhangs, waterproof painting or covered beams all of which are necessary to withstand New Orleans subtropical climate and heavy rainfall. Brad Pitt, who took credit for launching this organization in 2007 and often served as its public face in subsequent years, was still listed as a board member as of 2018. Pitts lawyers argued that he could not be sued over the housing developments failings, but a judge ruled in 2019 that the movie star would remain a defendant because of his role as Make It Rights founder and chief fundraiser. Completely in shambles I interviewed 11 residents, as well as seven urban planning experts who worked on the case. Additionally, I gathered data on the development and the homes by reviewing New Orleans property assessments and building permits. While staying in the Lower Ninth Ward myself, I personally took a census of the development and mapped its current state. More than one resident told me they were initially very excited to be part of something bigger. A Make It Right resident Im calling Harry I promised anonymity to all the residents I interviewed had to move out of his home during major renovations that didnt resolve all the issues he faces. They kind of got a second chance to make it wrong, not make it right again, Harry told me. They made it wrong twice. As of early 2022, six homes are vacant because of mold, rot, flooding and assorted structural issues. Hanna, a young first-time homeowner, walked away from her Make It Right residence, which was later demolished. Only eight months after she moved in, Hanna recounted to me, her home was completely in shambles. Its flat roof could not hold up in the heavy rains of New Orleans, causing massive water intrusion and subsequent termite infestation and mold. Hanna struggles with health problems caused by toxic mold. I would like to say that there is always a silver lining, but with this situation, I really dont see a silver lining because it really changed a lot of my plans that I had for myself in life, she said. Most of the residents I interviewed were dealing with a similar state of constant uncertainty. They dont know how much longer their home is going to hold up, whether the mold they were exposed to is affecting their health, and, worst, what would happen to their finances if they were to lose their home. There is just no turning this off, Harry lamented. Sometimes I think Im sitting on a time bomb in this house. Others described always being on edge, the situation being very stressful, and a feeling of having been taken advantage of on the biggest scale. They wonder who they can turn to for help at this point. Something thats been an incredible disappointment is the lack, the retreat, of Make It Right from any form of responsibility, William told me. A web of legal turmoil When Make It Right failed to provide the assistance residents requested, several homeowners filed lawsuits. This litigation is reportedly still pending. Some residents also blame local authorities. We also have an issue with the city, because those who inspect (the home) and are supposed to keep it safe, did not, said Claire, who tried to get New Orleans safety and permits department involved. My many efforts to reach out to Make It Right by mail, email and visits in person remain unsuccessful. When I went to its New Orleans office in December 2021, I encountered no staff. Instead, I witnessed a moving crew that had been hired by the organization to move its furniture and other property into storage. The Conversation U.S. also attempted to reach out to the Make It Right Foundation by phone and email and was unsuccessful. Make It Right has discontinued a similar affordable housing development that was in the works in Kansas City, leaving empty lots there in limbo. The nonprofit had also engaged in projects in Montana, where other legal issues arose, and New Jersey. Who pays in the end? This mirrors the residents experiences, who have not seen evidence of the organizations engagement with their community for years. Many are starting to pay for repairs out of their own pockets rather than wait for the nonprofit builder to resolve issues caused by its shoddy construction. I did most of the work myself, Mario told me. The ceiling tiles on the porch were falling off, and the wood was rotting, so I just replaced it, slowly, you know, so we could afford it. [Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] Despite their experiences, some residents said they still believe Make It Rights founder had good intentions. I dont blame Brad Pitt, said David, another resident. He had a vision to build low-income houses and get people back in the Lower Ninth Ward. Mismanaged housing developments, even when constructed with lofty goals, only compound the hardships of the low-income people they purport to serve. Judith Keller receives funding from the German Research Association (DFG). This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Photos: Looking back on the destruction of Hurricane Katrina Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Sinema tanked voting rights Now that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has killed voting rights legislation, Im sure she must feel exceptionally proud. She wont be getting my support during her next primary. Sinema says that the filibuster improves bipartisan ability to pass legislation and mitigates divisiveness, yet with the filibuster rule already in place, little of this has happened. How can she possibly explain that away? The right to vote is the crux of our democracy, yet she blithely allows it to die in favor of an arcane Senate rule that doesnt even accomplish the things she says she wants. Im saddened and fear for our countrys health. Sinema is part of its demise and darker days ahead. Paul Emmert Marana Trumps 2020 election claims The difference between whats true and whats false is important to me. If Donald Trump were to say pigs can fly, that wouldnt make it so, even if some people believed it. You have to show it, not just say it. Unless he could show some flying pigs, it aint true. Trump is saying that he won the 2020 election. To make it better, he began to say he won in a landslide. Some people believe him, and that seems to be good enough for him. But his people had more than 60 chances to show it in a court of law, and they had nothing to show. Absolutely nothing. The judges issued scornful opinions. Even more people who knew what they were talking about, such as Attorney General William Barr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and many others, said the election was free and fair. It takes more than just saying what you want you have to show it. That pig dont fly, Donald. George Yost Vail COVID bill does not go far enough As someone currently recovering from COVID-19, I am disappointed that Rep. Quang Nguyens bill, HB 2043, has missed several key groups of people who should be subjected to large fines under his bill. HB 2043 awards damages of $500,000 paid by an employer who denies a religious exemption when requiring an employee to get vaccinated as a condition of employment. Nguyen, please add these classes of persons who should also pay large damage awards due to their actions: 1. Persons who make false statements concerning COVID or vaccines. 2. Unvaccinated adults who may have infected others by their negligence in following CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID. 3. Unvaccinated adults who become sickened with COVID, and take up hospital beds that could be serving other patients. Rep. Nguyen, please amend your bill to include these groups of people who owe damages due to their negligence. Maybe I wouldnt be suffering from COVID if those groups of people had been discouraged from exposing me and others to the virus. John McConnaughey Oro Valley More Finchem folly Arizonas Republican legislators are sadly among the leaders in wanting to enact laws restricting voter rights. The latest example is HB 2596, which would virtually ban all mail ballots, limit voting to election day and allow the Legislature to decide whether to accept or reject the election results. Ordinarily, instead of just writing a letter to the editor, Id contact my state legislator to object. Unfortunately, my state legislator is Rep. Mark Finchem, one of the GOP sponsors of the bill. Finchem, of LD11, is a member of the Oath Keepers and a continued vocal supporter of the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Even more unfortunate, he is a Trump-supported candidate for secretary of state the position that oversees the states election process. I hope that Arizona residents who live outside of Finchems district will contact their state representatives to keep this outrageous bill from ever being passed. Thank you in advance! Karen Schickedanz SaddleBrooke Bidens nomination plan President Joe Biden, keeping his campaign promise to Rep. James Clyburn, will be nominating a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. He is not looking for the best qualified person, but choosing a candidate based on gender and race. In 2003, President Bush nominated Janice Rogers Brown, a black woman from Alabama, to the D.C. federal Court of Appeals. At the time, she was a sitting California Supreme Court justice. In 2003, Senate Democrats, including Biden, Obama and Schumer voted to block her appointment using the filibuster. Brown was a conservative and both Biden and Obama took to the Senate floor arguing against her confirmation. Democrats blocked her appointment for two years using the filibuster until she finally was confirmed in 2005. She remained on the D.C. Court of Appeals until retiring in 2017. Biden and Senate Democrats again used the filibuster to prevent the confirmation of Latino Miguel Estrada to the same D.C. appellate court. Pamela Newsome Northwest side ACC votes down updated energy rules Re: the jan. 27 article ACC votes to reject guidelines for clean energy. Gobsmacked to read the article. The Arizona Corporation Commission voted against modernizing our states energy rules and as a result, Arizonans will see higher utility bills, and dirtier air and water in the coming years. The ACC sided with out-of-state, investor-owned, for-profit utilities to the detriment of local Arizonans. Many thanks to commissioners Sandra Kennedy and Anna Tovar for voting for the updated rules. The votes against the updated energy rules range from a total denial of man-made climate change to let the market lead the way. Arizonas embrace of these backward policies continues to cement our states position of leadership in the race to the bottom. Karl Schaeffer Oro Valley Simplistic framing of fare-free transit Re: the Feb. 2 article Tucson considers making fare-free transit permanent. Sam Kmack, in the opening paragraphs of his article presents a surprisingly narrow view of the costs and benefits of public transportation. Kmacks statement that free public transit is worth the cost of a tank of gas to typical riders reflects a simplistic understanding of the diverse and significant value of a transit open to everyone. While the article goes on to address somewhat wider aspects of the issue, Kmack still focuses primarily on the financial aspects of fare-free transit. He ignores the role Tucsons system has in reducing traffic congestion, improving transportation safety and shrinking our regions carbon footprint. Does anyone in Tucson want more cars clogging busy roads, increasing driving hazards and pumping more emissions into the air? Fare-free transit is clearly related to all of those concerns. We would hope the Arizona Daily Star reports on this developing issue in a manner that reflects its complexity and its importance to the entire community. Drew Colenbrander East side Voting changes Im 88 years old and frightened about potential changes to voting regulations and laws in my and your country. We each own America! I variously have registered as a Republican and a Democrat. I voted in every election, sometimes across party lines. Even when candidates I voted for lost, I saw the result as valid. I was often unhappy with performances of some winning officials even those I voted for. I want my children, grandchildren and their offspring to select their representatives. This is central to being American. Mail-in voting and automatic registration are and have always been important for me. More important as I age. Many proposed changes claim to reduce fraudulent voting. They dont. These efforts do restrict voting for many groups. Rural, urban, Black, disabled, aged, Hispanic, Native American and many, many others. Which groups are restricted matters so much. Voting by every group and individual enhances our country. Restrictions can not be risked. Marion Leonard Northeast side AZ senators and voting rights bills Regarding federal voting rights bills, Republicans and the heroic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are correct to oppose them. We should count ourselves lucky. Sen. Mark Kelly, where are you? Voters must assume you oppose voter ID requirements, support ballot harvesting and that you are OK with ballots being received after voting day for an ill-defined length of time. Please speak out otherwise. Arizona deserves better. Bruce M. Prior West side Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: Arizonas Gov. Doug Ducey once known as the most fiscally-conservative of all border state governors proposed earmarking a billion dollars to remove the salt from sea water of the Gulf of California to bring into the Colorado River basin. This is an acknowledgement that the seven-state Drought Contingency Plan for the Colorado did not work out as expected. Its weak measures could not stop Tier One water rationing in Nevada and Arizona. Duceys proposal came on Jan. 10 and state legislators are planning to release new legislation to deal with Arizonas water supplies. Arizona must now endure its worst-ever water shortage. But that is not merely due to drought within its borders, but throughout its entire watershed, prompting a 512,000 acre-foot reduction in the states river water allotments and accelerating depletion of its groundwater reserves. The enforced water rationing resulting from this shortage will immediately cost the Arizona economy 500 jobs and $100 million in reduced farm income. Worse yet, Western water reserves in 1,500 counties in the Colorado, and other basins are drying faster than predicted, with over 640 agricultural counties declared drought disaster areas over the last year. There is no place else in the U.S. from which to transfer water, so Ducey looked south across the border. But he is ignoring that the 1982 Law of the Sea now ratified by 150 countries, as well as Mexican and First Nations sovereignty concerns. Ducey seems unaware that many Mexicans would see this water grab much like the land grab that occurred in 1848, when Mexico was forced by the United States to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding half of its lands to its greedy neighbor to the north. That land grab was followed by six attempts by insurgents from California, Arizona and France to build U.S. ports from some of the same harbors that Ducey now wants to pipe water from. Memories of assaults on Mexican sovereignty die hard in Sonora. Having any seawater pipeline cross the homelands of the Tohono Oodham or Cucupa might also be considered a violation of their sovereignty, since the ocean is sacred to them. Worse yet, the 2020 Project Execution Plan for transborder transfer of seawater prepared by engineers reads like a boondoggle pitch from the era prior to the Environmental Protection Act. It includes no environmental impact assessment. That nearly any pipeline route would have to cross one or perhaps two of Mexicos prized biosphere reserves- the Sierra el Pinacate and Colorado River delta protected areas is never mentioned in the study. The other options that the governor has ignored make more sense to many Arizonans. They focus on ways to live within their states God-given water budget, rather than usurping water from hundreds of miles away. First, we can reduce the costly waste of water associated with furrow irrigation by retrofitting farms with low-cost, low-tech micro-irrigation strategies to trim water use by as much as 90%. If 10,000 of Arizonas irrigation farmers received incentives to retrofit their operations to hyper-efficient irrigation technologies, that would be better investment than $1 billion for his pipeline. Secondly, we can invest in drought-, salt- and heat-adapted rootstocks, seed stocks and low-chill fruit trees that can better tolerate both heat waves and periodic drought. To make these more accessible to farmers especially hardy rootstock from crop wild relatives Arizona should invest in a new initiative, a Southwest Adaptation Center for Desert Agriculture and Climate Resilience (SAC). Within a decade that investment would provide farmers on both sides of the border with far more climate-resilient crop options than what they utilize today. For half of his billion-dollar proposal, the governor could generate real solutions for his states food security than a saline slurry can offer. Gary Paul Nabhan is the W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair for Food and Water Security at the University of Arizona. Follow his work at garynabhan.com. His latest books are The Nature of Desert Nature and Jesus for Farmers and Fishers: Justice for All Those Marginalized in Our Food System. Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. Revenge, so the saying goes, is a dish best served cold. The implication is that it is more satisfying if the one bent on exacting a vendetta against someone be it for a petty insult, or a monstrous injustice does not act in the heat of the moment, but allows some time to pass before striking back. In March 2020, Tulsa Ballet was putting the finishing touches on its production of Vendetta: A Mafia Story, a full-length contemporary story ballet by choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, set to an eclectic soundtrack ranging from original music by Peter Salem to Italian songs such as Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare) and E fua chiamatu. The massive sets for the production, set in 1950s Chicago, were stored in the ballets warehouse in preparation for loading them into the Tulsa PACs Chapman Music Hall. Ochoa was in Tulsa to fine-tune the choreography for what was to be the U.S. premiere of this work. Then came COVID-19 and all Tulsa Ballets best-laid plans were scattered like shell casings spewed from a tommy gun during a gangland massacre. We did the first run-through of the entire ballet, and then the next day, we sent all the dancers home, said Tulsa Ballet artistic director Marcello Angelini. Since then, weve rescheduled this ballet five times. We are hoping the fifth time will be the charm. Vendetta: A Mafia Story, which Ochoa describes as a mix of film noir, vaudeville and Broadway, will have four performances Feb. 10-13 at the Tulsa PAC. Vendetta is a ballet that Angelini has wanted to bring to Tulsa ever since he learned about the piece in 2017, when Ochoa first came to Tulsa to create Shibuya Blues, which was part of that years Creations in Studio K program. I had been approached by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal to create a ballet for them, Ochoa recalled. Not long before that, I had watched all the movies in The Godfather series which I think is the best way to see them. And I thought at the time, Why is this not a ballet? So when they asked me for a ballet, I thought why not flip the script of The Godfather, and have it be the story of a young womans rise to power? During her time in Tulsa, Ochoa discussed the ballet with Angelini and his wife, Tulsa Ballet co-artistic director Daniela Buson, over dinner one evening. And I remember saying, as I was leaving, that I had decided to name the godfather in my ballet Marcello Corleone, and to name his wife Daniela Corleone, Ochoa said, laughing. Angelini traveled to Montreal to see the premiere performance in 2018, taking with him a couple of major donors to Tulsa Ballet. My thought was I would keep one eye on what was happening on the stage, and the other eye on these people, to see what sort of reaction this ballet would have on them, he said. They were in their 80s, and I wanted to see if we would see Annabelles work in the same way. And they loved it, Angelini said. They were giggling all the way through it, and couldnt stop talking about it after it was over. So I knew Tulsa audiences would love this ballet. Giggling and gangsters dont often appear in the same sentence, but Angelini said that was one thing about Ochoas work in general that has appealed to him. Annabelle cant keep a straight face for too long, he said. She has a wonderful sense of humor, and the way she treats what might be seen as Italian stereotypes is laugh-out-loud funny. There is a wonderful balance between the dark and serious, and the light and funny elements of this ballet. Those dramatic elements follow the arc of many a gangster saga. Three families Brasi, Genovese and Corleone control the organized crime activities in 1950s Chicago. But then, the romance that blossoms between Marcello Corleones daughter Rosalia and a son of the Genovese family seems to be a way to calm any bad blood between the families. But a senseless murder shatters that peace, and Rosalia Corleone is thrust into the darker side of the family business. Shes very much Daddys little girl he has a soft spot for her, and she knows it, said Jaimi Cullen, who has been waiting to dance the role of Rosalia for more than two years. But at the same time, shes very curious about all the secrets in her family, all the inner dealings that are going on, she said. Shes eager to learn and develops a fascination for the power she sees people like her father have. Thats what makes this character such a challenge, because she changes so much in the course of the ballet. Cullen, a soloist with the company, was cast as Rosalia when Ochoa began working on Vendetta with Tulsa Ballet, and the continued postponements and rescheduling were really difficult to deal with, she said. This was going to be my first leading role in a full-length ballet, Cullen said. It was an opportunity I had been working toward for a long time, and it was like it kept getting taken away. I finally got to the point where I could say, If it doesnt happen, it doesnt happen, but I always held out hope that Id get the chance to dance this role. The time between first learning the role and readying it once again for performance has had some positive qualities. Im actually grateful for the extra time Ive had to work on this role, she said. Ive had the time to really dive into this story and this character, and Im hoping it helps me give a better performance. Rosalia goes through a lot during the ballet, and so much has happened in my own life during the past two years that have changed me in profound ways. For Ochoa, seeing Vendetta come to life on the Tulsa stage is a way to show that ballet does not need to look to fairy tales or classic literature for stories worth telling. Ive come to the realization that what I really am is a storyteller, she said. And I want to be an advocate for telling new stories, that have a depth to them. To me, Vendetta is a story about family, and how complicated those relationships within a family can become. Angelini agreed, saying that Tulsa Ballets commitment to creating new story ballets is evident in the companys upcoming season, which will feature four full-length ballets all commissioned for Tulsa Ballet. Of course we want to do the traditional classic story ballets, because that is where ballet came from, he said. But it is important to bring in new full-length works, to see how people are telling stories about today through dance. And while Angelini said Tulsa Ballets policies to combat COVID-19 remain in place to protect the dancers and staff, he is trying to cover all his bets. If we have learned one thing in the past two years, its that life can be unpredictable, he said. So we have reserved dates in June, just in case something happens that keeps us from performing this ballet this week. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Tulsa Youth Symphony Orchestra, now in its 58th season, will celebrate its past at its annual Winter Concert, 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, at the Union High School PAC, 6636 S. Mingo Road. The concert will feature performances by the three ensembles that make up the TYSO: The Preparatory String Orchestra conducted by Amelia Ivory; the Concert Orchestra led by Pete Peterson and Kenneth Baird; and the Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Wagner. Ron Wheeler, who served as the music director of the orchestra for 50 years, will be named Conductor Emeritus in recognition for his years with the Tulsa Youth Symphony. Earlier this year, the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra established the Ron Wheeler Tulsa Symphony Music Educator of the Year Award, which will be awarded annually to an exemplary music educator in Oklahoma. Wheeler himself was the first recipient, receiving the award at the TSOs January concert. Alumni of the Tulsa Youth Symphony will join the Concert Orchestra to perform selections from Dvoraks Symphony No. 9, From the New World. Former TYSO member Cathy Venable, whose career has included serving as pianist and conductor for Broadway musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music and Frozen, will be the soloist as the Symphony Orchestra performs the Piano Concerto in A Minor by Edvard Grieg. Tickets are $10-$20, and are available at tulsayouthsymphony.org and at the door. Merlot with the Musicologist Chamber Music Tulsa will host a special live-stream event featuring musicologist Jason Heilman, host of Classical Tulsa on KWTU (88.7 FM), talking about some of the music that will be featured in the organizations upcoming concerts. In addition to Heilmans talk, there will be a question-and-answer session. The event will be 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6. To gain access to the session: chambermusictulsa.org. Chamber Music Tulsa will be presenting the Catalyst Quartet Feb. 25-27, whose concerts will highlight music by Florence Price, an Arkansas native and a prominent African-American composer; the Imani Winds, March 11-13; the Atos Trio, March 25-27; and the Verona Quartet, April 8-10. Featured video: Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Could the states investigative audit that found questionable handling of taxpayer dollars by Epic Charter Schools former for-profit managers have implications on proposed new state-funded voucher accounts? Some members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives are asking that very question heading into the new legislative session this week. Whats going to keep something like this from happening again if we give $6,000 a student for them to go wherever? asked Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, chairman of the House education subcommittee on appropriations and budget at a Tuesday joint meeting with the House common education committee. Lawmakers on those committees requested to hear from the State Auditor and Inspectors Office about how forensic auditors discovered tens of millions of taxpayer dollars unaccounted for from the years Epic Charter Schools was managed by its co-founders for-profit private management company, Epic Youth Services. He brought up a good point, Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, said of McBrides statements, in a follow-up interview with the Tulsa World. These things are parallel to one another in regards to transparency and accountability for taxpayer dollars. If you were to talk to private schools, they are not going to want the state to get into their business and make it a requirement to open up their books. There are a number of new proposals to use taxpayer dollars to pay for non-public school choices. One getting a lot of early attention is Senate Bill 1647, which would direct state funds into Oklahoma Empowerment Accounts for families with school-age children to use toward private school tuition, books, computers, uniforms, tutoring or home school expenses or extracurricular activities. Dills, who has been the Houses point person on drafting new transparency and accountability policy measures as a result of the Epic scandal, said: I havent read the bill yet. But the bottom line for me is in Oklahoma, 90 to 95 percent of kids go to public schools. So where are they going to go? Depending on how that bill is set up, either the private school is going to have to agree to greater transparency or the parent is going to have to agree to greater transparency. What I would be looking at is the relationship between third parties and that account. State Auditor Cindy Byrd has likened charter schools like Epic, which she described as intentionally established for charter school management companies to milk for profits as the Enron of public education. Two Oklahoma City men, David Chaney and Ben Harris, co-founded Epic One-on-One statewide virtual school and Epic Blended Learning Centers in Tulsa and Oklahoma counties, and then ran the Epic school system for a decade through their for-profit school management company called Epic Youth Services. They have previously denied wrongdoing and were not present Tuesday at the meeting where Byrd was invited to speak. Byrd told lawmakers she has personally given documentation to the Attorney Generals Office that prove EYS submitted false invoices in order to justify as much as $53.5 million of the $68 million a 10% cut of all state and federal funding it took from the schools since 2015. Byrd also recounted how her office has been engaged in a lawsuit with EYS for nearly two years trying to gain access to records of how it spent at least $145 million more in public money that was allocated for Epic students learning needs. Forensic auditors reportedly found EYS took all of the Epic Learning Fund allocations into its companys private bank accounts and made expenditures using personal credit cards. Its just mind-blowing, McBride told the Tulsa World of the auditors findings about EYS management of Epic. Theyre innocent until proven guilty, but it doesnt look good from what I saw. And he reiterated his concerns about the implications on possible voucher programs. Maybe there is not a management company involved (as in the Epic case), but if that was to happen ESAs (Education Savings Accounts) or whatever there would have to be oversight, McBride told the Tulsa World. It is a definite concern. I dont think we have all of our ducks in a row to implement something like this. I dont think its been thought through enough. Rep. Dills has proposed a host of new accountability and transparency measures for statewide virtual charter schools in House Bill 3643 and in House Bill 3644, a host of new oversight duties for the sponsors of all types of charter schools. Charter school sponsors or authorizers, which include local and state boards of education, higher education institutions and tribal governments, were reportedly paid a total of $10 million in taxpayer dollars last school year. HB3644 outlines new responsibilities sponsors would have to carry out to earn those dollars and in Dills view help charter schools succeed in ways that numerous ones have failed. I tried to be very diligent about it and tried to be very comprehensive about it. Ive held several meetings with charter school representatives and sponsors about what my goals are: Setting up a better structure for our schools to succeed and for our sponsors to play more of a supporting role to help our schools succeed, she said. Dills commended Epics new school leadership, which cut all ties with the school co-founders and their for-profit company in May, and said those new leaders are committed to being a team player for real reform. She added: We have learned so much from what has taken place in the relationship between Community Strategies (the legal name for Epics non-profit school board) and Epic Youth Services. We need legislation this session to prevent something like that from ever happening again. Its really significant reform that will really take us down the road. Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, mostly deferred to Dills on the matter of legislation. We do need to pass some legislation to put up guardrails so the situation Auditor Byrd described doesnt happen again, he said. I dont see as much of a direct tie-in (to vouchers) but do believe whenever we get into that area we need proper guardrails. Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, asked Byrd about the possible need for new potential conflict of interest safeguards, but after the meeting, he said it remains to be seen what role the Legislature should play in additional policymaking. Thats what we have to determine. Thats why we asked some of the questions of the state auditor. What can the Legislature do going forward? Listen to some of those recommendations, review those, consider them and go forward, he said. He also sees Epic and school vouchers as two different subjects, but commented, Now, could there be accountability issues with vouchers? Possibly. (Depending on) whatever system there are a lot of voucher bills out there. Depending on how its implemented and the accountability all of those are factors. I think it (Epic) does bring into (focus) the importance of, really, any taxpayer money needing checks and balances, transparency, transparency. Featured video: Want to see more like this? Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Andrea Eger Staff Writer I'm a projects reporter, examining key education topics and other local issues. Since joining the Tulsa World in 1999, I have been a three-time winner of Oklahomas top award for investigative reporting by an individual. Phone: 918-581-8470 Follow Andrea Eger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today The victim, who was not identified, had life-threatening injuries following the confrontation Sunday afternoon, police said. A 38-year-old man was arrested on a complaint of assault with a deadly weapon. Brad Pitts Make It Right Foundation built 109 eye-catching and affordable homes in New Orleans for a community where many people were displaced by damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now this housing development is in disarray. The vast majority of the recently constructed homes are riddled with construction-related problems that have led to mold, termites, rotting wood, flooding and other woes. Structural and other problems are making many residents fear for their health. Make It Right, despite what its name might suggest, has not resolved these issues and has stopped assisting residents. Instead, the movie star-led nonprofit has apparently become defunct. As an urban geographer who researches on housing development, Ive been following Make It Rights travails since 2018, when residents tried to get the New Orleans City Council involved and have municipal authorities inspect the homes. The situation has only deteriorated since then, highlighting the perils that can accompany nonprofit housing development. Supposedly sustainable housing Located in New Orleans historically Black and low-income Lower Ninth Ward, this cluster of affordable homes built between 2008 and 2015 was unusual for several reasons. Notably, these residences were sold, rather than rented to their occupants. The architects who created these homes also tried to make them green and sustainable following a cradle-to-cradle philosophy that centers around the use of safe and reusable materials, clean water and renewable energy. All the homes had solar panels and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. The nonprofit housing developer says its mission is to improve the design and performance of affordable housing and to share best practices associated with the construction of such homes. Make It Right also sought to revitalize the Lower Ninth Ward and bring people together. For example, it built a community garden and held regular meetings for the new homeowners. Although some of these structures are not yet a decade old, my data shows that only six remain in reasonably good shape. Most either have had partial repairs or have been completely renovated because of structural problems. Two were demolished because of severe mold problems. Many of the houses lacked ordinary, essential features such as rain gutters, overhangs, waterproof painting or covered beams all of which are necessary to withstand New Orleans subtropical climate and heavy rainfall. Brad Pitt, who took credit for launching this organization in 2007 and often served as its public face in subsequent years, was still listed as a board member as of 2018. Pitts lawyers argued that he could not be sued over the housing developments failings, but a judge ruled in 2019 that the movie star would remain a defendant because of his role as Make It Rights founder and chief fundraiser. Completely in shambles I interviewed 11 residents, as well as seven urban planning experts who worked on the case. Additionally, I gathered data on the development and the homes by reviewing New Orleans property assessments and building permits. While staying in the Lower Ninth Ward myself, I personally took a census of the development and mapped its current state. More than one resident told me they were initially very excited to be part of something bigger. A Make It Right resident Im calling Harry I promised anonymity to all the residents I interviewed had to move out of his home during major renovations that didnt resolve all the issues he faces. They kind of got a second chance to make it wrong, not make it right again, Harry told me. They made it wrong twice. As of early 2022, six homes are vacant because of mold, rot, flooding and assorted structural issues. Hanna, a young first-time homeowner, walked away from her Make It Right residence, which was later demolished. Only eight months after she moved in, Hanna recounted to me, her home was completely in shambles. Its flat roof could not hold up in the heavy rains of New Orleans, causing massive water intrusion and subsequent termite infestation and mold. Hanna struggles with health problems caused by toxic mold. I would like to say that there is always a silver lining, but with this situation, I really dont see a silver lining because it really changed a lot of my plans that I had for myself in life, she said. Most of the residents I interviewed were dealing with a similar state of constant uncertainty. They dont know how much longer their home is going to hold up, whether the mold they were exposed to is affecting their health, and, worst, what would happen to their finances if they were to lose their home. There is just no turning this off, Harry lamented. Sometimes I think Im sitting on a time bomb in this house. Others described always being on edge, the situation being very stressful, and a feeling of having been taken advantage of on the biggest scale. They wonder who they can turn to for help at this point. Something thats been an incredible disappointment is the lack, the retreat, of Make It Right from any form of responsibility, William told me. A web of legal turmoil When Make It Right failed to provide the assistance residents requested, several homeowners filed lawsuits. This litigation is reportedly still pending. Some residents also blame local authorities. We also have an issue with the city, because those who inspect (the home) and are supposed to keep it safe, did not, said Claire, who tried to get New Orleans safety and permits department involved. My many efforts to reach out to Make It Right by mail, email and visits in person remain unsuccessful. When I went to its New Orleans office in December 2021, I encountered no staff. Instead, I witnessed a moving crew that had been hired by the organization to move its furniture and other property into storage. The Conversation U.S. also attempted to reach out to the Make It Right Foundation by phone and email and was unsuccessful. Make It Right has discontinued a similar affordable housing development that was in the works in Kansas City, leaving empty lots there in limbo. The nonprofit had also engaged in projects in Montana, where other legal issues arose, and New Jersey. Who pays in the end? This mirrors the residents experiences, who have not seen evidence of the organizations engagement with their community for years. Many are starting to pay for repairs out of their own pockets rather than wait for the nonprofit builder to resolve issues caused by its shoddy construction. I did most of the work myself, Mario told me. The ceiling tiles on the porch were falling off, and the wood was rotting, so I just replaced it, slowly, you know, so we could afford it. [Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] Despite their experiences, some residents said they still believe Make It Rights founder had good intentions. I dont blame Brad Pitt, said David, another resident. He had a vision to build low-income houses and get people back in the Lower Ninth Ward. Mismanaged housing developments, even when constructed with lofty goals, only compound the hardships of the low-income people they purport to serve. Judith Keller receives funding from the German Research Association (DFG). This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. China: Not surprisingly, Oklahomas congressional delegation panned the America Competes Act that Democrats pushed through the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday. The bills stated intention is to address perceived manufacturing deficits vis-a-vis China, but Republicans complained that it puts too much money into green industries and is likely to prove ineffective. Many Republicans have taken to calling it the America Concedes Act as part of their messaging on the bill. Our number one priority in any bill targeting China should be to limit the threat from the (Chinese Communist Party), said 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern. Unfortunately, the Democrats bill did very little to combat China, but included many progressive wish-list items from the Green New Deal. Its a shame we cannot pass a clean bipartisan bill to accomplish a very bipartisan goal. Im deeply frustrated that instead of taking action on the Science Committees bipartisan legislation, Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi chose to create a massive bill filled with controversial provisions that she knew could not garner support from both sides of the aisle, said 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas, the top Republican on the Science Committee. Democratic leadership ignored two years worth of good faith negotiations so they could move yet another unpopular, one-sided bill that allows them to expand their big government and big spending agenda. We could have passed a targeted, strategic competitiveness bill with broad support from Republicans and Democrats alike. Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole said the bill contains no new policy provisions to combat Chinese military ventures and no new economic policies to reposition America to better compete. Earlier, U.S. Sen. James Lankford said the bill ignores clear ways to counter the Chinese, including blocking off intellectual property, preventing them from buying large tracts of property in the United States, and blocking out their enterprises here. The 3,000-page bill is an amalgamation of 17 different bills and covers a broad range of topics, from subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing and National Science Foundation funding to counter-measures for Chinas anticompetitive trade practices and climate change. The Senate previously passed a much narrower version. Middle East: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe didnt back off criticism of the Biden administrations counterterrorism efforts after the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who officials say blew up himself and several family members when U.S. Special Forces personnel tried to capture him in Syria under Bidens orders. Inhofe allowed that it is always a better day when there is one less terrorist, but he faulted Biden on several points, most of which he linked to last summers withdrawal from Afghanistan. Last night demonstrated the importance of U.S. partnerships and presence for successful counterterrorism operations something we no longer have in Afghanistan, where there have been zero strikes against ISIS-K since August, Inhofe said. Earlier in the week, Inhofe grumbled about a closed-door meeting concerning Afghanistan with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Their overall testimony was lacking, he said. For a classified briefing, I would have liked to hear more details regarding the interagency planning process, nature of the terrorist threat in Afghanistan today, and their counterterrorism plans going forward. Inhofe also said some of the meeting should have been open to the public. Dots and dashes: Choctaw Principal Chief Gary Batton joined a White House virtual discussion of infrastructure in Indian country. Lankford said hell make another run at extending the child tax credit to pregnant women, a proposal Inhofe also supports. Hern was reported among those showing up for a final round at a popular Washington bar threatened with closure for refusing to enforce a local mask mandate. Inhofe appointed Ellen Lord, a high-ranking official in the Trump Defense Department, to a commission evaluating the DODs planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes. Press pool reports identified Cole as among those attending President Joe Bidens midweek cancer moonshot announcement. Lankford was among those urging Biden to enforce sanctions against those involved in the illegal trading and shipping of Iranian oil. Cole predicted a catastrophic economic disaster unless the nations debt, which topped $30 trillion last week, is addressed. Inhofe and Lankford renewed objections to the Environmental Protection Agencys decision to deny all small refinery exemptions from renewable fuel standards, a decision with implications for Tulsas Holly Frontier refinery and other refineries in the state. Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World Featured video: Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Every Tuesday more than 200 citizens go before our Cherokee Nation judges, who hear cases presented by our prosecutors and work alongside our marshals in Cherokee Nation District Court. The number of cases has expanded so much in the past two years that we just added a second docket on Thursdays. This is a critical expression of tribal sovereignty, one that is possible thanks to the Supreme Courts 2020 decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which recognized that the reservations of our Five Tribes still exist, and last months rejection of a blatantly political request to overturn that decision. With this move, the court affirmed what we have always known that we are a sovereign nation with a right to exist on our lands, that much of Oklahoma is Indian Country, and that tribal courts and U.S. attorneys have jurisdiction over crimes committed on our lands. Following McGirt, the Five Tribes (with Quapaw since added) immediately moved to expand our criminal justice systems. Collectively we have filed more than 11,000 felony and misdemeanor cases in our tribal courts, a sharp increase from pre-McGirt and a demonstration of our success in expanding and enforcing our capacities. With our justice system no longer suppressed or under threat of future suppression, we want to continue our important cooperation with state and local governments. Congressional leaders are moving forward seeking millions in federal funding that would help our tribes continue providing a blanket of protection across our reservations. And last week, Oklahoma Attorney General John OConnor said in an interview that we know that the tribes are as interested in public safety and jobs, education and health care as the state of Oklahoma. Hes right. That has and will forever be our intent. Its now time for those in the Governors Office to also move forward. The relationship between the state of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation is one between a state and a sovereign nation, one with specific rights, with a system of justice and with a separate jurisdiction. We do not advocate for unequal rules or for discrimination, as Oklahomas governor seems to claim. We seek the same ideals as we have for over a century. Promises were made in 19th century treaties to our tribal nations when we were removed to Indian Territory, and eventually the new state of Oklahoma imposed its authority over a century ago. The Supreme Court recognized this fact, and so, too, should our state leaders. Most leaders in this state are interested in resolving challenges arising from McGirt. Just about every leader involved has rolled up their sleeves with the understanding we should work together for the common good. This moment calls for cooperation and leadership from tribes and the state. We can build criminal justice systems that are the envy of the country. And our cooperation can build economic prosperity throughout our region, advancing tribal nations and Oklahomans alike, a mutually beneficial goal that Attorney General OConnor has also acknowledged. Tribes are woven into the past of Oklahoma and are critical to its future. The state of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation may not always agree. But let us negotiate at the table in good faith and find common ground. Let us coexist as sovereigns. I know we can achieve this. So, let us move forward together and be optimistic about what we can collectively achieve for the next generation of Oklahomans and tribes. Chuck Hoskin Jr. has served as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation since 2019. It is the countrys largest tribal government, with more than 400,000 citizens. Featured video: Chuck Hoskin Jr. has served as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation since 2019. It is the country's largest tribal government, with more than 400,000 citizens. Subscribe to Daily Headlines Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Check out the news you should not miss today: Politics -- The government of Vietnam has tasked the Ministry of Health with purchasing 21.9 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between five and under 12. Society -- Many people returned to Hanoi on Saturday as the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet) vacation, which began on January 29 and concludes on February 6, comes to an end, causing traffic jams on multiple key streets leading to the Vietnamese capital city. -- Can Tho City has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors during the past few days as people came to celebrate the Tet holiday, according to the local Department for Culture, Sports, and Tourism. -- Police in the northern province of Bac Giang on Saturday arrested and initiated legal proceedings against a former news reporter for abusing rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the state. -- A woman from north-central Ha Tinh Province has attempted suicide after allegedly stabbing her two-month-old baby boy to death, as she had been suffering from postpartum depression. -- Two members of a family in north-central Thanh Hoa Province died and two others were hospitalized after inhaling toxic fumes from the honeycomb briquettes they were burning to stay warm. -- Over 2,800 people across Vietnam were hospitalized due to physical confrontations during the first six days of the Tet holiday. -- The tourist city of Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has been filled with tens of thousands of visitors over the past few Tet days. World News -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth said on Saturday that she wants Prince Charles' wife Camilla to be styled Queen Consort when he becomes king, cementing her place at the heart of the royal family after once being judged an outsider, Reuters reported. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Da Lat, a highland tourist destination in Vietnam, had planned to receive around 100,000 visitors during the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, but the figure was exceeded after the first two days. By the evening of the fifth Tet day, many visitors who could not stand the crowding had left Da Lat but the jamming remained in the town the capital city of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. After the first two Tet days, Da Lat welcomed more than 100,000 visitors, exceeding the citys original expectation for the whole holiday, from January 29 to February 6, according to local traffic police. Overcrowding is particularly serious in the inner city areas including Da Lat Market, Xuan Huong Lake, and such streets as Phan Dinh Phung, Dinh Tien Hoang, Tran Phu, and Tran Hung Dao. Unlike in the period from 2019 backward, when the COVID-19 pandemic had yet to hit Vietnam, the congestion in Da Lat during this Tet has even spread to its suburban areas. It took me so long to go from the city center to Tuyen Lam Lake, which has never taken place before, Dinh Van Bien, a photographer in Da Lat, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. Bien and many others had eventually to leave Da Lat as they could not stand the throngs even though going out of the town was not easier than when they tried to enter it, as traffic jams were almost ubiquitous. Tran Vien Son, a traveler from Ho Chi Minh City, had booked hotel rooms for his family until Sunday but they decided to depart Da Lat on Saturday since all services were overused. Staying here longer wouldnt be advisable as every food and beverage joint and other service providers have been run to their capacity, Son said. In addition, we cannot travel easily when congestion happens everywhere. It took his family more than 12 hours to reach Da Lat and they had to jostle for meals in restaurants crammed with diners, the visitor complained. It is not easy to find a place, even an ordinary one, for a simple meal because all eateries have been utterly packed, Son said. Le Thuy, the owner of Nha Cua Tre (Home of Bamboo), a homestay facility, said she had received 120 phone calls for room booking every day. It is very embarrassing for us, accommodation providers, to say to our guests that all rooms had been booked since before Tet, Thuy admitted. Some domestic tourists complained that many service providers have increased prices in the form of a service charge equal to an extra 30 percent. Packing and higher prices have made our trip less enjoyable, said Trinh Thi Le, a visitor from Ho Chi Minh City. Since numerous travelers who could not find a hotel room or other accommodations had to spend their night in tents around Xuan Huong Lake, the Da Lat administration opened a hotline to assist such domestic tourists in finding shelters. Local authorities said they had not anticipated such a massive number of visitors to the city during this Tet. By Saturday evening, the number of travelers coming to Da Lat without having previously booked hotel rooms accounted for 20 percent, or around 20,000 people, of the total count of visitors to the city, according to statistics. Visitors jam the route leading to Da Lat Night Market on February 5, 2022. Photo: Thien Khai / Tuoi Tre A police officer is seen controlling traffic at a congested point in Da Lat during the 2022 Tet holiday. Photo: Photo: Thien Khai / Tuoi Tre Numerous domestic tourists are seen gathering at Hoa Binh, a central quarter in Da Lat, during the 2022 Tet holiday. Photo: Thien Khai / Tuoi Tre This image shows a gridlocked street in Da Lat during the 2022 Tet holiday. Photo: M. Vinh / Tuoi Tre Although many travelers have left Da Lat, the remaining visitors still throng one of its central areas on February 5, 2022. Photo: Thien Khai / Tuoi Tre This image shows a group of visitors gathering at Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat while looking for hotel rooms on February 5, 2022. Photo: M. Vinh / Tuoi Tre Many travelers have their meals in the area around Xuan Huong Lake in Da Lat. Photo: Thien Khai / Tuoi Tre This image shows a lot of cars parked along the road leading to Thung Lung Tinh Yeu (Valley of Love) in Da Lat. Photo: Thien Khai / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Vietnamese government has just issued a resolution on the buying of 21.9 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine intended for children from five to under 12 years old. Pursuant to the resolution, the form of bidder selection in special cases, along with other conditions, will be applied to the purchase of the shots. The government assigned the Ministry of Health to be in charge of buying the vaccine and organizing the vaccination of children in that age range in a scientific, safe, and effective manner. The World Health Organization has officially approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for immunizing children from five to under 12 years old, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said. Currently, 37 countries in the world have made plans for or have started the inoculation of children in that age group, Minister Long said. Some of these countries have decided to vaccinate all children in the age bracket, while the others have chosen to inoculate only those at high risk of COVID-19 infection. In Vietnam, vaccination against COVID-19 has yet to be mandatory, but everyone is advised to be immunized in general, the minister told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. More than 80 percent of COVID-19 patients who suffered from serious complications or died across the country in the past time had not been vaccinated or had not received full vaccination, the official stated. By January 26, Vietnam had received 211.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from various sources, including COVAX Facility, contract purchases, and donations, according to the health ministry. As of Thursday, the country, whose population is around 98 million, had given 79,082,647 first COVID-19 vaccine doses to people nationwide, while the numbers of second and third shots were 74,214,941 and 28,805,374, respectively, the Ministry of Health reported. Health workers have administered the first vaccine shots to all eligible adults, and 52 out of 63 provinces and cities have reached a second-dose vaccination rate of over 90 percent. Meanwhile, 8,446,581 first doses and 7,805,801 second jabs have been given to children from 12 to under 18 years old. Since erupting in Vietnam in early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has caused 2,327,859 infections, with 2,105,913 recoveries and 38,261 fatalities, the health ministry said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Production on iconic soap Neighbours is pausing and the shows future is in limbo after British broadcaster Channel 5 confirmed it would no longer air the show from mid year due to costs. Filming will not take place tomorrow as cast are given the details. Producers Fremantle advised cast via email to attend a meeting, after news broke in the UK over the weekend. A Network 10 spokesperson told TV Tonight, As outlined in the email to Neighbours cast and crew, it is our intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward. Network 10 has an ongoing commitment to the show, the cast and crew and is hopeful that Fremantle will find a new production partner. We will provide further updates as they become available. In an official statement released to Digital Spy, a Channel 5 spokesperson explained: Neighbours will no longer air on Channel 5 beyond this summer. Its been a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade, and wed like to thank the cast, Fremantle and all of the production team for their fantastic work on this iconic series. Wed also of course like to thank the fans for their loyal support of Neighbours across the years. We recognise that there will be disappointment about this decision, however our current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers. The decision appears to stem from costs surrounding the show, with the UK funding the bulk of the shows production costs. Channel 10 licensing for the Fremantle show was reduced when the soap moved to a multichannel a decade ago. Despite grim news the show still rates for Channel 5, drawing around 1.5 million UK viewers every day. In Australia the show draws up to 170,000 metro viewers, last week frequently topping multichannels, and supplies the bulk of 10s local drama quotas. Neighbours is currently in its 37th season, as one of the longest running scripted dramas in the world. The show is expected to remain on air in the UK until June. Fremantle has been contacted for comment. Updated. Your favourite current Neighbours character? 'Toadie' Rebecchi Susan Kennedy Dr. Karl Kennedy Paul Robinson Sheila Canning Chloe Brennan Jane Harris Terese Willis Kyle Canning Aaron Brennan Other View Results While the future of Neighbours hangs in the balance, a new report reveals levels of Australian content on our screens drop away once regulation is removed, or is absent. A Screen Producers Australia report collating data from Screen Australia and the Australian Communications and Media Authority shows that in the absence of regulatory safeguards, media platforms cant be relied on to deliver adequate local content. In 2020, the requirements for Australian drama, documentary and childrens content on commercial free-to-air television were slashed, and at the time SPA warned a dangerous contraction would result. Screen Australia data shows that the result is a sharp drop in investment in new Australian drama on the platform, and a devastating decline in local childrens content, said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner. The data shows that investment by commercial free-to-air television in Australian drama was half the amount in the last full year of content rules ($107m in 2018/19, down to $54 million in 2020/21). The amount of Australian drama made for commercial free-to-air television also sharply declined as a result of deregulation, down from 434 hours in the last full comparative year, to 282 hours in 2020/21. The number of programs was down also from 25 in 2018/19 to 11 in 2020/21. We are also extremely concerned about the impact on childrens television. Under the new regulatory framework for commercial free-to-air television, there are no minimum requirements for childrens content, said Deaner. Data shows that whilst spend was steady on last year ($48m compared to $51m), the number of titles halved (7 down from 14) and the number of hours more than halved 29 down from 87. Animated titles, typically commissioned by commercial free-to-air broadcasters were down 75%, hours by 77%, budgets by 66% and spend by 52%. The data makes plain how vulnerable Australian childrens content is in the absence of regulatory supports. This is backed up by the recent release of data relating to Australian content spend by streaming platforms, which reported declines in Australian childrens drama and non-drama, compared to the previous year, said Deaner. The data from streaming platforms demonstrates that investment lost from traditional platforms will not necessarily be picked up by the streamers unless regulatory safeguards are put in place, something we are asking the Government to do with some urgency. Recent data from the ACMA reveals that spending on new Australian commissions by Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ in 2020-21 was $103.7 million, slightly down on last years figure of $122.4 million -roughly a third of the output which would be guaranteed by SPAs proposed 20% of locally earned revenues going back into new Australian commissions. The SPA report identifies this incomplete transition as a regulatory gap, which is having real time consequences for Australian audiences and the local production sector. We need prompt action from Government to introduce meaningful regulatory safeguards for streaming platforms, which must also include a safety mechanism for local childrens content, said Deaner. We also need a thorough and public review of the results and impact of the changes to commercial free-to-air television regulation, given the damage already done. Tyler, TX (75702) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy this evening with thunderstorms becoming likely overnight. Low around 70F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, February 06, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Australia-based Avass Group recently announced that they have signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to jointly manufacture electric vehicles and lithium batteries. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220204005166/en/ (L-R) Mr. Ricky Duggal Chairman of Libcoin Avass, HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Allen Saylav, Group Chief Executive Officer of Avass, Mr. Omar-Advisor of HRH Prince, Saud Ali Hasan Alnefaiee and Abdelkader Abbas - Private office of His Royal Highness. (Photo: Business Wire) The Group have endorsed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in the capital city of Riyadh on December 19. The agreement bolsters Avass Groups plans to mass manufacture Full Electric Buses and Lithium Batteries in Saudi. The partnership stems from the consideration of strategic advantage that Saudi Arabia has due to its location at a central point between both Asia and Europe. Given the increasing consumer awareness of environmental protection and in view of recent development trends of the electric vehicle industry, Avass Group is targeting the huge potential in global electric vehicle market. Dr. Allen Saylav, Group Chief Executive Officer at Avass said, "At a time when more and more countries are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, its imperative to boost manufacturing of EVs to meet this goal. Saudi Arabia stands at a central point between Asia and Europe which gives it a strategic location advantage as a production hub." "The agreement will also greatly assist the trade relationship between Saudi Arabia and India and help Avass to provide an integrated solution for batteries, EVs," he added. Recently, Saudi Arabia had announced that at least 30% of the cars in its capital would be electric by 2030, as the worlds biggest oil exporter has been trying to reduce planet-warming emissions. Story continues The Melbourne-based Avass brand has established its legacy through its commitment to deliver a vast array of research and development technology throughout its locations in Australia, India, Singapore, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. With a strong presence of dedicated supply chain, the Group is exploring different market opportunities and creating economies of scale. The partnership with Saudi Arabia will be an extension of the Groups pursuit of cutting-edge technologies to transform the world by creating a clean energy ecosystem. In 2019, when Avass became a subsidiary of the DFT Group Pty Ltd, it strengthened its commitment to continuing technology development by producing a vast array of electric vehicles, components, and lithium-ion batteries. The DFT Group Pty Ltd is a broad-based international business conglomerate engaged in diverse business sectors, with emphasise on advancing the causes of clean and renewable energy projects and initiatives. The Avass Touring Bus holds the Guinness World Record for an Electric Bus travelling more than 1,000 km on a single charge, and Avass is also the first Australian Electric Vehicle manufacturer to obtain a World Manufacturer ID (WMI). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220204005166/en/ Contacts Media Contact: Camine | Rosilian Raja | rosilian@carmine.co.in Western allies are locked in an information war with the Kremlin over Ukraine. Britain and the US - caught napping in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, despite initially denying any involvement - appear determined this time to expose any new Russian attempt to use lies and deception to mask or create an excuse for a further invasion. A key tactic to combat or deter such activity is to make it public before it happens. But using information as a weapon successfully - such as by revealing the "truth" to expose a "lie" or some "deception" - requires skill and a coherent strategy, especially when going up against the Kremlin, which knows this battlespace well. Russian officials, spy agencies and state-run media channels are well-rehearsed at deploying fake news or false equivalences to discredit or undermine an opponent, flooding their version of events online, on TV, in newspapers or in public statements. For example, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, recently drew an analogy between US warnings about the threat posed by Moscow to Ukraine and flawed US claims about weapons of mass destruction in the run up to the 2003 Iraq war. The underlying message was clear: the United States was wrong then and is wrong now. Moscow's goal, in the case of Ukraine and wider European security, is to use information to influence domestic and global opinion in their favour and attack whatever the West alleges. For Britain, the United States and other NATO members, the aim seems to be to deny Russian President Vladimir Putin the ability to operate in the shadows again by calling out details of what their intelligence agencies believe is being planned. But not only do Western allies need to contend with the inevitable Russian dismissal of whatever allegation they make, they also need to be able to demonstrate to friendly governments, the world's media and the wider public that their claims are based on facts. Story continues Read more: Three new signs of Russian Invasion plans Without such evidence - notwithstanding the sensitivities of revealing details about declassified intelligence - they stand less of a chance of defeating Russian denials and risk doing more harm to their own credibility than to their adversary's. Just take an exchange on Thursday between a US Statement Department spokesman and a highly experienced diplomatic correspondent during a briefing on American allegations that Russia was plotting an elaborate, false-flag operation to justify a further invasion of Ukraine. Matt Lee, the Associated Press reporter - speaking for journalists globally - made the point that these assertions were being delivered with zero evidence other than the word of US officials who have on occasion in the past been wrong. "I am sorry you are doubting information in possession of the US government," Ned Price, the spokesman, said. He explained that Washington was making the intelligence - in the form of his comments - public to deter Moscow from carrying out the alleged scheme. The plot involved producing a video, with real corpses, of a staged attack against a Russian target to frame Ukrainian forces - creating a pretext for war. "If the Russians don't go forward with this, that is not ipso facto an indication that they never had plans to do so," Mr Price said. Mr Lee responded: "But then it's unprovable, my god." Footage of the exchange on Thursday went viral, with millions of views. Hardly the focus Washington would have wanted when it chose to release the intelligence - but a good example of how such claims, regardless how credible, might land when not supported by verifiable evidence. Then again, even evidence of a threat won't be enough to persuade everyone. The US and the UK have been the loudest voices warning of a possible further invasion of Ukraine as Russia openly masses more than 100,000 forces and weapons within striking distance of its neighbour's borders. Yet the Kremlin continues to brush off Western warnings of a possible attack as "hysteria" and insist no such aggression is being planned. It has almost reached a point where President Putin would be doing British and US spy agencies a favour by invading and proving their warnings right. In fact, some analysts note he could simply choose to inflict harm on their credibility by continuing to hold fire - creating an impression of "the boy who cried wolf" even though the wolf is very real. A glance at responses to a tweet I posted on the information contest raging over Ukraine gives a sense of how pro-Russia accounts are exploiting the doubt in western claims. The tweet mentioned the alleged fake video plot and also comments from a Ukrainian minister about how the US and British tactic of calling out suspicions about a possible Russian invasion was "ruining" Moscow's plans. Dmitry Polansky, Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, responded: "First they create a hype about alleged Russian plans for aggression that existed only in their troubled imagination, then promote info about non-existent video as its proof and now they take credit for ruining our never-existing plot. Solo Delirium politics? KeepCalmAndBlameRussia." There were plenty of anonymous reactions too. One Twitter account holder wrote to me: "Did they show you some evidence? Are you a journalist or a stenographer?" Another one remarked: "I think you mean 'US spread fake invasion disinformation & when nothing happened suddenly claimed they've thwarted fake invasion because they made it public'. So you're either a moron or complicit." Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker On the flip side, however, if Russia is plotting a false provocation to justify an invasion and does actually carry out that threat - the world will have been forewarned. Presumably British and US officials have weighed up this potential scenario and decided it is worth the heat they are taking for their currently un-evidenced allegations. Ireland versus Wales Wales captain Dan Biggar admitted that Ireland won too many physical collisions after the reigning Guinness Six Nations champions subsided to a 29-7 defeat in Dublin. It was Wales heaviest Six Nations loss since losing by a 23-point margin against the same opponents at the Aviva Stadium eight years ago. And it immediately puts them on the back foot in terms of a successful title defence, with effectively no more room for error, starting against Principality Stadium visitors Scotland next Saturday. Ireland v Wales Guinness Six Nations Aviva Stadium Wales were not at the races in front of a sold-put 51,700 crowd, conceding four tries and only breaking their points duck five minutes from time when their best player flanker Taine Basham touched down, and Callum Sheedy converted. Biggar led his country for the first time as Wales launched their Six Nations campaign without injured regular skipper Alun Wyn Jones, who was joined by fellow absentees like George North, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and Josh Navidi. We said the discipline and the physicality were the two things that we needed to bring, coming to Dublin, and we probably didnt get those two quite right across the whole 80 minutes, Biggar said. There is no doubt it was a frustrating afternoon. We didnt get enough front-foot ball or dominate enough collisions to really allow us to put pressure on Ireland for large periods, like they did to us. Ultimately, Ireland won too many physical collisions, and for us, for whatever reason, that is what we need to go back on and have a look over the weekend and on Monday. The collisions in rugby, if you dont win them and especially against a team the way Ireland play, it was going to be a hard afternoon, and that is how it turned out. That will be a huge focus for us this week, along with the discipline. We are better than that today, really. We know we are better than that, and we have got to make sure we get a bit more edge to us in training this week. Not overthink things, because there is not a huge amount to fix. Physicality is a huge one, and discipline. I am really proud to lead the team out, but it was a disappointing afternoon, there is no doubt about that. Story continues Wales are without a Six Nations win at the Aviva Stadium since 2012, and they never threatened an Ireland team in a rich vein of form that saw them continue from autumn successes against New Zealand and Argentina. The visitors offered little in attack and had centre Josh Adams sin-binned, and although they rallied during the final quarter it was a case of way too little, too late. Wales head coach Wayne Pivac said: Collectively, we talked about the start we wanted we wanted to match them physically. You have to do that when you come to Dublin, and our discipline needed to back that up. We werent able to do that it was evident with the penalty-count in the first 20 minutes. Ireland v Wales Guinness Six Nations Aviva Stadium When you are defending for long periods like that there were 100-odd tackles made in the first-half it makes it very difficult when we do get our hands on the ball. It will be the performance you want to improve on. We will go away and work very hard, the players will look at their performance and come back in a positive frame and build on some of the good things that we did in that game. As I have alluded to, when you make over 100 tackles in a half, a bit of fatigue does set in. It happens to any side. I thought the boys came back very strongly in that last quarter of the game and kept fighting towards the end, which we want. We have to make sure (about) the start of both halves, because we gave them too many points in that part of the game. DNA meet in Glasgow a work in progress but Jenny Selman shines for Scotland DYNAMIC New Athletics, they billed it. One out of three aint bad. An indoor international involving six nations bereft of their brightest and best was never destined to earn five-star reviews at the Emirates Arena, especially when its bill topper, Laura Muir, withdrew due to injury 24 hours before. The format - track and fields answer to the hit and giggle of crickets T20 remains a work in progress yet an attempt to compress a full meeting into a two-hour window makes business and broadcasting sense. Its conclusion with The Hunt, a mixed relay handicapped based on points already accumulated, sought to maintain suspense over the outcome to the very end. However Scotland arrived there in last place, realistically out of the running, and there they stayed. Likewise Spain were uncatchable bar calamity and completed the formalities of victory ahead of England. DNA, ultimately not really so radical without the bells and whistles that could have been injected. But it is a idea with legs, European Athletics vice-president Cherry Alexander believes. We tried it in Minsk outdoors, she said. But we had an ambition to try and showcase it indoors. We've got this one, and then it goes to Turkey in 2023. But so many people talk about athletics having more team events, not just at your championship level. This what we're thinking about. It was pitched as a Battle of the Nations. We were delighted that Laura wanted to do it, but then unfortunately pulled out because she's injured. But you can see how the representative angle works well. Alexander, restored in her events role at UK Athletics, will seek out opportunities to bring major events back to Glasgow which lost the rights to the springtime Indoor Grand Prix to Birmingham last year. The sport requires a proper domestic circuit to match those in France and Italy, she acknowledges. Especially that running against people from other countries, injects Scotlands captain Alisha Rees, who was third in the 60m. I don't always get the opportunity for that unless I'm picked for a team. Having a crowd as well, it's good to get used to that. Story continues Jenny Selman prevailed in a photo finish to claim Scotlands sole victory in the womens 800m in 2:04.73. It secured the 30-year-old an unexpected Saturday double at the distance. 30 mins before the event began, she won an invitational time trial to slash her personal best to 2:00.70 and earn the qualifying mark for next months world indoors in Belgrade. It was a bit crazy, she acknowledged. I was supposed to only be doing The Hunt really at the end, which would have given me a bit longer between races. Obviously with Laura pulling out, I got moved up to this race. So I had two races within an hour. I wasn't sure how the second one was going to go. I just thought I'll stick in the group and then see what I've got on the last lap. Meanwhile Jake Wightman will go flat out when he faces fellow Scot Andy Butchart over 3000m at todays New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York. I want to just race it and try to win which will be tough, said Wightman, who set a best of 7:50.97 last month. But I would love something in the low-7:40s. The U.S continues to grab the crypto news headlines as crypto friendly states push cryptocurrency adoption. At the turn of the year, however, the push comes amidst heightened regulatory scrutiny. Crypto Friendly States, Mayors, and CityCoins Theres been plenty of news coverage on U.S politicians and cryptos in recent months. At the start of the year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed that he would take his first 3 pay checks in Bitcoin (BTC). Former cop Adams had touted the idea before taking office. Later in the month, Adams took his first pay check amidst an extended crypto sell-off that saw Bitcoin tumble by more than 50% from its November ATH $68,979. Eric Adams joined Miami City Mayor Suarez and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, both of whom also had announced last year that they would take Bitcoin salaries. In the U.S, the Cities of Miami and New York are among the more advanced when it comes to cryptos. Back in June 2021 the City of Miami launched its very own MiamiCoin, which became the first CityCoins to market. CityCoins provides citizens a medium to generate crypto-based revenue. Powered by Stacks (STX), CityCoins enables smart contracts on the Bitcoin network. CityCoin miners receive CityCoins token rewards by depositing STX into smart contracts. 70% of all STX tokens deposited into the smart contract go to the stackers. The remaining 30% goes to City Wallets. City Wallets are considered a crypto equivalent of a citys treasury. Mayors can exchange the accrued tokens for fiat to invest in the city. Alternatively, mayors can mine with the accrued STX tokens to earn Bitcoin. Following Miami City was New York City that then launched its very own NewYork Coin (NYC Coin). Regulatory Scrutiny a Test for Pro-Crypto Politicians While Miami and New York are crypto friendly, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have a different position on cryptos and crypto mining. Last month, a U.S Congress subcommittee hearing focused on Bitcoin (BTC) mining and the environment. Lawmakers held a negative view on Proof-of-Work (PoW) mining, Bitcoin and the environmental impact. While the hearing was a fact-finding mission, the general view was that Proof-of-Stake was a better solution. Since the hearing, a recent paper by CoinShares questioned Bitcoin the accuracy of mining statistics shared during the hearing. Story continues Following the hearing, the White House then announced the imminent release of an Executive Order tasking agencies with the regulation of cryptos as a matter of national security. Heightened regulatory scrutiny has been a factor in Bitcoin and the broader crypto markets sell-off since late November. More downside could result should there be a material shift in the crypto regulatory landscape. A number of regulators from around the world, including the Bank of England, have called for a global regulatory framework. In spite of recent crypto market volatility, U.S politicians continue to forge ahead on their crypto goals. Florida to Receive State Fees in Crypto Late in the week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reportedly continued his support of Florida businesses being permitted to pay state fees in crypto. The Governor had proposed a program to let businesses pay state fees in digital currencies late last year. According to the news piece, DeSantis highlighted that South Florida has seen an inflow of people due to the States crypto friendly stance. With Miami City paving the way and Florida Governor DeSantis in favor of crypto adoption, success of the program may well hinge on the White House and its aspirations vis-a-vis crypto regulation and adoption. Punitive regulatory activity could force businesses to steer clear of cryptos near-term. A more pragmatic approach to regulate cryptos, however, could see more U.S states support crypto adoption. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Waitrose, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and more issue 'do not eat' warning amid health concerns. (PA/Canva) A number of major UK Supermarkets are recalling a range of popular food items with customers being warned of possible health risks. Tesco, Co-op and Iceland are among the supermarkets urging customers not to eat food items bought in-store and return it to the point of sale. Food allergies, incorrect packaging and choking hazards are among the reasons behind a number of product recalls. We've rounded up the latest products to be recalled. If you have bought any of the items mentioned below, you need to be aware of these possible health risks. Waitrose Waitrose is recalling Waitrose Prosciutto Cappelletti and Waitrose Essentials Cheese and Smoked Ham Tortelloni because of undeclared pistachio (nuts). This means the products are a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to pistachio (nuts). Waitrose Prosciutto Cappelletti Product details: Pack size: 310g Use by: 20 February 2022 and 21 February 2022 Allergens: Nuts (pistachio nut) Waitrose Essentials Cheese and Smoked Ham Tortelloni Pack size: 300g Use by: 20 February 2022 Allergens: Nuts (pistachio nut) Holland and Barrett Holland & Barrett is recalling its range of sesame seeds amid salmonella fears. The high street chain is recalling its Holland and Barrett Hulled Sesame Seeds because salmonella has been found in the product. Salmonella infection usually causes diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps. Symptoms can begin six hours to six days after infection and can last up to a week. Point of sale notices will be displayed in all retail stores that are selling the product detailing advice on what to do if theyve bought the product. Holland and Barrett Hulled Sesame Seeds Product details: Pack size: 125g Best before: September 2022 Aldi Aldi is recalling Moser Roth The Collection Milk, White and Dark Chocolates because they contain egg which is not mentioned on the label. Moser Roth The Collection Milk, White and Dark Chocolates Product details: Pack size: 160g Best before: All dates Allergens: Egg Story continues Lidl Lidl is recalling Deluxe Stuffed Dates because salmonella has been found in the product. Deluxe Stuffed Dates Product details: Pack size: 240g Batch code: 21301/196 Best before: 21 January 2022 Asda Asda is recalling Asda Extra Special Lamb Moussaka because it contains egg which is not mentioned on the label. The error makes it a potental health risk. Asda Extra Special Lamb Moussaka Product details: Pack size: 360 (3 x 120ml) Best before: February 2023 Waitrose Waitrose is recalling Belgian Dark Chocolate with Raisins and Almonds because some packs contain hazelnuts (nuts) which are not mentioned on the label. Waitrose Belgian Dark Chocolate with Raisins and Almonds Product details: Pack size: 180g Best before: November 2022 Allergens: Nuts (hazelnut) Morrisons Morrisons has issued an urgent recall over a its own brand chocolate-covered ice cream amid health fears. Amour Classic Vanilla Ice Cream is being recalled over fears it may contain pieces of plastic. The Food Standards Agency issued the health warning over the dairy product stating the possible presence of plastic makes this product unsafe to eat. Morrisons Amour Classic Vanilla Ice Cream Product details: Pack size: 360 (3 x 120ml) Best before: February 2023 Tesco Tesco is recalling Jacks 50% Reduced Fat Salad Cream and Tesco 50% Less Fat Salad Cream because they contain milk which is not mentioned on the label. Product details: Jacks 50% Reduced Fat Salad Cream Pack size: 450ml Batch code: All Batches Best before: June 2022 Allergens: Milk Tesco 50% Less Fat Salad Cream Pack size: 450ml Batch code: All Batches Best before: June 2022 Allergens: Milk Sainsbury's SFC Wholesale Ltd is recalling The Original SFC Bargain Box as it contains milk, which is not mentioned on the label. This means the product is a possible health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents. The Original SFC Bargain Box 'Scottish people are more welcoming' - Motherwell ace Carroll won over by Scottish way of life JAKE Carroll won a League of Ireland championship medal in 2013 with St Patricks Athletic and then sojourned through Englands lower leagues. Fortunately, though, sandwiched between a permanent transfer to Huddersfield Town and temporary spells with Bury, Hartlepool United and Cambridge United, the full-back spent five months on loan with Partick Thistle in 2014/15, when the Jags were still in the Premiership. His year in Glasgow gave Carroll an appreciation of life in Scotland and the warmer approach strangers receive from the locals here than he had been accustomed to down south. Which is why he elected to join Motherwell when his contract with Huddersfield expired in 2019, a switch he has never had cause to regret on a personal or professional level. I love it here, Im settled, said the 30-year-old. Since I came to the UK, Ive had two years at clubs then found another challenge or another journey. But this is the place Ive felt most comfortable. I enjoy it here, I like the people around the club and the Scottish league suits me. This is the club Ive enjoyed most since coming to the UK. Thats why I signed my new contract last year - because Im happy to be here. Even when big stars come up to Scotland from the Premier League, theyre shocked by how quick the game is. Its quite frantic but I like that. I expected the refs to be a bit more lenient, right enough - Ive got into trouble with them too many times. But its passionate here. Theres a lot of interest in the game and I dont think you see that when youre in England. Until youre up here, you dont realise how big football is and what it means to the fans. I love that Carroll has enjoyed the connection with the supporters and the warm reception from the locals, which he didnt experience south of the border. Being Irish, the people here remind me of back home theyre similar, grounded. Thats important, especially outside football. In England, the further south I went, the more out of my comfort zone I was in terms of the people. I came up here on loan to Thistle and loved it for six months. I knew Id enjoy it here if I ever came back - and thats away from football as well. Story continues I dont want to generalise the south of England but everyones in their own bubble. Its little things: if youre walking your dog on a Sunday the people walking past dont say hello. Up here, people say good morning. Its just manners. The team-mates I have at Fir Park are the most welcoming and down to earth people. Football can be a [ruthless] business - a lot of times you leave training and then everybody goes their separate ways. Here, lads will go to Starbucks together and stuff like that, which is something you dont always see. Little things like that definitely helps, especially when youre injured. The Scottish people are more welcoming and they have good craic and banter. I like the sense of humour - anything in the Scottish accent is funny. Carroll, who has been utilised at the heart of Graham Alexanders defence recently, faces a severe examination of his credentials when league leaders Celtic come calling this afternoon and the player knows hell also be coming under scrutiny from friends and family across the water. Celtics massive where I come from, said the Dubliner. Thats why the league at home struggles a little bit because the interest isnt there in the teams. Someones going to support Celtic and Liverpool or Celtic and United, its one English team and one Scottish team. Theres more interest from my mates when we play Celtic or Rangers, definitely: I think they only watch me when Im playing Celtic! When youre in the team and playing well, the interest is there and you see rumours of call-ups to the national team. Ill keep that dream of playing for my country alive until Im retired. If Im not playing, Ive got no chance. Ive just got to try and stay in the team and see where it takes me. Many EU countries will soon know what happens when Putin turns off natural gas supplies that the bloc depends on. But the UK will not be as affected due to where it gets its gas supply, while Brussel scrambles to bring members to order. The European Union has been vocal against the Kremlin despite pleas by Germany to avoid angering Putin. Moscow poised to cut EU energy supply Russia is losing patience over the lack of action over its demands, and it is accused of planning a border invasion which it denies. One action is to starve bloc members to zero energy which affects certain members more than others, reported the Express UK. Many western European countries led by Brussels need the natural gas from Russia to about a huge third of what they require. The US alleges that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to control Ukraine, which is one of the avenues where the pipeline passes to supply Europe. Britain is immune to Putin's threat because of its Norway supply which a large. If the gas tap is closed several times before, which will leave the bloc in dire peril, North Macedonia gets its supply 100% from Russia. Finland will be in dire straits as it reaches 94% from the same source. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has told the EU countries not to antagonize the Kremlin; his country gets 50% from Russian natural gas supplies. Germany is shutting its nuclear plants to switch to using green energy, cited the Economist. Read Also: Russia, Hungary Sign Gas Deal Lasting Up To 2036; Routing the EU Getting One Member to Its Side Putin's control on Russian gas Moscow's investment in miles of pipeline all over Europe is the masterstroke of the many Kremlin leaders. Mr. Putin inherited a weapon that can disable many EU members; if he chooses to do so. The bloc spew rhetoric echoing Washington has placed Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Italy, who get a chunk of their supplies. Worse off is Bulgaria and Slovakia getting 70 to 77% of their quota, noted Statista. Brussels remarked that Gazprom, a national firm in Russia, has been weaponizing the supplies by cutting it off over the past few months. As a result, the firm earned billions as the price of energy shot up. Playing out is an energy crisis in the union, raising bills and driving members against each other. Washington, the bloc, is trying to scare Putin with sanctions if an alleged invasion happens. Fears that bloc members will suffer if he closes the gas tap. According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Europe needs energy from Russia. A bit too late as the Kremlin is not pleased with how NATO moves in Eastern Europe. Kadri Simson, EU Energy Commissioner, grimly said that if the gas is down to zero on all pipelines, the member should be prepared. How prepared is a matter of question? He tried to reassure the Commission that it is working on a solution, saying that gas stocks and other factors will buffer them. At a loss for solutions, the bloc has forced US President Joe Biden to help source a provider of the in-demand energy, which will cost more; Russia LNG is far cheaper. If Moscow shuts down, sources for the liquified natural gas (LNG) are from the Middle East, Asia, and others. Unlike Brexit, which gets its supply from Norway compared to Eu countries that procure its natural gas supplies from Russia, it is at the mercy of Putin. Unlike the UK, which gets its supply from Norway that avoids the dilemma of the bloc. Related Article: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping Set To Sign Deal Amidst Accusations by the Western Alliance; China Says it Supports Russia @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Baylor Singing Seniors sign-up Baylor Singing Seniors, under the direction of Phillip Sitton, will hold spring semester registration at 9 a.m. Monday at Woodway United Methodist Church, 21000 Woodway Drive, followed by its first spring rehearsal at 9:30. The registration fee is $75. Membership in the group is open to all senior adults. The suggested age is 55 and above. No musical training or audition is required. For more information, call 210-887-5370. Salvation Army DIY Night The Salvation Army Waco/McLennan County will have a Women's DIY Night: Macrame Class from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at The Salvation Army Corps Community Center, 1225 S. Interstate 35 frontage road. Supplies and light refreshments are included for $10 per person. RSVP at the thrift store at 4721 W. Waco Drive or call 254-756-7271 with questions. Watercolor Society meeting Central Texas Watercolor Society will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive. Monica Pate will present a watercolor demonstration. For more information, email jvtexas66@gmail.com. Freestone County forum Freestone County Retired Teachers Association will have its third annual chili supper and legislative forum Thursday at the Fairfield High School Cafeteria, 631 Oak St. in Fairfield. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m., followed by the forum at 5:30. The forum will feature 22 confirmed federal, state and local candidates in attendance. Nothing political can be brought onto school campus, including flyers, cards and signs. For more information, call 903-388-0950. Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com. Shaking confidence in something can undermine its success even when everything is working. The people who lined up in some of the states grocery stores this week were there, in part, because last years winter storm and electric blackouts wrecked their confidence in the reliability of the electric grid. The storm this week isnt nearly as severe as the one a year ago. Electric companies were on high alert, and prepared in ways they werent last year. The states politicians, worried that a blackout would be as bad for their reelection chances as it is for the health of Texas residents, were much more diligent. So were the rest of us, which is why we were buying water and food and batteries. The system is working like its supposed to. If it keeps going this way, we could regain our assurance that the people in control can keep the lights on when the weather is nasty. If only all of us could do that with elections. Failure isnt the only way to shake public confidence. You can destroy confidence by attacking an election system that works, just because it turned President Donald Trump out of office. We all know who won in 2020, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told the crowd at a Trump rally in Conroe last Saturday, repeating the Big Lie that is the heartbeat of Trumps post-presidency. Patrick and state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller both let the crowd know they want Trump to run again in 2024. Both are themselves up for reelection this year, depending on the support of a Texas Republican Party still in thrall to the former president. A fair number of those voters cant believe they were outnumbered in the 2020 election, that the majority of American voters disagreed with them, and that the Electoral College produced the same result as the popular vote. Trump won in Texas, besting Joe Biden by more than 600,000 votes, or 5.6 percentage points. But nationally, Biden got 7.1 million more votes, and won the Electoral College 306-232. For all of the keening about it, the election wasnt all that close. But Trump and his supporters wont let go, protesting the vote counting, launching an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, pressing forward with new voting laws spurred by unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and holding rallies like the one on Saturday promoting the idea that any election they dont win is corrupted. At the rally, Trump raised that specter himself, saying Texas is never, ever turning blue that is, unless they rig the election. To Abbott, he added, Dont let em do it, governor. When the 2000 presidential election results were questioned by the Democrats backing Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, Republicans for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney pushed back hard and successfully. Republican sloganeers turned out satirical versions of the Gore/Lieberman signs that instead said Sore/Loserman, and Enough is enough. The 2000 election protest ended before the end of 2000, after the U.S. Supreme Court decided against allowing a Florida recount and Gore conceded. The Democrats werent happy about losing, but they didnt storm the Capitol. The public wouldnt have supported them if they had tried. Here we are, a couple of decades later: same shoe, different foot. This time, the sore losers havent given up. Some of them hold state positions in Texas, administering and defending the very system that produced Bidens win over Trump, and that produced their own wins, too. The states top Republicans can rally with Trump and others and cry foul about the elections if they want. But theyre products of the same system they protest. Protest enough election results, and people will start believing you. It erodes their confidence, just like confidence was eroded when the lights went off last February. The elections didnt fail like the grid failed. They just didnt produce the result the minority of voters preferred. Messing with that is a dangerous thing to do, if your power depends on their confidence in your democracy. Ross Ramsey is executive editor and co-founder of The Texas Tribune. He writes regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Full Text: Toast by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the welcoming banquet of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 Xinhua) 10:46, February 06, 2022 BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet at the Great Hall of the People Saturday noon to welcome distinguished guests from around the world who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Following is the full text of the toast by President Xi: Toast by H.E. Xi Jinping President of the People's Republic of China At the Welcoming Banquet of The Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 5 February 2022 IOC President Thomas Bach, Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, It gives me great pleasure to meet so many old and new friends in Beijing as the Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival, the start of the lunar new year. Let me begin by extending, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in the name of my wife and myself, a warm welcome to all the distinguished guests travelling to China and attending the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. I sincerely thank all governments, peoples and international organizations that care about and support the Beijing Olympic Winter Games. In particular, I wish to express my appreciation to all the friends present here who have overcome difficulties and inconveniences caused by COVID-19 and come all the way to Beijing to cheer for the Olympic Winter Games and for China. Last night, the Beijing Olympic Winter Games officially opened at China's National Stadium. After 14 years, the Olympic cauldron has been lit once again in Beijing, making the city the world's first to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Committed to organizing a green, inclusive, open and clean Games, China has made every effort to counter the impact of COVID-19, earnestly fulfilled its solemn pledge to the international community, and ensured the smooth opening of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games as scheduled. Greater public participation in winter sport contributes to the Olympic Movement. By preparing for and organizing the Olympic Winter Games and promoting Olympic winter sport, China has popularized winter sport among the ordinary people, achieved the goal of engaging 300 million Chinese in sport on snow and ice, and made new contribution to the cause of Olympism worldwide. Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, Since ancient times, the Olympic Movement has carried humanity's aspirations for peace, solidarity and progress. - We shall keep in mind the original aspiration of the Olympic Movement and jointly uphold world peace. The Olympic Movement was born for the sake of peace and has thrived thanks to peace. The Olympic Truce Resolution adopted last December by consensus at the United Nations General Assembly, calling for promoting peace through sport, represents the common aspiration of the international community. We need to uphold mutual respect, equality, dialogue and consultation, strive to bridge differences and eliminate conflict, and work together for a world of durable peace. - We shall promote the spirit of the Olympic Movement and meet the common challenges facing the international community through solidarity. The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, while global issues including climate change and terrorism keep emerging. The international community should stand closer together. The only way for all countries to address the various challenges effectively is to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and work together for a shared future. We need to practice true multilateralism, uphold the international system centered on the United Nations and the international order underpinned by international law, and work together to build an international family of harmony and cooperation. - We shall act on the purpose of the Olympic Movement and continuously pursue human progress. The Olympic Movement aims to achieve well-rounded human development. We need to follow the trend of the times, stay true to humanity's common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, promote exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, To borrow a Chinese poetic line, "Out goes the old year with the sound of firecrackers; in comes the new with the warmth of wine and spring breeze." China has just entered the Year of the Tiger according to the lunar calendar. Tiger is a symbol of strength, courage and fearlessness. I wish all Olympic athletes excellent performance with the strength of the tiger. I am confident that with the joint efforts of us all, Beijing 2022 will surely go down in history as a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympic Games. To conclude, I propose a toast: To the dynamic development of the Olympic Movement; To humanity's noble cause of peace and development; and To the health of all distinguished guests and your families. Cheers! (Web editor: Peng Yukai, Liang Jun) The European Union and France launched inquiries on the cause of a massive swarm of dead fish in the Atlantic Ocean off France reported by an environmental group. Sea Shepherd, a non-profit marine conservation activism group, released images and videos on Twitter showing an estimated 100,000 dead blue whiting fish floating on the sea floating off the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of southwest France. "Four factory boats operate in that area, including the Margiris -- the second-largest trawler in the world (banned in Australia)," Sea Sheperd tweeted on Thursday. The images shocked French Maritime Minister Annick Girardin, who ordered National Center for Fishing Surveillance to investigate the massive fish kill on Friday, per ABC News. Virginijus Sinkeviius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, launched an investigation into national authorities of the fishing region and presumed flag state of the vessel to get thorough information and evidence related to the case. The Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association, which represents the massive trawler Margiris, said in a statement that the fish were "involuntarily released into the sea" on Thursday because of a tear in the trawler's net. Look what's happening now in the Bay of Biscay off La Rochelle France 4 factory ships are operating in the area, including the Margiris, the 2nd largest trawler in the world (banned in Australia). More than 100,000 dead hake were discarded at sea by one of these vessels alone https://t.co/hWhT8oI7QQ Laurent Dingli (@DingliLaurent) February 3, 2022 Read Also: Russia Set To Punish EU Countries by Shutting Natural Gas Supplies; Brexit Could Avoid the Blocs Fate Is It an Accident or Intentional Fish Dumping? The association said that the incident is an "accident" and a "rare occurrence," and in the case was caused by the unexpectedly large size of the fish caught." It further explained that the trawler has modified procedures in managing the "exceptional size" of the fish present in the area. However, Sea Shepherd contested if it was an accident or an intentional dump of unwanted fish by the vessel. The group also urged authorities to conduct more patrolling of the seas to protect the oceans and sea life, especially from massive industrial trawlers. Environment organization, Greenpeace, has dubbed the Dutch-owned Margiris as a "mammoth super-trawler." France has the largest coastline among European countries. It is the world's second-largest maritime power and the only country with a presence on all of the world's oceans. The incident happened a few days before the start of the One Ocean Summit organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, per France 24. The Massive Impact of Trawling on The Oceans Thousands of fishing boats drag massive weighted nets across the seafloor every day, entwining everything in their path and wrecking marine habitats. Such practice is called bottom trawling. According to a report by CNN, around a quarter of the world's yearly catch is from this method described by scientists as "bulldozing" of the ocean floor. The practice can be traced back to the 14th century, but trawlers can now extend their nets up to the deep portions of the sea due to technological innovations. Every year, around 19 million tons of fish and invertebrates get caught in the nets of thousands of bottom trawlers worldwide. Studies also indicate that bottom trawling accounts for nearly 60% of fisheries discards, with unwanted catch thrown back into the ocean. For the past 70 years, bottom trawling has caused the wastage of around 437 million tons of fish, resulting in an estimated loss of revenue amounting to $560 billion. Related Article: French President Macron Receives Backlash for Harsh Language in Challenge to Unvaccinated Residents @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. WATERLOO The 24/7 Black Leadership Advancement Consortium (24/7 BLAC) is hosting a virtual series of events. On Friday, the group will kick off a virtual pitch competition with Black Business & Entrepreneurship Accelerator participants competing for opportunities such as placement in local Hy-Vee stores and/or funding. On Saturday, Keith Chappelle, former Iowa professional athlete and national sales director for Primerica, will participate in an interactive session on wealth and building economically thriving communities. Lunch and Learn on Feb. 18 will cover Transformational Philanthropy, moderated by Sharina Sallis, corporate social responsibility manager for CUNA Mutual Group; featuring Alex Shade, director of corporate responsibility forCUNA Mutual Group; Ashlei Spivey, director of I Be Black Girl and program officer for Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; and Nyra Jordan, social impact investment director at American Family Insurance. On Feb. 24, a virtual networking session will be facilitated by firms and organizations who specialize in diverse talent acquisition. They will introduce 24/7 Skill Up program participants to organizations looking to advance diversity. For additional information contact twentyfoursevenblac@gmail.com. To register for the Project Home please visit www.twentyfoursevenblac.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO A Cedar Rapids man has pleaded guilty to charges in connection with an August 2020 gun battle in Waterloo that injured two people. Chandrique Yarquez Day, 21, formerly of Waterloo, also pleaded to weapons offenses for an October 2020 incident in which he was found with a .40-caliber Glock pistol. On Friday, Day pleaded to intimidation with a weapon, carrying weapons and felon in possession of a firearm. The state agreed to drop a willful injury charge from the shooting and dismiss a gun possession charge from a 2018 search. Under the terms of the plea agreement, his punishment will run concurrent with a 10-year prison sentence in federal court in a February 2020 incident in which he allegedly possessed a .45-caliber Glock pistol. Authorities allege Day was involved in an Aug. 2, 2020, shootout with Chad Edward Lee and others in the 100 block of Argyle Street around 2 a.m. Lee suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and another person was shot in the leg, according to police. Investigators found more than 40 spent shell casings at the scene from numerous weapons. Court records allege that Day and Lee had been involved in an ongoing dispute before the shooting. Investigators later noticed Day in social media photos and videos brandishing a .40-caliber Glock Model 22 pistol with a laser attachment and a yellow warning sticker, according to court records. In one video, he is threatening to shoot a Black Hawk County sheriffs deputy, records state. Another video showed him with three firearms, and other videos showed him holding an AR-15 rifle, records state. About two months after the shootout, on Oct. 27, 2020, Marion police attempted to stop a vehicle Day was traveling in. A high-speed chase followed, and it ended when the fleeing vehicle crashed into a fence at the Collins Community Credit Union. Day was detained, and police found the .40-caliber Glock complete with laser and sticker along the path of the pursuit. Ballistics tests later determined the weapon had been used to shoot Lee, records state. The gun is also tied to other shootings. Lee pleaded to charges of intimidation with a weapon, carrying weapons and felon in possession of a firearm in the gunfight and in December 2020 was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in state court. He is also awaiting trial on federal gun charges in connection with a stolen 9 mm Springfield pistol police found during an Aug. 26, 2020, search at 106 Hammond Court. Robert Lee Williams Jr., 32, is also awaiting trial on charges in connection with the shootout. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. CEDAR FALLS One person has died and another remains in critical condition following an early Sunday shooting near the intersection of College and West 22nd streets. Cedar Falls Police have arrested two Mason City men in connection with incident, according to a news release. Officers responded to the incident at 1:49 a.m. and found a male with a gunshot wound near the intersection. He was transported to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital in Waterloo by MercyOne Ambulance with life-threatening injuries. Minutes later, two other males arrived at MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center by private vehicle with gunshot injuries. One of those males also had life-threatening injuries. The victim in critical condition was transported to University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. The third male was treated at MercyOne Cedar Falls and released. Police arrested Daniel Martez Judon, 24, of 541 20th St., Mason City, for intimidation with a dangerous weapon/firearm. Brandon Javon Mitchell, 25, of 404 N. Madison Ave., Mason City, was arrested for attempted murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon/firearm and control of a firearm by a felon. Information on both the person who was killed and the person in critical condition is being withheld pending the notification of relatives. Cedar Falls police were assisted by the University of Northern Iowa Police Department and MercyOne ambulances. The investigation into the shooting continues. Anyone with information or video footage that may be related to this incident is asked to contact the Cedar Falls Police Department at (319) 273-8612. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 7 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO Police responding to a report of shots fired Sunday morning at Broadway and Dawson streets ended up pursing and arresting a person who fled the scene. Officers attempted to stop a vehicle in the area after the call came in at 4:05 a.m. It didnt stop, according to a Waterloo Police official, leading to a chase. It was a short pursuit. Brendan Jordan Miles, 23, of 615 E. Donald St., was arrested at Ackermandt and West Arlington streets for eluding police. No damage or injuries were reported from the shots fired. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WATERLOO The City Council debated whether a gun violence task force should instead be more of a focus group bringing together different community organizations to target specific areas and focus on progress instead. Waterloo Ward 2 Councilor Jonathan Grieder informally introduced a resolution calling for the city to start a task force on gun violence in Waterloo during Mondays council planning session. The task force, as presented in Grieders resolution, would be made up of between 10 and 16 appointed community members and two council members acting as liaisons. It would be charged with coming up with a series of policy recommendations ... to solve the short- and long-term causes of gun violence in our community within nine months. Grieder suggested the task force at a previous meeting. He said Monday he believed it is necessary in light of an unfortunate death in our community this year the Jan. 8 homicide of Courtney Harris, 18, who was shot and killed in the parking lot of a liquor store. Harris death was Waterloos first, and so far only, homicide of 2022. My call for this task force is not because I do not believe the Waterloo (Police Department) is up for the job, he said, noting he hoped officers would be a part of the task force. There is so much that goes on before a person ever pulls a trigger. ... The burden cannot fall solely to the police department to solve it after the gun has been fired. At-large Councilor Dave Boesen asked if the task forces recommendations would involve things the city would need to fund. Grieder said its likely they would, but noted police, fire and emergency personnel responding to such incidents are also expensive. I think everything needs to be on the table, Grieder said. Grieders resolution came just as National Gun Violence Survivors Week was set to kick off the first week of February. At the same time Mayor Quentin Hart announced he had joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national coalition of more than a thousand current and former mayors advocating for gun safety reforms. President Joe Biden on Thursday also announced new plans to beef up efforts to curb illegal firearms trafficking, launch a National Ghost Gun Enforcement Initiative to train prosecutors in bringing cases against those who use guns without serial numbers, and prioritize federal prosecutions of those who sell guns unlawfully that are later used in violent crimes. Other council members seemed to agree, at least in part, that Grieders effort was worthwhile. Ward 1 Councilor John Chiles said he thought task force maybe seems like an aggressive term and suggested changing the name to a focus group that would bring together existing community organizations working on different violence-prevention efforts. Sweets work better than beatings, Chiles said, adding he thought it could make sure that were focusing on the positives and what these people can do, and what help did they have already. Ward 3 Councilor Nia Wilder said she and Ward 4 Councilor Jerome Amos had a heavy load to take care of, with our wards being the primary of these issues, and agreed with Chiles on a positive focus. If we can put them in a position to help us add on to the city and help us be better, I think that will bring some pretty good wins, Wilder said. Weve got a lot of work to do, so weve just got to get in there and get it done. Grieder noted he was more than happy to take any and all edits that folks have, so long as the group got going soon. Every day that we dont have this as one of our focuses is another day where someone is going to get a phone call that they dont want, he said. Love 2 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WATERLOO A so-called mini roundabout could be constructed at a West Ninth Street intersection this summer. The City Council on Monday will discuss plans for a 90-foot roundabout at West Ninth and South streets near U.S. Highway 218 as presented by Shive Hattery Architecture and Engineering. The roundabout falls into the mini category because it is 90 feet in diameter or less. A regular, or modern, roundabout is between 100 and 280 feet in diameter, according to a slide presentation the consultants plan to give at the work session. Mini roundabouts are cheaper and faster to construct, and generally fit within existing intersections, according to the presentation. The roundabout at West Ninth and South streets would feature a raised central island and splitter islands, plus four pedestrian crosswalks. Preliminary plans call for construction documents to be ready by March, with construction slated for May through August. The Iowa Department of Transportations Traffic Safety Improvement Program approved a grant of $377,000 for the roundabout in December 2020, which city traffic engineer Mohammad Elahi said would cover 100% of the construction costs. The city would be responsible for an estimated $40,000 in costs to design the intersection. The council also will hold a public hearing on the plans for construction of the Sullivan Brothers Memorial Plaza, which will be a renovation of the area along West Fourth Street in front of the recently renovated Waterloo Convention Center. Three contractors submitted bids, which were opened Thursday. Vieth Construction of Cedar Falls bid lowest, at $1,398,000, while Lodge Construction of Clarksville bid $1,475,000 and Owen Contracting of Cedar Falls bid $1,636,475. Thats nearly twice what the city estimated plaza improvements would cost just six months earlier, when it budgeted $650,000 for the reconstruction. Advocates envision the plaza, which will be part of a larger Veterans Way in downtown Waterloo, will become a tourism stop. The plazas elements as debuted last summer will revolve around the theme together, and feature not only the story of George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan on paving stones, but also the names of the nearly 700 other sailors who died aboard the USS Juneau. Other types of community service jobs, such as first responders, health care workers, volunteers and teachers, might also be honored. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The first and last political leader to declare a War on Poverty was President Lyndon Johnson in January 1964. The Johnson attack was aimed at the causes of poverty and included programs that we still have today, like Medicare-Medicaid, Head Start and Food Stamps. The premise was important, holding as a fundamental principle that those living in poverty could, with government help, climb out of deprivation and up the economic ladder. Enter Iowas own Gov. Kim Reynolds who has, for all practical and political purposes, discovered that the problem of poverty is not lack of opportunity or inherent flaws in the free-market system but lazy Iowans. Worker shortages, according to the governor, have happened because the government has taken away the need or desire to work. The safety net has become a hammock. Her frustration is understandable. Despite record tax cuts for the titans of business and industry during her tenure, Iowas economic and population growth have been anemic. Our population growth is 3% below the national average and our economic advancement ranks 34th among all states. With all our tax cuts, according to conservative economists, Iowa should already be the promised land. The governors solution is a War on the Poor. Under her theory, if you make things tough enough on working people, they will be forced to take any job, even at sublevel pay. For example, consider the reforms in unemployment compensation. She proposes cutting the period of benefits from 26 weeks to 16. People getting unemployment checks would have to accept a lower-paying job more quickly or lose their benefits if the bill becomes law. The bill would also delay the first week of unemployment benefits. For SNAP (formerly food stamps) the coming news is not any better. You are eligible to receive food assistance if your net household income is less than $2,209 per month for a family of four. You cannot have, however, more than $2,000 in cash savings. The governor has announced as part of her war a careful review to make sure only those eligible are being allowed in the program. Most troubling about this review is that Iowa is a one-vehicle state, which means only one car per household, and the vehicle cannot have a value greater than $4,500. The auto must be sold, the income counted against that months eligibility and if two are working in the home at different jobs, one car must be sold. There is one exception to this rule, if you are living in your car you can keep it. Finally as a gift to the poor children of the cities, Iowas chief executive wants to revise the grant for charter schools. Each student in Iowa is worth around $7,500 to a school district. Under the Reynolds proposal, the charter student would take $5,000 with them as a scholarship. The remaining $2,500 would given to public schools, but only in rural counties. Metro area children would be shortchanged, but those people did vote for Democratic candidates. This is harsh, but these are the times of war. The contrast between the Johnsons war and Reynolds crusade shows a crucial difference. The presidents was based on economic policy, while Reynolds blames Iowans and attacks their character. Years ago, on a fine spring morning up in Kossuth County, I listened to state Sen. Berl Priebe introduce Vice President Al Gore. We stood in a circle around the senator and his guest, and the introduction was standard until he reached the conclusion. Neighbors, friends and farmers nodded in agreement when he said, I know this man and the best way to describe him is that in life, he knows one end of the horse from the other. I have respect for the governors office, and I would never imply that she does not know one end of the horse from the other. But I would like to suggest that on this occasion, she is trying to feed the wrong end. Dave Nagle is a Waterloo attorney and former U.S. congressman. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Noisy but peaceful protests against vaccine policies in Canada grow further as thousands join truckers' demonstrations across the North American country. Crowds of demonstrators rallied in Canadian cities, including Toronto, against public health measures amind the COVID-19 pandemic by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The "Freedom Convoy 2022" movement members say they have been frustrated and "tired" of mandates that limit their freedom. "We just want to go back to normal without having to take into our veins the poison which they call vaccines." one protester said. According to a CNN report, Protests have shut down downtown Ottawa for the past eight days. Some protesters have been waving Confederate or Nazi flags while some expressing their desire to have the government dissolved. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said that the protesters "have made their point" and urged them to "go home and engage elected officials" to address the matter. According to Ottawa police, hate crime charges were filed against four individuals and they have conducted investigations in cooperation with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on threats against public figures. Read Also: Canada Anti-Vaccine Protest Consisting of Truckers in Protest Has Caused Chaos in Ottawa, and the Police Reported Residents Feel Hostaged By Protests Some residents have complained that they feel like they're being held hostage by the demonstrators. Though the majority were non-violent, most of the protests were noisy and chaotic. Some businesses have complained of losing money and customers as operating hours had been reduced due to the situation. On Saturday, Toronto, the country's largest city, saw thousands of protesters on the streets. Several trucks were able to block the major intersection for hours despite efforts by the authorities. In the City of Quebec, thousands of protesters and hundreds of trucks clogged streets as residents and visitors tried to enjoy the arrival of a winter carnival. Meanwhile, authorities in Florida prompted investigations on GoFundMe over donations to the trucker protests. Florida To Investigate GoFundMe on Donations to Truckers' Protests According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, GoFundMe's "commandeering" of $9 million in donations given to the Freedom Convoy in support of the truck drivers was a fraud. He said he will engage with his state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, to investigate the matter. GoFundMe took down the alleged page of Freedom Convoy citing its violations of terms of service. As per Al Jazeera, the company said donors will be given two weeks to request a refund then the remaining funds would be disbursed to "credible and established charities". However, DeSantis said on Twitter that it was a fraud for GoFundMe to give the money "to causes of their own choosing" But the company explained on Twitter that "due to donor feedback" it was simplifying the process and will be refunding all donations to the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser. GoFundMe said that the refund "will happen automatically" and there's no need to submit a request. "Donors can expect to see refunds within 7-10 business days," the company said. Attorneys general of West Virginia and Louisiana were among those who asked their constituents to inform their offices if they had donated to the protests in Canada, per Reuters. "My office will be looking into whether or not #GoFundMe violated our state law. If you are a Louisiana donor to the #FreedomConvoy, please contact my #ConsumerProtection Section!", Louisianna Attorney General Jeff Landry, posted on Twitter. Related Article: CDC Puts Canada, the Caribbean Island of Curacao on its Highest-Risk for Travel Category Amid Sudden Spikes in COVID-19 Cases @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A politician from Iowa made the national news again. And its not Steve King with another repugnant comment on race, or Sen. Charles Grassley for partisan manipulations of Supreme Court hearings or his two-step around Trumps outrageous election lie. No, this time its an Iowa state representative for making obscene gestures. Remember when there was something called Iowa nice? Throughout my years in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, people referenced the civility of Iowans. No less than the late, great, director Richard Donner said to me at an audition: Youre from Iowa? I love Iowans. As a result Ive always carried Iowa pride. I moved back in 2003 and boasted to my East and West Coast friends of Iowas progress toward equal rights and the vision of the Iowa Supreme Court in matters where the rest of the country was plodding. The Iowa Caucuses had proven to be a genuine bellwether for presidential elections and we showed the nation how engaged we are. Even our disagreements were with a nod toward civility. Apparently, those days are over. Iowa state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, in front of a hall of exuberant supporters, said: When it comes to these gun-grabbing, freedom-hating, over-regulating, civil-liberty-violating tyrants, heres my message and he raised his middle fingers to the hall and to the camera. Most in attendance rose to their feet in applause. What is betrayed is a destiny that once belonged to Iowa. We should be the template for the rest of the country as to how to conduct ourselves. Our potential was for a Legislature to find agreeable goals on education, health care, elderly care and the safety of our children. Of course we will disagree, cajole, and even point out each others grievous mistakes, but it could be without tasteless obscenity. Something happened years ago when a nationalist doctrine became the operating system for many disenfranchised Americans. Anger replaced reason in an echo chamber of fear; fear of anything outside an antiquated American narrative. Kaufmann was not being a champion of freedom; he became another bare-knuckled, fevered nationalist frothing from a perception of tyranny that is disconnected from reality. He shouts of civil liberty violations, yet his own party wishes to restrict a womans sovereignty over her own body. There is no more severe overreach of government than that. He condemns freedom-hating health mandates, yet the 10th Amendment gives state governments the authority to quarantine and make business restrictions in the interest of public health. Go ahead and disagree, but it isnt tyranny. Its in the Constitution. Kaufmann is enflamed by gun grabbers when no guns have been taken. In fact, Iowa has made it easier to obtain firearms. All the gun grabbers have suggested is that higher standards of proficiency be implemented to decrease accidents. And they believe military assault weapons designed to kill as many human beings in as short a time as possible might be an excessive realization of a civilians right to bear arms. Argue at will on these issues, its healthy, but to be obscenely furious is neither rational, sentient nor mature. And it certainly isnt Iowa nice. Gary Kroeger is a former local business owner and advertising executive in Cedar Falls. The USA loves to spout about hitting targets in other countries and use national security as the reason. Even when these countries tell the USA they have no rights to do what they do and and and Russia has already shown that in Syria they can slice and dice terrorists with the best in the world This ability shocked and awed the USA/NATO and cause a huge setback in Syria for America and her minions. It is this same, as the USA likes to spout, Shock and Awe that Russia has a right to use with the Ukraine situation It dawned on me yesterday that Russia just has to watch and wait as NATO moves supplies and builds its bases in Ukraine. When the time is right? Russia just surgically removes the new bases, new airstrips, new depots of weapons and artillery and vehicles.remember it took six months to build up forces to attack Iraq and Russia will not sit and watch forces being built up to be attacked. So Russia will sit at home and slice and dice NATO as they move forces to bear upon Russia Missiles have changed the face of war, upon the land, air and upon the seas of the world. This is no longer Grandpas (Mine to be exact!) wars Now we watch and see what happens? (I am just thinking about how I would handle this issue if I was Russia and the playbook has been written and used many times by the USA about this very situation. Remember to follow the, If they can do it, we can do it also) It is really all up to the west. The west started this issue against Russia within Ukraine and the west has to decide if they will continue or not and accept what comes at the end of their charade WtR Innovative "Green" tokens to be linked to EV and Lithium-ion Gigafactories. Libcoin to Launch Ethereum-Based Tokens Singapore, Feb 7, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The digital economy is meeting head-on with the drive toward more "greening" of the world's electromobility estem - in fact, redefining it. Responding to renewed emphasis on infrastructure development in its many forms, a group of financial, engineering, banking, and legal professionals have come together to launch Libcoin (LIB), a "governance and reward" crypto token. The green LIB tokens will be accessed through Ethereum blockchain technology, soon to convert to Ethereum 2.0 upon its release. An initial exchange offering (IEO) comprises 15% of the total token supply to investors through crypto currency exchanges that will number in the dozens. Adding an initial dex offering (IDO), also over Ethereum, is planned.Investment in LIB tokens will support establishment of India's first lithium-ion manufacturing Gigafactory (where the Libcoin initiative begins). India has set an aggressive goal of reaching a greater percentage of electric motor vehicles on its roads by 2030 and plans for the LIB-funded Gigafactory and an EV plant to be constructed by Australia-based Avass Group are under way. Avass is a subsidiary of the Duggal Family Trust, broad-based international business conglomerate active across many industry sectors, with special interest in advancing the causes of clean and renewable energy projects and initiatives. The Avass Touring Bus holds the Guinness World Record for an Electric Bus travelling more than 1,000 km on a single charge, and Avass is also the first Australian Electric Vehicle manufacturer to obtain a World Manufacturer ID (WMI) and be registered with the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS).Libcoin Pte Ltd, registered in Singapore, where DFT centralizes much of its activity, chooses India as its launch point due to that country's high standing in world auto sales and as a ripe market for EV sector growth. In addition to India, the Libcoin launch will include Indonesia, whose government demonstrates similar enthusiasm for DFT's ideas and Libcoin's plan. Other markets will follow, with active discussions begun before year end 2021.A small supply of LIB tokens will be sold at a discount to strategic investors, inversely proportional to the vesting schedules of long-term investors. A portion of net profits will divert to an annual token "burn" that will be monitored by a top-tier auditing company. Early investors will have direct stake in the growth of Libcoin.Commenting on the launch, Libcoin Executive President George H. Gregor states, "Libcoin comes to the right place at the right time. India is the place, and our talent-integrated team of managers, operators, and financial engineers coalesce just as attention upon clean and renewable energy in improving countries' infrastructures is being more keenly fixed. We believe that Libcoin is the first crypto asset to offer its holders both financial opportunity and exposure to the thriving battery technology industry. Advanced storage batteries, electric vehicles of all types, and charging stations. Yes, their time is now. . . and here through Libcoin we are uniting the 'twin technologies' of EV excellence with the financial means of a governance payback token model. All in one renewable energy sector - for the benefit of people as citizens and as investors."About Marston Webb International Marston Webb International is a highly respected pioneer in the field of International Investor Relations and Public Relations. Throughout its three decades of operation, Marston Webb has represented the London Stock Exchange (AIM), Bahamas' Financial Secretariat, Toronto Stock Exchange, Madrid Stock Exchange, Prague Stock Exchange, Bermuda's Ministry of Finance as well as several UN Economic Missions. As the registered IR agency for various exchanges throughout the world, Marston Webb has built a substantial database of high net worth corporations and emerging companies (CEO's, CFO's, COO's and Chairman). Horse Well Hits Further Copper and Gold Mineralisation Melbourne, Feb 7, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cohiba Minerals Limited ( ASX:CHK ) is pleased to provide results for drillhole HWDD05W1 from the exploration drilling program at its Horse Well project in South Australia (Figure 1*).HWDD05W1 was an angled (i.e. curved) hole drilled from HWDD05 commencing at a depth of 747.10m for a total hole length of 1,335.7m and a final azimuth (TN) of 40.8deg and a dip of 59.9deg.The analytical results for drill hole HWDD05W1 were completed by ALS Laboratories and have been assessed by the Company and its technical consultants. The assay results have been weighted based on the sample length and all reported intervals are continuous sample lengths.The results are summarised below:70m @ 0.30% Cu, 0.36 g/t Au and 1.84 g/t Ag from 962 - 1,032mincluding:0.62m @ 1.64% Cu and 0.14 g/t Au from 974.0m0.55m @ 1.83% Cu, 0.85 g/t Au and 12.5 g/t Ag from 978.85m0.35m @ 1.76% Cu, 1.79 g/t Au and 6.9 g/t Ag from 980.75m0.4m @ 1.68% Cu, 0.72 g/t Au and 3.1 g/t Ag from 988.0m1.0m @ 1.49% Cu, 0.88 g/t Au and 6.0 g/t Ag from 996.0m1.0m @ 1.69% Cu, 0.35 g/t Au and 14.5 g/t Ag from 1,004.0m1.0m @ 3.5 g/t Au and 3.67 g/t Ag from 1,005.0m1.0m @ 1.34% Cu, 0.55 g/t Au and 10.5 g/t Ag from 1,011.0m4.0m @ 1.74 g/t Au from 1,018.0m1.0m @ 1.15% Cu from 1,026.0m0.2m @ 1.84% Cu, 0.53 g/t Au and 2.6 g/t Ag from 1,029.5m13.08m @ 0.62% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au and 1.43 g/t Ag from 1,055 - 1,068.08mincluding:1.0m @ 1.32% Cu from 1,056.0m0.32m @ 5.07% Cu and 0.78 g/t Au from 1,063.68m5.0m @ 0.64% Cu and 0.18 g/t Au from 1,096 - 1,105mincluding:1.0m @ 2.18%, 0.69 g/t Au and 2.47 g/t Ag from 1,097m41.55m @ 0.22% Cu from 1,116.45- 1,158mincluding:0.6m @ 1.14% Cu from 1,148.0m22m @ 0.16% Cu from 1,182 - 1,204m4m @ 0.39% Cu from 1,210 - 1,214m8.12m @ 0.16% Cu from 1,228 - 1,236.12m37m @ 0.22% Cu from 1,243 - 1,281mincluding:0.17m @ 2.35% Cu and 0.56 g/t Au from 1,243.0mEnd of Hole (EOH) @ 1,335.7mA total of 200.75m of mineralised intersections.As with HWDD05 the wedge hole has shown mineralisation, brecciation and alteration styles in some of the mafic units which are typical of an IOCG deposit (Figure 2*) and that the structural history of the veins reflects the "big picture" structural evolution of the Olympic Dam Breccia Complex (ODBC) with early shear and late dilational characteristics.HWDD05W1 also showed a strong spatial correlation between iron (Fe), copper (Cu), gold (Au) and silver (Ag) and a reasonably good correlation with uranium (U) which are key characteristics of the ODBC.Cohiba's CEO, Andrew Graham says, "The results from the wedge hole HWDD05W1 provide further confirmation that we are situated in a prospective location. The mineralisation is becoming more pervasive with a greater total length of mineralisation compared with HWDD05. With our ongoing focus on the petrology, mineralogy, alteration styles and structures, which are critically important to understanding IOCG deposits, we will optimise our potential for exploration success in the Horse well area."*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Cohiba Minerals Limited Cohiba Minerals Limited (ASX:CHK) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the primary focus of investing in the resource sector through direct tenement acquisition, joint ventures, farm in arrangements and new project generation. The shares of the company trade under the ticker symbol CHK. The Company recently acquired 100% of the shares in Charge Lithium Pty Ltd, which holds exploration licences in Western Australia. Henderson Lithium Project Multiple LCT Pegmatites Identified Perth, Feb 7, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Venus Metals Corporation Limited ( ASX:VMC ) is pleased to provide an update on its review into the hard-rock Lithium potential of the Henderson tenements located in the central section of the Mt Ida/Ularring Greenstone Belt, ca. 50km northwest of Menzies in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia (Figure 2*). The VMC tenements are located directly south from and abut the Mt Ida Lithium-Copper-Gold project (Red Dirt Metals; RDT).- Outcropping LCT-Type pegmatites identified on tenement E30/520.- The prospective pegmatites are noticeably enriched in Tantalum and Niobium (max 426 ppm Ta2O5; max 392 ppm Nb2O5) with many showing elevated Lithium compositions with a maximum of 3.5% Li2O.- The sampled Ta-Nb enriched pegmatites are considered to be part of zoned LCT pegmatite swarms and exploration is ongoing to identify more extensive Lithium-rich end members.- The positive results from the reconnaissance sampling programme warrant an accelerated and more focussed exploration effort that will include detailed surface sampling/mapping and RC drill testing of identified fractionated pegmatites.VMC has completed an assessment of available drilling data and received assay results for 143 rock samples that were collected during sampling of outcropping granitoids/ pegmatites and greenstone host rocks on tenements E30/520 and E29/1112 (Figure 2*; Refer ASX release 27 October 2021).The Mt Ida/Ularring Greenstone Belt is recognised as an emerging Lithium Province following the discovery of spodumene-rich Lithium pegmatites near the Mt Ida gold Mine, located some 15 km northwest from the Henderson Project (Refer RDT ASX releases 28 September 2021, 14 October 2021). To assess the Lithium potential of the Henderson tenements VMC initiated a reconnaissance sampling programme in October 2021 that targeted outcropping pegmatites and host rocks on tenements E30/520 and E29/1112, covering the greenstone sequence and granitoids east of the Ballard Fault respectively (Figure 2*).Current SamplingA total of 143 rock chip samples were collected and send to Jinning and Nagrom laboratories in Perth for analysis with an emphasis on Lithium and associated elements.Assay results from the reconnaissance sampling programme (Table 1*) show a concentration of Tantalum and Niobium enriched pegmatites within the greenstones on tenement E30/520.Using the Nb/Ta ratio as an indicator for granite fractionation and LCT prospectivity (Steiner, 2019) 51 pegmatite samples can be described as fractionated (Nb/Ta<5) and 13 samples from the Emerald SE, Snake Hill, and 38 Mile Well areas as strongly fractionated (Nb/Ta<1).The identification of LCT pegmatites and the common elevated Lithium content of the samples (Table 1*) is highly encouraging. The highest returned Lithium assays (0.2-3.5% Li2O) are from three samples that were collected over a strike distance of 50m from a single northeasterly trending pegmatite dyke at Emerald SE (Figures 1, 2*). The presence of this Lithium-rich pegmatite is significant and warrants further work.A spatial zonation of rare-element mineralogy can be expected in this class of pegmatites and a key focus for the next phase of exploration will therefore be the drill testing of the Lithium pegmatite at Emerald SE and the testing for potential Lithium mineralisation beneath and down-dip from the tantalum bearing pegmatites. A possible geological analogue can be found at the Bald Hills Lithium Deposit, located 100km southeast from Kalgoorlie, where the southern section of this overall gently dipping deposit is characterised by several thick Lithium-Tantalum pegmatite sills that occur below narrow Tantalum enriched pegmatite dykes (Refer TAW ASX release 9 April 2017).Review of Drilling DataLimited historic drilling that targeted gold or nickel did regularly intersect pegmatite bodies but no assay data for Lithium or Tantalum were reported. Drilling data for LCT elements is restricted to multi-element assays that VMC collected for bottom-of-hole samples as part of Stage 1 aircore drilling for gold (Refer ASX release 9 September 2021). A review of this data identified a strongly anomalous Li intersection (0.35 %LiO2) in vertical hole HNBAC010, drilled to top of fresh rock at 22m depth. The location of this hole is 600m south and along strike from the Emerald SE pegmatite occurrences in an area of poor outcrop (Figure 2*). The Lithium anomaly is interpreted to relate to hydrothermally altered ultramafic rocks but may be an indication for a lithium enriched pegmatite source at depth and highlights the exploration potential of the Emerald SE area.Further WorkAn accelerated exploration programme is planned for Q1 and will include infill surface sampling and mapping, and drill testing of LCT pegmatites. The work will also include petrological studies to determine the mineralogy of Lithium pegmatites.Note on LCT PegmatitesLithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites are the class of rare-element pegmatites that host the major hard-rock Lithium and Tantalum deposits in Western Australia, including Greenbushes, Pilgangoora and Wodgina. The pegmatites develop from differentiated granitic magmas that in addition to the LCT elements are also commonly enriched in niobium (Nb), beryllium (Be), rubidium (Rb), and tin (Sn). As a function of the differentiation process a spatial zonation of the rare-element assemblages is often present within the pegmatites with a progressive increase of Ta, Li, and Cs concentrations with increased granite differentiation.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Venus Metals Corporation Limited Venus Metals Corporation Limited (ASX:VMC) is a West Australian based Company with a focus on gold and base metals exploration. The Company aims to increase shareholder value through targeted exploration success on its projects. The Company's major gold project is the Youanmi Gold Mine, located 500km north east of Perth. The Youanmi Gold Mine is now jointly owned by Venus Metals (30%) and Rox Resources Limited (70%) (OYG JV); Indicated and Inferred Resources of the mine is 1.7 million ounces of gold. Exciting new discoveries at the Youanmi Gold Mine have been made at the Grace prospect in footwall granites where very high grades of free milling gold have been intersected, including 25m @34.7g/t Au from 143m (RXRC 287) and 13m @60.49 g/t from 181m (RXRC 239). The Grace Prospect may substantially add to the Youanmi Gold Mine resources. We join the many New Mexicans and others around the nation who are pulling for a full and speedy recovery for U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan. News on Tuesday that the congenial 49-year-old lawmaker from Nambe had suffered a stroke five days earlier shocked New Mexicans and national leaders in Congress, the White House and beyond. Lujans chief of staff, Carlos Sanchez, says Lujan is expected to make a full recovery. Thats very good news. As many New Mexicans know from the experience of their loved ones, strokes are very serious diseases that affect the arteries leading to and within the brain. They are the No. 5 cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of disability. Sanchez says Lujan started to feel dizzy and fatigued the morning of Jan. 27 and checked himself into Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe. Lujan was transferred to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation, where medical staff determined he had suffered a stroke in the cerebellum. Doctors performed a decompressive surgery to ease swelling. Cerebellar strokes are a less common type of stroke, but can be severe, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The sufferer may experience a headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and problems with coordination and balance, including an inability to walk. Left untreated, a cerebellar stroke can be life-threatening. Lujan, who served six terms in the U.S. House before he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020, is reportedly resting comfortably. His staff says theyve been able to speak with him and that Lujan hasnt suffered any paralysis or loss of speech. Thats great news. And it was encouraging in these divisive times to see the well wishes coming from both sides of the political aisle. The Republican Party of New Mexico and I are saddened to learn of Sen. Lujans stroke, and we wish him a speedy recovery, Republican Party of New Mexico Chairman Steve Pearce said in a statement. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Senator and his family during this difficult time. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said senators were looking forward to Lujans quick return. My thoughts are with Senator Ben Ray Lujan and his family, Schumer tweeted. Im so glad to hear that he will make a full recovery. We join Lujan and his family in thanking the doctors and staff at the two hospitals for their care, especially as the pandemic continues to overwhelm our health care system. Lujan, the son of late New Mexico House Speaker Ben Lujan, and his family said they would appreciate their privacy. And we certainly want to honor that. But its unclear why Lujans office did not inform the public of his health emergency for five full days. Its unfortunate Lujans office didnt respond to Journal questions about the prolonged delay, because people from the East Coast to the West Coast have the same question. The day after his stroke, Lujan or his office gave the impression nothing was amiss, posting on Twitter: Happy Friday. Our next Supreme Court justice will be a Black woman. News of Lujans stroke blindsided the Washington establishment. Even Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2-ranking Democrat in the Senate, said he didnt know about it when asked by a reporter. Lujans absence from the Senate has substantial political ramifications. The Senate is evenly divided with 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats and two independents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King Jr. of Maine who reliably vote with Democrats. Democrats hold a fragile majority because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate. The Associated Press reported last week that Lujan is expected to be out four to six weeks, barring any complications. His absence from Washington, D.C., could stall President Joe Bidens agenda. Without Lujan, one of the Senates youngest members, the Democratic Party no longer has full day-to-day control of the chamber. Routine Senate business was rearranged last week. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee announced it would postpone consideration of some of Bidens executive branch nominees because the committee, on which Lujan is a member, is evenly split with 14 Democrats and 14 Republicans. Lujan serves on four other Senate committees the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Committee on Indian Affairs; and the Committee on the Budget all of which are equally divided, but chaired by either a Democrat or Bernie Sanders. Obviously, Lujans absence has a major impact on legislation that shapes national policy. New Mexico voters have put their trust in Lujan. While we recognize his desire for privacy, holding such a high office comes with a responsibility to be forthcoming and honest with the public. Concealing such a serious health episode even misdirecting the public with a tweet after it has occurred raises legitimate questions. That said, we wish the senator a full recovery and look forward to seeing him on Capitol Hill soon. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. The opposition to a modest proposal to stop the revolving door for murderers, rapists, child abusers, human traffickers and armed felons is a prime example of what is wrong with the way criminal justice policy is made in this state. Neither Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, nor Rep. Daymon Ely, D-Corrales, authors of a recent (Feb. 1 Journal) op-ed supporting the status quo, has made any attempt to engage with our frontline prosecutors, investigators or victim advocates during the last year, one of the most violent in this citys history. If they had, not only would they have learned something about the human toll of preventable violent crime, they would have been forced to contend with the inexplicable fact that more than half of armed defendants have been released by the courts during a period of unprecedented gun violence in this community. I applaud these two representatives for their support of universal background checks and red flag laws as a common sense way of reducing gun violence. I only wish they were as interested in taking a common sense approach to keeping armed, violent criminals behind bars. Unfortunately, advocates for this broken, catch-and-release system not only fail to use common sense, but also ignore a glaring inconsistency in their own data. They argue that the system is working because only 5% of released defendants have been arrested for violent crimes while on pretrial release, while simultaneously noting that 70% of violent crimes in this community go unsolved. The simple truth is that neither the courts nor legislative analysts have any idea how many other crimes these defendants may have committed while out of custody because there is no meaningful pretrial supervision, even for the most high-risk defendants on GPS monitoring. Not only did the courts fail to supervise these dangerous felons on nights and weekends for most of the past five years, but also they continue to hide historical GPS data, despite the fact that it might help us learn if these defendants are connected to any of the thousands of unsolved crimes in our community. Lacking both common sense and reliable data, proponents of the revolving door have chosen to mislead the public and attack career law enforcement professionals, while disregarding our repeated warnings about the danger of recklessly redesigning the criminal justice system in order to empty the county jail. For years, we have warned policymakers that local procedural rules with arbitrary timelines and mandatory sanctions and which apply only to one of New Mexicos 33 counties would destabilize an already overburdened system, and lead to more dismissals and lower conviction rates. We warned them not to create a detention system that had no specific guidance for judges evaluating serious violent offenders. And we warned them that reducing our access to the grand jury would have catastrophic consequences for public safety. At every turn, these policymakers have ignored the advice of people who have dedicated their lives to public safety and now, adding insult to injury, they are blaming those same professionals for the mess they created. The fact is that our prosecutors do an extraordinary job, securing convictions for 83% of the felony defendants charged by our office, and they do so despite the profound procedural hurdles erected by policymakers who neither honor their work nor value their expertise. Sadly, I do not expect advocates of this broken system to start listening to law enforcement professionals now, but I urge them to start listening to the 77% of voters who are fed up with violent crime and want the revolving door shut. Enacting rebuttable presumptions would result in every person facing certain charges being held in jail and having to prove that they should be released. That is an immense power for the government to hold especially when consolidated into one elected office and its one that would actually increase suffering in our communities. Public defenders are members of communities across the state and, like everyone, we are concerned about having safe places to raise our children and live in peace. When we propose solutions, we propose things we think will be effective. At the same time, when we see practices and proposals that we believe will not solve the actual problem or will make the situation worse, we have a responsibility to speak out. The rebuttable presumption bill pushed by the Albuquerque District Attorneys Office requires us to speak up. It is just one, albeit the most far-reaching, of a number of legislative proposals on an agenda to concentrate power into the hands of prosecutors. If these proposals were successful, prosecutors would have immense power that would actually disrupt the pursuit of swift justice. Prosecutors would be able to charge people and hold them in jail (through rebuttable presumptions, without proving the person is actually dangerous or needs to be in jail.) They would have the power to decide when and even if some evidence against a person will be disclosed (by limiting access to evidence or witnesses). They would remove time limits to bring someone to trial and increase sentences in ways that give prosecutors even greater control over a persons possible punishment so that people become so fearful of lengthy prison stays that they take whatever plea they can get. As the number of crimes has increased during the time of COVID, proponents of rebuttable presumptions and these other measures have used our communitys very real concerns about public safety to create an environment of panic to justify doing something, anything instead of working on real solutions. They have pushed the message that something must be done and presented the parts of their plan as the only something. When a terrible crime has occurred the Albuquerque District Attorneys Office has consistently sought to shift blame to law enforcement, to defense attorneys and especially to judges. This strategy has eroded the publics faith in the process This may be good politics, but it may result in terrible policy. I have been a prosecutor. It is not an easy job, and it is harder still to do within the very necessary guardrails of the Constitution and in a system where you have checks on your power. But those checks on power are what help to keep us all protected from wrongful prosecution and abuse by the system. As part of that system, public defenders sincerely commit to seeking public safety solutions and healing our communities. Daily COVID-19 infections shot to another record high Saturday, exceeding 38,000 as the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus rages across the country following the Lunar New Year holiday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 38,691 new cases, including 38,502 local ones, raising the overall total to 1,009,688. The accumulated virus caseload surpassed 1 million two years after the country reported its first COVID-19 case. The daily tally surged to over 30,000 for the first time Saturday, just three days after breaking the 20,000 mark. The figure topped the 10,000 level for the first time Jan. 26. New daily cases have soared nearly five-fold over the past two weeks, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant. Daily cases are feared to possibly reach 100,000 in the coming weeks following the three-day Lunar New Year holiday, which ended Wednesday, according to the KDCA. The death toll came to 6,873, up 15 from Friday for a fatality rate of 0.71 percent. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was 272, down three from a day earlier, the KDCA said. In an effort to curb the virus, the government decided to extend the current toughened social distancing curbs for two more weeks starting Monday through Feb. 20. Under the scheme, private gatherings of more than six people are banned and businesses are subject to a 9 p.m. curfew. The government will also lower the age of eligibility for COVID-19 treatment pills from 60 to 50 starting Monday. (Yonhap) A denim pair of pants. Worn by everyone from presidents to supermodels, farmers to rock stars, theyre more than just a pair of pants Americas tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric. From its roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, the Civil Rights movement, rock and roll, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American culture and politics are writ large. This is exactly what caught the attention of filmmakers Anna Lee Strachan and Michael Bicks, the directors behind the documentary for American Experience called Riveted: The History of Jeans. It will premiere at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1 and stream on the PBS Video App. (The documentary) was one of my ideas because I was wondering why everyone was walking around in the same pair of pants, Strachan says. Its a heavy, coarse material. My dad worked for Levi Strauss. Riveted explores the garments rich history, featuring interviews with a diverse cast of historians, authors, designers and so-called denim heads. The filmmaking pair worked for on the documentary for nine months. The duo says the story of jeans usually begins with Levi Strauss a Bavarian immigrant looking to make his fortune selling garments to the 49ers during the California Gold Rush. Yet, a half century before Strauss, enslaved people in the American South were wearing a precursor of denim made from a coarse textile known as slave cloth. The blue hue of jeans resulted from an arduous dyeing process using the indigo plant. Eliza Lucas, the daughter of an 18th-century colonial governor, has long been credited as the savvy entrepreneur who jump-started the southern economy with indigo production. Left out of this narrative are the West African enslaved people and their invaluable expertise for growing, processing and dyeing the plant that had been brought with them. We couldnt leave this part of the narrative out of the documentary, Strachan says. This was one of the most important facts. Though Strauss is typically credited with the invention of blue jeans, Riveted reveals the story of Jacob Davis, who added reinforcing copper rivets to the pants. This innovation created a garment so strong that it came to clothe nearly all American laborers by the 1930s. The rise of dude ranch culture would change the perception of blue jeans as working-class attire. A huge fad in the 1930s, American women of a certain class vacationed at these working ranches, helping with the chores and enjoying a taste of the cowboy life made popular by Hollywood. These women were able to wear pants, perhaps for the first time. Jeans soon evolved into a garment not just for labor, but for leisure, moving off the pages of the Sears catalogue and onto the pages of Vogue. We tried to let each story breathe, Bicks says. As we did the research, there were times it was like, Wow, this is stuff that people dont know about. Then you have a very powerful story. During the postwar era, jeans were once again reinvented. Suddenly, denim pants werent just about freedom and the Wild West anymore; they were now the emblem of bad boy cool. From the moment Marlon Brando donned a pair of Levi 501s in The Wild Ones, jeans would never be the same. For the first time, being a teenager became a distinct phase of life, and jeans were the unofficial uniform of teen rebellion, prompting some schools to ban them. The story of denim in the 1960s frequently focuses on how the hippie counterculture turned blue jeans into a vivid garment of protest. Often overlooked is denims key role in the Civil Rights Movement, according to Tanisha Ford, professor of history at CUNY, who reveals the story of the denim-clad Black college students who traveled south to organize protests. These rebels with a cause transformed the garment into a potent symbol of solidarity with the Southern Black working class, Ford says. By the 1970s, jeans evolved into a billion-dollar industry. The emergence of hip-hop in the 1980s and 90s pushed jeans into a new realm. Baggier cuts and subversive takes on preppy high-end brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger reflected anti-establishment and rebellious notions. Not only do we see hip-hop artists able to remix sounds, like in music, but theyre also able to take clothing and remix it for their own means, says Kim Jenkins, professor in fashion studies at Ryerson University and principal researcher for The Fashion and Race Database. To get your hands on that clothing and wear it is subversive in a way. Because it is saying, Im not supposed to be wearing this. But look at me: I am. ON TV Riveted: The History of Jeans will air at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. Thirteen New Mexico artists have won a total of $93,600 in grants from this years Fulcrum Fund. Administered by 516 ARTS, the funding comes from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, with a portion from the Frederick Hammersley Foundation for the Arts. Applications came from 105 artists in 18 cities throughout New Mexico. This years guest jurors were Laura Copelin (Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson, Arizona, and Ballroom Marfa, a contemporary art space in Marfa, Texas), Kathleen Ash-Milby (Navajo), Oregons Portland Art Museum and Marvella Muro (Self Help Graphics, Los Angeles). The grants range from $3,500 to $10,000, fund manager Claude Smith said. Across the submission pool, theres a lot of people wanting to do projects about time and deep reflection, Smith said. I wonder if some of that relates to the pandemic and how art can play a role in mediating that trauma. Other topics include the environment and climate change. The Fulcrum Fund serves as a support structure to enable artists to expand existing work and explore new directions. It is intended as a springboard for experimental artistic projects that might not fit traditional museums and galleries. In 2020 and early 2021, 516 ARTS disbursed $321,000 to 255 artists and art spaces statewide through the Warhol Foundation and the Frederick Hammersley Foundation, playing a key role in pandemic relief efforts. The jurors selected the following proposals: JC Gonzo, Santa Fe, Cuidado. An independent, self-published zine featuring emerging artists based in the Southwest. Tytianna Harris (Navajo), Albuquerque, American Indians of the Southwest. Abstract-experimental textile work examining the life ways and design of Indigenous cultures in our area. Jessica Krichels, Albuquerque, Pressing Letters: A Collaboration of Literary Broadsides. Handmade literary broadsides on a letterpress created by collaborations. Akilah Martinez (Navajo), Gallup, DigiNewMex. A virtual environment connecting New Mexicans through a magical immersive digital landscape. Dylan McLaughlin (Dine), Albuquerque, Wires Under Tension. An experimental music composition and performative installation. Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Farmington, Miss Nalgas USA 2022. A performance artwork featuring a faux beauty competition for self-identifying Latinas over 50. Karl Orozco and Michael Lopez, Albuquerque, Risolana. A community Risograph (a brand of digital duplicators) studio celebrating the power of printmaking as a tool for community dialogue. Nayeli Navarro and Elsa Lopez, Pecos, Weaving back to Center/Tejiendo de regreso al centro. A creative, multi-lingual community art practice revitalizing the traditional art form of backstrap weaving. Adrian Pinnecoose (Navajo and Southern Ute), Albuquerque, Collective Equilibrium. Highlighting digital applications and fabrications in Indigenous art. Sara Rivera, Albuquerque, Entre nacer y caminar. A large-scale text sculpture made from cast gypsum toys found in Albuquerques early childhood centers. Justin Rhody, Santa Fe, No Name Cinema. No Name Cinema is a microcinema dedicated to showcasing experimental, avant-garde and underground film and video. We Are Longing for a Future (collective), Albuquerque. A multi-phased project featuring a group of queer, trans and Indigenous artists. Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Ponderosa Reconnecting Time, Self and the Celestial. A site-specific, mixed-media sculptural installation. Zoom in on the word guide in the title of Janet Yagoda Shagams book A Caregivers Guide to Dementia: An Unintended Journey. Then scan the eight pages of the table of contents. You may conclude as I did that guide is too modest a word to describe the breadth and readability of information supporting critical decision-making. The introduction declares that the books purpose is to help family caregivers and others, too navigate the challenges and personal growth experiences that dementia care can bring. The first chapter begins with Shagam, an Albuquerque resident, writing about providing care for her mother who had dementia. So I had that experience. I write about what I found challenging or exhausting or maybe could have done better, she said in a phone interview. The next chapter contains a series of vignettes, fictionalized to protect privacy, about caregivers revealing how dementia changed how they lived. My philosophy for everything Ive written is to talk to people, to observe and when appropriate, experience, said Shagam, a longtime medical and science writer. My writing is very experiential. I also deeply research my topics as well. My philosophy is also very outward, and I hope it comes across in the book. It does. Perhaps the best way to absorb the guides many key, interlocking issues is to take notes while methodically reading. The third chapter defines and explains the many forms of dementia. Because Alzheimers disease is the most common form, Shagam details its three stages and presents its 10 warning signs. The other forms, she writes, include vascular dementia, mixed dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinsons dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. In this chapter, as in most of the others, there are Frequently Asked Questions to be answered and worksheets to fill out so caregivers can see what better decisions they could make or where theyve made progress. The worksheet in the third chapter is on the subject of age-related changes in the family members personality and behavior. I hope the book gives readers an active sense of what theyre doing. So as readers, theyre also participants, Shagam said. A friend whos a medical/clinical social worker uses the worksheets with clients, particularly with reflective writing. The fourth chapter, titled What Could This Be? Diagnosing Dementia, helps caregivers deal with such relevant issues as assessing cognitive function, daily living skills and home safety, and medical imaging procedures. Some other chapters address family dynamics, insurance coverage, managing behavior, finding the right care facility, failing health, passing, post-mortem matters. The book also looks into numerous legal aspects, among them power of attorney, guardianship and conservatorship, and the subjects estate. The first edition of A Caregivers Guide to Dementia was published in 2013. The books second edition was recently released. The most important new information Shagam said she added in the new edition has to do with controlling infection transmission, especially in residential care facilities, and the kinds of frauds and scams that can occur over the phone or in contact with helpers in assisted living situations. Shagam, who has a doctorate in microbiology, has taught in the professional writing program at the University of New Mexicos English Department and was visiting professor in the neurosciences program at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. The book has two forewords. One is by Albuquerque clinical psychologist Mary Ann Conley, who states that the guide, beautifully written, is a thoughtful and comprehensive book that can make a bumpy road easier to travel. In the other foreword, Kevin Jameson writes, This updated version will prepare readers to proactively navigate the many unknowns along the road ahead Jameson is founder, president and CEO of the all-volunteer Dementia Society of America. The back of the guide has an extensive and useful glossary and resources. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE A bill aimed at reinvigorating New Mexicos beleaguered education workforce by boosting minimum starting teacher pay statewide to $50,000 per year was approved on a 35-0 vote Saturday by the state Senate. The decisive vote sends the bill, Senate Bill 1, on to the House with 12 days left in this years 30-day legislative session. With New Mexico facing a recent surge of educator retirements and more than 1,000 open teaching jobs statewide, backers of the bill described it as a crucial part of a broader recruitment and retention effort. They also said teachers have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many New Mexico public schools shifted to a remote learning model for more than a year and have had to help enforce a face mask mandate since returning to in-person teaching. Theyve just had the worst times of their lives this last three years, lets just face that, said Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, a retired educator who is sponsoring the bill and described teachers as essential workers. The proposal would raise minimum teacher pay levels for the school year that starts this fall. In addition to boosting starting teacher pay from $40,000 to $50,000 annually, it would also increase salary levels for more experienced teachers under New Mexicos three-tier teacher pay system. Pay levels for tier two and tier three teachers would go to $60,000 and $70,000 per year, respectively, up from $50,000 and $60,000 per year under current law. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has made teacher pay increases a top priority during this years legislative session, said in an interview after Saturdays vote the bill could have a big impact. We have an educator shortage because we werent investing in public education and educators, Lujan Grisham told the Journal. She also said the legislation along with an average 7% salary increase for educators included in a House-approved budget bill would boost average teacher pay in New Mexico to roughly $64,000 per year. That means average teacher pay in New Mexico would be higher than in some neighboring states, though other states are also considering approved salary increases for educators. The proposed increases to New Mexicos teacher salary levels would not be cheap. But with the state rolling in a revenue windfall driven primarily by increased oil production in southeast New Mexico, the bills estimated $166.7 million price tag for the coming budget year could be easily absorbed. As for future years, Lujan Grisham said plans to diversify the states economy and reduce its revenue reliance on oil and natural gas industries are vital to ensuring the pay raises remain in place. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans also voted in favor of the teacher salary increases during Saturdays floor debate, though some of them called for more accountability in the states public school system. Our students arent failing school, were failing our students, said Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, who argued the Lujan Grisham administration had failed to treat teachers like essential workers during the early stages of the pandemic. But Republicans and Democrats were largely on the same page in their praise of teachers, with the 42-member chamber at one point giving educators a standing ovation at the request of Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces. Another senator, Leo Jaramillo, an Espanola Democrat, said he left a teaching job in Belen after his father died for a higher-paying job in another field closer to home. If my pay was more than $28,000 a year Id still be in the classroom, Jaramillo said. SANTA FE New Mexico would legalize the possession of test strips used to detect fentanyl under a bill adopted by the state House late Saturday and on its way to the Senate. The states harm reduction program could also distribute the tests to help users determine whats contained in a substance before they take it. State Rep. Tara Lujan, a Santa Fe Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, said the proposal would address the escalating number of fentanyl overdoses in New Mexico. If we do nothing, she said, were going to lose more lives. The legislation, House Bill 52, passed the House on a 56-10 vote. The states harm reduction program already provides sterile syringes in exchange for used ones to help reduce the spread of disease. The bill passed Saturday would allow the program to distribute other supplies or devices, such as drug-testing strips a step Lujan said would help address drug use that doesnt involve needles. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal In 1985, David Herrera Urias was a senior at West Mesa High and part of the schools gifted program, but he quit classes before graduating. He just walked away. It was hard to be interested in school, Urias said. I didnt know what I wanted to do. I had no direction. I was someone who got bored. It took Urias only long enough to see the disappointment in his parents eyes to regret what he had done. I went and got my GED (General Educational Development certificate), he said. Urias, now 54, is talking about those long-ago days as he sits in his new office on the seventh floor of Albuquerques Pete V. Domenici United States Courthouse. He is wearing a handsome, three-piece suit. Law books fill the shelves in the wall behind him. On Jan. 14, President Joe Biden appointed Urias, the man who did not get a high school diploma, to a position as U.S. District judge for the District of New Mexico. Now, he uses his impulsive decision to leave school as a teaching point. I always tell young people to never give up on their education, Urias says. Kids end up in places where they fall so far behind, they think they cant make it up. But even if things dont work out as you plan them, you can get to where you want to be. Paying the rent Urias was born in Pecos, Texas, but moved with his family to Albuquerque when he was in fourth grade. His father managed a tire store in Downtown Albuquerque, and his mother worked for a leather products business on the West Side. Both worked extremely hard, Urias said. Urias is the middle kid of three children. His older sister is chief of staff for the executive vice president of the University of New Mexicos Health Sciences Center, and his younger brother is a business owner in Seattle. It took a while for Urias to find his direction. In 1986, he was busing tables at a Gardunos restaurant (now El Bruno Restaurant Y Cantina) on North Fourth Street. For the next seven years, he bounced from job to job. Mostly I was bartending, he said. Sometimes I waited tables. I just found jobs that paid the rent. I always knew I wanted to go to school. I just didnt know what I wanted to do. That busing job at Gardunos proved to be among the most significant elements in Urias life because it was there he met Yolanda Roybal. She grew up in the North Valley, attended Cibola High and is part of a family with deep roots in New Mexico. Like Urias, she cleaned tables at Gardunos. We really didnt like each other at first, he said. But they got past that. Today they are married and have a family made up of three sons and two nephews. Yolanda was the one who really encouraged me to attend the university, Urias said. She always made me feel like there was nothing I could not do. Getting focused Urias was in his mid-20s when he enrolled at UNM. One of my high school friends was working for the FBI, he said. I thought I might like working in law enforcement. I majored in criminology and political science. He continued bartending to pay his way through college, and, as he always had, he read avidly. I started learning about the civil rights movement for Black Americans, for Hispanics, for all citizens really, Urias said. I remembered those Texas border towns where my parents grew up. They had segregated cemeteries. For many years, Hispanics were buried in one section and Anglos in another. In one of those towns, there was the old building that used to be the school where the Mexican-American kids had gone. There was another building where the white kids had gone. Suddenly, civil rights was his focus, his driving force. He just wasnt sure where it was driving him to. Yolanda was the one who said, I know you want to help people. You need to apply to law school. Thats when I started to think about the law profession. I wanted to represent people like those I grew up with lower middle class, not a lot of money. I didnt want to represent big companies or corporations. I think it was when I applied to law school that Yolanda decided to marry me. They were wed in 1997, the year Urias graduated from UNM. He entered UNMs law school in 1998. Street smarts From the start, Urias felt that law school was the right choice for him. I not only had great professors, but also great classmates, he said. One of those classmates is Hector Balderas, now New Mexicos attorney general. Immediately you could tell he was one of the smarter law students by the way he answered questions in class, Balderas said of Urias. But it was in the snack bar that I remember him saying his background was bartending, that he came from a blue-collar background. That resonated with Balderas, who grew up in the small village of Wagon Mound and had worked as a ranch hand. That is a commonality we shared, Balderas said. People are unaware that some of us (lawyers) come from humble backgrounds. I knew he would do well, that he could connect with regular people, that he had street smarts about him. Balderas and Urias also had strong feelings about equal rights and opportunities. We spent a lot of time talking about social justice issues, Balderas said. He always had this fire for social justice. He was a stand-up guy, remaining grounded with common folks. In 2001, Urias received his law degree cum laude and went off to Washington. Tremendously rewarding Urias wanted to work for a civil rights organization, but learned it was unusual for those organizations to hire attorneys fresh out of law school. Instead, he served as law clerk for Judge Vanessa Ruiz of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 2001 and 2002. That was a wild year in D.C., he said. My second day on the job clerking was 9/11. And then there were the anthrax (mail attacks) and the D.C. snipers. Judge Ruiz took a personal interest in the goals and ambitions of her staff. When she learned of Urias desire to do civil rights litigation, she pointed him toward the Fried Frank Civil Rights Fellowship. The fellowship gives an entry-level lawyer the opportunity to work two years with a prominent New York City law firm, then two years with either the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund or with MALDEF, the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Urias got that fellowship and worked from 2002 to 2004 as an associate with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York. The New York experience was unbelievable, he said. We did securities litigation and failed mergers. But I was also involved in pro bono cases involving civil rights litigation and did work representing families of the victims of 9/11 before the Victims Compensation Fund. It was a tremendously rewarding experience to do that. In 2004, he went to work as a staff attorney with MALDEFs San Antonio, Texas, office. His practice there consisted of civil litigation focused on civil rights. We tried cases in federal courts all over the Southwest, Urias said. There was a school segregation case at a Dallas elementary school in 2006. The principal had divided the school into general education, for whites, and nongeneral education, for Hispanic and Black students. He said the school used its English as a Second Language program to separate students even when minority students were proficient in English. Diversifying the bench Urias and his wife had two sons while he was in law school and a third son later. The family also includes two sons of Yolandas sister, who died young. The nephews were just 1 and 4 when Urias and Yolanda took them into their home. The five boys range in age from 13 to 22 now. My house always smelled like sweat and boys when they all lived there, Urias said. My biggest achievement in the last 20 years is that we stepped up to take care of our nephews. Urias and Yolanda wanted to raise the boys in New Mexico, so he started looking for opportunities in this state and left MALDEF in 2008 when he landed his dream job with the Albuquerque firm known at that time as Freedman, Boyd, Hollander, Goldberg, Ives & Duncan. Today, following Urias departure to serve as U.S. District judge, the firm is Freedman, Boyd, Hollander & Goldberg. That was probably the only firm I wanted to work for, Urias said. I knew the firm did not normally represent corporations and big businesses. They represented people and causes, and thats what I wanted to do, represent people who did not usually get that kind of representation. During his years with the firm, Urias worked antitrust cases and major contract disputes, but he also continued to work in civil rights law. He represented plaintiffs in employment discrimination cases and engaged in actions involving constitutional rights, election law, wrongful death, medical malpractice, retaliatory discharge and more. He was made a partner in the firm in 2012. Last spring, talk connecting him to a U.S. District judgeship started percolating. President Biden wanted to diversify the federal bench in professional background, Urias said. Federal judges had been coming from prosecutors and the larger defense firms. The president wanted to start pulling candidates from civil rights lawyers and public defenders, people who could bring a different perspective to the federal bench. I submitted an application after other local attorneys encouraged me to. And then I found I had the strong support of (U.S. senators) Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan. All about justice Biden sent Urias nomination for U.S. District judge to the Senate in September, and the Senate confirmed his nomination in December. He will make a great judge, said Nancy Hollander, Urias former law firm colleague. He is super smart. Hes got a great personality, not stiff at all. He really cared about his clients and will care about the people who come before him as a judge, the lawyers and their clients. Its all about justice, and David is all about justice. David Freedman, another of Urias former law firm associates, tried several cases with him. He is a great trial lawyer, always prepared, hardworking and very collegial, Feedman said. He is down to earth. He does not take himself too seriously. You do not want a judge who is pompous, and he is certainly not pompous. This is bittersweet. We are so happy for him and New Mexico, but we will miss him at the firm, miss him as a colleague. Lifetime appointment An appointment to the federal bench is for a lifetime term, and Urias said he is up to the task. I want to do this for as long as I can, he said. I see it as an honor to represent the people of New Mexico. I am mindful that my role as a federal judge is different than the role I had as an advocate. I am not here to advocate on the behalf of clients. I am here to ensure the fair and equal administration of justice, to make sure justice is served in every case. I may not be cut from the same cloth as other judges, but I want to be a positive thing. The windows in his new office afford a magnificent view of Albuquerques West Side, where Urias grew up, where he and his family live now, where his mother still lives. His father died in 2003. He takes comfort in the fact he did not turn out to be a disappointment to his parents. Dad saw me graduate from law school and get the fellowship, he said. Mom keeps telling me how proud my dad would be. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE A swift defeat often greets Republican state Rep. Bill Rehms repeated attempts to abolish the statute of limitations for second-degree murder. But the idea has been embraced more broadly by Democrats this session and is moving through the House with little opposition a sign of changes to the political landscape for crime legislation at the Roundhouse. While some bills are moving quickly, however, it remains to be seen how much of the tough-on-crime agenda promoted by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat up for reelection, will actually become law this year. Public safety isnt getting the attention it should be getting in the Legislature, Lujan Grisham told business leaders Friday. Rehm, for his part, said he isnt convinced any significant crime bills will survive both chambers and reach the governors desk. Hes been pushing to eliminate the statute of limitations on second-degree murder since 2007. But he said hes flattered, in a way, at the Legislatures renewed attention to bills that would stiffen some criminal penalties, reshape the pretrial detention system and give prosecutors more time to file charges of second degree murder. I guess plagiarism is the biggest compliment they can give me, Rehm said. At the heart of the public safety debate at the Roundhouse this session is how best to tackle New Mexicos persistently high violent crime rate twice the national average over the last three years. Albuquerque, in particular, has been a focus of attention after homicides spiked to a record-breaking 117 last year, a 46% increase over the previous year, generally matching a national trend. Some of the tough-on-crime bills, however, are dividing Democrats, who hold majorities in both chambers. Skeptics of the proposals say the certainty of being caught is a more powerful deterrent than the severity of the punishment a finding outlined in research by analysts working for the Legislative Finance Committee. A memo prepared by LFC analysts told lawmakers that felony arrests, convictions and prison admissions in the 2nd Judicial District home to Albuquerque, the states largest city havent kept up with crime. District Attorney Raul Torrez disputes much of the analysis. In any case, agreeing on how to address crime is proving difficult for lawmakers. Sen. Joseph Cervantes, a Las Cruces Democrat and chairman of his chambers Judiciary Committee, has turned his panel this session into a public forum of sorts for public safety ideas and research. He and his colleagues have heard from and bluntly questioned police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the judiciary about weak points in the criminal justice system. Simple-minded solutions are not going to do anything but get good press, Cervantes said in an interview. He also has pointed out that Las Cruces and other parts of New Mexico have seen much lower homicide rates than Albuquerque in recent years. Detention debate Perhaps the most high-profile crime proposal in the Legislature this year is a plan to revise New Mexicos pretrial detention law. The legislation, House Bill 5, is aimed at making it easier to hold people accused of certain crimes in jail until their trial. Police and prosecutors say theyre tired of arresting and prosecuting the same people over and over. But the measure has faced bipartisan skepticism both about its constitutionality and whether other criminal justice changes would be more effective. The legislation backed by Lujan Grisham, Torrez and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, all Democrats has moved slowly so far, clearing just one of the two House committees its been assigned to. If approved by the full House, the measure would also have to navigate the Senate and any committees its assigned to there by Feb. 17 to reach the governors desk. Lujan Grisham herself has expressed frustration at how crime-related bills are faring at the Roundhouse. She described herself as a fighter and said she will continue to push lawmakers to pass the bills, but she acknowledged the pretrial detention measure could face long odds due to skepticism from some top-ranking Democratic lawmakers. I dont know that I can get that over the finish line, the governor told members of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce on Friday. Constitutional concerns about the pretrial detention bill are legitimate, she said, but lawmakers could provide legal safeguards while still advancing that and other proposals. When you have an acute public safety issue, you have to address it right now, Lujan Grisham said. Albuquerque city officials have pitched a broader legislative package not just the pretrial detention bill in recent weeks as theyve lobbied lawmakers for help. Among the proposals theyre supporting are a statewide Violence Intervention Program that seeks to keep people from reoffending; a law targeting chop shops that dismantle stolen vehicles; penalty enhancements for crimes involving firearms; and requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms away from children. We need to stop trying to find one person to blame or one solution to push and instead support and fix the criminal justice system from all directions, Sarita Nair, the chief administrative officer under Keller, told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a recent hearing. Financial clash The state budget is also ensnared in the crime debate. The $8.5 billion spending plan passed the House on a 56-13 vote last week picking up some bipartisan support and is now before the Senate Finance Committee. The legislation, House Bill 2, includes raises of nearly 16% for State Police officers and $5 million for law enforcement retention bonuses. It would also funnel more money into programs aimed at reducing criminal recidivism, such as transitional housing for convicts reentering the community. But Lujan Grisham has called for a $100 million fund to retain and recruit officers and the Governors Office has indicated she would not sign the budget into law in its current form. We do not have enough police officers in the state of New Mexico, the governor said in her recent remarks to Albuquerque business leaders. Cervantes, for his part, said his hearings have convinced him that New Mexico should boost funding for the pretrial supervision of people accused of a crime. The system needs enough funding, he said, to ensure those wearing an ankle monitor are tracked all day, every day, throughout the state. Failure to communicate Some of the proposals backed by Rehm, a retired sheriffs captain, are advancing in the Legislature this session, in contrast to past years. Two separate proposals to abolish the six-year statute of limitations on second degree murder, for example, have advanced through at least their first committees. Two years ago, a similar proposal by Rehm wasnt added to the legislative agenda by the governor, keeping it from moving through the Legislature at all. Three years ago, the idea passed one committee, then died in its second. Rehm is hoping for more success this time but isnt convinced, even as the statute of limitations measure advances further than it has in years. Right now, I dont know if anything is going to get through, he said. Cervantes, by contrast, said his hearings have demonstrated the need for action that goes beyond passing new laws. Parts of the criminal justice system, he said, appear to be working at cross purposes. Police and prosecutors want to hold more people in jail before trial, for example, while the Bernaillo County jail faces a staffing shortage and litigation. Torrez, the district attorney, has sued the 2nd Judicial District Court seeking GPS location records for two defendants arrested on new crimes while wearing court-ordered ankle monitors. My theme for this session has been from Cool Hand Luke, the movie, Cervantes said. What we have here is a failure to communicate. Federal oversight, he said, is also a factor. Albuquerque police, for example, are operating under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice following a 2014 federal investigation that found a pattern of officers violating peoples rights through excessive force. One of the goals of these hearings, Cervantes said, has been to have people talking in an open way that they just dont do enough of. A lot of the solutions are not things that the Legislature can do with state law. That isnt an answer likely to satisfy lawmakers backing tough-on-crime bills this session. Forty-four proposals on crime and criminal penalties have been filed in this years session. Their fate will come into focus over the next 11 days. Copyright 2022 Albuquerque Journal Thomas J. Mescalls vocations were many and varied. He was a husband, a father, a lawyer, a judge and a Catholic priest. The Rev. John Carney, a retired Catholic priest who knew Mescall before and after his ordination into the priesthood, remembers his friend as smart, sometimes stubborn and steadfastly devout. He was hardheaded and very, very intelligent, Carney said of Mescall. He was very Chicago Irish Catholic, steeped in the faith, and he carried his faith throughout his life. Mescall died in Albuquerque on Feb. 1. He was 74. Visitation begins at 4 p.m. Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center, 1815 Las Lomas NE, on the University of New Mexico campus. The rosary will be recited at the Newman Center at 6 p.m. Monday. Archbishop John C. Wester will celebrate the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Tuesday, also at the Newman Center. Burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 1900 Edith NE. Mescall was born in Chicago, the son and grandson of Chicago policemen. He went to St. Leo High School in Chicago and came to New Mexico to attend the University of Albuquerque. After earning an undergraduate degree at Albuquerque, he got a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He returned to Albuquerque and practiced law here from 1973 to 2000, working as an attorney and serving as a municipal court, metropolitan court, district and probate judge. Judith Nakamura, former chief justice of New Mexico, remembers Mescall appearing before her as an attorney when she was a Bernalillo County Metro Court judge. He was one of those attorneys you could take at his word, she said. He was an absolute zealot for his clients, committed and hard working. Mescall was married early in his career and had two children, both of whom followed him into the legal profession. Thomas J. Mescall II is an Albuquerque attorney. Regina Mescall Kramer started her legal profession in Albuquerque, working for a time as a prosecutor in the Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office. She then moved to Chicago and was elected judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in November 2020. Carney said Mescall was devoted to both his children and would call his son every day to pray with him on the phone. One of the greatest joys in his life was helping me win the judgeship, Regina said of her father. He was an interesting man, very spiritual, very Catholic. Both of his children were adults when Mescall started to seriously consider entering the priesthood. Nakamura said she remembers Mescall being torn between the legal profession and the religious life. She said the priesthood actually seemed like a natural fit for him. He was a good, genuine person, she said. In many ways (the law and religious life) have similarities, helping people in need. You admire people like him who pursue what they really want to do. Mescall attended Sacred Heart School of Theology in Wisconsin and was ordained in 2004 at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois at the age of 56. Carney, like Mescall, came to the priesthood late. He was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1987 and served two tours in Vietnam. He retired as a lieutenant colonel and was ordained a priest when he was 44. He called me the colonel and I called him the judge, Carney said. Carney, a native of New York City, served as a priest in New Mexico. He was pastor of the Church of the Incarnation in Rio Rancho when he retired more than five years ago. Mescall was assigned to the Archdiocese of Chicago and served as a priest in his native city until he retired in 2018. For a lot of those years, Mescall was parish administrator and then pastor of St. Adrian, a church struggling to survive in what Carney describes as a tough part of Chicago. St. Adrian is a parish in (Chicagos) war zone, Carney said. The word on the street was that St. Adrian was going to go belly up. I think the people of St. Adrians attribute Toms presence there to the fact the church is still there. Carney said Mescall took many pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Estimates vary from more than a dozen to more than two dozen. Carney accompanied him on two of those trips, the most recent one in 2018. He said Mescall would sign up to celebrate Mass at Jerusalems Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which, according to tradition, sits on the sites of Christs crucifixion and burial and resurrection. Wed be out on the streets at 6 a.m., when nothing else but cats and the Israeli army was up, going to say Mass there, Carney said. Mescall had homes in Albuquerque and Chicago. He had been in Albuquerque for the last couple of months and became ill about five weeks ago, suffering a series of mini strokes. His two children were with him almost continuously in his final days. He died in hospice care. I had the wonderful blessing of being with him when he took his last breath, Regina said. I had been sleeping. I believe I must have been waken by an angel, three minutes before he died. Survivors include his son, Thomas; his daughter, Regina, her husband, Peter Kramer, and their four children; and a brother, James Mescall. RZESZOW-JASIONKA, Poland A few dozen elite U.S troops and equipment were seen landing Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, following President Joe Bidens orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Polands border with Ukraine. A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan. Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty, we know that we are stronger together, Donahue said at the airport. In Warsaw, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak hailed the deployment, saying that deterrence and solidarity are the best response to Moscows aggressive policy, to the aggressive attempt at reconstructing the Russian empire. Russia has amassed some 100,000 troops on the borders of Ukraine, some for joint military exercises in Belarus, but insists it has no intentions of invading Ukraine. A collective response by NATO members is the best response to a threat, the only method of assuring security to Poland and to other NATO countries on the alliances eastern flank, Blaszczak said. He stressed he has held a number of talks on the subject with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Biden ordered additional U.S. troops deployed to Poland, Romania and Germany to demonstrate to both allies and foes Americas commitment to NATOs eastern flank amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. NATOs eastern member Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine. Romania borders Ukraine. The division can rapidly deploy within 18 hours and conduct parachute assaults to secure key objectives. Based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the divisions history goes back to 1917. Earlier in the week, U.S. planes brought equipment and logistics troops in preparation for the arrival of part of the division to the airport. Polish soldiers have previously worked together with the U.S. division on missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and have trained together, according to Maj. Przemyslaw Lipczynski, a spokesman for the Polish Armys 18th Mechanized Division. Some 4,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in Poland since 2017 on a rotating basis, as a security boost in the face of Russias increased military activity. European officials fear that the continents energy supplies are vulnerable i n the case of hostilities over Ukraine. ____ This story has been corrected to say that a few dozen troops, not hundreds, have arrived so far Sunday and that the C-17 Globemaster was with the U.S. Air Force, not the U.S. Army. ___ Follow all AP stories about tensions over Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. NEW YORK Looking out at a sea of faces at a Texas fairground, most of them white, former President Donald Trump seethed about his legal troubles and blamed them on malicious prosecutors. These prosecutors are vicious, horrible people. Theyre racists and theyre very sick, theyre mentally sick, Trump said, before warning his audience: In reality, theyre not after me. Theyre after you. He repeated his charge of racism, but skipped over an obvious detail: Those prosecutors are Black. His diatribe left the clear impression that Trump, who rode the politics of white grievance into the White House, thinks he cant possibly be treated fairly by Black officials. The comments carry the echoes of racist messages that have proliferated in recent years - that Black people and other minorities are taking power, and that they will exact revenge on white people, or at the very least treat white people as they have been treated. Thats among the fears stoking the white supremacy movement, the so-called white replacement theory that people of color will supplant whites in the countrys power dynamics and social structure. These are the same justifications that they use for Jim Crow laws and their mistreatment of African Americans. So this is just a rerun of what weve seen in our country, said one Black district attorney, Brian Middleton of Fort Bend County, Texas, which lies southwest of central Houston. Trump attacking prosecutors is nothing new. When his business and political dealings are investigated, he often strikes back with accusations of misconduct and witch hunts. The former president has long been accused of biogtry. Before the 2016 election, Trump called U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel a hater who could not be fair to him in a fraud case involving Trump University because of the judges Hispanic heritage and because Trump vowed to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. And after 2017 demonstrations by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent, he said at a news conference that there were very fine people, on both sides. He had never accused his prosecutors of racism before but then, until the start of the year, one of those attorneys was Cyrus Vance Jr., who is white. Now he faces an array of Black prosecutors: New York Attorney General Letitia James; Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Vances successor and the first Black person to hold that office; Fani Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia, DA; even Rep. Bennie Thompson, the leader of the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection. And critics say Trumps rhetoric has escalated, perhaps because he recognizes that some among his base are receptive to more overt racism. It intensifies that discourse and makes it explicitly racial, said Casey Kelly, a communications professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who for years has pored over transcripts of Trumps speeches. At a recent rally in Arizona, he said falsely that white people in New York were being sent to the back of line for antiviral treatments. And now Trump is using the investigations against him and the prosecutors behind them as evidence of a larger systemic pattern that white people dont have a place in the future of America and hes the only one that can fight on their behalf, Kelly said. Michael Steele, who more than a decade ago was the first African American to chair the Republican National Committee, said Trump was being Trump. If he can race bait it, he will. These prosecutors, these Black people are coming after me the white man, Steele said. They didnt just wake up and say, Im gonna waste city resources and state resources to go after Donald Trump,' said Steele, a member of the Lincoln Project, a Republican group opposed to the former president. Whether the prosecutors are Black or white, his corruption is still the same. Its him, his actions, his behavior, his decisions and thats where the onus lies. There is evidence that Trumps words have had consequences. Willis the Georgia prosecutor who asked a judge to impanel a special grand jury to help probe possible criminal disruptions by Trump and his allies during the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that threats and racist slurs against her have increased since Trumps rally in Texas. In a letter to the FBI, Willis called Trumps rhetoric alarming. She called on the FBI to help assess security at the county courthouse and provide personnel to protect the area against possible attack, like the one on the U.S. Capitol a year ago. Trump has his defenders. Harrison Fields, who worked in the Trump White House, now serves as a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a Trump ally and one of only two Black Republicans serving in the House. He said the country has more important matters to tackle. Donalds sees Trumps remarks as a nonstory, as do about 98% of the American public, who are not in the media, or who are not in the Democrat Party, Fields said. The congressman is focused on issues that actually matter, which is supporting the America-first policies of the former president, he said. The flip side of Trumps aspersions of Black prosecutorial power is the argument that it has been too long in coming. The countrys system of law and order has long subjugated African Americans from slavery through the days of Jim Crow until today, some would argue, as some states adopt anti-protest laws and tighter control over the ballot box. Black inmates still disproportionately occupy jail and prison cells. A 2019 study by the Reflective Democracy Campaign found that only 5% of the countrys elected prosecutors were of color. But Black men and women now lead some of the countrys largest prosecutorial offices, including those in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Detroit. Trump is questioning their legitimacy, said Diana Becton, another Black district attorney who serves in Contra Costa County in the San Francisco Bay area. His accusations are certainly not subtle. Theyre frightening, Becton said. Its like saying, we are out of our place, that were being uppity and we are going to be put back in our place by people who look like him. Middleton, the Texas DA, added that its not about unjust laws. There are double standards in how laws are applied. And one remedy is to diversify the people who enforce those laws. Certain people get away with things and so we need people who are willing to hold people like Donald Trump accountable, he said, where we have to have people in positions of authority who will make sure that all people are treated the same under the law. ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this story from Conroe, Texas. People wait for their coronavirus tests at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Feb. 3. AP-Yonhap South Korea surpassed one million cumulative COVID-19 cases Sunday since the pandemic began as health officials reported a daily record of 38,691 new infections driven by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The country saw its first confirmed COVID-19 case Jan. 20, 2020, and soon became the first country outside China to battle a major outbreak. An aggressive strategy of tracking, tracing, masking and quarantining helped South Korea blunt that initial wave and keep overall cases and deaths low without widespread lockdowns, but the spread of the Omicron variant is driving case numbers to new highs. Deaths have remained low in the highly vaccinated country, however, 15 new fatalities were reported Saturday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. TORONTO The mayor of Canadas capital declared a state of emergency Sunday and a former U.S. ambassador to Canada said groups in the U.S. must stop interfering in the domestic affairs of Americas neighbor as protesters opposed to COVID-19 restrictions continued to paralyze Ottawas downtown. Mayor Jim Watson said the declaration highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government. It gives the city some additional powers around procurement and how it delivers services, which could help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders. Thousands of protesters descended in Ottawa again on the weekend, joining a hundred who remained since last weekend. Residents of Ottawa are furious at the nonstop blaring of horns, traffic disruption and harassment and fear no end is in sight after the police chief called it a siege that he could not manage. The freedom truck convoy has attracted support from many U.S. Republicans including former President Donald Trump, who called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a far left lunatic who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates. Canada US relations used to be mainly about solving technical issues. Today Canada is unfortunately experiencing radical US politicians involving themselves in Canadian domestic issues. Trump and his followers are a threat not just to the US but to all democracies, Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador under President Barack Obama, tweeted. Heyman said under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop. After crowdfunding site GoFundMe said it would refund or redirect to charities the vast majority of the millions raised by demonstrators protesting in the Canadian capital, prominent U.S. Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis complained. But GoFundMe had already changed its mind and said it would be issuing refunds to all. The site said it cut off funding for the organizers because it had determined the effort violated the sites terms of service due to unlawful activity. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called it an occupation. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxon tweeted: Patriotic Texans donated to Canadian truckers worthy cause. and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said on Fox News government doesnt have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates. For some senior American politicians, patriotism means renting a mob to put a G-7 capital under siege, tweeted Gerald Butts, a former senior adviser to Trudeau. In Canadas largest city, Toronto, police controlled and later ended a much smaller protest by setting up road blocks and preventing any trucks or cars from getting near the provincial legislature. Police also moved in to clear a key intersection in the city. Many Canadians have been outraged over the crude behavior of the demonstrators. Some protesters set fireworks off on the grounds of the National War Memorial late Friday. A number have carried signs and flags with swastikas last weekend and compared vaccine mandates to fascism. Protesters have said they wont leave until all mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are gone. They are also calling for the removal of Trudeaus government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments. WILMINGTON, Del. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine any day, launching a conflict that would come at an enormous human cost. The senior adviser to President Joe Biden offered another stark warning the day after U.S. officials confirmed that Russia has assembled at least 70% of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well, Sullivan said. Sullivan did not directly address reports that the White House has briefed lawmakers that a full Russian invasion could lead to the quick capture of Kyiv and potentially result in as many as 50,000 casualties as he made appearances on a trio of Sunday talk shows. U.S. officials, who discussed internal assessments of the Russian buildup on the condition that they not be identified, sketched out a series of indicators suggesting that Putin intends to start an invasion in the coming weeks, although the size and scale are unclear. They stressed that a diplomatic solution appears to remain possible. Among those military indicators: an exercise of Russias strategic nuclear forces that usually is held each fall was rescheduled for mid-February to March. That coincides with what U.S. officials see as the most likely window for invasion. The administration has stepped up warnings in recent days that Russia increasingly seems intent on further invading Ukrainian territory. Last week, Biden administration officials said that intelligence findings showed that the Kremlin had worked up an elaborate plot to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to take military action against its neighbor. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the scheme included production of a graphic propaganda video that would show staged explosions and use corpses and actors depicting grieving mourners. It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet, Sullivan said. He added that Putin has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now. Sullivan said that the administration held on to hope that the Russians would move to de-escalate the situation through diplomacy. The key thing is that the United States needs to be and is prepared for any of those contingencies and in lockstep with our allies and partners, Sullivan said. We have reinforced and reassured our allies on the eastern flank. Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, attended a classified briefing last week that administration officials gave to members of Congress. He was asked whether he came away from the briefing thinking it was certain that Russia would move on Ukraine. I would say the conditions are there. Its more likely than not. I think the noose is being prepared. Its around Ukraine right now as we speak. These are dangerous times, McCaul said. Bidens ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the administration was still seeking a diplomatic solution, but at the same time, we know that the Russians continue to prepare, and we will be working to address the security issues. Sen. John Barrasso, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Ukraine was the first part of Putins plan to reassemble the Soviet Union. He worried about what signal that could send to U.S. adversaries. He needs to choke on trying to swallow Ukraine because if its easy pickings for him, my worry is that then China moves against Taiwan and Iran moves quickly to a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, elite U.S troops and equipment landed Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine following Bidens orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds more troops from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport. A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles. Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan. Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty we know that we are stronger together, Donahue said at the airport. Biden ordered additional U.S. troops deployed to Poland, Romania and Germany to demonstrate Americas commitment to NATOs eastern flank amid the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. NATOs eastern member Poland borders both Russia and Ukraine. Romania borders Ukraine. The division can rapidly deploy within 18 hours and conduct parachute assaults to secure key objectives. Based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the divisions history goes back to 1917. Biden is set to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday at the White House. Scholz has said that Moscow would pay a high price in the event of an attack, but his governments refusal to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster its troop presence in eastern Europe or spell out which sanctions it would support against Russia has drawn criticism abroad and at home. French President Emmanuel Macron was to arrive Monday in Moscow for talks with Putin, and in the days to come, Scholz will be there, too. Biden and Macron spoke by phone on Sunday, discussing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russias continued military build-up on Ukraines borders, according to the White House. Sullivan expressed certainty that operation of the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will not move forward if Russia further invades Ukraine. Construction of the pipeline is complete, but gas is not yet flowing. While its true that Germany has not sent arms to Ukraine, after the United States, they are the second largest donor to Ukraine in Europe, Sullivan said. The great thing about having the kind of alliances we have with 30 NATO allies is that different allies are going to take different pieces of this. Sullivan appeared on Fox News Sunday, NBCs Meet the Press and ABCs This Week. McCaul spoke on ABC, and Barrasso was on Fox. Thomas-Greenfield was on CNNs State of the Union. PARIS Rarely in recent years has the Kremlin been so popular with European visitors. French President Emmanuel Macron arrives Monday. T he Hungarian prime minister visited last week. And in days to come, the German chancellor will be there, too. All are hoping to get through to President Vladimir Putin, the man who singlehandedly shapes Russias course amid its military buildup near Ukraine and whose designs are a mystery even for his own narrow inner circle. The priority for me on the Ukrainian question is dialogue with Russia and de-escalation, Macron said this week as reporters were asking about a possible in-person meeting with Putin. Im very worried by the situation on the ground. There are some signs that relations could thaw. From Putins perspective, he already has had something of a win, because hes got our undivided attention and part of the exercise was clearly to get us to focus on him, Fiona Hill, a former U.S. intelligence officer on Russia and Eurasian affairs, testified last week during a congressional hearing. Sergei Ryabkov, a senior Russian diplomat who led Moscows delegation in last months security talks with the U.S. in Geneva, said recently that Russia was now setting the agenda that the U.S. and the so-called collective West now follow. We have seized the foreign policy initiative. Macron insists Europeans must have a say in the crisis that threatens the stability of the continent. Macron and Putin have already spoken three times by phone in recent days with inconclusive results. The French president has in the past shown skepticism of NATO, and in 2019 said the organization was experiencing brain death. On Saturday, that skepticism was nowhere to be found, as Macron spoke by phone with NATOs secretary-general and underscored Frances commitment within NATO for the security of its allies. France has also offered to send troops to Romania as part of NATO, which has regained a sense of unity in recent weeks. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian about efforts by NATO, the European Union and other countries to address Russias continued military build-up on Ukraines borders. European diplomacy has helped cool tensions in the past. French and German mediation in 2015 helped end large-scale hostilities in eastern Ukraine, which erupted in 2014 when Moscow threw its weight behind separatist rebels in the countrys east following Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Paris organized a meeting Jan. 26 of presidential advisers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. They agreed to meet again soon in Berlin, but Russian officials say any new four-way summit would make sense only if the parties agree on the next steps to give a special status to pro-Russian separatists. Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, warned against insisting the country stick to the obligations it was forced to take after a string of military defeats, arguing that it could trigger internal unrest that would play into Moscows hand. When they were signed under the Russian gun barrel and the Germans and the French watched it was already clear for all rational people that its impossible to implement those documents, Danilov told The Associated Press. The French president travels to Kyiv on Tuesday. The new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who headed to the U.S. on Sunday, plans a trip to Moscow in a week. Russia expert Tatiana Kastoueva-Jean, from the French Institute of international relations (IFRI), said we can at least give (Macron) credit for maintaining the dialogue Its helpful to have a channel to express European concerns directly to Putin. Its not because (Macron) goes to Russia that he is abandoning Ukraine, she added. Macron recently acknowledged a discussion with Russia is always difficult. Hes tried repeatedly to set up personal links with Putin, inviting him to the sumptuous Versailles palace and, in a rare honor, his summer residence at the Fort de Bregancon to give a boost to peace talks with Ukraine in 2019. Putin had reciprocated with an invitation to Russia for Macron, but the coronavirus pandemic prevented the trip until now. In Ukraine, Hill said, 70% of the population see Russia as a hostile force. And in Europe, what has he (Putin) achieved? retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges testified. NATO is more vigorous today than it has probably been in the last 20 to 25 years. Hodges noted that Russia was expelled from the G-8 after the 2014 invasion of Ukraine, which left him with fewer direct contacts among leaders of the worlds most powerful nations. Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether one-on-one meetings with those same leaders will be enough to persuade Putin that he stands more to lose than to gain. Every move has so far been on his timetable, Hill said. The ultimate decision-making in Ukraine is up to Vladimir Putin as well as the small group of people in his inner circle who share his views. ___ Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Lori Hinnant in Paris and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed. ___ Follow all AP stories on the crisis over Ukraine at h ttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. TEL AVIV, Israel Israeli police allegedly used sophisticated spyware against a key witness in the corruption trial of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli media reported, jolting the trial and shining a light on a contentious Israeli-developed surveillance tool. Netanyahu is in the midst of a lengthy corruption trial over charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases. In the initial report by Israeli Channel 13 last week, police were said to have used spyware to collect information off the witness phone without first obtaining authorization, sparking an uproar. Netanyahus lawyers have demanded answers from the state about what was gathered and how. The report has reenergized Netanyahus supporters, who have long seen the trial as part of a conspiracy to topple the polarizing former leader. Even Netanyahus political opponents are outraged. This is an earthquake that would justify a governmental commission of inquiry, Cabinet Minister Tamar Zandberg, who sits in the coalition that ousted Netanyahu last year, told Israeli Army Radio Sunday. That the spyware was likely Israeli-developed was a point of shame, she said. Amnon Lord, a columnist at the pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom daily, called for a mistrial. The witness whose phone was reportedly hacked, Shlomo Filber, is expected to testify in the coming days and Netanyahus lawyers are expected to request a delay to his testimony. It remains unclear whether any of the evidence allegedly gathered was used against Netanyahu. Police, as well as a lawyer for Netanyahu, did not respond to a request for comment. But last week, Netanyahu, who was ousted last June by a new coalition government, accused police in a Twitter post of illegally hacking into a phone to topple a strong, right-wing prime minister. Israels Justice Ministry declined to comment. State prosecutors have told Netanyahus lawyers that they are thoroughly examining the reports, according to internal communications seen by The Associated Press. The report comes after Israeli newspaper Calcalist reported that Israeli police tracked targets without proper authorization. Last week, Israels national police force said it had found evidence pointing to improper use of the spyware by its own investigators to snoop on Israeli citizens phones. The revelations shocked Israelis and prompted condemnations from across the political spectrum. Authorities have not said which spyware might have been improperly used. But the Calcalist report said at least some of the cases involved the Israeli company NSO. NSO is Israels best-known maker of offensive cyberware, but it is far from the only one. Its flagship product, Pegasus, allows operators to seamlessly infiltrate a targets mobile phone and gain access to the devices contents, including messages and contacts, as well as location history. NSO has faced mounting scrutiny over Pegasus, which has been linked to snooping on human rights activists, journalists and politicians across the globe in countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. NSO says all of its sales are approved by Israels Defense Ministry. Such sales have reportedly played a key role in Israels development of ties with Arab states in the Gulf. Aluf Benn, editor of the Haaretz daily, said it was a surprising twist that Netanyahu was now portraying himself as a victim. What an irony: The man who leveraged Pegasus for foreign-policy gains now believes he lost his domestic power on account of the spyware, he wrote. Instagram Celebrity When issuing his apology, the comedian claims the videos shared by India.Arie are made up of 'out of context' moments from '12 years of conversations' on his 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. Feb 6, 2022 AceShowbiz - Joe Rogan has regretted his "regretful and shameful" actions. After India.Arie shared some videos of him using the N-word and calling black people "apes," the podcaster issued his apology on social media. The UFC color commentator expressed his remorse through an Instagram video. At first, he noted that the clips that Arie posted were made up of "out of context" moments from "12 years of conversations" on his "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "It looks f**king horrible. Even to me," he acknowledged. "I know that to most people, there is no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast. And I agree with that now, I haven't said it in years." "It's not my word to use. I am well aware of that now, but for years I used it in that manner," the 54-year-old continued. "I never used it to be racist because I'm not racist." Although he realized that there's nothing he can do "to take that back," Rogan said that he wished he could. He hopes that his mistakes can be a "teachable moment" for others because he "never thought it would ever be taken out of context and put in a video like that." The comedian also addressed the clip from 11 years ago in which he talked about going to a cinema in a Black neighborhood to see "Planet of the Apes." He explained, "I was trying to make the story entertaining, and I said we got out and it was like we were in Africa. It's like we were in 'Planet of the Apes'." Rogan's clarification came after Arie called him out on Instagram by bringing up the old clips of his podcast. Arie herself followed Neil Young's footsteps in removing their music from Spotify. While Arie pulled her catalog due to his "problematic" comments about race, Young, Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren and Graham Nash left the company because of Rogan's misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. The boycott led Spotify to delete more than 100 episodes of "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. Among them were episodes that featured Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, Michael Malice, Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopoulos. Like many other states around the country, a financial crisis is brewing in Connecticut. More than 600,000 of the people who work there dont have access to an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan.1 MyCTSavings is designed to fulfill this unmet need and prevent future strain on the states economy. Its also an opportunity for employers to enhance their benefits packages and attract and retain talent. What is the CT Retirement Security Program? MyCTSavings is a state-sponsored retirement savings program that provides a convenient way for employers to help their employees reach their financial goals. Theres minimal administrative work necessary and the plan easily integrates with existing payroll systems. MyCTSavings is also affordable because its entirely funded by employee contributions and no fees are charged to employers. Why is MyCTSavings being offered? Connecticut legislators created MyCTSavings because despite efforts to encourage participation in privately-sponsored retirement benefits, nearly half of the states workforce is not enrolled in a plan.2 And although anyone can work with a financial institution to create an individual retirement account (IRA), saving rates generally are greater when theyre processed automatically via payroll deductions. What type of retirement plan is CT Retirement Security? The CT state-sponsored retirement plan is a Roth IRA, which means that employees contribute post-tax dollars to their savings account. When they retire and draw on the plan, their income is generally tax free. What are the features of the Connecticut Retirement Security Program for employees? MyCTSavings makes planning for retirement easy with features like these: Automatic enrollment Employees are automatically enrolled in the state-sponsored plan at a contribution rate of 3%. They can adjust this rate at any time and contribute as little as 1% to as much as 100%, as long as their total annual contributions dont exceed the IRS maximum for an IRA. Employees are automatically enrolled in the state-sponsored plan at a contribution rate of 3%. They can adjust this rate at any time and contribute as little as 1% to as much as 100%, as long as their total annual contributions dont exceed the IRS maximum for an IRA. Customizable investment options For the first 60 days, plan participants invest in a cash preservation fund. After this introductory period, their savings are automatically transferred to a target date retirement portfolio or they can customize their investments. Available options include income portfolios, balanced portfolios, conservative growth portfolios and more. For the first 60 days, plan participants invest in a cash preservation fund. After this introductory period, their savings are automatically transferred to a target date retirement portfolio or they can customize their investments. Available options include income portfolios, balanced portfolios, conservative growth portfolios and more. Portability Employees who change jobs take their MyCTSavings account with them. Even if they move to another state, they can continue to contribute to the plan by check or roll their savings into another IRA. Employees who change jobs take their MyCTSavings account with them. Even if they move to another state, they can continue to contribute to the plan by check or roll their savings into another IRA. Voluntary participation Participants of MyCTSavings can opt out at any time. If they do so within 30 days of their enrollment, no payroll deductions will have occurred. Those that opt out after this time frame may withdraw any contributions they made to the plan. They can also re-enroll whenever theyd like to resume saving. Which employers must participate in MyCTSavings? Employers in CT who have five or more employees that each earn more than $5,000 in a calendar year must either participate in MyCTSavings or sponsor another qualified retirement plan through the private market. Businesses that dont comply may be penalized. What is the registration deadline for businesses? The state plans to send a series of enrollment notices and reminders to eligible businesses in 2022. These communications will include each employers unique access code and registration deadline. Does CT Retirement Security have fees? MyCTSavings has certain administrative and operating expenses, which are covered by employees, not employers. Each year, plan participants pay an asset-based fee of 22%, or $0.22 for every $100 in their account, as well as a $26 account fee, billed $6.50 quarterly. Can a small business opt to offer a different retirement plan? Employers can certify their exemption from MyCTSavings if they offer another qualified retirement plan, such as: 401(k) 403(a) qualified annuity 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity 408(k) simplified employee pension 408(p) SIMPLE IRA 457(b) government deferred compensation How does the Connecticut Retirement Security Program compare to alternatives? Frequently asked questions about MyCTSavings Is participation in Connecticut retirement security program mandatory? Participation in MyCTSavings is completely voluntary for employees, but mandatory for businesses that dont sponsor a qualified retirement plan and have more than five employees who each earn more than $5,000 in a calendar year. We already offer another plan. Can we get an exemption? Employers who offer a retirement plan that qualifies for exemption can opt out of MyCTSavings using their unique access code and employer identification number (EIN). Who administers the CT retirement program? The Connecticut Retirement Security Authority oversees MyCTSavings and makes decisions about the investment options available to plan participants with the help of a private investment consultant. How is the CT retirement security program funded? Employees who are enrolled in MyCTSavings are charged annual fees to cover the cost of plan administration. What does the Connecticut retirement security program cost taxpayers? MyCTSavings is self-sustaining and requires no taxpayer funding. 1 MyCTSavings 2 State of Connecticut Comptroller This information is intended to be used as a starting point in analyzing retirement plans and is not a comprehensive resource of all requirements. It offers practical information concerning the subject matter and is provided with the understanding that ADP is not rendering legal or tax advice or other professional services. Unless otherwise agreed in writing with a client, ADP, Inc. and its affiliates (ADP) do not endorse or recommend specific investment companies or products, financial advisors or service providers; engage or compensate any financial advisor or firm for the provision of advice; offer financial, investment, tax or legal advice or management services; or serve in a fiduciary capacity with respect to retirement plans. All ADP companies identified are affiliated companies. Alton, IL (62002) Today Cloudy skies with periods of rain this afternoon. High 68F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight A steady rain this evening. Showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder developing overnight. Low near 60F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Local alert featured popular urgent Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas to seek third term in office Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas told The Albany Herald in an exclusive interview that he plans to seek a third term in office. Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher Attorney Chris Cohilas is seeking a third four-year term as chairman of the Dougherty County Commission. ALBANY Theres an adage that rings all too true for politicians and politics: Dont tell me what youre going to do, tell me what youve done for me lately. As he announced his plans to run for a third term as chairman of the Dougherty County Commission, Chris Cohilas was all too glad to do a little bit of both. He has a plan, a vision, for the future of the county, he said during a candid conversation. But hell go toe-to-toe with anyone over the question of recent accomplishments and his eight years of service on behalf of southwest Georgias largest community. I had no idea what it would be like to be tested under the circumstances weve faced as a community over my eight years in office; weve been through so much, Cohilas, an attorney with the Albany-based Watson Spence firm, said. But it became clear as we worked to overcome the hardship of four presidentially declared disasters tornados, storms, straight-line winds, a hurricane, a recession, a pandemic that we were all, from the poorest poor to the most comfortable, beaten up over these emergencies. For some reason, though, we never had anyone whod ask for the things we needed, the things that other communities were getting. We were just told, You dont meet the formula. I knew that wasnt true, so I thought it important that we tell our story, that we bring officials here to witness what we were going through. What that did, what getting in a car and driving to Atlanta to talk to folks in state government or flying to Washington to talk to federal leaders, is it positioned us for a seat at the table. That seat, that foot in the door, Cohilas said, eventually led to millions of dollars in state and federal recovery funds pouring into the community, providing an opportunity to rebuild and, in some cases, provide unprecedented relief to some of the states poorest citizens. It took a lot to get folks to come down and see what was happening in our community; it took getting out and advocating on behalf of these people who had no food, no electricity, no access, the commission chairman said. Now, though, those funds are here, and we have an opportunity to make this community special again. And Ill be honest with you: One of the reasons Im running for another four years in office is that, now that we have an opportunity to maybe catch our breath without some disaster staring us in the face, I want to see Albany and Dougherty County become all they can be with the money we fought so hard for. Cohilas, who once was chief assistant district attorney for the Dougherty Judicial Circuit, has never been much of one for self-promotion. But his resume is an impressive one. Among the highlights: Young Lawyers Ethics and Professionalism award, State Bar of Georgia; Founding member of the Lily Pad SANE Center, an Albany-based child advocacy and rape crisis center that provides services to physically- and sexually-abused women and children; Named to Southwest Georgia 40 under 40; Chairperson of the Martin Luther King Day Celebration Committee; Recipient of the Martin Luther King Day Dream Award for community service; Past president and chairperson of the Artesian City Sertoma Club; Graduate of Leadership Georgia; Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as a member of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, which ensures that poor/indigent criminal defendants have adequate and competent legal representation; Elected chairman of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council; Received the Justice Robert Benham Award from the State of Georgia Supreme Court in recognition of support of the Albany-Dougherty community through natural disasters; Led the team that brokered the deal to bring Georgia Pacific Plant to Dougherty County, which received the Deal of the Year Award from Gov. Deal; Helped bring solar farm, biomass plant to Dougherty County. I like to think its an honor and its certainly humbling to be recognized, but what means more to me is being stopped in the grocery store and I mean at any grocery store in any part of town and being told thank you by one of our citizens, Cohilas said. Thats what really makes me feel connected. The commission chairman said his blue-collar upbringing, led by a Greek grandfather who fled Nazi occupation with his family and a firefighter/carpenter father who taught him early the importance of strengthening the whole self, mind and body, influenced greatly the man hes become. One of the things Ive taken from my upbringing is that you have to embrace the whole community, not try to build by slapping up a building and putting together a slick marketing campaign, he said. I have the kind of foundation that I think we need in our community, and thats important in every corner of the community. Fortunately, Ive worked as an attorney for clients who are among the poorest of the poor. Id say 99.9% of the victims Ive represented are minorities, many of whom are among the poorest of the poor. But I feel that I can walk into a room and have a conversation with the janitor or the president of the business. Cohilas said he and his fellow elected board members on the County Commission have developed a strong rapport thats allowed them to work toward whats best for their constituents. I think weve done some good work on the citizens behalf, he said. We dont always agree, but weve found the ability to disagree collegially and professionally. Im proud of the fact that about 97% of our votes are unanimous. Thats a sign of building consensus among the board members. As he prepares for a re-election campaign, Cohilas said hes heard no rumblings of possible opponents. But that, he says, is not a concern. Certainly, any citizen has the right to qualify and run, and if thats the case so be it, he said. Honestly, if someone came along that I thought could do a better job, Id gladly step aside. To do this job right, though, takes a lot. Not many people are aware, but while we were fighting so hard in 2017 to get help from FEMA and other agencies, I ended up not practicing law for six or seven months. I also think its a mistake for anyone to run for this or any office for the wrong reasons. Its certainly not for the money. And, you know me well enough to know Im not scared of competition. I dont mind saying, Im running for this office again to win. And I want to be a part of building Albany and Dougherty County back bigger, stronger and better than ever. gettyimagesbank By Yoon Ja-young Wage-earning workers of foreign nationality should file a year-end tax settlement just as workers of Korean nationality do, the tax agency said Sunday. The agency provides various services to support foreign employees in filing their taxes in the country. According to the National Tax Service (NTS), all foreign employees, excluding day laborers, should file their year-end taxes for 2021 by the day on which wages for February this year are paid, regardless of their nationality, length of residency or amount of income. If the salary for February is not paid until the last day of February, the year-end tax settlement should be done by that day. The method and deadline for foreign workers to file their year-end taxes are identical to those for Korean workers. They should submit their income deduction and tax deduction reports, as well as the related supporting documents, to their employers, instead of submitting them to the tax office. Depending on the results of the year-end settlement, employees will either pay more or be refunded for income taxes overpaid during the past year. Foreign workers can also use the simplified year-end tax settlement service for the first time this year. It lessens the burden on each tax filer, as the tax agency forwards employees' year-end tax settlement data directly to employers with the employees' consent. The NTS urged employers to help foreign employees with their year-end tax settlements, advising them to use the "Easy Guide for Foreigners' Year-end Tax Settlement," which is available on the agency's English website, on top of its English-language hotline for foreign nationals at 1588-0560, where it responds to inquiries. This year, the tax agency also started a video guide for the year-end tax settlement with English, Chinese and Vietnamese subtitles through its English website and YouTube channel. The NTS said that there are some changes that foreign workers should note when filing the year-end tax settlement for 2021. Starting from wage and salary income attributable to 2021, foreign employees can receive income deductions and tax credits for housing-related expenses, such as funds used for housing and monthly rent paid, in the same way that Korean employees do. However, foreign workers can't get deductions for deposits they made into savings accounts for housing purchases. Also notable is that the scope of employers providing income tax reductions or exemptions for foreign engineers has been expanded. In the case of English instructors, the NTS said that income tax related to lectures and research can be exempted for a certain period in most cases two years if the person is able to claim eligibility under a tax exemption clause for teachers and professors based on tax treaties between Korea and countries like the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. It stressed that English instructors should check individually at the NTS, as conditions differ depending on the tax treaty counterpart. The number of foreign workers who settled their year-end taxes was 545,000 last year, down 7 percent from the previous year, due to the decrease in the number of foreign nationals entering the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They filed 962 billion won ($802 million) total in taxes last year, up 6.4 percent from the previous year. Among the foreign workers who filed year-end tax settlement last year, Chinese nationals accounted for the largest portion at 36.3 percent, followed by Vietnamese, Nepalese, Cambodians and Filipinos. In terms of the amount of year-end taxes filed, Americans accounted for 37.8 percent, followed by Chinese, Japanese, Canadians and Australians. On January 6, 2021, President Biden stood below the rotunda of the Capitol dome to explain that "the truth will set us free," on the one-year anniversary of violent protests at the Capitol. Jesus was right when he proclaimed this teaching as recorded in the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John. We do well to pursue the full truth left out in the president's remarks. The discovery of the truth can accomplish great things toward the renaissance of an afro-idealist perspective in this Black History Month of 2022. An important detail in President Biden's speech was a reference to the killing of Officer Evans at the Capitol on April 2, 2021. That is a highly important truth in an era of record police killings in the United States. Consequent to highly volatile partisan campaigns of afro-pessimism in the summers of 2016 and 2020, the killing of police officers is at record levels. It is important to understand that though U.S. historical movements of afro-idealism have succeeded where the pessimists have failed, our intellectual culture reifies these unsuccessful leaders. An important victim of afro-pessmist radicalism, Billy Evans was an 18-year veteran of the Capitol police force and a father of two. His killer, Noah Green, was rhetorically energized by the Nation of Islam movement one of the most dangerous afro-pessimist movements in the United States. In one of his final social media posts, Noah Green identified himself as Noah X an allusion to Malcolm X, a former leader within the Nation of Islam. Biden's deliberate rhetorical conflation of Noah X with violence on January 6 is an effort to consolidate all threats of terrorism and violence as being on the right and having no root in any notion of a radical left. The false hagiography of Malcolm X imagining him as the afro-pessimist ideal committed to a violent confrontation with America continues to be promoted by our intellectual culture. ABC News is running a documentary, Xonerated: The Murder of Malcolm X and 55 Years to Justice, designed to encourage viewers to see Malcolm X as a martyred afro-pessimist. This vision is historically inaccurate and betrays the reality that by 1964, Malcolm X had left the Nation of Islam because he was aware of its corrupt underpinnings and violent pathologies. In February of 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by NOI sympathizer and supporter Thomas Hagan because of anger regarding his departure from the NOI. Malcolm X confided to his friend James Farmer, Jr. that he left the group but was afraid of violent threats against him from the NOI. He emphasized this again in his last public speech on Valentine's Day 1965 in Detroit. This false hagiography played an important role in the violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. An important voice and advocate for that violence was an activist named Jaden X, AKA John Sullivan. He also took on the X alias as a way of publicizing his radical goals and Jacobin ambitions of revolutionary destruction. Jaden X filmed the killing of Ashli Babbitt and was paid ninety thousand dollars for the video by news organizations. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Jaden clarified that he was a radical-left activist infiltrating Trump supporters on January 6 and urging them to destroy the Capitol. He expressed worry that those protesters would discover his true cynical intentions. Rolling Stone reports his pessimist perspective at the Capitol that day: "he can be heard yelling, 'It's a motherf------ revolution, let's take this s---.'" Jaden X worked diligently to encourage violence at the Capitol on January 6. In the video, Jaden X can be heard saying, "'There are so many people. Let's go. This s--- is ours! F--- yeah,' 'We accomplished this s---. We did this together. F--- yeah! We are all a part of this history,' and 'Let's burn this s--- down.'" One year later Jaden X says, "that's what I did and I stood by that." Contrary to the arguments of afro-pessimist advocates such as Louis Farrakhan, Stokely Carmichael, Jeremiah Wright, Micah Johnson, Noah Green, and Jaden X, America has been greatly helped by afro-idealist advocates who foreswore violence. Afro-idealist Martin Luther King said in his conclusion to "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" that someday the South will remember its "real heroes" like James Meredith. Though Meredith is one of the most important afro-idealists still alive today, his memory is largely shunned and ignored because of his less than reactionary view of American politics. Meredith remains an exceptionally patriotic thinker and believer in the U.S. Constitution, but he worried that social movements could be hijacked by radicals. Men like James Farmer, Jr. are also ignored despite their foundational role in promoting activity like nonviolent direct action that abolished large swaths of racial segregation across the United States between 1942 and 1967. Many more afro-idealist advocates are ignored in history. The killing of police officers in large numbers in the United States is a direct result of false teaching and education about African-American history in the United States. Black History Month must become a renaissance of black voices that honestly and boldly represent the best hopes of the nation. In failing to tend to and recover this more accurate and humane history, we will continue on a path of dangerous partisan violence. This fuller truth including afro-idealism will set us free. Dr. Ben Voth is a professor of rhetoric and director of debate at Southern Methodist Unviersity in Dallas, Texas. Voth's 2017 book James Farmer Jr.: The Great Debater documents the close relationship between civil rights leader James Farmer, Jr. and Malcolm X. His most recent book, Rwanda Rising, documents the importance of debate to prevent unjust violence. The book highlights the role debate played in helping afro-idealists build effective advocacy. Image: WikiImages via Pixabay, Pixabay License. It's a story as old as time. A powerful country masses an army on the border of a weaker neighbor with the intent to invade or intimidate. Vladimir Putin believes that the mobilization of forces near Ukraine will support Russia's foreign policy objectives. Some suggest that civilization has advanced, and no sovereign nation innocent of wrongdoing should fear foreign aggression. This observation is noble, but many political leaders are not. Vladimir Putin kills his enemies. Some endured horrible suffering when poisoned with radioactive materials, while others were simply shot in the head. Russia, China, and many other countries are despotic regimes. Powerful people rule these countries dictating terms of governance. They may establish goals that will improve the lives of their people, but the primary beneficiary will be those in control. Noble objectives can be goals of foreign policy, but the policy itself must be based on the harsh realities of the world we live in. The foreign policy objectives of the United States must be for the benefit of the American people, not a party, faction, or politician. The defeat of the Soviet Union is evidence that Democrats and Republicans can achieve a common foreign policy objective. One of the primary reasons for this achievement was the strength of the American economy. Domestic circumstances and foreign policy don't operate in a vacuum, one independent of the other. Shortly after the Iron Curtain came tumbling down, American industry began outsourcing itself to foreign factories with lower labor costs and fewer regulations. Some outsourcing was supported by the North American Free Trade Agreement, which also enjoyed bipartisan support. The agreement was an instrument of American foreign policy. Millions of Americans lost their jobs as a result. The U.S. economy is still the largest in the world, but American industry is diminished. Outsourcing of American industry may enjoy bipartisan support and increase the profits of political donors but can have devastating effects on America. As the COVID pandemic began to dominate news coverage, a story circulated that the United States no longer produces pharmaceutical chemicals required to make antibiotics. The chemicals are produced in China, a potential adversary. Recently, many products were in short supply because electronic components weren't available. The computer chips and electronic components used to manufacture thousands of products, including military equipment, could and should be produced in the U.S. A vibrant economy and a reliable industrial base are important to America's security and well-being. If the United States allows its industrial base to shrink, its capacity to compete globally will diminish. Government planning and interference in financial markets can negatively impact the well-being of its people. Germany's policy position on Ukraine is currently affected by its energy plan. In 2010, Germany legislated an energy policy to transition from conventional energy sources to renewables. The country has greatly reduced coal production, the only fossil fuel available in commercial volumes. They are committed to ending the consumption of fossil fuels by 2050. Renewable sources have proven unsatisfactory, and Germans are now paying some of the highest energy costs in Europe. As a remedy, Germany is importing large volumes of natural gas from Russia, since gas burns cleaner than coal. Germany has been less critical of Russian aggression toward Ukraine than many of its allies. The Germans don't want to undermine their energy imports from Russia. If these imports stop, it will be a cold, dark winter. The decision to stop using fossil fuels may be a noble national policy, but it is now affecting the foreign policy of Germany, its allies, and the Russians. Many Americans are aggravated by foreign interference in elections. In 2016, the Russians planted propaganda on Facebook and other media sites attempting to interfere with the presidential election. Consider that the United States has broadcast what a Russian might consider propaganda into eastern Europe for generations via Radio Free Europe. Competitive governments undermine one another. Remember the fate of the Soviet Union. This is not to suggest we should overlook foreign interference, but we should expect it. America must protect its elections, intellectual property, government secrets, and the privacy of its people against all foreign interference. We know that China has blatantly stolen a variety of technology, business, and government secrets. The Chinese have funded some politicians and bribed other politicians' relatives. China dwarfs Russia as an economic and military power. The Chinese challenge American interests all over the world. They don't hide their intention to conquer Taiwan. The National Institutes of Health financed Chinese studies of viral infections at a laboratory where gain of function research was conducted. China is America's largest and most dangerous competitor. Why does America fund Chinese science and business? Sending money to China for any reason will only serve to advance the objectives of the Chinese Communist Party. The crisis in Ukraine has everyone's attention. Putin lectures the world, but the audience he plays to is the Russian people. Putin can toy with his adversaries while telling domestic audiences his foreign policy is purely for the benefit of Mother Russia. He knows that the United States will not defend Ukraine because this is what President Biden told the world. During a crisis like this, one might expect a president to suggest "all cards are on the table" even if they're not. When a president takes military intervention off the table, it makes ongoing negotiations more difficult. One might also expect the government of the United States to tell an aggressor to "stand down." When the aggressor asks what that may mean, the answer would likely be "you don't want to find out." Putin knows that if he wants Ukraine, it's his. The Ukrainians seem to be willing to fight. There is some likelihood that the Ukrainian military and brave civilians may engage in a fight and give the Russians a bloody nose. Putin doesn't want a bloody nose or trouble with European nations. They are funding Russia's mobilization by purchasing huge volumes of natural gas and petroleum. If valves on the pipelines are closed, Europe will be left shivering in the dark, and Russia won't have petrodollars to pay for its exploits. Nobody has a winning hand in this game. It's also conceivable that Ukraine's European friends might wink at Vladimir and suggest he make quick work of his Ukrainian conquest. The valves won't be turned off for long. The lights will hardly dim. This may be another Munich moment for Western democracies. Putin may be seeking security for the Russian people, or this may be the first step in expanding Russian influence and control. Teddy Roosevelt advised his successors to "speak softly and carry a big stick." The soft voice of the government must be amplified by a robust economy. Americans tend to view foreign policy as the achievement of dynamic goals. For decades, the country's main objective was to bring down the Soviet Union. America is a country by, for, and of the people, and all the government's policies should support this dynamic. The world is a harsh place that can quickly become cruel. America's foreign policy must be forged to benefit the American people in the face of the harsh realities that surround them. Image via Pixabay. If you want to feed on fake news, be bombarded by endless praise-filled coverage of scoundrels whose fame is undeserved, and listen to just plain idiocy, keep watching television news. With the latest conviction of former media star Michael Avenatti, Ive made my case. Not only does the story of his rise and fall illustrate my point, but the failure of the media that gave him so much praise and coverage is not the end of it. Their lack of curiosity about his funding, even to this day, further condemns them as mere propagandists for the Left. At present, hes facing a number of charges for extortion and fraud. Hes charged with shaking down Nike, stealing $1.6 million from a California client, and defrauding a bank in Mississippi by using fake tax returns to secure a loan. And he still owes the IRS almost a million dollars in unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest. This week he was convicted of stealing $300,000 in book proceeds from his client Stormy Daniels, the woman who claimed she had had an affair with Donald Trump and received hush money from his lawyer. The most recent Avenatti conviction brings to my mind the history of his rise and fall, which some may have forgotten. Following his first conviction -- for extortion against Nike -- Stephen L. Miller detailed the sickening sanctification of this loathsome crook by the media which had even at one point touted him as the next president. Now some of these same people claim its Trumps fault for making him a star, but, of course, thats nonsense. They made him a star all on their own because he served their ends -- smearing Trump. ...he went beyond the screen and attended Hampton soirees with the likes of [Don] Lemon and PBS Firing Line host Margaret Hoover. Avenatti walked red carpets and attended the MTV VMA Awards. On Instagram, White House credentialed reporter April Ryan danced with Avenatti in a gleeful post at a private party. Republican strategist Rick Wilson was pictured chewing the fat with Avenatti at various events, while Avenatti spoke at New Hampshire Democratic party picnics and dinners where his remarks were carried on cable news and C-SPAN. He attended summit panels hosted by Vanity Fairs Emily Jane Fox. On The View, he was praised as the lord and savior by Republican strategist and NeverTrumper Ana Navarro. Avenatti even visited Iowa, speaking for the County Iowa Democratic Elected Officials Association at the Iowa State Association of Counties Annual Conference. He fundraised for Democrats in Las Vegas. Kathy Griffin interviewed him at Politicon at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Behind the scenes, Avenatti became an intimate figure with members of the media and pundit elite. He was welcomed into their club with open arms, was hailed in green rooms and on red carpets, and he was propped up by desperate political strategists who have never been able to understand why the Republican party accepted Trump. Those that despise Trump the most should take a hard look in the mirror about how we got here, because if the way they behaved around Michael Avenatti is any indicator, they havent learned any lessons. Since The View, the program that I can imagine is only watched by persons too invalided to reach the remote, is in the news with Whoopi Goldbergs suspension, heres a sample of The Views tongue baths of Avenatti. Besides promoting the befuddled Stormy Daniels, Avenatti served the leftist Democrats in another way, piling on the fact-free charges against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a position so loved by the press that in one week alone during the confirmation process he was interviewed 147 times alone. Mark Judge, Kavanaughs lifelong friend and high school classmate, details the role Avenatti played there. Kavanaughs accuser, the tearful, unconvincing Christine Blasey Ford, claimed Judge was in the room when Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her The charges were easily disproven, although outfits relied on sources whose stories were readily falsified. The Washington Post even went so far as to withhold exonerating evidence in its possession. Avenatti jumped into the fray, producing a woman named Julie Swetnick who claimed shed attended parties where Kavanaugh and Judge drugged and raped girls, and that she, herself, had been one such victim. NBCs Kate Snow even put Swetnick on air with the story without there having been any vetting of her or it. Avenatti claimed he had a witness who corroborated Swetnicks story, but when reached, the woman denied the claim and said Avenatti had twisted her words, a denial NBC sat on for weeks. Only three weeks after Kavanaughs confirmation did NBC come clean and admit there were inconsistencies in Swetnicks claims and that her purported witness had repudiated the sworn statement Avenatti provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Judge reminds us of the still unanswered question. Who paid Avenatti for smearing Trump? Was it Hillary Clinton or the DNC? The question was not first raised by Judge but by Mark Penn, a former Bill Clinton adviser: From the beginning, this has been fishy. Danielss previous lawyer advised her to stick to her agreements. In contrast, Avenatti okayed her violating with impunity her non-disclosure agreement on 60 Minutes despite a binding arbitration judgment against her. She acknowledged on Twitter that she is not paying for her lawyer. So who is? And did he indemnify her against all multimillion-dollar penalties? [snip] It took a long time and even a court battle to find out that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid for the Fusion GPS dossier, a fact that was disclosed only after the damage was done, as former British spy and the dossiers compiler, Christopher Steele, had already created a vast echo chamber as though the material he was peddling had been verified in some way, which of course, it never was. Now Avenatti is being allowed to repeat this same process, mixing truths with half truths and evading accountability. Avenatti has been given a free, unfettered media perch on TV to spread his stuff without the networks forcing him to meet any disclosure requirements, saying that he is Danielss attorney when someone else entirely is paying for this operation is not true disclosure that allows the viewer to evaluate the source and potential conflicts. He is now being given deference as though he is a journalist interested in protecting unverified sources while he makes headline-grabbing pronouncements. Lawyers need to disclose the source of their evidence. Of course, Avenatti is just the most notorious example of promoted witnesses undeserving of media fame. Heres MSNBCs historian, Douglas Brinkley, touting Liz Cheney and comparing the January 6 riot to the Holocaust, 9/11, and Pearl Harbor. Such an outrageously false comparison by a man some university entrusts with teaching history. A closer comparison in my mind would certainly be to the Kavanaugh hearings where the hearing room and Capitol halls were full of screeching meemies who bought Avenatti, Ford, and the medias lies to interfere with the confirmation. Every word he says he is a lie. A nose as long as the truckers convoy. Dr. Jordan B. Peterson When thousands of truckers drove toward Ottawa in protest against the vaccine mandates, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described them as the small fringe minority holding unacceptable views. As the movement gained momentum and the truckers were joined and cheered on by scores of their compatriots objecting to Canadas regime of Covid oppression, Trudeau implied that they were racists and Nazis. This he added on top of his earlier characterization of those who object to his policies as misogynists, science deniers, purveyors of misinformation, and conspiracy theorists. By doing this he followed the standard line of the woke elites when dealing with those who do not want to go along with their dehumanizing and exploitative agendas. Rather than meeting the other side in rational discussion, they simply hurl insults that are void of any substance. Racist, Nazi, conspiracy theorist, and misogynist are their slurs of choice. It does not matter to them that such characterizations are baseless. Their wanton abuse of language and truth shows just how pathetic and detached from reality the elitists really are. Trudeaus tirades could not be more laughable or absurd. That the unfolding protests have nothing to do with racism or Nazism or misogyny or science-denial is glaringly obvious to everyone with the eyes to see. What the protesters are standing up against is their governments Covid chicanery, which has been among the most repressive in the western world. Lockdowns, curfews, travel bans, injections and boosters forced via onerous ID passports, police harassment: this has been Canadians experience in the past twenty-four months. And when people finally rise against their oppression, Trudeau resorts to calling them names that bear no relation to who these people are or what they are asking for. What Canada needs is a true leader and not some little weaselly dictator like Justin Trudeau. One perceptive lady told me the other day that Trudeau seems to her like someone who should model underwear. The lady was not trying to be funny; she was speaking in earnest. I was struck by the aptness of her observation and how it seems to have captured something essential about the man. Trying to picture it, he would be a very good candidate for this kind of role in these Covidic times. Twitter via the New York Post (cropped) Whether Trudeau decides to pursue this line of work after he is done with politics remains to be seen. But while he remains in office, one thing is certain: like most of the rest of his globalist comrades, he is a reality-challenged demagogue who is tone-deaf to the concerns and suffering of common people. In the last couple of years, these establishment elitists have shown themselves to be ruthless liars who manipulate by false narratives whose aim is to enlarge their own power and wealth. The fact that their narratives keep falling apart does not deter them in the least. Do you want some recent examples? What about the Great Covid narrative? Do you remember how we were told that Covid was a plague that posed a grave threat to everyone and that it would wipe out a sizeable portion of mankind unless drastic measures were taken? Well, it turned out that Covid poses no real threat to children and young people and that the infection survival rate for healthy individuals of productive age is about 99.7 percent It has also emerged that the death toll of Covid was vastly overstated. In the United Kingdom, for example, it came to light that it was seventeen thousand people that actually perished of this illness rather than one hundred and fifty thousand as was originally claimed by British authorities. We are talking here about an exaggeration factor of nearly 1000 percent. Do you remember how very fun the months long lockdowns were? Look at this recent headline from the UK Daily Mail And what about the wonderful vaccine narrative? If you still remember, we were told that the Covid vaccines were perfectly safe and effective. The effectiveness numbers that were thrown about were 94 or 95 percent. We now know just how true those claims were. Only a few months after launching the worldwide vaccination crusade, they told us that the original injections did not quite work as advertised and that we needed a booster to keep us safe. But as luck would have it, a few months after getting boostered they told us that the booster did not really work either and that we needed another booster. The result is that now we have quadruple injectees in our midst. And even though they have been needled through and through, they are not protected either. It turns out that the boosters that were necessary to boost the first boosters do not work against Omicron. This is a real pity because Omicron just happens to be everywhere as the worlds predominant strain. It is a testimony to the seemingly infinite bungling capacity of our ruling elites that having injected and boostered the majority of their populations, most Western countries are now posting unprecedented infection loads. Astonishingly enough, the new infection records are much higher now than they were in the pre-vaccine stage of the pandemic. Needless to say, it was only recently that the bungling Justin Trudeau claimed that the vaccines are the only way out of this pandemic and all of those who were refusing to take them were science deniers (and racists, of course). One only wants to ask the hapless Prime Minister: How are the shots working out for you, sir? Injected and boostered, he himself comes down with Covid. His predicament is not unique. Scores of other multiply jabbed Canadians are being mass infected with the virus. It is a fact that those who took the injections are now more likely to test positive than those who refused to submit themselves to the experimental mRNA injectables. Do you still remember when Fauci and Co. told us that if only 60 percent of the population would get these very effective injections we would acquire herd immunity, conquer the pandemic and go back to normal? Do you see how the globalists narratives keep collapsing one after another? It was under the guise of their false narratives that the global elites have terrorized the populations, siphoned wealth from the middle class and small business, crashed the economy, and ruined countless lives. They have destroyed lives by bankrupting people financially, psychologically, and by their deadly injections which have already killed hundreds of thousands across the world. Tragically, the list of victims will only grow in the months and years ahead as the onerous spike proteins which the vaccinators injected into peoples bodies continue wreaking their havoc. Many people had been so terrorized and confused by their rulers lies that they were unable to grasp what was happening. Now, however, they are increasingly waking up and rising in protest. These are, of course, the same people whom the elitists like Trudeau call racists, misogynists, Nazis, conspiracy theorists, etc. Undeterred by the Covid-vaccinal disaster they have wrought, the elitists are in the process of moving on to another narrative under which they hope to continue their regime of self-enrichment and oppression. Consider this recent headline from The Hill: So now we are apparently in transition from one emergency to another. The man-made climate change narrative, however, is about as true as the Covid and the vaccine ones. Not surprisingly, Justin Trudeau is a great enthusiast of fighting climate change. So please prepare for your next lockdown. This one will be in the name of saving the Earths climate for future generations. And guess what the objectors will be called? They will be the small radical fringe holding unacceptable views. After all only misogynists, Nazis, and conspiracy theorists could ever believe that the Earths climate must never change. But what about all the ice ages and periods of great warmth that alternated on this Earth long before man built his first chimney stack? Be quiet you racist! Shut up and go into lockdown! Of this we can be sure: Justin Trudeau and his friends will be at it until the people of the world rise and give them the boot Lets hope the Canadian truckers stay in Ottawa until he goes. And lets hope that truckers of other nations will do the same in their lands. The global movement is gaining traction even as we speak. May the truckers and people of the world unite to throw off the shackles hoisted upon us by the globalists of Trudeaus ilk. Vasko Kohlmayer was born and grew up in former communist Czechoslovakia. You can follow his writings by subscribing to his Substack newsletter Notes from the Twilight Zone. He is the author of The West in Crisis: Civilizations and Their Death Drives. There has never been in America a Jewish Question, at least, not until now. America was built on the idea of a universal identity and a tolerance of differences. From the evolution of a liberal Protestant theology to George Washingtons embrace of the Jewish community, America -- unlike Europe -- did not see the Jews as strangers in its midst, as a people apart, or as a group whose identity stood at variance with others. In America, there was no compelling desire for society to define the Jew. In Europe, Karl Marx, himself born a Jew and later a convert to Christianity whose father converted before Marx's birth and had Marx baptized, wrote an anti-Semitic screed, On the Jewish Question. Later Thomas Mann, who might be called a Philo-Semite, authored a lengthy essay with a similar title because the subject haunted Germany and Jews needed a defender. Europe was consumed, if not obsessed, with the Jew in its midst. While America had no shortage of anti-Semitic customs and displays of bigotry, Jews were well integrated into American society from the founding of the Republic until the great waves of Eastern European immigration began crashing on Americas shores and brought a different kind of Jew to its attention. Nonetheless, Jews defined themselves. There was bigotry, hatred, and gentlemens agreements, but American intellectuals did not feel compelled to define the place of the Jew in society. To do so would have been contrary to Americas primary values. America might not have uniformly adhered to its primary values, but its aspiration to embrace those values led to Jewish acceptance that never occurred in Europe even to this day. But that has now changed and is the biggest threat to Jewish existence since the Klan almost took over the Democratic Party in the early 1920s. There is now in America a Jewish Question. It emerges graphically in two investigations of campus anti-Semitism, one at Stanford University and the other at Brooklyn College. In both cases, Jews allegedly are not permitted to define themselves but to be placed into the so-called oppressor class of white supremacists. Indeed, the issue of the Jewish Question should be expanded to ask how is it that white students -- or any group of students -- are to be defined by their skin color and be classified in the vilest terms for attitudes they do not possess and crimes they have not committed? The answer resides within the rise of the diversity, inclusion, and equity bureaucracy, an insidious institution within an institution that must discover racists or establish pre-determined categories of racists to justify its otherwise meaningless and superfluous existence. Its very presence is a tribute to white guilt and the incorporation of an us and them mentality that draws on critical race theory to see all explanations of the social order in terms of racism. Success and failure of groups, especially in the comparison of blacks and whites, is interpreted as determined by racial privilege. The existence of this bureaucracy and its impact student admissions and faculty recruitment, promotion, and tenure is, ironically, itself determined by racial privilege. But that can neither be discussed nor acknowledged. To so much as raise the issue is to be called a racist. The consequence of this ideology is that if some are underrepresented then others must be overrepresented. And who are overrepresented, why Jews and Asians of course? Jews are now defined as white, something they have not been in America, especially since the latter part of the 19th century, and Asians are defined as white-affinity types, whatever that means. Given the ideology of the diversity, inclusion, and equity bureaucracy, Jews cannot define themselves but are to be defined by others. It would not be surprising to see a clumsily authored essay by a member of this bureaucracy titled, On the Jewish Question. The investigation into the alleged anti-Semitism at Stanford University and Brooklyn College will at best reveal the tip of the iceberg because these problems permeate not just the diversity bureaucracy but also the minions of so-called campus progressives, who have found in anti-Zionism a cover for the lefts historic anti-Semitism. American Jewish progressives have become obsessed with the anti-Semitism of the right. But it is not the right that walks the corridors of power in Washington. It is not the right that controls Americas institutions of higher education. A group of tiki-torch-carrying white supremacists in Charlottesville is the image Jewish progressives like to hold dear, but the harm such people will do will have no bearing on Americas institutional structure. The real threat to the future of American Jews comes from those who have emulated the bigotry of Europe and raised the Jewish Question. They have been institutionalized in the higher education regime, and their removal will be nearly impossible. Abraham H. Miller is an emeritus professor of political science, University of Cincinnati, and a distinguished fellow with the Haym Salomon Center. Titles are for identification purposes only. Image: Israeli Government Printing Office The public should be skeptical of everything they see from government or the media. Several people from the Biden administration are claiming that Putin is planning a false flag operation in Ukraine. I have no idea whether that is true or not, but neither do the journalists repeating the story. Shouldnt the public be skeptical of everything the government and others tell us? After all: We were told in Afghanistan that the Biden administration had no idea that the Taliban was advancing so fast and that our embassy would survive. We were told that all Americans and Afghan helpers would get out before we left. We were repeatedly lied to about the number of Americans left behind. After thirteen Americans died, we killed two people who were described as high-level ISIS terrorists, but we werent given their names or titles. When we took out a car, we were told they were terrorists. They were not. The American people have been lied to for a long time by government officials and supposed journalists, who rarely asked any questions. Obama and others intentionally repeatedly lied to the public to pass Obamacare. We were told that it would substantially reduce premiums and they skyrocketed. Lois Lerner and others at IR violated the free speech rights of political opponents of Obama, lied to Congress, destroyed computers, and obstructed justice. The corrupt, politicized Justice Department decided she was above the law. AG Eric Holder repeatedly committed perjury, yet the corrupt Justice Department didnt care. The top law enforcement official was above the law. Eric Holder's Long History Of Lying To Congress Before he lied to Congress while under oath about what he knew about targeting reporters, he lied about Fast and Furious. As early as the New Black Panthers case, Eric Holder had a problem with the truth. That the House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether Attorney General Eric Holder lied under oath during his May 15 testimony on Department of Justice (DOJ) surveillance of reporters comes as no surprise. James Clapper lied to Congress about the corrupt Obama/Biden administration illegally spying on thousands of Americans. He was above the law. Some lawmakers reacted to the long-expected resignation announcement from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Thursday by wishing him an eventful retirement, featuring prosecution and possible prison time. The passage of more than three years hasnt cooled the insistence in certain quarters that Clapper face charges for an admittedly false statement to Congress in March 2013, when he responded, No, sir" and "not wittingly to a question about whether the National Security Agency was collecting any type of data at all on millions of Americans. Newly declassified memos detail extent of improper Obama-era NSA spying The National Security Agency and FBI violated specific civil liberty protections during the Obama administration by improperly searching and disseminating raw intelligence on Americans or failing to promptly delete unauthorized intercepts, according to newly declassified memos that provide some of the richest detail to date on the spy agencies ability to obey their own rules. John Brennan lied to Congress and he was above the law. CIA director John Brennan lied to you and to the Senate. Fire him As reports emerged Thursday that an internal investigation by the Central Intelligence Agencys inspector general found that the CIA improperly spied on US Senate staffers when researching the CIAs dark history of torture, it was hard to conclude anything but the obvious: John Brennan blatantly lied to the American public. Again People inside and outside of government repeatedly lied about fictional Russian collusion with Trump. Many corrupt Justice Department officials lied to the FISA court to get the ability to illegally spy on Trump associates. Almost all were above the law. All of these powerful people were known liars and are much more dangerous to America than unarmed people protesting an election who are treated harshly while the dangerous bureaucrats and politicians skate. Kids who dont wear masks are treated worse than the perjurers. People inside and outside of government have continually lied about masks, vaccines, and other things relating to COVID. They intentionally lied when they called a suggestion that the Wuhan lab was the source of the virus to stifle an investigation. Fauci and others seem to have a lot to hide. Fauci has repeatedly lied about U.S funding of the lab yet the corrupt Justice Department doesnt care. The physical, financial, and mental damage caused to America and others due to misinformation by so-called experts that is widely repeated by sycophant puppets posing as journalists countries is immeasurable. While they willingly repeated the misinformation, they silenced those who dared disagree. People inside and outside of government repeatedly lied when they spread the hands up dont shoot narrative to gin up racial hate and division and especially hate of white cops. People inside and outside of government, including known perjurers Clapper and Brennan, spread the lie that a truthful story about Biden family corruption looked like Russian disinformation because they were campaigning for Biden. That is election interference. They are still burying all the stories about the Biden crime family. We are repeatedly lied to that Trumps tax rate cuts cost the government trillions while the truth is that revenues have risen rapidly is widely known by the politicians and journalists spreading the lies. Most Journalists and other Democrats know that several states intentionally violated election laws in their states but falsely claim that the election was exceptionally clean. Then they intentionally lie by claiming that election integrity laws are racist to gin up hate and division while they claim they are for unity. As justification to destroy the fossil fuel industry and to reward special interest groups, we are constantly told that the science is settled that humans and fossil fuels cause temperatures to rise and the climate to change. What we never see is any scientific evidence that shows a direct correlation, or causation between oil or coal use and temperatures -- because there is none. Almost all journalists repeat the talking points without doing research or even asking a question of Biden, Kerry, or anyone to justify the destruction of tens of millions of related jobs because they dont care. We should question everything that politicians, bureaucrats, educators, entertainers, and journalists tell us because so much is untruthful. We know that social media outlets, and most fact-checkers, will gladly allow misinformation if they agree with the policies so they are worthless as watchdogs. Indoctrination is much more dangerous to our survival, freedom, and democracy than anything China, Russia, or Iran have ever done. There are many forces seeking to destroy the U.S from within. One such force is a major Democrat contributor and advisor, named Soros, who has been busy infecting the U.S with district attorneys who let criminals run free. I have never seen Biden or other Democrats go after Soros for his contribution to rising crime. Russias Communist leader Nikita Khrushchev said, We will take America without firing a shot. We do not have to invade the U.S. We will destroy you from within.... Graphic credit: Jernej Furman CC BY 2.0 license A signboard installed inside the National Election Commission shows that there are 30 days left to the presidential election. Yonhap Experts say polls can be wrong, as pollsters find it tougher to conduct surveys after mobile phones replaced landline telephones By Kang Hyun-kyung One poll finds that ruling Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung is ahead of main opposition People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol within a margin of error. Another says the opposite: Yoon is comfortably leading the presidential election race, with the gap between the two outside of the margin of error. Nearly 20 public opinion surveys of the presidential candidates are made public every week. These poll results share one thing in common: there's certainly a two-way race going on between Lee and Yoon, with Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor People's Party behind in third place. Other than that, those polls share almost no other details, including who is leading and what qualitatively characterizes the competition between the two leading candidates. Amid these confusing results, a closer look at these polls reveals a consistent pattern. Polls taken based on the so-called Auto Response System (ARS) a prerecorded autodialed survey as a polling method, tend to show results that are in favor of Yoon. Under this scheme, respondents are interviewed by a prerecorded voice in place of a live interviewer, and asked to press certain numbers to give their answers to the questions. The latest UPI News poll conducted on Feb. 1 to 3 by the polling agency Research View, indicated that out of 1,000 eligible voters nationwide, Yoon earned 46 percent of the total support, followed by Lee who stood at 38 percent. Considering the fact that the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent, its results confirm that Yoon is the undisputable frontrunner. This poll was conducted using the pre-recorded autodialed survey method. Another recent poll, conducted on Feb. 2 and 3 by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), also found that Yoon was ahead of Lee within the margin of error. The KSOI poll was also based on the same polling method. Details of recent polls are available on the website of the National Election Commission. Yoon Suk-yeol, center, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, heads to the May 18th National Cemetery in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Sunday. Yonhap As for the discrepancy between public opinion surveys employing the prerecorded voice method versus live interviewers, one pollster said that the relatively higher ratings for Yoon in the ARS-based surveys seem to be related to the characteristics of the polling method itself. "The ARS-based polling method tends to overrepresent opinions from voters who are highly engaged in politics," he told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to the media. "Imagine what would happen if you were to get a phone call from a polling agency conducting a survey based on the prerecorded autodialed survey method. You listen to questions and answer them by pressing numbers on your smartphone. To do this, you need to hold your smartphone up to your ear to listen to their questions, and then move it to place it on your palm, answering them by touching the numbers on the screen. You repeat this action several times until the interview is finished. Most people find this method very inconvenient, so what happens is that many people just hang up or just don't answer their questions. But if you are a person who is keenly following political news, you may think the entire process is not that annoying." The pollster said that about a quarter of all eligible voters are highly interested in politics. However, due to the inconvenience of completing ARS-based surveys, these surveys tend to overrepresent the views of those individuals who are highly interested in politics, and so are less reliable overall than surveys conducted as live interviews by professional pollsters. Others, however, disagree with this interpretation of the polls' results. Not only Yoon but also Lee has stalwart supporters who intently follow political news, and they rarely withdraw their support for the ruling party candidate, even in the event of new allegations against him. Hence, the claim that Yoon's supporters are more active in responding to ARS-based surveys compared with Lee's supporters doesn't quite hold water. Some also claim that some members of the public who support opposition party candidates might feel uncomfortable about publicly naming their preferred candidate in live interviews by professional pollsters. Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, center, delivers an impromptu speech to a crowd gathered in Busan's coastal Haeundae District on Saturday. Yonhap Theres a spike in crime right now in the United States and the only thing that surprises me about that is that nobody expected it. The right says theres not enough support for law enforcement. The left claims its because of systematic racism. Tucker Carlson says its due to left-wing policies in Democrat-run cities. I agree with almost everything Tucker says, but not this one. Every news anchor or newspaper journalist has a different reason for the rise in crime, but I havent heard one that makes sense yet. This wont be solved by throwing more money at or defunding the police. Systematic racism isnt why crime is getting worse. When I was a teenager, I watched as Bill Clinton lied to congress in front of the entire nation when he was questioned about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. He knowingly committed felony perjury and adultery when he was a sitting President of the United States and there were absolutely zero consequences for his actions. The entire time he was in office, there was scandal after scandal and he was never held accountable for any of it. The Bush and Obama administrations were no better. You can look back over the years at Whitewater, Vince Foster, WMDs, Benghazi, ATF gun-walking, the Russia hoax, and so many more blatant crimes by people sitting in the District of Columbia. The scandals were and are never-ending and there is never any accountability for any of them. And these same scandalous men nominate our Supreme Court Justices. Let that sink in for a minute or two. Weve had only one honorable man serve as President of the United States in this century. This honorable quality so offended the Washington swamp people that they ginned up a hoax accusing him of treason, impeached him twice, and allowed him to be cheated out of his second term in office because he wasnt one of them. Image: U.S. Capitol by Martin Falbisoner (CC BY-SA 3.0), White House by Daniel Schwen (CC BY-SA 3.0), Joe Biden is a known liar and plagiarist. The only reason that Im not calling him a criminal is because he hasnt been convicted for the crimes that we all know hes committed. People need to wake up and smell the swamp. You cant steal right in front of your kids and then expect them to be law-abiding citizens when they grow up. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that out. How did Nancy Pelosi get as wealthy as she is on a public servants salary? Were not stupid. If the people that run this country cannot manage to follow the law, then why should anyone else? We work 40 or more hours a week just to have our paychecks snatched by the government for taxes. Sometimes we rob Peter to pay Paul just to keep the electricity on and then, when we turn on the television, we hear Nancy Pelosi claim that were a nation of laws right after she made a fortune in Tesla stock. Come on, man! Crime is spiking because the American people are becoming as morally bankrupt as the politicians in our government. Harsher sentences wont help stop crime because the jails and prisons are already packed full. More police wont solve anything for the same reason. If you want to fix the problem with crime, you need to start by clearing out the swamp in Washington. Our leaders need to be held accountable like everyone else. Nobody is supposed to be above the law here but you could have fooled me. Our own Olympic athletes are choosing to represent other countries now and the media blames it on greed. Eileen Gu doesnt have enough pride in her country to represent it. Thats why she isnt representing the United States. She shouldnt be blamed for that. When Americans are proud to be Americans again, our problems will start to go away too. We need to make America great again. Germany, as we well know with its Russian gas capers, is a highly industrialized society in need of a lot of energy. Fine and dandy. But how they get it presents increasingly bad options. They got rid of their nuclear power in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown after a big earthquake in Japan, (despite Germany not being in a quake zone), driving themselves to dependency on foreign suppliers. That's presented problems for them what with Russia filling that role, so their other recourse has been the one Joe Biden is touting for America: Green energy -- like wind and solar power. It's costly, requiring state subsidization, given that Germany is not a big sunshine zone nor particularly windy: But it's costlier than just the wasted cash. They are now looking at the loss of their 1,000-year-old Reinhardswald old-growth forest -- known as the "treasure house of European forests." German authorities, completely ignoring German sentiment about forests, which is quite mystical, have decided to mow down the big one to get some wind power put in, in the name of 'going green.' Like the Central Valley of California, which has been turned brown and starved of water in the name of 'going green,' Germany is trashing its most beautiful forest in the name of 'going green.' Funny how that works. Reinhardswald is also known as the Grimm's Fairy Tale forest. In a weird conundrum (the Germans probably have a word for this) the greenie industrial complex has morphed into the Brothers Grimm's Rumplestiltskin, spinning wind into gold for the state of Hesse's bureaucrats but demanding Germany's first child -- its forest primeval -- as payment. Don't get us wrong: We are all for progress. But to call this 'progress' is pretty disgusting. How is it 'progress' to trash Germany's 1,000-year-old irreplaceable forest? Germany has a big population, a lot of ugly postwar urban landscapes, and yucky modern art. It has a few nice traditional places, too, but the big one for Germans is their beautiful ancient forests, the ones that eminent Germans like Goethe and Kant and Durer and Schubert likely walked through, marveled at, and drew inspiration from. Google 'Reinhardswald' at Google Images and see what this place looks like. There are also some likely practical reasons to keep the forest in reserve. In France, when the roof of the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned in 2019, what was lost were old-growth beams that could not be replaced easily at all because the old-growth forests in France apparently were gone. Germany would not have such a problem if it needed to harvest a couple of trees to save, say, the Cologne cathedral if it were, heaven forbid, to endure such a catastrophe. There are always unexpected reasons to want to conserve some unique and irreplaceable natural habitats. P. Gosselin of WattsUpWithThat has been watching this travesty for a while and has some excellent coverage: About a year ago we reported on disturbing plans by the government of the German state of Hesse to clear 20 million square meters of 1000-year old fairy tale forest in one of Germanys most idyllic, fairy tale-like forests: the Reinhardswald located in the hilly region west of the city of Gottingen. The Reinhardswald is known as the treasure house of European forests or the Grimms fairy tale forest. A total of about 2000 hectares ( 20 million m) of the thousand-year-old Reinhardswald was designated for destruction by the state in order to clear the way for a massive wind power plant development. Conservatives, Greens ram project through Tragically, that battle to stop the destructive project has been dealt a severe blow as the construction of access roads began 2 days ago. The massive resistance of the affected citizens was ignored by the Hesse state government, which ironically is governed by a coalition of the CDU conservatives and environmentalist Greens. Updates posted here. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1062576924473665 Germans, to their credit, don't care for this one bit and are protesting across the political spectrum. The state actors who are doing this are pan-political, too, an unholy political alliance of conservatives and greens who apparently don't think they need to pay attention to the local sentiment, let alone their state's heritage. Gosselin links to a nonpartisan German group called "Stop!" or Rettet-den-Reinhardswald.de (an impressively coded site) which has some excellent visualizations of what this butt-ugly specter is going to look like as 18 to as many as 50 wind turbines go up, as well as photos of what is going on now and information on the bad impact the plan will have on birds, wildlife, and the general eco-system. So much for 'going green.' It sounds like a money scam, with politicians and connected political business cronies planning to harvest themselves some green of the monetary kind. Germans are complaining that these characters are not paying attention to their petitions nor heeding their warnings about the impact of the destruction on the untouched old-growth forest. This is very bad for Germany, given that such intransigence on a reasonable petition opens the door to extremism, as in eco-terrorists. At a minimum, it opens the door to 'yellow vest' or Canadian trucker-type protests, given that something deep in the German soul is at stake. We may be seeing that in the future. What we need to see now is far louder protests from the usual quarters, such as Pope Francis, who has spoken out a lot on global warming under the justification of conserving creation, and Hollywood characters like Daryl Hannah, Mia Farrow and Sting, all rainforest champs who created quite spectacles of themselves in recent decades. Hannah for one dipped her hands into Lago Agrio's oil pits over in Ecuador several years ago, falsely blaming Chevron for killing the rainforest there, when it was the state oil company of Ecuador that did the damage. Where's Hannah to holler about this far more authentic outrage? For the rest of us, it shows what an inefficient and costly scam green energy is. It's not cost-free, it's full of corrupt and unresponsive politicians who no longer care about democracy, and it certainly doesn't make the environment better. It's a nasty juggernaut of waste, fraud, corruption, and ecological degradation - with dead birds, turbine vibration sickness, strobe dizziness, and landscape pollution. Germany could fix this in two minutes by bringing back its nuclear power, ending both the Russia issue and the forest-loss issue right then and there. One hopes that the idea will eventually occur to them. Otherwise, they lose their fairy-tale forest. Image: Lebrac, via Wikimedia Commons // Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. One of the muted consequences of Bidens open border policy is the smuggling into America of huge amounts of lethal drugs. An estimated 100,000 Americans died -- it would be more accurate to say were killed last year due to the import of dangerous drugs. A year into his presidency Biden and his Vice President Harris have done nothing to stop the traffic. It is known that Hezballah, the Iranian Lebanese proxy, is deeply involved in the North American continents drug trade. It is a massive source of income for them to fund their terror activities against Israel. According to an Atlantic Council report of October 7, 2020, with the cooperation of Maduro, Hezballah has established a base in Venezuela to spread its crime-terror network across South and Central America. Despite US Department of Justice narco-terrorism indictments against Maduro, Hezballah grows its tentacles throughout Latin America. It works tightly with Mexican cartels right up to the United States border. Matthew Levitt, director of the Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute and an expert on Hezballahs global connections, has documented how U.S. authorities believed that Hezballah helped the Sinaloa cartel build smuggling tunnels under the U.S.-Mexico border, drawing on expertise from the groups work digging tunnels under the Lebanese-Israeli border. U.S. officials believe Hezballah has provided expertise to the Sinaloa cartel in exchange for cash. Hezb'allah ("The Party of Allah") flag Despite US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) sanctions, Hezballah still operates its drug and weapon smuggling operations from Central America into the heartland of the United States. We are reminded that in October 2018, the US Justice Department named Hezballah, alongside three major Mexican cartels and the Central American gang MS-13, as transnational criminal organizations. Despite this, little has been done to blunt their operations. An air bridge exists between Caracas, Tehran, Beirut, and Damascus. One must assume that a lot of the travel is for nefarious activities. Even though Syria has been a bloody warzone for years, an estimated 300,000 Venezuelans live in a city called As-Suwayda in southwestern Syria (little Venezuela), many of them dual-nationals. One must ask why, although Venezuela is in an economic meltdown, so many Venezuelans want to live in Syria. It was recently announced that Iran has struck a deal with the Assad Government to build 500,000 houses a year in Syria. One can assume that the area of As-Suwayda will benefit as an Iranian center of permanent influence on that country. The Iranian Syrian nexus leads to South and Central America and into the United States. For what purpose? Examine the raison detre of Hezballah and you have your answer. Barry Shaw is the Senior Associate of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies. Because the angry debate about Whoopi Goldberg's statements is focused on the definition of racism and its role in the Holocaust, perhaps the views of Adolf Hitler (18891945) himself will be of interest. In one of his last statements on Judaism (3 February 1945), Hitler told Martin Bormann (19001945), his personal secretary and head of the NSDAP chancellery: I never held the opinion that the Chinese or the Japanese, for example, were racially inferior. ... I admit that their tradition is superior to ours. ... Our Nordic racial consciousness is aggressive only towards the Jewish race. However, we speak of a Jewish race only for reasons of linguistic convenience, for ... from the genetic point of view, there is no Jewish race. Circumstances make us label in this way a racially and spiritually coherent group, membership in which is claimed by Jews all over the world, no matter which individual citizenship is given by passports. This group of people we call the Jewish race. ... The Jewish race is most of all a spiritual community. ... Spiritual race is tougher and more enduring than natural race. The Jew, wherever he goes, remains a Jew ... and to us he must appear as a piece of evidence for the superiority of "spirit" over flesh. (H. Trevor-Roper, A. Francois-Poncet, eds., Hitlers Politisches Testament. Die Bormann Diktate vom Februar und April 1945, Hamburg: Albrecht Knaus, 1981, pp. 66, 68, 69) If nothing else, Hitler's ideas have led to confusion and perplexity among scholars. Thus, Yehuda Bauer (*1926), Israel's most experienced Holocaust specialist, laments: "In principle, Hitler can be explained; but this does not mean that he has been explained" (R. Rosenbaum, Die Hitler-Debatte: Auf der Suche nach dem Ursprung des Bosen, Munchen/Wien: Europa-Verlag, 1999, p. 7). Germany's most productive scholar and publicist on Nazi Germany, Joachim Fest (19262006), confessed in his last interview: "I do not comprehend it [the annihilation of the Jews G.H.], and nobody who has ever dealt with it has even come close ... to a convincing interpretation" (J. Fest, "Mitleidlosigkeit bis zum allerletzten Punkt" in: Die Welt, 10 September 2004, p. 3). What did Hitler mean by "spirit" in relation to his campaign of mass murder? The Nazi killings started inside Germany with "full-blooded Aryans" who had been disabled from birth, and with German soldiers who had been severely wounded during the attack on Poland (1 September 1939). Eugen Stahle (18901948), Hitler's deputy in charge of poisoning patients in the Grafeneck home for the handicapped (southwest Germany), defended himself against a senior Church Council member, Reinhold Sautter (18881971) from Stuttgart, who had accused him of violating the Fifth Commandment. Stahle replied, "The 5th Commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill,' is not at all a commandment by God, but a Jewish invention" (H.-W. Schmuhl, Rassenhygiene, Nationalsozialismus, Euthanasie. Von der Verhutung zur Vernichtung "lebensunwerten Lebens" 18901945, Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, p. 152). As early as 1932, according to the records of Hermann Rauschning (18871982), a leading NSDAP man in Danzig/Gdansk, Hitler stated: "This devilish 'Thou shall, thou shall!' And that stupid 'Thou shall not!' We must clean our blood from it, from this curse of Mount Sinai! ... The day will come when against these commandments I will erect the tables of a new law. And history will recognize our movement as the great battle for the liberation of mankind, liberation from the curse of Sinai. ... That is it what we are fighting: this masochistic attitude of self-torturing, this curse of so-called morality, which is made an idol to protect the weak from the strong, given the eternal fight, the great law of divine nature. It is the so-called Ten Commandments that we fight" (H. Rauschning, Gesprache mit Hitler, Wien: Europa-Verlag, 1988, p. 210). When Germans began exterminating the handicapped at home, and then moved on to murdering the Jews and killing the inhabitants of Slavic territories, no one ever again was to stop them by calling out, "Thou shalt not kill." One might in the cold language of the computer age say Hitler had ordered that the hardware of biblical morality, the Jewish people themselves, be eliminated in order to erase the software, the Jewish principles of the sanctity of life. Christians, and all other people who followed this Jewish core, which had become the West's moral code, were persecuted, too. What Whoopi Goldberg and many others don't realize is that the Nazi extermination of the "Jewish race," the handicapped, and the Slavs went together. The Holocaust was intended to eliminate moral inhibitions, thereby immunizing Germans against any reluctance they might feel about carrying out the rest of Hitler's homicidal plans for Europe and the world. Gunnar Heinsohn Heinsohn (*1943) established, in 1993, Europe's first institute for comparative genocide research at the University of Bremen. His studies include "Why Auschwitz?" (1995), "Lexikon der Volkermorde" (1998), "What makes the Holocaust a uniquely unique genocide?" (2000), and "Hitler's Motive for the Holocaust" (2014). Image: RV1864 via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. On Wednesday in Ottawa, a police officer stepped into a bar to deliver a message from the Canadian government to the truckers protesting Canada's vaccine mandates. In the course of his videotaped delivery, among other things, he said: Remove your trucks yourselves now ... or ... you will be forfeiting the trucks to the Crown and those associated with those trucks will be arrested. One trucker responded to the officer, "Just remove the mandates, and we'll leave." Apparently, that was an option the police were not yet willing to consider. Thursday morning, Ottawa Police Service chief Peter Sloly raised the stakes. At a press conference, he said (emphasis added): All plans are on the table to end the protest in Ottawa ... from negotiated to enforced removal[.] ... [O]fficers have been working with city and police legal services teams to pursue an injunction against the protesters and have considered military involvement. Thus, for Canadians and those around the world who are watching this drama play out the question presently seems to be, will one side blink...or, will there be a civil war? Hopefully, the latter will not be put into play. Because of the absence of a Second Amendment in that country, a civil war would, at best, be a lopsided affair. But, the bigger question is, why? What is it that has brought Canadians to this precipice? A vax mandate? Unlikely. Everyone with half a brain knows by now that the vaccinations being mandated not only in Canada but around the world are a joke. They don't work, as proven by Canada's Prime Minister Trudeau himself. Twice jabbed, he still claims to have gotten COVID at the same time that he fled the truckers arriving in Ottawa and seemed to need a reason to justify his skipping town. Thus, he has now made himself nothing less than the poster boy for the proposition that when it comes to getting COVID, even the vaxxed are often out of luck. So why is he insisting on prolonging this truckers' debacle and possibly even calling the military down on his own people when his cause that all must be vaccinated against a virus with a 99% survival rate, barring the presence of co-morbidities has become such a joke in terms of its negligible positive impact on the general population? Is it possible that the mandate issue is only symbolic of a greater cause that is presently at stake, not only in Canada but in nations around the world: the forfeiture of people's liberty to some form of a globalist government tyranny? Concurrent similar events in Australia, the United States, and nations across Europe suggest this to be a very real possibility that, like Canada, has resulted in massive gatherings of people protesting their governments' efforts to control their lives, businesses, employment, and education with an iron fist. Which side will bend their knee in submission to the other the people or their governments? Will the voice of the people for freedom be heard and prevail, or will it be silenced? Will the right of people to assemble and protest their government be acknowledged and valued, or will it be stilled by governments intent upon ruling by diktat? Will the governments respond to the wishes of what some have come to call We The People, or will the leaders of those governments call in the military to enforce their will, dictating that their subjects shall submit and obey, regardless of the impact their edicts may have upon the rights of the people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? In Canada, time will tell. The answer to these questions lies presently in the hands of men like Justin Trudeau. Pray for all in Canada that he choose wisely, or he may succeed only in making his citizens wish they had a Second Amendment like their neighbors to the south. Clifford C. Nichols is an attorney, the author of A Barrister's Tales and The Declaration of Liberty (2021 A.D.), and a contributing editor at The Declaration Report. A former research associate at The Heritage Foundation, he is a graduate of UCLA and Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law. He may be contacted regarding this editorial at cliffordnichols.com/contact. Image via Joint Base Andrews, public domain. Humans and stegosaurus missed each other by more than 150 million years, but people have always wondered how difficult or terrifying life would have been if dinosaurs and humans co-existed. This premise is often explored humorously in cartoons and in movies. Cavemen and dinosaurs frequently featured in cartoonist Gary Larsons The Far Side a single-panel comic that ran for fifteen years during the 1980s and 90s. The Far Side was known for its surrealistic and dark humor based on uncomfortable social situations and improbable events, including aliens, talking cows, as well as human-dinosaur interaction. Watercolor of a stegosaurus by Katrine Glazkova/Shutterstock.com In 1982, Larson drew a comic depicting a prehistoric classroom. A caveman is giving a lecture to an audience of other cavemen. Before them is a large image of a stegosaurs tail. The professor points towards the spikes at the end of the tail and explains that they are called the thagomizer, after the late Thag Simmons. Presumably, caveman Thag Simmons had gone too close to the stegosaurus and was clubbed to death by its spiky tail. Having learned a valuable lesson that it was best to avoid the tail of this particular animal, the other cavemen who witnessed the unfortunate incident decided to immortalize Thags name on the prehistoric animals anatomy. Larson later joked that if there were confessionals for cartoonists, he would have gone to seek absolution: Father, I have sinnedI have drawn dinosaurs and hominids together in the same cartoon. Of course, The Far Side is fiction, and no one named Thag Simmons was fatally wounded by an extinct animal. But the thagomizer itself is real. It turns out that this arrangement of spikes at the tip of a stegosauruss tail had no formal name. A 2006 article in the New Scientist explains why that happened: Paleontologists don't get many chances to name new bones. Evolution uses the same bones over and over again, altering their shape and purpose but preserving their basic nature, so anatomists simply use the same old terms to describe them. A humerus is a humerus, whether it's in a chicken wing, a walrus flipper, the massive front leg of a brachiosaurus or our own upper arm. Only in a few animals do bones evolve into something different enough to earn their own distinct name, like the fearful-looking spikes at the end of a stegosaurus tail. Nevertheless, nobody had bothered to give an easy-to-remember name to the spikes, until Gary Larson came up with thagomizer. Larson, being a biologist, was aware of the deficiency. Mounted Thagomizer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Photo: Kevmin/Wikimedia Commons In 1993, at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, paleontologist Ken Carpenter was making a presentation about a recently discovered stegosaurus skeleton. One of the spikes had apparently broken and healed, and there was a compelling evidence that the stegosaur had used its spiky tail as a weapon. Carpenter remembered Larsons cartoon that he read years ago, and he found the joke too good to pass. That was the first time anybody, outside Larson, had used the word thagomizer in a professional way. Shortly after, the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah got the thagomizer label on its spikes, and James Orville Farlow of Indiana University included the term in his book The Complete Dinosaur. Smithsonian Institution's stegosaur fossil display also has the label thagomizer. Since then, the word has become a semi-formal term for that part of the stegosaurs anatomy. Gary Larson also carries the honor of having two insect species named after hima louse called "Strigiphilus garylarsoni" and a beetle named "Garylarsonus. Dale H. Clayton, who named Strigiphilus garylarsoni, wrote in a letter to Larson praising the cartoonist for the enormous contribution that my colleagues and I feel you have made to biology through your cartoons. In his book The Prehistory of the Far Side, Larson quipped: I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along. References # The word: Thagomizer, https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125592-200-the-word-thagomizer/ # http://www.dinochecker.com/dinosaurfaqs/what-is-a-thagomizer # Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thagomizer PLEASE NOTE: ALL ONLINE PURCHASES ARE AUTOMATIC RENEWALS UNLESS YOU EMAIL JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM OR CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE @ 256-235-9253.... Purchase an online subscription to our website for $7.99 a month with automatic renewal. Each online subscription gives you full access to all of our newspaper websites and mobile applications. To cancel you may contact Customer Service @ 256-235-9253 or email JPAYNE@ANNISTONSTAR.COM *NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY join with a NEW ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is just $59.99 for the first year. Existing customers do not qualify for the specials! AMEX is not accepted through this site. After the first year, well automatically renew your subscription to continue your access at the regular price of $69.99 per year. Please note *Your Subscription will Automatically Renew unless you contact Customer Service To Cancel* A broken and distraught mother of a 20-year-old man stabbed to death in a town near Manchester has paid tribute to her lovely son. At 9.30pm on Friday, Greater Manchester Police were called by the ambulance service responding to a report of a stabbing on Cheetham Hill Road, Dukinfield, in Tameside. Dylan Keelan, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene, and four boys, two aged 16 and two aged 17, were arrested on suspicion of murder. His mother mum, Nicola, said: Dylan, my son, was a lovely, hardworking, kind and respectful boy. #UPDATE | The mother of 20-year-old Dylan Keelan who was fatally stabbed on Cheetham Hill Road in Dukinfield, Tameside has paid tribute to her 'lovely, hardworking, kind and respectful boy'. More here: https://t.co/BuokNODI0X pic.twitter.com/bMly4894zD Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) February 6, 2022 He absolutely loved his family and close friends. Dylan will be missed dearly by everyone who had the pleasure to be around him. He will never be forgotten and will always be in my heart and part of my life. It is difficult to put into words at this moment as I am broken and distraught. I just want to say thank you to everyone for their support, kind words and donations. Finally, in Dylans own words, Always find a way to turn a negative into a positive, so lets all stay strong together. GMP said two of the boys arrested remain in custody for questioning, while the others were released under investigation. Inquiries are ongoing and anyone with information or dashcam footage from the surrounding area at around the time of the incident is asked to contact police. Detective Inspector Lee Shaw, of GMPs Major Incident Team, said: Our thoughts are with Dylans loved ones, specialist colleagues are liaising with them. We have two suspects in custody but our investigation is very much ongoing so I appeal to anyone who can assist us in any way, shape or form to get in touch. Extra officers remain in the area to reassure the community whilst exercising their powers to carry out increased stops and searches under Section 60. Ahn Cheol-soo, right, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, jogs with his wife Seoul National University professor Kim Mi-kyung and daughter Ahn Surl-hee along Jungnang Stream in northeastern Seoul, Saturday. It was Ahn's last day of campaigning with all of his family members before his daughter Surl-hee returned to the U.S., where she is a postdoctoral scholar in biochemistry. Yonhap By Kwon Mee-yoo Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate the minor opposition People's Party, made clear that he will be in the presidential race all the way to the end, denying speculation that he would consider fielding a unified candidacy with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). In an MBN television show Sunday, Ahn said voters will chose the candidate who is the most qualified on the day of the election. When asked about a unified candidacy, he said his goal is not just finishing the race but winning it. With his remarks, he flatly denied the rumor about a unified candidacy with the PPP, which emerged again on Sunday after a PPP member floated the possibility. Later in the day, Ahn told reporters that he would no longer mention fielding a unified candidacy, noting that there is no consensus within the PPP on doing so. "What am I supposed to say when PPP people out there are fighting each other without having a consensus on the issue," he said. About a month ahead of the election, Ahn emphasized the need for a moral president to run the country clean-handed. A murderer has been arrested after going missing from a prison in Suffolk. Police said Christopher Mortimer was discovered to have been missing from Hollesley Bay prison at around 8am on Saturday. Suffolk Police said Mortimer was arrested in the Woodbridge area on Saturday evening and returned to the prison system. Christopher Mortimer, who is serving a life sentence for murder, has been arrested after going missing from Hollesley Bay prison (Suffolk Police/PA) The 37-year-old is serving a life sentence for murder. Police also offered their thanks to the public for their assistance in helping the force track him down. Boris Johnsons controversial Jimmy Savile attack on Sir Keir Starmer was perfectly reasonable, the Business Secretary has claimed. Kwasi Kwarteng attempted to downplay a Cabinet split over the Prime Ministers allegation, but his defence was criticised by a fellow Tory. Gavin Barwell, a Conservative peer who previously served as Theresa Mays chief of staff, branded the debunked Savile claim a stupid thing for Mr Johnson to have done. The PM initially accused Labour leader Sir Keir of having used his time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was head of the Crown Prosecution Service. The comment was made in the House of Commons as the Prime Minister faced criticism over Downing Street parties during the pandemic. He later backed down and said he wanted to clarify his remarks, claiming he had not been talking about Sir Keirs personal record when he was director of public prosecutions. Mr Kwarteng was asked whether he would have used the same words as the Prime Minister. Jimmy Savile in 1997 (PA) He told Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News: I think its entirely legitimate it depends what the context was. In that context, I think it was perfectly reasonable to mention the fact that Sir Keir had apologised. Sir Keir himself apologised on behalf of the organisation that he led about the fact that they failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile. So the fact that he apologised suggests that he does at some level bear some responsibility. Mr Kwarteng said he was not saying Sir Keir had personal blame. Lord Barwell told the same programme: Even if you set aside that moral argument, on a purely tactical level it was a stupid thing for the Prime Minister to do. Gavin Barwell said the Savile comment had been a stupid thing for the Prime Minister to do (PA) Because its led to the resignation of one of his key aides, its led to more MPs submitting letters of no confidence in him. Its further destabilised his position. The point here is that we know he was given advice not to do that, and went ahead and did it anyway. What that tells you is that yes, having the right people around you can help. But ultimately, the culture at Number 10 and the decisions the Government makes come from the top. The Prime Minister himself, if hes going to stay in office, is going to have to change the way he is behaving and running the Government. Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid have both indicated they would not have said the remarks, although Mr Kwarteng told T&G on Times Radio: I dont think they were criticising the Prime Minister. They were making a specific point about what they would have done in the course of a debate, and I dont think thats a criticism of anybody. One of Mr Johnsons most loyal aides, Munira Mirza, quit as No 10s head of policy over his use of the scurrilous Savile smear against Sir Keir. Lawyers representing Saviles victims have also criticised the Prime Minister. Boris Johnsons new director of communications said just over a week ago that his new bosss integrity was hard to judge and those who had previously worked for the PM did not want to go into Downing Street to walk him to the gallows. In an interview on the BBC Newscast podcast, recorded and broadcast on January 26, Guto Harri who was announced as Downing Streets new director of communications on Saturday gave his opinions as the country waited for the Sue Gray report into the alleged parties held in No 10 and across Whitehall during lockdown restrictions. Mr Harri, who was Mr Johnsons spin doctor at City Hall, told Newscast that the issue of Mr Johnsons competence could be fixed if you change the team convincingly and comprehensively. We can safely assume there were many more gatherings like this, because it seems to be a pattern. Boris Johnsons former adviser @Guto_Harri says the problem at the moment is nobody seems to be getting a grip. #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/zzCeU3dmQy BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) January 11, 2022 But he said: So youre left with the issue of integrity and thats the one thats hard to judge and different people will come to different conclusions. Mr Harri defended his new boss and pointed to him delivering Brexit as a marker of success. But he questioned the PMs judgment if he was involved in the decisions made surrounding the evacuation of animals and charity founder Pen Farthing from Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul. Mr Johnson denies involvement in the evacuation of the Nowzad animals, despite emails appearing to show the opposite. Mr Harri said: I think that is a very serious one. The issue (of) whether you put dogs ahead of human beings on an escape flight out of Afghanistan, for me, is far more important than cake in Downing Street. Pen Farthing, founder of animal rescue charity Nowzad (Nowzad/PA) And if this allegation is as appears then its a very, very serious issue in terms of integrity, competence, priorities, and indeed it raises that other spectre that never goes away of who is influencing him and we all know whos being accused of doing so on this occasion, because she is an animal lover more than him really. Asked if he was referring to the PMs wife Carrie Johnson, he replied: You said it, not me. Mr Harri told Newscast Mr Johnson had always underestimated how critical it is to have a fantastic team around him. He said: I think the challenge for Boris, and this will be one of the questions for his party now, there is no doubt hes one of those really creative players say a nifty little winger for those of you who like rugby who thinks that even when the team is doing badly and theyre going backwards, and its horrible conditions, that if only he gets the ball he can run through everything and score a try. Now thats great if youre a winger, and its great for your glory, but Boris has always underestimated how critical it is to have a fantastic team around him, and I dont think even if he can pull this back, he will be allowed to do it unless he promises to his party that hes going to overhaul that machinery. He said he did not think the PM necessarily needs to change, but he needs to cover his weaknesses. Former leader of the Conservative Party Michael Howard speaks to Guto Harri (Andrew Parsons/PA) He added: So somebodys got to corner him, get him to really work out what he wants, and then communicate that with authority to everybody else so that it gets done. Asked who it would be to corner him and who would consider going into Downing Street when the operation had been so disastrous, Mr Harri said: I think one mistake is to think its one person, its an entire team. Its not one person to score the try, its a whole bunch of people who do different things that mean that the engine purrs. He said: But I think youre onto something, people have been warning him of this for a long, long time. He added: Maybe the moment has passed. Maybe it is beyond the moment where a whole load of people would have gone in. Because I spoke to somebody who had worked, as I did, for him a long time ago who would have happily gone back three months ago, he would not now. Another one said Im not interested in going in to walk him to the gallows. An excellent anecdote from the new No. 10 Director of Comms, Guto Harri, about Boris Johnson blanking Mick Jagger at a party at Davos. pic.twitter.com/Gkmidpxla2 Dino Sofos (@dinosofos) February 5, 2022 Mr Harri said this contact told him the danger is that he will leave it until the last moment and all hes then asking us to do is to join him to walk him to the gallows, and nobody really wants to do that. Mr Harri said Mr Johnson was loyal, and that he did not let staff go easily, and that he was still popular with voters. He promises more than he can probably deliver, probably, but they just get a good vibe off him, he said. Asked whether Mr Johnson should stay in office, he said: Its not for me to say whether he should, but I think its right to break it down to an issue of policy. They maybe got the policy wrong, though most of the country wanted even stricter guidance or instruction at some point. But you can change the policy. Then theres a question of competence and the question of integrity. You can address the issue of competence if you change the team convincingly and comprehensively. So youre left with the issue of integrity and thats the one thats hard to judge and different people will come to different conclusions. Earlier in January, Mr Harri appeared on Newsnight and said Mr Johnson needed to issue a grovelling apology a really grovelling apology over the partygate saga. He dubbed the scandal toxic and told the BBC programme: I think we can safely assume that there were many more gatherings like this because it seems to be a pattern. Somebody needs to put them in context and explain, yes maybe theyre unforgivable but theyre also understandable at the time in some ways. The problem at the moment is that nobody seems to be getting a grip, and the Prime Minister has to invite an inquiry to conclude what went on in his own house. The Queen has become the first British monarch in history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, as she used her momentous milestone to issue her royal seal of approval for the Duchess of Cornwall as Queen Camilla. In the hugely significant intervention shaping the future of the monarchy, the Queen expressed her sincere wish that Camilla will be known as Queen Consort when the Prince of Wales becomes King. As she reached her 70th year on the throne, Elizabeth II, in the twilight years of her reign, set out her hopes for her daughter-in-law, once a royal mistress and now set to be called Queen and crowned at Charless side on his Coronation Day. The Queen, who came to the throne when she was just 25, is spending her Accession Day privately on the Sandringham estate in remembrance of her father George VI, whose death marked the start of her reign. This Jubilee is poignantly her first without her beloved husband of 73 years the Duke of Edinburgh, who died only 10 months ago. National celebrations marking the Queens record-breaking service on the throne will be staged during a special four-day bank holiday weekend from June 2-5. Front pages of the Sunday national papers featuring the announcement by the Queen (Ian West/PA) The Queen used the rarest of jubilees to put her affairs in order on a public platform and end years of controversy over Camillas title. She shared her succession blessing for her eldest son as monarch, and called on the nation to support the pair in their future roles as King and Queen. The Queen, 95, said in the written message to the nation: I would like to express my thanks to you all for your support. I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me. The Queen and Duchess of Cornwall during the royal procession at Ascot in 2019 (Jonathan Brady/PA) And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service. Charles and Camilla were touched and honoured by the Queens gesture, Clarence House said. The prince will make his own public declaration on Sunday celebrating his mothers Jubilee. The Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales as they wait for the Queens Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in 2016 (Justin Tallis/PA) The Queens reign has stretched from the post-war years through a new millennium and into a radically altered 21st century. She has served as a symbol of stability as the world has changed in countless social, cultural, political and technological ways over the intervening decades. Her time on the throne has seen 14 prime ministers from the Second World War leader Sir Winston Churchill to the present premier Boris Johnson. And there are now three generations of future monarchs, Charles, the Queens grandson the Duke of Cambridge and great-grandson Prince George. The Queen shortly after becoming monarch in 1952 (PA) Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt described the Queens message as most extraordinary. The Queen is ensuring the transition, when it comes, to her son as king is as seamless and trouble free as possible, he said Shes future-proofing an institution shes served for 70 years. And for Camilla, the journey from being the third person in a marriage to queen-in-waiting, is complete. The Jubilee is the Queens first without the Duke of Edinburgh (Bruce Adams/Daily Mail/PA) The Queen, who acceded to the throne on February 6 1952, also renewed her lifelong pledge of duty, despite approaching her 96th birthday this year. As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service, she said. She paid tribute to Philip for his sacrifices as consort, thanked her family for their support, and made reference to the Queen Mothers role as a Queen Consort, just as Camilla will be. Charles and Camilla have been married for nearly 17 years (Victoria Jones/PA) Camilla would technically have been Queen when Charles acceded to the throne, and only legislation would have prevented it. But royal aides insisted, when she married Charles in 2005, that Camilla did not want to be queen and said originally that the former Mrs Parker Bowles intended to be known instead as Princess Consort the first in British history instead. But the careful use of the verb to intend left this open to change in the future. Any mention of Princess Consort was removed from Charless website during a revamp in 2018. Much has changed in the years since Charles wed his long term love. Camilla was blamed for the breakdown of the princes marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, and when news of their affair first came to light, she faced vitriolic criticism. It meant the decision was taken for her to become the Duchess of Cornwall on marriage rather than controversially becoming the new Princess of Wales. Now, in a major U-turn, the duchess will be crowned alongside the prince at his coronation when the time comes. On the eve of her Jubilee, the Queen was on sparkling form as she laughed and joked at a celebratory reception at Sandringham House. The Queen with her Jubilee cake to celebrate the start of the Platinum Jubilee (Joe Giddens/PA) The head of state cut a Jubilee cake, met members of the local Womens Institute and chatted to former cookery school student Angela Wood who helped to perfect the famous coronation chicken dish invented for her Coronation. Wearing an Angela Kelly Wedgwood blue crepe with white brocade dress, the Queen, who beamed with delight throughout, used a wooden walking stick to rest on and also carried her trademark black handbag. In her message, the Queen also reflected on the sad anniversary of the death of her father. Amid the pandemic, she said she hoped the Jubilee would bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities after some difficult times for so many of us. The Queen, who signed her words Your servant Elizabeth R, pledged to continue to serve you with all my heart. The Queen has lived her life at the heart of the nation with constancy and principle in the churn of world affairs, a service marking the monarchs historic Platinum Jubilee has heard. In Matins recorded for Accession Day at Westminster Abbey and broadcast on BBC Radio 4s Sunday Worship, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, paid tribute to the Queens duty and service. She was, he said, a constant reminder that we are never ruled by a mere idea, in contrast to the push and pull of conflicting opinion and the divided tribal loyalties of our age. The Queen after returning from Kenya following her accession (PA) The Queen was thousands of miles away from home on a tour to Kenya when she acceded to the throne on February 6 1952 following the death of her father George VI. No fanfare marked Accession Day for the Queen who was, that morning, in the foothills of Mount Kenya, the Dean said. There was no job description and no strategy to deliver. Shaped and informed by the father she succeeded, she began what she has continued ever since, a life of duty and service. A life, her life at the heart of nation and Commonwealth relationship, constancy and principle in the churn of world affairs. The Dean added: For 70 years, our queen has lived our monarchy. News reports which have now passed into history have recorded national and international politics We note and record the facts, the rise and fall of fame, the manifestos and policies. The Queen alongside the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle at the Commonwealth Service in 2020 (Ben Stansall/PA) At the heart of our nation, however, there has been one for whom this has been relationship and lived experience. Amidst the push and pull of conflicting opinion, the divided tribal loyalties of our age, we have in Her Majesty the Queen, a constant reminder that we are never ruled by a mere idea. We share a humanity that can reach across division, share joy, overcome grief. BBC Radio 4s Sunday Worship: The Queens Accession airs on Sunday February 6 at 8.10am. Questions have been asked about how the Prime Ministers new chief of staff will balance the 24/7 role with also being a Cabinet minister and an MP as Boris Johnson brought new faces into Downing Street following a swathe of resignations. The Prime Minister announced on Saturday that Steve Barclay, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, would become his chief of staff and take forward reforms to No 10. But former holders of the job lined up to say they were unsure how Mr Barclay would be able to undertake all his roles. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Stephen Barclay (Ben Stansall/PA) Gavin Barwell, who was chief of staff to Theresa May, praised Mr Barclay as diligent, smart, insists on high standards and a nice guy to boot. But the Tory peer said it wont be easy to combine being chief of staff with a Minister and MP. Nick Timothy, who was also chief of staff to Mrs May alongside Fiona Hill, tweeted: Barclay is very talented, but not sure having a chief of staff whos also a minister elsewhere can work. Jonathan Powell, who held the role under Tony Blair, tweeted: Does he resign as an MP? Or is he answerable to Parliament? I can think of no democracy where the chief of staff can also be in the legislature. I found being No 10 chief of staff a full-time job. Not sure how it could be combined with representing a constituency. And having to go to answer parliamentary questions about the PM would be tricky. Mr Johnson previously insisted he was making changes to Downing Street and the Cabinet Office in the wake of the handling of the partygate saga. This included creating an Office of the Prime Minister with a permanent secretary to lead No 10. The Sunday Telegraph reported strategists Sir Lynton Crosby and David Canzini had also been providing Mr Johnson with advice. Mr Barclay, who is seen as a steady pair of hands, has been tasked with integrating the new Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office, Downing Street said. Mr Johnson also announced long-term ally Guto Harri, who worked with the Prime Minister at City Hall when he was Mayor of London, would become his director of communications. Labours deputy leader Angela Rayner, who also shadows Mr Barclay, said: The Prime Minister has clearly run out of serious people willing to serve under his chaotic and incompetent leadership, so now expects a Cabinet minister to be his chief of staff. This is a farce. Being No 10 chief of staff is a 24/7 job so if Steve Barclay is taking it on as his third job then Tory MPs and the public can have no confidence that the dysfunction in Downing Street will come to an end. The Institute for Governments Dr Catherine Haddon suggested that if Mr Barclay was staying in his Cabinet Office role, this is not a chief of staff. It sounds basically the same as Lidingtons CDL role where he was a fixer. Many have done that. But this is not a chief of staff role. Maybe they looked to Barwell, but he was staffing. All day everyday. Just because he was a politician previously, he was still a COS. Dr Catherine Haddon (@cath_haddon) February 5, 2022 She said: Either hes a chief of staff and CDL (Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) responsibilities will be neglected. Or hes de facto deputy PM (despite Raabs title) and youre lacking a chief of staff. Labour MP Chris Bryant, who is also chairman of the Commons Committee on Standards, tweeted: I dont understand how an MP can be a chief of staff at Drowning Street, either democratically, legally or logically. However Mr Johnson said: The changes Im announcing to my senior team today will improve how No 10 operates, strengthen the role of my Cabinet and backbench colleagues, and accelerate our defining mission to level up the country. The PM will hope the changes are enough to win around wavering backbench Tory MPs who are considering over the weekend whether to submit letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson to Sir Graham Brady. If the chairman of the 1922 Committee receives 54 letters a vote of no confidence will be called. So far, 15 Conservatives have publicly called for Mr Johnson to go, but not all have sent letters to Sir Graham. Sir Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers (Victoria Jones/PA) Privately, the numbers are expected to be higher. Sir Charles Walker, a former vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee, told The Observer Mr Johnsons departure was an inevitable tragedy. He said he wanted the PM to go of his own accord, but added: He is a student of Greek and Roman tragedy. It is going to end in him going, so I just want him to have some agency in that. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries launched a passionate defence of the Prime Minister, claiming that 97% of Tory MPs supported Mr Johnson. She also insisted Mr Johnson told the truth to the best of his knowledge based on what he was told by his aides. The new roles in No 10 come after Mr Johnson lost five aides within 24 hours, including long-term head of policy Munira Mirza, director of communications Jack Doyle, chief of staff Dan Rosenfield, and principal private secretary Martin Reynolds. Munira Mirza, then director of the Number 10 Policy Unit, arrives in Downing Street (Yui Mok/PA) Reports suggested the resignations of the latter three had been planned as they had been to some extent implicated in the partygate saga that still hangs over Mr Johnson. However Ms Mirzas departure was understood to have come as a surprise after Mr Johnson refused to apologise for allegations he made in the Commons regarding Sir Keir Starmer failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile. This image released by ABC shows co-host Whoopi Goldberg on the set of the daytime talk series "The View." Goldbergs colleagues on the The View'' had virtually nothing to say Wednesday about her two-week suspension for her comments earlier this week on Jews and the Holocaust. At the top of the ABC talk show, co-host Joy Behar noted Goldbergs absence and said simply with a tiny head tilt, OK, before moving on to other topics (Jenny Anderson/ABC via AP) ABCs decision to suspend Whoopi Goldberg from The View for two weeks for her remarks about the Holocaust has opened the network up to criticism that its response derailed a teachable moment for the nation about a sensitive topic often misunderstood and seldom discussed on air. Goldberg set off a cancel-culture media circus Monday when she said on the show that the Nazis genocide of 6 million Jews during World War II wasnt about race, but rather, mans inhumanity to man and that the conflict was between two white groups of people. The Nazis were white supremacists who wanted to eradicate what they considered an inferior race. Her suspension came after she apologized that night on Twitter and the next day on the show, which featured the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League at her invitation. The networks action spurred strong emotions and split allegiances about whether the politically liberal actor should be canceled or counseled. Isaac de Castro, editor of Jewcy, an online platform for young Jews, said on Twitter that Goldbergs offensive comments reflected the inability of many Americans to understand race and racism outside their prism. But he also said in a tweet that putting a grown woman in a time-out does little to advance a reckoning with Jewish identity. Now were talking about whether Whoopi should be suspended or not, instead of talking about the issue at hand ... and having a larger conversation about antisemitism and racism and the complexity of Jewish history, said de Castro, who is based in New York City and from Panama City, Panama. As many Democrats turned on Goldberg, some prominent Republicans condemned her while others rushed to her defense. DONT CANCEL Whoopi, tweeted Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has long accused the media of trying to silence the right. Some viewers threatened to boycott the show for what she said and others for what they saw as a lopsided response by the network against a Black woman for remarks that were not malicious. Whoopi made a comment that was misinformed, but then people jumped down her throat in ways that they havent for non-Black celebrities, said Malana Krongelb, a librarian in Boston who is Black and Jewish. The View has a platform that it could really use to popularly educate people. But instead its almost used as clickbait. Others echoed the sentiment that discussion was better than punishment. If what you want is to change someones mind, I have to think education is more effective than public shaming and punishment. Particularly when that person shows a sincere willingness to learn and apologize, tweeted Sharon Brous, a rabbi in Los Angeles. The View is an American daytime talk show in which women discuss hot topics of the day. Theyre encouraged to be somewhat edgy or provocative, and declining to have an opinion kind of defeats the purpose of the show, said Tom Jones, senior media writer at Poynter Institute. It would be nice if these things never happened, but if anything good can come out of it, it is education and it is people trying to find out more about what it was she said, why is it offensive? he said. Goldbergs defenders point to one of her former co-hosts, Meghan McCain, who apologized last year for previously condoning then-President Donald Trumps racist rhetoric toward Asians. In a Daily Mail column published Tuesday, McCain said that she's not calling for Goldberg to be fired, largely because she doesn't think the show would ever do that to its star. It was unclear if McCain had written the column knowing of the suspension, but she called her apology evidence of a double standard and urged this be used as a teachable moment. Instead of half-assed apologies and bringing in experts in the antisemitism space, maybe dedicate an entire Hot Topics segment to discussing why what was said was so deeply offensive and dangerous, McCain wrote. Goldberg explained to talk show host Stephen Colbert in an episode that aired Monday night that her perception of race is based on skin color but that she was wrong. She apologized again Tuesday morning on The View and invited Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, on to that days episode to talk about the Holocaust. He said in a tweet he deeply appreciated her invitation and that her apology is very much welcome. But ABC News President Kim Godwin announced her suspension later on Tuesday. On Wednesday, former GOP communications director Tara Setmayer sat in as guest co-host and nobody said anything about Jews or the Holocaust. In announcing the suspension, ABC said it was asking Goldberg to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The network didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Friday about the public reaction to the suspension. What people are forgetting in the rush to condemn or support Goldberg, said author Frederick Joseph, is that she made her remarks during a segment about a Tennessee school boards banning of Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Nazi death camps during World War II. Conservative officials across the country are trying to ban access to books such as Maus and the The 1619 Project, which puts Black slavery and Black Americans at the center of U.S. history. His own book, The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person, is being protested by some parents, he said, because they say its indoctrination. Joseph said Goldberg was seeing the issue of race through the lens of a Black woman in America and the lens lacked historical knowledge of what the Holocaust was actually about. But also, to be quite frank, as a Black American, I wasnt taught much myself about the Holocaust in school, said Joseph. I do hope that Whoopi learns, I hope that Whoopi grows, but how can she if we dont give her the opportunity? Marginalized groups have long complained that children and teens do not get a robust education in the histories of Jewish, Black and other cultures. It would have been amazing if The View had devoted the length of the two-week suspension to serious discussions of the uglier parts of history, they said. Krongelb, the librarian, says antisemitism and anti-Black racism have much in common, with both groups suffering from dehumanizing stereotypes and shared history of exclusion in the U.S. She wishes they could talk through these difficult issues instead of being manipulated by talking heads who want to sow discord. If we just canceled people for saying something problematic or for doing something that we dont agree with, then those cycles of harm just continue, she said. The Anti-Defamation League said Greenblatt could not comment on the suspension, and pointed to an op-ed he wrote that published Thursday in USA Today. He said her remarks were especially hurtful at a time when Holocaust denial is on the rise globally and politicians falsely compared mask mandates and COVID-19 vaccines to Nazi actions, further trivializing the Holocaust. His remarks seemed to acknowledge the audience power she has. She has a tremendous opportunity to use her platform not only to educate herself, but to share what she learns with her audience and the entire country, he said. ___ AP staff Gary Hamilton and David Bauder in New York and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report. Americans flocked to states with low or no income taxes during the pandemic, according to a new report, reaping savings from their work-from-home flexibility. People move to states with low-income tax for a multitude of reasons, sometimes it's the most direct and obvious reason that it reduces their own tax liability, said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. Especially now that people have more capacity to move where they want, that will be a higher priority for some. States with higher income tax rates saw significant population declines, whereas states with lower taxes had accelerated population growth, according to the Tax Foundation analysis that used U.S. Census Bureau population data and commercial datasets from U-Haul and United Van Lines. Millions of Americans moved out of high-tax states in 2021, while states with low- or no-income taxes saw higher levels of inbound migration, according to the Tax Foundation. (Credit: Tax Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau) For example, the District of Columbia which raised income taxes in 2021 saw its population downsize an estimated 2.8% between April 2020 and July 2021, while New York, which has some of the highest taxes, lost 1.8% of its residents. This was followed by Illinois, Hawaii, and California all high-tax states which make up the top five states with the largest population losses. By contrast, low or no personal income tax states saw the biggest population increases, including Florida, Texas, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Nevada, and Tennessee. While the last two years of the pandemic have allowed people with increased mobility to make this move, high tax levels are not the only reason some have packed up a U-Haul, according to Walczak. There are also second-order effects, Walczak said. States with lower tax burdens and with more pro growth tax codes have higher rates of growth and higher economic opportunity and people will move to seek out those things even beyond their own tax burdens. (Credit: Getty Creative) You could have significant savings While no or low income states may have higher sales or property taxes, the total tax burden often remains lower. Take Texas, for example, which has higher property taxes than the average. But even then for most people, the combination of Texas higher than average property taxes and no income taxes is still a significant tax savings over most of the states they might have moved from, Walczak said. Nine states with population gains either implemented or enacted cuts to the individual or corporate income tax rates last year. Meanwhile, New York, which had the highest population loss, and D.C. actually raised income taxes in 2021 the only places to do so. Local taxes can also add to peoples overall tax burden. For instance, the analysis found that the average top marginal state and local income tax rate is 3.5% for states that saw population gains, while the rate is 7.3% for the third of states with the highest tax rates. Im one of the people thats trying to leave New York City to minimize tax burdens, said Ramona Cedeno, CPA and founder of FiBrick, an accounting firm for tech companies and small businesses. Just up north of New York in the county of Westchester. New York can be so expensive. If she relocated, she could save around 5% to 6% on taxes, she said. A person works on their laptop at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on December 03, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Migration of people looking for better economic opportunities A growing number of young, working people are moving across state lines due to flexibility from work-from-home arrangements. In the past before COVID, we stayed in these high-tax states because there was another reason to. My office was based in New York City and I had clients in California, which required me to be there physically, Cedeno said. Now that we can work remotely and you dont have to see clients all the time, you can live anywhere. Typically, state-to-state migration is led by retirees leaving colder and high-tax states for ones with low or no income taxes that often have warmer climates. Not now, necessarily, Walczak said. This isnt a migration of just retirees, but more and more a migration of people looking for better economic opportunities, Walczak said, people moving or looking for jobs, lower cost of living, lower taxes, and overall opportunity. Gabriella is a personal finance reporter at Yahoo Money. Follow her on Twitter @__gabriellacruz. Read the latest personal finance trends and news from Yahoo Money. Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flipboard, and LinkedIn. MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of downtown Minneapolis on Saturday demanding justice in the fatal police shooting of a young Black man, Amir Locke, during a "no-knock" raid on his apartment earlier this week. The boisterous but peaceful crowd, chanting Locke's name and the slogan "no justice, no peace," rallied at Government Plaza in Minnesota's largest city three days after Locke, 22, was shot on his couch by police. The day after the killing, police released video footage from the raid, which showed Locke was holding a gun as he twisted beneath a blanket on his sofa after being roused by officers moments before he was slain. Police have said the officers were exercising a "no-knock" search warrant, which authorizes police to enter private property without first alerting occupants or announcing their presence. The warrant was issued in relation to a homicide probe led by detectives from the neighboring Saint Paul Police Department. Locke was not named in the warrant, and Minneapolis police have acknowledged it was unclear how or whether he was connected to that investigation. On Thursday, interim Minneapolis Police Chief Amelia Huffman told a news conference the county attorney's office was reviewing the shooting, and that video from the incident appeared to show Locke's gun pointed toward officers when they opened fire. Activists at the protest said Locke had a right to possess a weapon in his own home and was never given the chance to disarm himself in the chaotic moments as police stormed into his apartment without warning. At least 500 demonstrators assembled in below-freezing temperatures on Saturday, demanding an unconditional ban on no-knock warrants, the dismissal and arrest of officers involved in the shooting, and the resignation of the mayor and police chief. A series of speakers led the crowd through chants demanding racial justice and denouncing police violence against Black people, who organizers said have been disproportionately targeted by heavy-handed, and discriminatory law enforcement tactics. Live video footage of the protest from Reuters showed the crowd remained orderly, while police kept a low profile presence on the fringes of the rally. On Friday, Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the Locke shooting, ordering a moratorium on "no-knock" search warrants, saying he was acting to "ensure safety of both the public and officers until a new policy is crafted." The Locke shooting was the latest of a string of incidents to put Minneapolis-area police department under scrutiny. Almost two years ago, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by a white officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during an arrest on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Outrage over Floyd's death sparked a nationwide movement challenging police brutality and bias in the U.S. criminal justice system. The video of Locke's arrest showed police unlocking his apartment with a key and officers shouting, "Police, search warrant, get on the ground," as they entered. An officer then kicks at the couch where Locke was lying and as Locke turns, his arm emerges from under the blanket with a gun seen in his hand. Almost immediately, police fired at least three shots. Lawyers for Locke's family said he had no criminal history and legally possessed a firearm at the time of his death. (Reporting by Reuters Video News staff in Minneapolis; Writing and additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by David Gregorio) WASHINGTON (AP) Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday endorsed Republican colleague Lisa Murkowski for reelection, crossing party lines to back the incumbent from Alaska who faces a primary challenger supported by former President Donald Trump. The conservative West Virginia lawmaker said he has teamed well with Murkowski in the 50-50 Senate to build bipartisan support for legislation such as President Joe Biden's infrastructure law. He said Alaska and the Senate are well-served with her in office. Its hypocritical to basically work with a person day in and day out and then, when theyre in cycle, youre supposed to be against them because they have an R or D by their name," said Manchin, who appeared with Murkowski on CNN's State of the Union to promote the values of bipartisanship. Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them," he said. Murkowski faces GOP primary challenger Kelly Tshibaka, who has support from Trump and Alaska Republican party leaders but who significantly trails the incumbent in fundraising. A Democrat has yet to enter the race; the last state's last Democratic senator, Mark Begich, lost reelection in 2014. It isn't the first time that Manchin has bucked his party's political operation. In 2020, he endorsed Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in her reelection bid. Manchin had indicated last April that he would support Murkowski if she chose to run again this year. Murkowski is one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial for his role in stoking the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Her reelection bid plays up her credentials as a centrist in the Senate, working across party lines to stand up to any politician or special interest that threatens our way of life. A member of the Senate since 2002, Murkowski lost the Republican primary for her seat in 2010 but ultimately won after launching a successful write-in campaign. She's joined Democrats several times on high-profile votes, including opposing Trump's effort to repeal President Barack Obama's health law in 2017 and her 2018 refusal to vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice. Murkowski said Sunday she as well would support Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2024. If hes running, Im endorsing him," she said. Manchin has drawn ire from the progressive wing of his party over his reluctance to back broad climate and social safety net legislation that Biden envisioned would pass with support from all 50 Democratic senators. After initially indicating he could support a version of that bill, Manchin announced in December that he would not back the effort and that the legislation in its present form was dead. On Sunday, Manchin indicated he recently talked to Biden but said the topic didn't really come up because of the need for separate action by Feb. 18 on a separate funding bill. He reiterated a desire to pass smaller pieces of Biden's proposal with input and support from Republicans. These are major changes, Manchin said. It is going to change society as we know it. South Koreans have taken umbrage at what they believe is China's claim to the traditional Korean hanbok attire during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday. The depiction of a hanbok-clad woman as a minority group in China angered many South Koreans, who argued that China was trying to promote hanbok as its own. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor and an activist promoting South Korean culture, said South Korea should do a better job letting the rest of the world know that hanbok is traditional Korean attire. He said China has already made too many claims to hanbok as its own to count. The UK providing weapons and training to Ukrainian forces shows to Putin that the war wont be such an easy ride, a former oligarch has said. Exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky said bolstering Ukraine defences was the most important way that London could show solidarity with Kyiv in the face of Russian aggression on the border. Speaking on Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News, Mr Khodorkovsky was asked whether putting more pressure on the assets of allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the UK would deter Moscow from launching an invasion in Ukraine. The pressure on the assets and the properties of the Russians in Britain has two sides, he said. Putins clique illegally pressurise the British political system, its done in numerous ways. There are legal firms who work for them, sometimes its direct influence on British governing bodies. Its really important to fight this, its a dangerous thing for Britain. Thats one part of it the influence of Putins clique. The other thing is an ethical issue, its a question for British society whether its happy and whether the system is happy to have dirty money on the British territory. As far as Putin is concerned these assets are in enemy territory, he sees this as a betrayal unless these people are influencing the British system. Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine (Peter Nicholls/PA) But Mr Khodorkovsky added: More important is supplying weapons and training Ukrainians that shows to Putin that the war wont be such an easy ride if hes planning one. It comes as Labour called on the Conservatives to pay back donations from Russians and tackle dirty money in Britain. In a joint letter from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy, the party said: London is the destination of choice for the worlds kleptocrats. The pair said: This is not simply a matter of targeting some individuals or entities through sanctions but about fixing a broken system Britains openness to fraud and money laundering, inadequate regulation of political donations, lax mechanisms of corporate governance, and weakness to foreign interference. Mr Lammy also said the Tories had received around 5 million of donations from Russian-linked donors. Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is fitted with an ear piece for a TV interview at BBC Broadcasting House (Aaron Chown/PA) The cosy links between the Conservative Party and Russian-linked donors raise serious questions about our national security at a time when tensions with Russia are on the rise, Mr Lammy said. While Boris Johnson tries to talk tough with Vladimir Putin, his own party has been raking in millions from donors with links to Russia and in some cases reported links to Mr Putin himself. The Pandora Papers revealed the scale of the secret offshore wealth held by some of those donors, while others have spoken on the record about the Ukraine crisis in the past. A Conservative Party spokesman said: The Conservative Party only accepts donations from permissible sources, namely individuals registered on the UKs electoral roll or UK registered companies. Donations are transparently declared to the Electoral Commission and openly published by them. The Conservatives in Government have been resolute in standing up to Russian aggression in contrast to the Labour Party, who sided with Putin on the Salisbury attack. The intervention comes ahead of an expected visit to Moscow by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss next week in a bid to calm tensions between Russia and Ukraine. US army troops unloading vehicles from a transport plane after arriving in south-eastern Poland, on Sunday (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) On Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed the situation with French President Emmanuel Macron. They agreed that finding a diplomatic solution to the current tensions must remain the overriding priority, a No 10 spokesman said. The Prime Minister and President Macron stressed that Nato must be united in the face of Russian aggression. They agreed to continue to work together to develop a package of sanctions which would come into force immediately should Russia further invade Ukraine. European leaders are due to travel to both Moscow and Kyiv in a bid to calm tensions on the Ukrainian border, where it is feared Russia may launch an invasion. Mr Macron is set to visit Moscow on Monday and Kyiv on Tuesday, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Kyiv on February 14 and Moscow on February 15. There were road blockades, protests and gheraoing in several places after two separate lists were released Protests by TMC ranks erupted in the evening and have been continuing since then in many districts. (Representational image: PTI) Kolkata/Berhampore: West Bengal's ruling Trinamul Congress has been hit by massive dissent over ticket distribution across several districts for the third and final phase of civic polls to be held in 108 municipalities on February 27. There were road blockades, protests and gheraoing in several places after two separate lists were released -- one by TMC leaders and another by Prashant Kishor's IPAC -- that had separate names. On Friday afternoon, senior TMC leaders released a list of around 3,000 candidates who were fielded in 107 municipalities while deferring the name of the party's candidate for Darjeeling municipality. They claimed that the list had the approval of party supremo Mamata Banerjee. But the list did not match with the one shared by the party's political consulting firm, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) led by election strategist Prashant Kishor, to the media. Later TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee and Mr Kishor had an altercation during a telephonic conversation over the mismatch, sources said. Protests by TMC ranks erupted in the evening and have been continuing since then in many districts. On Saturday, state transport minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim squarely blamed I-PAC for circulating a different candidates' list illegally. "There was a huge demand for tickets. Our party leaders prepared the list by working hard. I-PAC was also consulted. Like many I also proposed a list of names to the party for consideration. But these names were uploaded on the party's website and pages illegally. One cannot do it just because they have the passwords. It is a misuse of passwords," he alleged. I-PAC, however, denied its role in candidates' selection, sources revealed. TMC MLA Madan Mitra said, "If a higher secondary candidate becomes sure of passing with first division marks but does not find his name among the successful candidate, he will obviously feel sad. The party leadership is looking into why and how it happened. I sympathise with the hopefuls who did not get tickets. I urge them not to leave our party. Let us see how adjustments can be done. The party leadership did not consult me. I will try to talk to our party supremo." At his constituency, Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas, the TMC labour wing suspended bus and auto services to protest against ticket distribution. In North Bengal, party leader Anantadeb Adhikari quit as the party's election committee chief of Moynaguri municipality in Jalpaiguri. In East Midnapore, state minister Akhil Giri faced protests of TMC workers outside his residence at Contai. Burdwan East saw TMC workers gheraoing their district president R.N. Chatterjee at a party office. At Rabindranagar in South 24 Parganas, the police lathicharged TMC workers for putting up a road blockade. In Murshidabad, Jangipur municipality chairman Mojaharul Islam's followers demonstrated after he was denied ticket like his counterparts, Nilratan Adhya of Berhampore, Bharat Jhawar of Beldanga and Biplab Chakraborty of Lalbag. Stung by the dissent, the TMC entrusted it's district heads to declare new candidates' list. Following the backlash on social media, especially twitter, Amrita Fadnavis posted a survey report to justify her statement Mumbai: Amrita Fadnavis, wife of former chief minister of Maharashtra and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, claimed that three per cent divorce takes place in Mumbai due to traffic jams. Her claim attracted sharp reactions from the Shiv Sena, which has been ruling in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for more than two decades. Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi ridiculed Amrita calling her statement illogical. Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar expressed surprise over Amritas logic that traffic leads to divorces. Following the backlash on social media, especially twitter, Amrita Fadnavis posted a survey report to justify her statement. Speaking with reporters, the BJP leaders wife said, I am speaking as a common citizen. I go out every day and experience traffic jams. How potholes (on roads) make us miserable. I go out as a common woman. Do you (reporters) know how many divorces take place in Mumbai due to traffic congestion? It is three per cent, as we dont give time to our family. Ms Pednekar said that Amruta Fadnavis's claim is astonishing and she never heard this logic that traffic leads to divorces. She (Amrita) should prove her claims (regarding divorce due to traffic). She is only seeking attention by making such statements, the Mumbai mayor said. Ridiculing the BJP leaders wife on twitter, Shiv Sena leader Chaturvedi said, "Best (il)logic of the day award goes to the lady who claims 3% Mumbaikars are divorcing due to traffic on roads. Please take a holiday break rather than having a mind on brake..Bengaluru families please avoid reading this, can prove fatal for your marriages (sic)." Hours after Ms Chaturvedis post, Amrita rebutted her that they should not deviate from the reality. In a tweet, Amrita said, Hey Lady, do not deviate from truth. Report by-Survey Money states- Mumbaikar suffers from psychological & physiological illness due to huge traffic jams & delay in movement of traffic. There is also fall in employee productivity & increase in divorce rates. All thanks to you & urs (sic). Phone calls to his office elicit a stock reply that Deol is not keeping well It is not just the common man who is feeling let down by finance minister Nirmala Sitharamans latest Budget which had little to offer to the middle classes as well as the marginalised sections. But Bharatiya Janata Party workers, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, are also unhappy because the Budget did not include any populist schemes, which would have helped the party in wooing voters in the upcoming elections. While Opposition leaders are relieved that the Narendra Modi government did not make any grand announcements, the BJP workers are privately complaining that they had assured the electorate during their campaign that the budget would fetch them a bag of goodies. But with the Budget offering little to the poll-bound states, glum-faced workers said they will now find it difficult to face the people and explain why they had been ignored. On the other hand, BJP insiders maintain, this was a deliberate move to underline Prime Minister Narendra Modis image of a strong and powerful leader who is not bogged down by electoral compulsions. This, it was pointed out, had become necessary after Mr Modis decision to scrap the three contentious farm laws posited him as a weak leader. * After failing to make a mark in the last two elections, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary is gradually being accepted by the Jats in Western Uttar Pradesh as Chaudhary Charan Singhs political heir. Not only is he drawing big crowds, but any negative comments about him elicit a hostile reaction. For instance, a local BJP leader was shouted down by members of the Jat community when he attacked Jayant and said he was not one of them since his wife did not belong to the same community. This incident took place at a recent meeting called by the local BJP leaders, and attended by Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Baliyan, to woo the Jat community. Though the Jats are not complaining that Jayant had married outside his community, they do have a wish list for Charan Singhs grandson. One, they would prefer that he did not wear jeans during his visits to Western UP; two, they would like to see him travel by road and not by helicopter so he can connect better with the electorate; and three, they wanted him to contest from the Chaprauli, his grandfathers constituency. * Former Congress president Rahul Gandhis declaration that the party will name a chief minister in Punjab could create a problem for the party in Uttarakhand. Former chief minister Harish Rawat, who is leading the Congress campaign in the hill state, will obviously want the leadership to do the same in Uttarakhand as well. It is no secret that Mr Rawat sees himself as the best candidate for the top job and is keen that the Congress clarify matters at the earliest. Congress insiders maintain there is a possibility that Mr Rawat may miss the bus as the leadership (read Rahul Gandhi) would prefer a younger person for the chief ministers post. In case Mr Rawat is overlooked, the veteran leader could well cross over to the Bharatiya Janata Party which would be willing to give him the chief ministers post if he can bring in enough legislators to form a government. It is an acknowledged fact that BJP leaders in Uttarakhand have been soft on Mr Rawat and have refrained from attacking him too harshly. * Filmstar-turned-politician Sunny Deol, the Bharatiya Janata Partys MP from Gurdaspur, is apparently reluctant to campaign for his party in the ongoing Punjab election. Several local BJP leaders have requested Deol to campaign for the party, especially in the Majha belt, but the actor has failed to respond to their entreaties. Phone calls to his office elicit a stock reply that Deol is not keeping well. The actor is learned to have been influenced by his father, veteran actor Dharmendra who had come out in support of the protesting farmers during the agitation. While Dharmendras wife, BJPs Mathura MP had dismissed the farmers agitation, son Sunny Deol had attempted to play both sides. He had then come up with a convoluted explanation, saying he supported the Prime Minister and the farmers. Deol probably does not wish to be seen on the side of the party which remains unpopular with farmers even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi rolled back the controversial farm laws. * Congress cadres in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have discovered two new star campaigners for the ongoing election. The leaders in demand are Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. The Congress is not a major player in Uttar Pradesh but several party candidates have nevertheless put in requests for the two chief ministers to campaign for them. While Mr Channi caught everyones attention in recent months with his aam aadmi persona, Mr Baghel has been a regular presence in Assembly polls over the past two years. Though popular with the party cadre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is said to be unhappy with Mr Baghel ever since he flew down a group of MLAs to Delhi last September as a show of strength to thwart any move to replace him with his bete noire T.S. Singh Deo. by Dario Salvi Bishop Thomas Meram of Urmia and Patriarchal Administrator of Tehran, tells of a community coming to terms with emigration, economic crisis and Covid. The numbers confirm the difficulties: three weddings, four baptisms and 30 funerals. But even in Iran, the Church uses social media as a means of reaching out to the faithful. And in June, after three years, a group of children will be able to celebrate their first communions. Milan (AsiaNews) - Emigration, the search for work, the Covid-19 pandemic that has emptied churches which now seek to draw the faithful back, while continuing to exploit the means offered by new technologies to offer access to celebrations on social media. Nurturing vocations to ensure a generational turnover and support pastoral work among dioceses with vacant seats and prelates appointed, but who have not yet been able to set foot in the country. There are many elements of difficulty faced by the Catholic community in Iran, as Chaldean bishop of the archieparchy of Urmia and patriarchal administrator of Tehran Msgr. Thomas Meram tells AsiaNews in this interview. However, there are also elements of hope that help to continue the mission such as "the first communion in June for a group of children, after three years in which it was not possible to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist." 78-year-old Msgr. Meram says: Iranian Christians are a small number and the situation has not changed in recent years. Emigration is a big problem, many try to go abroad to join family members or acquaintances who have left the country in the past, especially their children". Official estimates report that in Iran there are about 22,000 Catholics (about 500,000 Christians) out of a total of almost 84 million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are Shiite Muslims (90%, Sunnis are just over 5%). Among the various Churches there are Chaldeans, Armenians and communities of Latin rite, which are add to Europeans and Latin Americans. According to the Iranian Constitution (art. 13) Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews are free to worship "with respect" for the laws inspired by the Muslim faith; furthermore, Christians have the right to have representatives in Parliament (Majlis). The difficulties that pervade Iranian society are also reflected in the Christian community. "Young people do not want to get married - says the prelate - because the costs are too high. And even those few couples who do marry, do not have children. The numbers presented by Msgr. Meram for the archiepachia of Urmia are merciless: in one year there were "three marriages, four baptisms and 30 funerals and here the situation is better than in other parts, such as Tehran, where the cost of living is much higher. We can count on agriculture, here everyone has a house and a small plot of land to cultivate". In this already difficult situation, the Covid-19 pandemic, which broke out two years ago, "has worsened the situation: we have seen people die, the church emptied, the first year was terrible. Only 10 or 15 people attended services when there were so many. Now the situation has improved, the celebrations have resumed and on festive occasions more than 200 faithful arrive, even from nearby villages, to attend mass with some extra precautions. Not coming to church was becoming a habit, so we [the bishop and a priest] went to the houses, to visit the families, to meet them and bring them back to church". The same goes for children and young people for whom "we promote meetings" and with whom we have remained in contact "even online during the hardest phases of the pandemic". In the community "we have about sixty boys and girls, about fifteen young people and 30 university students with whom we organize weekly meetings". The difficulties faced by the Catholic Church are reflected in the numbers: in the country there are only two Assyrian-Chaldean archdioceses, an Armenian diocese and a Latin archdiocese. In most cases there is only one priest. The rise to the presidency in June of the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi, who succeeded the moderate Hassan Rouhani, has fuelled fears of a further squeeze on Christians, especially evangelicals and Protestants seen as enemies of the State. However, in recent years, Catholics have also come under pressure: last June, the authorities did not renew the visa of a nun, 75-year-old Giuseppina Berti, who had spent the last 26 years in a leper colony. The nun was one of two nuns working in Isfahan, the only Catholic presence in the area that today can only count on 77-year-old Sister Fabiola Weiss. In recent years, both missionaries have worked in hospitals treating the sick "without making distinctions between Christians or Muslims," trying to bring comfort to all. The issue of conversions and proselytism remains a "sensitive" topic and conversions from Islam, like the crime of apostasy, are liable to the death penalty. Nevertheless, "relations with the authorities are good" and even with Muslims "there are no particular difficulties". Indeed, emphasizes the bishop of Urmia, they themselves "have followed with great attention the visit of Pope Francis to Iraq last year, which recorded positive judgments and a good following in the national press." The Church and the Catholic community, however, must address two major challenges remain: the flight of young people abroad and the lack of priests - and vocations - to ensure pastoral activity. Young people - explains Msgr. Meram - are worried about the lack of work and economic prospects, an issue that affects all of society but is particularly hard for Christians, a small reality even if looked at with respect. Even individual entrepreneurial initiatives are sporadic and difficult, for many the only prospect is that of emigration, of the adventure abroad in search of a better life, even if, in practice, they are often disappointed". As for the clergy, "we are few in number, but we try to do our best even though vocations are scarce. We have only one young man studying at the seminary in Erbil. We hope in the future - concludes the prelate - in the meantime we use the means at our disposal, including social media [the bishop has a very active Instagram profile, where he publishes masses and celebrations, ed] to be able to reach an increasing number of faithful in Iran and in the diaspora in Australia, Canada, Europe". "ECCLESIA IN ASIA" IS THE NEWSLETTER OF ASIANEWS DEDICATED TO THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN ASIA WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY SUNDAY IN YOUR EMAIL? CLICK ON THIS LINK. New Zealand's Zoi Sadowski Synnott waits for her score after competing in the women's snowboard slopestyle final run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Genting Snow Park H & S Stadium in Zhangjiakou, China, Feb. 6. AFP-Yonhap Zoi Sadowski Synnott gave New Zealand its first-ever Winter Olympics gold medal after winning the women's snowboard slopestyle final at the Beijing Games, Sunday. Sadowski Synnott trailed American Julia Marino going into the final round but pulled out an incredible performance to take the title with the last run of the competition. The 20-year-old launched into a massive jump with her final trick to earn a winning score of 92.88, before being mobbed at the finish by Marino and bronze-medalist Tess Coady of Australia. A large New Zealand flag and another bearing the country's black fern symbol could be seen among the crowd. If you're unfamiliar, this is the Land Rover Wolf. It's special chimera of the theoretical British Second World War Jeep they only wish they had. That's why the very first Land Rover prototypes had the chassis and underpinnings of a Willys Jeep , after all.The Wolf was just as much a purpose-built military 4x4 as a Jeep or a Humvee. Commonwealth soldiers have been going to war in Land Rovers since the '50s in fact. But when you look at the facts closely, a Land Rover and a Humvee serve a very different purpose in their service to NATO nations and elsewhere.Before the Wolf hit operation status back in 1998, Commonwealth forces and many others were very happy with their bespoke military Land Rovers based on the 90 and 110 editions of the Defender, dating back to 1985. These digits represent the length of the vehicle in imperial measurements, in this case.These special military Defenders became icons of post-Cold War NATO operations, right alongside the Hummer. But Land Rover couldn't guarantee the long-term viability of the fleet without significant reinforcements. The result of this quandary was the upgraded Land Rover 90XD and 110XD in 1994.Under the hood of this revamped Defender was the Land Rover 300 series turbo diesel engine. Known for having worse fuel consumption than the previous 200 series, these were known for premature timing belt failure. Land Rover was so embarrassed by the debacle, they issued a repair kit to the engine in use in both the military and the civilian sector.The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense tested, reject, and then tested Land Rover's newest military 4x4. The finished product was a vehicle that was leaps and bounds more refined than the outdated Land Rovers that it was replacing. It was a welcome reprieve for crusty old the Land Rovers leftover from the Thatcher era most soldiers were used to.The British Army designated these new 90 and 110 layout Defenders with the Wolf moniker in 1998. It's a name that would stick until the present day. The Wolf served alongside coalition forces during the War on Terror starting in 2001.Despite the abject failure the War in Afghanistan may have become, British soldiers seemed to all be in agreement. The Wolf was beloved by British forces just as much as the Americans loved their Humvees . Together, the two became icons of their time periods. Vehicles that are forever associated with the wars in which they fought.That said, it's important to know a fundamental truth about the Wolf. Despite serving side by side with the American Humvee, the Land Rover serves a very different role on a battlefield. Allow us to explain.You see, the Humvee's mission was pretty straightforward as far as military objectives are concerned. To use brute armor and Detroit Diesel torque to transport soldiers or weapons platforms wherever they need to go. Being able to shrug off an IED without much fuss is just the cherry on top.You can do such things when the Humvee's armor is thicker than some Second World War light tanks. Keep in mind, we're talking about the full-fledged land-mine resistant MRAP variant, not the unarmored base camp princess that the officers on-site drive around in.But this wasn't the case for Land Rover and its Wolf. The Wolf did not normally sport absurdly thick armor, or provisions for mounting weapons with enough ordinance for an entire Cold War tank battalion, as Humvees could. The Wolf's mission was more human than that, and more people-oriented as well.You see, the British strategic game plan going into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was not to impose domination over its citizens. At least on paper, of course. Instead, its compact and city-friendly form factor lent itself better to the mission of winning hearts and minds.The stern, but handsome Land Rover does a far better job at keeping locals in urban operational zones at ease than the brutish and positively horrifying-looking Humvee. Of course, armored and armed variants of the Defender did exist. But these were bespoke projects, separate from that of the Wolf.The United Kingdom is not the only beneficiary of the Land Rover Wolf. The armed forces of Lebanon, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Uruguay all use the Wolf in their fleets. The Italians use them in their national police force, the Carabinieri.It may not be armed, but the Wolf's iconic Defender front fascia fights its battles dependably and sensibly. The plucky brains to match the Humvees braun. Besides, good luck at making the brand new defender anygood in a war zone. Lest you get the leather seats dirty.Check back for more from Land Rover Month right here on autoevolution. TDI So far, we've shown you the Land Rover Wolf , an unarmed, un-armored military off-roader that's more suited to win hearts and minds in the streets of an urban war zone than it is for actual combat. As far as NATO is concerned, that's historically been delegated to the American Humvee. But a modern Army can't survive on the brute force of Humvees alone. Sometimes, you're going to need something more to supplement the ranks. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Snatch Land Rover, the fully armored, mine-resistant version of the military Land Rover 110 the Wolf only wishes it could be.First produced in 1992, the Snatch Land Rover pre-dates the 110 Defender's designation as the Wolf platform between 1994 and 1998. The design sits on top of the upgraded Heavy Duty Land Rover XD platform in which the Wolf also has its basis. The Land Rover 300engine is found in the Wolf as well, at least in later models dodgy timing belts and all. Early models sported a V8 gasoline engine instead.But composite blast and firearm-resistant armor are far from the only difference between a Snatch Land Rover and the average Defender Wolf. To further protect against IED devices, the Snatch Land Rover cruises into battle with electronic countermeasures arrays that could potentially prevent proximity-triggered explosives from operating by using electronic jamming to prevent the detonator from triggering.Snatch Land Rovers also carry the Bowman communications system. A radio suite operating on as many as three different frequencies. This ensures, at least in theory, that communication between the vehicle and base camp is maintained even after an IED explosion. It was hoped that the extra protection and the latest comms technology would be a combination that sees British forces to victory.As many as six different versions of the Snatch have been produced since 1992. Ranging from the basic armored trainer dubbed the Snatch II in left-hand-drive, a right-hand-drive variant for "the rest of the world," and the right-hand-drive model intended exclusively for urban combat.Interestingly, the Snatch Land Rover was not only designed for war zone combat. It was also intended to be used as a counter-terrorism vehicle that saw extensive use in the civil unrest taking place between the Irish Republican Army and the British Armed Forces. A period from the late 60s until the late 1990s is generally referred to as "the Troubles" by the locals.It was here that the improvised explosive device-resistant armored Land Rover made its very first patrols. Hundreds of British soldiers lost their lives to IED devices planted by the IRA in these times. It was thought the Snatch Land Rover might give them a higher chance of survival in these areas.It was during the Troubles that the Armored Land Rover earned its name. Named aptly because of the vehicle's role in British Army snatch squads. Groups of highly trained soldiers whose mission was to locate, apprehend, and arrest high-ranking IRA demonstrators accused of crimes against humanity. These snatch squads gave their Land Rover a name that will stick with it forever.Sadly, thoughts of the Snatch Land Rover's performance didn't nearly match the high and lofty expectations that the Ministry of Defense had expected from the project. Not only were the results from patrols in Ireland less than satisfactory, but the worst had still yet to come. The worst in question came in the form of the War on Terror both in Iraq and Afghanistan.During this war, the MOD was inundated with complaints from politicians as well as loved ones of soldiers the Snatch Land Rover failed to protect from IED blasts. By 2005, British media was reporting on breaking news that the Department for Internal Development was formally advising against using Snatch Land Rovers in high-risk environments going forward in the war.It's estimated that 37 soldiers at least met their ends inside Snatch Land Rovers. Either from IED explosions or while under a hail of armor-piercing rifle fire. At least four British families have attempted to sue the Ministry of Defense for emotional damages resulting from the 4x4s sub-bar battle protection. Some even went as far as to trash the Snatch Land Rover's reputation by calling them "mobile coffins."All the while, the specialized MRAP version of the American Humvee was seeing praise in the very same war, the likes of which not seen since the Willys-Jeep. A flawed and inefficient vehicle it may have been, but there's no arguing around being able to shrug off an IED without much complaint at all.With other mine-resistant vehicles like the joint South African-American Cougar ready by at least 2002, the Snatch Land Rover's days on the front lines have been numbered ever since. In 2010, Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed the Snatch Land Rover was due to be replaced.That replacement would be the gargantuan Force Protection Ocelot , a vehicle more akin to a Humvee than a Land Rover. What does this tell us? Likely that it's best if Land Rovers stick to winning hearts and minds instead of trying to shrug off explosives. Check back for more from Land Rover month right here on autoevolution. EV Campbell told the South China Morning Post that neither he nor his wife ever drove the car through flooded areas. When the vehicle failed, heavy rains were hitting Hong Kong, but none of the places in which Campbells wife went were flooded. He believes that Tesla is simply trying to dodge responsibility for a battery pack defect it would otherwise have to replace for free.Campbell asked the Tesla Service Center to present him the investigation report. He wanted to understand how a sealed battery pack could be full of water by just facing heavy afternoon rain. The South China Morning Post asked the help of an experienced mechanical engineer to understand the issue. Lo Kok-keung said the battery case could have been damaged. If that were true, Tesla would have shown Campbell the report and the damage. The company refused to let him see the investigation report.That led the Tesla customer to assume Tesla just wanted to avoid replacing his battery pack . After complaining for three months about the repair bill, themaker said it would charge only HK$91,000 ($11,684) out of goodwill. If Campbell were really to blame, it makes no sense that Tesla cut the price by almost half. If the battery pack presented damages, the EV maker should just have shown them to the customer to justify voiding the warranty and charging him to replace it. Tesla limited its defense to sending Campbell two pictures of the battery pack by email, stating that it found substantial volumes of water there. The EV maker told him there were no similar cases in other countries. It may be the case that we just have not heard about them.Campbell knows that the battery was full of water. What the Tesla client wants to know is how a sealed battery pack can be flooded. Had Tesla presented him the damages right from the beginning, he would not have been wondering about what went wrong. The company just accused him of driving in flooded areas, which he denies.If you have ever heard about similar cases, let us know about them. Perhaps Model S battery packs had sealing issues at some point. Without knowing about them, other customers may have been charged for them just like Campbell, even when their battery packs were still under warranty. This Hong Kong case may sure be an isolated one. However, in our experience, they never are. SUV Naturally, we are talking about the Japanese automakers Land Cruiser nameplate. The four-wheel-drive vehicle that started life as the Rising Sun counterpart to Americas civilian Jeep and Europes Land Rover. One that has been offered with many body styles. Convertible, hardtop, station wagon, and cab chassis models, along with the ubiquitousform.But we have not seen a generation that deceivingly jumped across time . Until now. Alas, it turns out that is a widely spread practice making a vehicle appear as if belonging to the refreshed series. Or, in this case, a completely new generation altogether. And just a quick search will show this practice is very popular across certain markets. So, where there is demand, there are also offerings.One of them comes from China. Of course, the land of car cloning! Just a quick jump to an Alibaba link and you are greeted by Ningbo Carbest International Trading Co. Ltd. It is an outlet that will gladly sell to any interested parties bundles of car body kits for transforming a Land Cruiser LC200 (2016-2020) into the 2022 model year LC300 series. Five to nine sets go for $3,500 each while going above 50 will even lower the price to $3k.Naturally, you still need somebody to perform the change. No worries, some firms also have that covered. Cue to the videos embedded below and one will discover GBT Bodykits, an aftermarket brand that has two decades of experience with such shenanigans. Even better, GBTs Land Cruiser 200 to Land Cruiser 300 upgrade body kit is not alone, as the company also promises non-destructive installation of modified products for various other brands, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Land Rover, and Lexus.In addition to Toyota , of course. Now, something that might cost around $5k (considering the kit and potential installation costs) sounds almost like almsgiving. Especially considering the hype surrounding Toyotas all-new Land Cruiser series. And, frankly, it would be easy to understand why people would resort to such drastic measures. Social media pressure, the pride of getting access to the latest model introduction, a deep love for that particular brand and model. These are all sensible reasons.Besides, Toyota itself has added wood to the proverbial fire. Their Land Cruiser 300 is in such high demand that across certain markets there are rumors of years of waiting before gaining access to one. Of course, we all know who is to blame for the whole ordeal suppliers, the semiconductor shortage crisis, and more. Never the automaker itself, logically. Although Toyota did post an apology on its Japanese online portal one time, confirming the woes.Additionally, because of previously lackluster sales, the automaker notoriously decided to drop the Land Cruiser nameplate from one important market - the United States. Thus, it negated itself a potentially lucrative region. Yet, somehow, I feel that having your LC200 upgraded by the aftermarket world to LC300 standards is not exactly the way forward . As deceptively cunning as it may be, I got scared of it just by thinking about it.Sure, the Chinese car industrys well-known cloning issues along with all the Alibaba sting legends did not help. The same can be said about GBTs mention of non-destructive installation. That means the company itself reached this situation through potential trial and error, while others might still be in the process of getting the hang of it... So, there are chances people would end up with no new LC300, as well as a botched LC200!Besides, there are options. Around the world, there is a new 2022 Lexus LX 600 . Sure, that one is even more expensive, to begin with. Yet, over in America, one can have a trio of choices. Alongside the mighty LX, there is also the cool Tundra workhorse and the family-oriented 2023 Sequoia. Frankly, I would choose any of the latter two. Either as TRD Pros if the family fancies adventures, or as Capstones if we are into premium stuff. And in a heartbeat... Palmdale, CA (93550) Today Sunny skies. Becoming windy late. High 82F. W winds at 10 to 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 mph. Bee rustlers are back just in time for the almond bloom, naturally and with them have come growing concerns that the annual uptick in stol By Joschka Fischer BERLIN What will happen when Russia's deployment of troops along the Ukrainian border is complete? Will Russian President Vladimir Putin give the order to attack in his effort to deprive one of Russia's neighbors a sovereign state and a member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe of its independence and force it back under the Kremlin's yoke? We still don't know, but the facts overwhelmingly point to an impending war. Should that happen, the consequences for Europe would be profound, calling into question the European order and the principles renunciation of violence, self-determination, the inviolability of borders, and territorial integrity on which it has been based since the end of the Cold War. Owing to violent aggression on Russia's part, Europe would once again be divided into two spheres: a "Russian Europe" in the east and the Europe of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the western and central parts of the continent. Imperial interests would once again be set against those of democracies working together under a common rule of law. Worse, because words, bonds, commitments, and treaties would no longer be trusted, there would be increased rearmament for self-protection and a complete reorganization of economic relations, particularly in the energy sector. Europe would no longer be able to risk the kind of economic dependencies that allow it to be blackmailed during crises. While a reorganization of economic relations would be costly for the EU, there would be no other option. The only alternative would be submission and surrender of Europe's own principles. At the heart of the current crisis is the fact that Russia, under Putin, has become a revisionist power. Not only is it no longer interested in maintaining the status quo; it is willing to threaten and even use military force to change the status quo in its favor. If Europe were to submit to these imperial impulses, it would betray its most fundamental values and would have to renounce the way Europeans live and want to live. It would mean giving up all the progress for which the EU stands. The consequences are unthinkable, and thus entirely unacceptable. Russia's demands show precisely what is really at issue in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin wants NATO to abandon its open-door policy not only in Eastern Europe but also in Scandinavia (vis-a-vis the neutral EU member states Sweden and Finland). This is not about Russia's supposed encirclement by NATO. It is about the restoration of the Russian empire and Putin's existential fear of democracy taking root and spreading. At stake in the Ukrainian crisis is the right to self-determination the prerogative of all sovereign countries to choose their own alliances. Putin desperately wants to erase the humiliation of the Soviet Union's demise and Russia's historic loss of global power. In his view, the Russian empire must rise again and make itself known. This aspiration immediately involves Europe, because Russia has never been a global power without first becoming a hegemonic force in Europe. Today, Ukraine's independence is on the chopping block. Tomorrow, it will be the other post-Soviet states; and after that, domination of Europe awaits. Europeans who know their history should be all too familiar with this pattern. Given the implications of Putin's agenda, one wonders what Europe is waiting for. What more needs to happen before Europeans wake up to the facts? If there was ever a time to put aside petty conflicts, it is now. The EU must become a power in its own right if its principles are to survive in a world of renewed great-power politics and geopolitical rivalry. Those principles are being directly threatened. When will it defend them? To be sure, the importance of the US security guarantee in Europe is obvious under the current circumstances. But if transatlanticism is to endure, Europe itself must become stronger. That will require Germany first and foremost to rethink its role. It is and will remain Europe's largest member state economically and demographically. Given the magnitude of today's threats, is a German domestic dispute about the promise of the former government to spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on defense really an issue anymore? Or is it now more important that the German government issue a clear and positive statement about its commitment to the support of Ukraine and defense of European principles? That would send a message that the Kremlin could not misunderstand. But time is running out. Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. This article was provided by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org). Thursday night, Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie officially announced his bid for reelection. The tagline for the night was Continue the Progress and in his speech, he pitched a vision to keep doing the good work he has done for the city in the past 2.5 years of his term. During this period, I have gained knowledge and experience on the governance of our municipality and the functioning of the elected council and the administrators who oversee the day to day functions of our city, Bartie said. Related: Port Arthur Mayor talks first 100 days, future plans Bartie highlighted his work with emergency management, city employees and first responders to ensure the safety of residents during the several disasters that have struck the city since he was elected in June 2019. My administration has weathered three hurricanes: Laura, Delta and Beta, and numerous unfriendly weather patterns, he said. Even with the evacuation of residents called by me, as Mayor, God allowed us to have success and the return of residents to Port Arthur, unharmed. Another unforeseen disaster his team worked through was the COVID-19 pandemic. He asked the audience to allow him to continue assertive and effective leadership during this omicron phase of COVID. Bartie went on to highlight the collective bargaining process with police and fire unions, which have been secured as 3-year agreements under his leadership, as well as the plans that are being developed for future improvements to city services on land donated by Christus St. Mary, water and wastewater treatment facility upgrades, new and essential municipal hires and general collaboration and unity that he has sought to bring to the school districts, ports, Drainage District 7 and the county. Related: Port of Port Arthur granted $9.7 million in improvements Other major successful projects include the $1 million annual parks improvement project, $8 million allotted for street improvements, $3 million for the electric bus fleet, $6 million for the new animal shelter, $4 million for a new health department facility, in addition to federal dollars he is working on receiving. Related: Port Arthurs new animal shelter hits a wall My administration has worked to help secure $26.6 million allotted from the federal government through the CARES Act to be used for infrastructure improvements, fiber optics, and other COVID related issues within our city, he said. The room was full of supporters, Barties coworkers and even some of his Houston friends. Mayor Pro-Tempore Donald Frank showed up and recorded the event live. On the back table, decorated with red, white, and blue streamers, were refreshments including cupcakes, punch, deviled eggs, sandwiches, fruit, and more. Extending thanks to each of you joining me here this evening, Bartie said. It has been a distinct honor and privilege afforded me by the voters and citizens of this great city to serve as Mayor. I ask for the opportunity to continue the progress. rachel.kersey@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/ontheREKord If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.